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The Resort

Part II

First Day On The Job

When Loreli awoke, the indistinct light that flowed in through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows was a dim, dreary indigo, the first rays of dawn still an hour away. Around the edges of the palm-front drapes shi could just see the far horizon, the flat line of the endless ocean meeting the endless sky, and brief panic flashed through hir.

Where am I?!

The previous day, and then the previous week, filtered back to hir in an instant and shi calmed hirself, curling into a little ball in the corner of hir monstrous super-king-size bed. "Right," shi muttered, glancing over at the alarm clock and wincing. "Island. Jet lag. Plebbrg."

The svelte gazelle squeezed hir eyes shut and tried to force hirself back to sleep through sheer willpower. This, of course, woke hir up even more and shi sighed again. "Yeah, four in the morning is exactly when I wanted to wake up," shi mumbled, throwing the thin sheets aside and stretching out in all directions.

At full extension shi could hardly even reach the centre of the bed; shi had blushed the night before when shi saw it for the first time. Two thoughts had occurred, one on the heels of the other. Firstly, who needs a bed THAT big? and shortly afterwards, Me, if I'm not careful!

Loreli de Seuss, latest resident and probationary employee of The Resort, was still having a hard time believing hir new lot in life, capping an already unbelievable, if short, young existence. Shi hadn't made up hir mind about the whole 'escort' thing, even if they didn't like to call it that, but shi supposed shi had little choice but to accept the Island's gracious invitation. Where else was shi likely to get such an offer, considering... well, just considering?

A quick pat down confirmed that shi hadn't grown during the night, which always made hir mornings easier. Going up the mountain was easy, as shi liked to say, but coming down the other side could be quite the chore. Clad only in a teeny white tank-top and a pair of almost laughably girlish pink panties, hir dual-gendered nature was plainly obvious, but even in a regular pair of loose shorts shi could pass as full female, if shi chose.

Shi swung hir long legs out of bed and stood up, stretching still more to work the kinks out. Shi had been used to hir sturdy wrought-iron day-bed back home, capable of supporting hir weight and small enough that shi wouldn't consider sharing it with anyone; hir new mattress was nearly the size of hir old bedroom, while the apartment itself was probably bigger than hir old house. It was a lot to get used to.

Loreli went through the calming ritual of making coffee, pleased to see that the little kitchenette was well-stocked, and thought about the night before. After hir meeting with the manager, shi had been given a cursory tour of the grounds and shown to hir room, with an open invitation to join the other Resort employees in the lounge at any time, day or night. Exhausted and overwhelmed, Loreli had politely declined, locked the door, spent an hour staring at the fading sunset and then retired for the evening. Not a very exotic use of what the island paradise could offer, but it had been a day of days.

Listening to the coffee machine burble and pop, shi thought about what today would bring. A guide had been assigned to hir to show hir the town proper, help hir get some island- appropriate attire, and even help hir find a job, if shi didn't want to work at the Resort. Shi snorted, never imagining that shi would ever have to choose between 'sex worker' and 'waitress'.

"Not 'sex worker'," shi mimicked, remembering the manager's spiel. "Companion. I'm just keeping them company!"

Shi remembered the looks of contented bliss on the faces of those shi had seen the day before, and hir scowl faded. They did seem to be awfully happy, considering that none of them had been having sex, at least at that exact moment. The manager had claimed that many people just wanted the company of those who were more biologically unique, and if the relationships progressed, well, that was up to them as consenting adults, wasn't it?

But a new 'friend' every week, or a couple times a week... what did that make it? A rose by any other name, right?

The coffee machine sputtered, and shi yawned, reaching for the soon-to-be-empty sugar pot. "Bleh, it's too early for that," shi said to the empty room.

Shi spent the next several hours curled up on the enormous L-shaped couch, moving from cushion to cushion and flicking through the dozens of channels the huge wall-mounted television had to offer. Some of them were perpetually-looped advertisements for what the island boasted, from beaches to hang-gliding to mountain-climbing to wind-surfing, and everything in between. Others portrayed the night life, the various pubs and dance clubs and romantic restaurants the city contained. One channel, which shi was grimly pleased to have found, simply advertised one of the Resort's escorts every thirty seconds, and so matter how long shi watched, shi hadn't seen that one repeat even a single time.

"Hi, I'm Maticia!" said a bright-eyed lynxgrrl, smiling hugely at the camera and adjusting hir ill-fitting bikini. "I'm a philosophy major, and I teach flower-arranging three nights a week at the Resort Arboretum! I love sushi and red wine, and I love to dance!" While shi spoke, the camera panned back and around to show off hir staggering proportions, breasts that could have engulfed a dinner plate and a hermness that likely made up more than half of hir body mass. "My extension is 516! Enjoy your stay!"

It was very hard for Loreli to imagine that was a purely innocent plea for a fun evening of flower arrangement. Dozens of girls and grrls, and even a male or two, graced hir television, ranging from hir own age up to older than hir parents, and from the larger proportions of normal-sized all the way up to 'that has to be Photoshopped'! Even Loreli's jaw dropped at a few of them.

Shi stared at hir lap and couldn't resist a little smirk. "Maybe we will fit in here," shi whispered to hirself.

The golden-hued gazelle yelped when there was a sudden knock at the door. The clock read eight-fifteen, and shi groaned. "Oh, cripes, is EVERYONE here early?" Shi had been told hir guide would show up 'around nine', but shi supposed shi had also been warned that, on the Island, people were very informal when it came to time.

"One minute!" shi called. "Just... lemme throw something on!"

Shi rummaged around in hir backpack, which was still just thrown open on the far end of hir bed, wondering what best summed up hir first real day at hir new home. Baggy t-shirt and tight pants? Mini skirt? Mumu? There was another rap at the door, and shi shook hir head, little white horns whooshing through the air. "Hold on!"

Shi threw on a flower-print blouse, letting it hang open over hir tank top, and wriggled into a knee-length black skirt. It would do for now, at least until shi could tell hir visitor to stop knocking. Hir door was fairly rattling in it's frame as shi crossed the apartment, pulling it open on the twentieth knock. "I said hold on!" shi snapped before shi could help hirself. "I mean... uhm... sorry."

It took a few seconds for the figure before hir to be properly categorized. It was shorter than Loreli and sturdily built, even stockily built, but that did nothing to mask the healthy bosom and the heavy, hip-width bulges farther down. Shi would have thought that eight in the morning was too early for a scarlet cocktail dress, but things were definitely different here. It took a step back, eyes wide, smile faltering. "Uhm... no problem. I didn't hear you... rooms are soundproof, ya know?"

Loreli blinked and looked at the door, as though expecting to see a label on it that said 'Soundproof'. "Actually, I didn't know that," shi said, chagrined. "Sorry. Again. Uhm... can I help you?"

The little badger-like herm smiled again and stuck out hir hand. "Yeah! My name's Salraes, but everyone calls me Sally. I'm supposed to be your guide for the day."

The two exchanged several long glances in the manner of competitive herms everywhere, sizing eachother up from head to toe with particular attention to the more entertaining portions in between. Salraes seemed confused by Loreli's utter lack of curves, while Loreli was impressed by the male-to-female ratio of Sally's apparent gender. "I'm not really properly dressed yet. You wanna come in for a minute?"

"Nah, you're fine," Sally said without thinking about it, grabbing Loreli's wrist and tugging. "It's a warm morning, you're practically overdressed."

Loreli resisted briefly, but it was like trying to resist a suggestively-dressed bulldozer. Shi found hirself dragged halfway into the hallway, groping frantically for the door handle. "Hey! Wait! I need my... key-card... thing!"

Sally rolled hir eyes and nodded, letting go. "Ohhhh, fine. Like you need to get back IN at some point," shi grinned, winking with an exaggerated lack of subtlety. "It takes some time to get used to, but that's really the only thing you ever need to keep with you, and really, you can get a new one at the front desk any time."

"What if I don't have ID?"

Sally laughed brassily. "For MOST girls around here, usually a visual identification is enough, ya know? HAH! ID! That's a good one!"

Loreli stole back into the safety of hir apartment, found hir key-card on the dining room table and tucked it into hir shirt pocket alongside hir sunglasses. Shi wished for something, anything else to give hir an excuse to stay inside, but shi had promised hirself shi would give the island, and hir guide, a chance. "I guess that's it," shi said with a trace of sadness.

Sally stuck hir head in the door. "First day jitters?" Loreli nodded, too scatterbrained to even bother trying to prevaricate, and Sally smiled sympathetically. "That's totally normal, hon. Don't worry, we'll have you thinking of this place as home by sundown, I guarantee. First thing's first, though!"

"What's first?" Loreli asked warily. "It's too early for anything."

"Duh!" Sally said triumphantly. "Breakfast!"

---

The ride down in the elevator, Loreli said nothing. It wasn't for lack of trying; Sally just carried on both sides of the conversation all by hirself, filling in any details shi lacked with broad generalizations and hand gestures.

"You'll love it here! I heard we were getting a couple new gals this week, I guess you're one of them. Amberlina must have gotten the guide gig for the other one, since we were the next two on the list, so remind me to ask her what she's like, ok? I'd heard you were a gazelle or an antelope or something, and I heard you weren't VERY big, which is true, I suppose. I suppose you don't NEED to be big to be here, it's just that most of us, you know, are, ya know? We're probably branching out. Diversity. If you end up working here, I mean! Here at the Resort, I mean! Did you just come here to get a job in the city? Are you just a fan? I'm probably offending you, aren't I? I know it's kind of stuffy out there, people don't like to talk about this normally, but people who come HERE are usually pretty chill about that sort of thing. Anyways, here's the employee commissary. Line forms on the right over there, just grab a tray and start scooping."

After that dizzying run-through, where Loreli was fairly sure shi was meant to have some part in the back-and-forth, shi almost welcomed the crowds. They were below the main lobby level, but because of how the land sloped away there were still the standard full-height windows all along one wall. Down here the corridors were fairly busy, and it took the young grrl a minute to realize that, to use a rather tired truism, each person was more impressive than the last.

To boot, shi wasn't sure what shi'd expected from the name 'employee commissary', but the reality was as far from it as possible.

"Wow," shi said, moving slowly, dreamlike. This might as well have been the grandest banquet hall in all the world, as far as shi was concerned. The ceilings were high enough that shi'd have had trouble hitting it with a baseball, and chandeliers dotted the atmosphere. Huge, glossy, exotic wood tables were everywhere, on multiple levels, and everywhere was the tinkle of silverware and the din of conversation and laughter. Several gazes were brought to bear, and Loreli briefly shrank into hirself when matching eyebrows rose questioningly.

At least, until the gregarious otter grabbed hir wrist and pulled hir once more. "To the right, I said, to the right! Jeez, girl, grab a tray. Everyone stares at everyone, that's sort of par for the course here. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you got a lot to show off." Remarkably, Sally's perpetually upbeat prattle seemed a little uncertain in that last point.

Despite the grand furnishings, the servery was just like at hir old high school, although on a far more expensive scale. The entire first sneeze-guarded segment was nothing but mounds of diced tropical fruit, half of which shi could not identify; shi took one from each pile that looked halfway appetizing. At the second bar, this made it difficult for hir to also fit a gigantic waffle onto hir plate, but shi managed to drown it in maple syrup without spilling. The third bar made it difficult to even see hir plate anymore, faced with an assortment of eggs and breakfast meats that made even hir herbivorous ancestors take notice.

"They feed you well here," shi said approvingly, following Sally through the checkout line, pausing only to swipe hir card. "I'm amazed everyone's so skinny!"

"Hah!" Sally barked with a leer. "We find ways to burn off calories."

"I'm certain."

"Ohh, get your mind out of the gutter, you," Sally chuckled, admonishing the gazelle with a piece of bacon. "We've got something like fifty miles of beach here, plus tropical jungles and a real mountain, with a waterfall and everything. If you can't find something to occupy your time, you deserve to get all fat and smooshy. Unless you like that sort of thing! Love dat ass, Millie!" shi said hastily when the pair passed by one particularly zaftig wolfess, seated at twin stacks of pancakes. Millie just grinned and waved back, mouth full, her other arm pinned by the overflowing swells of her sweat-suit-clad breasts. Loreli wasn't sure how to describe Millie's figure... the word 'hourglass' seemed at least a week short.

Loreli followed Sally numbly, and it was only after they had been walking long enough for hir to notice that hir waffle was almost cold did shi realize that shi was essentially being put on display. They had to have passed by each table at least once, looking for 'the perfect seat', the otter insisted. Loreli was about to say something rather unpleasant when shi realized that it was also probably as much for hir benefit as it was for everyone else's. Everyone was being given a quick look at the new girl, while the new girl was getting a quick look at everyone.

Shi recognized some faces, and some bodies, from the day before, and it dawned on hir the reason for the enormous dining tables when shi saw that more than a few of the residents still had a hard time stuffing their outsized assets underneath. Loreli actually stumbled when they passed by a sweet, innocent-looking young pandagrrl who had to have possessed the largest sac shi had ever seen in hir life, some notable private moments notwithstanding. Even with the panda's seat pushed back a considerable distance, shi was all but leaning forward against the upper portions of hir balls, a pair of impossibly oversized yoga pants managing to keep them covered while hiding absolutely nothing about them.

When Sally eventually bade them sit down, shi leaned in conspiratorially and winked. "Got an eyeful of Didana, eh?" shi stage-whispered. "The pandagrrl?"

Loreli nodded, seating hirself between the otter and a towering doegrrl. "That was... shi was... I mean, holy!"

"All day, every day," Sally said in wonderment. "Any time some of us wonder what it would be like to be bigger down there, shi's there to tell us! Hir waiting list is, like, three months long."

Loreli paused mid-chew. "Waiting list for... partners?"

"You bet! Gotta be a Platinum Member to see hir web-page, which means you have to have been here three times and gotten good reviews."

"Wait... gotten good reviews? The customers get reviewed?"

"Of course!" Sally nodded reasonably, as though it were as obvious as the color of the sky. "You think we're going to just let anyone with a credit card come here and dilly-dally with the locals?"

"Well... yes! That sort of seemed to be the deal!"

The doegrrl rumbled politely. "You're new here?"

"Do I need a sign around my neck?" Loreli snapped before shi could stop hirself.

The porn-star-proportioned doe shook hir head slowly. "Nope," shi replied, turning hir attentions back to hir fruit salad.

Loreli sighed. "Sorry. This is... new for me, and I'm not being very... sorry."

"It's ok," the doe said with a small smile. "I was like that a bit my first little while here. It can be a bit of a shock, coming here from outside, depending on how tolerant it was where you grew up." The gazelle noticed that, sure enough, the doe was sizing hir up from hir little hooves to the tips of hir horns, and all the rather dull territory in between. "Stick with him, you'll be fine."

Loreli looked at Sally. "That's sort of the plan for today, yeah. I'm in tourist mode, and... wait, what did you say?"

"You'll be fine?"

Sally smirked knowingly, and Loreli shook hir head again. "No, before that."

"Hmm? Oh, stick with him."

The new grrl looked at the cocktail-dress-clad otter, eyes narrowing. "Him?"

"Hey, you assumed," Sally said with mock haughtiness, turning to glare at the doegrrl. "And YOU, little miss antler-panties, can just shut your mouth! You ruin this for me every time!"

"Think of it as contributing to island-based mental health," the doe chortled.

"Him?"

Sally adjusted his dress, patting at the indisputably female bosom, albeit one that was far more modestly-sized than seemed to be the local average. "Identity is important around here," he said. "My name's Salraes, but everyone calls me Sally. Remember?"

"Him?"

"Oh, snap out of it," the statuesque doegrrl laughed. "My name's Velba, and you'll fit in just fine if you remember two simple rules. One, don't get too uppity about pronouns, and two, never attribute to malice what can be attributed to good-natured mischief."

"And three," Sally piped up helpfully, "if Didana asks you to watch movies at hir place, decline. Politely."

Loreli found hirself unable to stop staring at Salraes, as though trying to decipher a puzzle. "Why?"

"Shi's got a bit of a thing for..." the otter made motions with his hands that mimicked Loreli's waifish figure. "Runway model types, like you."

The gazelle looked over at where the panda sat a few tables away, taking in those shocking orbs. "I guess I can understand that," shi grinned. "Watch movies with Didana, got it."

Velba laughed. "You're brave! I like you, you're all right."

There was another flurry of introductions after Loreli and hir guide finished their repasts and made their way out of the commissary. Shi knew shi had no chance at remembering half of their names, but there was no doubt shi'd remember the faces and their accompanying figures. They were heading for the elevators again when shi couldn't contain the question anymore.

"Him?"

Sally laughed, a throaty laugh that belied no ill will. "Yes, him. Goodness sakes, you'd think I'd be the least weird thing on this island!" He followed hir gaze, resting squarely on his chest. He inhaled, silken-furred cleavage rising proudly. "Got some fine doctors here on the Island, in case you haven't noticed!"

"Wh-" Loreli started to ask, but then caught hirself. "I guess the why is obvious, and... not important."

Sally nodded with satisfaction. "By jove, I think shi's starting to get the hang of it! That's right, it doesn't matter, not enough to waste a second thought on it. That's maybe the biggest thing you'll have to get used to around here, and please refrain from making any dick jokes until I've finished: figuring out what is and isn't, in the grand scheme of things, truly important. I was born a male, even if I never felt like one. I came here, got me some sweet-ass tits, and shortened my name. The important part of all that is, now I'm happy. What else matters?"

Loreli's jaw worked silenlty for a minute, and Sally was worried he was going to have to come up with another inspirational speech on the fly when he found himself suddenly being desperately hugged, the taller gazelle burying hir muzzle in his neck.

"Thanks," shi said, sniffling once.

Slowly he brought his arms in, squeezing hir reassuringly. "I'd ask what for, but..."

Shi chuckled, blinking away a tear. "... but it's not important?"

"I was going to say, it's WAY too early for emotional crap, but that works, too," he said, grinning like a hyena.

Shi punched him affectionately on the shoulder, pulling back and wiping at hir eyes. "Either one is good," shi said thickly, clearing hir throat. "Ok! Uhm. I don't think I can handle any more epiphanies before lunch, so... what's the plan?"

"I've got epiphanies scheduled for Appy Hour at the sushi place, don't worry. The plan NOW, miss huggy-pants, is to hit the beach!"

"Oh! Uhm... I don't really have a bathing suit yet. I didn't own any back home, and..."

Sally waved away hir objections. "Don't worry. Do you know what's between here and the beach?"

---

Even at such an early hour, Ilsa Calamata was bustling. The pair had requisitioned one of the slightly larger and more comfortable golf carts and had spent a breezy ten minutes puttering down the hill. Loreli was enthralled by the views, having been a little too dazed by the trip and the cab driver to have really been able to appreciate it. By the time Sally had to slow down to maneuver around the pedestrians, shi had decided that it was perhaps the most beautiful place on Earth.

"How long have you been here?"

"I celebrate my third island-versary next month!" the ambiguous otter replied. "Sorry, it's kind of a lame joke, but it's sort of caught on around here."

"And you're... you know..."

"A damsel of negotiable affection?" he replied archly.

"I wasn't going to use the word 'damsel'..."

"Hah! Well, yes. Not at first. At first I was trying to make a go of it as a writer while I worked at one of the boat rental places, but, hey watch it I'm driving here!" The cart swerved to avoid a young couple walking hand-in-hand, although considering they were most certainly driving on the sidewalk Loreli wasn't sure who should have been watching out. "Anyways, I looked into the doctors, and the Resort made their annual pitch to me, and... and I fell in love."

"Awww," Loreli smiled.

"Eh, it didn't last," Sally said offhandedly. "I thought it would forever, which I guess was just the age, but he convinced me to follow all my dreams, not just the ones I thought my parents would like to hear about."

The gazelle was rubbernecking now, swiveling in hir seat to try and drink in all of the exotic sights, particularly the inhabitants. "You got sent here, though, didn't you?"

"Actually... no. I saved up my money. Worked three jobs all through high school, even ran a fundraiser. Moved here all on my own. Once I was here, they were more than happy to have me, considering... you know." He gestured down his lap, where the crimson cocktail dress was stretched to the bursting point by his hip-width endowments.

Shi was duly impressed. "All I ever managed in high school was a paper route so I could pay for my smartphone plan," shi giggled. "You're... wow!"

The golf cart swerved again, but this time it was due to the sheer size of the person making use of the sidewalk. Taurs weren't quite as rare as hypers, but it still wasn't very often that shi got to see an eyeful like that in person! Golden brown fur was trimmed short like velvet in deference to the heat, heavy barrel swaying back and forth with the effort of carrying a truly immense amount of flesh between those widely-splayed hind-legs. The almost dainty green shorts and matching tank top were nearly swallowed up by the ursine's swells.

"Morning, Darcy!" Sally waved. The enormous bear, easily seven feet to hir little stubby ears, nodded in return, hardly turning hir attention from the ice cream cones held in each paw.

The golf cart puttered along. "That was Darcy," Sally said again, noting how huge Loreli's eyes had become. "Shi's super."

"Yowza," the gazelle murmured, licking hir lips. "And I thought the bipeds were big!"

"Eh, Didana's still got hir beat in a couple ways. Enough about that, though. What are you in the mood for?"

"What?" Loreli said, shaking hir head, clearing out the cobwebs. "Mood? Huh?"

"You're letting the soothing island rhythms get to you, girl!" Sally laughed. They had descended most of the way through town, or at least through the districts closest to the Resort, and they could see the beaches between the buildings, smell the salt spray on the breeze. "It's a tropical paradise! You gotta dress appropriately. Hmmm, you don't strike me as the 'wrap' kind of a girl, so... here we go."

The tires squeaked and they jerked to a stop, inches from a potted palm tree. Loreli looked around, attentions constantly lured away by locals out for early morning strolls, and it took hir a moment to realize that they had pulled up in front of a large, brightly-colored shop with two enormous windows filled with the most improbably-sized mannequins imaginable.

"Oh!"

Sally grinned and tugged hir along. "Come on! Ass like that, we've gotta get you some sort of bikini. A little one. Orangey-auburn fur, hmm? How do you feel about purple?"

The inside of the shop was a garish explosion of every tropical theme imaginable and a veritable rainbow of bright neon colors, even though most of the swimsuits were scandalously small. Not many of the items on display seemed as though they would suit hir modest curves, not without some letting in on their part or some letting out on hir own part... she chewed hir lip. So soon?

"Zuzanka, you in here?" Sally, never letting go of the gazelle's wrist even for a moment, headed towards the back. "I got a new grrl for ya!"

The squeak of delight caught Loreli by surprise. Shi raked hir fingers back through hir hair, absently trying to brush some nonexistent dust from hir tiny horns. "You're on a first-name basis with the owner of a bikini shop?"

"Hell yes! If I've got twenty feet of closet space, I'm gonna USE it! Zuzu, where are you, daylight's wasting!"

Loreli wasn't sure what shi was expecting, but perhaps the last thing on the list was the creature that stepped around the corner. They both froze while Sally just stepped back, one hand trying to hide his smile. "So whaddya think, Zuzu? Got anything that'll fit hir?" he said with barely-restrained mirth.

Zuzanka was a gazelle that, perhaps from a distance, could have passed as Loreli's sister. She was most certainly a female, though, as the few square inches of brilliant white polyester would attest to, but apart from that they shared nearly identical curves and coloration. "Well, I'll be," the owner said with a thick Slavic accent. "Gazelle! I've always said we need more horny girls on the island," she mused, plucking at hir own adornments.

"We've got to get you two together on the boardwalk," Sally continued, lost in his own world of hilarity. "We can dress you two up as twins! OOHH!! You can pick up guys that way! That would be AWESOME! Loreli, can you-"

"No sisters," Loreli smirked.

"But it's-"

"No!" Zuzanka barked, and the two gazelles shared a grin. "Is unseemly. Ok! What can Zuzu do for you today? Sally, you are needing new bikini again?"

The trans-otter gripped his breasts rather unselfconsciously, giving them a loving squeeze. "Something naughty today, I think! I gotta show off for the both of us."

Loreli rolled hir eyes. "And I need a bikini, too, but... uhm... I'm not sure you've got anything in my size."

"Oh, pshaw," Zuzanka said. "Have hundreds more in storage, every size. Tourists expect to see the big deal when they come in here, you know? You look same size as me, let me pull up some samples..."

"Wait!"

Sally and Zuzanka froze, looking curiously at the suddenly-nervous herm. "What is it? It's just some gentle ribbing, Loreli, I didn't mean anything by it," Sally said soothingly. "I know I come off a little brassy, I can tone it down."

"No no, it's not that, it's just... uhm... well..." Loreli scuffed hir tiny hooves on the parquet floors, blushing to hir roots. "Look, this is sort of awkward for me."

"You have not much experience with bikinis?" Zuzanka said gently, sizing up the modestly-endowed herm. "You are not so big, have many that will fit you, not be banana-speedo."

"Urk. This... it's..." shi stared pleadingly at the ceiling, but there was no sudden message from on high. Shi thought back to hir meeting the day before with the manager of the Resort, and shi knew there was only one way out. "Look, can you two keep a secret?"

The otter and shopowner exchanged worried looks. "Ye-e-e-es," they both said slowly.

"Good. Uhm. Changeroom?"

In deference to the often spectacularly-proportioned shoppers, the changerooms were nearly as big as Loreli's bedroom had been back home, with mirrors all around. Sally's brows were furrowed with concern, while Zuzanka was just openly curious. "You're not going to drop skirt and show us rubber thingy, no?"

"No! Definitely... definitely not. Just... sorry. I've only done this once before. Twice. Well, three times, as of yesterday. Four, if you count my doctor-"

"You're an alien!" Sally said triumphantly before withering under the stares of both gazelles. "It was just a theory."

"Look, just... I guess it won't be a secret FOREVER, but... never mind. Let me just get this over with."

Checking to make sure the changeroom door was locked and unable to shake the nagging paranoia that always lurked at the back of hir mind, Loreli smoothed down hir skirts, and took a deep breath. A very deep breath.

Straining as though lifting something heavy, shi closed hir eyes, picturing hirself in hir mind... picturing hirself changing.

"Bozhe moy," breathed Zuzanka.

"Sweet fancy apples," Sally croaked, settling back into some faint midwestern accent in surprise.

Loreli kept hir eyes closed, but hir hands were pressed against hir skirt. As the skirt filled out, though, they did less and less to keep things covered and only served to highlight their rondure. Within seconds, shi was large enough that hir formerly knee-length skirt was starting to show a little thigh. A few moments more and the formerly-dainty herm was every inch as well-endowed as Sally, skirt hardly covering twin mounds like basketballs.

A moment more, and there was a snap as hir last pair of pink panties surrendered to the strain, falling in tatters to hir ankles.

Exhaling in a gasp, sweat beaded on hir forehead, Loreli allowed hirself to open hir eyes and examine hirself in the mirror. "I kind of... overshot, but... I think you... get the idea..." The only sound was Loreli struggling to get hir breathing under control, and three pairs of eyes blinking. "Hello?"

"That... explains a lot," Sally wheezed. One dark brown paw moved to the front of his lap, tugging at a cocktail dress that was not keeping his growing arousal very well hidden. "You're going to be... very popular here!"

"I don't want to be THAT kind of popular," Loreli said, turning sideways and examining hir reflection's profile. With hir slender legs, tiny rump and gymnast's bosom, the view from the side was absolutely dominated by hir hermness, black skirt only covering the top two-thirds. "This is... this is just something that I can do, ok? It's why I'm here on the Island."

Zuzanka was still just staring, until Loreli waved a tiny hand in front of her face. "Oh! Sorry. That was just... you are looking for bikini still?" she said, recovering admirably. "I think I might have more that will fit you now."

Ten minutes later, Loreli and Sally emerged from the back of the bikini shop, which the gazelle realized was probably technically the front, as it opened directly onto the beachfront boulevard. It had taken hir several minutes to rebuild hir courage supply, the otter holding hir hand the entire time, but stepping out into the sunlight wearing the first properly-fitting swimsuit of hir entire young life, none of hir fears were realized.

Shi expected wolf-whistles. Shi expected cat-calls and hollering and biting, disbelieving laughter. That's what had always happened back home.

Instead, all shi received was a handful of polite "Good mornings!" from passers by.

"I don't know how to feel about that," shi said, hir old outfit stuffed into a tiny plastic bag dangling from one hand. Shi plucked at the eye-wrenchingly purple fabric, which fit hir new curves like a second skin.

"What?" Sally said, stretching and soaking up the sun. He had purchased a bright-red two-piece that could almost have been cut from the same fabric as the cocktail dres, which was also stuffed into the little plastic bag. The buxom otter looked even more sturdily-built with so much exposed glossy fur, thick-legged and broad-shouldered, but Loreli found the strange sexual dichotomy, the reverse of what shi was used to, rather appealing.

"Walking around like this, and.... people not caring."

Sally glanced down at Loreli's lap. "Hon, you might be putting me to shame right now, but you're still not standing out in the crowd in THIS place, and even if you were... is that important?"

Loreli smiled, an easy smile that spread to hir eyes. "No," shi said, feeling the morning's tension melting away from hir. Walking along that stretch of boardwalk, the gazelle could see half a dozen grrls bigger than shi, and almost no-one was giving them a second glance. "It's not."

"Good! Now then, what are you good at?"

"Uhm... math? Pastry... painting, sometimes..."

Sally's artfully-constructed breasts bounced with mirth. "I meant at the beach, dummy. Volleyball? Frisbee? Sand castles?"

"Oh! I don't really know. There's not a lot of beaches where I'm from. We had a community centre pool, and I just sort of paddled around."

For a minute or two they just leaned against the boardwalk railing, some sort of sun-bleached local wood, just taking in the sights. Low, rhythmic waves lapped at the shore of the vaguely pink-hued beach. Loreli remembered from the instructional pamphlets that the beaches on this side of the island were oddly colored due to the chemical impurities in the silica, while on the other side of the beach there were silver and black volcanic sands. A smattering of clouds on the horizon still glowed with warm, golden light, but the sun was arcing higher overhead and the temperature was really starting to rise.

All around them were the pleasant sounds of locals going to work, tourists taking in the sights, kids playing and vendors hawking their wares. Golf carts and bicycles whirred by regularly, there were hoofbeats and pawsteps and the occasional clack of talons, and nowhere could shi see a scowl or hear a cross word. Shi was far too cynical to think of this place as a paradise...

... but shi couldn't think of any other words for it, either.

"It's winning you over, isn't it," Sally murmured, nudging the gazelle's shoulder with his own and bumping his straining bikini bottoms against hirs. "It always wins in the end. We've got people who come here expecting a terrible time, already having made up their minds, but a day, two at the outside... and they leave it all behind."

Loreli glanced up at the sun. "Let's see, I landed yesterday around... eleven forty? Local time? So, yeah, less than twenty four fours." Shi yawned, delicate muzzle popping. "Still kinda jet-laggy, but I have to say, I really didn't expect to feel so welcomed."

Sally started to reply, but Loreli slumped bonelessly against his bulky but still feminine frame, resting hir head against his. "Thanks. Again," shi chuckled. "I'll stop being all wierd now."

"Oh, no, carry on!" Sally grinned hugely, putting his arm around the gazelle's slender waist. "I could do this ALL day."

"I'll bet!"

"We otters are known for our stamina," he drawled again, a hint of Alabama entering his voice.

"I'll keep that in mind," shi giggled, straightening up. "So! What do you recommend? Those boys are playing volleyball, and... oof, maybe not. That looked painful."

One of the players, a teenaged bovine, had dived for the ball, managing to forearm bump it back up into the air, but the sheer weight of his nethers had tumbled him head over heels. They could hear his laughter as he struggled back to his feet, teammates patting him on the back. "Ah, he's fine," Sally said. "Sand's softer than it looks. Are you good at moving around like that?"

"Like what?"

Sally hip-bumped hir again, heavy orbs bumping and faintly sloshing against eachother. "Like that, doofus. I mean, you're bigger than me, and I'm not gonna be doing any pirouettes anytime soon."

Loreli stepped back from the railing and handed Sally the bag. Shi flexed hir legs slightly, stretching out hir back and trying to loosen hir muscles. Shi inhaled, and for a second Sally thought shi was going to grow again, but it was a preparatory breath only.

The gazelle kicked out one leg with practiced ease and hooked it tightly against hir other, arms forming a loose circle in front of hir body. Once, twice, nearly three times shi spun on one hoof, thighs forced apart by hir bulk but still with the effortless grace that four years of ballet lessons had bestowed. Shi brought hir other foot down before shi toppled and smiled with pleasant surprise.

The smile became significantly more sheepish when a smattering of applause filled the boardwalk. Loreli waved half-heartedly to the onlookers and resumed hir position at the railing, slouching and trying to look small. "I guess I can," shi chuckled.

Sally's gaze was penetrating. "Any other secrets you feel like sharing? Do you outsource to NASA when you're bored?"

Shi laughed. "Not hardly. It's cold back home. We do lots of indoor stuff. I wanted to be a ballerina for years, up until things started to, you know... go nuts."

"Yes, they did," he leered, glancing down to hir violet-clad sac.

"You're terrible."

"Yes, I am."

Loreli licked hir lips, glancing around. The crowds were still scattered, but shi knew that after lunch the beaches would be crammed full. Back home, shi'd only been brave enough to try to pull it off a handful of times in public, and only a handful more with hir boyfriend, but now, shi thought, what was stopping hir? Shi'd been sent here so shi could be hirself.

So who am I?

Hot on the heels of that thought was, And what's important?

Sally was distracted by a passing tourist. "See, it's all in the eyes. You can tell a tourist because they look like they don't want to waste precious time blinking. They've got this deer-in-the-headlights thing going on. Hi-i-i," he called coquettishly, waggling his fingers at a long, lanky giraffe that was old enough to have been Loreli's father. "Love the tall ones. You?"

Loreli gasped, breathing heavily, and the otter's head whipped around. Whereas before the bikini bottoms had fit wonderfully, hugging each nook and cranny and leaving nothing to the imagination, they were now in serious danger of structural failure. The straps were digging into hir slender hips, and there was more than a little dark chestnut fur showing at the tops and sides. Sally was a good judge of size, and his new friend had just added another gallon to each side, and several more inches of girth to the great bulge stretched overtop and down the front.

"Bah," he croaked, stubby tail wagging. "Did... did you..."

"Do you think anyone saw?" shi whispered, glancing nervously to either side.

The sounds of traffic around them did not seem to have changed, but there was perhaps a few more people pausing to admire the athletic gazelle, immense sac easily visible from behind.

"I think there'd be a lot more head-on collisions if they had. Jeez, I thought that was your, you know, limit!"

Loreli laughed, so loud shi had to clamp hir hands over hir muzzle to stifle it, drawing a few more stares. Despite the weight, hir legs were standing straight and strong. "No, that... that was definitely not my limit," shi said, struggling to keep a poker face.

Sally was breathing faster now, crimson swimsuit shifting and stretching as he became unable to conceal his arousal. Even his semi-hard state did not seem to be a big social faux-pas, shi was pleased to discover.

"So what is-"

"Not telling," shi said simply, sticking out hir tongue.

"Aww! Please?"

Shi shook hir head, horns swishing. "No. Maybe someday, but... I know you're curious, and you seem nice about it, but a grrl's gotta have some secrets, right? Sometimes, that's important."

Sally's jaw worked, but he slumped in defeat. "You're mean," he said with a smile.

"The meanest," shi agreed. "Come on. I'll buy you an iced latte."

Over the next few hours, the scantily clad pair covered most of the downtown core nearest the Resort. Sally showed hir which restaurants were the best, which day spas offered which services, and where to see the cutest boys and girls and grrls congregate. The vivacious otter was remarkably nondiscriminating when it came to potential partners, flirting quite overtly with anyone and everyone. When he remembered, though, he introduced Loreli as his very good, close personal friend. As much as shi demurred, shi found hirself in possession of half a dozen phone numbers scrawled on the receipt from the bikini store.

"I really think that last one liked you," Sally said for the fourth or fifth time.

"Uh huh," Loreli chuckled. "What gave it away? The stuttering or the tent in his shorts?"

"I saw him pay with a Platinum Card. That means he's gotten A-1 reviews from the Resort at least three times!"

"So, what, I just whore myself out to the high rollers?" The thought was on the one hand thoroughly distasteful, but shi kept fiddling with the situation in hir mind and finding that it really did not seem to be the seedy flesh-farm that shi had made it out to be.

"No, dummy, it means he's nice. ACTUALLY nice. So when he asks you to join him for cocktails at the Blue Lagoon, next time, just say 'yes', ok? Or at least let him down easy so I can jump all over that."

"Sally!"

"What? A girl's got needs," he grinned, plucking at his bikini top. "Hey, Velba!"

Loreli was leaning with hir back to the smooth bark of a palm tree, one large enough that the sidewalk had simply been dug up to provide enough soil, enjoying the shade and hir third latte. Hir hooves were starting to get a little sore, as this was by far the longest time shi'd spent 'filled up', even to this small degree, and walking around. Normally shi only indulged while curled up in bed or while hir parents were out of the house, or more enjoyably while shi was alone with hir ex-boyfriend, but shi was generally sitting down for that. Trotting around town was going to take some getting used to!

Wait... what did Sally just say?!

Shi jerked upright when Velva, the statuesque doegrrl from breakfast, closed to an arm's reach away, and the local made no attempt to hide hir confusion and surprise at seeing Loreli's current figure.

Dammit, I knew I forgot something!

"Hi, Velba," shi said, voice hopefully steady.

"Loreli?" Velba asked, tilting hir impressive rack of antlers to the side. "Is that you?"

Sally was jittering up and down so hard he nearly had a wardrobe malfunction. "YES!" he cried, drawing some attention from the smattering of pedestrians. "Velba, you're not going to BELIEVE it!"

"I'm sort of believing it right now," shi said slowly, a smile spreading. Shi was wearing a snug white sundress, every inch the tropical damsel, which warred with hir hour-and-a-half-glass assets. "But I'm still not quite following."

Sally reached up and was just barely able to grip Velba's horns, hauling hir head down. He whispered furiously, making some dramatic gestures with one hand while Loreli tried to calm hir pounding heartbeat and act casual. Everywhere shi looked, it seemed as though someone was smiling at hir and trying to catch hir eye. Shi waved back uncertainly, determined to make the effort to meet someone, REALLY meet someone, during hir time on the island... just maybe not today.

"And now shi looks like THAT!" the otter concluded triumphantly.

"Subtle, Sally. Real subtle," Loreli said dryly.

"I KNOW!"

Velba scanned the gazelle up and down again, still struggling to process the information, but in the end shi just shrugged. "Will wonders never cease," shi rumbled pleasantly. "Were you planning on letting us in on your little secret, or did Sally just annoy you so much you did it to shut him up?"

"HEY!"

Loreli laughed. "I knew it was going to get out eventually, I just wasn't sure of the right time... until he brought me bikini shopping."

"Aaaahhh, Zuzanka. Makes sense," the doe nodded knowingly. "Anyways, I'm just off to catch the jam session at the Wild Scallion. You grrls up for it?"

The two new friends exchanged glances. "Whaddya say, dummy? Folk and jazz music, half-price sandwiches?"

Loreli grinned, reaching out to squeeze both Sally and Velba's hands. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

To be continued... up next, beach party!