Claire woke up feeling completely refreshed. It felt nice to hear from Her Goddess again and to see the new form She had. Claire recollected the face that used to be so featureless, now was filled out by a fusion of her lovers. Same nose as the two Carpenter sisters, Jasmine's eyes, and she even recalled a few of Jessie's freckles. They blended seamlessly together to make a beautiful face.
Claire's smile was quickly noticed by her lovers around her, before anyone had to ask, Claire spoke. "She visited me…"
"She did?" Elsie rubbed the sleep out of her eye. "Is that what woke me up last night?"
Claire nodded. "Took her a while because She needed rest, but Her form is complete. She has a physical body now."
"Is She hot?" Elsie slyly smiled at Claire.
"She's a combination of all of you," Claire chuckled. She took a moment to stretch her arms before replying. "So, yes."
"When do we get to meet Her?" Elsie crawled closer to Claire.
"No idea," Claire opened her arms for the older twin. "She was very vague…"
"Did She explain Jazz's change?" Lily asked. Her tone was far more serious compared to the two of theirs.
"She did," Claire nodded. She glanced at Jasmine, who was silently staring at her. "They thought it would help Jasmine relax more. And, She said, because Jasmine broke her promise back in Restol, this was her punishment."
"Punishment? Really?" Jasmine sighed.
"Thank goodness," Lily pushed her glasses up. "I was worried the rest of us would start to have secondary changes."
"So we won't all get drunk like Jasmine?" Hannah asked. "Damn, would have made nights more fun."
"But watch a nightmare," Elsie nodded in agreement.
"So what? I just have to deal with getting tipsy every time I drink your cum?" Jasmine scoffed. It'd been a while since the Goddess had annoyed her. "Must have gotten her personality from Elsie."
"I do think it's for the best," Claire responded. She would hold on to the information the Goddess gave her about what was still bothering Jasmine. "Especially on the days you don't have to be up."
"What if we get attacked? Or what if we need to flee? I need to be in fighting shape." Jasmine insisted. She was about to list off a few more things, but Hannah cut her off.
"That's why we're here," Hannah said with a surprisingly serious tone. "I know I'm still new to this group and have been causing problems, but I can already tell you are shouldering too much. Yes, you are a veteran adventurer, but you have Ursa and me. Both of us can pick up the slack."
"I agree," Ursa said from outside the carriage. "And… Um… Hannah?"
Hannah's smile widened. She was imagining Ursa's blushing face as she tried to speak. "Ursa thinks you are underestimating Claire, Ana, and Elsie. She believes they are far more capable than you realize."
There was a brief silence before Ursa could barely be heard. "That."
Jasmine looked at the ground in contemplation. She hated the idea of keeping this punishment. She didn't need to relax out here; she needed to be ready. It was against her nature. "I don't doubt that, Ursa."
"While I would love for you to get drunk every night on our collective cum," Hannah continued. She glanced at Toni, who was still rousing from his sleep, still cuddled up to Ana. "I understand why you'd be cautious. Wish we could control when it affected you."
"That would be better," Claire mumbled to herself. "I can always ask."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Elsie stared directly at Jasmine with a coy smile. She could sense Jasmine getting heated and wanted to de-escalate a bit. "Letting Claire have that much control over you. Isn't that better?"
Jasmine's expression broke for a brief moment. Elsie's words did get under her cold facade for a moment. "I will admit that it's better if we could turn it off…"
"I bet," Elsie cooed. "Can't go a night without Claire's cum, can you?"
"Shush," Jasmine shot back. "I'm being serious here." She turned to Lily, who was deep in thought. "Look, I realize I haven't been the best at being truthful. I understand why you and Claire think this is a good idea, but now isn't the time for this punishment."
"I agree," Lily nodded. She bit her finger as she continued to think. "Mostly with how you've been handling all this. Not really about the timing. I think she's testing you in a way."
"In what way is this a test?" Jasmine scoffed.
"Testing how much you trust us," Lily met Jasmine's eyes. "Jazz, I've only heard about your time with the other group, but I've seen how it affected you. I've seen the way you overcompensate while we are traveling. Doing everything yourself. You trust us as people; that is very clear. But there's still a part of you that doesn't trust us as adventurers. A part of you is still stuck reeling from your old party."
"I doubt that was Her intentions," Jasmine responded coldly.
"Honestly, I have to agree with Jasmine about Her intentions," Claire added. "She did say it was because we were obsessed with punishments recently…"
"I-I think Lily has a point," Ana yawned. She was slowly being filled in about the situation by Elsie. "She's right about Jasmine being stuck… Um, sorry, but it's true."
Jasmine shook her head. "That should not matter right now. We're fighting monsters and bandits. We should be focusing on those fights."
"And we can," Lily continued pressing Jasmine. "We can focus on those things, while still letting you get drunk. Maybe hold off while we're near the area, but it's best for your mental health if you let the edge off."
"So get dependent on what's basically a drug to relax?" Jasmine's voice rose. "Very good advice from a doctor."
"Well, you aren't listening when we tell you to relax, now are you?!" Lily replied in a louder voice. "I've tried for years to help you. I'm at my wits' end with this."
"And that can wait until we ge-"
"Stop," Claire said calmly, cutting Jasmine off from escalating the argument. "This is not the time to argue. Jazz, please. Listen to Lily."
"Why can't this wait until we get back?" Jasmine growled.
"Because, like the Goddess said, you already broke your promise when we were back in Restol." Claire continued calmly. She did not want to see the two fighting. She had enough of that when Hannah and Ursa were fighting. "If we wait until we return again, you'll just break your promise again."
"Agreed," Elsie nodded as she settled into Claire's lap.
"We will wait for when you are ready to speak about everything, but for now, just let this go." Claire continued.
"I'm not happy about this," Jasmine muttered.
"Neither are we," Claire replied quickly. "We desperately want to help you, but you're keeping us out still."
Jasmine's eyes narrowed. She studied Claire for a moment, wondering if the Goddess informed Claire about anything. She let out a deep exhale, "Fine. Whatever. But nothing like that first day."
"That's acceptable," Lily nodded. She calmed her growing anger with her own deep breaths. "Just take the edge off, that's all I ask."
"Right," Hannah said during the awkward tension. "I don't know you all too well, but I can understand Jasmine's side. You're asking a soldier to get drunk every night to deal with her nightmares. It's pretty fucked up."
"I know," Lily nodded. It went against everything she learned when taking care of people. "But this is the plan I've been reduced to after trying for years on end to help."
"Lily," Ana crawled over to her. She nestled into Lily's lap and grasped her hand. She tilted her head back to look up at Lily with innocent eyes. "Patience, remember. We have to wait for Jasmine; pushing her will only delay it."
Lily leaned down and kissed Ana's forehead. "I know. She's just so fucking annoying sometimes."