Book Spider

CW: Stuffing, bit of feeding, half-spider lady, some body dysmorphia/self-hate

Yeah, I had no clue what to name this. This one just kinda happened, lol. Definitely didn't plan for it to go this direction when I started, but here we are, so... have fun~.

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Chary loved her job. It was nice, quiet and peaceful. Nothing ever happened at her job. She liked it that way. She could sit at her desk with a good book and a cup of tea, and just… exist.

Except when there were field trips. Existing wasn’t allowed when there were field trips. It was hard to exist around children. Nasty, rude, uncouth little creatures. Dirty and disrespectful. So many precious treasures ruined by their grubby little candy grabbers. It should be illegal for children to enter libraries.

Ah, yes, right. Chary worked in a library. A wonderful place full of wonderful stories. Well, usually it was wonderful. Except when there were field trips, as she’d mentioned. Then it was akin to being chained to a rock as two dozen diminutive vultures pecked out her spleen for hours on end.

“Mrs. Chary, where are the books on kangacorns?” one such menace asked. The little thing had snuck up to her desk, startling her right in the middle of the best part of Purgatorio. 

Chary hastily put a book mark in her book and shut it. She cleared her throat and asked, “K-Kangacorn? I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean…”

The child scoffed. “It’s a kangaroo unicorn! Duh!”

Chary blinked. “I… see… uhm… M-My apologies, but w-we don’t have any books on that particular… topic…”

“Whaaaat!?” The child screwed his face up, not unlike if he’d smelled a particularly sour dumpster. “But they’re the best things EVER! You gotta have at least ONE book on ‘em!”

Chary wrung her hands nervously. Her legs shuffled uncomfortably beneath her. “N-No, I’m quite certain we don’t. We do have books on the animals separately. If y-you want, I can-”

“Laaaame,” the child interrupted. He dumped a handful of corn kernels on Chary’s desk and scampered off.

…Ok, while that child  had perfectly demonstrated Chary’s reluctance with the beastlets, this one had been somewhat of an outlier. Children normally poked fun at her features and left books in the wrong places. Obscure monsters and uncooked corn was a first for her.

Still, whether or not it was new, Chary now had to deal with this. Food waste was to be discarded in the back, so as to not encourage vermin to mingle with the literature. Chary didn’t particularly enjoy moving about during visiting hours. She always attracted unwanted attention to herself thanks to her… unique physiology.

Slowly, carefully, Chary untucked her legs out from beneath her abdomen. She stretched her legs out as she stood up, urging the tingling to fade quickly. Ok, maybe it wouldn’t hurt for her to move about more often. Having your legs fall asleep was so much worse when you had eight of them sleeping at the same time…

Charybdis the arachne. That was the fun little name her parents had decided to name her after she’d been born, mixing and matching two different mythological terrors from ancient Greece. Except that, of course, the former was a nonexistent oceanic nightmare and the latter was quite real, seeing as Chary was one. It had come as quite the shock when Chary had come out half-spider, she had been told. Turns out, unlike many other demi-human races, arachne traits are recessive. The trait had been carried for eight generations on her fathers side and thirteen on her mothers. A quirky twist of fate that left everyone terrified and confused. Chary’s first joke, as it were.

Now, as much as this would be the ideal place in a story to insert a tragic backstory, Chary had none to offer. Her parents, while flabbergasted, were loving and supportive. They sent her to a demi-positive school system, where (while a shy loner) Chary flourished. She got a full scholarship to a university where she majored in library sciences and minored in classical Greek. Now she worked her dream job in a nice city with a nice apartment. Her love life was nonexistent, and her social life was close to the same, but she visited her parents on the holidays, enjoyed discounted Valentine's chocolate without remorse, had more books than she could count, and she was cute. Chary honestly couldn’t ask for more, considering what she was.

Though she could certainly do without the staring. She tried to ignore the skittish eyes of the children and their chaperones as she skittered towards the employee lounge. She was small, as far as arachnes go. She inherited the orb weaver genes from her mothers side much more strongly than the wolf spider genes from her fathers side. Still, even being smaller, she was still about five foot nine, and could reach up to about seven feet if she stood on tip-legs. Her large blackish-brown abdomen was the largest part of her- something she was quite self-conscious about. Butt-shrinking exercises didn’t exactly work the same for her as it did for other races. She’d had to learn how to maneuver her large caboose and expansive gait through a world designed for bipeds. At least she was small and fairly flexible. She couldn’t imagine trying to fit through doorways if she had any bird-eater in her veins, or if she was stiff. Both sounded positively crippling.

Pushing her insecurities down, Chary quickly ducked into the employee-only lounge. She let out a shaky sigh, dropped the corn kernels in the kitchenette trash- and squeaked as a loud slurping sounded nearby. She practically skittered up the wall, six legs planted firmly vertically while her human half pulled her hair over her face. She peeked through the brown strands to see… “D-Darlene! Please! I almost had a heart attack!”

The twenty-something human woman blinked. “My bad. I should’ve had my bell collar on so I wouldn’t startle the apex predator. Whoops.”

Chary walked her lower half off the wall, forcing herself to take deep breaths. She pushed her hair back out of her face and tucked much of it behind her ears. “S-Sorry. Those children just have me on edge. Why did Geneva have to approve a field trip? What child nowadays even likes books?”

“My kid. Taught her to read before she could talk. Loves Tolkien just as much as Bluey.”

“...I… stand corrected?” Chary had no idea who Bluey was. She would have to look that author up later. She then straightened her top and sighed deeply. “Well, I have to go back out there. Enjoy your coffee, Darlene.”

“It’s paint thinner. And my name’s Fran.”

Chary let Darlene be and exited the lounge- only to once again be scared for her life. “G-Geneva! Who stands right outside a- I-I mean, hi! Hello! Wh-What can I do for the best boss in the world?”

“You can go on lunch, that’s what you can do,” Geneva stated. She was a short, stocky witch with bright blonde hair and a penchant for cutting corners using hexes. Was using magic to sort through the overgrown stack of returned books illegal? Yes. Was Chary going to report that? Absolutely not. Geneva spooked her.

“O-Oh, is it that time already?” Chary pulled her phone out of the bag slung around her waist and checked the time. It wasn’t that time, actually- it was over that time. “Sorry, Geneva! I lost track of time again. Let me go grab Darlene and-”

“Her name is Stella, and no, you won’t,” Geneva cut in. “Did you know that, with all your rushed lunches, early clock ins, and late nights, you’ve accumulated over thirty hours of overtime in the last month alone?”

“...Uuuh…”

“Money doesn’t grow on trees, Charybdis. At least, not here, it doesn’t. They keep denying my request for a golden tree.”

Chary froze. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. “D-Does this mean you’re f-f-firing me? P-Please, I-I’ll do better! I-I’ll clock out on time! I’ll h-humor the children more! I’ll s-s-stop making nests at the front desk! Just p-please don’t fire me!”

Geneva just rolled her eyes. “For Abaddon's sake, Chary, you’re not fired. You just need to go home for the day. You’ll be taking half-days until the end of next week, in fact. That’ll cut you down to about two hours of OT, which is acceptable.”

The weepy arachne took a moment to process that. She sniffled, pulling a few tissues out of her bag. “R-R-Really?”

“Yes. Clock out and go home. Or not. You can do what you want, you just can’t stay here.”

“...But… wh-what if I want to stay-”

Geneva snapped her fingers. Chary’s tissue went up in a puff of lilac smoke. Chary yelped, “I’m going, I’m going!” before scuttling off.

Chary’s erratic mind settled itself while she clocked out and left the library. She… didn’t really know what to do. Chary rarely found herself with much free time that wasn’t occupied by books. Yet here she was, banished from the library with no new books to read at home. She could always reread one of her plethora of favorites, but the slight bit of adrenaline left in her veins from the children and Geneva was making that sound… not the best. Book shopping also wasn’t a real option, as Chary never shopped in person. She adored the smell and atmosphere of book shops, but they were rarely designed with someone of her shape in mind. The last thing she wanted was to ruin a fellow book lover’s precious free time by bumping into the aisles on either side of herself at the same time (again), or by getting spooked by a stray magazine brushing her leg and accidentally webbing the entire crocheting collection (again). With her one and only hobby sidelined, Chary would have to find something new to occupy herself for the time being…

Not wanting to scare people off from the library, Chary stopped loitering and set out into town. She didn’t enjoy travelling through town for much the same reason she didn’t enjoy travelling through the library. Eyes followed her as she walked, unnerved whispers chased her ears, and jabbing fingers secretly pointed at her legs. Yes, Chary was free to live her life as she pleased, but she wasn’t free, was she? She was tolerated. She understood that and respected it. And so, she didn’t push her luck. She would need to settle on something new to do, and do it soon before her public welcome wore thin…

As it would happen, Chary soon found her answer. She passed by a restaurant just as the door opened, and a wonderful smell of spices, herbs, and most importantly, meat met her nose. She stopped in her tracks. Her stomachs rumbled- yes, both of them. She’d had a light breakfast, planning on having the stockpile of leftovers she’d accumulated over the last couple weeks for lunch. Which reminded her, she should grab those before she left tomorrow. That deer puree was on its last legs, and while she wouldn’t mind eating it still, she’d been warned about eating ‘spoiled’ food in the lounge before.

Well… Chary supposed she could stop in for a quick bite. Seating allowing, of course. She quietly ducked inside the restaurant and took a glance around. Her eyes widened in shock. The place was filled with demis! Elves, dwarves, and orcs, of course, but also less common demi-folk, like gnomes, minotaurs, demons, angels, and even a lamia! Chary was completely taken aback. Had there really been a place like this within walking distance of the library? This whole time?

Chary was jolted back to her senses when a voice spoke to her, saying, “Hey! Welcome to Fillip’s Fud Fort! How can I help you today?” She glanced over and had to do a double-take. It was a harpy talking to her- and one who was clearly in ‘that time of the year’. She was a short woman, as harpies tended to be, but her large, colorful wings and large, taut stomach more than made up for her less than large height. Her uniform didn’t even fit her stomach anymore, riding up over her tanned skin. It was a pretty uniform too, an orange outfit with red and white accents made up of a well-fitted top and a thigh-length skirt- one that seemed dangerously close to showing too much of a certain thick-hipped harpy in her current position. She was seated on top of the cashier’s desk, talonned legs crossed and her arm-wings tucked in close. She seemed to be idly rubbing her stomach with the side of one wing, though her attention was clearly on Chary.

“I- Oh- Uh- H-Hi-” Chary stammered. She was nervous around avian demis. Something about those sharp talons, the way they could fly over her webs, those piercing eyes, those hungry teeth… Euuugh! She tried to keep herself as small and unappetizing as possible as she continued, “I-I was wondering if you had any seating for… uh… w-wider customers…?”

The harpy giggled at her. “Aw, of course we do, beauty! We have a few tables saved specially for chair-hatin’ demis. I take it it’s your first time here?”

Chary gulped. “Y-Yeah. Is that ok…?”

“Aw, it’s no problem at all! All demis are welcome here~” the waitress cooed. “So, were you plannin’ on eating alone or with someone?”

As much of a sin for introverts to do so… “I-I’m alone today, y-yes.”

The red-headed waitress opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Some kind of glint flashed over her face and she giggled again. “Kay kay! Let me just get your waitress real fast~.” She spread a wing out above her, and as usual, Chary was startled by just how much larger it was when extended. She just barely kept her cool while the harpy flagged down a passing waitress. The woman that came to the front was a demi as well- a tall elven beauty with graceful features and a lean figure. At least, it would be, but she also sported a notable belly underneath her uniform. Not as large as the harpy’s, but still clearly noticeable. Both the waitresses she’d met being with child had to be a coincidence. Right?

“Mel-or-aaa~!” The harpy chirped. “This one’s all yours! She’s dining alone, but she’s a little shy, so make sure she gets extra good service, kaaay?”

The elf rolled her eyes as she grabbed a menu from behind the counter. “As if I give anything other than excellent service. And get your fat butt off the counter. It’s unsanitary.”

“Eeeeeh? Why? I’m wearing shorts underneath my skirt!” The harpy giggled. She raised a leg upwards, as if threatening to bare it all. She winked at the elf. “Wanna check for yourself?”

The elf just grimaced. “Shorts don’t make your butt more sanitary. It just gives the customers less fan service. Do better, Casey.” With that, she turned and gave Chary a slight bow. “Please, master, follow me to your table.”

M-Master? Wait- was this one of th-THOSE kinds of places!? W-Was Chary really ready for th-that kind of thing? Maybe she was, considering it didn’t stop Chary from following along behind the elven beauty. She nervously glanced back at Casey, as if to ask if thai was really ok. The harpy was sticking her tongue out at the elf. When she noticed Chary looking, she gave her a cheery wave with one wing. Chary waved back, unsure why exactly they were waving.

Chary didn’t take in much around her on the way to her table. Her heart was pounding in her ears, adrenaline once again surging through her body. Hadn’t she decided to go somewhere to calm herself? Why was she so far out of her comfort zone again?

Oh, right. Food. Chary’s table was one clearly designed for non-bipeds, like centaurs or skitters. It was set further apart from the surrounding tables, giving Chary plenty of room to sidle in and tuck her legs underneath herself. It was then that the scent of broiled meat reached her nose from a nearby table. Her stomachs rumbled again, and she swore her whole abdomen shuddered. A hot flush filled her face as she wrung her hands together under the table. Maybe the waitress hadn’t noticed…?

“My, master, you certainly seem hungry.”

Chary wanted to DIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE-

The elf set the menu she’d brought down in front of Chary. As noted, she was tall- probably close to six-seven. That made her long blonde hair even more impressive, as it reached all the way down to her thighs. Her uniform didn’t match her nearly as well as it had Casey, but she was still a total knockout, even while sporting a baby bump. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bowed to Chary again. “Thank you for coming in today, master. My name is Melora and I’ll be your servant this afternoon.”

“S-Servant-?”

Melora leaned down, her hair cascading down around her far side. Chary’s hopelessly gay heart thumped in her throat as the elf opened up her menu for her and showed her the contents. “We offer a wide variety of options suitable for a wide variety of masters. If I recall correctly, arachnes prefer savory liquid dishes, correct?”

“Y-Yeah…” Chary squeaked. She’d never felt small before, considering her size. Right now, she felt tiny.

“In that case…” Melora flipped through the menu, passing sections dedicated to pastas, foreign dishes, and even raw meats. She stopped on the section of soups and stews. “I would recommend one of these. Our lamb stew is particularly good. I always enjoy it whenever a master orders the lamb stew for me.”

“F-For you-?”

Chary froze as Melora glanced at her. Her green eyes were so strong- “How many servings should I put you in for, master? Five? Ten?”

“H-How many-?” Chary just couldn’t keep up with any of this! She felt a strong urge to start building a nest to hide in, and probably would have done it if not for how much of a mess it would make for the poor restaurant. Instead, she just hid her face with her hair again and squeaked out, “Y-You decide…”

Melora watched Chary for a few moments through her hair, which was not good for Chary’s heart. Then she straightened up, much to her great relief. “Understood. I’ll take care of master’s order. Might you tell me of any allergies or particular preferences?”

“Umm… I d-don’t like onions… or anything c-citrussy…”

“Understood. Please wait for just a moment while I put your order in. I’ll be back with your appetizers and drinks soon.”

What? Appetizers? Drinks? How much had Melora decided to order for her? Not that Chary could question it, even if she had the spine to. Melora had already left, her long legs carrying her gracefully through the tables around her. All Chary could do was try to gather herself as much as possible in the interim. She put a hand on her demure chest, urging her heart to be still. She was having trouble convincing her body to cooperate, though. Then again, could she blame it? For someone like her to receive attention like THAT-

It’s not like Chary was unattractive. She’d describe herself as cute, even. And she had, on many occasions. The problem was that only about half of her was cute. She had a petite human half, with a slight, trim waist, a petite chest, and button-like facial features. When at home, she kept her hair in either a ponytail or pigtails, but when outside, she left her hair free so she could use it to cover her face if need be. Her fashion choices were a little bit different than ‘cute’, leaning towards sweaters and other bulky clothing to swaddle herself in. She wore those even in summer, thriving in the heat even as other people were sweating just from looking at her. But no matter how cute some of her might be, it was hard to call herself cute with the rest of herself the way it was… With that in mind, Chary didn’t receive a lot of that kind of attention. So to suddenly be thrust into this kind of situation, waitress or not- it was a little too much for her.

Before too long, Melora came back. Chary’s heart did another little flip- but not for gay reasons this time. “U-Uh- th-that’s not all for me, is it?”

Melora set her serving stand down and began moving dishes from it onto Chary’s table. “It is indeed, master. Don’t worry- I’ll provide whatever assistance you might request.”

“A-Assistance?” Chary gaped. There were four plates of food here, along with a whole pitcher of iced tea! “Wh-What do you mean, assistance?”

“I mean just that, master,” Melora said unhelpfully. Then, much to Chary’s surprise, she took a seat in a chair on the other side of the table. She folded her hands on the table, looking as if this was perfectly normal behaviour for a waitress. “Should you request that you are unable to finish your meal, I can assist you in finishing. Or I can finish your meal for you, if you would prefer.”

…Wheels were turning in Chary’s fog-addled brain. She thought about Melora’s ‘baby bump’ in light of this new information. Chary gulped. “You, uh… d-do your ‘m-masters’ usually ask you to, uh… help?”

Melora nodded. “Most do, yes. It is the primary service we offer here, besides passable food and exemplary fan service.”

The corner of Chary’s mouth twitched. “R-Right… hahaha…” Ok, so this wasn’t exactly the kind of place Chary thought it was, considering the whole ‘master’ bit. Still, what a weird place… the arachne cleared her throat and chuckled nervously. “I-I think I’m ok, thank you.”

Again, Melora seemed to consider her for a moment. Chary started to sweat despite her lack of sweat glands. W-Was that not the right way to deny that? She cleared her throat and directed her attention down to the ‘appetizers’ Melora had brought. A serving of wings, a plate of chili fries, some kind of fancy-looking bread with fish(?) on it, and a meaty-looking soup. All four dishes featured some kind of meat, though fish was… debatably meat. Chary wouldn’t complain, though. Some arachne didn’t like seafood, but she was personally a fan. Especially chowders. Chowders were delicious.

To get Melora’s watchful gaze off her mind, Chary started to consider what to eat first. She settled on the fries. It was the dish that appealed to her least of the four, so she would eat it first. She wasn’t planning on eating it all, of course. She was just a little lady- she couldn’t fit all this! Still, she would eat what she could since Melora was gracious enough to order it for her. What, actually, now that she was thinking about it… maybe she shouldn’t have let someone she didn’t know order an indeterminate amount of food of indeterminate prices…

Ah, whatever! Chary had plenty of money set aside- she could afford a pricey meal if it ended up that way. She would just try to enjoy herself. Plus, she was really starting to have trouble keeping her stomachs quiet. The smell of the meat was too much for her to resist. She picked up the fork Melora had brought, speared a number of chili-smothered fries, brought them to her mouth, and…

Well, it was ok. Chary wasn’t a huge fan of potatoes. The chili was good, though! Nice and meaty! She worked her way though the plate of fries, being careful not to make a mess despite the messy food. The portions were large, as well. If this was an appetizer, then Chary was hesitant to see an entrée.

With her bellies aching for food, the fries didn’t last long. She moved the plate aside, deciding without much thought that she’d have the strange fish dish as well. She picked a slice up gingerly and inspected it. Was that garlic? She didn’t love garlic, but she could tolerate it. She hesitantly took a bite. Eh… the bread was too hard to chew. Not a fan. She swallowed the small bite whole, then pinched the fish chunk off the top with two fingers. She slid the chunk into her mouth and put her other hand on her cheek. Tasty! She’d like it better if the skin had been entirely removed, but still, very flaky! Very good!

Considering she was only eating half the dish, the fish didn't last long either. Chary’s stomach was still feeling a little empty, so she moved on to the wings. She used a long, sharp fang to carefully slice the meat off the bone. The sauce was rich, but the meat was a little dry. From how bright red the sauce was, it was likely meant to be spicy, but arachnes weren’t affected by capsaicin. To her, it was just some dry meat slathered in a somewhat tasty sauce.

Chary was feeling a little full after the wings, but she couldn’t leave the best without being eaten. She gladly picked up a spoon and used it to taste a generous portion of the thick stew. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling as the savory stock bathed her tongue. The beef melted in her mouth, the veggies were in small, easily swallowable chunks, and the stock was just soupy enough to easily run down her throat. She couldn’t ask for more! Chary ate the stew with gusto, ignoring the tight feeling within her stomach as she pushed a fourth appetizer into it. She was even a little disappointed as the last bit of stock disappeared past her lips.

With a satisfied sigh, Chary set the bowl aside and wiped her lips with a napkin. She burped lightly into said napkin, being careful to keep it quiet. She smiled across the table at Melora, who had been sitting there the whole time. Naturally. Not weird at all. Haha. “Th-Thank you. That was delicious. Can I get the check now…?”

Melora blinked. “Already? You barely seem satisfied at all, master.”

The rehearing of ‘master’ set Chary’s brain on fire again. Still, she denied Melora’s assertion, saying, “N-No, I’m very satisfied! Very full!”

As if to argue, Chary’s second stomach rumbled. Loudly. Her face flushed red as she tried to flatten herself into the earth. End her suuuuufferiiiiiiing-

“It would be a great misstep on our part if we let a master leave unsatisfied,” Melora stated, not acknowledging Chary’s stomach rumble this time (thank gods-). She stood up and began to pick up the dishes. While she did, she continued, “Just as a reminder, master, but I am yours for the duration of the meal. Please, use me as you see fit.”

“...Buh…” Chary only realized later, after Melora had left with her used plates, that she’d let herself make such an undignified sound. She pulled her teal sweater up over her face and quietly screamed into it. Stupid, stupid, STUPID! So what if woman hot? You have a brain! USE IT! SAY WORDS! GAH!

Soon enough, Melora came back- but not with the check, as Chary had requested. She’d come back with another serving plate, this one holding only three dishes. Not that three was a small amount, especially with these portion sizes. Each dish was a bowl containing a large amount of soup or stew, and each held at least twice the amount of food as the appetizers had. Chary could do nothing but stare as the bowls were placed in front of her. She looked up at Melora blankly. “Wh-What is…?”

“Your entrees, of course,” Melora replied simply. She sat down opposite Chary again, once again acting as if this was perfectly normal. “I took note of what you enjoyed and didn’t among the appetizers and acted accordingly with the main course, master.”

“...Uuuuh…” Was Chary’s only response. Truthfully, she was more than tempted to dig in. One bowl had a thick, creamy looking chowder, another was a chicken soup with plenty of chicken, and the third was the lamb stew Melora had recommended earlier. Each one looked and smelled so intoxicatingly good that Chary was feeling dizzy from trying to resist. Her human stomach was full, sure, but her arachne stomach was still completely empty, and was demanding to be filled. Still… She held firm. “I-I’m fine, really! Please, just pack these to go. I’ll pay for them a-and everything. I’m just not hungry r-right now!”

Another angry roar from her second stomach. Shut UP, body! Not while Chary was lying! RUDE!

Melora regarded Chary for a few seconds, sending a shiver down the arachne’s spine. Then, much to Chary’s shock, she stood up, moved her chair around the table to sit beside Chary, and sat down again. She picked up a spoon, ladled up a hearty amount of chowder, and moved it to Chary’s lips. “Please open wide, master.”

“Wh-What are you doing?” Chary stammered, face growing increasingly hot. Crap, could Melora see her belly from this angle? She was a little bloated from the appetizers, and she wasn’t positive that her sweater was hiding it that well. Wait, that wasn’t important- “I-I asked for these to g-go! Wh-Why are y-you-”

“I’m feeding you, naturally,” Melora said simply. She leaned in closer- gods she was so freaking TALL- and gently took hold of Chary’s chin. Chary’s legs trembled beneath her and her eyes swam. “As your servant, I can’t have you going home hungry, master. Don’t worry- I’ll make sure you’re completely satisfied.”

Chary’s mouth just fell agape at that. It hadn’t been an invitation for Melora to feed her, yet her open mouth ended up filled with chowder anyways. She perked up a little, the taste distracting her from how utterly her brain had been melted. It was good! It was all the good parts about the bread dish earlier without the worst part - the bread! Still, Chary couldn’t focus much on the flavor. Her brain was still buzzing from Melora being so close, and from Melora- M-Melora f-f-feeding her…

Suddenly, the taste changed. Was Melora alternating between different dishes? It was the lamb now! It was a little thick for her liking, but still, very good! Still, she could tell it was missing something. It probably had onions normally, and nothing had been added to replace them. Yet, even though it tasted incomplete, for some totally unknowable reason, Chary just couldn’t get enough…

Oh, and here was the third! The chicken soup was the best dish yet, though Chary was biased towards soups. Chicken wasn't her favorite meat, but when it tasted this good and was this soft, how could she complain? Speaking of soft, Melora’s lips looked really soft from this close up, and her hold on Chary’s chin was so soft yet firm-

Suddenly, a sharp pang shot up Chary’s body. She groaned, suddenly realizing just how full she was. Uuugh, just how long had she been zoning out? She looked down at herself and practically jumped to a stand. Lords below, she was HUGE! She didn’t even know her human belly could GET this big! Her sweater did absolutely nothing to hide her swollen gut, instead making it look as if she had a fuzzy teal watermelon plastered to her body. How much had she eaten to get this big-!?

Chary gaped at the empty bowls in front of her. Empty being the key word. Empty. They were all empty. She’d eaten it ALL. She hiccupped and her belly cramped up again. She clutched her stomach and moaned softly. “Ooooh, why did I do thaaaat…”

“Hmm… it looks like you might need a little more, master…” Melora said, as if she couldn’t see just how much distress Chary was in- 

Wait, Melora! Chary squeaked and pulled her sweater down harshly, as if that would somehow hide the glutted orb underneath. It didn’t. It just pressed her sweater tight against her meager chest, imprinting the tiny bumps next to the massive one beneath them. Bleh. Pain. “Wh-Wh-What do you MEAN a little more!? I-I’m clearly stuffed to the BRIM!”

Melora nodded in agreement. “This stomach, yes. Yet you clearly still have more room, seeing as your other stomach is still empty.”

Chary bit her lip. “I-I can’t just- Nng, I c-can’t- Uuuuugh-”

“Mmm… perhaps this might convince you?”

“Wha-” Chary started, but before she could react, the pitcher of tea from earlier was pressed to her lips.

She didn’t want to, but after a firm, “Drink, master,” from Melora, Chary felt her mouth and throat betraying her by starting to gulp down the chilled liquid. She didn’t even register the taste. All she could register was just how tight her belly was, how much it hurt to pour so much more liquid in all at once. She couldn’t take much more of this! She was so tight, so FULL! Her belly was swelling against her hands, her sweater slowly inching up her waist as the balloon of a gut inflated with tea underneath it. She squeezed her eyes tight, resisting her instincts with all her willpower. Don’t do it, Chary! Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t- AH, DON’T- G-GAAAAH!

“HRK-NNNNG!” Chary groaned, even as she continued to drink, as she felt her stomach start to empty out against her will. Even as she poured more and more liquid in, the dome of her belly was shrinking. It was all pouring into her abdomen, where her second stomach was located. It twitched, the roaring finally being appeased. Chary’s face burned a bright pink as, finally, the now empty pitcher was taken away from her face. She replaced the pitcher with her air, hiding her face entirely. “I-I’m so embarrassed… I NEVER lose control like th-that…”

“That’s a shame then, master,” Melora stated. She set the pitcher down and looked back at Chary. “A healthy appetite is nothing to be ashamed of, and neither is your body.”

Chary pursed her lips, feeling a bit more miffed than meek at the moment. “Th-That’s easy to say when you look like that, and n-not like… like…”

Melora raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see the difference, master. If anything, I enjoy your appearance. I envy your having two stomachs to fill. One stomach often feels like too few to me.”

The arachne couldn’t help but giggle at that. “Th-That’s weird…” Her giggling soon stopped as she started to feel self conscious again. It wasn’t by much, but her abdomen had grown a bit. She shifted in place, the minute hairs on her backside warning her of the now slightly shorter distance between her and the table behind her. “At l-least your butt doesn’t s-swell when you eat t-too much…”

“Oh, I assure you, it does, master,” Melora stated matter-of-factly, “It simply takes longer for me than for you, as digestion needs to occur.”

That earned another giggle from Chary. “I h-hadn’t thought of it that way…”

“Well? Are you satisfied, master?”

“...Y-Yeah,” Chary wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She didn’t just feel satisfied. It wasn’t by much, but she felt a little better about herself. “I am.” Then she stopped. “Oh, but, uh… d-do you have any desserts I might like? I-I’m a little empty up top now…”

Melora, for the first time, smiled. Chary’s heart skipped a beat. “Of course, master. I know just the dish.”

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Melora stood at the front desk next to Casey, waving goodbye to her newest customer. She was an unusual one, for sure. It takes a special someone to wander into a kink restaurant without noticing. Plus, half of her was a spider. That alone was enough to remember her.

“So?” Casey's grating voice asked. Melora cast her a sideways glance, clearly displaying her annoyance. If Casey cared, she didn’t show it. She just smirked and elbowed Melora’s side. “How’d you like the innocent girl, huh? Bet that set your sadistic side in full swing! I’m surprised she can even still walk!”

“...I don’t want to hear anything from a woman that lets herself get glutted beyond flying at her first table of the day.”

Casey blew a raspberry. “I got tipped MONDO money, so who cares? Besides, if I had to, I could probably still fit a few more plates in!”

Melora regarded Casey’s overstretched stomach with muted interest. She was probably right. She’d seen Casey a few inches rounder than that several times before. She’d personally seen to those extra inches once herself when Casey flew too close to the sun at a Christmas party. That had been a fun day. She smirked.

“Again, I ask: so? How’d it goooo?” Casey pestered, a talon tapping against the desk she was still sitting on. She put a hand over her mouth and giggled.

Melora thought for a moment. The tips of her ears twitched. “...I believe I have a new regular. I’m looking forward to seeing her again.”

Casey giggled manically, her feathers ruffling. “OoooOOoo~! Looks like you had fun after all! Though, knowing you, I almost feel sorry for that poor woman. When are you gonna show her how you really service your ‘masters’?”

Melora reached over and grabbed the top of Casey’s head, applying sufficient pressure. While Casey squawked and flailed, Melora pictured her newest guest again. So quiet, so reserved… so adorable. Melora would have a lot of fun with her, indeed. Plus, she was a great tipper. Her only complaint was how little she’d eaten today. Next time, Melora would aim for the itsy bitsy spider to eat just a little bit more. Perhaps twice as much would be a good start? 

Regardless, she was looking forward to testing some limits…