Welcome to The Club: An Unexpected Reopening

[Mystic Mina]

"You made a good choice. I'm sure your luck will turn around after you take a sip of this."

Meryl pushed the blue shot over to James and gave him an encouraging wink.

---

"Mmm, no. The room you went into was definitely my office." Meryl's fingers drummed on the bar counter as she gave Elliot a fake face of innocence. "I was sure I had at least one uniform with pants stashed away in there somewhere. They must all still be in the wash. Oh well."

"That dress looks great on you anyways. You shouldn't feel ashamed to wear it... Sorry, I don't think you ever told me your name."

[Harri-chan]

Elliot's cheeks go more and more red as Meryl revealed that she hadn't been expecting this, but now he was stood there in a dress, and there was no going back. However, a shy smile did tug at the corners of his mouth when she complimented how nice it looked on him. He didn't get a lot of compliments, and it felt nice, despite the embarrassment. When she asked for his name, his pink lips parted, but he hesitated, briefly glancing to James again.

"… Ellie", he murmured, not realising that has he leaned forward, resting against the bar, the bend at his wait was causing the dress to rise up in the back, giving anyone behind a view of the white silk panties with their pink edges.

[Kether]

"

---

After taking a few seconds to bow to Meryl, the maid carried Jack behind the bar and into what appeared to be a kitchen area. It was small, enough for about three people to mill about, but it had the same cozy, old-fashioned feel as the bar outside.

"Alright, you're on. Time to get to work." She stood Jack next to a grill, slapped a certain spot behind its head, and suddenly it was back to life!... Sort of.

Jack was still made out of cardboard, but it was now able to move its arms around and walk wherever it pleased. It was now able to talk too, though it couldn't actually make any sounds; all of its speech would be converted into a comic speech bubble that appeared next to its head.

"How do I work? what do I do? what is going on?"

[Mystic Mina]

"Ellie? That's a nice name for a nice girl." Meryl's hands rose up to briefly stroke the cheeks of Ellie's soft face before shifting behind his head to tie his loose hair into a more manageable, albeit more feminine, ponytail. "There. That should keep your hair from taking any unexpected dips in booze tonight. Now, could you be a good kid and clean up the tables? I have a feeling we're going to get more customers very, very soon."

After a bit of shuffling underneath the counter, she was able to find a white towel which she swiftly tossed over to her new assistant.

---

"Ugh. I thought the mistress already programmed all of you two-dimensional bimbos with instructions. Did she miss you?" The maid flipped Jack around to look somewhere around its flappy backside. "Jack? That's hardly a fitting name for a maid. She must have bought you at one of those cheap flea market sales."

Jack could feel a tickling on its bottom as the annoyed woman scribbled something over what was supposedly its old name.

"Jacqueline suits you far better. Now, what you're going to do," She shoved a broom she grabbed from the wall into Jack(queline)'s flat hands. "Is clean up the kitchen so the other maids can start cooking for this evening's crowd. Sweep every corner, wipe every surface, and for heaven's sake please DON'T put yourself anywhere near any flames. I've already had three girls turn themselves into ash piles during training week!"

[Harri-chan]

Ellie seemed mesmerised as Meryl stoked his cheek, before blinking when he realised she had tied his long blonde hair into a ponytail, and reminded him he now had to work in return from that free drink. Only now did he start to consider wether a whole evening of work was worth just one drink, but it was too late now. Blushing, he caught the white towel, and gave her head a nod.

Turning away from the bar, he nervously watched the door as he went to work, wiping down the tables, again giving anyone that looked over a peek at his panties and girly butt as he leaned forward to rub them down with the table. He was slowly getting used to walking in the heels too, wobbling a little less as he moved from table to table. Every now and then, he'd glance back to Meryl, and would spend a moment just admiring how pretty she was.

[Ookalf]

"You made a good choice. I'm sure your luck will turn around after you take a sip of this."

Meryl pushed the blue shot over to James and gave him an encouraging wink.

I can only hope... *James chuckles and knocks back the drink.*

[Mystic Mina]

James' drink was light, refreshing, and surprisingly minty. He was already feeling much better by the time he set the empty glass back down.

"I found that particular one while traveling through South America a few months ago. The man who sold it to me kept telling me it was an ancient remedy passed down his family through generations. Supposedly it fixes all your pains and ills with one shot." Meryl collected the cup off the counter and began rinsing it in the sink behind the bar. "You're the first one to have a taste. Let me know if it works, alright?"

---

Outside, day slowly shifted to the early hours of night. The setting sun's rays shined through the bar's windowed door, splashing Ellie and the tables in bright orange light. The crossdressing boy (girl?) could see passersby walking past the entrance to The Club. Some stayed a moment to take a peek inside. Others stayed to take a peek at him.

Eventually, a group of three teenagers just a little older than Ellie wandered into the bar. One of them, a tall raven-haired lad clothed in a dark gray dress shirt and jeans, decided to walk up and take the initiative.

"Hey, can we get a table? It's just us three." He pointed towards his other two companions. The first was a shorter, dark-skinned boy dressed in a slightly more casual manner. The second was a red-headed girl who should probably have more clothes on. "I mean, do you have to seat us? We were just going to seat ourselves since the place looks empty, but..."

[Harri-chan]

Ellie blushed each time someone paused at the door to study him. Unaware of just how much like a girl he looked, he was convinced they must know the truth, and continued to tug nervously on the dress, swallowing deep breaths when he thought how barely an inch of the blue satin reached lower than the panties.

However, he was determined to help Meryl out, and when the group arrived, he flashed them a smile. Sure, it seemed like the sort of place you would just grab your own table, but he showed them to one anyway, and even grabbed drinks menus from the surrounding tables so he could offer them one each.

"I'll take your orders. I'll need to see ID if you're wanting alcohol though", he said somewhat nervously, repeating the same warning Meryl had given him when he arrived.

[Ookalf]

James' drink was light, refreshing, and surprisingly minty. He was already feeling much better by the time he set the empty glass back down.

"I found that particular one while traveling through South America a few months ago. The man who sold it to me kept telling me it was an ancient remedy passed down his family through generations. Supposedly it fixes all your pains and ills with one shot." Meryl collected the cup off the counter and began rinsing it in the sink behind the bar. "You're the first one to have a taste. Let me know if it works, alright?"

Yeah, will do... *Now that his phone's stopped ringing, James brings it out and checks his messages.* I imagine that was the old man again...

[Kether]

---

"Ugh. I thought the mistress already programmed all of you two-dimensional bimbos with instructions. Did she miss you?" The maid flipped Jack around to look somewhere around its flappy backside. "Jack? That's hardly a fitting name for a maid. She must have bought you at one of those cheap flea market sales."

Jack could feel a tickling on its bottom as the annoyed woman scribbled something over what was supposedly its old name.

"Jacqueline suits you far better. Now, what you're going to do," She shoved a broom she grabbed from the wall into Jack(queline)'s flat hands. "Is clean up the kitchen so the other maids can start cooking for this evening's crowd. Sweep every corner, wipe every surface, and for heaven's sake please DON'T put yourself anywhere near any flames. I've already had three girls turn themselves into ash piles during training week!"

*She frowns and starts cleaning observing carefully her suroundings*

[Mystic Mina]

"We'll all be having drinks tonight, so," The tall boy flipped out an expensive-looking leather wallet, pulled out his ID, and handed it over to Elliot. "There you are, miss. I'll take a White Russian."

The grinning redhead already had hers in her hands, and she practically shoved it onto Ellie in her excitement.

"Strawberry Daiquiri, please!"

The other boy was more hesitant.

"Oh... Yeah. Get me a bottle of Guinness." There was an odd look on his face as he passed his card to the waiting waitress. "Have I seen you somewhere before? You look kind of familiar..."

---

It was indeed James' dad. He didn't leave any voicemails, but he did send James a text.

Go to the office. NOW.

He sure did have a way with words.

---

Jacqueline was left to clean by herself for a while. Fortunately, there weren't any open flames around just yet so she was safe from self-incineration. There were plenty of reflective surfaces in the kitchen too, so she could get a better look at her new self.

She was pretty tall for a woman, though that may have been because of the ridiculously tall black high heels on her feet. She was also quite well-endowed too, with her curves threatening to spill out of her tiny skintight maid's dress. Her shoulder-length hair was the same color as her eyes: bright pink bordering on purple.

Eventually, the old maid from before returned with two more flat maids in tow.

"It's almost time to start cooking. Hurry up with the cleaning!... Oh, and if you have any questions, ask me now. We won't have time when the rush comes in."

[Harri-chan]

Elliot blushed as all three were able to provide the ID cards that he didn't have. Despite everything, he felt a little childish as he inspected their cards, biting on his bottom lip, squirming a little as the first boy referred to him as a girl. His blue eyes wandered a little to the legs of the redhead, admiring them before handing her card back, but it was the comment from the other boy that really sent him into a panic. He felt his chest tighten, and was sure his heart stopped when the boy mentioned he looked familiar.

"I don't think so… ", he murmured, and despite wanting to turn away quickly, he found himself studying the boy right back. Now the idea was in his head, he was pretty sure he had seen this boy before, and a chill went down his spine at the thought of being recognised like this. His legs felt stiff, his knees weak, and he was almost certain if he tried to move he'd stumble and fall.

"I… think you might have gone to school with my brother… or something like that", he mumbled, probably only making the situation worse when he should be walking away.

[Ookalf]

It was indeed James' dad. He didn't leave any voicemails, but he did send James a text.

Go to the office. NOW.

He sure did have a way with words.

Typical. *James sighs and gets up from his stool.* I need to go see what my father wants... Thanks for the drink. *And so James leaves and begins his trip back to the office...*

[Kether]

"
Jacqueline was left to clean by herself for a while. Fortunately, there weren't any open flames around just yet so she was safe from self-incineration. There were plenty of reflective surfaces in the kitchen too, so she could get a better look at her new self.

She was pretty tall for a woman, though that may have been because of the ridiculously tall black high heels on her feet. She was also quite well-endowed too, with her curves threatening to spill out of her tiny skintight maid's dress. Her shoulder-length hair was the same color as her eyes: bright pink bordering on purple.

Eventually, the old maid from before returned with two more flat maids in tow.

"It's almost time to start cooking. Hurry up with the cleaning!... Oh, and if you have any questions, ask me now. We won't have time when the rush comes in."

"Hows this even work? This is so crazy"

[Mystic Mina]

"No problem. Come back any time!" Meryl gave James a farewell wave. As she watched the businessman leave The Club, she noted, with some satisfaction, that the businessman's butt seemed a fair bit rounder than it was before he walked in. "Huh. Looks like your luck's already beginning to change..."

The trek back to his car was uneventful, though his gait was off the whole way. His legs curved in with every move which forced him to swing his hips around if he didn't want to fall over. Also, the top half of his part was unusually tight, restricting his strides to small dainty steps.

---

"Brother?... Now that you mention it, you do look like someone I've seen at school before. Yeah, definitely." The casual boy stroked his chin as he pondered over the answer to his question. "He's a small guy that likes to read comic books, right? I didn't know he had a sister."

"Me neither!" The redhead chirped. "But I think I'd keep my sister a secret too if she looked this good!"

The tall boy remained silent throughout the conversation, choosing instead to stare at Ellie with a contemplative look in his eyes.

---

"It's magic, dear. It's meant to be crazy." The maid set her other two maids down and bopped them on the back of the head, bringing them to life in a same manner as Jacqueline. "These will be your co-workers for the rest of the night. You'll help them out with cooking... and if you still have questions, ask for Sherry."