Karen swore, pushing through the water. She was floundering, struggling in the water as a current threatened to drag her away. And Karen was strong, and athlete. Dammit, this couldn't be happening to her! She was fighting for her life, and it was because she had gone out of her way to avoid any monsters!


This whole mess started when, after trying to study for six hours straight, she had finally began to wig out. It had been a hot day, and she had gotten sticky from sweat and smelling up a storm worse than her daily workouts. She had taken a shower and scrubbed herself until her skin was red, but she couldn't bring herself back to study in the muggy heat of the late afternoon. It was Saturday, so there were no classes, but that only meant she was even more bored than she would have been.

Unfortunately, her other options were pretty limited. It was too damn hot to do sports, martial arts training (which she had begun fanatically), and she didn't really get along with most of the other girls. She didn't really know what to make of them; the few stories she DID hear about them made her think twice. Apparently the girls here were half-mad with hedonism and sex! She had hoped to organize a student constable body, or anything, to help establish some order and keep mischief from hindering the people serious about their studies. But she had found precious few of them who seemed like they'd be willing to do such a thing... and if all of them just wanted to, uh, "have fun" all night, she didn't want to turn the entire dorm against her.

Without sports, socializing, or training, she didn't really know what to do. She could read, but... she had been doing enough of that with the studying. It made her reluctant, but the one thing she wanted to do, that she could get some exercise with, was swimming. But the water was dangerous, and her swimsuit...

She held up the blue one-piece she had previously worn; the neck had been hopelessly stretched by a watery monster, pulled down around her ample bosom. Unless she wanted to give people a show, she wasn't wearing that!

Digging through her closet, she had to cringe at her remaining clothes. All her other T-shirts were in the wash, and that meant she wouldn't have anything to change into. It'd be late when she'd get back, and that meant she could get sick without dry clothes. Not with the walk back she'd have; she had recently realized that swimming where the students didn't might be -safer-... but that was pretty far out of the way of the dorms.

What that left her with in actual swimwear was... oh, my god. She stared at the yellow swimsuit that was basically nothing... it was a basically two straps that came together in a 'U' that would run between her legs... and would only cover her breasts with a thin stretch of fabric that went over her stomach and chest to run behind her neck, and a split-off that joined the two straps over her (presumed cleavage). If it had been just the 'V' swimsuit, instead of splitting just at the nipples, there wouldn't have been enough fabric to cover them completely. She didn't know if it made her feel better that the back had a bit more, a thicker joining strap above the curve of her butt.

She glared at it, as if offended, then muttered. She had bought it at the lark and suggestion of a friend... and maybe the memory would improve her mood as of late. With it, sunscreen, goggles, and a towel, she set off to beat the heat...


And one fast and deep current later, she had been swept away from the island of the campus. She had tried to swim to the side and out of the current frantically, and had managed at least to avoid being taken further than a mile or so... but it seemed impossible to make it back, tired as she was. Desperate, afraid, she began to float and drift... but as she did, she spotted something!

She had been so focused on the island of Shokushu campus that she missed another, smaller one nearby! Turning, she swam desperately for it, her feet finally finding rock and sand underfoot.

Karen slowly dragged herself onto the beach, her body glistening and heaving with strain, but coughing up water and black hair tangled about her... she felt like a drowned rat, but she was alive.

She slept hard, collapsed on the sandy beach as she recovered from the terrible accident of the swim. Breathing gently, she cracked open her eyes slowly, feeling the residue of salt on her skin. Ugh.

Sitting up slowly, she groaned and absently adjusted her flimsy swimsuit as she took in her surroundings. The woods surprised her, although the fearful thought that maybe the... THINGS they ran into lived here overtook her mind. She stood up like a bolt, looking and listening desperately as she watched for anything unusual.

Turning her head, she looked up at the high stone tower beyond the trees. She couldn't help but whistle lowly... wow. She wished she had a training sword. Looking around, she located a sizable stick.

She had been moving towards it when she saw the gorgeous plumed bird. "My god." She blurts, staring. It was beautiful... and the sudden sight of it surprised her. She edged slowly for the stick. "H-hi there... uh, easy. I don't have anything for you..."

She blinks at the bird as it speaks, then chuckles a bit nervously as he flies off. "Strange critter..." She commented to herself, folding her arms under her breasts. Looking around, she belatedly realized how hungry she was, the growl a moment later just confirming things.

She shivered at the brush of wind on her body, licking her lips a bit. Karen moved for the trees, looking up at the fruit... and then the tower. She forged ahead, muttering under her breath. "Here we go... hopefully they'll be helpful." If anyone was even there anymore. Holding herself tighter, she started into a light jog... the storm worried her, and she didn't want to catch a chill just because she was in an outfit that had less fabric than most shorts. She hoped somehow she'd get back to the island somehow soon... or home, an even more distant wish.

Karen was beyond flustered by the time she saw the storm approaching even quicker, nearer. Holding her own... tatas in her palms wasn't exactly dignified. But she was in worse than nothing, and she was running like hell. Squirming at the feeling the sawing of the swimsuit caused, she gritted her teeth and began to move faster.

"Dammit, what happened to straight paths." She vented, looking around and stumbling as the gusts rained down on her now, making her stumble. The shock of thunder nearly made her scream, and she ran all the faster for the tower, relieved to see the clearing. She frantically glanced at the houses before racing for the tower, seeing no one and not knowing if she was going to be getting any help at all.

The first raindrop made her jump, the surprising cold on her skin startling her as much as the sudden flash and noise of nearby lightning. She had to slow to 'grab herself' again, then lowered her head and raced for the estate, hair dampening and body slickening as she tried to race right inside! God, it was so cold, and it wouldn't get any easier tonight, she knew!

"RRrrrraaaaaaahhhh!" She roared, racing down that last stretch and running hard. She'd damn well jump-kick down a door if she saw one, at this rate!

Teeth chattering, she looked to the maid with confused eyes. Arms wrapped around her barely-concealed breasts, she tried to press in a little... not forcefully, but more as if seeing if the maid would let her by. Frankly... she had expected an obscure island in the middle of nowhere to be completely abandoned. She'd be worried if she wasn't so damn cold!

"Please! It's way way way too cold out here! Just give me a place to get dry and stay warm, please??" She dances, attempting to keep warm in the horrible storm, and push in gently.

Karen couldn't help but wonder who this maid was, or where she was. But she was more relieved to be inside, shivering and shaking from the sheer cold. The look drew a blush from the martial artist too, arms crossing over her chest and looking to where the maid directed. At her insistence, she smiled wanly, then hurried to the wardrobe. "Do you have a towel? I need to dry off before I put anything on." She quickly dug through, grabbing one of the first she saw and pulling it out.

Shaking, she laid the outfit out on a sofa and looked to her. "Where is this place?" She adds, trying to see if there was a place she could shake and drip without soaking precious rugs and furniture. Her sense of politeness and propriety didn't measure up to where she was... but frankly, she didn't want to upset whomever owned this place.

She was watching her, a bit surprised how she subtly flaunted and showed herself off. Karen wasn't sure why her eyes went to the deepened cleavage as she smoothed the hem of her skirt, but Karen mentally noted that she certainly didn't seem to be a man in disguise...

Which still begged the question, of what a maid and mansion was doing on an island like this. Much less a town. Half-dressed in one of the maid uniforms, she blinked and looked down at herself as she straightened up the shoulders. "um... one of the uniforms. I wasn't really paying attention."

She really should ask why the maid was trying to flirt with her. But instead, she phrased a more careful question. "If I may ask... who owns this place? I really didn't expect to find such a.. decadent home out here." Her expression was one of curiosity and confusion as Karen tried to kneel down and settle on the floor by the fireplace.

The skirt was fanning out over her legs, and her feet tangled in it a bit. Struggling for a moment, she took a few longer moments before bending her knees and settling on them carefully. The bodice was quite tight around her breasts, and her wet skin made the outfit wrinkle and plaster against her skin where the uniform was thinnest.

Karen shivered at the sound of the thunder, a sharp punctuation to the wind and rain. She inched close as she could to the forming, sputtering flames, staring peacefully at the tongues of fire and flying embers as she warmed up and dried off.

She almost missed how the maid, Alice, began to move in. Stiffening sharply, her lungs filled with air and her breasts strained against the fabric. Alice's hair teased Karen's back, and her breath teased the cleft of her breasts. She got very still and stiff (perhaps in more than one way), and she tried to move herself to turn away that breath just a bit.

Geez. She had heard a lot about the female students on Shokushu... now she had to wonder if the maid was the same. ...Actually, Karen had little doubt of that. The thought made her flush; she was used to staving off guys... but other girls? It felt... well, mean. She put an arm gently around Alice, trying to sit as stoic as a samurai... the thought was a little humorous.

She almost missed what she murmured as well. Blinking, she tilted her head, lips pursed to ask... but then the maid settled off to sleep. Shaking her head slightly, she just tried to sit comfortably with her like that, her warm skin and crackling fire very welcome to the cold and tired girl. Before she had another thought in her head, she had already nodded off into slumber...