To begin her day, Grace usually ate a rather large breakfast. She found it gave her body the necessary nutrients and energy to perform her duties at an optimal level. Her mother’s residence in Beijing was populated by long-time servants who always prepared her favorites, steamed pork buns and morning tea. However in her time as an operations specialist, which took her to every corner of the world Grace was also accustomed to local cuisine. 

However, she was sick of cinnamon sugar oatmeal, scrambled eggs and sausage every day. It made her feel bloated and stuffed to the point she rarely finished her plate anymore. For twenty minutes or so she picked disinterestedly at her meal before she capitulated and simply guzzled her coffee down instead.

She pushed the plate of assorted breakfast meats and eggs towards the center of the table. “You can have it.” Grace murmured. 

Claire needed no further incentive. She practically dived into the mountain of wonderfully cooked food and tore away chunks of it ravenously. To Jisoo’s surprise as well as her own, Claire had passed her test with flying colors. Her loyalty was proven, so there was no point in any further needless torment. Although she was now given proper meals and even affectionate treatment, the starvation she had experienced in the past month left her with residual food security issues. The poor thing never wanted to go hungry like that again, no matter the cost.

When they returned to Singapore, Grace would probably donate Claire to her little sister. Lily would probably be thrilled to have a new pet to dote on. Especially an exotic catch like Claire.

As the former police officer scarfed down her bodyweight in food, Grace left the dining room table and took the bowl of oatmeal with her. It had been three days. Or was it four? Regardless it was probably a good idea to see if Tommy would eat anything yet. 

Grace felt his spiteful glare the moment she strolled into the walk-in closet. She also noticed his eyes break contact with her and stare longingly at the bowl in her hands. Hunger was a weapon few people considered. It targeted the most basic, primal biology of a person, and when deprived for long enough they returned to their most instinctual desires. Survival.

And once that happened, and the mind became willing to betray any virtue or conviction, then it was ripe for alteration. 

She stirred the gruel vigorously with a spoon and took a seat next to Thomas, who was taped to a wooden dowel. “Do you have any allergies or dietary restrictions Thomas?” Grace asked conversationally. 

“What?” He said and snapped to attention. A bit of drool had dribbled from his lips as the homely smell of warm cinnamon and sugar wafted into the closet. 

Grace crossed one leg over the other. “Is there anything you can’t eat? Lactose intolerance, allergy to certain spices? Do you exclude meat or dairy?” 

“…I don’t have any allergies.” Thomas muttered, a little bewildered by the question.

They had not spoken much since his imprisonment days prior, to Thomas’s surprise. As a matter of fact she barely seemed to acknowledge his existence at times. Not quite what he had anticipated when she proclaimed her desire to break his spirit. 

Which was not to say he had been treated particularly well. Not once had he been presented with a morsel of food or drop of water. By now his stomach grumbled just at the smell of something in the kitchen nearby.

Grace nibbled at the oatmeal and stuck her tongue out in disgust. “I was going to toss this away, but figured you might want it instead.” She suggested.

“You’re too kind.” He muttered. “And here I was thinking you were just going to let me starve to death.” 

“Afraid you’ll end up like a child’s first goldfish? Don’t worry, I treat my pets well.” She teased.

Thomas narrowed his eyes. “I am not a pet.” He shot back angrily.

You can keep saying that as much as you want. It won’t change anything.

Grace scooped up a big spoonful of oatmeal. The sticky bits of grain clumped together along with delectable, savory spots of brown sugar. Trails of dark cinnamon and nutmeg swirled through the mixture as well.

Just one bite of the oats was bigger than Thomas’s entire body. It would sustain him for hours, and stave off the relentless hunger that gnawed away at his gut like a parasite.

This time it was impossible to hide the lust in Thomas’s face. His belly rumbled desperately. 

“I can still throw it away, if you prefer. Maybe in a week I’ll come back with something more appetizing?” Grace threatened sweetly. “Dog food perhaps? You are a pet after all.” She proposed.

She could practically hear the internal debate in his head. His willingness to retain his pride and dignity were at war with his body’s self-preservation instincts. And Grace could also surmise a few arguments Thomas had with himself, and some of the justifications his mind would come up with.

This was a test of his commitment, his first trial of how far he would go to preserve his integrity. Would Thomas be willing to go seven more days on an empty stomach with the knowledge the light at the end of the tunnel was a smelly plate of dog food? Would he be able to resist that by then or would he succumb to his need for food and then debase himself even further when he said yes?

With a reluctant nod of his head, Thomas chose to accept a meal. To survive he needed to pick his battles. Grace could feel his shame and licked her lips in anticipation. 

“That wasn’t so bad was it?” She asked and brought the spoon full of oatmeal lower to where Thomas was.

He eyed it hungrily, but realized that he had no way to feed himself with his arms and legs completely bound by tape and metal fibers. At first Thomas thought she meant to feed him like a parent might deliver food to a baby, but frowned as the spoon stopped midway. 

The smile never left Grace’s face.

A thud on the ground next to Thomas sent a jolt of fear through his body. He glanced down towards the gigantic woman’s legs and noticed that Grace had kicked off one of her shoes, which now lay on its side next to her chair. 

Grace flexed her toes playfully, happy to feel her feet freed from the confines of her flats. She had recently gone out with Jisoo to get her nails done, and had selected a shade of lilac this time. Although she hated to ruin a wonderful pedicure, it was worth it to see how far Thomas would go to satiate his hunger.

She smeared the spoonful of oatmeal on the underside of her toes and on her slightly wrinkled sole, which sent a shiver down her spine. It was a very peculiar feeling to have the warm, moist oats smush in between the crevices of her toes. 

Thomas watched, heartbroken as his meal was ruined right before his eyes. Grace giggled and returned the spoon to the bowl.

Then, she planted her heel into the ground right in front of Thomas. Her colossal foot towered over him, even while suspended from the wooden dowel a few inches into the air. Grace scrunched her toes a few times right in front of him, where the oatmeal had been placed. It mushed against her skin some more from the motion.

“It’s all yours.” Grace told him expectantly with her chin propped up by her hands as she watched curiously to see what he would do. 

Thomas wrinkled his nose and looked away in disgust, presented with food served on the woman’s sole. 

“Fuck you! I’m not eating off your damn foot!” Thomas bellowed at her.

Grace laughed and tapped her big toe against Thomas’s face a few times. He recoiled away from the digit in an attempt to keep her off him, but was bound by his restraints. The oatmeal brushed off into his hair, but was out of his reach still even if he wanted to eat any.

She wiggled her foot from side to side teasingly. “Then I’m afraid you will just have to starve to death. This is how you will eat all of your meals from now on, regardless of what it is.” Grace informed him pointedly.

Another tap from her toe, this time directed at Thomas’s mouth which he clamped shut. “You’re hungry, I’m offering you a hot meal.”

“But-!” Thomas began but was cut off once more by Grace who squeezed her big and second toe around his neck, practically stuffing his cheeks with foot-seasoned oatmeal in the process.

Grace crossed her arms. “I won’t tell anybody if that’s what you're worried about… preserve your ‘manhood’ and all that.” She assured him.

Still he continued to weigh his options. Grace could see the reluctance on the face contrasted by his deep desire to lick her feet clean of oatmeal. He was hungry, tired, thirsty, and weaker than he had ever felt before.

Like most people taken from the upper class, Thomas had never known what it was like to be hungry. He underestimated the effect it would have on his body and psyche. 

Right now he needed food to simply think clearly. And begrudgingly, Thomas accepted it.

Grace stifled another giggle as she felt his tiny tongue graze the crevice between her second toe and sole. He cringed and tried to pull away, perhaps he had second thoughts, but she refused to let him recant his choice. Thomas received a mouthful of the oatmeal, and was forced to thrash his head to the side to move away from her titanic sole.

However, any reservations or will to be as careful as could be to only eat the oatmeal and keep his lips away from her skin went away the moment he swallowed for the first time. His next nibble was more eager, ravenous and animalistic. 

The next even more so, and Grace swore she felt his tongue worm in between the wrinkles of her sole in an attempt to lick the cinnamon sugar from the crevasse. She sighed contentedly and rotated her foot around to give him easier access to more oatmeal.

Like a good little pet he scarfed down every last crumb. Whenever he could not get only oatmeal and was confronted by sweet moisture on the flesh itself he lapped it up and swallowed gleefully. 

At this rate I won’t even need to wash my foot off… Grace thought with a smirk as Thomas continued to devour everything she presented to him. Hmm, such a good little boy you are turning out to be. 

It would be pointless to attack Thomas’s body with torture and pain. She could stress his pressure joints for weeks, pull off fingernails or even limbs, and Grace doubted he would crack in any reasonable amount of time. Physical torment was what Thomas expected, prepared for even. He imagined she would break his mind and bend him to her will with pain. Instead she would show him anguish through the complete degradation of his precious idea of what made him a man to begin with. His pride, dignity, and strength of character would all be utterly annihilated. 

Thomas managed to consume all but a few flecks of gruel from her foot, and panted from the effort it had taken to eat so much in such a short span of time. It had been very messy, some of the sticky residue clung to his cheeks and hair. He licked the rim of his lips, then paused before he swallowed and realized what he had just done.

Grace continued to flex and scrunch her toes at the delicious sight of her adversary licking his lips clean of a meager meal provided from the underside of her foot. Shamefully Thomas looked away, unable to look at her directly.

“What do we say to people who do nice things for us Tommy?” Grace asked condescendingly. 

Silence and a cold glare was his response. 

She shrugged. He could try to deny it all he wanted, they both knew he had just proved her point. In less than a week he was already eating food off her feet. It raised a question in his head, most definitely. If Grace could accomplish that much in under a week, what could she do in a month? Or a year?

Would anything of Thomas Evans be left when she was through with him? 

Like most rebellious types, he offered an easy early victory before he would invariably adapt. Next time it would not be anywhere near as easy, which of course would be a welcome challenge. His fate was already decided, but truly it was the steps taken to reach that point which Grace would squeeze every bit of enjoyment from. Satisfied with her progress, Grace left Thomas alone for now.

She still had his sister to train as well.

The miniaturized speckhouse that Grace and Jisoo had customer ordered for Eren was a marvel of modern technology. It featured every conceivable amenity a person could desire regardless of their stature, many of which had never been available to Eren throughout his entire life. His own kitchen, a shower with warm water, a soft bed with fluffy pillows and a cozy blanket. 

Although admittedly he didn’t use as many of the amenities as one might expect, since there was always a more enjoyable alternative that involved his girlfriend’s company. 

Jisoo’s bathroom was gargantuan, complete with a personal hot tub and enormous shower with every feature imaginable. Normally she took showers when under time constraints, but whenever she had a few hours to relax without a care in the world she would use the hot tub. And of course, she insisted he join her every time she activated the faucet.

Safety was obviously her primary concern, so she had taken a few measures. Eren wore a life jacket for instance that allowed him to float on the soapy waters quite easily. Which was very fortunate, as Eren was apparently an awful swimmer. Understandable though considering he had never had access to a pool in his life to practice. 

It was a little embarrassing to have Jisoo giggle while he struggled to cross one end of the tub to the other. Usually he began by her feet and tried to make his way towards her face for a kiss. Invariably he began to struggle just past her tummy and needed a hand, in this case quite literally as she supported his body with her palm like a boat. 

This feels amazing. Eren thought with a relaxed sigh as he floated along the water’s surface on his back. The pleasant scent of bath oils and essences wafted through the air, and soothed his sore muscles after a long workout from earlier. I can see why she likes it here so much.

Several fathoms below him, the bath waters churned. Jisoo carefully repositioned her body and slipped deeper into the warm, sudsy waters which enveloped her up to the collarbone when she reclined. Her diminutive boyfriend floated peacefully in front of her bosom, eyes closed in serenity. His hair waved through the waters like dark ribbons in the wind.

With a subtle wave from below his position, Jisoo manipulated the current of the water with her left hand. Eren did not notice, but she was able to alter his trajectory in any direction she pleased. For a few minutes she had fun pushing and pulling him around, until she pushed a little too hard and he felt the movement right before impact with her left breast. 

The soft, supple surface was covered in a thin film of lavender scented soap. It yielded slightly at his touch. Just below the water line was the outline of her nipple, which slowly hardened in response to the stimulation to her bosom. To accommodate him, Jisoo descended her chest deeper into the waters briefly then resurfaced right as Eren passed over her breasts. 

She sighed in pleasure, content to have him float in between them. The skin here was very sensitive, and it gave her goosebumps whenever Eren nudged against them gently. Underwater jets in the tub massaged Jisoo’s back and feet. Eren had tried them before, but even on their lowest setting they felt more like an industrial wave machine than a massage. 

“I could fall asleep like this.” Jisoo told him lovingly. “But that might be a tad dangerous.” 

“I trust you. You’ve only rolled over on me once or twice in bed.” 

Jisoo chuckled, which disturbed the water around Eren slightly and he bobbed up and down. Both times in her sleep she had accidentally pinned him to the bed, they had been fortunate enough that he had not been squished. Her mattress was specially designed to accommodate the natural contours of her body, and yielded easily to Eren’s figure. The softness of Jisoo’s chest as well meant that Eren was very comfortable, but it could be hard to breathe. 

Honestly of all the ways to die, I think I could go peacefully if it was like that. Crushed beneath a massive pair of tits. Eren thought lewdly. Much better than drowning in a toilet.

Once more the water churned as Jisoo repositioned her titanic body in the bath. The peaks of her mammaries poked above the waterline around Eren. He took the opportunity to rest on dry land for a change and gingerly clambered onto one of them. She realized what he intended and kept still to make the process a little easier. 

A smile crept across her face. “Hmph. If you're going to climb all over me, why don’t you help keep me awake?” She suggested. 

With a slight nudge Jisoo pushed Eren onto his stomach. He landed softly on her breast with his face just shy of her nipple. He needed no further incentive and immediately got to work to stimulate her. His lips, teeth and tongue all worked in harmony to tease the perky nub. Eren was so tiny and delicate that even a nibble at the skin was more pleasurable than painful, even with how sensitive she was. 

Eren knew just how she liked it too. Licks and love bites came at consistent intervals that very slowly increased in intensity overtime. His reward was soft moans that escaped her lips. Across from him, Jisoo’s fingers tweaked and played with her other breast using her right hand. Her eyes rolled back in her head, her only focus was to follow along with his rhythm. Satisfied that she seemed to be enjoying herself, Eren maintained his current pace.

He wanted to let her ride out a nice long build-up. 

E-Every part of my body is tingling! Jisoo thought. Her ability to think clearly was compromised by the overdose of pleasure. He’s become very good at this…

Her hips began to buck slightly under the water. She desperately wanted to feel his tiny body slide into her slit and have his tongue massage her clitoris directly. However for now she was content with whatever rhythm he established. 

Sex with specks was considered by most to be a fetish, typically a very dangerous one for the smaller person. Of course there would always be some danger that could not be eliminated, but with common sense, good communication and a bit of technique the odds of an accident were very low. Personally, Jisoo preferred specks over normal-sized men or women. They could stimulate the nerves in such a particular way it was difficult to describe. 

Even when she pleasured herself, Jisoo could not replicate the sensation Eren could provide. Sometimes she would use a vibrator in tandem with Eren’s assistance, but not frequently since he did such a wonderful job on his own. 

It became too much for Jisoo to sit still, her hips bucked more wildly which caused a shift in the orientation of her torso. Eren gasped and slipped to the side between the valley formed by her colossal breasts. His erection dragged along the skin on his way down, which drew out a loud moan from him as well. 

Before he could try to scale the insurmountable mounds, the valley closed in all around him. Jisoo took one breast in each hand and smushed them together with him in between, the soapy water acted as a lubricant to help Eren’s body slide and slip freely up and down the narrow crevasse.

That’s right… fucking moan and scream for me. Jisoo thought hungrily, her mind solely focused on how fast she could milk him dry with just her tits. A rational part of her brain remembered to be gentle enough to allow Eren to breathe properly, but she figured as long as he could wail in pleasure there was no need to be too gentle. 

He liked it when she got rough anyways.

Water splashed out of the tub, not that Jisoo really cared as she became more intense. She pressed her breasts together hard, and felt Eren frantically ram his hips into them as she did so, his cock at the spearhead of his efforts. 

Finally she felt him seize and pulse within her bosom. Jisoo squeezed tightly around him to coax out any more spurts he may have stored up. She could feel his warm, sticky climax ooze and drip down her chest into the lavender scented water below. As he rode out the afterglow, she furiously worked herself with her free hand until finally she came as well. 

Although it was her own apartment with soundproof walls, she definitely did not want to cause harm to Eren’s ears and stifled a scream of ecstasy that might have otherwise deafened him.

They laid together in silence occasionally interrupted by the sound of water dripping from the tub onto the floor next to the tub. The rug had fortunately absorbed most of the liquid to save the tile, but at the cost of the textile fabric. Jisoo took slow, deep breaths to regain her composure while Eren did the same. He washed some of the residue off his legs with water that had pooled near her chest to clean up. A benefit of the bath was there was less of a mess afterwards to worry about.

Once enough time had passed for her to recuperate, Jisoo reluctantly got to her feet and stepped out of the tub. The thoroughly soaked bath mat squished beneath her foot, and forced her to cross the bathroom towards the shower instead where there was dry one time step on. She placed Eren on the counter for him to dry off with a napkin-sized towel. 

He observed the drenched bathroom. “Maybe we should put some more mats down next time…” 

“I just hope it doesn’t leave a watermark on the tile anywhere.” Jisoo mused and began to dry her hair. “Whoever rents this place after we leave probably won’t be happy.” She chuckled.

At some point later she would worry about her full beauty and make-up routine. Right now she was peckish after a long workout before they stepped into the tub and wanted something to eat first. It felt nice to be able to worry about trivial things like her skincare and diet instead of… well rather than anything else really. This was the kind of lifestyle she wanted for her and Eren, and Jisoo wanted it to last forever. 

Eternity in a peaceful, idyllic relationship which fulfilled her desire to be happy with someone who loved her. With no interlopers or exceptions that might ruin her perfect reality.

This is the future I want to live in. Where this is life is a universal truth. Where we can live like this without fear or concern. This is what my grandmother and her sister tried to achieve with The Diminution. 

To save this world from itself.

There was only so much caffeine Maddie could ingest before she felt the health risks no longer outweighed the benefits to an all-nighter. Dark bags had lingered beneath her eyes for days, regardless of how much concealer she applied. The fatigue from the end of last year had returned for both herself and the rest of the ever dwindling Eureka team. 

Franklin was almost operational. Which was perhaps the greatest cause for frustration, since they were so close and yet so far away simultaneously. She had perfected his artificial intelligence programs, on a mechanical level he could move and react to new stimuli with excellent time. Everything should be ready for the public market. That was the lifeline that kept her last few sponsors in her back pocket, but of course there was one critical design flaw that rendered the entire product almost entirely useless. 

The power supply was incredibly inefficient. It was almost laughably bad.

A full charge of Franklin’s internal battery core would only last around two hours before it needed to recharge. And that process would take several more hours at a specialized charging station. It was impossible to redesign the unit to utilize removable batteries so spares could be charged while others were in use, as it would compromise the entire overall structure of the robot they had spent months on. 

If that was the case then the cost-benefit to Franklin would be an absurd investment for any retirement home, which was the target market. The bot was supposed to completely replace at least three fully-paid human employees, at which point Franklin would be a tremendous cost reduction venture. However, that would be impossible if he could only perform work for two hours.

Up until very recently, Franklin’s power and electrical efficiencies had not bothered Eureka whatsoever, because up until recently they never had any problems to begin with. They had only begun once Maddie had ordered every component, design, and internal unit created by Eren to be scrapped. Franklin had been constructed with the projections and estimates of his work, which was infinitely more efficient than anything another employee had been able to reproduce even in a longer span of time. 

Since Eren’s departure… or rather, his expulsion, Eureka had hired five more electrical specialists. None of them rivaled Eren’s qualifications, most of them were from local community colleges. After all they were pretty much the only ones willing to accept such measly rates. Once they realized the scope of the issue they had been hired to solve, they left almost immediately. 

Before she could pour herself another cup of coffee, the kettle was snatched from her hand and set aside out of reach. 

Desmond took a seat across from the table and rubbed his own eyes. “You need to take a break Maddie.” He murmured and pointed towards the coffee. “This isn’t healthy.”

“I… I just need to finish this last bit of code then I’m done.” She insisted and stifled an exhausted yawn.

Her attempt to continue her work was stopped by Desmond once again, who slammed her laptop shut. A few people in the cafe around them glanced towards the noise, not that he seemed to care what the onlookers might think. 

She frowned. “Desmond, I’m fine. That’s not appropriate of you to just-.”

“You haven’t slept in days. You aren’t eating properly. You’re going to wind up in the hospital or worse if this continues.” Desmond cut in. “This can’t go on. I won’t be a part of this anymore and watch you kill yourself with work.”

“Alright I’ll take a fucking nap chill out!” She snapped, her voice raised to a shout which was audible throughout the entire room.

Several patrons in the cafe shot them dirty looks, and her face flushed red in embarrassment. This was one of her favorite spots, it would be awful if they had to kick her out for making a scene. 

With a heavy sigh Maddie leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. Despite her best efforts the headache that had followed her for days now persisted. 

Desmond frowned and crossed his arms. “There’s something else isn’t there? At first it was just what happened with Eren. Now something else happened.” He realized. 

“Yeah… you could say that.” Maddie muttered and rose from her seat. She dropped a few fifty dollar bills on the table to pay for their coffee and croissants. “We’ll talk about it later. I’ll go get some rest.” She told Desmond and left the cafe.

Truthfully, Maddie was still not over what she had seen at Jefferson Commune. It was difficult to work on Franklin every day with the knowledge that so much of what she thought she knew was simply wrong. She had saved Maeve’s life, but it felt like a hollow achievement. The poor girl could never walk again. She couldn’t explore or venture out past her prison. And if some awful person wanted to hurt her, then she couldn’t run either. 

The thought of Maeve on her knees, sobbing and crawling feebly to get away while her destroyed leg dragged behind her uselessly was permanently burned into her memory. Maddie would never forget that gut-wrenching image. To think mere weeks ago she had disregarded specks and their plight almost entirely. She never once stopped to consider their existence beyond leeches on society. 

Now she knew the truth. They were oppressed people who suffered in silence, crushed beneath ignorance and disregard. How could someone ever look at themselves in the mirror and think that it was alright to tolerate that? 

How can someone just walk away from something like that? Or work on their doomed project when others need help right now?

…what’s more important Maddie? What kind of person are you really?