Satisfaction Guaranteed By Darkwulf ------------------- Chapter Three ------------------- The rest of the week went by with surprisingly little incident. Lily didn’t serve anything else containing the tempting, expanding fiber, and Athelind was relieved that he didn’t have to exercise the self-control he had come to doubt. The memory of his recent experience remained fresh in his mind the entire week, and he was more certain than ever that he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from overindulging again. Athelind stood in his bathrobe on the scale, steel cold against the bottoms of his feet, as Lillian manipulated the balance’s weights for the fourth time. After a few moments, the bar held steady, and a frown crossed the tabby cat’s pleasant features. "Oh, dear," she murmured. "This can't be right.." "What’s the problem?" the dragon asked, fearing he already knew the answer to his question. "Your current weight is...two hundred ninety-one pounds," she replied slowly. "That would mean that I've GAINED five pounds? But...how could that happen?" "Well, sir," Lily said in a comforting tone, "it's not entirely unheard of, but it IS a bit unusual." She began shuffling through her papers, humming softly to herself. "Here we are. The terms of the contract. It's only a formality that I read them to you, since I know them by heart." She cleared her throat then began. "'If the client fails to lose thirty pounds within the three week session, another session will begin, at The Healthy Living Corporation's expense, until thirty pounds from the client's starting weight have been lost.' Simply put, Mr. Stormdancer, I stay on for three more weeks, at no charge to yourself. The new goal is for you to lose thirty-five pounds; the original thirty plus this five." "Thirty-five pounds? Won't that be difficult, since I couldn't lose thirty before?" Athelind asked, flustered. "Please, don't worry," Lily assured him. "Now that you're a bit more used to the routine, I'm sure things will go a bit more smoothly. We'll have you in shape in NO time." Athelind's mood definitely brightened at Lily's cheerful assessment, and he couldn't help but smile himself. "All right, then. We can do this!" he declared, stepping down from the scale. "That's the spirit!" the cat cheered. "You go get dressed, and I'll finish up the paperwork for this. Then, it's dinner as usual!" Lillian watched Athelind's tail swish happily as he left the bathroom. She smiled brightly at the sight and began marking check boxes on his chart. "Three more weeks," she murmured. "We'll have to see how well THIS can work out..." ------------------- Lily showed up bright and early the next morning, smiling cheerfully. "Everything is confirmed," she bubbled. "I had the paperwork processed, and I'm here officially for three more weeks. It's always best to do these things without a break in the routine." Athelind smiled back at her. "I appreciate everything you're doing for me. I hope that things will go better this time around." "Oh, none of THAT sort of talk," the cat scolded him. "You're doing the best you can, and I'm sure you'll keep it up. Now, let me get to work on your breakfast and lunch, before you're late for work!" The dragon chuckled and stepped aside, bowing graciously. "Of course," he grinned. "Far be it from me to keep YOU from your work." ------------------- That night, Lillian explained her idea as she served Athelind his dinner. "I've decided to serve a portion of the casserole you seemed to like so much, the one with the fiber that fills you up, with every meal. Please don't take offense at this," she smiled weakly, "but you strike me as the kind who's used to eating until you're full. And I'm afraid that you might be snacking at night." "I assure you, I'm not," Athelind stuttered. "I don't know why it didn't work out before." "Please, sir," Lily said soothingly. "I'm not attacking you. This is the method the company suggested I try. If it works, it doesn't prove anything. It just works." Athelind was torn. On one hand, he wanted desperately for Lily to believe him when he said he wasn't cheating. On the other hand, though it wasn't very tasty, he DID love the casserole... In the end, the dragon surrendered and accepted Lily's plan. The feeling of the casserole, settling heavily into his belly wiped away any sort of protest he could have mounted anyway. And when he was offered another dish of the tasty vanilla pudding Lily had made a few times, he didn't refuse. Athelind showed Lily to the door, and waved at her as she pulled out of the driveway. When she had gone, he closed the door and leaned against it, heaving a sigh. While he wasn't nearly as stuffed as the last time she'd served him the casserole, he was most certainly full, and didn't much feel like doing anything else that day. With a grunt, he pulled himself back upright and went to clean up the dishes. As he was putting the dishes into his dishwasher, he found the dish that Lily used to bake the casserole. There was a small amount left inside of it; not a huge amount, but maybe two good-sized bites. Athelind looked at the casserole and snorted. "Oh, how pathetic ARE you?" he grumbled. "Two measly bites of casserole, and you're drooling like you haven't eaten for days." Still, he set the dish aside, putting the rest in the washer first. After he'd finished the rest of the loading, he gazed at the casserole dish again. "Come on, dragon," he mumbled. "You've had plenty already." Still, he found himself unable to throw out the remaining scraps of casserole. Sighing bitterly, he grabbed a fork from the dishwasher and scooped the leftovers into his mouth, tossing the fork and dish into the dishwasher as he gulped the stuff down. Moaning softly in bliss, he punched the wash cycle up on the controls, then settled down in front of the television, rubbing his stomach. "It's a good thing that there wasn't much left this time," he sighed, "or you might have ended up like last week." And as he changed the channels, Athelind did his best to drive out the thought that ending up that way might not be so bad... ------------------- Athelind was pretty satisfied with himself by the next weekend. He had been especially careful this time. He had eaten in moderation, often not even finishing his entire portions at dinner. The only exception to this was Lily's almost magical casserole. He always ate every scrap of that, and the fiber filled him up quite nicely. Well, that and the pudding, when she offered it. He had trouble turning down sweets, especially when the dietician was endorsing them. So, the next Sunday evening, standing on the scale in his bathrobe, the dragon was confident that he'd made some progress. The shock on his face was evident, as Lily read out the results in her soft voice. "Two ninety-six," she reported. "What?" Athelind gasped. "Five MORE pounds, in one week?" "I'm afraid so," Lillian replied. "You're so earnest when you say you're not cheating, but that's the only answer I can see." Athelind shook his head vehemently. "No. I'm absolutely NOT cheating on this diet. I want this." "And I believe you, Athelind. If I didn't, I would have let somebody else take over this time around." Lillian leaned over and gave Athelind a quick hug, smiling warmly at him. "We'll just have to see if there's anything else we can do to make things go better." Athelind's scales flushed a reddish color at the hug, and he awkwardly returned it. "I'll do whatever you think I should, Lily," he promised. Lily smiled and nodded. "I know you will, Athelind." With that, she shooed him out of the bathroom. "Go, put some clothes on before you catch cold!" ------------------- The next week, Athelind was meticulous about how much he ate. Whenever he found himself hungry between Lillian's meals, he drank water. While it wasn't very satisfying, the dragon was certain by the end of the week that nothing could have possibly gone wrong. So, once again, he found himself standing on the scale, shocked at what the cat had to say. "Mr. Stormdancer? Are you CERTAIN you're not snacking between meals?" Lily narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked up into Athelind's eyes. "Absolutely certain. Whenever I got hungry, I just drank a glass of water. What's the matter this time?" "Well, it's just that your new weight...." Lillian trailed off, uncertain how to continue. "What is it? Don't tell me that I gained ANOTHER five pounds?" the dragon snorted, exasperated. "Uhmm...not exactly. Your weight this week is three hundred six. You've gained TEN pounds since last week...." Athelind's head swam at that information. "Ten pounds?? But how can that be?" Lily sat down on the edge of the bathtub, sinking into thought. "Let's see," she murmured, flipping through the information on her clipboard. "According to this information, the nutrition in each of your meals is balanced to precisely match your frame, height, age, and level of exercise. I don't have the faintest idea what the problem is...." At the mention of the word 'exercise', Athelind's scales flushed red enough to nearly light his bathrobe on fire. He'd had no idea that the questionnaire would be used to plan his meals, and he was a trifle embarrassed at the REAL answer, so he had...overestimated...the amount of exercise he was getting. A lot. But he couldn't very well admit that, could he? Not after how much trouble Lillian had gone through for him. "Perhaps," he croaked, "someone made an error in calculation. Or misread something. My handwriting is a little hard to decipher at times...." Lily's face brightened, and then she blushed a bit. "Oh, dear. If that's the case, then I...then we...oh, no...." Athelind stepped off of the scale, wincing at the sudden crash of the weights shifting. Shaking his head, he laid a comforting hand on Lily's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing that can't be undone, after all. If you'll just double-check things, maybe we'll get to the bottom of things." As Lillian apologized profusely, Athelind resolved to do his best to help her task. If his meals were tailored for someone that was more active than he was, then he would simply have to eat less of them.... ------------------- The next week, Athelind kept drinking lots of water, especially right before Lily arrived. She had modified his meals, changing the amounts and types of food in them, and with a stomach full of water, he found himself unable to finish most of them. The cat looked concerned at this, but when asked, Athelind admitted what he was doing. Lily warned him of the dangers of starvation dieting, but when he insisted on continuing, she gave him another bottle of vitamin capsules, making him promise to take them three times daily. By Friday, Athelind could hardly believe how hungry he had become. After skipping and skimping on so many meals that week, it was catching up to him. Still, out of his new habit, he drank two large glasses of water, and was nursing a third when Lillian arrived. The tabby cat smiled and greeted him warmly as he answered the door. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "No problems? The vitamins that I gave you should be helping, but if you're feeling at all ill or weak, you HAVE to let me know...." Athelind nodded and drained the last of his glass. "I'm fine, Lily. A bit hungry at times, but I'm sure it will work out for the best." Lily smiled and gave the dragon an impulsive hug. "All right. You just be careful, all right?" At Athelind's smile and nod, she went to the kitchen to prepare his latest dinner. Dinner that night was more of Athelind's favorite casserole. He smiled when he saw it, realizing that Lily really WAS trying to help him with his decision; if he ate the casserole that filled him up more quickly than he should, and was already half-full of water, then he should get away with eating an absolutely tiny amount. As they conversed over dinner, Athelind felt the familiar sensation of the casserole expanding in his stomach. He realized that he was feeling unusually full, though, and glanced down at his plate in surprise. No, there was still plenty of casserole left. It didn't usually affect him so strongly, though. With a start, he realized that the fiber probably expanded by absorbing moisture. And since he had a stomach full of water.... He began eating more slowly after that, and soon decided that he was too full to continue eating. Lillian looked extremely concerned and insisted that he keep the leftover casserole for later, "just in case." The dragon could have groaned out loud; this was the absolute LAST thing that he needed right now, but he heard within himself the little voice that told him he WANTED it. Once again, Athelind found himself alone in his own house, staring at a helping of casserole that he KNEW he shouldn't eat, but knew just as strongly that he couldn't resist it. He heaved a sigh, wincing as his full stomach complained. "Just get it over with," he muttered. "You know that you're going to...." Giving himself a mental shake and pep talk, he downed a bite of casserole, followed quickly by a second and a third. Already he could feel the stuff expanding in his belly, soaking up all the water that it could, packing him full. Gasping slightly, he continued shoveling the casserole down, bite after bite, determined to finish every scrap of it before he lost his nerve. Fuller and fuller his belly grew, until finally, he had swallowed the last bite. He knew that it was far from over, though, and he again doubted the sanity of his actions. Athelind hauled himself out of his chair and staggered into the living room. He was already off-balance, and he could feel the contents of his stomach expanding further, so he knew he couldn't make it to his own bed this time. Instead, he plunked down on the couch, laughing softly at the insanity of it all. The dragon placed his taloned hands on his belly, pressing lightly. "Oooof. This was SUCH a bad idea...." He felt the pressure inside building, the contents of his stomach expanding until, once again, his belly bulged visibly. "Ooooohhh," he moaned, slumping further into the couch's cushions. His belly continued to rise, making a small hill underneath his shirt. The shirt, purchased for his original weight, quickly grew tight over his extra fat and expanding middle. He shivered quietly at the feel of the fabric sliding over his scales, or perhaps his scales sliding under the fabric.... Tighter still the shirt grew, until with a faint snapping sound, the threads holding one of his buttons on gave way. Athelind gasped at the sudden, minor release, and at the sight of the tiny bit of plastic sailing away from his still ballooning belly. He laughed again, a bit drunk on all of the strange feelings. He rubbed his belly with both palms, watching it continue to expand, the curve round and smooth. After a few moments, a second button snapped off of the shirt. With a smile, he took a great breath, arched his back, and forced his belly out, sending the rest of the buttons on his shirt popping and snapping off of the fabric. The dragon laid back on the couch and smiled, wriggling in bliss. His belly continued to swell larger yet, and showed no signs of stopping. With an almost inaudible creak, two of the broad violet plates covering his belly separated, exposing a sliver of pale orange flesh beneath it. As the seconds ticked by, the sliver grew wider and wider, more of his unprotected flesh exposed to the air. Again, he poked a claw between his separating plates, scritching lightly. "Ohhhhh...I can't BELIEVE this," he moaned, panting softly as the pressure continued to build. Another creak, and a third plate began to separate from the first! Athelind gasped in shock, arching his back. The plates spread more widely, broad bands of orange flesh visible against his violet plates. He poked a claw from his other hand into the new gap, feeling his belly continue to fill and press against the claw! With a shuddering groan, Athelind once again found himself passing out. The last thing he realized before drifting off was that the feeling of himself swelling hadn't slowed down a bit yet... ------------------- Athelind woke up early the next morning, greeted by the expanse of his own stomach, and nearly pinned by the feeling of his own bulk. His belly HAD continued to swell after he lost consciousness, and had grown into a broad, nearly spherical shape. Another of his plates had shifted, and three broad stripes of bright orange skin were intermixed with the deep violet of his plates. Groaning, he rocked a bit to roll himself off of the couch and onto his hands and knees.. As he gasped for breath, he glanced up at the clock. "Seven o'clock?" he groaned. "Okay. It's Saturday, so Lily won't be in until nine. But I don't think two hours is going to be enough to hide THIS," he murmured, giving his belly a gentle slap. He almost immediately regretted this; as stretched as he was, even the lightest touch was almost too much to bear. "Ooooof! Okay, now. Most of my clothes are right out. Sweats would work, but I don't think they'd disguise THIS gut." He staggered to his feet and wobbled unsteadily towards his bedroom. "Two hours to think of SOMEthing...." -------------------