A Rose of Growth (Patreon)

A Rose of Growth.

Rose crossed her arms as she walked around Pink Moon Abtorium. “Some strange stuff you got here.”

Vess smiled as she polished one of the windows. “Why, thank you. I just updated the stock this month. Trying to revitalize my little store here.”

“Revitalize?” Rose raised an eyebrow. “Did something happen?”

Vess laughed. “Oh, it’s nothing to worry about.” She lowered her voice. “Besides some son of a bitch trying to take my hard-earned pride and joy from me. That bastard will soon get a taste of his own medicine. Just wait, Red. Just you wait.”

Rose ran her fingers along a bottle marked Flora Uplift. “This sounds intriguing.” She picked up the container with pictures of red flowers on it. “What does this do?”

Vess set her cleaning tools down and walked over to Rose. “Oh, that?”

She took the bottle out of Rose’s hands. “That is one of my new products, though; how this little devil made it out here, I have no idea. I have yet to test it.”

“So, you don’t know?”

Vess shrugged. “I think it just enhances your sense of smell for flowers or something like that. Or that is the intent. I was trying to make a Valentine’s drug so that when people buy roses, they feel a bit more. . . what’s the word. . . aroused or something when they receive the flowers from their partner.”

Rose’s blue eyes widened. “Wow! That sounds interesting.”

“Well, stuff like this isn’t exactly easy to use, and it has had perplexing results. So. . .”

Rose snatched the bottle out of Vess’s hands.

“I will take it!”

Vess’s laughed. “I did say this wasn’t tested, right? You did hear me say that?”

Rose nodded her head. “I did.” She rubbed the container with her blue fingertips. “But if this can do half of what you said, then I am going to have a fun night indeed.”

Vess shrugged her shoulders. “Fine. But if anything, crazy happens, you are on your own. Now that will be twenty bucks.” Rose handed her a credit card. “Thank you.

So, what are your plans for Valentine’s day?”

“Oh, I am going to surprise my girlfriend with roses, so this will help spice up the night.” Vess handed the credit card back. “I mean, if she loves the smell of these roses to the point that it makes the night even more magical. Then I just. . . ohhh.”

Vess smiled. “Well, then, I hope you two have a great night.” She handed the bottle over. “I do have one more thing to say, though.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “You are not going to try and talk me out of this, are you?”

Vess waved her hands about. “Oh no, no, no. Not at all. I got my money, so I am set. I just wanted to tell you how to use the product as I have yet to put in directions.”

Rose smiled. “So, you just drink it, and it should enhance things. Simple enough.”

“Ok, thanks. That does sound easy.” Rose smiled and slid the bottle into her tattered jeans pocket. “Have a good rest of your day, miss.”

Vess crossed her arms. “You too.” She waved as Rose exited the shop. “Hmm, I hope the little oddities are worked out.” She turned around. “Ahh, well. If not, I am sure my store will get some free publicity soon.” She smiled and walked into the back room of her shop.

***

Rose walked into her apartment. “Lora? Hey, are you home from work yet?” She set the bottle down on the coffee table. “Lora!?” She sighed and shut the door behind her.

“Where is she?” Rose looked at her phone and noticed she had a few messages waiting for her. “Oh, crap.”

She tapped on the message from her girlfriend. “Hello, Rose. Sorry, but I will be home late tonight. My boss is making everyone have some mandatory overtime. All because that fat ass wasn’t paying attention and screwed the system up. He even gets to go home while we fix his mistake. But I should be there soon to enjoy some sweet holiday fun with you shortly. Love, Lora.”

Rose sighed and set her pink phone on the table. “Well, that is a shame. Damn those bastards. On today of all days.” She sighed as she walked into the next room. “Well, at least it will give me some time to try and hide these.” She looked at the bouquet of roses on the dining table. “I forgot to hide them before I went to the store. Almost had a big oopsie there.” She laughed painfully. “But not the reason why I wanted Lora to be delayed. Ughhhh.”

She slid her hands into her pocket. “Ohhh.” Her right hand slid around the bottle. “I almost forgot about this.” Then, as Rose set the bottle on the table, an idea occurred to her. “Hmm, maybe I should taste test this thing. Yes, see how it works before I sneak it into Lora’s drink.” She smiled. “I mean, I have to know it’s safe, right. Know how it works.” She smiled as she unscrewed the cap. “Figure out if there are any weird side effects that. I am not just doing this because I want an early taste now. Ohh noooooo.”

Rose smiled as she raised the bottle to her lips. “Mhhm, it even smells like roses.”

Her eyes darted into her sockets as she took a sip. “Ohhh. That is soo good.” Unable to stop herself, she continued drinking.  This is so lovely.  She closed her eyes, savoring the taste as a shiver went up her spine. Rose could feel a strange warmth and tingle spread throughout her, starting at the base of her feet.  Ohhhh god.

When she opened her eyes, she realized she had finished the entire bottle. “Oh no.”

She set the container down. “What am I going to do? That was for Lora.” Rose shivered. “This won’t do at all. Not at all.” She burped. “Excuse me.”

As Rose turned around, she felt the tingling sensation in her body intensify. “Ughh.”

She shook her head. “What is happening to me?” Her eyes widened as she noticed her fingers turning green. “Ahhhh!”

As she held her hands in front of her face, she felt a new strange sensation in her feet. Rose looked down to see strange vines break through her heels and wrap into the floor around her. “What is going on.” She winced. “Ughh no. . . it can’t be.” She took a deep breath as the tendrils penetrated through the floorboards. “Those are my feet! They are turning into roots.” She leaned against the table as her hands took on a leafier shape. “This isn’t happening. It isn’t happening.”

The phone in her pocket suddenly started to vibrate. With rosy, red cheeks, she looked down at her body as the changes intensified. “Oh no. Not now.” She carefully picked the phone out of her pockets before her pants fell to the floor. “Crap, it’s Lora.” She tried to use her new rose pedal hands to navigate the touch screen. “Ugh crap. Stupid thing.” She scratched at her blooming hair. “No, I don’t want to answer.”

“Rose?”

“Hi, Lora.”

“Hi. Is everything alright? You sound a bit different.”

“Umm, I have a bit of a cough.” Rose forced herself to cough, rose petals flying out of her mouth. “Umm, is everything going alright?” She scratched at her stem.

“Better than alright. I am on my way to the apartment.”

“Ohhh? That’s great.” Her right arm started to move on its own. “Well, I can’t wait to see you.” Rose winced as tiny rose buds grew out of her arm. “So, hurry back.”

“Ok. I will see you soon. Love you.”

Rose fought to keep her other arm in place. “I love you too. Bye.” The phone fell to the ground as her arm took on a life of its own. “Huhhh.” She shook her flowery head. “Why did I insist on buying an untested product?” She looked at her rose-covered body. “Now I am really going to live up to my name.” She laughed as the pedals overtook her face.

***

Lora smiled as she pushed the door to the apartment open. “Rose! I am finally home.” She threw the briefcase onto the floor. “Oh my, you put some incense on.” She took a deep breath in. “The place smells lovely. Like a flower shop.” As she shut the door behind her, Lora spun around. “It is so lovely it makes my body tingle.” She blinked her green eyes. “Rose?”

Lora crossed her arms. “Hey, where are you?” She walked towards the kitchen. “It isn’t like you to hide from me. Especially on today of all day. . . oh my god!” Lora took a few steps back and leaned against the doorway as her eyes rested upon the giant feminine-looking plant in the center of the room. “What in the hell is that? And why is it wearing Rose’s jacket?”

She looked at the rose petals covering the strange plant and what looked like a feminine curve on the stem. “It almost looks human in a way.” She coughed. “Ugh, there is a lot of pollen in the air, though.” As she waved her hands about to try and clear the air, Lora felt a tingle creep through her body. “How did this thing get here?”

Her eyes fell upon the tattered clothing surrounding the stem. “Huh?” She knelt down. “This is Rose’s. And her phone as well. What kind of nonsense is going on.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Ohh, I feel so hot. I need to sit down for a moment.”

Lora rubbed her eyes. “Phew.” She rubbed her chest. “I don’t know what is going on, but I just feel so weird. It is almost as if Rose is here rubbing me. Ohhhh!” Her blouse tightened onto her chest. “Ohhh god. Holy fuck!” Lora jumped up, her eyes open in shock as she noticed her breasts had almost doubled in size. “How did that happen?” Shrrrippp.

Lora gulped as the space between her boobs on her blouse ripped. “Oh, sheesh. What is making my body swell like a water balloon? Ughhh.”

Lora gripped her ass as her slacks pressed against her body. “Not my ass too. Ohhhh.”

She moaned. “I. . . ohhhh. . .” Her cheeks turned red. “I always wanted a curvier figure, but I didn’t see myself growing like this.” She rubbed her sensitive rear end. “I need to figure out what is causing this, though, before I grow a bit too much.”

As Lora inhaled another big whiff of the pollen in the air and her ass pressed tightly against her pants, it hit her. “This strange plant.” As she turned around, she created a massive tear in her slacks.  Shrripppp. “The pollen must have some agent that is causing my boobs and ass to grow. Oohhhh.” Her nipples pierced through her blouse, causing a button to fly off of her outfit. “Sheesh.” She jiggled her body. “These babies are getting big.”

Lora took a deep breath and looked at the plant in front of her. “Ok, you.

Stop puffing all this pollen about. I don’t know how you got here, but what will happen when my Rose returns? What happens when she sees me like this? Huh?” Lora grabbed the plant around the strange feminine curves. “Now stop throwing all this pollen about; you got that?” She shook the gigantic rose. “My body doesn’t need to get any bigger.”

The strange rose shuddered before shooting a cloud of pollen into the air. As Lora looked up, she gulped. “Oh no.” Lora took a few steps back. “I need to get out of here.” She turned around only to trip over one of the roots. “Ugh. How the hell are you planted right into the floor. Who the hell brought you into my apartment?”

Lora coughed as she inhaled the sweet-smelling pollen. “Oh my.”

She moaned as her body started to heat up. “I need. . . I need to get out of here.” As she stumbled towards the door, her breasts pressed tightly against her blouse. “Ohh fuck!” The fabric stretched and ripped as her bosom expanded. “I. . . ohhhh. . . I. . .” Her blouse snapped apart, revealing her massive breasts. “Ohh god.”

Lora fell to her knees, the weight of her body too much for her to bear. “How is this possible.” She rubbed her right breast. “They just keep growing and growing.” Shrrripppppp.  Lora winced and rubbed her balloon-like ass. “Well, that isn’t really helping now, is it?” She giggled.

As she laid down on her big squishy breasts, she sighed. “Well, at least there is one nice thing about all this. I almost feel as if I am being hugged.” She looked up at the strange plant beside her. “I can’t shake the feeling, but I feel Rose is here with me. Ahhhh.” She stretched out. “So when she does get back, I will have to tell her what a strange night this has been.

I am sure she will enjoy the new, bigger me after all.” Lora smiled as soft rose-covered vines patted her on the back.

***

Vess stretched out her arms. “Ahh, it is so good to be home.” She ran her fingers along the picture of her old Alice in Wonderland theme park. “The good old days. I do wish the park had worked out. I could have made so much and taken people down the rabbit hole. Ahh well. I did learn a thing or two from it, and I will make my empire once again.”

As she sat down on the edge of her bed, she grabbed the remote from the side of the table. “Well, a little television before bed wouldn’t hurt.” She flipped off her shoes. “Maybe Kevin Louis is on.”

The flatscreen flared to life, and the news appeared on the screen. “Ewww.

I don’t want to watch this garbage.”

“We are investigating a strange chemical agent that has descended on the lower east side of Kallon.” Vess raised an eyebrow. “We don’t know what the agent is, but it seems to be causing strange reactions like body growth in certain sensitive regions. People are asked to stay indoors and away from the following areas on screen until we can learn more.”

Vess tapped her fingers. “Hmmm. Did my little friend get a little more than she could handle? But chemical agent, my ass. That is just some special pollen from a flower causing some accelerated growth. I will have to go down to that part of town tomorrow. Maybe get some new customers for my store.” She laughed. “Oh, thank you so much, Rose, for the advertising boon I will get. But hmmm.” Vess double-checked the affected areas on the screen. “That is very close to where I live, though. Maybe I should just go and close the window real quick.”

She stood up and walked over to the window. “Besides, I don’t want it to be too cold tonight.” Vess giggled as she inhaled some strange sweet-smelling powder. “Huh?”

As she shut the window, she felt her body begin to warm. “Hmm. Maybe I should go and adjust. . . hiccup.” Her breasts suddenly doubled in size. “Ohh no!”