Chapter 5 - A minor limitation

When the two reached the lower hallway, Stephanie's gaze fell on the bags that were neatly lined up there. She immediately put her hands on her hips and shook her head with a smile.

“Okay, dear, I see you've been busy. When you set your mind to something, you see it through.”

“You know me, Mom. I don't like doing things halfway,” her daughter replied proudly.

Her mother lovingly grabbed her by the neck and kissed her on the forehead.

“That's true.”

But then that gleam in her eyes that Nattie had noticed earlier reappeared. Now that they were closer, she could see what it was. It was a mixture of pride and regret, an expression that made her secretly fear that her mom was not happy with her decision and that she would see the same look in her father's eyes when he came home from his conference. But then her mother visibly pulled herself together, nodded resolutely, and turned away.

“All right, come with me. Before we can leave, I have to print something out.”

“What?”

Curious, she followed her into the living room, but Steph just shook her head.

“You'll see in a minute.”

She headed straight for the Nexus, the large main frame console that served as the central computer for the house. The environmental controls, the security system, the family database—everything was centralized there and accessible at any time. All work computers and personal tablets, as well as the communicators they all carried, were connected to it and automatically synchronized as soon as you entered the house. Her mother sat down in front of the large main screen and began tapping on one of the displays. Unlike herself, she hardly ever spoke to the computer interface, but entered her information manually. This was something that had always puzzled Natalie, but perhaps it was because her mom was an author. She just liked to type. Curious, she stepped up beside her and looked over her shoulder.

“What are you looking for, Mom?”

“Your medical records.”

She raised an eyebrow in surprise, but didn't ask any further questions, because she sensed that she would find out what it was about anyway. Even though a queasy feeling was slowly forming in the pit of her stomach.

What does she need my medical records for? We're just going to the welfare office. What are you up to, Mom?

While her mother continued to search through the files, Nat placed a hand on her shoulder. They were both still completely naked, and somehow that made the girl feel even more connected to her than she already was. And suddenly she felt a deep desire to feel her, skin to skin. So she stepped close to her side and put her arm around her shoulder. In fact, she snuggled up as close to her as she could, because somehow, she needed her presence at that moment. Her naked side touched her shoulder, and immediately her mother lovingly put her arm around her waist.

In a little over a month, she will eat me. Parts of me will be on her platter, fried and seasoned, and she will devour them with delight. Oh God, I hope I'll taste good to her. I want to melt in her mouth

“You're so cuddly today.”

The words made her snuggle up even closer, because suddenly she was overcome by such an overwhelming feeling of intimacy and gratitude that she had rarely experienced before. The immense desire to tell her how much she meant to her grew stronger and stronger in Natalie. But she just couldn't find the right words. Nothing seemed strong enough to adequately express how she felt at that moment, so her answer was a simple:

“I love you, Mom.”

Her mother's eyes literally lit up when she looked at her. And somehow, she seemed to be able to read everything in her gaze that she couldn't find the words for, but it seemed to be written in her eyes.

“I love you too, my darling. Much more than you can imagine. You must never forget that.”

After a long and loving look, Steph sighed, pulled away from her a little, and leaned back in her chair. Then she put her bare foot on the edge of the table, just as she had done in her study, and folded her hands behind her head. While the computer continued to search the database, she looked up at her daughter.

“But while we're at it, you have to do me a favor.”

“What is it?”

She watched her mother intently. Steph kept one eye on the screen, waiting impatiently for it to finally spit out the requested documents. The Nexus was a powerful computer in itself. However, it was connected to the NET and received its data through a multi-layered firewall. This reduced its processing times considerably, especially since Stephanie had set up additional security measures for her work. There had been numerous attempts to hack into her system to obtain leaks of her new novels. So she preferred to accept that the computer ran a little slower than to have half the storylines of her novels circulating on the internet in advance.

“I can fully understand why you want to devote yourself so completely to this,” she said after a while, and you could see from her expression that she meant what she said. “And I really admire that. But...”

“But?” replied Nat, who was now feeling a little nervous at her mom’s serious look.

“But I'm still your mother, and it's my duty to look after you. So, as much as I'd like to make you happy, I have to insist that you continue to wear shoes when you go outside.”

“What? Mom, no...”

The little girl shook her head indignantly, because this wasn't how she had imagined it would be. She immediately prepared to protest, but no sooner had she opened her mouth than her mother raised her hand and ordered her to stop.

"Yes, young lady, and for one simple reason. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

Nat paused and bit her lip sheepishly.

Ouch! Young lady! I haven't heard that in a long time

The tone of her mother's voice told her that she meant business. Nevertheless, she looked away, a little disappointed, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“What are you talking about?”

"I'm talking about the fact that it's not entirely safe to walk around barefoot in the city. You could catch God knows what, a disease, an injury, anything. And that could ultimately lead to you being unable to fulfill your duties because you no longer meet the health requirements.”

“Oh... crap..."

At the last moment, she suppressed a profane curse that her mom would surely have admonished her for, because she suddenly understood what her mom was trying to tell her. And the logic in her words made sense to her, even if it secretly annoyed her. And her counterpart seemed to have realized that she had gotten through to her, because she lovingly reached for her hand and nodded, almost regretfully.

“Exactly. And that's why I don't want you to take any risks.”

"But Mom, I really wanted to go through with it. Not a single piece of fabric..." she began gloomily, but then paused when her mother shook her head with her lips pressed together.

“I know, and I really admire that. But it's better this way. Here at home, I don't care at all. Here, the sweeper keeps the floor clean. Feel free to be as naked as you want. But outside, you have to wear sneakers. Understood?”

Finally, the girl sighed quietly.

“Understood."

Of course, her mother was right, she knew that. There was no way she wanted to risk catching a disease that would ultimately render her unfit for human consumption.

“Good girl.” Her mother patted her bottom affectionately and smiled. “We want this one to stay as delicious as it is now, don’t we?”

Her daughter blushed deeply, but just nodded and said nothing. Then Steph turned back to the monitor, which now displayed a neatly listed set of documents. As she scrolled through the list with a frown, she muttered:

“Besides, I find this look incredibly sexy anyway. Naked in sneakers... Mmmmm... there's something about it.”
And then, with an amused sideways glance, which her child returned with red cheeks, she added:

"By the way, many nudists believe that wearing shoes actually enhances the feeling of nakedness. Even more so than walking barefoot. When you're naked, you're just not wearing clothes. But when you're naked and wearing shoes, you're embracing your nakedness. It's like putting an exclamation point after your statement.”

With the familiar mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she looked up at her.

“And who knows, maybe you'll even end up liking it. After all, you definitely take after me. And I've always thought there was something very naughty about it.”

But Nattie just shrugged and bit her lip. She could understand her mother's point of view, but that wasn't the real reason for her decision.

“That's not why I'm doing it."

As she spoke, Steph turned back around in her chair and looked up at her. With an understanding gaze, she placed her hands on her hips and pulled her close.

“I know that, sweetheart. Believe me, I understand you. And I admire your sense of duty. Nevertheless, I would imagine that in the coming weeks you will enjoy this aspect of your new life even more than you realize right now.”

With that, she winked affectionately at her and leaned in for a little kiss. Natalie immediately pressed her lips to hers, wrapped her arms around her neck, and for a moment the two indulged in an intimate caress. As always, her mother's skilled tongue gave her a thousand butterflies in her stomach, even if her thoughts strayed for a moment.

My new life, it won't last long

Unfortunately, the kiss ended as quickly as it had begun. Suddenly, a beeping sound reminded the two lovers that they had been looking for something specific. And when Steph turned to the computer, she let out a relieved, albeit slightly annoyed, sound.

“Finally! I really need to update this system.”

Her daughter nodded in agreement and crossed her arms in front of her chest with a sour expression.

“I've been telling you that for months. My Sims always start glitching terribly when I host a Dolcett party in the neighborhood.”

But the other woman just laughed loudly and replied:

“I'm surprised you still have a neighborhood at all, considering how often your Sims end up on the barbecue spit.”
Her mother's reply made her smile, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that this game, which had once consumed so much of her life, suddenly seemed meaningless to her. It had been replaced in her heart by a desire for real life.

A few clicks later, the sudden hum of the printer brought her attention back to the here and now. With one hand on her mother's shoulder, she watched as a blue, semi-transparent plastic sheet appeared in the output slot, which her mother immediately picked up. Nattie gave her a puzzled look.

“And what exactly did you print out?”

With a satisfied smile, Steph waved the small plastic card in front of her nose.

“That, my dear, is your latest pediatric exam, including your most recent meat quality assessment. You remember your last visit to Dr. Cutler, almost two years ago, right?”

A broad smile spread across her daughter's face, and she immediately nodded. Of course, she remembered. Dr. Cutler was her pediatrician, who had examined her regularly since birth. And as was customary in her world, assessing a girl's meat quality was as much a part of the annual check-ups as the usual vaccinations. All of this was offered free of charge, and hardly any parent would voluntarily want to forego it. After all, it wasn't impractical to always be aware of the taste quality of one's own offspring in case they unexpectedly ended up roasting somewhere, or if one was planning to spontaneously put them on the menu oneself.

As for her last examination with Dr. Cutler shortly after her eleventh birthday, she had enjoyed it very much. Especially because he hadn't missed the opportunity to pay a little more attention to her little clit than the last time. As she lay in front of him with her legs spread and he examined her filet, his hands had driven her so far that she ended up squirting all over his coat. Besides, she had to admit that the rating of “A+, excellent quality – urgent slaughter recommended!” had made her more than proud.
Nevertheless, she frowned in confusion when her mother finally got up and, with the little card between her fingers, prepared to leave the room. With her head tilted questioningly, her gaze fixed on her mother's swaying hips, she followed her into her parents' bedroom.

"But why do we need my meat rating? I thought I didn't have to register to be roasted at Uncle George's wedding. It's not an official event. I'm not going to Sidney's.”

Even though she couldn't see her mother's face at the moment, she could clearly hear the smile in her voice as she replied.

“That's true, but I thought that to properly honor your decision, we could visit La Bella Fiorentina after we've been to the charity."

With a mischievous smile, Stephanie opened her closet and began rummaging through it. She deliberately ignored the shocked expression on her child's face, who stood in the doorway with her mouth open, unable to believe what she had just heard. In fact, Natalie found it extremely difficult to process what she had heard.

“Wait, what? La Bella Fiorentina? Isn't that the fancy place near St. Mary's Cathedral? Right in the middle of town?”

In fact, the Italian restaurant was one of the finest establishments in all of Colorado Springs. When her mother had suggested earlier that they go out for ice cream together, she had expected a visit to one of the numerous ice cream parlors in the pedestrian zone, not a posh three-star restaurant that wasn't even located in one of the city's designated clothing-optional zones. But her mom seemed to be secretly amused by her horror, or at least thoroughly enjoying testing her resolve in this way. She just shrugged with a smile as she slipped into a tight black thong and then started to put on a bra.

"I thought we'd treat ourselves a little. I'm so proud of my little girl that I think she deserves to be taken out for a bit."

As she spoke, Nattie couldn't take her eyes off her for a single moment. She was already having great difficulty concentrating. Now she didn't know where to look first. At her mother's beautiful figure, which now looked even hotter than before in the enchanting black lingerie, or at her eyes, which still sparkled with amusement. However, a cold knot had formed in her chest, giving her an unpleasant feeling.

“But they won't let me in. Not dressed like this, at least,” she muttered gloomily, pointing down at herself. But her scantily clad counterpart simply pointed to the small card lying on the bed as she got dressed.

“That's why we need the documents. Before we drive into town, we're going to visit an old friend of mine.”

While her daughter's jaw dropped to the floor, Steph sat down at her dressing table and began brushing her shoulder-length blonde hair. She gave her an encouraging look.

“Now freshen up a bit, come on, and put on your shoes. We want to leave soon.”