"Well then, that's that," the shopkeeper commented, and smiled. "Now there is only a few things to do, and I can close up for the night."
Akane looked over at him with a curious expression. "What do you mean?"
"This is a store, you know. Locking up, turning off the lights, turning on the alarms... I kind of still have to do that."
"Oh. Right. That makes sense. Guess you do have to protect what you have."
"Exactly. And don't you worry. They are prepared for all sorts of menaces that don't come from mere human burglers."
"What are you... oh," she began, snapping off when she realized what sort of things that he meant.
"Trust me, that's for the better."
"I'd say so. Only... what about me?"
He frowned back at her. "What about you?"
"It's not like I'm supposed to be here like this. Won't the alarms treat me like I've broken in."
"Oh, no, they won't do that. You've been here for far too long to be treated as anything other than something that belongs in the store."
"That's good to hear."
"Besides, you are part of the store. I control your spirit just like I control this," the shopkeeper told her, cupping the display's tight ass.
"Didn't know that...."
"Keep it in mind. In the mean time, time to settle this down."
The display didn't express any emotion as he pushed on its supple back, moving it back towards the pedestal. Its pert breasts bobbled with each step as it remounted the pedestal, and stood there, quietly awaiting whatever came its way. Other than the basic stance, it didn't actually do anything, and the shopkeeper shifted its positioning just a bit so that it at least looked a bit proud, even if the feelings were no longer inside the warm flesh and blood mannequin.
Floating around what had been a body that she'd put years of training and care into getting how she liked it, Akane let her expression go sour. "Are you just going to leave my body there like this?"
"No, I'm going to leave my display right there, ready for me to use when I come back in the morning," the shopkeeper pointedly reminded her.
"Ah. Right."
"And it'll be here for you to check out during the night. Might be fun for you to get to examine what you had, and weren't able to look at from the outside."
"There is that...."
"But just remember, this place will be secure," the shopkeeper informed the spirit girl. "We even have a good security guard here."
"Really? Who?"
"You."
"Me?" Akane asked, turning away from admiring the strength in the display's shapely legs.
"Pretty much."
"What exactly am I supposed to do? Watch them to death?"
"I'm sure that you'll find that you can do more than that. There are certain... benefits to the state that you're in. And its not like you are the only security measure."
"That's a relief...."
"Just don't shirk your duties, okay?" he told her.
"Might be nice if I actually knew what they were."
"Where is the fun in that?"
Blowing out a groan, Akane watched him walk away, leaving her nude former body standing out there with her, while:
Sun May 25 12:42:56 2008