Who Serves Who (Elegance/Maid TFs)

Most villains in Matsushita City didn’t really last long enough to make a ‘lair’; as much as the media loved to run sensational stories about corrupted or brainwashed magical girls turning against their charges, it wasn’t all that common for a team to lose. In a city where supernatural phenomena and assaults by supernatural and superhuman beings was a daily occurrence, there were enough means to respond to them that few such attackers lasted long enough to establish themselves. They might claim a building or a block, or the ambitious ones a street, but that was mostly defining the territory in which they’d made their first public attacks and, usually, their last.

That made the manor outside of which Akemi Foster stood an exception to the rule. It had simply appeared overnight, swallowing up the better part of multiple blocks in it’s magical expansion. There had been no attack or announcement - whoever had built it had been preparing a spell far more discreetly than most threats. There had been no word from those caught in it’s bounds.

Akemi would usually have been raring to go, but she’d been given clear instructions. Something that could generate a base like this out of thin air was no laughing matter, and she was to do no more than keep the enemy from leaving until backup arrived. Either a full team, or since most of those in the city were presently tasked with threats on the other side of the city, a certain comically overpowered magical girl.

Perhaps that was misstated - Akemi was ready to go in, burning to do so. But she had been told to wait for Hikari (and probably Natsuki in tow), who was late! Very, very late! Sure, they had been occupied. Akemi had received a text to ask if she wanted to go meet them in a park, probably for training. But that was no reason they couldn’t be here already!

It had been nearly half an hour since Akemi’s arrival on the scene, and she was pacing in front of the manor. Surely she didn’t need the help, did she? If the monster or villain or whatever it was had decided to make the place in a discreet way, surely it was something comparatively weak to want to avoid a confrontation where it didn’t control the battlefield. Akemi was strong enough to fight that kind of thing without backup, and she especially didn’t need Hikari’s help.

Pride warred with practicality; she wanted to prove herself, but she’d been given clear orders from people who had better detection equipment than she did. It was a bad idea, rash and ill advised. But she was sure she was right.

Strictly speaking, orders from the MGA were more advice than commands; magical girls had a lot of freedom in how they handled any given situation, even the directly government recruited teams. As far as orders went, Akemi had to listen to where she went and what to fight, not how to do it once she got there. So she was well within her rights to march in there and show whatever prissy noble type who would make such a gaudy mansion exactly what she thought of their villainous ways, and show that she didn’t need Hikari as an added bonus!

Logic firmly in hand, Akemi phoned her handler. “The backup is taking too long. I’m going to scout the place. If they seem too strong I’ll wait and be able to coordinate an ambush with whoever comes.” she said shortly, ending the call before she could get a response.

The front door was the obvious entrance and while her pride might have won the battle to get her to go inside, her pragmatism won the battle to avoid what was likely an intensely trapped and potentially guarded entrance. Instead, she found her own entrance, punching holes in the brick wall with magic-infused fists and using them as handholds to climb to a window.

She ended up in what seemed to be a lounge or sitting room, looking out over the gardens outside through a formerly very elaborate, now very broken, window. If anyone had heard her sudden and violent breaking and entering, there was no sign of it - there wasn’t anyone in the room, or from the sounds of it outside.

Creeping out of the bedroom quietly, Akemi found that her assessment was correct - there was nobody down either end of the red-carpeted hallway. She looked suspiciously at the decorative armors, but they didn’t leap at her when she got close. The manor seemed completely deserted, gaudy decoration going unviewed and visible dust going unattended by the sorts of minions Akemi would have expected (this sort of spot tended to be inundated in by minions with a maid theme).

As she walked through the halls, she was getting progressively more and more creeped out. Furniture was in odd places, like it had been dropped in the middle of setting up. There were portrait frames, but rather than displaying people they showed only silhouettes. At every corner Akemi was expecting an attack that never came, and frankly it was making her a bit paranoid.

When the main dining hall was empty as well, she was beginning to feel sure that this was something else than what it had seemed - perhaps it was a diversion, drawing away magical girls from their real rampage? Or they had abandoned it after creating it and gone to gather staff, leaving the place defenseless?

She decided to check one more room before leaving and reporting to the MGA; she wasn’t able to call them from within the magically constructed manor, since she’d been getting a lot of interference basically since arriving.

The room was a large bedroom fit for royalty - a queen sized bed with more coverage in pillows than it’s sheets, a walk in closet bigger than Akemi’s own room at home, elaborate gold-lined furnishings and even a chandelier. And once again, completely deserted. Still, it was best to be thorough, so she stepped into the room, looking around for nothing in particular.

In the instant she looked in the mirror on the vanity, she realized both that it was a trap, and that she’d noticed too late. If the sight in the glass hadn’t taken her in she’d curse herself for actually looking at a mirror in this kind of place, as they always seemed to be cursed or trapped or what have you.

The gilded mirror showed Akemi alright, but not the one standing in front of it. It showed another Akemi, one with long, flowing blonde hair in immaculate plaits in sharp contrast to reality’s practical and short style. While her magical girl outfit was a cross of armor and a dress, it was still far more reasonable than the lacy, floor-brushing gown her mirror self wore. She had no accessory more complex than some earrings that weren’t even visible under her hair, while that elegant lady in the reflection was bedecked in dazzling gems. That other version of her was sexy and confident, looking back at her with a haughty smirk.

Akemi stared at the mirror, unable to tear herself away from the sight. That couldn’t be her, but at the same time, she could feel it was. The magic of the mirror began to work - on the physical side, the only notable changes were her hair growing out, and some muscles smoothing away to leave picture-perfect skin behind.

“This is what you could be,” a voice said - she wasn’t sure if it was her reflection’s or someone behind her. “I can see you have a noble’s soul - not like those peasants and other lowborn surrounding this place. That fierce pride is just absolutely perfect, and combined with your power, even better… you will make a lovely princess.”

“I… I won’t! I’m a heroine of justice! Not some p-princess!” Akemi struggled to say, still unable to move or look away as someone else entered the mirror - a beautiful woman in purple and gold silks.

The woman walked up behind her, pressing into her back as she massaged her shoulders. “Oh? Why not? Have your superiors done anything to deserve your loyalty? You’re easily their best heroine, but they still treat you as second rate, don’t they?”

“No, they… they know how valuable I am…” Akemi said, not even noticing the subtle shift in perspective. She was valuable. Important. They knew that, right?

“If they did, why did they keep you waiting to go in so long?” The woman asked, as her hands started to style Akemi’s hair. In the mirror, Akemi’s false reflection shifted and warped, hair falling out of it’s style and shortening. “They think you need help. They think you’re too weak.”

If she were at full strength, Akemi would have easily broken free. The woman’s grasp was not strong, and even the magical mirror wasn’t too terribly gripping. They played on her insecurities, but she was usually ready for that - but she’d been getting weaker ever since she arrived, a slow sapping of magical power to fuel the growth of the manor. The villainess smiled - she wasn’t terribly strong herself, but her lair more than made up for it in it’s home-field advantage.

“I don’t need help. I can take on any villain all by myself. I don’t need her help, she needs mine.” Akemi said, her eyes glazing slightly as she sunk deeper into her trance. The haughty smirk on her reflection faded as it plastered itself on the real version’s face instead. That was right - she was strong, powerful. She deserved the top spot in the MGA…

“Ah, I see how it is. Someone thinks they’re stronger than you. But they don’t deserve it, do they?”

Of course, Hikari never really acted like she was above Akemi. It was part of why she considered them friendly rivals, not enemies. But as the woman started to pull off her armored dress plate by plate and strap by strap, she found herself believing it. “Of course she doesn’t - thinking that she’s better than me, without half the effort…”

“You’re her senior, right? You’re more experienced, you should be stronger. She should listen to you.”

“Of course she should.” Akemi said, as her body moved on autopilot to help take off the armor. This, her reflection did as well with it’s dress.

“Shouldn’t everyone listen to you? You’re powerful, important. That person who thinks she’s so big, she should be serving you.” The woman said. “We are nobility, and it’s simply the order of the world that our lessers devote themselves, mind, body, and soul.”

“We… we are their betters…” Akemi said in a dreamy haze, as the woman took her pride, her buried resentments and worries, and turned them all up to 11. As Akemi pulled on the new lacy white gown offered by the villainess, and her reflection put on the magical girl armor-dress, she grinned widely. “And we’ll make sure everyone knows it. Thank you, Mistress, for showing me the order of the world…”

The Mistress of the Manor grinned, wrapping an arm around her new princess. Ah, but it was so much fun to create new nobles - she’d been waiting for a good fit for the new nobility she was creating, and was happy that her first was so perfect for it. As she turned Akemi away from the mirror and her former self, the door opened to reveal a gaggle of maids coming out from their hiding places to pledge loyalty to their second mistress. “Think nothing of it, Lady Foster. Come - we must get you acquainted with our servants, and prepare to welcome new ones…”

In that hall of empty portraits, one of the silhouettes filled in with a painting of the new Akemi.

---

“Well that doesn’t seem so threatening. Kinda pretty actually.” Hikari said idly.

“True,” Natsuki conceded, “But there’s supposed to be three apartment buildings there, not a mansion.”

“Huh, too bad. Oh well, your house is nicer anyway, Natsuki. Do you see Akemi anywhere?”

“Mom said she headed inside a few hours ago.” Natuki said.

“Oh, that explains why she didn’t show up to the park…”

“She’s probably already been turned into a maid or a nice painting or something.” Izanami said with a sigh. “Head on in, already. I want to get this over with so I can have my turn.”

The duo (or trio if one counted Izanami separately) had been having a nice lunch at the park, to which they’d invited Akemi. It was something Hikari liked to do before Izanami taking control if she’d managed to last her turn without being minionfied. During it, they’d turned off their phones, so unfortunately they hadn’t gotten the call to come back up Akemi until they were done and turning the devices back on.

Since the manor was still present, that probably meant Akemi had been defeated. Hikari wasn’t worried, too much - she had Natuki with her, and she was probably strong enough to blast whatever villain had managed to bring down her friend!

Of course, Hikari being Hikari, she didn’t think to maybe go a different route than the front door. She blasted it open without bothering to check if it was open, shattering it into splinters as she walked into the building with Natsuki at her side.

A group of maids were already approaching, bearing brooms and dusters with intent. Hikari spun her staff to send a blast down the hall, carving a hole in the middle of the mass as they ran steadfastly forward. They approached and Hikari readied herself to fight, but half of them seemed to disregard her entirely - when she dodged out of the way, they didn’t even break their stride on their way to the thorough mess she’d made out of the door.

As they swept up the debris and started pushing it out of sight, she shrugged - if these minions weren’t planning to attack her, then it was fine. But behind the first group was a second that certainly were planning a fight, using their brooms and dustpans like deadly weapons. They landed a few blows on her with the brushing ends of their makeshift weapons, but all it took was a few bons on the head and a blast or two to knock the second half out of the fight.

“Well, come on then, Natsuki-” Hikari started, before realizing that something else had been swept up with the debris. The maids were already out of sight, carrying Natsuki along with them in their single minded devotion to duty.

“...She’ll probably be fine. They didn’t seem to bother attacking, so I don’t expect she’ll be any different.” Izanami said with a sigh. “...Or at least, if they do do something, she’ll probably thoroughly enjoy it.”

That was somewhat of a pattern with Hikari’s friend/part-time partner… “Yeah, she’ll be fine, especially if I take down the villain quickly!”

Hikari nodded to herself, and pushed onwards. Despite Izanami’s exasperation with it, though, she didn’t pay much mind to traps; none of them seemed to slow her down, as she broke barriers and knocked out combat-maids.

Izanami didn’t make a habit of helping Hikari out (or at least was trying to avoid it - sometimes when it seemed in her best interests, she figured she may as well), so she elected not to comment on the traps she was hitting or the slow changes she was undergoing. Step by step and stage by stage she watched...

As Hikari walked through what seemed to be a display room for dresses, the mannequins came to life and attacked from all around her. They ripped at her clothes, pulling her magical girl outfit right off of her body as they dogpiled her. When Hikari broke free with a burst of magic, knocking the assorted mannequins into the walls and seemingly defeating them (probably more transformed residents; if they were animated normal mannequins or constructs, they’d have shattered), she seemed too busy feeling triumphant to notice the fact her clothes had been replaced.

Her casual jacket, shirt, and skirt combo had been replaced with an elaborate black dress and white apron over it tied with a huge black ribbon, new lacy white stockings and gloves, and a very frilly cap over her head. New lengthy black heels clacked against the floor as Hikari ran onwards, not even noticing as she instinctively used levitation magic to supplement her balance. As they passed by a mirror, Izanami noticed it was a caricature of a french maid’s outfit, just like what the assorted combat-maids encountered thus far had worn.

The next hit came from one more trap that Hikari encountered. The mirror overlooked the hall and seemed to be a source for blasts of attacking magic once the detection noticed Hikari. She ducked and dodged, firing back with her own attack magic which got swallowed into the mirror and thrown back at her. Eventually after a few minutes of no progress, with a shout of frustration (and a bit of magic) she lobbed her staff at the mirror.

What the trap had to defend against magical attack, it didn’t seem to have against physical - Hikari’s staff shattered it, and the assault ended. Hikari went over and picked her staff up, not noticing that it now bore a broom’s brush on the end, just below the crystal. She turned to continue on her way, but something was just… bugging her about that. “...Well, seven years bad luck… guess I should clean that up and see if that helps…” she muttered, pointing the broom-staff towards the scattered shards and using magic to lift them into the nearest trash can. Izanami couldn’t help but stifle a laugh (an awkward affair when you’re in someone’s head, but she managed it).

Following that, Hikari pressed forwards into the main hall of the manor, where she found assorted maids waiting on a pair of women in elaborate dresses. “You must be the villains! Give up, and I won’t have to blast you into next week!” Hikari declared, pointing her staff at them.

The two looked at each other, and laughed in identical, grating ‘ohohoho!’s. The one in purple spoke first. “Oh, that’s just adorable, isn’t it, Lady Foster? I wonder what put such grandiose thoughts in her little head?”

“It is, isn’t it, Mistress? Shall I show her her place?” The lady in white, one that seemed kind of familiar, asked.

“Of course. I shall watch with interest…”

The woman in white stood up, waltzing over to Hikari with a relaxed sway. As she charged her magic to attack, the woman snapped her fingers, and suddenly Hikari froze up. Two maids went to her sides, holding her in place as the woman approached. “H-Huh? What?” Hikari asked, uncomprehending as to why she suddenly froze.

“You might pretend you don’t know your place, but your body does.” The noblewoman said, coming close enough to cup Hikari’s chin. “It knows you belong beneath my heel. It knows who it serves.”

“Akemi?” Hikari asked. Of course, she’d expected Akemi to be taken, but somehow, she felt a shock all the same… although, she wasn’t sure it was surprise…

“Lady Foster to you.” Akemi snapped, and Hikari stood rigidly straight before finding herself in an involuntary curtsy.

“Right, Lady Foster-” the words fell out of her mouth without any effort, but she felt them ring true - she couldn’t think of Lady Foster as anything else anymore. The maids pressed closer, holding her in place while their mistress had her way with Hikari.

“Good.” Lady Foster said, and Hikari felt a rush of satisfaction at that simple word, a sudden warmth through her whole body. “Your body understands, but your mind… we have to fix that.”  Suddenly, the former-magical girl snapped her fingers again.

“A-Ah, Lady Foster, what are you-” Hikari stammered, but she was interrupted as the maids pressed close, breasts pressing against her sides with roaming hands. Hikari found herself unable to bring herself to break free.

Lady Foster smiled. “You are not a free woman. Your strength is not your own, nor your mind and body. You are mine - every part of you. Do you understand that?”

Hikari wanted to refuse, but under the assault of the maids, it was hard to think much of anything - the words wrapped around her mind, planting themselves deep and squeezing the resistance out of her. She couldn’t verbally respond, so she just… nodded.

“You are a servant. Your place in life is beneath me, doing whatever I ask of you. Do you understand, servant?”

Hikari moaned softly, but a snap of Akemi’s fingers brought her back. “I… yes… yes I understand… Lady Foster…” she managed, before one maid’s fingers found a sensitive place and dragged her back into a suggestable haze.

“Your loyalty is to me, and my house - I am your Mistress, your deity. Your very identity is secondary to your service. Do you understand, Maid?”

Maid moaned loudly as her coworkers brought her to the edge, and Mistress’ words pushed her over. She was a Maid. That was the beginning and end of who she was - a nameless servant of her beloved Mistress. “I-I ah- understand, Mistress!” she managed, before shouting in pleasure.

Smiling as she watched Maid come down from her pleasured high, she turned around and snapped her fingers again. “Clean up the mess you’ve made, then join me at the table. I wish to finish lunch.”

Maid stood up straight as her coworkers dispersed, leaving her standing over a puddle of something sticky. She curtsied. “Of course, Mistress.”

Izanami, for her part, was breathing heavily (insofar as she could; it felt like she was, anyway) - she’d felt every bit of pleasure Hikari had in her final transformation, but thankfully, she’d managed to separate herself from most of the effects. Unfortunately, that did mean she was now sharing headspace with a nameless maid, but Akemi didn’t know about Hikari’s condition and neither did the woman’s new Mistress. That was something she could take advantage of, once she confirmed the situation and knew where Natsuki had gotten off to…

-----

As it turned out, the answer to that was “caught up in the maid stampede”. The group had been single-mindedly fixated on cleaning up the mess Hikari had made out of the door, and Natsuki had simply been caught up in the sweeping. She’d been effectively pushed to a storage area where the maids stowed their brooms after cleaning up the mess. They hadn’t even seemed to notice her presence.

She was having a bit of a conundrum - on her way, her gear had detected several magical traps. Hikari would probably be fine, since she had some resistance due to being a magical girl, but Natsuki had very little means to avoid being taken in by the first trap to get her. So for some time, she paced back and forth in the storage room, trying to think of a way to meet up with Hikari and hopefully help her win…

As she passed an empty decorative armor, an idea hit her. When she’d been carried through the manor, none of the traps had activated - why? Well, maybe it was because surrounded by maids, whatever triggered the traps hadn’t recognized she wasn’t supposed to be there. So if she had something else from the manor around her, then maybe…

It took an annoying amount of time to put on the armor all on her own. But, luckily enough, it seemed to fit alright! It was time to put it to the test - worst case scenario it didn’t work and she got to spend some time as a cute maid, but if she was lucky it would let her help out Hikari!

Natsuki took a deep breath as she marched down the hall in the direction she’d left Hikari, especially as she passed by traps. But it seemed her assumption was right; the armor made them see her as part of the manor, and nothing happened. She was a little bit disappointed, admittedly.

Soon enough, she saw the usual wreckage left behind by Hikari’s passage; blasted traps, unconscious minions, the works. Hikari had carved a path of carnage as she always did without a hint of subtlety, which at least made her easy to track down. The trail ended abruptly in a dining room, with a distinct lack of Hikari and unconscious minions. Well, that was one question answered - it wasn’t a “Go help” mission, now it was a rescue mission.

Now without a path to follow, it took Natsuki some time to find anything - but soon enough she opened a door into a large, elaborate room - a throne sat at the back of it, with a smaller copy next to it; on both were well dressed, attractive women, one in purple and one in white. The latter, Natsuki recognized, was Akemi. The former was unfamiliar, but sweeping her gaze across the line of maids waiting to serve them, she found Hikari soon enough.

“Hm, isn’t this interesting,” the purple-clad woman said, “I don’t believe I’ve made any Knights yet.”

“That would be an intruder, Mistress.” Akemi said. “Maids, if you would.”

Most of the maids stepped forward as a unit, advancing on Natsuki as one. “...Maybe I should just go outside…” Natsuki said awkwardly. This rescue had been perhaps poorly planned…

“Oh, don’t waste the effort. She’s gone to the trouble of doing my job for me…” The so-called Mistress said, and suddenly, Natsuki felt a strange pull from her armor. An urge to kneel…

“Every lady needs a knight… why don’t you devote yourself to me~?” the Mistress of the Manor asked, her words reverberating through the armor.

Why shouldn’t she? She could be… a powerful knight in shining armor…

She felt a hand on her back. “That would be because she’s already serving someone.” A familiar voice said - Hikari’s voice, but with a haughty tone to it that indicated the magical girl wasn’t home right then.

One of the maids had gotten closer to Natsuki even after their Mistress’ order. She looked as Hikari’s black hair turned white (with the exception of a single streak), and her eyes went a magical glowing red. “Mistress?” Natsuki asked, the magic of the armor suddenly not such a concern now that Izanami was on the scene.

“Of course, minion. Stay kneeling - I have a fun idea.”

“Maid! Know your place!” Akemi said, standing up and shouting.

Izanami smirked, ignoring the irritated Maid that was now residing in her head. Hikari would probably get back to normal by the time Izanami ran out of the magic she needed to maintain control, but for now, she gave Izanami some fun ideas… “Your newest staff member isn’t here right now dear, sorry about that. You’re dealing with Izanami - and I serve nobody but myself.”

Taking a queue from the surroundings, Izanami adjusted her look - she snapped her fingers, burning the apron off the maid outfit in magical fire while making it tighter and more form fitting, changing the material to a beautiful silk as it went from a symbol of servitude to a symbol of status. The new black dress was complemented by the headdress hardening as it turned to gold, a metallic tiara to add to the theme.

Now appropriately attired, Izanami turned back to Natsuki. “This enchantment is a fun concept, but amateurish,” she said to the purple-dressed woman (whose face, on the other hand, was turning an angry red), “It’s child’s play to subvert for a professional like me.”

Natsuki moaned as the transformation suddenly picked up the pace - inside the armor, muscles swelled with strength, as the armor shifted and changed to conform to Natsuki’s body. The mental change was welcomed with open arms. Izanami was Natsuki’s Mistress, her Lady, and Natsuki was her loyal knight! With Natsuki eager to let Izanami have her way, the transformation was nearly instant, completely overtaking whatever plans the lady of the manor may have had. Natsuki stood, sword raised and ready to help her Mistress!

“Get them!” the ex-Mistress demanded, but it was clearly no use. She’d relied on traps and a slow wearing down of her opponents before they reached her - but Izanami was fresh to the fight, and her enchantment of Natsuki was turned against her.

The remaining maids swarmed, but Izanami sent spells flying while Natsuki kept them from getting close. One by one, the maids were subverted, turned to Izanami’s side or in some cases turned into knights like Natsuki. Akemi tried to fight, and appreciably, she actually managed to hit Izanami - but in her blinding anger at having her property stolen, Akemi didn’t bother to defend herself from the counter.

“Usually you put up a better fight than that, Foster.” Izanami scoffed, brushing herself off. “A noble title doesn’t suit you, evidently. You’ll be just as strong as ever once you’re under my heel.”

Akemi tried to resist, but Izanami had her -  in a flash of light, her lacy gown was replaced with a black blouse and apron; her entire ensemble turned into an identical one to Hikari’s. “You dare-!” she started to shout, before falling silent, her eyes clouding over as Izanami forcefully dominated her mind. “I apologize, Mistress.” she said demurely, curtsying.

“You really are an amateur, ‘mistress’,” Izanami laughed, “You don’t even bother to fix their mental defenses after you break them, do you? Akemi should have lasted at least a few minutes.”

“You- You can’t do this to me-” The woman stammered, pressed back up against the wall, losing her cool completely.

“Oh, but I already have~” Izanami said, charging up a blast of magic and tossing it effortlessly into the woman. When the light faded, the woman was gone - where she’d been against the wall was a life-sized portrait of Izanami. The witch liked that kind of punishment. She waltzed over to the woman’s throne, taking a seat as she claimed her magically-created manor for herself. She snapped a finger, and the assembled knights and maids fell to their knees. “Now then. First order of business - round up the others for me, would you? I need to make sure the staff is loyal. Then, we can think about having some fun~”