Chapter 5: Gowns

“Let me know when you are finished with your math assignment. We will start on station I today unless we get more interruptions.”

“Okay,” Catherine called out while rinsing off the dishes from lunch.

Since it was such a nice day, I decided to work under the shade of an umbrella for a few hours.

...

“Ready, Master.”

Placing aside my notebook, I led Catherine her downstairs, waited for her to don the lab coat, and then went with her over to the control room. While warming up station 1, a flat table CNC machine, I explained what I was doing. “This one is exclusively for thicker materials, hence the extra reinforcement...” I continued lecturing about the merits of this particular model, the power requirements, the material requirements, and so forth. Then I used the overhead grappler arms to load in a sheet of stainless steel that had a few cutouts already, locking it in place. The light over the table changed to green instead of a natural white signifying that the unit was now able to be activated.

I explained that I used stainless steel since it was soft and better for precise measurements after the cut. That choice also aided in not wasting expensive alloys in case of a calculation errors.

I also pulled up a list of possible choices of materials which could be accessed from a screen under the crane settings.

Removing a cartridge from the rack, I showed Catherine the serial number before inserting it into the data slot. Pointing at the fixed tablet on the wall, “A complete list of all cartridges and their patterns are arranged numerically.” Scrolling down the list, I highlighted the matching SN in the remarks and directed my student to read the brief description along with the part number and job number.

“Next is the easy part. Just type ‘execute’ and watch the lights, green is ready, yellow is in progress, red is error and no light means we blew a fuse.” At her strange expression, I explained, “Some exotic alloys don’t like to be altered which overworks the machine. I have blown quite a few fuses. Don’t worry about that for now.”

*Execute. With the instruction to the system, the door to the operations room closed automatically, we could only feel the machines vibrate a little. The cutting noise was completely dampened. At the sight of the green light signifying the completion and ready status of the table, “Let’s go see what we just made.”

A crescent shaped four-inch cutout with the bottom quarter missing at a 30-degree inward slant shined in its cutout. With heat resistant gloves I picked up the sample and placed it on a stand inside a special tank which contained an inert green gas. Pressing the switch, we watched as the cutout floated up and slowly spun on an axis as if on an invisible string.

The LCD screen displayed the outer measurements while the inner revealed a maze-like pattern engraved over 95% of one side of the cutout.

During the next twenty-five minutes, I pointed out the peculiarities of this particular circuit, how it flowed and what its purpose was. Even though I knew it was too early, my explanations gave her an introductory feel.

Catherine asked some basic questions about the engraved cutout while concentrating, not on the circuit itself, but the dimensions and specs listed to the right.

Leading her back to the operations room, I guided her through using the crane to return the steel plate.

The red, candy colored button that had a worn, yellow happy face sticker, felt completely out of place compared to the rest of the digital high-tech area. I had left it in place as a good memory.

“What’s this button do?”

“Press it and you will see.”

Timidly, Catherine did as instructed. Seven, one-foot-tall spider robots exited from somewhere out of sight and scurried to Station 1. The startled teen observed in fascination as they seemed to be in a frenzy as they searched the machine for a few minutes before scurrying back to wherever they came from.

“Autonomous cleaning bots?” she asked in shock. AI bots just to clean a CNC machine! I read her expression and correctly interpreted her thoughts.

The door unlocked, which startled her again. “Go take a look.” I offered after opening the door.

Awe and excitement shown in her smile. “Your next write up is due Friday. Don’t forget to turn off the lights when you come up.” I left my student down in the workshop lost in her thoughts.

I sat in my chair reading the latest Villain gossip when a flustered wet girl came into the library fresh from the shower with a towel wrapped around her stopping at her upper thighs. The red face wasn’t from the heat of the shower.

“Where did the dirty clothes go?”

“Mrs. Charles takes the clothes to wash, she will return them next Tuesday.”

My new student stood there indecisively.

“Put that towel away, let’s review today’s lesson.” Stomping is not very effective in bare feet on an aged solid oak floor. Her return blur wasn’t successful in preventing me from seeing her attempt to hurry by in the low cut, black underwear combo.

Not giving her disquiet a second thought, I waited for Cat to settle, then checked her posture. With only a mild correction on the separation of her knees; they needed to be shoulder width apart, I reminded my her, I began my oral review of the day’s lessons.

It wasn’t my fault that she kept changing clothes all the time ... after each swim a fresh new set was swapped out. Not that I complained. Not at all. Poor girl was completely unable to wear anything again once it was removed until it was washed. In the past, even when she went to the beach with friends, she had brought an extra shirt and shorts with her.

Over the rest of the week, Cat and I slowly settled into her new routine with only minor confrontations and complaints. Mostly on clothing options and cooking.

Catherine took to my lessons with a fervor that surpassed all of my previous students. Once started on a given problem. The world outside of her thoughts faded away.

Tuesday, after her morning swim she came down with a sheet wrapped around her, slightly dragging on the ground. Embarrassment won over anger. Head down, she didn’t even speak during breakfast. Not even to curse me.

When she stood to clean the table, “The ladies will arrive in seventeen minutes, please put the sheet in the basket before they come.” I instructed, without looking up from my morning news. For a second, the room lit as her face glowed from the heat of the thought of further embarrassing herself.

Not being completely heartless, I was already in the den when Cat snuck down and hurried to her customary study location. To her horror and further shame, a completely different set of elderly women arrived to clean up after us today. Catherine had to go through a second set of interrogations wearing a blue and white ruffled thong with matching strapless string bandeau. I didn’t know if the older women not even asking about her state of undress furthered or lessoned her embarrassment.

“Don’t forget today is wash day for the lab coats.” I reminded Cat after the ladies left, completely ignoring the dried salt stains on her cheeks. Not needing a reply, I spent the remaining time before lunch outside swimming and thinking of what was to come.

Watching her serve lunch was comical. Not once did she expose her back to me. Catherine even had a towel draped over an arm like a formal maître D’, hoping to help cover what she could.

“Skip today’s second swim.” I didn’t even crack a smile at her stream of childish insults. She seemed particularly fond of ‘Jerk and Pervert’. Today, more so than most.

That evening during her review, while she knelt next to me, the poor thing almost broke. If it wasn’t for my casual attitude towards her attire, Catherine might have taken lasting psychological damage. Me treating her the same, regardless of outfits helped relieve the pressure. Some.

After our review of her daily homework, I asked her get me a bourbon before encouraging her to escape to her own pursuits. When she returned, Catherine curled up on the couch next to my chair, wrapped herself in a blanket, and read. Maybe it wasn’t that out of character since it wasn’t even eleven yet and the blanket gave her coverage until we retired for the night at twelve thirty.

Poor lass didn’t even last ten minutes before the emotional overload dropped her off to sleepyland after going to our separate beds.

Unlike my normal crisp waking which I then headed downstairs to make breakfast, I kicked back and enjoyed the show the next morning.

Her scowl on reentering the bedroom from the bathroom wrapped in the large towel alerted her that a new trial awaited. Still not saying anything to me she entered the closed walk-in closet.

“OH!” I heard from inside... “AAARGH! Jerk!” ‘what are you playing at?’ To my amusement, the range of her hidden meanings couched in that single word kept expanding.

The bathroom door forcefully swung open, revealing a teen that still needed a few years before she would graduate from cute to pretty, stomped out in a backless elegant blue waterfall gown.

“Can you button me please?” she forced out, while holding her heels in her left hand. The matching silver watch, bracelet, necklace and earrings looked great on her.

“Sure.” With Catherine’s back to me, I buttoned the top two buttons at the back of the neck which were specifically designed to not be able to clasp without incredible manual dexterity and agility or aid of a second person. “Would you like help with your shoes?”

“NO, thank you,” she firmly resisted. Using my bed as a brace, she easily slipped the three-inch heels on.

“Let me see.” I spun my finger in a circle for her to spin on her axis. She did, not as well as I hoped. The heels were higher than she was used to. The waterfall dress had only a minimal slit, open back and shoulders with a draped plunging neckline. The form-fitting, mid-calf length, midnight blue gown hugged every curve of her still maturing body.

“How does it fit?”

“Perfect. Are we going anywhere?” she asked worriedly, too worriedly in my opinion.

“Nope. Though breakfast will be late.” My turn to wash the night sweat off led me past the overdressed teen, while disregarding her calculated look.

Again, Cat was quiet during breakfast, but this time it was not out of extreme embarrassment. In her closet were seven full length gowns covered by black vinyl sheaths, each bound by a blue ribbon and tagged with a date. She had to have known exactly what it meant after opening the first one. I tried to not think of her swimming tomorrow only wearing a thong. Panty lines would ruin the effect and bras were unneeded with the precise tailoring.

“Instead of a second swim today. Do the stairs a few times in your heels, the practice will be beneficial. That goes for the rest of the week. I wouldn’t attempt the lawn just yet until you get acclimated to the heels. Also, sometime today, I want you to write up an evaluation of each outfit you wore since arriving here, excluding the initial ones.”

“Yes ... Master...” she hesitated.

“Ask.”

“Can you take my picture?”

“I can do better than that.” While she cleaned up and wondered what I meant. I went to the workshop storeroom and retrieved a holographic Imager and table.

In the library, I explained the 3D holographic Device’s uses and its drawbacks. Similar to first generation cameras, the object to be photographed needed to be as still as possible. After retrieving her clutch, Catherine found a good spot in the library and squared her shoulders before getting in a pose. After flicking her nose to help loosen Cat’s unnatural stiffness, I encouraged her to get into a more comfortable position.

“Deep breath and think of your sister.” I released the three drones after typing the coordinates. The laser from the Device terminated in her upper abdomen. Five seconds later. I had her change positions and repeated the process.

After a few poses, I retracted the drones. “Come with me.” I led my student to the dining room and placed a turnstile on the table. I showed her how to use the Imager Device to download the data to the turntable. A 6.2-inch-tall solid looking Catherine in her newest dress slowly rotated on the two inch burnished steel base. My student poked her finger through her miniature self with a very strange expression.

“Do you want to send this to your parents or wait until Tuesday and send the collection?”

“Can I send one to my grandmother and friends too?”

“I only have one extra turntable, making a new one will take some time.”

“Mom and Grandma first. I can wait until Tuesday.”

A thin cushion was added to her chair today. I didn’t remember seeing that one before, though I saw the necessity of having one. Sitting at her preferred location for studying, the unforgiving surface of the wooden dining room chairs for hours would compound her discomfort

...

Wednesday, my watched vibrated earlier than normal waking me up. I caught a glimpse of a mostly naked teen quietly sneak out of the bedroom hoping not to wake me on her way down the stairs to the pool. Mentally, I applauded her courage and decisiveness.

Again, I needed to wait in bed until she was done showering and changing to zip her up. Thursday’s outfit was a modern version of a Gone with the Wind reproduction. In other words, a hot, bulky, cumbersome, and overdone dress, aimed at a more conservative era.

Thankfully, she didn’t need a corset but did need more assistance including a final button. Petticoats were cumbersome, regardless of the year. The only real change from the original attire was another set of two-inch heels.

Cat really liked the pearls. Little tells, like playing with her earrings and bracelet throughout the day emphasized that.

At the end of the day, the mutters about the ‘stupid dress’ occurred more and more. I thought that I would save similar outfit types for punishment in the future. The bloomers and a naked back first thing the next morning were memorable though.

...

Sunday’s outfit was a pale-yellow strapless sundress, sandals and bonnet. The gold tennis bracelet with diamond earrings complimented the ensemble.

The black leather collar and dangling silver leash looked wildly out of place. When I flicked the leash and chuckled, she slugged me. “If you don’t like it, figure out how to take it off.” I instructed before she cleaned up after breakfast.

“Jerk. I don’t know Circuits yet.” ‘Don’t push me.’

“Study hard,” I called out while checking the weather. After Cat finished the dishes, I shooed her out of the house to get some sun. She didn’t even realize just how close to transparent that material became when exposed to direct sunlight.

A wistful smile later, I joined her under the eight-foot umbrella with my laptop to work more on Moria’s Device. Two hours after, Cat threw her chair at me when she realized that the dress she wore became translucent.

“Good focus.” I laughed at her from the ground while untangling myself. She really did loose herself in her studies, each and every time.

“Pervert!” The door slid shut behind her. Hard.

...

“What’s this material?” Cat asked at dinner while hunching forward keeping the sundress loose in front to minimize the exposure.

“Rexxon. When exposed to UV light, the opacity decreases. The effect is not all that fast but it’s permanent.” I stole one of her notebooks and wrote the Planck Rossland equation. The relevant constants were added with a note where to find them and what they meant.

“Besides that one amusing property, the material is similar to cotton. It’s expensive to manufacture and after the inventor patented it, she ignored it.”

“What are you doing with it then?”

“I came across it last year. I thought it would be a fun lesson.”

“Fun!” The teen with large translucent areas of what used to be her solid pale yellow sundress snorted.

“Cleaning up can wait. Go change, there is an outfit on your bed. We are going out.”

Cat scampered upstairs, glad to be out of the translucent dress.

...

She returned to the den in little black dress, very little. Mrs. Charles’ grand niece’s class outdid themselves. An open shoulder, backless shimmering dress that was tailored to the girl, swished with Cat’s steps, while she restrained the hem from riding any higher. Not that I blamed her. If the treasure she wore was more than four inches past that wonderful derriere of hers I would eat my stylus.

Black lined stockings, with matching three-inch pumps greatly enhanced her firm legs. The half dozen silver and diamond bracelets on her left wrist I thought were a bit much but I was a guy, what did I know. When I first saw the price tag for the dangling diamond earrings I almost choked. Not so much after seeing my Pet in that outfit.

“Do you like?”

“It’s a LOT short and the back goes down too far and the tops of the stockings show.” With her complaint, I thought that she didn’t mind exposing the top of her derriere as much as the shortness. Maybe because she didn’t get a good grasp visually with the single mirror in the bathroom. I wasn’t sure of her thoughts and wasn’t about to ask. Besides, the lesson I wanted her to learn was well in motion and needed a clean conclusion.

I motioned her to spin she did slowly. Her control of her heels greatly improved with a week of practice. Good. “Besides the length, how else is it?”

“It’s a little tight here.” She plucked at the top of her hips, “Causing the hem to rise when I walk.”

“Where is the purse? I thought it came with one.”

“I didn’t like it; it was too big.”

“Show me. She had to have left it on the stairs. When Cat returned, even though it was small to the point of being useless, I agreed with my student that it was a little large for that outfit.

“Set that on the table. You won’t be needing that tonight anyway.”

“Stand over there, I will take your picture.”

“Can we just do a normal picture. This one isn’t the best to show my parents. Mom will freak.”

“Think of how jealous Colleen will be though. That was one thing I had the hardest time understanding. How did you put up with that narcissist?”

“Collie is very loyal to her friends.” I nodded; loyalty would have been a major requirement for Catherine when it came to protecting her identity.

“Clasp your hands and spread your feet a little you are too stiff. Hmm ... still too stiff. Put your arms out and shake them to loosen up. Better, but still too stiff. Relax! Better. Click ... now do the same with them behind ... good, close your eyes and relax. Open them. Give me a haughty look. Chin higher. A little more of a smile. One fist on your hip and cock it just a little. Now think how good it will be to prove Colonel White wrong.” Click. “Lick your lips and part them a bit keeping the same thought.”

After inputting the dozen or so poses in the table, we watched them spin in place. I could tell she was conflicted. She did like the one with her hands behind her but it covered most of the exposure from behind.

“That dress is beautiful on you.” With her natural cheekbones and facial structure, Cat photographed remarkably well, especially the few black and whites I took.

“It’s too short and the back scoop needs to be higher. I don’t like the tops of the stockings showing either.” Catherine felt the need to repeat her complaints.

“Noted. You should use the lady’s room before we go, you won’t have much of a chance until we return home.”

...

“I thought so,” Cat muttered as I helped her in the Audi.

“Oh?”

“The collar’s restriction. The yard is a trap for others, not me.”

“Correct.” I ignored her constantly pulling of her hem that kept trying to ride up as I drove.

“Master, where are we going?”

“To see a play.” Her hand instinctively went to her leash. A blush and frown accompanied her worried eyes as she pulled down the hem of her dress. Again.