[Sew Slimy]

"Hello, Dr. Taylor," the unexpected greeting made Megan Taylor jump in her seat. It was late in the evening well past her working hours and she sat in her quarters enjoying her downtime. Her favorite hobby was sewing and she occasionally wondered if it was a subconscious preference that she grew into because of her name. In her mind, thinking of herself as 'Doctor Tailor' made the 53-year-old woman giggle. She stood and turned around to see who called her; but, she already had an idea. Her room was locked and she had not heard the door open.

She discovered a lean, stern woman with short salt-and-pepper hair wearing a lab coat. She wasn't surprised to see herself standing there, but she took a step back out of fear.

"Vivi...?" Dr. Taylor asked. As she considered her situation, she realized her phone and the emergency button were on the other side of the room. The intruder surprised her by changing back into her default form. Dr. Taylor watched her own angular features melt away into a singular black mass of slime as she shrank down. Then, the dark, viscous liquid took on more defined features. Her nose wasn't as hawkish as Dr. Taylor's and her eyes were larger. She was now the sharp-dressed teenage girl that Dr. Taylor interacted with as she ended her workday; with the same shoulder-length violet hair and fair skin. She wore slacks and a dress shirt with a black and white vest. Once she finished the transformation, the teen nodded at Dr. Taylor with a smile.

"Wow, you don't scare easily, do you?" Vivi asked.

"How did you escape?" Dr. Taylor asked. Then, a more pressing question came to mind. "..why haven't you escaped?" They held Vivi for less than a day before that moment. Now that she was out of containment, she could have gone anywhere. Even if she wanted revenge, Vivi could have just released the rest of the contained Supers and let them wreak havoc.

"I'm here for you," Vivi replied.

"What?" Dr. Taylor took another step backward, then hit the wall. "Why me?" It was a genuine question. She'd only met Vivi briefly when one of the field teams brought her in. She was initially just a glob of black goo in a containment canister, but when they gave her more space she took the shape of a teenage girl.

Dr. Taylor was surprised when Vivi introduced herself to everyone in perfect English. She also did not seem concerned about being a prisoner; though, in hindsight, Dr. Taylor could guess why. Despite the inherent mystery of an English-speaking shapeshifter, it was the tail end of a long day for Dr. Taylor. She was no stranger to unusual beings and she was able to put off the curiosity for another day so she could get some rest.

"Because...," Vivi held her hand out and showed Dr. Taylor a spool of silver thread. "You're going to teach me how to make these."

"What?" Dr. Taylor glanced at her sewing machine in the corner, then back to Vivi. The girl hadn't taken a single step forward and Dr. Taylor was growing more at ease. Vivi was an unknown, but she hadn't so much as threatened anyone since she appeared. Maybe she wasn't an evil monster. "You want to learn how to sew?" Dr. Taylor asked.

"I already know how," Vivi replied. Then, she shrugged and held her other hand out holding a second spool of silver thread. "And, technically, I already know how to make these. But, I need to see you do it once to unlock a different version. Then, I can make two at a time.

"That's it?" Dr. Taylor asked. "You just want to see me make a spool?"

"Yes, please," Vivi nodded and put her hands down. The spools she held were absorbed back into her hands.

"Sure, okay...," Dr. Taylor shrugged. She side-stepped toward the sewing machine and Vivi seemed to understand her concern. The teenage girl moved to the same side of the room and stood in front of the sewing machine. Now, Dr. Taylor could get comfortable without taking her eyes off of Vivi.

Her hand shook a bit from nerves; but, she relaxed again as soon as she started the familiar process. She placed the empty spool, then a loaded one, and took a minute to thread them together through the machine. Vivi watched with bored obligation as Dr. Taylor completed the setup.

"And, that's it," Dr. Taylor said. She turned the machine on and both spools began spinning as the thread transferred.

"Thanks!" Vivi grinned broadly at Dr. Taylor. "I got what I needed." Then, she raised her right hand to demonstrate. She held her hand out with the palm facing up and this time she held two spools. "So, bye," Vivi waved, then she threw a black card onto the wall of Dr. Taylor's quarters. A black portal opened on the wall and Vivi moved toward it.

"Wait!" Dr. Taylor spoke up. She had hundreds of questions forming in her mind and now it was apparent that Vivi wasn't going to hurt her. She felt comfortable enough to ask questions now that Vivi was leaving. As soon as Vivi explained what she wanted, Dr. Taylor had one question demanding to be answered more than any other.

"How did you know I liked to sew??" she asked. Vivi giggled as she stepped into the portal. She turned and waved goodbye one more time as it closed. But, Dr. Taylor heard the answer and it only left her with more questions.

"The quest log told me."

***
Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1745 in a row. (Story #299 in year five.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on August 22nd and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until May 26th. They are all collected in order at this link.