"Melissa!" Emma's voice reached through her friend's agony-addled mind, drawing Melissa's head up from the ground to see Emma dragging her octopus body across the floor towards her. Her friend's face showed both a pain similar as hers from both the dryness and the lingering shock of what had been done to their bodies, but also a determination that Melissa could make out from Emma's furrowed brow and gritted teeth. Emma had had a few minutes now for her brain to process this crazy situation of her lower half being turned into octopus tentacles, and seeing her friend also fall victim to the creepy old lady gave her the resolve to at least try to do something about it, even if it was just providing support as their other friends tried to escape. "I'm here, Melissa."
"Emma, I..." It was all Melissa could manage, still not used to the sensations of having a mermaid's tail.
Emma took Melissa's hands into her own, having gotten close enough to reach out. "We'll figure something out, I swear." Her eyes focused on Melissa's - it was more Emma trying to reassure herself with that, but it was apparent to her she was going to have to be brave enough for both of them. That, and Emma was trying not to draw attention to the fact that neither of them had clothes.
"B-but my legs and...it hurts..." Melissa reached up to grasp at her own throat, the thirst for water so strong; it was something Emma had felt hard as well. "I n-need waaaah!" Melissa's words were interrupted by a sudden gasp, her back arching as she felt something from below her waist, something unexpected...and sensitive.
Emma felt it as well a moment later, gasping from the wave that passed through her. She looked down and nearly gasped again as she saw what had happened: her octopus body had crawled up on top of Melissa's mermaid tail, Emma's new tentacles wrapped tightly just below Melissa's waist. Both of them registered a warm, sensitive touch where their bodies came in contact. A slight movement from Emma as she tried to separate from Emily revealed three things: that they still had their female sexes within their new aquatic appendages, that it was precisely there that Emma had (apparently) unconsciously held on to Melissa, and that they couldn't immediately separate from each other.
Both of their cheeks were hot, both from the embarrassment of finding out how intimate things had gotten all of a sudden and the sheer beastial pleasure nearly any move from either of them was inflicting. Melissa's, in addition, had some indignation: "W-what are you doing?!"
"I don't know! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to huh huh!" Emma's apology was interrupted by another small wave thanks to Melissa's unsuccessful attempt to get her friend off of her. She'd never felt anything like this as a normal human, much less a half-octopus - did that old hag do something to them?!
Emma shut her eyes as she tried to fight it down - this wasn't what she wanted! She only wanted to help Melissa get a grip on their situation, not take advantage of her! And yet, she noticed something was missing as her breathing started calming down as the wave passed: "Melissa, are you...still thirsty?"
Melissa needed a moment to recover her own breath. "N-no...I don't - huh! - feel like I...need water..." She looked up from Emma's navel to her face. "Does that mean..." A look of confusion came upon her own face. "We...need to..." She looked back down at where Emma's octopus body wrapped around her new tail.
"Or at least...stay together..." Emma herself wasn't sure how to react to that conclusion. On one hand, it seemed to stop their need for water that was so bad it could have paralyzed them and prevented any chance of coming up with a plan - it had taken all that Emma could muster not to jusy give in to the need for it. On the other hand...was this some sick plan that that old hag had put them through?! And what of their other friends - would they share in the fate of her and Melissa?