Jeff gave a small smile as Lucy had come to Grace's defense in the course of the confrontation with Megan and Jenny through the door. It was something that showed some means of the family bond within the Chapman family, at least among him and his sisters was still there. It had been something that was to be on edge when Grace first transformed into a Slug Woman. He could understand Lucy's reasons for being nervous, but that didn't necessarily mean that he felt that Grace was lost to the same sort of mind control that their mother had been lost to and didn't want those fears to drive them all forward. It wouldn't do well for any of them, and seeing Lucy give Grace her confidence and even pat Grace's back was encouraging.
"Thanks for coming together," Jeff said to Lucy and Zoe as they began to move away from the door and with Grace slowly following behind.
The turn was enough for Jeff to note that Grace's penis was fully erect and standing out before her, serving as a reminder that most Slug People were hermaphrodites and that only the few male Slug People had a single gender. Grace tried to hide it, but Jeff had the sense that some of that would be difficult in the short term. Particularly as all of them had been caught in a semi-aroused state as a result of everything that had gone on. As he sat down on the edge of what was normally Whitney's bed, his own penis was semi erect as well. The only thing left that they could do for the moment was to try and discuss things as they moved forward.
"Well as I said... when Grace stood up for us against Megan and Jenny, that was the assurance that she's on our side and not being controlled by them," Lucy spoke, "and from there family comes first."
Jeff nodded, "Though the question now... is what to do?"
Lucy looked down for a moment and noted that some of Grace's slime was now on that had, and likely got there when she patted Grace's back. In the immediate future she wanted to wash her hands, though voicing that was interrupted by the sound of her stomach gurgling. It wasn't super early in the morning, but early enough that breakfast was going to be on people's minds. It was soon answered by Zoe's and even Grace's stomach, as they would all be getting hungry with the start of the day.
"I guess figuring out breakfast might already be in order," Zoe said off hand.
Jeff was about to respond when there was a faint call from the door that reminded them of the bigger situation.
"Yes... come out for breakfast!" came Whitney called through the door, "I can feel that you're hungry... please come out and we'll be a family again."
That was a reminder of why they were in the Chapman family's master bedroom. For while Grace may have broken free of the mind control spell when Whitney began to transform, Whitney Chapman hadn't broken free of that. Jeff had some sense of that when Whitney had urged him to have sex with her when her transformation began to accelerate and they ended up rushing for the upstairs master bedroom to escape being turned into Slug People at that time, not yet knowing that all they were doing was delaying that occurrence, as Grace's later transformation showed. But all of them could agree they didn't want to be enslaved to Megan and Jenny or their master, and they had their mother guarding the door. Whitney calling from the door was enough to remind Jeff and Lucy that if they were to do anything that would get them out of the house or out of the room, be it to get food or find a way to physically drive Megan and Jenny out without it turning into some kind of orgy, they would have to deal with their own mother. It was Grace who ultimately spoke.
"We may need to save mom, first, before we can deal with anything related to breakfast or anything else," Grace said softly.
"But they got mom," Zoe said weakly as she sat down next to Jeff, "she didn't just become a Slug Woman, she's under their mind control spell."
"And we can't break that," Lucy commented, "unless... unless you're capable of real magic now..."
"No," Grace admitted, "all I have as a Slug Woman... and all you will have as Slug People will be some of those same mild defensive spells that work more as a shield to keep people from going after Slug People and helping with the transformation process when a man or a woman falls in love with a Slug Person. It's not much, and technically would also be beyond what Megan and Jenny can do."
"Which means that the mind control spell had to have been cast by whoever this "master" is and he is controlling them," Jeff surmised, "and thus that spell is indirect..."
"And likely why we were able to break free of it," Grace commented, "we recognized it was going on and that snapped us out of that haze. Mom didn't as she'd gotten too caught up in it and thus transformed first."
"But wouldn't that mean they still control her... or could be using her?" Lucy asked to Grace, "for surely Megan and Jenny have consulted with their master and gotten the mind control spell strengthened."
"Megan and Jenny may have contacted their master," Grace nodded, thinking back on the figure she thought she saw in the backyard when she first got up, "but they haven't done anything more with mom. They think they already have her under their master's control and thus don't need to do anything more with her."
"And do they?" Jeff asked as he looked to Zoe and then to Lucy who was looking at her hand.
"Beyond what they've already done... no, and I think we might be able to save mom from what they've done already," Grace said slowly, "Her mind... it's puzzled in some ways. She can sense that I've transformed. She can sense that we still love her as our mother and that's where things run into that mind control spell as she can't fully recognize why we haven't rushed to become Slug People, before or after my transformation. And it feels like she's wrestling with that. The part of her that is under their control is wrestling with the part of her that is our mother."
"So all we need to do is get her to focus on being our mom?" Lucy asked, turning to look to Grace, "and she'd snap out of it?"
"Potentially... it'd have to be something where mom will have to make a choice between family and Megan and Jenny's hive," Grace sighed, "it may also mean accepting the eventual transformation that you, Zoe, and Jeff will go through... but it might serve to get mom to recognize that being a Slug Person is one thing. Being a slave to this master is another."
"What about Megan and Jenny, would they not sense what you're planning to do?" Zoe wondered.
"They may sense it... but they may expect mom to resist us and carry out their plan or may accept losing control over her with the knowledge that while we're all trapped in the house... they can call in their master eventually," Grace warned, "and even if all of us were transformed, we wouldn't be able to stop a warlock... and potentially one that enslaved Megan and Jenny to him before they ever showed up here."
"Further meaning that they're likely victims every bit as much as we are," Lucy said slowly and with some frustration, and earning a few nods of agreement.
"But beyond our ability to stop... not without some information on how to stop real witches and warlocks," Grace agreed, "which we don't have..."
"Something related to how much people don't believe in magic... even if it affects them in some way," Jeff finished.
"But still... if we're to do anything... we'd need to free mom," Grace spoke, "free her from the mind control that Megan and Jenny have her under and at least put our family together again."
"And how do we do that?" Zoe wondered, "invite her in?"
"That would be easier and would avoid having to wrestle with Megan and Jenny at the same time," Jeff commented.
"But it would mean wrestling with mom until we can get her to snap out of it," Lucy countered, looking to her hand again. Grace's slime was drying there, as she hadn't picked up that much of it, not like the night before when Megan and Jenny had practically bathed them in slime trying to rapidly turn them into Slug People, "and mom... unlike Grace... would be interested in rushing our transformations."
"I don't think we have much of a choice," Jeff told his twin sister.
"Mom probably has the most interest in Jeff," Grace offered, "I might be able to limit what she can do... and with mom's form based on the Worm Slug and mine based on the Great Grey Slug... I might be able to restrain her a bit. At least long enough to start the conversation."
"But you've already changed, suppose she decides she wants to have fun with you?" Lucy asked.
"I'm already a Slug Woman," Grace spoke, "she can't transform me and she won't be able to enslave me."
"Yes, but if she turns things to sex... you might not be able to avoid the attention," Zoe pointed out, "particularly if you're the only one wrestling with her."
"You or Lucy could help," Grace spoke, "though... given mom's present condition, she'd likely use that as an excuse to try and accelerate your transformations. You'd still be free... but you'd turn faster. And if mom is focused on me... she won't be focused on you. As Jeff said, we may not have much of a choice."
Jeff looked over to Lucy and Zoe, watching as Lucy bit her lip and looking nervous. Eventually Zoe spoke.
"I'll help," Zoe offered, "it may see me coated in slime... it may accelerate my transformation... but... we're all headed that way eventually... right?" Zoe paused for Grace to give a knowing nod and then continued, "Well, if we can rescue mom, then that'd ultimately be worth it. At least in trying to get out of here. And besides, Grace stood up for us. Might as well help her."