Daniel's eyes open with the sound of ringing in his ears. As he groans, the familiar smell of garlic and herbs hits his nose. Although, his vision is cloudy and his head aches, he can feel the cushion behind him which tells him he's on his couch. It leaves him wondering if he had fallen asleep or if someone had moved him while he was unconscious.
He wants to believe the former because he lives alone and if there was someone, it could only be one of his clients; however, the events in his head don't match up. He's certain he just finished talking with a client who left. After that, he saw...something that could only exist in a nightmare. Did he really crash on the couch without remembering?
Things become clearer as the high pitch noise in his ears disappear. From then on, the sound of boiling water in a pot fades in. Worried that he might have accidentally left the stove on, he quickly tries to get up despite his vision, but a sudden hand pushes him back down. "Daniel-sweetie, don't get...up."
The artist's heart beats with alarm. He doesn't remember inviting anyone over! Yet, somehow...
'M-mom?'
He should be more concerned about this intruder in his home, but his ears perk to find the concerned voice sounds exactly like Amy. He quickly backtracks this thought, reminded that the astronomer is dead; however, the cooking he smells...it can't be?
"Open...mouth, please?"
Warmth emanates from the motherly voice even though it sounds a little broken. Daniel knows he should be getting a grip on himself, but he can't help comply as he opens wide.
A spoon follows, entering his mouth with warm flavor. Then his eyes widen in shock towards the ceiling. Unmistakably, he's tasting his mother's garlic potato soup! It's a home meal he can never get right on his own. Memories of the past when his mother would feed him this soup floods him with nostalgia. Whenever he felt unwell, regardless of whether he was sick or not, Amy would cook this quick meal.
His vision finally clears up as if the soup had healed him. Even though he knows his mother is dead, his emotions get the best of him as he turns his head towards this person, only to recede in shock. There, the same slime girl he fainted to is standing before him, holding a spoon out in his face.
"Hehe, Daniel~" the bluish slime girl sings, relieved to see his eyes wide open. Regardless of how lovely her call is to him, the artist isn't able to ignore that there's a unknown creature in his studio. Sure, he can see that the girl has a humanoid female form, but that doesn't extinguish his shock over her unnatural translucent jelly form.
"Holy shit!"
Slime girl widens her eyes and quickly places her slimy hands on his mouth, hushing him before he can make any further noises. "No, not...bad! Mama...here!"
He struggles to remove himself off the couch as the slime girl stretches more of her mass to restrain him. As he lets out muffled screams, the slime girl's face crunches up as she tries to figure out how best to calm her son. Then, she recalls his passion.
"S...Stars! Painting...closet!"
Daniel stops struggling as the slime's words reach him. Although he's frightened, especially as her goo is strong enough to bind him, he can't ignore what the girl is trying to say. Seeing how the she finally catches his attention in a better way, the slime slowly lifts away her mass from his mouth.
"W-what...did you say? W-who are you?" Daniel manages to ask, still shivering but mustering some courage to converse.
The slime girl smiles brightly. "Painted stars...bright. Son...brighter. Also, I am..."
She pauses with an uncertain expression, then thinks a little before proudly lifting her chest with her hands on her hips. "...New mama!"
...
Daniel blinks. His heart is beating so fast, but he's starting to understand that this creature doesn't mean him immediate harm. The fact that she expresses herself well despite not being human helps him relax a little. He might have lost it mentally if she had been any other type of monster.
"You're..." he begins, then gulps to help with his dry throat, "...my mom?"
The slime girl's eyes widen in celebration and she nods furiously. "Yes, yes!"
Daniel obviously can't believe that, yet, she told him that he's brighter than the stars - something his mother always told him. Then, of course, there's also the soup she made herself, mirroring how his mother would make it.
He's not sure what to think.
"Daniel...scared?" she asks, cocking her head.
The young man lets out a shaky breath, then nods. "Y-yeah, I'm scared shitless. This feels like a bad dream."
"Mama is...real though?"
Clearly.
Daniel takes a deep breath, further trying to calm himself down. He's not sure why this slime creature believes to be his mother.
"First, c-can you let go of me?" he asks, unable to sit upright due to all the mass the girl extended onto him.
The slime girl pursues her lips, then shakes her head. "No! Daniel...run!"
"I won't run," he reassures, although the idea does remain in his head.
The slime girl frowns. "Mama will hide...if run. Then, Daniel become...crazy person. Clients plummet."
The artist blinks, realizing that the creature raises an unfortunate point. Would anyone believe him if he ran and asked for help? What if things escalate with this creature and people get hurt? Worse, what about his reputation?
He stares at the slime girl carefully before nodding. "Okay, you've made your point! I...I won't run!"
Seeing that the young man understands his predicament, the slime girl is satisfied and removes herself. Then, she pushes a spoon of soup into his face again. "Eat."
Daniel hesitates but opens his mouth. Nothing tastes off and oddly, he feels his heart calm a little. He wants to ask more questions, but the slime girl speaks first. "Good?"
He smiles dryly. "Yeah, it's uhm...good."
The slime girl giggles. "Mama will be here...from now on."
It may be him, but she's starting to speak a little better. That said, he doesn't take her claims with much weight. He sits up, slightly wincing due to the headache from his fall, then holds out his hands for the bowl.
"I can eat on my own," Daniel insists.
The slime girl lowers her head, disappointed at not being able to feed him but hands over the bowl and spoon. He sets it aside for now and examines the slime girl more closely. The more he takes in her humanoid details, the more he feels able to think rationally about this strange situation.
Ignoring her blue semi-transparent body, she does a little like his mother in her younger years, but not entirely. From her nose and mouth, they resemble features from some of the portraits he's drawn. Although he can't determine much from her complexion as she's a human-shaped blue gelatin figure, she does look attractive. Not only that, but her chest is huge.
'Just focus, man,' Daniel shuts himself down with a pinch of his nose bridge.
After composing himself, he relaxes his arms and stares at the slime girl more seriously. "Alright, now answer me. What are you?"
The slime girl cocks her head, then smiles. "Mama?"
"No," Daniel rejects firmly, causing the slime girl to flinch, "...you're not my mom. Even if you sound like her, know about her fascination with stars, and somehow make this soup better than I can, you can't be my mom because one, she's dead and two, you're not even human! I...just what kind of creature are you!? Are you an alien?"
The slime girl widens her eyes and opens her mouth for a moment before closing. She thinks about how she should explain this. "I...mama can't be old mama...but old mama is now part of new mama. As for...what mama is...hmm..."
The slime girl hums deeply as she searches for the closest in Amy's memories that might explain what she is, then gasps. "Mama...jello!"
Daniel stares blankly, then snorts. "Oh boy. I have a sentient creature in my apartment but it doesn't know what it is. Is this just my luck?"
"Daniel...lucky!"
Despite the slime's encouragement, he definitely doesn't feel it as he rubs his temples. Then, after dropping his hands again, he takes another breath. "Alright then, moving on...how is my mom part of you?"
The slime girl smiles innocently. "Mama ate old mama at graveyard!"