Katara knew Liu would never convince the girls to budge on their pro-gluttony policies. Instead, she decided to try and make headway with Suki using language she could understand. "Suki, you're responsible for the well-being and discipline of your crew! I'm pretty sure you're bound by law to get up (Suki seemed ) and address these complaints!" Suki rubbed at her sleepy eyes and forced her unfit body into an uncomfortable sitting position. She was already wearing her flab very loosely; her body's muscle tone was well on its way of being outmoded by lack of use, leaving her midriff to flow into jelly-rolls on top of jelly-rolls that creased deep enough to hide smallish objects in. "I guess that's true Katara..." she tried to use a commanding voice, but it came out more like a whine. Katara knew her body would seek revenge for this promptly, but she went ahead with the plan. "But...if you want to stay in bed, you could officially appoint me second-in-command, and I could go check everything out for you!" Suki would have noticeably relaxed, but her body was already in a tension-free state. "Good plan Katara! I'll go take a look myself tomorrow..." Suki snatched up a jarful of honey and let the sweet, sticky liquid pulse down her throat, banishing the memory of her little fib from her conscience, which to Suki's pleasure had grown as content and flabby as her body, more or less leaving her to indulge guilt-free. Katara turned to Liu. "Let's go have a talk with these troublemakers." Liu smiled up at Katara, and began to stride back down below decks. "Oh! Liu! Before you go, grab me a jar of that honey, please?" Katara meekly requested with her sweetest smile.
----
Though she had to breathe through her mouth as Katara managed squeeze herself below decks by bending bacon grease all over the sides of her hips, Liu was glad to have company. The waddle down the hallway was painstaking; Liu had to run and get refreshments for Katara six times, and for every ten paces she got herself, she brought her ponderous body to a halt to catch her breath. The way she scarfed down the sweets Liu ferried to her, the little Kiyoshi warrior couldn't help but wish she was back at the family bakery to show her thanks for interceding with Suki; her mother always doted on girls with big appetites, being one herself since youth.

Katara caught Liu staring at the way she shoved her whole hand into her mouth to lick her digits clean. Her excessively cherubic face reddened. "You must think I'm disgusting...this all happened on accident you see, I never wanted to become like this..." Liu shook her head so fast it made her dizzy. "No, please!! I don't at all; you can enjoy yourself, you did your job! If I was a war hero I'd probably be back home getting huge with my family!" Now it was Liu's turn to blush. "I-I mean my family owns a bakery and I don't think fat is ugly, I just can't get fat, I have a job to do!"

It clicked with Katara; she had seen this girl's eyes before. "I think I met your mother! Runs a bakery on Kiyoshi yeah? She was so sweet to me; working in a place like that is every girl's dream at least once in their lives, I think!" Katara forced herself to stop thinking of the bakery; she was starting to make herself hungry again.
Liu shrugged. "I guess I felt like I taking the easy way out, joining the family business and the like, especially watching Commander Suki and so many of my other peers train so hard...I sorta guilted myself into this." Katara nodded understandingly. "Well, if your heart tells you to bake, listen to it, if you ask me! It's not any worse than Suki, who just has been listening to her butt, which likes to remain planted lately." Katara cracked, giving Liu a gossipy little smile. "Thank you...maybe I'll think about a break from duty when we get back from this assignment...and I really do think you look lovely, not gross. I just don't like how coercive all these girls are getting..."

The pair had reached the metal double doors of the mess hall, Liu in front. She would have to enter first, as Katara was wide enough to seal her off from the rest of the hallway, and there were no other doors this far down the ship. Liu stepped in and admired the elegant, shifting flesh of her new friend as she heaved herself into the mess hall, gulping down the greasy but breathable air and exhaling piping hot clouds of oxygen-poor putrescence. "Could I ever be that brave?" Liu wondered, imagining herself just as big and clad in baker's clothes.