For whom it may concern at the Grandvale Gazette:

Sincerely,
Henry Sharp

Marcus had been staring at this email for the past twenty minutes, trying to figure what about it bothered him. He probably shouldn't be looking at it, as he was still on the clock, but considering he was the newly hired 'someone else' mentioned, he felt somewhat obligated.

"Shouldn't you be more excited?," Louie Wilkins, the paper's sports writer, asked, turning his swivel chair to face him, "Your first day, and you get a huge story just handed to ya. This big Godmother lady finally goes public." Marcus looked up, flashing his disatisfaction to Wilkins. "I don't want this position. I took this job to cover crime and politics, not music and culture," Marcus informed him, "I took this job because they said I could put my PI skills to good use. Now the only thing I can do is find the culprit of a mystery play before the rest of the audience."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Louie let out, putting his hands up defensively and swiveling back to his desk. Marcus got back to looking at the resignation letter, marginally more angrier. Wilkins was a lech, shamelessly keeping borderline photos of his favorite cheerleaders on his desk, but in this case he was right. Marcus knew he would have to do his job eventually.

He clicked over to a few of the photos from social media of the 'Godmother'. A strikingly beautiful woman in a red dress with flowing brown hair stood atop a stage and spoke into a microphone. He then looked back to the letter from Henry. "'I realized I don't want to work like this anymore', huh?," Marcus thought to himself, "I guess he wasn't the only one who wanted to change how they worked that night."

"She's a looker, eh?"

Marcus turned around to see an eavesdropping Louie. "Louie!," Marcus scolded in an aggressive whisper. "Okay, I get it," Louie said, "But you gotta take me to see her sometime! If you do, I'll take you along with me to a free game!"

Either activity was something Marcus very much didn't want to do, but Louie was the only person here who would talk to him, and he had to start making friends if he ever wanted to get the job he really wanted.

"Fine, but don't do anything unless I tell you to."

"Thank you all for coming!" I shouted as Elena and I showed the party guests the door. "It's a shame that young couple had to leave early," a young socialite said as she passed by, "But I suppose we don't get to choose when we get ill."

As the last guest left, we closed the doors, and told Sophie it was safe to speak freely. "Okay, Sadie, we're coming!," I shouted, sending her a brain message at the same time. Sophie was preparing herself to see her wife in her new form. "Sam... er... Sadie, she's like me now, right?," she asked. "Yes, darling," the Godmother assured her, "You'll be able to love each other on a level you only dreamed of before."

We opened the doors and led Sophie to the room Sadie was waiting, the same where we converted Sadie into an avatar of beauty. As soon as they locked eyes with each other, I knew something had changed for the better in their relationship. Sophie and Sadie rushed over to embrace each other, and Sophie picked Sadie up and twirled her around while the both of them made excited noises. "Sweetie, you're breathtaking. I want to take you everywhere, and look into your eyes forever," Sadie confessed. "I love you, Sadie," Sophie said, leaning in to cutely boop noses, "I love you even more than everything I was gifted tonight."

The Coeurs continued to hug, and then started kissing. "Sophie, please, show me what a woman feels. I want you to be my first," Sadie spoke, between long kisses. They soon flopped onto a couch, and when the hands started going up skirts, the Godmother and I decided it was time to give them a little privacy.

"Love is beautiful," the Godmother told me with a smile, "And they are free to revel in that beauty for all time now." I nodded yes. Seeing the two of them like that, it made all the little uncertainities I had felt about rebirthing them fade away. I told the Godmother I wanted love like that, and she told me I would get it someday. It's something most people tell you, but hearing her say it, it felt certain to me.

The next morning, Sophie and Sadie served everyone breakfast, at their request. "You know, you don't have to do maid things if you don't want to," I cautioned, "It's only for when people are around." The Godmother giggled. "We gave them this role because it suited them. It's only natural they like to do it."

"Thank you, Elena," the Couers said in unison, then giggled at how in sync they were. "They're still calling you Elena?," I covertly messaged the Godmother. "Well, I kind of like having a human name. It makes me feel like I'm one of you, just one of the girls. Though, you can call me whatever you like." "I understand. I think I'll always think of you as 'the Godmother'."

Sophie and Sadie sat down to eat the meals they had prepared for themselves, though they more wanted to talk about their first night as avatars of beauty. "I came so many times, it was just a wave after a wave after a wave of amazing," Sadie said, estastic to tell us everything, "Why didn't you ever tell me about this, Sophie?" "Why didn't you tell me about being WITH a woman," Sophie said, playfully nudging her wife, "Everything is so soft, and I feel so much closer to you." The two laughed and blushed, and looked into each other's eyes. "I love you," they both said. "I'm sorry I was so needy and snippy with you all time." "I'm sorry I was so obsessed and shortsighted with my cleaning." They kissed for a short, loving time, and promised to be their best selves for each other.

After breakfast, the two of them started to clean up. "I know what I said earlier, girls," the Godmother announced, "But there are many people who need service and cleanliness more than us in Grandvale. If you would like to help them, I've made some bicycles and new clothes for you out of your old car." The Godmother presented Sophie and Sadie with a set of 5 different casual outfits for the each of them, and they each chose one to put on. Sophie tried a pair of jeans and a blue short-sleeve blouse, while Sadie put on a pair of black corduroy pants and a striped T-shirt. Both of them decided to keep their pearl earrings, as they wanted to have something to remind themselves of last night. "Just remember, you can use the nanites to change your clothes whenever," the Godmother reminded them. She didn't look it, but she really was kind of a mom to them.

We were just about to say goodbye for the day, but the doorbell rang out. The Coeurs started changing back into their maid clothes, and I started thinking of reasons why they might be there. "Did somebody forget something at the party yesterday?," I asked the Godmother. "No, I scanned for foreign items right before we got everyone out," she replied, "Whoever's here is coming entirely of their own accord." The doorbell rang again. They were getting impatient. I waited a short while for the Coeurs to finish changing and rushed over.

At the door were two men, one I recognized, the other I didn't. The stranger was a very serious looking fellow with thick-brimmed glasses, a button-up plaid shirt, and very short curly hair. The other was a middle-aged man of the expected build, semi-balding black hair, with a comfortable v-neck and jacket. I recognized him as Louie Wilkins almost immediately. I didn't know what he was doing here, it wasn't remotely his wheelhouse, but whatever it was must be about the paper.

"Hello there, Ms. Bonne. I am very sorry for whatever happened with my predecessor, but I hope we can conduct a new interview. I believe there is much more to talk about," the serious man said. I warned the Godmother and the Coeurs about our visitors, and about Louie's ...inclinations.

"Welcome, you two. I am perfectly fine with a follow-up. Can get your names?"

The serious man adjusted his glasses, and started taking in the view of the mansion's interior. "My name is Marcus Welder, and this is Louie Wilkins. He's just a guest, and won't be bothering you much."

I giggled, and replied, "Charmed." I could tell Marcus noticed the effects of the giggle, but he also seemed a bit resistant. Louie, on the other hand, had to stop walking a small moment to stare. "If you two would like refreshments, please simply ask my lovely assistants. We have a very wide selection of beverages," I continued. "I do not require anything. Louie may, however," Marcus said, in his standard no-nonsense business manner.

As Sophie and Sadie took Louie to a room where he could drink and keep abreast of the latest games, the Godmother approached to introduce herself. "Good morning, Mr. Welder, my name is Elena. I'm Ms. Bonne's live-in legal help. If you have any more technical questions, I may be more help than Hailey."

"Thank you, but I don't I'll asking anything like that today," he said. As the Godmother went off in the direction of Louie and the maids, I messaged her not to attempt to rebirth him, that it would be too suspicious. She told me not to worry, that she had a very special plan, and that "she wouldn't think of doing something like that without me."

As I sat down in the team room with Marcus, I couldn't help but think about when I was in that position. It really wasn't that long ago, but it felt that way. Unlike me, though, Marcus was extremely deadset and focused. "First of all, why did you decide to go public?," he asked, pen ready to take notes.

"I felt like people wanted to know me. And to be honest, I really like being seen, and congratulated."

"Why did you start buying tickets in the first place?"

"When I was very young, I didn't really know I was a Bonne. My mom had been raised in secret, and then also died in childbirth, and we had very little money growing up. So, I sort of grew up with a poor self-identity, and while I like having luxuries, I never want to have more money than I'll actually use. So I give it away through things like 'the Godmother' project."

"I see. Why the arts?"

"I love them. I think culture, arts, music... All of them are what we're here to create."

"Thank you. And one last question. What happened with the previous interviewer?"

I was a little concerned, but I steeled myself and continued. "He came to me, and I started answering questions, but suddenly he started talking about himself, and how much he hated his coworkers. I helped him find a new job in another city, and I decided I wanted a better reveal to the public anyway."

Marcus looked a little disappointed. I had been lying the entire time, but his reaction to this answer was the only time I felt he may be onto me. "Thank you for your time. I'll collect my associate, and go now."

Back in the foyer, Marcus and Louie bid goodbye, and left to return to the Gazette offices. "Sophie, was I ever... like that?," Sadie asked. "No, he's on a special level all his own," Sophie replied. The Coeurs quickly changed into casual clothes, and hopped on their bikes to find some service and cleaning to do together.

"The interview went well, I thought," the Godmother told me, "I think the Gazette will be off of our back for a while." "May I ask, Godmother, what were you doing in there with Louie?," I asked, worried slightly. She giggled and placed her hand on my shoulder. "Hailey, you don't know how lucky we have been. You and I have been able to connect because of our shared interest, and I believe Sadie may have had some trans leanings before, but in this culture, it can be very hard to ask men to forsake their masculinity. Turning someone like Louie Wilkins isn't straightforward, even for me, and will take time. Today, I simply put some nanites into him. Tonight, we try something very unique."

I trusted Godmother had a plan to save Louie, and I knew Louie needed saving from himself, but I wondered if it was possible. "Godmother, could you even turn a man like Louie? How could you find beauty in him?"

"Hailey, everyone is born with beauty, but it gets buried over time. Sometimes, it buried very, very deeply. But we can always bring it to the surface again."

When she said it, it made sense.

That night, after the Coeurs returned, Sadie and I were having a conversation about what it was like to change genders. "Godmother Elena told me it's normally very hard to bring men to this level of beauty," I informed him, "Do you think there's anything we could tell them to convince them?" Sadie tapped the table. "I don't know, to be honest I always sort of felt a little girlish inside," she added, "I guess we could tell them how good it feels, but I don't think it would work."

"Attention all!" The Godmother was there with Sophie. "It's time to check in with Mr. Wilkins."
Sophie and Sadie grimaced a little. "Now, now, nobody has to, but if you'll join me, I only want you to watch and listen in. He won't be able to see you."

We all sat on the floor in a circle, and closed our eyes, and suddenly we were in a dark place. I could only see the Godmother, but I could receive everyone's messages. "Where are we?," I asked. "We are in Mr. Wilkins's dreams. Or at least, we would be, but he's not at that stage of sleep yet," she responded, "I am using a special kind of sensory stimulation right outside the brain to send us here."

Suddenly, shapes and images began to appear, almost like a video game loading in an environment. Eventually, it became the box seating at a stadium during a game. Copies of Sophie and Sadie were serving Louie refreshments in the uniform of the local team's cheerleaders. I got "Ewww..." messages from the real Coeurs.

The Godmother put the same uniform on herself, and approached Louie. "Hello, you seem to like pretty girls," she said, leaning over him. "Yeah, I do," he said. "You also like athletes, do you?"

"Well, yeah, but not in the same way, understand?"

"I understand. Do you want to talk a little bit about why you like them?"

"You know why I like the girls," he said, with a lecherous smile, "But I like sports and athletes, cause it's got men doing their best, fightin' their hardest, and still walkin' away friends. It's how it's meant to be."

"You know, I think the reasons for why you like both the girls and the athletes is more similar than you think. They both train very hard, to get their bodies in the condition they want them to be in."

Louie sat in contemplation for a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right. They have discipline n' such."

"But if you like the girls for 'that reason', it's okay too," the Godmother told him, massaging his shoulders, "Could you remember to do something for me? I want you to remember three wonderful girls you see, and what you like about them. It's okay if what you like is lewd, but you have to be honest, okay?"

"Okay..." Louie said, enjoying the massage. The Godmother messaged us to end the connection to his dream, and we all did.

"I'm going to keep checking in with him," she told us, "It will be slow, but we'll get an avatar of beauty out of him yet. In the meantime, we can focus on recruiting other people."

Godmother spoke with a confidence that led me to trust her. If she could turn Louie, she could turn anyone.