Melissa shifted nervously on her horse, one arm across her midsection - beneath her breasts - and the other clutching desperately at the reins.
They’d left the city walls behind almost an hour ago, heading out and onto a forest road. They had been lucky enough not to pass anyone, yet, but Melissa was sure that their luck wouldn’t hold. There’d be witnesses; there’d be a trail. Melissa knew that, but she wasn’t sure what to do about it.

There was another, more pressing problem, though.

“Lonna?” Melissa called, nudging her horse forward.

Lonna had taken the lead in their flight, and was riding a horse the color of roasted chestnuts. Melissa’s own dun stallion was eager to get close, the horses whickering to each other as Melissa drew near.

“Lonna?” Melissa called, again.

“You’re going to fall off if you don’t hold on,” Lonna warned, yellow eyes flicking to Melissa, and then back to the road in front of her.

“Lonna. I need to talk to you.”

“If this is about what happened in town, then keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to talk about it.” Lonna’s lips twisted into a scowl as she spoke; she was still looking straight ahead, rather than at Melissa.

“No, it’s not that...  It’s…” A slow blush started to cross Melissa’s cheeks. “It’s just. Can we stop for a bit? Being on horseback without a bra is killing me, and also I really need to pee?”

Lonna’s head snapped around to face Melissa. 

“You… We’re being hunted, and you want to stop and pee? And what’s a bra, anyway?”

“Well, I usually go in the morning, and before bed, but with everything going on, I just…” Melissa trailed off, blushing bright red. “And uh. A bra is like. Something that cups your breasts, and stops them from bouncing all about?”

“You’ve been riding a horse without a breast band this entire time!?” Lonna demanded, voice rising in pitch. “We were galloping! Have you just - have you just been keeping your arm under your chest, the whole way!?”

“Maybe…” Melissa admitted. “My legs are pretty strong, now, so I just sort of gripped the horse with them? And it seems to have been working, but my arm is getting tired, and my chest is really sore, and… I do kinda have a bra on me?”

“...You…  I was under the impression that you didn’t have breasts in your last life?” Lonna asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… I was sort of…” Melissa gestured awkwardly, with the hand holding the reins. “There was a laundry mix up? And I was holding it when you transferred me, so…” Reluctantly pulling her arm out from under her breasts, Melissa reached into the pocket of her sweatpants and pulled out a crumpled pink bra.

Lonna took one look at it, and then shook her head. “There’s no way that’s going to fit you…” she pointed out. “...But I guess a too tight breast band’s better than nothing, if we’re riding a horse.” Lonna brought her horse to the side of the road, stopping it there. Melissa did the same, and Talith - seeing this - pulled his riding drake to the other side, before dismounting and walking toward them.

“Why are we stopping?” Talith asked, his stone monobrow furrowing in worry as he looked about.

“The heroine needs to pee,” was Lonna’s dry response. “And put on a breast band.”

“Well, let’s be quick about it,” Talith sighed. “I’ll lead you into the forest, and you can take care of business.”

“Um… Actually… Can Lonna come with me?” Melissa asked, rubbing the back of her head nervously. “I. Kinda might need help putting on the bra?”

“And you want Lonna to do it?” Talith asked, arching his monobrow on one side. “You’d rather have a woman see you without your top then another man? Is this because I’m an androphile? Because trust me - you do not pique my interests.”

“What? No! I didn’t even know you liked guys. It’s just… Well… The hooks are kinda small?” Melissa explained, awkwardly. “Your fingers are kind of. Huge. And yeah, I sort of didn’t want to see a man looking at… You know...”

“The body of another man?” Talith suggested, monobrow still quirked.

“...Sorry. You can do it if you want?”

“I swear by every Majesty Tree there is, if you two keep wasting time on something this stupid I’ll roast the both of you,” Lonna declared, scowling. “Now someone help me off my horse? Apparently I need to 'support' the heroine.”

“...Fine.” Talith moved, even as he spoke, wrapping two hands and all six of his fingers around Lonna’s waist, before lifting her up and placing her delicately on the ground.

Melissa dismounted herself, stumbling a little when her feet hit the ground. Her inner thighs were sore from riding, even though it had barely been more than an hour. She was not looking forward to riding more.

“Come on,” Lonna called, gesturing for Melissa to follow her, off the road and into the woods.

Melissa followed, until they were deep enough into the treeline that they couldn’t face the road, and Lonna had come to a stop.

“I’m just going to face away from you,” Lonna declared, “so take care of your business, and let me know when you’re ready.”

Melissa nodded, a faint blush on her cheeks as she looked about the woods. She found a spot, quickly “taking care of business,” while trying not to think about how weird it was to be doing this as a girl. Then, after pulling her boxers and sweatpants back on, she stripped off her pink shirt.

Thanks to her new height, bigger muscles, and new breasts, the fabric felt practically painted to her skin. It was difficult to peel off, without ripping, and Lonna’s impatient toe tapping didn’t help anything. Eventually, however, she managed to pull it over her head.

Then came the bra. The cups were too small, and the band barely reached around her back, but she could just barely get the hooks to touch, but she couldn’t seem to maneuver them into position to clasp on.

“A little help?” Melissa called, turning so that her back was to Lonna.

“...What kind of heroine loses a battle against an elastic band?” Lonna demanded. 

A moment later, though, Melissa felt small hands press against her own, taking the clasps from her and slipping them into place. “There. Done. Now put your shirt back on, or you won’t even be able to enter the next town.”

Melissa nodded, pulling the shirt over her head, and forcing her arms through the too tight cloth. It took a few tugs, and she heard a few stitches popping, but the clothes did get over her.

It was even less comfortable than before, though.

“What am I going to do with you?” Lonna muttered, shaking her head.

“You could… try a little more respect, maybe?” Melissa suggested.

Lonna stopped, mouth opening and closing, before snapping shut. 

“What did you say?” she asked, teeth gritted together.

“I said you could treat me with more respect? You called me useless earlier; I’m not useless. I’m just sort of… I’m not used to this. But I’m not useless. I might not be able to punch as hard as Talith, or use magic like you. I don’t have anything you’d consider common sense, in this world, either.

“I’m probably not the heroine you wanted, either. Even if I do end up being able to defeat Sorissa, I know I can’t be the girl you wanted… I know that… but. I’m smart? I mean, I think I am - I got into a good college, anyway, and I’ve always gotten good grades.”

“College. Like where the big brainy types go and learn? You were in one of those?” Lonna asked. She sounded almost impressed.

“It’s more common for people to go in my world, but... Yeah. I majored in history, and minored in botany, with a focus on medieval herbalism. So far, a lot of the plants around here seem the same as my world - so if you ever need help foraging for edible berries, or medical herbs, I’m your girl.”

Melissa smiled, as she spoke. For some reason, Lonna’s cheeks darkened, though, and she turned her face away from Melissa. “I’ll keep it in mind. Plants are dangerous in this world, though - so don’t go checking any of them out without me, alright?”

“Okay? I promise,” Melissa agreed. “Are there a lot of poisonous plants around or something?”

“What? No. I mean how they sometimes turn into monsters and attack people,” Lonna explained. “Now come on. Talith’s probably wondering what’s taking us so long.”

With that, Lonna’s cloaked green figure began to move back toward the road. 

Melissa hesitated for a moment, before following, catching up right before they were on the road.

“The heroine’s going to need new clothes,” Lonna declared, the moment Talith was in earshot. “We’ll have to pick some up when we get to Koleff.”

“Koleff?” Talith asked, narrowing his eye sockets. “I thought we’d be going off road, not traveling to a major town.”

“Going off road would only slow us down,” Lonna declared, dismissively.

“And if the Queen has sent word to Koleff?” Talith demanded, crossing a pair of arms long enough to hang most of the way to the ground.

“I’ll look for a poster at the gate before bringing Melissa in,” Lonna promised. “But I happen to know that the countess of Koleff has long hated the queen, ever since Sorissa killed the Countess’s brother. Whenever Sorissa sends her a missive, she always drags her feet.”

“And how do you know that?” Talith asked, the slit of his mouth pulling downward into a frown.

“I know a girl,” Lonna said, waving the question away. “Look. There are four major roads from Koleff, and a seaport. It’s the perfect place for us to elude them.”

“What if they’re using magic to track us, though?” Melissa asked, a little concerned. “I mean. They managed to figure out what I look like? So maybe they have some sort of - do you guys know what ‘scrying’ is?”

“...Scrying?” Lonna shook her head. “What’s that?”

“Like. Looking people up in a magic mirror?”

“...That would be a nightmare, wouldn’t it?” Lonna laughed. “If Sorissa could do that, she would already have caught us by now, surely?”

“She does know what Melissa looks like, though,” Talith pointed out, concern rising in his voice.

“Okay, yeah, but we called her with an extremely powerful ritual spell. If she can do this ‘scrying,’ she probably just keyed in on that. Trust me - If Sorissa could do magic of that nature? There’s no way any of us would be walking free.”

***

Laying back on her bed, cradling a crystalline egg against her breast, Sorissa smiled at the three dimensional image held within: three figures, two horses, and a riding drake. 

Within the image, Lonna was currently being helped onto the horse by the brutish Laspi - the one who she insisted on treating like an equal, for some reason. What was his name?  Something with a T?

Lonna was shooing T’s hand away, now that she was situated, slipping her boots into the stirrups. She looked so much like a little girl, riding on that big horse, that Sorissa simply had to smile.

The smile turned into a frown, when the door to her bedroom was thrown open.

A redheaded woman was standing in the doorway, holding a sword and panting heavily. There was bright red blood splashed across the white tunic she wore, and her brown trousers held many dark stains.

Without waiting for Sorissa to speak, the woman lifted her sword arm, and pointed the blade straight toward Sorissa.

“You took my sister!” the woman accused; her eyes, which reflected the light like polished jade, were filled with anger and hatred. “You took Mona!”

“Mona?” Sorissa frowned, pretending to think for a moment. “I’m sorry, but if it’s been more than a week since I killed her, you really can’t expect me to remember her name. Did she have any defining features?”

The woman didn’t respond. She had lowered her sword, while Sorissa was talking, and was now staring at the maid standing by Sorissa’s bedside.

That maid, who wore a black skirt and red apron, was another redhead with green eyes. Her gaze, however, was lacking the fierce emotion present in her sister. Her eyes were glassy, and her smile was complacent. Even as the intruder stated at her, she simply stood stock still and awaited instructions.

“Mona...” The intruder ran toward the maid, shifting her sword from right hand to left so that she could grip her sister’s hand. “Mona,” the swordswoman repeated. “It’s me. It’s Daphne. It’s your sister. I came to rescue you, okay? I know you said not to, but I came anyway. I trained in the sword, and I fought against the Queen’s guards, and I. I came here for you, Mona. I came to rescue you.”

“The guards would have let you in, if you’d only waited. I happen to accept duels, when I’m not scheduled for relaxation.” Sorissa set the egg in its wrought iron stand, beside the bed, the picture turning pitch black as soon as she removed her hands from it.

“Why…” Daphne’s voice broke, here, her voice coming out shrill. “Why aren’t you looking at me?”

“Should you really be ignoring me?” Sorissa asked, standing up and walking toward the pair.

“Mona,” Daphne repeated, tears now streaming down her face. “Mona, please. I came here for you. Please.”

“She can hear you,” Sorissa  informed the woman. “She just doesn’t care anymore.”

“You’re lying…” Tears dripped down Daphne’s cheeks, yet her words were spoken with conviction. Eyes wide, she turned her gaze toward Sorissa. “Mona would never abandon me. I’m her sister, and we love each other. You might be powerful, but even you can’t defeat love.”

“...Love, hmm? Shall we put love's power to the test, then? 

"Mona - kill Daphne.”

Without hesitation, Mona drew a blade from beneath her apron, and slashed her sister’s throat.

For a moment, all was silent; all was still. Then, with a faint gurgling noise, Daphne fell to the floor, knees striking the red carpet, quickly followed by the rest of her.

Mona wiped the blade on her apron, and put it away, not showing a hint of sadness, or remorse, or…
Well, any emotion, really.

“Would you take care of that?” Sorissa gestured to the dead body. “Dump it out the window, or something. The gardeners will find a use for it, I’m sure.”

“Yes, my Queen.” Mona dropped into a perfect curtsy, fingers pinching her black skirts just so, and smiled brightly for Sorissa. Then, straightening, she turned toward her sister's corpse.

Sorissa frowned as she turned away from the gruesome reunion. She thought that, perhaps, she’d gone a little far in stripping Mona’s emotions.
It simply wasn’t as fun now that she couldn’t hear the girl protesting…

Perhaps she’d dispose of her, and acquire another girl, at some point. Start the whole process over again. That almost sounded amusing.

“Mona…” Sorissa started, only to stop as she felt a shiver of unfamiliar pain through her stomach. Looking down, she was surprised to see a red splotch had spread across the peach colored dress she’d chosen to wear today. 

The blade of a sword was sticking out of her gut.

“Mona,” Sorissa said, again, reaching down to touch the blade. With a whispered spell, the metal began to corrode and rust, until it was easy for her to snap off the protruding metal. Then, calmly stepping forward and off the blade, she turned to face her servant.

Mona was still smiling, but now tears were running down her face.  “I - I’m sorry, my Queen. I don’t know what’s gotten into me…”

“...Why don’t we find out together?” Sorissa suggested, a small smile on her lips. It seemed she wasn’t out of ways to play with her maid, after all. "Once you've taken care of the body, head to testing room three. I'll meet you there shortly. Understand?”

Mona nodded, misery written across her features, as she turned back to her sister’s corpse. Hefting it over her shoulder, the broken blade held loosely in one hand, Mona moved to toss both out the window.

Sorissa, meanwhile, turned her attention to the wound in her stomach. Or what had been a wound - while she was talking, it had already closed up. 

“...A shame,” she whispered to herself. She got hurt so rarely, and it had been nice to feel a different shade of pain....

Sighing softly, Sorissa waited until the maid had made her exit, before  turning back to the egg-shaped crystal. The moment she placed a finger on it, the image of Lonna and her friends once more lit up the void. They’d gotten back on the road, during that little tiff.

“Still playing the runaway princess, I see. Running as far away from me as your little legs can carry you… But you’ll be back soon. You, and that so-called heroine.

“I look forward to it, Lonna. After all - who better to plot my demise than my own daughter?”

A breeze blew through the trees, carrying with it the salty scent of the ocean. Melissa took a deep breath, hoping to enjoy the scent of the sea.

Melissa gagged, immediately.

“Something wrong?” Talith asked, moving his riding drake closer to Melissa. Talith, who had no nose, could only frown in concern. 

Melissa leaned down over her horse and fought desperately not to retch, despite having just inhaled the scent of rotten fish and raw sewage.

“...Breathe through your mouth,” Talith suggested, watching from astride his riding drake. “That’s what Lonna always does, when we’re in the city.”

“...Thanks…” Melissa straightened, wiping a little spittle from her lips. “Surprised you care.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Talith asked, monobrow dipping at the center as the Laspi furrowed his brow.

“Nothing. You just… haven’t been that welcoming, since I got here. I was starting to think you hated me, or something.”

Talith opened his mouth, to reply, and then paused. He turned toward the bushes, and a moment later Melissa heard why: a rustling sound.

Two dark hands shot out from the nearest bush, pushing aside the foliage to reveal a small, green cloaked figure. Lonna, returning from her mission.

“Where’s your horse?” asked Talith, first.

“Those bastards at the gate charged me an entry fee for it! I wasn’t paying twice, so I stabled the damn thing at the our inn, the Dancing Kraken.”

Talith grunted acknowledgement, then frowned. “Where’d you get the coin?”

“Easy. I stole your coin purse.” Saying this, Lonna casually reached into her cloak and pulled out a half empty bag. It was little more than a piece of burlap, tied together with some string, but the moment Talith saw it his hand shot down to his loincloth.

“Trees take you, Lonna! When did you grab that!?”

“When you were helping me onto my horse, earlier.” Lonna grinned. “We’ll be needing it to get inside; and to pay for the heroine’s shopping trip. A new riding corset is expensive, you know.”

Talith scowled, in response. “It looks light. Couldn’t you have at least filled it, while you were out? And why are we paying for Melissa’s clothes, anyway? Isn’t it about time Mister Heroine pulled his own damn weight?”

“She doesn’t have money…” Melissa interjected, scratching at the back of her head. “...I just think we should keep in practice using she and her, so we don’t mess up? Also, she isn’t comfortable with stealing.”

“You were comfortable enough with stealing that horse,” Lonna pointed out, lifting an eyebrow.

“That was different,” Melissa protested, blushing faintly. “We were in clear and present danger, and we only stole from a government that was trying to kill us, anyway.”

“Well, everyone’s in a clear and present danger with Sorissa about,” Lonna pointed out. “And I only steal from rich people, who - trust me - can afford it, anyway.”

“...Even if that’s all true, I’m supposed to be the Heroine, aren’t I? So shouldn’t I be standing up for some sort of moral code? How can I just steal, knowing that it’s wrong, and that it’s only for my own benefit, anyway?”

“It’s for everyone’s benefit that Sorissa be killed!” Lonna protested, her voice raising an octave from frustration.

“Then give them a choice,” Melissa countered. “We can tell the shopkeep I’m the heroine, and let her choose whether to outfit me or…” 

“Or turn you in?” Lonna asked, raising an eyebrow. “No way. I’ll spend every copper cap Talith has before I put you in danger like that.”

“Hey!” Talith complained, maneuvering his riding drake between Lonna and Melissa. “That’s enough useless arguing. Melissa, if you want to avoid Lonna stealing, then come up with another way. Lonna, if you want to go steal anything, go steal the toll money - then it’ll be stealing from the government again, and Melissa should be fine with it. Right, Melissa?”

“...That’s not really the point I was trying to make, but I guess it’s better… What if I traded in my current clothes, for a new outfit? I bet you guys don’t have anything like sweatpants in this world - you probably don’t even have elastic waistbands. Maybe that means it’ll sell well?”

Lonna frowned. “I guess that could sell for a little, as a novelty. If it doesn’t work, though, I’m definitely robbing the gate’s coin box.  In fact, I might rob it on the way out anyway. Teach them a lesson about charging me for my horse!”

Talith simply sighed, and got off his drake. Picking Lonna up in his clay hands, he deposited her on top of the riding drake, before getting up behind her.

“We can discuss it after we settle in at the inn, tonight,” Talith said, lightly tapping the side of his steed with one foot. “For now, we should focus on getting into the city.”

“I’m telling you,” Lonna promised. “It’ll be a piece of cake. They didn’t have her warning poster anywhere in sight!”

Despite nodding, Melissa couldn’t help the knot in her stomach, as she rode out of the forest and toward the city.

***

After an hour of waiting in line, Melissa underwent only a brief examination at the city gates, in which her image was compared to the various wanted posters on the wall. After that, Melissa was charged a silver helm for herself, and two copper caps for her horse, before the guards allowed her to enter the city.

“I got an inkling of this from the intact wall,” Melissa began, “but… This place looks a lot better than Ife did.”

The buildings were largely clean, and many were painted. People lined the streets, walking between shops and window-shopping. The buildings even had colorful signs. Most of these were adorned with pictures and words, but a few had only pictures. Melissa didn’t see any with words alone.

The only thing this place had in common with the city of Ife was a stench: here, the rotten smell of fish and the taste of salt in the air, combined with the unfiltered scent of unwashed masses to create a nigh-physical force that pummeled Melissa's nostrils. She had to constantly remind herself to breathe through her mouth, and even then she could still catch an occasional whiff of it.

A major part of that stench was beneath their feet, even now: a channel had been dug into the middle of the street, with a steel grate over it. Similar channels were on every street they passed. A sewer system, of sorts? What wasn’t collected by tanners, for leather, or farmers for fertilizer probably ended up in the ocean.

Lonna didn’t seem to be affected by the stench - her eyes weren’t watering from it, like Melissa’s were. They instead studied each building they passed.

Eventually, Lonna stopped and pointed to a sign, one with a white pair of pants. There were characters underneath the sign, though Melissa had no idea what they said.

“The White Trousers,” Lonna declared, as if predicting Melissa’s question.

“Sounds expensive,” Talith complained. “And you still haven’t given me back my coin purse.”

“A place like this is more likely to pay for new materials, and clothing designs,” Lonna insisted. “We’ll have a better chance of trading clothes for crowns here than anywhere else I’ve seen.”

“...if you put it that way…” Talith sighed.

“I do,” Lonna promised, slipping down from her the drake. Before Talith could do the same, Lonna tossed his coin purse up to him.

“Use that to stable our mounts, would you? Melissa and I can handle the rest of this on our own.”

Talith fumbled with the bag of coins, having to use both of his hands to get a solid grip on the small sack. By the time he had gotten the bag secure, Lonna had already darted down the street, through the crowd, and into The White Trousers. 

Talith stared at the space she had been for a moment, and then turned to glower at Melissa, who flinched back on her horse.

“What are you waiting for?” Talith grumbled, after a moment of glaring. “Get off your horse, and go after her. There’s no telling what sort of trouble she’ll get into on her own.”

“...R-Right…” Melissa looped a bit of hair nervously between her fingers, tugging lightly to draw it taut. It still felt a little weird, having hair so long; only when she was trying to tug it, though. Honestly, the weight had grown to feel surprisingly natural. 

“I… Um…” Talith was still glaring at Melissa, who had yet to dismount her horse. “Is she always like this?”

“...Like what?” Talith asked, arching his monobrow.

“Like. A twister on two legs? I mean, I guess I should have figured, when she - you know, recruited me, but… Is she always like this?”

Talith shrugged, heavy stone joints rising,and then falling, with a heavy sigh. “You get used to it.”

“You… do?” Melissa asked, finally moving to get off her horse.

“Or die. But isn’t it that way with everything, though?”

“...Maybe?” 

Melissa sighed, feet finally hitting solid ground. She passed her reins to Talith, with a small smile, and then glanced back at the shop. “I hope I get used to her.”

“Good luck with that. Better men then you have tried.” Talith nudged his riding drake forward, moving through the crowd with Melissa’s horse in tow.

Melissa hesitated for a moment, and then moved toward the shop.

Pushing the white painted door open, she was relieved to see nothing was on fire. Lonna was standing patiently by the wall, near the entrance. 

When Melissa entered, Lonna turned to her with a bright grin. “Took you long enough. I could have robbed this place and been a whole building over by now. Didn’t Talith tell you to keep an eye on me?”

“I think if you wanted to do any of that, me being here wouldn’t stop you,” Melissa replied, looking about the shop. It was entirely unlike the clothing stores back home - there were no rows of uniform clothes, folded together or held on hangers. Instead, there were about eight different mannequins, each in a different style of dress, with the main part of the shop’s space being devoted to bolts of fabric. Probably to give customers options for what their outfit would be made of.

The shopkeep, currently slithering toward them, was a lamia. Much like the one who had accosted them in the streets of Ife, her snake half was covered in green scales. Her upper half, however, was that of a blonde woman. Despite the small smile on her face, her yellow eyes held no warmth.

“Can I help you?” she asked, stopping a few feet in front of Lonna. The way her eyes looked over Lonna’s dirty, tattered green cloak, before sweeping over Melissa’s obviously ill-fitted outfit, seemed to say that she thought they were beyond helping.

“We’re looking for some new clothing,” Lonna declared, speaking before Melissa had the chance to. “A riding corset, a few nice blouses, and a good pair of trousers. I missing anything, Melissa?”

“Um… New boots would be nice…?”

“You’ll need a cobbler for the boots,” the shopkeep declared, with a small smile. “But I can certainly manage the outfit - assuming you can pay up front? From what you’ve said, we’re looking at a minimum of three crowns.”

“How about you give us three crowns, and the outfit, free of charge,” Lonna suggested, a grin spreading across her face. “And in return, we give you something the Countess of Koleff herself would be thrilled to wear - tell me, have you ever heard of ‘sweatpants’?”

“Sweatpants?” The woman frowned, curious now. “No, I can’t say I ever have - but if it’s those gray slacks your friend is wearing, I can’t say that I’m very…” The woman, having reached out to pluck at Melissa’s sweats, paused to rub the cloth between her forefinger and thumb. Tugging it, lightly, and watching it snap back, she let out a little “Hmmm” of fascination, before walking around Melissa. “The rest of your outfit seems useless; the shirt looks like it’s about ready to burst at the seams, and is stained besides. The shoes might get some vague interest from a cobbler, though… I suppose I could take them off your hands, along with the sweatpants, as a package deal - and in return, give you three golden crowns… worth of clothes, that is.”

“Uh-huh. Throw in two golden crowns worth of actual money, and I’ll consider it.:” 

Lonna was grinning, now. 

The shopkeeper, however, put a hand on her chest, and started opening and closing her mouth as if trying to catch a fly in it. 

“Are you trying to rob me, madames?” she asked, glancing between Lonna and Melissa. “I have a daughter to feed. I’ll give you a helm, for your time, and the clothes you asked for; no more.”

“Have I mentioned the elastic waistband?” Lonna asked, despite never having heard the term before.

“Elastic…?” the lamia frowned, but reached out a hand to pluck at Melissa’s waistband. When she realized how it stretched out, and snapped back, she let out a little squeal of delight - then coughed, and tried to cover her faux pas.

“Hm… Hmmm…., It’s not really worth much, though, is it? I mean, perhaps we can sell it as a one off to some rich customer - after washing it thoroughly, of course - but it’s not as if we can reproduce this fabric… Wherever did you get it, in any case?”

“From outside Resperan,” Lonna said, interceding before Melissa could even think up an excuse. “There’s a small town, on the northern coast of Auroris. They produce this stuff using a strange mix of plants and magic. It’s traveled a long way, just to come to your shop - the one and only shop in Resperan that can be said to have this…”

“Oh, very well…” the lamia sighed, unable to hide a glimmer of greed in her eyes. “Three blouses, a riding corset, a pair of trousers - and one crown. It’s really the best I can do, right now…”

“Two crowns, and a letter of recommendation to a good cobbler,” countered Lonna, an easy smile on her lips. She was obviously at home here.

“Maybe I should go look at the clothes a bit?” Melissa suggested. “Pick out some fabric I like for the blouses while you two argue it out?”

“Oh, do whatever you like, my dear,” the lamia offered with a smile. “Be sure to check out the blue cloth we keep toward the back of the shop.”

“Oh, so that you can eat into my profits by saying we picked out too expensive a fabric? I’m onto your tricks,” Lonna accused, with a glare. “Melissa, check out whatever you want, but do not even think about that blue cloth.”

“I don’t think blue’s really my color, anyway, but sure,” Melissa promised, moving further into the shop, amid the bolts of cloth, until she was in fact at the back of the shop. Melissa wasn’t here to look at the cloth, though; she’d just wanted to get away from Lonna’s haggling, before any more guilt-inducing lies came to the fore.

Despite that… since she was there, she saw no point in not looking about. The blue fabric that the shopkeep had mentioned was in fact there, a small bolt of shimmering fabric that probably cost a fortune to make anything out of. There was also a red bolt, and even a pink one. What caught Melissa’s eye, however, was not a bolt of cloth at all, but a carved wooden mannequin which had been laid against the corner.

It was wearing a green dress.

The design was simple, bordering on basic. It was nothing more than a tube of green fabric, cinched at the waist, with a low v-cut neckline.

Yet, still, Melissa found herself staring at it.

“I can sell you that one cheap, if you want,” came a voice, and Melissa spun to find a miniaturized version of the shopkeeper, standing behind her.

Or. No. She wasn’t just smaller - she was younger, looking to be in her early twenties, and her face was subtly different: a little rounder in the cheek bones, and a little softer around the eyes, and definitively more chubby around the stomach. Perhaps the shopkeeper's daughter?

“It’s ripped,” the girl continued, gesturing to a tiny tear at the hem. “Mom says that we can’t display anything with a rip, so I’m supposed to cut it up after making a new one… but I think that’s just too sad a fate for it. Don’t you?”

“I… Guess. I mean. It’s pretty - and the tear’s really small…”

“Right? You get it, right? Mom says dresses don’t feel, and maybe she’s right, but I just think it’s too cruel. Dresses are made to be worn! They carry their maker’s will inside them! And I made that dress, so let me tell you now - it wants to be worn. By you.

“Why don’t you try it on?” the girl asked, gesturing to a small curtained off area, in the corner of the store. “Try it on, and I bet you’ll never want to take it off again.”

“I...I don’t think I should,” Melissa muttered, glancing back toward the front of the store. Melissa and the shopkeep were still arguing, from the sound of it. “I might mess up my friend’s bargaining, if I end up wanting more clothes…”

“It’s cheap,” the girl promised. “Won’t cost more than a helm. Just try it on - try it on, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to buy it.”

Melissa hesitated a moment, glancing toward the little covered off area. She didn’t want to disappoint the girl, but honestly - should she really be putting on a dress? She was a guy, really, after all. She was trying to get back to being a guy, too. Should she really be playing dress up?

“Did I mention we have a mirror? You can see how pretty you look in it, for yourself, before making any decisions.”

“A mirror…?” Melissa murmured. She hadn’t seen a mirror, since coming here, actually. 

“...Alright. I’ll do it.” If only to see what she looked like in a mirror.

The lamia grinned, in response, quickly tugging the dress off its mannequin, and shoving it at Melissa.

Melissa stared for a moment at the fabric, at the dress she’d just agreed to put on, and then walked into the changing area. The curtains closed behind her, offering some small bit of privacy.

A mirror stood in front of Melissa. It was the first reflective surface she’d come across since coming here, and part of Melissa wanted to look into it immediately.

Another part of her desperately wanted not to, though. She knew what she’d see after all: a man, in too tight clothing.

Oh, she’d probably look like a woman on the outside, thanks to the spell, but… There was no escaping what was going on inside, was there?

Melissa decided not to look into the mirror, just yet. Instead, she stripped herself of her too tight pink shirt, and her too small but suddenly valuable shoes and sweats. She left herself in her too tight bra, and boxers, not having anything else to wear.

Then she slipped on the dress.

The fabric was surprisingly soft, and cool to the touch. The dress itself was actually a surprisingly good fit, despite her large frame. A little tight, but not so much she was popping out of it. She thought it settled nicely on her.

Of course, with the dress going on so smoothly, there was no longer anything to keep Melissa from what she dreaded most. In fact, she had more reason than ever to look into the mirror. 

She didn’t want to.

She had to.

Taking a deep breath, Melissa closed her eyes, and turned toward her reflection. Then, slowly, she cracked open her eyelids to get her first peek at her new form.

A woman stared back at her. Muscular, tall, but undeniably feminine, with round cheeks and soft brown eyes; wearing a green dress that hugged her figure, with tight green sleeves that did nothing to hide her musculature. 

Staring at her reflection, Melissa didn’t see one hint of the man she’d always assumed herself to be.

Unsure how to process this, unsure what to make of this, Melissa took one step back, and then a second, before turning and fleeing from both the curtained area, and the lamia who’d cajoled her into entering it.

“Lonna!?” she called, heading back to the front of the store. “Lonna, we need to get out of here. Make whatever deal, or grab whatever coin purse you want, we just have to get out of… here…”

Standing at the front of the store were three heavily armored men, each of them wearing a sword at their side. Emblazoned on the front of their maille was what looked to be a silver squid, on a blue field - azure, a kraken argent.

One of the guards had taken Lonna by the arms, and was forcefully holding her still, while she glowered.

The other two were advancing toward Melissa. 

“Don’t resist,” suggested the one still holding Lonna. “We have orders to bring you in alive, but we’ll still hurt you if you resist.”

“Lonna?” Melissa called, nervously, as one of the guards took her by the wrists.

“Just do what they say,” Lonna said, her whispered voice holding barely contained rage. “They’ve already got Talith, or I’d have burned them to the ground already.”

“Hmph. You’d be welcome to try,” said the guard holding Lonna, with a small smile. “But never fear: we mean you no harm, your Highness. In fact, you can consider this a formal invitation: the Countess of Koleff wishes to see the Princess Lonna.”

Melissa’s head twisted about to Lonna, her mouth opening and closing. She had so much she wanted to say, and there was so much she didn’t understand, but one thing obviously demanded more attention than the rest.

“Lonna… Why did he call you a princess?”