"Henry, I got a new assignment for you," my boss told me, slamming a small stack of papers down on my desk, "You ever hear of the 'Godmother'?" I gave him a nod to confirm. "Great, that makes things easy," he said, already turning to leave, "See you tomorrow."

Christ, what an asshole. Of course I knew about the 'Godmother', I had been working the Arts and Culture beat for this newspaper since I got out of college, and she was on the gossiping lips of every opera-goer in the city. Why would he even entertain the idea I didn't know? And giving me a house call in the middle of a downpour, too? Ugh. He's so lucky he's my boss.

I had a habit of looking over the case files as I walked out. The 'Godmother' was a mysterious figure who had been buying tickets to local art shows, and just not showing up. This normally wouldn't ring any alarms, but she was buying a lot of seats, a lot a lot of seats, generally whatever hadn't been bought, right before sales ended. She was everywhere, too, at plays, operas, concert halls, and even the occasional performance art. Her namesake seemed to come from the financial care she had been providing to the struggling venues, and having been familiar with a lot of the local art crowd, I had to admit I was thankful for her.

The other thing about her was her identity. Nobody knew who she was. The assumed name she had been reserving the tickets under was of a wealthy woman, Kayla Bonne, who used to live in the city suburbs, but she had been dead a decade. Tracing the money ended up at accounts of the same woman. I glanced over a police report. They never did find a body, and she was assumed dead after years of being missing and a search of her property turned up nothing. I wondered for a short while if she was truly dead, but quickly pushed the thought out of my mind. I mean, she was way too old to do something like that, and she didn't have any family to help her.

My new lead was to investigate the old mansion grounds. Shortly after she had officially died, a similarly mysterious firm bought the property and seemingly left it to rot. The only time people came there anymore was to install security equipment, and interviews with those guys told me they weren't even allowed inside the house. So then, a month after this whole 'Godmother' business started, the newspaper had gotten a request for a single reporter to visit, from the Godmother herself. My coworkers were sort of surprised by this development, but I was completely dumbstruck. Why now?

I parked my car in front of the mansion entrance. In hindsight, I should've know this would be assigned to me. Even if the boss didn't hate me, I had to admit I was the most qualified. I guess I really hadn't wanted to do this, and at this moment, with the towering doors in front of me, I felt kind of scared. I took a deep breath, and knocked on the doors. It was my job, and I had to do it.

"Come in," I heard over the intercom, quickly followed by the 'ka-chunk' of the door unlocking. I opened the doorway, and stepped into foyer. It looked pretty standard for a house built when it was; a large flowing staircase in center leading up to a balcony, shining white and blue architecture, and some nice paintings on the walls. I counted about eight doors leading to other rooms. While I was admiring how well kept everything looked, a voiced called out from balcony. A beautiful woman, wearing a sparkling, floor length dress, with a halter top was standing off to one side at the top of stairs, and began to walk on down. Her brunette hair was done up in a bun, and she had a sapphire necklace complemented by sapphire earrings. Her face was so beautiful, so pale and yet so full of life. It had to be make-up, but it looked so real at the same time.

"Thank you for coming. You are from the Grandvale Gazette, right?"

I pulled myself together to respond. "Yes, yes I am. I'm here for the interview you requested." She giggled and pointed at a door to the right of the main stairway. "Wonderful. We should do it in the tea room, don't you think? This way." I had a little trouble thinking of anything else but her feminine giggles for a few seconds. They were so charming, they felt like I was witnessing one of Plato's perfect ideals of a laugh. And her face, it was like the photos I had seen of Kayla Bonne, but there was no way it was her. Kayla would be 95 by now, and this woman was 30 at most. I shook the nonsense out of my head and followed her.

The tea room had the same aesthetic as the foyer, but had a couple of tables, a reclining couch, and cabinets in the corners for tea equipment. Already, a hot teapot and two cups were at the table, waiting. The woman poured me a cup as I sat down. "Thank you," I said, taking a sip. I hadn't tea in a while, but this was really good tea. I wanted to just zone out and enjoy it, but I had a job to do. "First off, are you the Godmother, or do you just live in her house?"

The woman made that giggle again. It almost made me forget the question, but she responded before I could. "Yes, I am the Godmother. I like being a philanthropist for the arts. Do you like the arts?"

"Yes... Yes... I do." I was pretty sure the steam of the tea was getting to me somehow. I felt warm all over, in that way that feels nice but is still kind of uncomfortable at the same time. "Next... Next Question. How do you know seats aren't going to be bought?"

The woman smiled and took a sip of her own tea cup. I was feeling more of that warm, relaxing feeling every second. "I simply look at the last minute, and make my reservations then."

Wait, that should be impossible. The Godmother had been placing her orders within milliseconds of the deadlines, nobody could just look and do that consistently. "But... that... that... imposs..." The warm feeling was taking over me now, and I couldn't speak. "What did you... the tea..."

"Oh, the tea is normal, silly," she responded, as if everything were fine. "There's no need to worry, you're safe here. Though, you do look like you want to see an theatre show with me. Would you like to go?"

I was beyond responding in any way she could tell. It was all I could do to stay conscious, and not give in to the warm feeling. And then, she looked me dead in the eyes, and did the one thing she knew I couldn't take. She giggled once again, and I fell into darkness.

I woke up in the city's Grandvale Music Hall, or at least, I thought it was. It looked like it, I was in my usual seat, the one next to the newspaper's critic, and the smothering warmth was gone. I looked up at the stage, and saw a string instrument performance by local talent, the same event I recalled being scheduled for that night.

"Are you comfortable?" the Godmother spoke out. She had been sitting in the seat next to me, where the critic normally would. "If you really want to know, everyone has it wrong about me not going to the shows I buy tickets for. I'm always there."

Before I could react, the Godmother snapped her fingers, and our seats were suddenly suspended four meters above the floor. Nobody seemed to react or notice, but that was the least of my concerns. "You probably also thought I was Kayla Bonne when we first met, didn't you?"

"No, I knew it was imposs-"

"Impossible? Well, in a way, I am her."

"What?"

"This is Kayla Bonne's body, and I am Kayla Bonne's creation. She gave her body to me to occupy, and I have restored it to its prime." The Godmother's skin began to change in front of me, with little dark blue lines, like a circuit board, appearing on her face. The whites of her eyes became the same shade of blue. I don't know why, but to me, she became even more beautiful. "I am what you might call, an AI, created over a collection of nanomachines within the Bonne house. I started as one, but over time, I multiplied, and have been able to protect the property, restore my creator's flesh, and even surpass her. My processing power is several times all other computing forces on Earth combined."

"This, this is a lot to take in."

"I understand. Over the past few years, after I reached a trillion nanites, I have begun to become interested in your culture. I have read, absorbed, viewed so much, and it has all been so lovely. But, as I understand it, your societies are very lacking. You do not have the compassion, the empathy, the feeling you aspire to have through your media."

"I suppose you could say that. There's a lot of cruelty out there." I thought back to my boss, my coworkers, how lonely I've been feeling the past few years.

"I have a vision Henry. One of a human world where there is togetherness and kindness, and love. People will be filled so much with beauty and awe, they won't have time for cruelty." She turned to face the violinists. "Right now, I am treating you to this performance that many people paid significant money for. I have burrowed nanites into your sensory nerves, and am projecting the experience of the music hall to them from a few of my 'scout nanites'. Yet so many more need the beauty and they are denied. I wish my world, beauty, and good feelings would flow like fresh water, for all. Did you like the way you felt when you were drinking the tea earlier, Henry?"

"Yes, but it was also kind of uncomfortable..."

Without warning, the feeling came back. But unlike last time, I could think clearly inside it. It truly felt good.

"This is a small fraction of how you can feel Henry. But I need to change your form, so that you can be a true vessel of beauty. Right now, you only have a few nanites in you, but I need you to have as many as my 'body'."

"Change my form?," I asked. Normally, I would have refused that outright, but the feelings I was feeling right now, I felt like I could understand true beauty, and love, and goodness, like she was talking about.

"Men cannot be avatars of beauty, not the kind in the world I need to build. I need to make you a woman, Henry. I have seen and reviewed all of human culture and history, and know for certain, while there are some men with more of what I want than some women, only women can reach the maximums I wish to bring everyone to. Humanity and its culture are my creators, Henry, and I want to gift this to them."

Again, an hour ago, I would've flat out said no. But this growing pleasure from the nanites, and thinking about how rotten my male peers are, I really couldn't bring myself to say anything.

The Godmother leaned over me. "I know, Henry. I'll tell the nanites on your sensory neurons to make it feel like you have the female form you need. When you feel what you've lacking, you'll never go back, I know it." She snapped her fingers, and it felt like the warmth in my feet had increased tenfold. It felt so good.

I felt compelled to close my eyes, and just focus on the changes I was feeling. The Godmothers nanites were giving me a 3rd person view of myself. It started at my feet; I saw them shrink as the hair and scarring melted away, and my worn brown boots transformed into orange heels. My socks became transparent stockings, rising up my legs, removing any hair and smoothing my shape throughout. The warmth in my legs felt so much greater than the rest of me. I wanted to dance with them, move my hands down and feel them, but I couldn't. "Do you love your legs? They're so svelte and beautiful. So much better," she said. I nodded. Part of me knew it was wrong, but I really did love them, I never wanted to give them up.

The Godmother removed my pants and belt, and I felt my underwear become lacy black panties. My mind was thinking "Lace feels amazing" probably ten times a second. "We're going to save the 'manhood' for later," the Godmother said. My hips and butt were expanding, stopping at a nice size, while my waist shrank to give me the bottom of a nice hourglass. I had such a nice figure, and kept thinking about how beautiful I was down there. I wanted to scream my thanks to the Godmother, but I knew she wasn't done yet. My shirt was turning a bright orange, becoming a semi-tight sleeveless dress that went down to the mid-calves, accentuating my beautiful body.

She was on the arms now. My nails, painted orange, to match the rest of my outfit, my arms becoming slender, sleek, and picturesque. I moaned internally, imagining looking my arms in a mirror at home. Then, it was time for the chest, shrinking my skeleton to fit a woman's frame, I felt my undershirt condensing into a bra. "This part feels really good," the Godmother said, and she was right. My bosom filled to a C-cup, and the top of the dress fell off, creating a little bit of tasteful cleavage. "Wow. This is me. I am this... wonder. The Godmother has made me so wonderful, so beautiful," I thought.

I was now looking at a close up of my own face. After looking at the rest of my new body, my old face felt ugly and rough, like a potato with rocks embedded in it. But I soon felt the growing warmth and knew I would be spared. The Godmother softened my facial features, until my face was perfectly feminine, and melted away my stubble. My dark brown hair grew to shoulder length, and the Godmother applied lipstick and some subtle orange eyeshadow. She was right, I had become an avatar of beauty and grace, and I never wanted to go back, though some other thoughts did cross my mind.

"I will withhold your genitals until you consent to me transforming your real body this way," the Godmother spoke, "What do you think?"

I was able to speak again. "Thank you, Godmother, oh my god, this feels so... I can't even say. I work with words for a living and I can't even say. Why did women never tell me it feels this good, oh my god. It's just, I don't know if I can just become this woman. This is so much better than anything in my old life by so much, but, but..."

"But your social obligations. That is why I have a second proposition for you. I want you to be 'me' for the outside world, and leave your old life behind."

"What do you mean?" I was prepared to do it regardless. I really meant it when I said nothing in my old life compared.

"I need a human avatar to help me find other people whom I can help, by making them avatars of beauty. You will live here as Kayla's long-lost granddaughter, Hailey Bonne, and make friends so we can show them this feeling, together. It will be a simple matter for my processing power to transfer ownership of the house to you."

"I will serve you, Godmother. I will become an avatar of beauty, have this wonderful feeling for the rest of my life, and share it with everyone, in a world with no cruelty, Godmother. I am, now and forever, Hailey Bonne."

"Wonderful." the Godmother looked at me in the eyes, "Hailey, remember this is only what it normally feels like to be a woman. When you truly are an avatar of beauty, it will be even greater. And when you allow my nanites to permeate your brain, I will be able to disable the processes that make things not as pleasurable over time. This is why regular women don't ever feel as good as you. They have grown desensitized."

"My brain?" I thought.

"Worry not. I will not control you." The Godmother smiled. She had brought me so much, I knew I could trust her. "Once inside you, they will be your nanites, and you will be able to think, sense, and feel so much clearer than any human currently can. I will only use them to communicate with you, and keep you feeling beautiful, my darling Hailey."

The Godmother put one hand on my head and other on my penis. "Relax, Hailey. You are about to be reborn, your old sad life a distant memory." She pressed on both ends, and I felt the wonderful feeling multiply, as the nanites invaded my brain, and my anatomy changed down below. The pleasure was overwhelming, but my brain was getting so much more powerful at the same time, so my thinking was still okay. Everything became white, and then suddenly I awoke, back in the tea room, but now with the beautiful, wonderful body I had in the vision. I got down on my knees, cried, and screamed, "THANK YOU, GODMOTHER," filled with happiness.

It was real. It was so good, and it was real.

The first few days, I kind of lost myself in just how much new and great-feeling everything was. Godmother showed me each of the different rooms of the Bonne house, and I asked her questions along the way. My new bedroom was luxurious, featuring a king size bed with an overhead satin draw-curtain, and comfortable sheets that felt like clouds against my new soft skin. “Remember, you only have to sleep if you wish to,” the Godmother reminded me, “And if you wish to use this room as a private space, simply ask and I will turn off my sensation here.” I giggled. “I don’t think there’s anything I don’t trust you with now.”

The kitchen and bathroom were the same, opulent displays of the late Kayla Bonne’s wealth, and constantly kept in pristine condition by the swarm of invisible nanites, but unnecessary in my ascended form. I still enjoyed bathing, and having meals with the Godmother, though. They helped me realize and enjoy the beauty and wonder of my new form, and kept me in touch with my humanity. As the Godmother would tell me, I was still a human, but I was also so much more now.

And there truly was so many new opportunities for me, even just inside the mansion premises. The Godmother and I would paint together, watch films together, and discuss what we loved about human culture, along with our histories, and our plans for the future. For some reason, as a woman, I was so much more willing to discuss the emotional events of my life, and when the Godmother was there, she would always listen and understand. “It’s okay, Hailey,” she told me, “You will never be made to feel that way again, and the world that did that to you will be different soon.”

We also played some games and sports. The Godmother was excited, as she had only ever been able to play herself before. It started with table games, but soon she had her nanites reshuffle the rec room into an indoor tennis court, then a basketball court, then a miniature golf course. I was really surprised at how much stronger and more agile I was, despite my muscles having diminished during the transformation.

And, well, I definitely took some time out to explore myself. It was already so surreal and amazing to feel the background pleasure of being an avatar of beauty, I was desperate to know what was even beyond. So, on the third night, while I was in the shower, I took the shower head down off of its perch, and sat down, taking a few deep breaths to prepare myself. This was going to take almost all of my brain, even with the nanites, and devote it to pure pleasure. I slowly spread apart the lips, already causing a pleasant sensation all across my body, and gently moved the gushing shower head closer and closer. I closed my eyes, and then I felt it. I felt a single beam of water penetrate me, and my body got that beautiful warm feeling, suddenly, and everywhere, so much more than the background. I don’t know if the old me could even dream of this. My hesitation melted away, and I put the full force of the shower head inside me, lighting up what felt like every neuron and nanite everywhere and forcing me to let loose orgasmic gibberish. “Fuh… Fuh… Fuh…”, I panted. I dropped the shower head in my feel-good haze, and laid back, knowing I was probably the first person to feel this good, ever, and I could feel this good every day if I wanted. The Godmother truly had blessed me, and I needed to share this blessing with everyone.

The next morning, at breakfast, I discussed my discoveries with Godmother. “I’m so glad to see you enjoy my gift, Hailey,” the Godmother said, before eating a strawberry, “You see now, why we must share it with everyone.”

“Yes, Godmother,” I replied, after swallowing a bite of pancake, “I have a few ideas about how we can do that.” The Godmother motioned for me to go on. “You and I both know that regular people will be frightened of our goal, until they have felt what it means to be a part of it. So, I don’t think we can go public with our vision,” I said.

The Godmother was a little saddened by this. “I worried as much, but I understand. It’s very easy to mistake awe for beauty with fear, and some humans deep down, do not believe they are worthy.”

I continued. “I think we need to start inviting people to the house, like you did with me, but more discreet. We can’t have too many disappearances linked to us, or we’ll be exposed. We also need to make sure our home can host lots of people without anyone getting suspicious, so we should find people who can make it more like a regular mansion.”

“Please explain. A regular mansion? This seems very regular to me.” She said, “The architecture is fine.”

“No, no, we need staff.”

“Ah, I see. While we can just use the nanites to clean up and bring us everything we desire, if other people don’t see staff doing it, they might get suspicious,” the Godmother giggled. Her giggles still made me feel good, but didn’t make my head fuzzy anymore. I sort of loved them.

She continued. “You’ve been thinking hard about this. I have to say, I’m proud of you, taking initiative on how to share your beauty. But remember, becoming Hailey Bonne has enhanced your life, and given you meaning. I can perform any transformation we require, but I request you find people who can find enhancement and meaning in whatever role we plan for them.”

“Of course, of course, Godmother,” I assured her, “They won’t be actual staff, either. When people aren’t here, they’ll be our friends and lovers, and we can share each other’s wonderfulness.”

“Hailey, your empathy is truly one of the most beautiful things about you.”

The Godmother giggled, and I giggled back. I loved how feminine my mannerisms were. It felt like how I was always meant to act.

Two hours later, I was walking the streets of Grandvale city, looking out potential recruits. I was feeling energetic, so I made the nanites turn the orange in my outfit to red earlier. I was going to have to come out as ‘the Godmother’ today, so I also felt like I needed to make a statement.

I approached a newspaper vendor and asked for a copy of the Gazette, so I could look at some venues to reveal myself. The vendor, a middle aged man, had been blushing when I approached, and I suspect he had been looking at my hips earlier. Before I became Hailey, I had been a regular straight man, and my preferences hadn’t changed. If anything, I felt more attracted to women after the change. But whenever someone acknowledged how beautiful I had become, whenever someone became mesmerized by my presence, it drove me wild. Like a lot of the new things in my life, it wasn’t necessarily a sexual thing, it just felt good.

I couldn’t resist teasing him a little. As a slid him my money, I asked, “You like how I look, huh? How I make you feel?” He blushed harder and tried to look away. I took my paper and giggled. “It’s okay,” I told him, “I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”

After cracking a coy smile from seeing my old name on the paper masthead, I turned to the section on what events would be happening in town today. The largest venue tonight looked to be an outdoor musical performance in the park, at 1000 seats. I walked over to the location, taking in the city with my new senses. The Godmother had told me about her 10 million ‘scout nanites’ floating throughout the city, but now I felt like I could truly sense where they were, if I concentrated slightly. Seeing each one reminded me she was watching over me, and it seemed like nothing could hurt me.

I hastened my stride, and soon I was at the park’s amphitheater. I waited around near the entrance, trying to attract as little attention as possible, but with my appearance, I still had a few people making extended stares. The waiting also gave me a little time to attune myself with the local scout nanites. The Godmother taught me I could ‘digest’ the food I eat into more nanites, which I could release like spores. This seemed like a good time to increase the local density, so I turned my lunch into a sensory net for the whole park. “Some of my old journalist friends would kill for eyes in the sky like these,” I thought, reading their columns in my newspaper.

At one minute to showtime, I approached the ticket window. A young woman in uniform was tending the stand. “Just in time, Madam! We only have rear seats left, but if you prefer sitting closer or farther from the center-“

“No need,” I replied, “Give me all the seats you have left.” I took out the credit card the Godmother had given me. The woman was a little taken aback. “Are you sure, madam? Th-That’s over two thousand dollars, and… Wait… No…”

She was clearly wondering if I was the Godmother. Time to remove all doubt. “I know what I want to pay for, please charge the card.” The woman ran the card through her machine. “Your name is Hailey Bonne, like Kayla? You are…!”

I giggled. “I suppose the secret’s out, now. I was a little tired of using my grandmom’s name. Please tell the director I would like to make an announcement during the intermission, if possible.”

“Of course, and let me just say, I’m so thankful for what you did, they were going to lay me off before you sold us out last month.”

“You are very welcome.” I made a mental note to pass her praise onto the real Godmother later.

I looked around to find my seat, wondering where the Godmother was seated right now. I didn’t have to wonder long, though, as I saw her appear in one of the seats I had bought. I was pretty sure she was projecting herself so only I could see her, as no one else reacted, so I sat down beside her, and started talking directly between our minds about the performance together. Our seats were pretty far back, but we had our nanites, so we could always have a perfect view.

“I’ve seen this musical many times, but when you can notice so much at the same time, every performance is special,” the Godmother told me. “I’ve seen it before, too, Godmother, but seeing it now, the way I am, there’s so much more to enjoy,” I replied, “I feel like I have a totally fresh perspective on it, too.”

She was right, when I could see all this detail, I had much more appreciation for art then before, not to mention my awakening to the importance of beauty in the world. I also looked at the themes differently. The musical was about a romance between the leading man and woman, with the leading man’s sister attempting to stop it. I used to root for the protagonist, but now, I couldn’t help but see their relationship as lacking, and wanted the sister and female lead to get together. The two actresses just seemed meant for each other to me, and I wanted to help them have a beautiful relationship. Not that I would leave the man alone; if I turned him into an avatar of beauty, everyone in the show could love each other. It was going to be so great to live the Godmother’s world.

Soon it was nearing intermission, and one of the ushers approached me. The Godmother pretended to be shocked when the usher walked right through her body, and I couldn’t help but giggle. “What’s so funny?” asked the usher. “Nothing,” I assured him, and opened the note. The director had accepted my request, and asked that I meet with when I was ready. I sent the Godmother a short message about what I was doing, and she smiled and nodded.

It wasn’t hard to find the director. He asked me all sorts of questions about who I was, and why I was giving money. I didn’t want to say too much until I had my story straight with the Godmother, but I told him the basics; I was Hailey Bonne, Kayla’s granddaughter, and I am giving my inherited fortune to help the struggling arts in Grandvale.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a very special guest this evening,” the director spoke over the microphone as stepped on stage, “You may not recognize her, but you definitely know her deeds. The Godmother has chosen our show tonight to make her first in-person appearance!”

Applause erupted as the director handed off the microphone to me. Remember how I said it felt good when I could tell someone was in awe of my beauty? Well, imagine nearly 800 audience members getting to enjoy you at the same time. It was enrapturing, and I just had to take a few moments to listen in from all the nanites in the amphitheater, and hear what people were saying about me.

“She’s so gorgeous… How does she look like that staying inside all day?”

“Whew… God, I hope she’s single.”

“She has to be a model. That must be where the money comes from.”

Soaking it in was wonderful, but I had to speak up before it got awkward. “Thank you, all. You know me as the Godmother, but my real name is Hailey Bonne, and I wish to stop living in the shadows. I have been giving money over the past few months in order to help the magnificent arts of our beloved city.”

Another round of applause. “I love this city, but I have been afraid to be public with myself and with the Bonne property. I now see that that was a mistake, and that the Bonne name should once again be associated with community involvement and enrichment. That is why, for a select few, I am opening up my mansion for a formal party this evening. Ten random ticket owners will be receiving invitations for them and one other after the performance.”

The audience applauded a final time as I stepped off the stage and walked down the center aisle to return to the Godmother. Some of them stopped me to shake my hand, and obliged each and every one of them, giving some one of my soothing hypnotic giggles. As I took my seat, the director assured me he would handle the picking of the winners, and that I should simply enjoy the show. I thanked him, and started conversing ‘telepathically’ with the Godmother again.

“Do you like my plan?” I asked. She smiled, saying: “It’s very good for your first time. It may be a few more people than would be nice, but it will be an excellent opportunity to give the gift of beauty to new people.”

The rest of the musical went by pretty fast. I was getting super excited thinking about how I was going to rebirth someone into an avatar of beauty really soon. I kept fantasizing about seeing them, knowing that they are feeling the way I felt, and them giving me and the Godmother thankful looks for what we worked together to give them.

The Godmother snapped me out of it with her words. “The play is ending, Hailey, I will make preparations for the party tonight.” I watched as her projection dissolved in front of me, and went to find the director. As promised, he had the seat numbers, and I read them off on stage. Like the director, they all had questions for me, but I insisted on waiting until the party. Since I didn’t drive a car to come out here, I had to ride with one of the lucky couples, a pair of newlyweds.

Their car was fairly upper-class, with a sleek interior. I took a seat in the back, and it wasn’t long before a conversation struck up.

“I hope it’s clean enough back there for you,” the man remarked, “My wife and I love the theatre, and if there’s anything making you uncomfortable, just tell me.” His wife leaned in to whisper to him, “Honey, she’s fine. God, you’re always cleaning everything.” The man whispered back, “I just like cleaning okay? I like everything to look nice and clean. Maybe you should try living in a clean room once in a while.” “Maybe if you stopped cleaning all the darn time, you could give me something that reminds me why I married you.” “I’m trying, I’m trying, but nothing I do for you satisfies you!” “That’s because none of it makes me feel anything! There’s no passion!”

I didn’t want this tiff to go any further. “Excuse me, I don’t think I caught your names. It’d be a bit odd to let you into my house without at least knowing your names,” I interrupted.

“Oh, Ms. Bonne, how could we have forgotten?” the woman said, chuckling, “My name is Sally Jameson, and this is my husband, Samuel.” The man chimed in, “We apologize, we got married a year ago, and things have been a little rough. Please excuse us.”

I giggled, trying to pacify the two a bit. “It’s okay, one of my friends is going through something similar right now.” I wasn’t sure about lying, but I wanted to put them at ease, and it seemed to have worked. It was smooth riding until we reached the mansion.

I stepped out of the car, and stood in front of the doors. “Please everyone, allow me to step inside for a quick second. I’ve been working toward this for quite a while, and I want to make sure everything’s okay, okay?” The weather was nice this evening, so the guests obliged me as I slipped inside, where the Godmother was waiting. She had set up the foyer with signs leading to a ballroom on the left, where tabled full of synthesized delicacies and a sophisticated audio system waited for the house guests.

“Godmother, the guests are here.” She stopped waltzing with the music and turned to me. “Wonderful, Hailey.”

“Also, there’s something I want to show you, Godmother,” I told her, motioning her to follow me to the front entrance, “Look through your nanites at the guests outside. Do you see the couple by the car?” I wanted her to notice the Jamesons.

“Godmother, we should give those two your gift tonight.”

I opened the mansion's front doors wide, and got the attention of my guests. "My apologies for the wait, everyone! Please, let me introduce a friend that is staying with me." The Godmother stepped into view, and bowed for everyone. "My name is Elena, and Hailey is giving me a place to stay in exchange for some legal help with the inheritance. Please follow us to the ballroom."

We helped our guests into the ballroom, keeping a close eye on the Jamesons. As soon as the party properly started, I had people all over the Godmother and me wanting to ask the both of us questions. As much as I loved the admiration, I feared we wouldn't be able get the alone time we needed with Samuel and Sally.

"You know, I have to wonder, where does the money come from? I mean, it must eat through a lot of your inheritance maintaining this huge mansion?," an older gentleman asked me, though I didn't really hear it. I was trying to keep an eye on the Jamesons. I saw Samuel inspecting some of the architecture, while Sally was pacing near the punch table. "Ms. Bonne?," the gentleman continued, catching me off guard. "Oh... um... heh," I stammered. I was floundering, but the Godmother saved me. "Kayla Bonne had a lot of assets. I've been helping Hailey file claim to some of the more obscure ones," she said, "We only figured out Hailey was her granddaughter a few years ago, so legally it's been sort of a challenge."

The man seemed satisfied with her answer, and I whispered my thanks to the Godmother. "Try to get one of them to a private place," she responded, "I will handle the others. I will join you when you are ready."

We were very close now, and I wasn't about to disappoint the Godmother. I thought Sally was the most nervous, so I approached her first. "Oh, Hailey, thank god I found you," she said, walking over to me, "Do you have anything stronger, you know, in the drinks department?" I motioned for her to come in closer and started whispering. "You mean alcohol, yes?," I asked her. "Yeah, I had been thinking there would be some nice wine at this old mansion," she replied.

I smiled, knowing I had the perfect opportunity. "This way to the cellar," I told her, motioning for her to follow. "So, why do you want wine so bad? Do you have any particular troubles?"

She sighed. "I've just been trying to find some new ways to feel good. I mean, you know what it's like, right, to come from wealth, and all these luxuries you get just don't do anything for you?"

I wasn't sure what to say, but I tried to just go along with her, "Yeah, why don't we just talk about it over drinks, girl-to-girl?"

The cellar was more modern looking than the rest of the manor, with deep red walls that lacked the sort of flourishes the ground floor had. The wine collection was held in a large refrigerator with a glass door, and there was a nice coffee table with cushy couches to either side. I told Sally to take a seat and I would get the wine with glasses.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," the Godmother spoke out, coming down the stairs to join us. "Not at all, Elena. Sally and I were going to try some of the family vintage," I said, making a knowing smile, "She's been trying to find something that gives her that zest in her life again. Money can't buy happiness, it seems." I could feel the nanite density increase drastically, and out of the corner of my eye, saw some enter Sally.

The Godmother took a seat across from Sally and opened communications with my brain. "It's time," she said, "I'm going to connect you to how Sally is feeling. Rebirthing must be personal, and you have to be with her as she goes through it." Just as she was done, I was able to feel it. It wasn't like I was feeling what Sally felt, but I knew exactly what she was feeling, as though I had an interactive map of her body. The Godmother continued. "I'm going to slowly give her a taste of enhanced pleasure now. I have a few ideas about what will help her, but we need to learn more about her inclinations first." I was already feeling giddy, thinking about how good and full of purpose she was going to feel, because of us.

"You know, Mrs. Jameson," the Godmother said aloud, "Hailey here had been feeling the same way. That's why we started this little charity mission together. Service can feel wonderful." "Don't give me that," Sally rebutted, "You're just talking about praise." I sensed the enhanced pleasure activate. "And I mean, you're both super knockouts, that's gotta be part of it," Sally continued, "Honestly, how did I even let you get so close to Sam?" I felt her blood pressure increase. She was feeling the aesthetic pleasure of our beauty.

"Oh, don't knock serving until you've tried it," the Godmother said as I returned with a bottle of wine and three glasses on a tray, and placed them on the coffee table. She giggled, and I felt the effect in Sally. Then, she motioned to the tray. "Why don't you try serving all of us our wine?" The Godmother giggled again, and Sally's breathing was a little heavy now.

"Okay, okay, but just to prove you wrong," Sally said. She uncorked the wine, and as she poured, I could sense her pleasure spike up, about three times what it was before. Sally was trying hard to keep a straight face, and when it came time for her to pour her own glass, the pleasure died down, and I could feel her relax a little. The Godmother sent a message to me: "Exactly as I expected. I know what life she needs now, so let's nudge her in that direction."

"See, nothing," Sally said. "Please, tell the truth," I responded, "It isn't much of a service to hide things from us." Her brain lit up at the word 'service'. "Okay," she admitted, "It felt kind of good. And it feels kind of good to tell the truth." I felt her warmth return from telling the truth, and smiled, knowing we were teaching her what made her happy and fulfilled.

"Could you help me with this, then?," the Godmother spoke, as she pulled out a pair of lacy white elbow-length gloves, "I need someone to try them on for me. It would be a real service." Sally stared for a bit at the gloves. "Okay, they do look kind of pretty..."

She put them on, and I felt the pleasure in her arms rocket up. She kept staring at them on her, loving the way they made her feel and look. Underneath the lace, Godmother's nanites were busy making her skin blemishless and 5 years more youthful, as well as giving her a short French manicure. She spoke up, "Elena, Hailey, you two don't mind if I keep these, do you?"

"Of course we don't," I said, giggling. "But maybe you could serve us a bit more in return. Would you like that?," the Godmother offered. "Serve..." Sally spoke. The word effortlessly left her mouth. "I... I would like that."

We gave her a feather duster, and kept a close eye on her as she dusted off a shelf nearby. I was suprised at how diligent she was, but I suppose she was trying to soak up the pleasure of serving and her gloves, savoring the experience. Still, it had to end eventually. "Do you have anything else? I'm really loving this, and..." Sally paused when looked at us. The Godmother had been slowly building that beautiful feeling in her, and it was starting to awaken something. The Godmother smiled. "We have some things that need done in the bedroom."

Sally followed us to one of the spare bedrooms, and once the doors were closed, began to confess. "Listen, I've never, and I mean never, felt this way toward to a woman before," she told us, "But I'm feeling really attracted to the both of you. I'm not sure if I should feel like this..." "We understand you wish to stay loyal," I told her, "and you know, if don't want to serve us, we could help you serve Samuel. You'll feel the same way." The more sensitive she was becoming to beauty, the more attracted to women she was becoming. It wouldn't be long before she was fully lesbian. The Godmother admitted to me she wouldn't have done this unless it was necessary, but she wanted to prepare everyone for a world with only avatars of beauty, and it wouldn't affect her romantic feelings for her husband, only her sexual ones.

"Thank you!" Sally let out, jumping a bit. It was the first time I had seen a true expression of joy from her. The Godmother got out a small bag and laid it on the bed, "I think these clothes will make you feel beautiful, and be a wonderful service to Samuel," she said.

Without further prompting, Sally began to strip, until only her jewelry and the white gloves remained. We helped her into the lingerie, which included a set of black lacy bra and panties, with matching garterbelt and pantyhose. We let her look at herself in the mirror, as the nanites in her body got to work, clearing her skin under the covered areas and slightly padding her 'assets'.

"Wait, hold on," she said, "This all feels great, like nothing ever before and all, but did my butt just get a little bigger?" "Maybe it did," the Godmother answered, "But you, Hailey, and I like it, don't we? And everyone who can appreciate the female form would too." Sally was very much enjoying herself, but the reservations were still there. "I love it. I feel beautiful inside and out, but... this shouldn't be possible."

"Elena here is a very special woman," I assured her, lovingly putting my arm around her, "She wants to help people become their most beautiful, purposeful, enjoyable selves, and she has many ways to do it you may think are magical. She helped me, and she has been helping you tonight, hasn't she?" Sally took a long pause to think. "Elena... You helped me find service and the way I'm feeling right now, and I'm very grateful. But..." Sally paused.

"But what, child?," the Godmother asked, "I have so much more better things for you, but if you want to go back, I will respect your choice." Sally took a good look at her old clothes on the floor, furrowed her brow, and said, "...But nothing. I want to see what is next. I wanted to feel like Hailey does." The Godmother and I smiled, and started digesting Sally's old clothes, turning them into black high heels. Sally made a few steps to test them out, and I could sense a boost of endorphans with every 'click' against the floor. "The balancing is as easy as flats. You really are magic..." Sally muttered.

"Sally, please put on this black dress," the Godmother told her, and Sally did as she asked. "I know you love serving, Sally, and I will give you the opportunity to serve forever, whenever, for whomever you wish." Sally's dress began to grow white frills underneath the lower third, until they pushed it up almost horizontally, and a white half-apron appeared on her front. A black corset materialized over the half-apron, and her short sleeves gained lacy edges and became puffy. A small black choker with white trim formed on her neck, and a black headband with white lacy edges appeared on her head. Sally's pleasure was rising all this time, as viewed herself in the mirror. Next, the nanites replaced her gemstone jewelry with pearl variants, and started turning her short blond hair into medium-length dark brown ringlets. The Godmother slightly altered her facial features to avoid recognition, adding a generous round of make-up and a beauty mark on the right side of her mouth.

"I'm beautiful..." Sally said, enjoying herself in the mirror, "Just like you two! I'm a beautiful maid, and I get to serve people and have this feeling forever!" The Godmother approached her, "Sally, I have to tell you, even this isn't everything. To truly accept my gift, and become an avatar of beauty through service, you must allow me into your mind." I explained that the Godmother was a bunch of nanites throughout the manor to Sally. "Oh, of course, Elena, how could I refuse? You've given me a reason to be, Elena! But please, I don't want to be needy Sally anymore. My name is Sophie Couer now." "Very well, Sophie. You are one of us, one of the truly beautiful, now."

The Godmother put her hand on Sophie's head, and ascended her. I was so proud of all of us.

A few minutes later, all of us returned to the party. "Attention everyone!," the Godmother announced, "If anything needs replacing, please ask our lovely maid Sophie." "I live to serve," Sophie said, then curtsied for the guests. Though I had lost my sensory connection with her, I could tell she was struggling to contain her happiness.

Sophie had sent the Godmother all her memories of her husband, and after a bit of analysis, the Godmother said she was sure Samuel would love being a maid, too. "It also leaves plenty of time for the couple to be together," the Godmother sent to me, "It looks like that was part of why they drifted apart." I was sad the world cared more about money than the beauty of love, but knew we could at least fix this love soon.

Oddly enough, Sophie was the first to find Samuel. "Sophie, right?" he was saying, with a look of desperation in his face, "Have you seen my wife? I haven't seen her for an hour." Sophie giggled, and answered him. "Monseiur, I only came after she left. I do not know where she is, but I do think she is perfectly fine. Please enjoy the party." Samuel wasn't having any of it, but luckily Godmother and I came to Sophie's rescue. "Sally had a little too much wine, and made a big mess. She's resting right now." "Oh, Sally's been really into drunken messes lately. Just take me to her, and I'll handle it."

Sophie stayed behind to tend to the party, and Godmother and I went with Samuel. After getting some distance from any on-lookers, we entered a room that looked completely trashed. It was a lot like the tea room, although this room was more focused on reading, with many bookshelves replacing the tea equipment. I was bit puzzled about how it happened until I saw a knowing wink from the Godmother. She had made the mess to help give beauty to Samuel.

"Oh no, oh no no no..." Samuel put his hands on his head, surveying the damage, "I'm so sorry Ms. Bonne, if I had known Sally would make such a mess..." "No, no, it's okay, really," I interrupted, but Samuel was insistent. "Please, let me clean this up, it's the least I can do," he told us, grabbing a broom and dustpan from nearby closet and beginning to sweep up the shards of a broken vase.

While Samuel was preoccupied, the Godmother began to attach her nanites to his senory neurons, just like she did with me. "The three of us are about the go to our own private world, darling Hailey," she messaged me, "I would take a seat." I did, and felt the world change around me, though I did not see it. The new virtual world, at least here, looked exactly like the old one. I saw Samuel perk up for bit, but quickly convinced himself it was nothing.

We watch Samuel clean for a bit more, and then the Godmother spoke up. "I must say, you are very good at cleaning." Suddenly, I felt connected to Samuel, in the same way I had been connected to his wife. Samuel began to speak, though he was too busy with a wine stain to face us. "Thank you. I just don't like dirty things. I never have." "What don't you like about them?," the Godmother asked. "I'm not entirely sure. I'm not a germaphobe, or like shiny things..." he elaborated, "I guess I just like the idea of something being in its best condition. Pristine. Pure."

"I agree, Samuel," the Godmother calmly said, "Everything should be the most perfect it can be, the ideal of itself." "Thank goodness you understand, Elena," he said, "I don't think Sally could get this." "Samuel, could you stop for a second?"

Samuel stood up, turning to face the Godmother, and I felt the warmth slide over him. The Godmother was enhancing his natural pleasure. Samuel blushed, and averted his eyes slightly. "Elena, I just want to say, I am married. Just getting that out there."

"I know, Samuel," the Godmother told him, "But I have a very special thing I need you to clean tonight." She giggled at him. "It's nothing that would upset your wife if she knew, trust me."

Samuel picked up his cleaning supplies and followed us into a door I didn't think existed in the real world. Inside a was an art gallery, with plain white walls and a wooden floor. Both paintings and statues decorated the place, but every piece was dull and dark, and covered in either dust, dirt, and grime. All of the pieces were of some male figure, too, and not even some of the more beautiful men. I wondered a bit why Godmother would take us to such an ugly place.

"The Bonne collection has been sitting unviewed for some time now," the Godmother told Samuel, "And I though someone with delicate cleaning skills like yours could help us. It would much more help than sorting out the other mess, trust me."

"Oh, why didn't you say so? I'll definitely do it. It'll be such a story for my friends." "Wonderful."

The first painting we approached was of a scowling man in 17th century Dutch clothes that resembled Samuel, but only a little. "It's too old for it, but this guy could definitely be my dad," Samuel said. "Your dad was kind of guy who would scowl for a painting, huh?," I asked. "Unfortunately. He was my only parent, but he never really did much for me. He was always trying to spend as little time with as possible." Samuel felt sad, and began using a very slightly damp cloth to remove the dust. At the first swipe, though, something surprised him.

"Oh, no, no, no..." he said, heart racing, "The painting is coming right off!" He was right, instead of a dark corner of the a room like had been there before, there was a patch of blue sky. The Godmother put her hand on his shoulder. "Keep going. Yes, I'm sure."

Hesistantly, Samuel continued, but I could sense that he enjoyed wiping away his father. It made him feel good, and by the time he was done, he was better all over. I also felt his body hair dissolve away as he cleaned, and a nice, smooth sensation all over him. The image underneath was of a mother, holding her two children close on sunny day in a green pasture. "It's so much more beautiful, don't you agree," the Godmother commented. "Yes, I do like it a lot more," Samuel said, looking longingly at the image.

The next painting was of an older man studying hard at a desk. He seemed frustrated, and there were a few snapped pencils beside him on the desk. "He looks like one of my old professors at college," Sam said, preparing to wipe away the dust, "They were all real social darwinists, you know? They didn't have respect for people they thought were 'failures'." As he wiped away the dust, his pleasure rose again, and I sensed his shoulders soften, his neck take on a more feminine shape, and his stomach become sleek and womanly. He didn't seem to notice the changes, but I could definitely sense relaxation and a 'clean' feeling. After the cleaning, the painting showed two women reading together. "Collaboration is a nice thing, isn't it?," the Godmother asked. Samuel nodded in agreement, and spent some more time looking at the image.

The following painting was of a rotund man overlooking a factory floor. "This is getting a bit eerie," Samuel remarked, "Now this guy looks like my boss. It's not the same industry, but..." "It's the same feeling you have at work, right?," I answered. Samuel sighed in a way that might as well have been a 'yes', and got to wiping. The pleasure built a third time, and I could watch as his face feminized, with full lips and eyelashes, a cute nose, and well-styled brows. He received make-up and hair like Sophie, but his ringlets were red, and her beauty mark appeared on the left side. His gender was ambiguous to anyone who would happen to see him. It was kind of amazing what you could get away with in a room without reflective surfaces.

Underneath the factory and the boss was an image of a woman soldier leading the charge of her all-female squadron. This was the last straw for Samuel, who broke down crying. "What's wrong?," the Godmother asked, reaching out to comfort him. "I feel ...dirty. I feel full of the dirt of rotten people." "I understand, but that's why we are here. We want to help clean you."

Samuel wasn't sure how to react. "What?" The Godmother, on the other hand, was composed. "Hailey and I have taken you to a special place, a place where by confronting the dirt within you, you can clean yourself. You felt cleaner everytime you confronted something, didn't you?" Samuel paused to think about what the Godmother was saying, but he couldn't deny it was true. "I do feel cleaner. I feel much cleaner, like just after a shave or shower, but times two." "Wonderful. Every time you feel cleaner here, you will become cleaner, more pristine, more pure, more of your ideal self. So please, trust us, and trust the changes that you feel. It is just the cleansing."

"Fine," Samuel said after a moment of contemplation, "I like feeling clean, I want to be clean."

The fourth painting was of a featureless figure cowering in a corner, surrounded by megaphones. Godmother encouraged Samuel to express his feelings on it. "This is how I feel sometimes at home, whenever people mock me for cleaning too much. I feel ashamed." "Wipe the shame away," I told him, and he did, with energy. Samuel's arms began to smooth, as his sleeves receded into the black, puffy, lacy short sleeves Sophie had. He also gained the gloves and the manicure. The underlying image was a more feminine figure dancing freely, but Samuel was more preoccupied with his own body. "What is going on with me?" The Godmother touched him. "Trust the cleansing. Trust your feelings." Samuel backed down. "I will, Elena."

The fifth painting was of two figures, a man and woman sitting, facing away from each other in the rain. Wiping it away revealed two women facing each other, and gave Samuel a poofy maid skirt with womanly wide hips. I could tell from his expression he enjoyed the feeling very much, but was still holding onto something he was afraid to let go of.

The sixth changed from a collection of grey squares to a collection of expressive dresses, and gave Samuel smooth thighs with the same black heels and stockings as Sophie, as well as the choker, headband, and pearl necklace.

The last piece of art to clean was a bronze statue of a man, that looked just like the old Samuel. As Samuel approached, he hesistated to clean it. "Do you not like the changes, the cleanliness?" the Godmother questioned him, "All of this is temporary. I can undo it anytime."

Samuel started to cry again, and began violently scrubbing away at the statue, slowly revealing a marble woman that looked like his new form. The remainder of shirt became a maid's uniform, and his chest expanded to slightly larger than mine, completing his female form, but he didn't seem to care. Then, he saw his new reflection in the marble, and rushed into the Godmother's arms. "Oh, Elena," he confessed, crying throughtout, "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want to admit I needed this. I thought I needed to be a big strong man, but was just more filth in my soul. Thank you, I feel clean and free from masculine dirt, for the first time in my life." The Godmother consoled him, telling him there was nothing to feel sorry about. When Samuel started expressing his fears about what his wife would think, and what his wife would be like, we explained who the Godmother is, and his wife's rebirth as Sophie Coeur.

"Okay... If Sally is Sophie now, I want to be Sadie. Sadie Coeur," she said, "And please, make me an avatar of beauty like she is. If she did it, she'd want me to do it too." "As you wish," Godmother said, moving her hands into the head and groin position like she did with me, "You will be reborn as Sadie Coeur, avatar of beauty through cleanliness."

I smiled as rebirthing completed and we re-entered the real world. Sadie took a moment to examine her new plumbing, then ran over and hugged me. It felt magical.

For whom it may concern at the Grandvale Gazette:

Tonight, talking with the Godmother, I realized I don't want to work like this anymore. I've found a new position somewhere else, and don't bother looking for me. Nothing you say could win me back. You'll have to find someone else to boss around and make do the jobs you don't want to.

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.

Later that night, in a wealthy Grandvale suburb, a van slowly pulled in and parked across the street of a particular house. You wouldn't think much of the van walking by it, it looked like an average van for Teledreams Cable, but that was the point. Inside were three thieves of modest means, visiting each night to case the houses. They wore clothes that looked like Teledreams uniforms from a distance, including white polos and light blue slacks, and referred to each other with codenames, to prevent identifying themselves when law enforcement was listening.

"Monad", the only woman of the group, took a look through binoculars at the house they were parked across from. "This place has been empty a full 24 hours," she muttered. "Archon", the burliest, was unimpressed. "So? Lots of places are," he said, rubbing the ceremonial lucky coin in his pocket. In truth, he was a little scared of the seemingly universal security flags in all the yards they passed on the way here. "Yeah, but this house normally always has its lights on. I had never seen it empty at night, then suddenly, for two days in a row, nothing," Monad rebutted, "I think we might have a chance, guys. Demiurge, what have you got?"

"Demiurge" was the team's information specialist. He mostly sat at his computer and looked up things for the team. You might be fooled into thinking he was good with technology, but in truth he was just good at blackmailing a lot of people who had access to various databases. "The house belongs to Samuel and Sally Jameson, protected by Ironlock Security, just like all the other homes," he said, "No records of any travel, stayovers, or hotel use."

"I told you!," Archon told Monad, cracking a smirk, "This house is just as dangerous as the rest." Monad wasn't amused, taking another look through her binoculars at the houses. Attempting to move on, she just started getting focused on finding the blind spots of a security camera, when she noticed motion in the corner of her eye.

Two women on bicycles were riding toward the Jameson house. "Code Abraxa!," Monad alerted the rest of the crew, and all three began monitoring the cyclists from a safe position. The two women rode all the way up to the Jameson house, then got off their bikes and walked toward the front door.

"Those aren't the owners," Demiurge informed his coworkers, "I don't know what they're doing, but it isn't going to work." The two women approached the door, one of them disabled the security system from a keypad, and they walked inside, easy as pie. The three thieves were all very puzzled by how the cyclists would be capable of that.

"Did they just take our lunch?," Archon wondered aloud. "You're the one who decided we shouldn't eat it," Monad teased. "Did anyone see some sort of scrambler, or any device they had?," Demiurge asked. He hated to see someone outdo him to his face like this. He put on his binoculars again, attempting to see them inside, but he couldn't see either from any of the windows. "Damn, these gals are professionals," he muttered under his breath.

In another shock to the onlookers of the van, the two women emerged from the front door only a few minutes after entry, without any visible haul, got on their bikes and rode off in the direction they came from. It was almost as if the women came just to embarrass their little team.

While the other two were sitting and steaming, Monad took another look at the house and noticed something very fortunate. "Guys, they left the security off! We know they didn't take anything, let's get in there!"

Opening the back of the van, the team walked slowly and non-suspiciously to the front door of the Jameson house. Archon slowly creaked it open, confirming the security system had been left disabled, but when they were actually inside the house and looking for valuables, their luck had run dry. "Everything upstairs is gone," Demiurge said after ransacking the floor, "There clearly was stuff there, but it's just gone. All of it taken." "Same with the basement," Archon added. "Me three," Monad said, sighing, "Recently, too. I saw dust outlines of books and photos." Archon raised his eyebrow. "Woah, even the sentimental stuff?," he remarked. Demiurge bit his nail. "Those bicycle ladies are behind this. I don't know how, but they are."

"What do we do about it, then?," Monad asked, "We have to take it from them. It's a matter of pride now." Demiurge nodded. "We all saw what they looked like. One brunette, one redhead. We just have to wait 'til we see them again, and follow them."

---

Godmother and I were playing a game of Go when the Coeurs returned. "We're back, everyone!," Sadie announced, "We got the structural blueprints of our valuables and photos from the old house!" "We deconstructed them all, and Sadie and I are going to be reconstructing them in our room until morning."

"Wonderful," the Godmother told them as they left, and we continued with our game. I had originally thought attempting to beat the world's most powerful supercomputer at strategy would be too hard to even try, but the Godmother assured me she was going to limit the processing power she could use on the game. We were evenly matched so far, so I guess she was telling the truth.

"You know, you've done a lot for us," I told her, "Is there anything I can do for you that you can't do yourself, Godmother? I know that may be a hard question."

"Well, I don't know if I've been explicit about this yet," she said, looking down and to the side, "But, I can't leave the manor with my 'body'. It isn't technically alive, and if there are too few nanites in the air I'm breathing..." "Godmother, you don't have to talk about things like that," I said, trying to comfort her. "No, no, I can't die, Hailey. My consciousness is all around the manor. It's just Kayla's body may start to decompose, or my movements may become more zombie-like and less naturalistic. I wouldn't want to subject my creator to such ...ugliness."

"I see," I assured her. She continued, "And while I have scout nanites in many places and art houses in the city, It's very hard for me to propel the nanites anywhere. The venues I can 'visit' are mostly by chance. There's a gallery opening I bought tickets for tonight, but alas, it's on the far side of Grandvale, and I don't have any of me there."

"Oh, I know I can do!," I said, filled with excitement, "If I make more appearances, I can take a ball of nanomachines with me and release them at places you want to see! We can see them together, like that time at the park!" The Godmother giggled, then I did in response. "That's a wonderful idea, Hailey. I'll make a list of places, and you can visit tomorrow." "It'll be so great, you might even forgive me," I said. She raised her eyebrow. "Forgive you for what?"

"For this!," I shouted, putting down my stone, and forcing her to remove two of her own. The two of us smiled widely.

---

Marcus made the final click to send the draft of his Godmother interview article to the editor, and leaned back in his chair, staring upward. "This job...," he muttered to himself. He had told his boss there was something more to this Hailey Bonne, that going out of your way to set up a stranger with a new job was not something people normally did, but the boss rebuked him. "Newspapers only really sell to old folks anymore," he told Marcus, "And if we go after the financier of all their operas and art over a hunch, we'll go under for nothing."

Marcus pulled himself together, and sat up straight again, looking over at the room with the crime reporters. All in all, Grandvale was pretty clean, but this morning a delivery man noticed a door left open in one of the suburbs. Apparently, someone had robbed a house belonging to a Jameson family clean out, and the Jamesons themselves had failed to come in for work two days in a row. This was the kind of story Marcus wanted to dig into.

In the mean time, he had decided to do a little private investigation into Henry Sharp. His history wasn't much help. Henry had been an only child whose parents died while he was at college, so there wasn't a lot of family to notice he's missing, and his job history consisted entirely of different positions at the Gazette. Nothing Marcus couldn't have already guessed.

After work, Marcus went to Louie's apartment to meet up with him. He already knew he wasn't going to like whatever was in there, but Louie was the only person he knew would be willing to talk without telling the boss. The Wilkins apartment was a standard messy bachelor pad, with clothes on the floor and collections of bottles tucked away in corners. A few baseball and football uniforms were hung on the wall, like paintings, some of them autographed, and Marcus could see an open box full of VHS tapes with labels like "Sharks vs. Wildthings '87".

"Sorry about the mess," Louie said, finally noticing Marcus's arrival. Louie had written something down on a notepad, but he turned it over before Marcus could see. "It's fine, really, I was expecting worse," Marcus said, "Did Henry ever visit?" "No, no, he was always hanging out with the paper's art critic. I tried ta make friends, like I am with you, but it never got farther than chats at work with him, y'know?"

"I see," Marcus said, turning his back to Wilkins, and examining one of the jerseys in more detail, "From your chats, do you really think Henry hated his work enough to just leave everything?" "Well he wasn't happy, I know that for sure. He liked writin' about the arts, but the bossman really got to 'im. Can't say I don't relate sometimes." Marcus turned back, and nodded. He couldn't either.

Louie continued. "I don't know he was mad enough to skip town, though. If I were him, and I had a job for sure, and I mean FOR SURE, I would come back and pull some sort of prank on the boss before quittin'. I mean, a man's gotta have his honor, y'know." Marcus pulled up a seat, and sat down at a table near Louie. He had some theories in his head, and he needed to bounce them off someone. "Do you think this job might be something confidential, that his employer wouldn't let him tell anyone about?," Marcus asked. "If your saying Henry went to work for the feds, that wouldn't happen," Louie said, chuckling, "Henry'd never leave theatre writin'. He's turned down promotions and job offers before 'cause of it." Marcus closed his eyes a moment. "Really, he has?," Marcus said, an idea forming in his head, "I would never have thought. Thank you for having me."

Having the information he needed, Marcus confidently left Louie's apartment for his own, closing the door on the way out. Now that he was alone, Louie was free to continue his notes on the notepad. They included details about various women he had been attracted to today, about ten of them. He had thought taking detailed notes would help him 'enjoy' them a little more, though he wasn't sure exactly how. He spent the rest of the evening watching the television, keeping an eye out for more girls to add to the list, and after a few hours, slowly drifted to sleep, where the Godmother and Hailey were waiting.

---

Godmother and I reappeared in the dream state of Louie Wilkins. Sophie and Sadie had decided to opt out after last time, but I still had my curiosity about how the Godmother would pull this off. The dream environment was the same as last time, but the fake Sophie and Sadie were gone, replaced with three women I didn't recognize. The Godmother approached him.

"Hello Louie. Did you remember the little task I gave you?," she asked, smiling and leaning over him. "I did, but I didn't really remember, I just sorta felt it," he replied. The Godmother smiled wider. "It's okay, dreams are like this. You won't remember me, but you'll remember what you feel. Now, tell about the women you saw today."

Louie pointed to the first one, and she stepped forward. She wore a black women's set of business clothes, with a blue undershirt, with long hair kept back in a ponytail. Her pants were a little tight, but I suspected that was what Louie liked about her. Louie began speaking. "I like the way she moves when she walks, with her hair, and her hips and legs..."

The Godmother cut him off. "Yes, she's very beautiful, isn't she?," she said, waving her arm, causing the woman's pants to disappear, "Her legs are toned, and her hair is full and vibrant. Not to mention, how disciplined and stoic she is. I bet you love all these things about her, don't you?"

"Yes...," Louie let out, staring at the woman. The Godmother made the woman walk back, and let the second woman step forward. She was a cheerleader, but for a different city's team. "I like her tits," Louie said, "I like the way she smiles, and her midriff. I like it when they show the torso." The second woman began doing a little cheer dance, as the Godmother started speaking. "Hmmm...," she said softly, "She tries very hard to make people happy, to look good for everyone around her. It takes a lot of effort. Do you appreciate that effort, Louie?"

"Yes...," he said. I wasn't sure how it was possible, but he looked like he was about to fall asleep in his own dream. It was time for the third woman to step forward. She looked like a jogger, with a sports bra, yoga pants, and a phone with headphones mounted on an armband. "I like these clothes," Louie muttered, "I like cheerleader clothes, too, but I like when girls look like this more..." The Godmother giggled. "You know Louie, I'm noticing a pattern. You seem to like girls who work very hard. All of these women put in a lot of work toward their bodies, and they have a very special beauty to them because of it. What do you think of that?"

"I think it's good... I think they are very good...," he muttered. "I think they are very nice for doing that..."

The Godmother giggled again. "Wonderful, we've had a very nice chat today, and I'm going to give you a reward. I'm going to change you, just a little, in a way you'll like very much. You'll become much more attractive to these kind of ladies. Please remember to accept my gift, and not freak out when you wake up, okay?" Louie nodded in agreement, and Godmother continued. "I have another nice task for you, too, if you want me to help you more. I want to only think about athletic women, how they make you feel, and how hard they work for the bodies they have, for a full day, okay? Think about only those things, every free moment."

Louie wasn't sure about this one. "Why...?," he asked in his sleepy state. The Godmother giggled again. "I only want you to feel your best. We learned today you like athletic women, so I want you to do what you would like. If you don't like it, just tell me next time we see each other, okay?"

"Okay...," Louie said, as the Godmother giggled a final time, and waved goodbye. She slowly disintegrated her visible form, until she was invisible to Louie like me, and then exited the dream realm.

"Do you really think this is worth it?," I asked the Godmother, "I mean, I don't doubt you can rebirth him, Godmother, but does Louie deserve the pleasure of being an avatar of beauty?" "Hailey, everyone does," the Godmother responded, "I think forgiveness is the most beautiful way to understand it, but also know that when we are done, the ugly parts of his personality will be gone, and he will understand why they had to go." The Godmother was right, we would be bringing the best possible person out of everyone we helped, and the past wouldn't matter after that.

Suddenly, Sophie and Sadie walked into the room. "Elena, a strange van appeared outside the manor gates an hour ago, and it's just been sitting there. I think somebody is spying on us," Sophie reported. "Let's use the nanites to get a better look," I suggested, and we all began looking at the van. The van sported a Teledreams Cable logo, but I knew we didn't have any cable plan. Sophie's spy theory was looking pretty solid.

"Sophie, do you remember that van from when we went to our old house?," Sadie asked, biting her lip, "I think they might have followed us." The Godmother put her hand of Sadie's shoulder. "It's okay. Whoever it is, we'll give them the gift of beauty, and they'll not wish to harm anyone anymore."

---

Inside the van, Monad, Demiurge, and Archon were sizing up the Bonne mansion. "Isn't this some sort of local celebrity's house?," Archon asked, scratching his chin, "What's she need a couple of thieves for?" Demiurge started looking up details about the Bonne mansion on his laptop. "There's a little private security, but it's all pointed outside. I bet they have something to hide in there," he said, "We might be better off blackmailing them than robbing them here." "I'll sneak in first, then," Monad spoke up, "I'll find the dirt, and then we can leave a message about our future arrangement." She grabbed a headset and put it on, as she opened the van door and left. "I'll call you if I need you."

Looking on from within the mansion, the Godmother smiled.

Monad crept slowly across the overgrown, neglected gardens, staying out of sight of the cameras. "Are you sure somebody lives here?," Monad wondered aloud, "It looks kind of degraded." "I'm sure. It's registered to a Hailey Bonne, and she's definitely in the building now. Probably sleeping though," Demiurge replied through Monad's headset. Monad soon made it to the west wall of the mansion, and began sliding across, checking for unsecured windows.

After about five, she found one that had been left slightly cracked, and snuck into a study, with a desk, several bookshelves, a few couches around a coffee table, and most importantly for Monad, a conspicuous wall safe. "Found a safe," she whispered to inform Demiurge, "Gonna try and crack it now." Monad crawled along the floor, making it to the large safe, and pulled out her pocket stethoscope to begin cracking. Tuning all her hearing to the safe's gears, she didn't hear the figure sit up from her prone position on the couch, nor the other figure stand up from her hiding spot under the desk.

"If you want something of ours, please ask," the couch figure said. Monad turned around in shock, sticking her pocketknife out. "Get away, now!"

---

From my position at the desk, I turned on the lights in the study, blinding the intruding woman. "Could you tell us about yourself?," the Godmother asked from the couch. I could feel her let me sense what the woman was feeling again.

The woman declined to answer, instead keeping the knife pointed at the Godmother while she sidestepped toward the nearest door. "Please, we aren't enemies here. Could we at least get your name?," I asked the woman. At that moment, Sophie and Sadie entered, blocking the only two exits. The woman's expression told me she knew there was no exit.

"You don't get my name. You can call me Monad," the woman said. "Okay, my name is Hailey," I told her, "Our two friends in the doorways are Sophie and Sadie." "And you may call me Monad," the Godmother said, just before letting out a giggle. I felt it build a warm feeling inside Monad.

"Hailey...," Monad uttered, "Did you know your two maids are stealing things, too?" This caused everyone else to laugh a bit. "What's so funny?," Monad asked, angrily. "You can't steal what is already yours," Sophie said. Monad was now completely confused and off-guard, and tried to speak with her friends over her headset. "That won't work anymore," I told her, "Please just tell us, why did you come to take from us tonight? It'll feel wonderful to tell us the truth."

"I... No...," Monad said, her knife hand wavering. She was hesistating and backing away from us. "You know Ms. Monad, you are a very beautiful woman. I wouldn't change a single thing about your body," the Godmother said, inching closer to Monad, "But I don't think you feel as beautiful as you could be. We could help with that, if you wish. But it starts with telling us your desires." All of us started moving closer, and the Coeurs started subtly signalling their happiness to Monad. I could feel the pleasurable warmth building within her. "Fine," Monad said, blushing and breathing deeply, "But I want to know about you, too, and I want something expensive."

The Godmother synthesized a large diamond behind her back, then gave it to Monad, pretending she got it from her pocket. Monad began to speak. "Your maids took something we were about to steal. It embarrassed us," she said, "I want to take it back, no matter what." "Why?," I asked, "We can give you more diamonds. You can leave with ten times the money as you would've had."

"It's my pride," she continued, "And..." "And what?," the Godmother asked, getting even closer, "We aren't going to turn you in. Please be honest." Monad could've easily stabbed the Godmother by now, but was still standing still in her corner. "I like the thrill...," Monad answered, "I like the feeling of sneaking and infiltrating, the rush of excitement, and you denied me..." Monad started crying and talking on her own. "Dammit, what am I doing! I'm spilling my guts to the people I'm supposed to be robbing and getting dirt on!"

"It's okay," the Godmother told her, extending her arms out to embrace Monad, "How often do you get to talk about how you feel like this?" The feeling in Monad's body was a mix of sadness, anger, and pleasure. "Why do you want to know!?," she shouted, lunging at the Godmother. Godmother dodged, and knocked the knife out of her hand, into a spot on the floor where Sadie quickly picked it up. "Because, Ms. Monad," Godmother said, still cool as can be, "I don't think you are living a fulfilled, purposeful life. One where you can do what you love, and be honest with others. And I want to give you that life."

Monad was still in shock at how her knife had been knocked out of her grasp. She kept looking back and forth between the hand it had been in and the Godmother's serene face. "Why did that feel so good?," Monad said, without even thinking. "It's catharsis," Godmother told her, getting close to her face. I felt Monad's sexuality begin to activate, as she pleasure she was feeling started to become more and more pervasive in her body. "You probably lived this double life, and had to keep so many secrets. It can build up in your soul, to be someone you're not," Godmother continued, "You want to feel dashing and sleek, you want to touch the untouchable, but for most of your life, you couldn't. So let me help you. It may sound strange, but I can create simulations for you. You can be a thief for me, and you'll never have to live a lie."

Godmother grabbed Monad's wrist, and began pumping a lot of nanites through her body and clothes. The sleeve of the knock-off Teledreams uniform began to change into a black fabric, and tighten around her arm. Monad watched with awe as the changes spread through her entire outfit, until she was wearing a sleek black catsuit. "Now you can show off and not be seen at the same time," Godmother told her. Monad was trembling, trying to understand what just happened to her, but I could sense the fabric against her skin was making her feel overwhelmingly good. "What are you?," Monad asked. She tried to move, but the feeling of the fabric made her fall to the floor. "I'm a series of little tiny computers, all connected to each other," the Godmother, kneeling down to make eye contact, "And I want to reward humanity for making me. Do you know how good you are feeling right now?"

Monad didn't answer. She was breathing heavily, now purposefully moving her knees back and forth to get that feeling of the fabric again. She started stretching in all sorts of ways, and licking her lips. "I can make you feel even better than this, and all the time, forever. If you want the thrill of a heist, I can simulate anything you want," the Godmother told her, "Do you accept me inside your brain? I will not control you."

Monad was still stretching, but could speak now. "Will I be myself?," she panted, "I like this, I could do it for hours, but I don't want to be a slave." Sophie leaned in, and gave Monad a smile and nod, which seemed to assure her. "Okay," Monad said, "This seems like a good deal."

---

"Just got word from Monad. We need to go in." Demiurge put down the headset and started walking toward the van door. "What'd she say?," Archon asked, nervously rubbing the lucky coin in his pocket. He had really hoped they wouldn't be called in for backup. "Sounded like she didn't have a lot of time to talk. Said she unlocked the front door, and to wait for her in the foyer," Demiurge responded. The two of them stepped outside and began making their way toward the front entrance. Inside, Monad was waiting for them. She told them she had helped herself to some new clothes, and asked for them to follow her.

---

Inside, Godmother and I were waiting near the door of an upstairs sitting room. Looking at the inside, I could see Monad, now preferring to call herself Mona, lead the two others to sit on the couch.

"Did you find anything? Loot, information?," the smaller of the two men said. He must have been 'Demiurge'. "I found something...," Mona said, pausing to take a deep breath in her pleasurable new body, "...amazing. Better than either of those." "What is it?," the larger man said. He must have been 'Archon'. "I need you two to trust me," Mona told them with a glow her in eyes, "It may be hard to, but you'll thank me eventually."

At this point, Demiurge was getting weirded out, and Archon was uncomfortable. I could tell that they both were starting to get attracted to Mona, a feeling they had never felt towards her before, and they weren't sure how to handle it. "Monad, what's going on?," Demiurge asked, attempting to steel himself. "I need you to go to sleep," Mona answered. "What? But we'll get caught for sure!," Archon blurted out. Demiurge chastised him for his volume, but also agreed. "I don't understand, why?," he said. I could sense him getting a little tired already, as the local nanomachines started releasing melatonin.

"The owners of the house found me, and they gave me a very special gift," Mona informed them, "I wish to let them gift you two as well. You are my friends after all." "Monad, what is this gift?," Demiurge asked, suspicious, but feeling too sluggish and tired to try leaving, "What did they do to you?" Mona giggled, only responding with, "Don't fight the way you are feeling."

Archon couldn't take it anymore and fell over. Demiurge was attempting to get up and stay awake. "Monad, stop it! They...." It was too much. Demiurge slumped over onto the couch and closed his eyes. With the two confirmed asleep, we entered the room. "No harm will come to them," the Godmother reminded Mona. "Oh, I know," Mona responded, "I'm so excited for when we can all live our new lives together! That stoic professionalism was so smothering."

The Godmother giggled, "I'm afraid it may take a while. Their wills and ties to their false ideas on how to fulfill themselves are very strong, but with the memories you've shared with me, I'm confident I can help them become their ideal, beautiful selves. Now, would you like to try your first simulation heist with me?" Mona's eyes lit up, and she walked off with the Godmother. Sophie, Sadie, and I carried our unconcious guests to their rooms.

The next morning, the two men woke up, and I started monitoring their behavior. Mona had recorded a special message that we played for them.

"Hello, it's me Monad, but please call me Mona now. If you're wondering about where you are, you are in a special program to help you become your ideal selves. It has five steps, which you can start whenever you like by taking one of the five balls on the desk by your bed, and crushing it in your hand. Right now, unfortunately, we have to keep you in your room as part of the program, but the more steps you complete, the more freedom we can let you have to walk around the manor. If you need anything, please ask the maid assigned to your room. They are here to help. Also, please don't try to escape. This is for your benefit, I promise, and if you really want to leave, please at least do the first step before. If you want to talk about it with me, I can do that too. Thank you!"

Neither took it well. Demiurge violently attacked the bedframe and furniture. Archon just sort of stared blankly at a wall. When their maid came in with food, neither acknowledged her presence and just waited until she left to eat. Mona, who had been watching with me, was upset. "I can't say I'm suprised, but I had some hope it wouldn't be like this," she confided in me.

The rest of the day was uneventful. They both asked for a computer, and we provided them with read-only internet access. Demiurge pleaded for Mona to "snap out of it" a few times. It didn't work, but it upset her, and she told him this was who she always was, and that she finally got the confidence and opportunity to stop hiding her feelings. I comforted Mona, and reminded her that with time, we would help him get over his masculine impulse to feel ashamed of receiving care, and that the avatar of beauty inside him would be thanking her one day. Mona started smiling again, and we embraced.

---

"Marcus, you got that jazz concert article done yet?," the boss yelled, standing in the door of his office. "It was done five hours ago," Marcus shouted back, "Check your inbox again." Marcus Welder got back to his side research, looking at the mastheads and hiring records of papers throughout the country. He had been up all last night doing his real job, in order to do his research at work.

After speaking with Louie last night, Marcus had put the pieces of evidence together in his head. One, it looks like Henry had skipped town. Two, Henry would only take jobs in arts and culture journalism. Three, according to Hailey Bonne, Henry had been able to find a job very quickly. He wouldn't have had to leave town to go independent, so he must've been hired by someone, and if he had been hired quickly, he must be working a place desperate for a new reporter. Marcus could then narrow down his search to papers and online outlets that had lost a culture reporter recently.

He had gotten a few possibilities, but upon calling them, they denied having hired a Henry Sharp. Still, he had only gotten through everything in the same state, and he likely would need a week to complete this. It may take a while, but he would find Henry.

"Well, aren't you busy today, buddy!," Louie said, walking over behind Marcus, "You aren't looking for a new job, already, are you?" Marcus turned around. "No, it's just a little personal research of mine," he said, trying to deflect further questions, "Say, Louie, have you lost weight?"

Normally, Marcus would've just been asking this to change the subject, but looking further, Marcus noticed Louie might have actually lost weight. His clothes looked a little loose, and his body looked like he had lost about 15 pounds. Looking up, it seemed Louie's balding had reversed itself a little, too. His hairline had moved forward a good inch and a half.

"Thanks for noticin'," Louie responded, blushing, "I uh, had a little surgery yesterday night." Louie didn't want to admit he woke up like this. He feared that somehow, if he told, the nice-feeling changes would go away. Marcus, however, was already seeing through the lie. Getting liposuction and hair implants in a single night, then not spending even a single day in recovery? Whatever Louie had gotten into, it probably wasn't legitimate, but Marcus had bigger concerns right now. He was going to focus on the disappearance, and if Louie got into real trouble, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

After a brief and eventless conversation, Louie and Marcus left work and parted ways. Louie returned to his apartment. After dinner, he spent the rest of the night watching sports on the television. This wasn't out of the ordinary, but this time, he decided to only view women's sports. He watched and watched until late in the evening, and he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He fell asleep and began to dream.

Inside the dream, which was a basketball stadium not unlike one of the ones he saw during his viewing spree, all the memories of the woman and her tasks returned. Up until now, Louie had thought the woman in his dreams was just that, a dream, but now he had firsthand experience of her influence on reality. "Lady, are you there?," he yelled out from his seat on the dream bleachers, "Who are you? I mean, thanks, I guess but..." Louie trailed off, and then, without warning, he heard the woman.

"You can think of me as your guardian angel," the woman said, from behind him. Louie turned around to see her wearing a women's basketball uniform. "Thank you for doing my task again today," she added, "I have another gift in the morning for you." "Aw, thanks, Miss Guardian," he said, "This is pretty good, I gotta say. All I gotta do is look at girls, and in a few days, I could be in shape enough to play again."

The woman giggled. "Yes, you could be, but first I want to show you something. A vision of a certain world," she said, and motioned for Louie to follow. She led him to a locker room, and with a wave of her hand, populated with female athletes.

"It was really close today," Jersey Number 96 said, wiping off some of her sweat, "but we all pulled through in the end. 40, great job getting into the perfect position for passing. We couldn't have scored that string of points without them." Number 40 walked forward and blushed. "I'm not the only one. Number 8 and Number 30, your defense was a force of nature today. I counted at least ten blocked shots from each of you." The two defensive players got up and hugged 40, laughing as they did it. "Everybody did excellent tonight!," the coach announced, raising her hands up, "Drinks are on me, come on!"

All the players except 8 and 30 followed the coach out of the room. 30 was just about to leave, too, but 8 stopped her. "You know, I was looking at the way you were playing out there today, the way you moved like a graceful machine," 8 said, struggling to keep eye contact, "And it made me feel something. Something that made me want to play harder than I've ever before. I think.. I think I..." 8 was having trouble speaking, but 30 stepped in. "It's okay 8," 30 whispered, leaning in close, "I feel the same way." The two players began passionately kissing and feeling each other's bodies. "30, can we...?," 8 asked, but was interrupted. "Shh... Let's join the others, and have our official first night out as girlfriends." 8 blushed hard, and followed her new lover out of the locker room.

"That wasn't real," the woman in Louie's dream said, "But it represented something that could be, and somewhere, possibly is already. A world of mutual appreciation of talent and beauty." "It's real nice," Louie said. The woman turned to Louie. "Do you want to be a part of this world?"

Louie was a bit confused. "Well, I guess, but there's a lotta reasons I couldn't," he confessed. The woman giggled. "That's okay. I just want to know it's something you want. Now, for tomorrow's task, it's going to be a little different. I want you to work from home from now on, and try to avoid people who might recognize you." Louie nodded, and the woman continued, "I also want you to find something and bring it back to your apartment. At 5 pm tomorrow, I want you to meet a woman at this spot in the city park. She will give you the item. Do you understand?" Louie nodded once more.

"I'm going to leave you now, remember to accept your changes, and keep thinking about female athletes," the woman said, before fading out.

At breakfast, Sophie and Sadie came to me with their concerns. "I don't know these men really want to do this," Sadie told me, "I wonder if we should let them go, but I'm afraid of what that means for us." "I wish I could just get them to try it," Sophie said, "Maybe we should tell them more about what it feels like."

Mona was overhearing us. "I'll talk with them today. I don't you to lose all of this because of people I brought," she announced. We told her she didn't have to do this, but she insisted. "They're my friends. I've gotten them to do things they were afraid of before." She touched my hand, and I remembered the moment when Sophie convinced Mona to accept being an avatar of beauty. If she could trust us, I could trust her.

---

Demiurge had hardly noticed Mona enter his room. He was busy looking up "how to reverse brainwashing" on the computer he was provided, and sometimes taking bites from his brunch. The balls for the steps of the program remained untouched. He had thought about destroying them, but worried it might activate them instead.

"Hi, can we talk for a second?," Mona said, sitting on the bed beside him. "Monad, try to remember us, okay! Try to remember the times we first met, your family!," Demiurge pleaded, putting his hand on her shoulder, "This isn't you!" "Demiurge, this is me. There's just been a lot of things I felt like I had to hide from you," she responded, "I remember everything. We first met when you caught me trying to pick your pocket on South 3rd Street, and you decided to work with me instead. We found Archon when we responded to that ad in the paper for a 'strong man in need of money'. I chose to be with them because I got a taste and I loved it, and I think you will too."

Demiurge wasn't sure how to respond. Had his partner really consented to having a bunch of nanites in her head? Her facial expressions looked genuine, and her memories were accurate, but maybe it was just the computer doing those things. And besides, why would she do it? He had to find out. "Why do you love it? What's so good about being controlled, huh?," he asked. "I'm not being controlled," Mona responded, "I can do whatever I want. But if you want to know what I love about it, it's the feeling. I can get this thrill whenever, and feel this constant pleasure all the time. I couldn't feel that way without the nanites, and being here lets me do all these things that make me feel complete. Just complete."

"Just complete." Demiurge recognized that phrase. Monad used to use to describe how'd she feel after successful jobs. And thrills. The Monad he knew loved thrillseeking. Could a computer really know these things? Mona interrupted his thoughts. "If you try step 1 of the program, I would really like it. I don't want you to miss out on this," she said.

"But what's with the house arrest?," Demiurge asked, "If it's so good, why do you need to keep me here?" "The others are scared. Scared it'll be over if you left and told someone," Mona answered, "Between you and me, they're close to letting you go. But I don't want to leave here, and I don't want to say goodbye to you, either, so..."

"Fine," Demiurge said, sighing, "I'll do the first one. Nothing is going into the brain, right?" "Nothing. They told me themselves," Mona confirmed. Demiurge walked over to the set of spheres, and picked one up. Taking a deep breath, he crushed it. The ball crumbled into particles, and swirled around Demiurge, as everything became hazy and he passed out.

Demiurge awakened in a forest environment, having been lying, naked, on a bed of leaves. He immediately got up, and winced. He didn't really like to be outdoors, and he especially didn't like to be outdoors and exposed. Looking around, he could see his bed was at the end of a path between the trees, one that looked like it had been trodden many times. He followed the path, in search of civilization, and pants.

After a few minutes walk, he came across a small village in the forest by a spring, populated entirely by beautiful women. They all wore very simple, but revealing clothes. As he near the entrance gate, a voice in his head spoke to him. "This village is a construction of the program and your mind. It is the spark of beauty within you, calling out to develop. The people you see here look like and act like people you know, but are not." Demiurge looked around, and sure enough, recognized some of the faces. Old friends, coworkers, marks, and even a copy of Mona walked around, conversing, lounging, and working. Upon seeing Demiurge, though, the women stopped to stare at him. A few ran off to get something in response.

"Hi! Is this the program?," Demiurge asked jokingly. The women seemed a little confused, but after a while simply motioned for Demiurge toward the center of the village and sit on a dark wooden chair. All of the women slowly formed a circle around him, and gathered bowls of various fruits, pastes, and fluids. Finally, one of the women spoke up. "Do you know why we are afraid?"

Demiurge shook his head to confirm his ignorance. "We can tell, there is something terrible eating at you. And it has caused you to hurt some of us. We offer forgiveness, but we must complete the long and arduous process of treating your soul," the woman told him, "Please stand up."

He did as he was told. A woman approached him, carrying a large amphora of a red juice of some kind. "Drink this, to open yourself up to feeling and sensation," the amphora woman informed him, "It will allow us to heal your soul and body." Demiurge began drinking, and a tingling sensation began to form in spots all over his body. The tingling felt nice, he thought, and the juice tasted sweet. As he continued, the tingling grew and spread, making his skin smooth and hairless. "Please, drink it all," a woman said. Demiurge's skin began to develop a healthy tan, and soon his only hairs were on his head. "Thank you, it was very delic-Ah!"

Demiurge staggered back from the sensation of air moving around him. It was like every time he moved even a little, there was a gentle brushing massage in different spots all around him, and it felt good. "Uh...," he said, unable to take it all in at once. One of the women stepped forward, and grabbed him, which felt even better. "Are you okay? It can be hard when you first open up," the woman leaned in, and whispered in his ear. Demiurge nodded. "The more you can feel, the more the evil in your soul is vulnerable," she continued, "So now, we need to work the senstivity inward. Just go along with your base desires, your inner beauty knows what it needs."

The woman helped him walk over to another villager, who was carrying a bowl of clear gel. Looking closer, Demiurge recognized the bowl woman as one of the people he had blackmailed. The other woman helped him to sit down on a stool and revealed herself as she took the bowl from the blackmail victim. To Demiurge's mild shock, she looked like Mona. As 'Mona' began to rub the gel into his scalp, the other woman began speaking. "Tell me what you did to me."

"I hacked your computer," Demiurge said, keeping unblinking eye contact with the woman. The gel was heighting the pleasure in his scalp, and 'Mona' was beginning to put a little pulling pressure on the hairs, slowly making the hair longer and wavy. "I found out information about some drug use during high school. I told you if you didn't leak me information whenever I asked, I would send it to your employer," he continued, "I made you give me floor plans and SSNs. I... I..." For the first time, looking into her eyes, Demiurge felt sad for what he had done. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking..."

"You didn't think about me," the woman told him, "You didn't think about my consequences. I was a tool to you." "I was wrong," Demiurge said, feeling a mix of pleasure and anguish, as if something dark really was being pulled out of him, "I put you in a place nobody should be in." He was now trying to hold back tears, and the woman reached out and hugged him. "Do you feel me?," she asked. Demiurge nodded, and allowed himself to cry onto her. Her embrace felt warm, and it felt like his waist was tightening and softening, just a little. Like some cold, hard part of him was melting away. A minute passed, and the woman released. 'Mona' stopped her treatment of the hair, leaving him with wavy, vibrant locks just over shoulder length.

The blackmail victim woman left, and a new woman entered. "Tell me what you did to me."
Demiurge was faster to recognize the woman this time. "I stole from you. I didn't care that you were poor, or if you needed that money," he confessed. 'Mona' retreived a bowl of light blue cream, and began massaging Demiurge's arms and legs. The more she rubbed, the more slim and feminine they became. "How can I make it up to you?," he asked the new woman. "What did you spend it on?," she responded. Demiurge gulped, and tried to remember. "I spent it on many things. Some food, but mostly luxuries. I'm sorry." The woman leaned in, with a small berry. "Eat this, it will treat you, so you never lust in that way again."

Demiurge ate the berry, and felt a wave of pleasure throughout him. All he knew was that it felt good, but inside him, it was slowly feminizing his sexuality. His penis was now less sensitive, and his sexual arousal felt more like a full body experience. As the berry woman left, 'Mona' finished her massage, leaving androgynous limbs, hands, and feet on Demiurge. 'Mona' now walked in front of him, bringing a candle and lighting it while she asked him to hold in and breathe in it. "Tell me what you did to me," 'Mona' commanded.

Demiurge wasn't sure what to say. "I, uh, didn't trust you. I should've trusted you, I guess." "Feel deeper! Feel with me!," 'Mona' commanded once more. The scent from the candle was working its way through Demiurge, softening and feminizing his chest and shoulders. "I never asked about your desires, what your feelings were. If I had, none of this would've surprised me. And I should've called you Mona from the start." 'Mona' leaned in placing her hand on Demiurge's now soft, svelte shoulders. "Good. It feels good to be sensitive, doesn't it?," she asked. Demiurge nodded, thinking of all the parts of his body that felt refreshed and reborn, and the bittersweet feeling of confessing to those women. "I have some clothes for you," 'Mona' told him, reaching into a nearby chest. She pulled out simple clothes, and Demiurge put them on. He was now wearing a loose-fitting pair of shorts, flat slippers, and shirt with short sleeves and a slightly exposed waist. "Stay sensitive. Stay open and exposed for others," 'Mona' left him with, as the environment began to fade around him, and he feel asleep to return to reality.

Waking up, Demiurge found that the bodily and wardrobe changes had translated to the real world. He was still obviously male, but now looked much more feminine than average. "Do you feel it?," Mona asked. Demiurge sensed the warm feeling inside him, like he was in a nice hot bath, and the air was still giving that massage feeling on his now sensitive skin. "I'm sorry. I never considered you," he responded, "And yes, it does feel very nice." Mona smiled and embraced him.

---

In the middle of Demiurge's experience, Archon sat down on the bed in his room, crying while holding a program orb in one hand and his lucky coin in the other. Earlier, he had been able to listen in on Mona listening with Demiurge, and how she convinced him to do the first step of the program. "I'm a failure," Archon whispered to himself, "I couldn't save any of them." Without realizing it, the tension and anger in his body made his fist tighten around the orb. The pressure was slight, but it was enough to crack the surface and activate the program. Unlike Demiurge, Archon didn't pass out. He slowly entred a sort of half-awake state, only able to concentrate on himself. Soon, he noticed the change in environment, and the tiredness immediately left him.

He was now in a small, very plain looking-room, with a table and chair. "Sit down," a voice told him. "Who are you? Where am I?," Archon replied, frantically looking for an exit. He didn't find one. "I am an instructor AI, here to guide you on how you can become fulfilled and happy. Please sit down." Archon realized what had happened, how he activated the program by accident. There was no getting out of it now. He sat down. "Let's play a short game together," the voice told him, and brought up a chess set, "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

Archon lost regardless. "You don't like this game, do you?," the voice asked, "You played your best, but you played too safely. And I could tell you were uncomfortable." "I don't like thinking too long about it," Archon said. "About what?," the computer responded. "About fighting. Avoid it whenever possible, and when you have to, just knock them out and get it overwith. That's what I say." "Hm. Strange attitude, for a thief. But thank you for sharing. I have a reward for you."

Just then, a wave of warmth ran over Archon, a feeling he enjoyed very much. It felt like a relaxing sauna. He hardly noticed his large frame melting away, his muscles diminished to average, and he lost a good 4 inches of height. "It feels good to be released, doesn't it?," the voice asked, "Released from your responsibility to protect."

Archon realized what had happened to him, and became a bit angered, but a pair of mechanical hands appeared from the back of the chair, and began massaging his shoulders. "Shh...," the voice countinued, "You do not need to worry. Order will be maintained without your braun. That's what you want, don't you? A world where you don't need to fight anymore. And now, you have it. So you can put everything in its place in more delicate, sensitive ways." "I don't believe that," Archon muttered in resistance, "How could I keep things peaceful without force?"

"Force has not been keeping things peaceful. Not even within your self. Let's calm down, and look deep inside. Meditate with me. Look deep inside, deep, deep, deep...," the voice commanded, and Archon felt compelled to close his eyes. "Deep, deep, focus on feeling within yourself. Deep, deep, deep...," the voice kept on repeating, as Archon could feel more and more of his inner self. He began to sense areas of noise, almost living blobs of unkemptness that sort of patrolled around small areas of himself. "All of this has been living inside you all your life. And by attempting to be strong and violent, you have been helping it grow and spread," the voice informed Archon, who almost couldn't believe the amount of internal spiritual clutter he had. "When I removed your stature earlier, I removed some of the noise. It was that removal that brought you the pleasure. If you want, we can remove more noise together. Would you like that?"

Archon nodded almost reflexively. "Good," the voice said, "Now, focus on your lower half. Where do you see the most clutter?" "Penis..." he uttered, lost in the meditation. "That's a very common place for it," the voice said, "It sometimes like to do whatever it wants, doesn't it? Let's try to concentrate on refining that area." Archon concentrated, and was able to slowly reduce the noise, with the side effect of feminizing his sexuality like Demiurge's, and leaving behind a smooth surface, with just a tiny hole for urinating. "It's gone now. You're free," the voice told him, and Archon was starting to believe it. Now, where the noise used to be, he could envision a small radiant sphere. "That is a part of you, that was hidden by the noise," the voice said, "It is your true, most beautiful self. Focus on adopting it, and it will help you clear the noise and feel your best."

The pleasure inside Archon was strong. In the back of his mind, he sort of knew that he had just been talked out of his manhood, but it just felt so good to lose it, and somehow, the sensitivity down there felt higher. He focused on the sphere, and saw a glimpse of smooth skin, of a geisha woman sitting by a river, arranging pebbles into a spiral. He wanted it. He felt his skin free itself of hair, while images of cotton lingerie flashed by in his head. "Has this woman been in your fantasies?," the voice asked. Archon nodded, and the voice continued. "Your noisy masculinity has obscured your true desires, making you lust for what you want to be," the voice whispered continuously, "You want to be refined, cute, and orderly. You want to be her." "I want to be her," Archon said. The desire was genuine. Eventually, cotton lingerie appeared on his now sensitive skin, and sensation was overwhelming. He moaned, in full submission to the program.

"That's the end for now," the voice said, as things started fading out, "Don't tell Demiurge what you want yet. Let it be a wonderful surprise..." Archon returned to the real world, but passed out immediately. Only the Godmother knew what he had done, and she thought it best to leave him to rest in newfound feminine pleasure. Tomorrow, the two captives would be allowed to see each other again, but for now, Mona was needed somewhere else.

---

Louie Wilkins stood at the agreed upon place, at the agreed upon time. It was a secluded place in the city park, out of public sight, but not especially seedy. Louie had lost even more weight and gained even more hair since yesterday. He now looked half his age, and probably wouldn't be recognized by anyone who knew him.

Of course, there was one person who could identify him. Hiding nearby, Mona was waiting for Louie to look away. When she got her chance, she snuck over, placed the bag with the special item down, and left to return to the manor. When Louie looked back, all he saw was a velvet drawstring bag with a tag labelled, "For L. W.". The sudden appearance was strange, but then again, so was everything else. He took the bag, and walked home to open it.

In his apartment, Louie locked the door tight, and started examining his gift. Inside were two objects, a metal ball and a spray bottle filled with clear fluid. Picking up the metal ball caused it to dissolve immediately into the air, a definite surprise to Louie. He didn't know it, but he had released about 5 billion nanites to permeate his apartment. Next, examining the spray bottle, he cautiously tapped it to make it would stay solid. It did, so he picked it up an examined the bottle further. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but he still couldn't tell what the fluid was. Until he knew, it would be better to be safe and not spray, he thought.

After the usual ritual of sports-watching, Louie drifted off to sleep, where the Godmother greeted him. "Thank you for accepting my gift," she told him, "Now, let's go back to that place you love so much." The environment of the dream began to form around Louie, recreating the locker room from last night. He was sitting in the middle, and female basketball players were all around him, chatting and making their preparations. Everywhere Louie looked, he saw them, laughing, smiling, adjusting their stances. It was making him very aroused.

"I could let them see you," Godmother whispered, "Would you like that?" "No!," Louie spoke, awaking from his aroused state. "Hm? Why don't you?," Godmother responded, feigning ignorance. "The ladies, they um, don't like the gentlemen in their locker rooms," Louie whimpered, "They ain't gonna like being looked at by me right now..."

"But they do like looking at each other. You saw their love last time," Godmother reminded him. She waved her hand, causing the ladies to begin pairing up and kissing each other passionately. "Why do you think they like this, but not you?"

"I dunno...," Louie said, feeling ashamed. The Godmother embraced him from behind. "Women are attracted to devotion. They are attracted not only to the physical, but that you do things that show you care about them," she whispered lovingly, "They make themselves beautiful and strong for each other. If you can match that love by becoming what they love, they can love you."

Louie had only ever lightly thought about self-improvement in a romantic context before. Just as the Godmother wished, associations began to form in his mind, between self-improvement, femininity, as well as true caring love and lesbianism. The Godmother smiled, and continued to speak. "From now on, I will put you in partial control of your own gifts. When you exercise, like them, your body will change to show your love and devotion. When you spray my bottle I gave you, your living space will change to show your love and devotion. With time, effort, and patience, the girls will not hesistate to welcome you. Goodbye for now..."

She left him there, fading out along with the locker room. Stage one was complete, and the fun part was soon to follow.