Holy shit. This is really happening.

This is real.

The thought proved sobering.

Chess clutched the offered shift in her suddenly white-knuckled hands before considering the texture of the cloth.

It felt both silken and somehow stiff, starchy. Not quite the linen of earth. Something new.

She drew it to her nose. Something not quite lavender with an underlying leathery musk. Is it from an animal?

She loosened her grip and ran a fingernail over a faint crack in the immaculately polished redwood wainscoting.

Too real. More than my imagination could account for.

Sighing, she held the garment out to Blair and closed her eyes to the image reflected in the silver-framed three-sided standing mirror. "Could you… just find me some new underthings before I step out to be measured. And bring that contract you mentioned? You're right. I need to be more cautious with these things. It's much safer for me back home and I've got to come to grips with that."

"Of course, my lady."

Chess offered the girl a strained smile before turning back to her reflection as the celestial slipped out.

When the door closed she slumped into the nearby stool.

Her legs trembled. She used her hands to steady them.

She looked back to her reflection.

She wasn’t sure if it was the realization, or the booze responsible for her sudden unsteadiness.

The Chester of old met the new Chess in the glass, really looked at herself for the first time, and let herself feel.

What she found unsettled her. In that, she couldn't make herself feel anything about her new reflection. Just a perfectly normal sense of indifference.

Aren't women supposed to be more self-critical than this? Or is that a prejudice I have?

It all slightly terrified her.

No, Think, she told herself.

Even the realization that she used the female pronouns for herself in her head only garnered general apathy. She didn't feel anything about the change, beyond an underlying Silence of the Lambs I'd-do-me creepiness.

Sans the skinsuit.

As she continued contemplating her reflection her nipples slowly tightened in the chilled room and she flicked one resulting in a flash of pain. A gentle throb that passed quickly.

She wondered if it was normal for lesbians to find themselves sexually attractive or if that was a strange result of the changes Freya had wrought. Without overwriting her previous personality.

Does this mean I'm vain? No, shit, let's not go down this path.

It's probably a Freya thing. She seems a wee bit vain.

She chuckled and shook the thoughts away. Her long naturally thick and wavy auburn hair felt like spun silk caressing her back.

After some further soul searching she did find herself somewhat irked with Freya for how attractive she was, but she acknowledged that she understood why the goddess did it. Attractive people often got away with things easier, and it would open doors.

Plus fertility is kinda Freya's thing.

She lifted one heavy breast and let it drop, then shook her head again.

At least I'm as strong or maybe stronger than I've ever been.

She stood and flexed her butt and had to laugh at the results. She had the perfect amount of body fat in all the right places despite the muscles of a marathon runner.

Just damn.

Mostly she found her new situation vexing. She'd already seen it to a lesser extent with Caldur's men and more so when she went swimming with the village and baron's kids.

I'll have to make a point of wearing my armor when I can. At least it disguises the shape of my body somewhat.

Who am I kidding? My face alone is a bit much for its perfection without quite stepping over the proverbial line into uncanny.

She pulled idly at one delicately pointed ear tip.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Her soulful golden brown eyes below her perfect yet wide eyebrows captivated her for long moments, drowning out the quiet murmur of voices that came through the walls of the building around her.

Something about being a naked woman made her more comfortable than she'd ever been as a man. Maybe no fear of performance anxiety or being badly judged? Freya's meddling? Or just that I know how fucking hot I am?

Chess let the thought pass as unimportant.

She dreaded the first time some man put in a real effort to court her. Amber should help with that at least. Propriety and all that.

At least her sexual preferences hadn't seemed to change. That she could tell. Aside from the strange finding-hands-sexy now thing. Deep down she did admit to finding that creep Graventy handsome. But in the same way, her younger male self could acknowledge a young Brad Pitt was attractive. Maybe it was born of a bit of jealousy? Or pure symmetry.

Her meandering thoughts were thankfully interrupted by Blair's return. The girl held out a pair of long brown cloth strips.

"Uh?" Chess looked at the offerings dubiously.

"I have an ability for that... Just slip them on," Blair said.

Chess mentally shrugged and did as instructed.

Once Chess stood awkwardly holding up her new underthings Blair simply smiled and wiggled a finger. A tight fractal of pink energy spun out from her fingertips and settled into the cloth which quickly shed the extra fabric until they fit Chess snuggly.

"That's a nifty ability. Why not use it for everything?"

"Because it only works on undyed cloth and my ability with it is unrefined. I only unlocked it a week ago," the girl said proudly before slipping back out the door.

Chess took that opportunity to hide her legendary underwear in her vault and retrieve one of her silk sundresses.

She admired the way it hugged her curves and the whimsy of its bottom.

Okay, yeah, I think I'm ready to own this.

Blair returned again a moment later with a sheaf of paper and a quill and ink.

Shit, I need to invent ballpoint pens. It might be pretty easy. In fact.

Chess smiled. "Care to give me a minute of privacy?"

Blair shrugged and turned to the door. "Just call me when you're ready."

Chess stuck her arm into her vault and grabbed a small scrap of dryad wood.

Should be easy.

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As the elven maiden stepped into the changeroom, Percival took the opportunity to study the Countess' personal guard as she stepped out dressed in practical pants and a loose blouse.

He felt it necessary to steady himself once again.

The best word he could conceive of to describe her was peculiar. With a basket full of intimidation. How the young woman could pull off looking beguiling yet terrifying he'd likely never know.

The fact that she evidently survived having her neck cut that deep is only half of it. I wonder if it's some prerequisite for her particular bloodmage class. All in all, she looks like she is suited for her role.

“Your sister seems nice,” Amber said, giving him a sharp tooth grin.

A bit of some sort of bear-kin somewhere in her family tree. Matches the ears, he noted.

"She's the pride of the family. Earned an epic rarity class upon her awakening. She'll replace mother in time," he said, giving her a gracious smile.

Amber studied him for a breath before stating. "You're not jealous."

"We walk different paths. She strengthens the family." Percival shrugged. "Now, hold still, if you don't mind?" He gestured at his waiting spell mandalas.

Amber nodded and held her arms out letting the spell scan her.

A moment later a green three-dimensional image of her popped up in his vision, rife with measurements before with a mental flick he stored it away in his Ledger ability under Countess Stewart. He smiled. "All done."

They waited quietly as his sister slipped in and out of the room a few times before she came out alone and waited with them.

It took another handful of minutes before the Countess emerged muttering, "It's gotta be the ink. I mean the principle is simple."

After a shake of her head, she smiled at Percival, and he took the chance to study her unarmored form. Simply stunning, he thought. Though that's only to be expected from someone of means.

His attention swiftly shifted to her whimsical and airy dress. Somewhere between a common shift and an elven slip dress. It worked perfectly to emphasize her every curve.

He did his best to suppress his anticipation of gaining a new design along with her measurements.

With a smile, he indicated his waiting spell mandalas. "If you'd please."

She shook her head and held out a sheaf of papers. "This first. I went ahead and included a provision for the design of my dress as I've yet to see something quite like it since I arrived."

Amber stepped forward and took the papers from her mistress before Percival had a chance. After reading them over she said, "This is far too little, my lady."

The Countess shrugged and smiled. "This is more your expertise." Indicating her retainer takeover.

Percival swore and girded himself for a hard bargain.

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Chess did her best to keep a pleasant smile plastered on her face as Amber raked Percival over the proverbial coals. Working out a deal that greatly favored them before finally letting him do a proper scan after all four of them signed in duplicate with Amber and Blair acting as witnesses.

Percival ended up paying them after they sold a couple of bolts of silk, some thread, and the right to copy her dress. Chess had to suppress a laugh at the last because she wasn't entirely sure she'd gotten the design right in the first place when she had the muskrats make it.

All told they gained an entire wardrobe, sans footwear, for them both and five smalls for their efforts. Plus the contract forbids him from divulging her measurements, gear, and the pattern for the dress. They knew once they sold a few of the dresses the design would be out, but they wanted the right to be first. Which meant Chess agreed to forgo wearing them in society for a month.

"We will have this ready first thing in the morning," Percival said with a strained smile.

Beside him, his sister practically beamed at her brother's discomfort.

Chess smiled magnanimously and gestured for Amber to lead the way out.

She held her laugh until they were a few doors down. "That was awesome."

Amber matched her grin. "I've been trying to tell you what these things you know are worth. Are you starting to believe me?"

"Yeah, yeah. So Pyth dealer?" Chess redirected.

"Yeah, I'm anxious to shore up my weaknesses." Amber agreed.

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Later that evening Percival slid into a booth across from an old friend and handed him a mead, taking a sip of his own. "So, I met some interesting women today."

"Oh? Do tell."