HeTrOS Daily Transformation Report, August 29th, 2042:

Subject: 5cb531d4-3d90-48e7-9d63-72d8e29d78a7 (herein after "78a7"), aka Jason Davis.

Target Identity: Vaelith Dawnscale

Transformation Progress: 50% integration threshold reached.

Physical Adjustments:

Height: Decreased by six inches. Anthropometric recalibration remains within predicted variance thresholds.

Weight: Reduced by thirty-five pounds. Structural redistribution reinforcing lower body centre of gravity in anticipation of continued morphogenic adaptation.

Hair: Length increased by eight inches. Curl pattern suppression at 83% completion. Pigment transition in final intermediary phase—existing follicles at 42, 44, 54, 9. Newly synthesised growth adheres to target identity spectrum of 25, 20, 20, 0.

Muscle Mass: Reduction and reconfiguration ongoing. Skeletal musculature realigning to support modified balance and locomotion paradigms.

Skin Colour: Progressive melanin depletion nearing completion. Current pigmentation: 7, 16, 39, 0.

Eye Colour: Chromatic adjustment phase progressing—current iris saturation shifting toward target spectrum, resulting in Dark Orchid appearance (58, 95, 28, 12). Limbal ring contrast enhancement at 92%.

Laryngeal Shift: Vocal tract resonance profile approaching target harmonics. Vocal fold tensioning and frequency range almost reached biologically congruent registers.

Endocrine Modulation: Androgen suppression sequence completed. First signs of oestrogenic expression detected—hormonal convergence projected within standard adaptation tolerances.

Distinctive Features:

Dracan Auditory Receptors: Auricular transformation at 100% completion. Legacy human auditory pathways fully supplanted by bio-receptive dracan fin structures. Enhanced vibrational sensitivity detected across expanded frequency ranges.

Dracan Caudal Extension: Proto-tail development achieved. Current length: 6.3 inches. Neural synchronisation at 74%, motor autonomy increasing with each recalibration cycle.

Vestibular System Overhaul: Primary reliance on former semicircular canal equilibrium response reduced to sub-critical levels. Tail-assisted balance recalibrated to 82% operational capacity.

Dermal Reconfiguration: 5% of epidermal layers successfully converted to target identity's golden-scaled pattern. Strategic emergence prioritising areas subjected to mechanical stress.

Psychological Stability: Notable decrease in dissociative feedback loops observed. Emotional distress signals significantly reduced due to absence of secrecy as a stressor. Positive integration markers detected, correlating with increased social validation and support from 78a7's life partner, Lisa. Subject displays heightened cognitive flexibility regarding self-perception—tentative identity convergence forming.

Recommended measure:

- Monitor vestibular recalibration. Further adjustments may be necessary as target gains experience with her tail-based balance systems.

- Maintain transformation rate. NOTE || See? I knew you'd come around, mirror of mine! No more hiding, no more doubts. Just light. — #SysAdminLuxoria

Friday, August 29th, 2042, Residence of the Davis family, Newport, Bellevue, Washington.

Jason surfaced from sleep with a slow inhale, feeling the weight of someone's gaze before he even cracked his eyes open. The room was dim—early morning, maybe—but something in the air was different.

Lisa was awake, watching him, and he recognised the feeling instantly. He knew the weight of her thoughts when she lay beside him, awake before him, silent but present, her mind always working through something before saying anything.

Today, however, was different. Because he could tell he was different. By just how much, he did not know yet. A little part of him lamented the fact she saw him before he did. A larger part, however, was actually glad he did not have to face this alone.

Jason swallowed hard, the silence of the room amplifying the sound, and slowly blinked away the last vestiges of sleep. The world came into focus in pieces: the soft light filtering through the curtains, the familiar ceiling, the warmth of Lisa's body next to his, the gentle pull of the covers over his shoulders. And Lisa herself—her face inches from his, propped on one elbow, eyes scanning him in the stillness.

She was close. Very close, but not close enough for contact. But with Jason's body in a state he could only imagine? This still felt a little too close, as he feared her touch could shatter the moment.

He took another breath, steeling himself, then murmured, "How bad?"

Instantly, he winced. This was not his voice. It was a young woman's voice. Not quite Vaelith's yet, but there was not a single part of Jason's old register left.

Jason had bigger things to worry about than the sound of his voice. How would Lisa react? This moment right now? This was probably going to be the most important minute of their shared lives.

Lisa did not flinch or even look surprised. He figured she had been waiting for him to wake up and ask this very question. Her lips parted slightly, then pressed into a thin line. "It's… different."

Jason let that sit between them for a moment before shifting onto his back. Immediately, he felt it—the way the sheets brushed against his skin differently, the weight of his body in the bed unfamiliar again. His tail, suddenly compressed, complained and twitched reflexively beneath the covers, the sensation somewhere between foreign and familiar.

That's going to be my new normal, I suppose.

Lisa exhaled through her nose, slow and measured. "You look younger."

Jason blinked at the ceiling, then tilted his head sideways, just enough to see the truth in her eyes. "Yeah?"

Lisa finally moved, shifting until she was sitting up beside him. It put her fully above him, taller than him for the first time since they had known each other. She had never been short—but he had always been the taller one. Had always been bigger. Now? Not so much.

"And then there's…." Lisa hesitated, then reached out and brushed the edge of his hair between her fingers. The strand caught the morning light—silver, unmistakable.

Jason focused on his wife's facial expression.

"I woke up and thought someone else—" She stopped, exhaled, started again. "For a second, I didn't recognise you."

He swallowed.

"—Not because I didn't know it was you," she added quickly, as if she needed to clarify. "But yesterday, well, you were still recognisable. Mostly the old you."

Jason shifted, sitting up slightly. The bed felt wrong under him. The way he moved felt wrong—it was neither the misery of Jason's body nor the joy of Vaelith's. Everything was off about it. His weight distribution, the length of his limbs, the way his tail made him instinctively try to adjust his balance when he sat up too fast.

He felt her watching him absorb that. Watching him process it the way she had been doing for the past hour while he slept. Finally, she murmured, "You're shorter than me now."

Jason exhaled through his nose, an almost-laugh. "Noticed that, huh?"

Lisa's lips twitched, but not into a smile. "It's not just that."

Jason nodded. He already knew. His fingers flexed against the sheets before he finally forced himself to move, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. The room felt bigger, but—thanks goodness—things were not quite as disorienting as yesterday.

No nausea is a clear improvement.

He sat there for a second, letting Lisa take in the full scope of it. The way his frame had changed. His now lean arms. The fact that, beneath the now loose-fitting t-shirt he had worn to bed, budding breasts pressed against the fabric. Lisa seemed to catch every detail and take them all in. The shift in his balance. The finer details of his face.

Jason swallowed. "How long were you awake?"

Lisa hesitated before answering. "An hour. Maybe more."

His throat tightened. "You didn't wake me up…"

"Sorry." Lisa exhaled. "I nearly did. But I wanted to think."

He turned to face her fully; she was still studying him—not just the changes, but trying to understand what it meant for them. For him, and their marriage.

Lisa did not panic easily. She was methodical, logical, the type to hold off on reacting until she had enough data to work with. That was why she had stayed in bed, watching, rather than immediately shaking him awake. She had needed time to think and process her own feelings.

Jason felt something uncomfortable knot in his chest. "Are you…" He trailed off, unsure how to ask what he needed to ask.

Lisa must have understood what he had wanted to ask. "As you can see, I'm still here," she said.

The knot loosened slightly.

"I don't know what this means yet," she admitted, rubbing a thumb against the inside of her palm. "For you. For us."

Jason nodded. "Me neither."

Lisa studied him a moment longer, then finally—finally—reached out, resting her hand against his knee.

"You're not going through this alone," she said quietly.

Jason let out a slow, unsteady breath. He turned his hand palm-up against his thigh, an invitation. Lisa hesitated, then laced her fingers through his, squeezing gently.

Jason closed his eyes, and they sat still, like that, for a long time.

He was not quite ready to stand and go face the mirror. So he swallowed and, looking up at Lisa—which still felt surreal—asked, "So... tell me. What do you see?"

Lisa took a moment to ponder on her answer. With her other hand, her fingers flexed against his knee, like she was turning the question over in her mind, weighing her words before she spoke.

Jason swallowed again, waiting.

What do I even expect her to say? Something clinical, something reassuring, or something detached enough that it wouldn't feel real?

Lisa exhaled through her nose, slow and steady. Her gaze swept over him—not just at the obvious changes, but at him, the person beneath them. "…You look like a young woman-version of you. Like what your sister could have looked like, if you had one," she said finally. "Well, except for all the non-human bits."

Jason's throat tightened.

Lisa let go of his knee and reached for his hand instead, turning it over in hers. His fingers were slimmer now, the bones more delicate beneath her touch. Not quite Vaelith's hands—not yet—but far from what they had been mere days ago.

He noticed his wedding band was now loose, and the discovery nearly broke his heart. The ring felt colder now, like it no longer belonged. Still, he hesitated before slipping it off and delicately placed it on his nightstand, afraid he might otherwise lose it somewhere. Afraid of how this could be an omen of things to come.

Lisa's thumb ghosted over the area where the ring had been before she gently shifted her grip, looking at his arm next. "You've lost more muscle. You're… leaner. Lighter." Her fingers traced along the inside of his wrist, feeling the finer tendons beneath the skin. "Your proportions are shifting."

Jason inhaled sharply as her touch moved to his forearm, where faint patches of golden scales were just beginning to emerge. Some had surfaced, but more remained hidden—more like a shimmer beneath the skin, catching the light at certain angles. Lisa's fingers lingered there, her thumb brushing over the subtle difference in texture.

"I've got scales," Jason murmured, watching her expression.

Lisa nodded. "Yeah."

He could tell she wanted to say more. Could tell her doctor-brain was working through a million different thoughts, cataloging, analysing, processing. But she was still looking at him. Not as a freak, or a specimen. She was still trying to figure out how everything still fit.

Jason shifted, exhaling shakily. "Go on."

Lisa met his gaze. She hesitated, then let her eyes trace the shape of his face. "Your cheekbones are more pronounced now. Jawline has softened. Somewhere around androgynous, caught between sharpness and elegance. Not a trace of facial hair. Your skin is paler. Fuller lips, nose just a little more refined."

But then she locked on his eyes. Lisa frowned slightly, leaning in. "Your irises changed. They're darker."

Jason blinked. "Darker?"

Lisa nodded. "And less brown. More purple… Looks like orchid?"

Jason's stomach twisted. He was not a spiritual person, so his eye changing colour did not mean anything was happening to his soul. But for some reason, the eye colour change felt like a violation of who he was.

Of course, they're changing.

Vaelith has amethyst eyes, like Luxoria. He was transforming into her, piece by piece. His features were drifting toward Vaelith's. Right now, he stood in some liminal state, right in between the two.

Lisa tilted her head, watching his reaction carefully. "Your ears are different, too."

Jason instinctively twitched at the mention. He had avoided thinking about them until now.

Lisa exhaled softly and smiled gently. "And they move now."

Jason winced. "Yes, they do…"

Lisa's lips pressed together, then she gently reached up, her fingers brushing against the new, fin-like structures on the sides of his head. They were still delicate, still not quite fully formed, but they responded to her touch—twitching away, shifting in a way that felt both automatic and eerily precise.

Jason clenched his jaw, and Lisa let her hand drop as soon as she noticed. She looked at him seriously. "I can see it all at once now. But I think what actually caught me off guard—"

She hesitated.

Jason swallowed. "What?"

Lisa met his gaze, her face solemn and serious. "You're already so different—"

The words hit harder than he expected. Jason's chest ached. He looked away, breathing slowly, steadying himself against the wave of emotion that threatened to rise. Lisa's hand was still there, still warm against his wrist.

"—but I can still see you everywhere I look," she added.

Jason closed his eyes. A moment passed, then he exhaled, low and steady. "…Okay," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Lisa squeezed his hand. "Okay."

Jason still was not ready yet. Not ready to stand up, face reality. He huffed out a weak, bitter laugh, running a hand through his too-long, too-silver hair. His hair. "That bad, huh?" he murmured.

Lisa exhaled. "It's not bad, Jae. How can I say… You look like a different person, but I can still recognise everything that makes you 'you'."

Jason glanced up at her. It was not just the height difference that bothered him. He had lost mass. Presence. He felt like he was taking far less space than he once occupied.

Lisa studied him for another long moment, then said, almost absently, "With how younger you're already looking, if people see us walking together, they might think you're my daughter."

Daughter. The word stuck, unwanted. Jason's stomach did something complicated at that.

It wasn't wrong, was it? Just… not right.

Lisa rubbed at her temple, muttering, "If I had a silver-haired, golden-scaled daughter with fins for ears."

When all is said and done, is that how she sees me now?

He needed to change the topic. "And a tail," Jason added dryly, flicking said tail where it lay curled awkwardly behind him.

Lisa's lips quirked, barely. "... And a tail."

Jason swallowed, looking down at his new, slimmer hands. He flexed them, trying to ignore the way they were both too delicate and not delicate enough, all at once.

Lisa shifted beside him. "You doing okay, Jae?"

Jason let out a slow breath. "I don't know."

Lisa squeezed his wrist lightly. "Do you want to see for yourself?"

Jason knew what she meant. He could feel the mirror waiting for him across the room, its presence lingering in his awareness like a held breath.

Am I ready for that?

Jason licked his lips, forcing himself to answer honestly. "No," he admitted.

Lisa nodded, like she had expected that.

Jason exhaled sharply. "—But I guess I have to, don't I?"

Lisa squeezed his hand again. "Whenever you're ready."

He swallowed. Then, after a long moment, he let Lisa help him up.

Jason swayed slightly as he stood, his centre of gravity shifting in ways that required concentration and effort to maintain. His tail flicked instinctively, trying to correct his balance, but it over-corrected, making him stumble half a step before she caught his arm. He breathed through it. Focused on the feel of her steadying grip. Focused on her, the one constant in all of this.

I'm now about half a foot shorter than Lisa.

He let the number settle, tried to absorb it like some distant statistic, something else than his own body. His hair slipped over his shoulder, catching in the dim light. It now reached past his armpits. Long, silver, alien. Not only was the length different—it was Vaelith's hair now. Silky, straight, smooth, unmistakably not Jason's.

The worst part? He still had such a long way to go.

Vaelith's still eight inches shorter than I am.

Jason swallowed, the weight of inevitability pressing down on his chest. What would tomorrow look like?

There was very little of Jason left to lose anymore. From here on out, it was no longer about losing parts of himself. It was about fully growing into hers. Becoming Vaelith.

Today I'm neither my old nor new self. How about going by a portmanteau name for today? Vaeson? Nah, that sounds dumb. What about Jaelith? That's better. And Lisa keeps calling me Jae, so this works.

So Jaelith hesitated before looking up, but then caught the merest hint of his reflection—

His mind got stuck on which pronoun to use. Was it his reflection? Or perhaps their reflection?

It's her, in-game. Soon, it'll be her, here as well. No point in delaying things just one more day.

Lisa's hands were firm on her shoulders, grounding, steady, the warmth of her touch keeping her from floating away in the tide of her own body's betrayal.

Nope. Not ready. Definitely not ready.

Jaelith forced herself to lift her head. The reflection staring back at her matched perfectly how Lisa had described her. Not really Vaelith yet. Not Jason anymore at all. The figure in the mirror had child-like qualities.

Shorter than Lisa by a full half-foot now, and narrower too. Her shirt hung loose, threatening to slip off her shoulders, sleeves extending past elbows far too slim and delicate. Her face—

My face…

Jaelith sucked in a breath, sharp and uneven.

It's exactly like Lisa described.

Cheekbones, jaw, lips, eyes? All far past the point she had imagined she would wake up as. She held her gaze locked onto her own reflection like a deer caught in headlights. She reached up with one hand, fingers trembling as they traced the edges of her face. Her ears twitched in response, shifting some of her hair away.

The motion sent a ripple of cold through her spine. She then corrected herself. Those were not ears—not human ears—anymore. She had fins, and they were sleek and impossibly sensitive.

Her tail moved behind her, brushing against the back of her calves, causing her throat to tighten.

Her long, flowing hair held her captive. Not short, dark, practical or unremarkable. Silver, smooth, flowing, reaching past her shoulder blades. A weight she was only partially used to, thanks to her time spent in Vaelith's world. Her hair pulled against her scalp in subtle ways with every shift of her body. This change alone made her impossible to recognise and gave her a silhouette that screamed femininity.

Nobody seeing me would ever think I was a man only two days ago.

As for her scales? Most were still hiding, shimmers where skin should have been, just the first faint signs of a reality they were barely keeping at bay. But some had surfaced. They were there, their gold sheen unmistakable.

Jaelith clenched her hands into fists. She had changed so much. But she still had so much change left.

This was the middle point; She was still too tall, too human. Still too much Jason to be Vaelith. But everything would be over soon.

Lisa's voice was soft behind her. "You're still here."

Except, I'm not Jason. Not anymore.

Jaelith swallowed. She kept staring at her reflection, unblinking, unsteady.

"No need to rush anywhere today, Jae, honey. I'll write a note for work," Lisa said softly behind her. "I have the authority, you know. No need to parade you at the hospital."

The words landed like a lifeline, an escape route from the looming inevitability of stepping outside, of trying to pretend like she could still pass as Jason Davis, middle school teacher.

But she already sees me as Jae now. She, too, knows I'm not Jason anymore.

A shaky breath left Jaelith's lips. "Yeah," she murmured. "That's… probably for the best."

Lisa squeezed her shoulder gently. "You need time."

Jaelith swallowed. Time?

Time for what? Time to stop shrinking, to accept how my body isn't my own anymore? Will Time help me figure out what it even meant to still be Jason when every glance in the mirror contradicts me?

Lisa stood behind her, solid and present. She did not tell her it would be okay. Just remained with her.

Jaelith exhaled, forcing herself to break eye contact with her reflection. "Thanks," she whispered.

Lisa nodded. "Come on. Let's get you some breakfast."

Jaelith rubbed her temple, still trying to process everything, still feeling the phantom weight of the mirror's reflection pressing against her mind. She glanced at Lisa. "What will you say on the note?"

Lisa hummed, thoughtful. "I'm sure we can find a sufficiently scientific-sounding term for spontaneous metamorphosis that'll get them nodding, baffled, and pretending they understood what it says." A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "Why don't we workshop something together?"

Jaelith let out a breath—half a laugh, half a sigh. It would not keep her distracted for long, but at least it was something solid to hold on to. "Alright," she murmured, pressing her fingers against her forehead, still adjusting to the sound of her own voice. "So… something dense, clinical, and just obscure enough that nobody asks questions?"

Lisa nodded. "Exactly."

Jaelith crossed her arms, tail curling slightly against her leg as she thought. "What about… Acute Post-Adaptive Phenotypic Expression Syndrome?"

Lisa's eyebrows lifted. "Strong start. But we could go harder."

Jaelith's lips twitched. "Idiopathic Endocrine-Induced Morphological Transition?"

Lisa tilted her head, considering. "Progressive Somatic Dysmorphogenesis with Novel Vestibular Integration?"

Jaelith snorted. "That sounds like a paper no one wants to read."

Lisa grinned. "That's the goal."

Jaelith exhaled, shaking her head. "God. I can't believe this is what my life is now. We're literally workshopping a medical excuse for turning into a dragon girl."

Lisa patted her shoulder. "Hey, at least you'll have a sick diagnosis code for it. Maybe we can get insurance to cover it."

Insurance? No way. They'd shirk responsibility straight to the act of God clause.

The thought actually made Jaelith laugh. A short, tired sound, but real.

Does video-game gods qualify?

Lisa's expression softened. "We'll figure it out, Jae."

Jaelith swallowed. "Yeah. One baffling medical note at a time."

Lisa pressed a finger against her lips. "Hmm. Maybe I can add a note about it being contagious. Could help if they checked all your colleagues for symptoms."

Jaelith snorted so hard she nearly choked. "Lisa, no."

Lisa grinned, tapping at her phone as if she were actually considering it. "What? I'm just saying, if we add a mild quarantine warning, they might be too scared to question anything."

"Yeah, and then the entire school goes on high alert for Spontaneous Morphological Transition Syndrome," Jaelith muttered, rubbing her face. "Next thing we know, some poor teacher who lost a few pounds over the summer is getting sent home for 'precautionary monitoring.'"

Lisa pursed her lips in mock thoughtfulness. "Hmmm. Good point. But I could phrase it as highly individualised and non-communicable to sound more official."

Jaelith gave her a tired glare.

Lisa smirked. "Fine, fine. But I am putting 'Doctor's orders: plenty of liquids, confinement, and bedrest.'"

Jaelith groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "Great. Now I sound like I have the medieval wasting sickness."

Lisa patted her back sympathetically. "To be fair, you are withering away into a smaller, shinier version of yourself."

Jaelith groaned louder. "I hate that you're right."

Lisa just grinned. "That's why you married me."

Jaelith sighed. "Yeah. That and the fact that you're way too good at making up convincing medical excuses for my absurd reality."

Lisa winked. "Like you said: One baffling diagnosis at a time, babe."

Lisa's expression softened, the teasing edge in her smile fading just a little. Her hand, still resting against Jaelith's back, gave a slow, reassuring rub.

"So… In sickness or in health?" she prompted gently.

Ah, so we're here now? Talking about what this means about our marriage?

Jaelith swallowed. "Yeah. This… sorta pushes all expectations beyond the usual meaning." Her fingers twisted in the fabric of her oversized shirt, the reality of her own words weighing heavier than she had expected. "But are you? You know—okay? With having a… bride?"

Lisa was quiet for a moment, but she kept her eyes locked on hers. Then she reached forward and tucked a strand of silver hair behind Jaelith's fin—behind the delicate fin-like structure that had replaced what once was normal. The touch sent an involuntary shiver down Jaelith's spine, and for a brief second, she thought she saw something flicker in Lisa's expression—something deep, something considering, something unreadable.

"I—," Lisa hesitated, searching for her words. "I married you," Lisa said simply.

Jaelith's breath caught.

Lisa, I don't deserve you. You're too good for me.

Lisa's hand lingered just a moment longer before she pulled back, giving her space. "Yeah, this isn't exactly what either of us had in mind when we said our vows," she admitted, voice lighter now, thoughtful. "But Jae… I didn't marry you because of a particular height, or body, or whatever chromosomes you had. I married you because you're you."

Jaelith stared at her, throat tightening.

Lisa's lips curved just slightly. "And if 'you' is a little different now? Well… I guess I just have to fall in love with you all over again."

Can you? Do you really think we can…?

Jaelith let out a slow, shaky breath.

Lisa squeezed her hand. "Good thing I've got time."

Jaelith smirked, though it was a little wobbly. "Plenty of time. Two more days at this rate and I'll be back to twenty-one and short enough that you can princess carry me around."

Lisa gave her a long, assessing look. Then, completely deadpan, she said, "I could probably do it already."

Jaelith spluttered. "Excuse me?"

Lisa shrugged. "You've lost a lot of weight. And I am in good shape—I have to move patients between beds at the hospital all the time."

Jaelith crossed her arms, tail flicking in protest. "I'm not that much lighter—" She stopped, thought about it and grimaced. "... Okay, maybe I am."

Lisa grinned. "I know you are."

Jaelith groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "God. This is actually happening. I'm going to be tiny. Just like Vaelith."

Lisa's smirk softened, just a bit. "Yeah."

Jaelith exhaled slowly, eyes flicking to her own reflection again. Then, with forced casualness, she muttered, "So, uh. You would still be okay with carrying me around?"

Lisa blinked. Then she outright laughed. "Oh, absolutely."

Jaelith groaned again, this time more dramatically, but, try as she might, she could not stop the heat rising in her cheeks. "Forget I said anything."

Lisa grinned and bumped her shoulder. "Nope. Too late. You're officially my pocket-sized princess."

Jaelith buried her face in her hands. "Just kill me."

Lisa just leaned in, her voice full of warmth and amusement. "Sorry, babe. Doctor's orders—can't have you do any strenuous activity. Remember: plenty of bedrest."

Jaelith barely had time to register the shift in Lisa's expression before the world suddenly tilted.

"Lisa—!"

Before she could protest further, Lisa had an arm hooked under her knees and another bracing her back, effortlessly lifting her off the ground.

The moment her feet left the floor, Jaelith flailed instinctively, tail flicking in alarm, desperately trying to balance her upright. "Lisa, put me down!"

Unfazed, Lisa just smirked down at her. "Nope."

Jaelith gaped. "You—what the hell?!"

Lisa started walking. Down the hall, then toward the stairs. Casually princess carrying her newly shrunken spouse like it was nothing.

Jaelith kicked her feet uselessly, but Lisa held firm. "Oh my god. This is actually happening."

Lisa chuckled. "Told you I could."

"Lisa. Lisa, no. Stairs. Stairs," Jaelith hissed, clinging to her shoulders as Lisa approached the top step like this was some kind of casual morning workout routine.

Lisa just adjusted her hold and stepped onto the first stair with total confidence. "What? Afraid I'll drop you?"

"Yes?!" Jaelith squeaked.

Lisa gave her a slow, smug grin. "Guess you'll just have to trust me."

Jaelith made a very undignified noise as Lisa effortlessly descended, taking each step smoothly, like carrying an adult-sized dragon girl was something she did every day. By the time they reached the bottom, Jaelith was red-faced and completely defeated.

Lisa, on the other hand, looked entirely too pleased with herself. She finally set Jaelith down in the kitchen on one of the bar stool. Her hands lingered just a little longer than necessary. "See?" she murmured, voice warm, smug, fond. "Told you I could carry my princess."

Jaelith huffed, crossing her arms. "I hate you."

Lisa just smirked, reaching up to tuck a stray silver strand behind Jaelith's ear. "No, you don't."

"As punishment…" Jaelith's tail twitched. She swallowed. "I call dibs on the best snacks first."

Lisa leaned in, voice a teasing whisper. "We'll see about that."

She turned to grab some coffee while Jaelith tried to regain some semblance of dignity. She folded her arms, tail flicking in irritation as she cast a glance around the kitchen, looking for something—anything—to distract herself from the fact she had, indeed, been princess-carried down the stairs like some kind of swooning fantasy heroine.

Her eyes landed on the open pantry and started spotting familiar ingredients. Bags of flour and sugar. Butter. Yeast, baking powder. Salt.

She walked up to the fridge and opened the door. Inside, she immediately spotted the eggs.

Her fingers twitched. "Wait," she murmured, barely realising she had spoken aloud. Her tail flicked again, this time in something closer to excitement. "I can make pastries?"

Lisa paused mid-coffee pour. "Huh?"

Jaelith blinked, a plan solidifying inside her brain.

We have everything I need to make raspberry swirls.

There had been no hesitation or second-guessing at all. This was not memories from her life on Earth. She was not suddenly remembering vague memories of cooking as Jason. Not a fleeting, half-forgotten skill from some random attempt at baking years ago.

This was different. This knowledge came from the skills she had picked up as Vaelith when levelling at the cooking guild under Rorric. As soon as she saw the ingredients, the knowledge clicked into place like muscle memory. The measurements, guild leader's techniques and instructions. The feel of the dough beneath her hands and the precise timing needed to roll, fill, and shape the pastries, so they came out golden and perfect.

Jaelith exhaled sharply, moving before she even realised herself.

Lisa watched, brow lifting in amusement, as Jaelith started pulling things out from the cabinets. "Uh, Jae?"

"I'm making raspberry swirls," Jaelith muttered distractedly, already tying her hair back with practiced ease.

Lisa leaned on the counter. "You know how to bake?"

Jaelith hesitated—just for a second—before answering, "I've learned how in the game… I think…"

Lisa blinked.

Then Jaelith turned, eyes lighting up with something between confusion and genuine excitement. "I'm pretty sure I can do it."

Lisa watched her for a beat longer before a slow grin spread across her face. "Alright," she said, taking a sip of her coffee. "Let's see what you got, chef."

Jaelith was moving on instinct now, hands moving in a blur as she sifted flour, measured sugar, and melted butter like she had done these things hundreds of times before. Her hands moved without really having to think about what she was doing. Vaelith's culinary class had carried over in full, and for the first time since waking up, something about this whole situation actually felt natural. It should have been comforting.

As she worked, Jaelith noticed Lisa did not seem to focus on her baking.

She was watching her. Staring and smiling. "Jae," she said, voice slow, measured, with an unmistakable tone.

Jaelith glanced up, rolling out the dough with sure movements. "Yeah?"

Lisa arched a brow. "Maybe I should go find you something at a thrift store while you handle baking."

Jaelith blinked, confused at why Lisa brought this up now. "Uh, okay? I mean, that's probably a good idea since nothing of mine fits—"

Lisa gave her a pointed look. "Because you keep flashing me your new lady bits, and it's kinda distracting."

Jaelith's brain flatlined.

She froze mid-roll, flour-covered hands hovering uselessly over the dough. It took a solid three seconds before her entire face caught up with the words, heating from the neck up like someone had just cast Fireball on her. "I—I'm—WHAT?!"

Lisa grinned, completely unrepentant. "You're running around my kitchen in nothing but a t-shirt that barely reaches mid-thigh now. It's cute, don't get me wrong, but Jae, babe…" She tilted her head, smirk widening. "I can see everything when you move too fast."

Jaelith squeaked, mortified.

She backed away in panic, and her back bumping into a bag of flour, knocking it sideways.

Lisa stepped back, laughing, as Jaelith scrambled to grab the fallen bag while simultaneously trying to fold herself into a less scandalous position. Her arms crossed instinctively over her chest, even though there was barely anything to hide, and her legs pressed together very tightly.

"Oh my god," Jaelith croaked, voice high and mortified. "Oh my god, I—I didn't realise—"

Lisa leaned on the counter, chin in her palm, eyes sparkling with pure amusement. "Yeah, I figured."

Jaelith opened and closed her mouth, tail flicking wildly, brain frantically trying to reboot.

Lisa smirked. "So. Should I head to the thrift store?"

Jaelith buried her burning face in her hands. "…Yes. Please. Oh my god."

Lisa patted her head fondly, ruffling silver hair between her fingers. "See? You're learning."

Jaelith groaned into her palms. The raspberry swirls were supposed to be perfect and to provide her with some normalcy. But now Jaelith was never going to live this one down.

Still flustered beyond belief, she turned her full focus back to the dough. Baking was safe. Baking made sense. She knew exactly what to do here—measure, mix, roll, shape.

Absolutely no reason to think about Lisa's teasing. Nope. Not at all.

She leaned forward, dusting more flour onto the counter. Her tail swayed absentmindedly, shifting in time with her movements, adjusting her balance as she stretched across the workspace to grab a bowl—

Lisa made a small noise. A tiny, amused hum. Jaelith, still caught up in her recipe, barely registered it.

Flour. Dough. Pastry. Everything's fine.

Lisa sipped her coffee, eyes very focused on her wife. Another flick of the tail. Another stretch.

Which elicited another tiny, mildly strangled noise from Lisa.

Jaelith froze. Her fins twitched, and her skin prickled. Slowly—very slowly—she turned her head, scowling.

Lisa was still leaning on the counter, mug in hand, lips barely pursed. Amused. Considering.

Possibly plotting something devastating.

Jaelith narrowed her eyes. "... What?"

Lisa took a long sip of her coffee before answering. "Nothing!"

Jaelith straightened, tail swishing slightly in irritation. "That was not a 'nothing' noise."

Lisa tilted her head. "Oh, it's nothing. Just—" She waved vaguely at Jaelith. "—you might want to be aware of what your tail is doing."

Jaelith frowned. "What do you—"

And then, finally, it clicked. The way Lisa was looking at her. The angle of her gaze and the specific little smirk that screamed "I could tell you, but I'm having too much fun letting you figure it out yourself."

Her tail shifted and she felt her shirt being pulled. And then she finally realised.

Oh god. OH GOD. NO. Meep!

Her entire body locked up in horror. Hands slammed down onto the counter as she yanked her tail flush against the back of her legs. "OH MY GOD."

Lisa grinned.

Jaelith let out a tiny, strangled noise—somewhere between a squeak and a groan—before immediately twisting away, shoving her entire face into her hands for the umteenth time this morning. "LISA!"

Lisa shrugged, sipping her coffee like she had not just let her partner embarrass herself for a full five minutes. "I mean, I wasn't gonna say anything…"

Jaelith made a muffled scream noise into her palms.

Lisa smirked. "But, you know. If you want, I can add pants to the thrift store shopping list."

Jaelith let out an actual whimper and Lisa cackled.

I hate her. I hate her so much.

God help me, I think I love her more than ever.

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