[coronatiger]

Thoughts on March 23rd

Sulla gave me another dream. A voice asked, “Do you wish to remain as you are, or do you wish to learn more of your true nature?” The question repeated over and over, relentlessly. I woke, drenched in sweat. Olivia lay beside me, which was unusual. We always entwined for sleep. I cursed the man-flesh that had warded her off. It was still there.

I watched Olivia slowly come awake, afraid to touch her, lest she run. A look of disappointment came to her face when she saw me. I wished her good morning and told her of my dream. Olivia reassured me that even if I were stuck as a man, she would still love me. Tension drained away.

Olivia studied, and I practiced. I was still unfamiliar with my new body. When I started getting bored, I tried to seduce Olivia away from her books, but she turned me down. I tried to distract myself with a difficult balancing routine, and it worked for a while. I made another seduction attempt, with a shoulder rub and whispers of my undying love, and Olivia turned and let me kiss her.

While we were resting afterwards, someone knocked on the door. Olivia asked who was out there, since I didn’t dare to raise my voice. It was Ilzo, who wanted to know if things had gone back to normal. “No, they haven’t,” Olivia replied sadly while caressing my well-defined pecs. I didn’t believe I was any stronger as a man, but like Olivia, I missed what had concealed my chest muscles.


Thoughts on March 24th

I was still a man when I woke, and today we would arrive at Glory Harbor! As we approached the port, the captain gathered all the passengers to say goodbye, but I hid in the cabin. When Va’lyndra came knocking, I didn’t respond until she identified herself, and I begged her to get Olivia. Olivia helped me wrap up so I wouldn’t reveal myself to the crew, or anyone else, for that matter. Va’lyndra cruelly insisted on putting on a show, but I gestured “NO!” as frantically as I could.

Olivia suggested finding an inn, and Va’lyndra and Leopold located the best one in the port town. They had only one room available, but it was a “family suite”, so there were enough beds for us all, divided among enough rooms that everyone who needed to, could be private.

Varek, Jusiel and Kallan had also learned what had happened to me, and had overcome the initial shock by now, so we all could gather and discuss what to do about it. I began by saying that I wouldn’t show myself until I had turned back into my old form, but Varek suggested that I pretended to be my own twin brother. Va’lyndra objected, saying it would be risky. Someone might know that I didn’t have a twin brother. We decided I should be my cousin instead, Fabian Vishi.

I needed to acquire a new costume, and Jusiel offered to lend me a set of everyday clothes. I looked strange in my too small women’s clothes. Olivia and I found a seamstress, and described what we wanted. Such a costume had to be made from scratch, and they needed two days to finish it. I offered double pay if they could have it ready by the morning. I realized that as a man, a very handsome man, if I may say so myself, I could perform bare-chested, so I amended my order accordingly. As an afterthought, I bought travel garb too. As this was a high-end establishment, they only had expensive clothes, but it wasn’t as if we couldn’t afford it.

Back at our room, I asked Olivia if we should try those pills she knew… It turned out they were partially dissolved, victims of time and wet weather, so we decided to throw them out. It wasn’t as if I needed them, Olivia said, and explained that they were meant to help men achieve virility. It was clear that I needed no help in that regard. Unfortunately, Olivia had developed a head-ache on the way upstairs, and went to bed fully clothed. I joined her in bed and held around her, but she asked me not to. Broken-hearted, I turned away and fell asleep crying.


Thoughts on March 25th

I had the same dream as two nights ago, but the incessant voice never let me reply, not that I was quite sure what to say. I certainly didn’t want to remain as I was, but neither was I sure I dared to learn more. My evening prayers to Sulla now consisted of me begging to get my own shape back. Olivia apologized for lying yesterday. She hadn’t really had a head-ache, she just wasn’t in the mood for intimacy.

I fetched my new outfit from the seamstress and replaced my saddlebags with slightly larger ones. I was sure to get them waterproofed, even though that wouldn’t be necessary quite yet. Leopold and Va’lyndra asked about travel through the desert between Glory Harbor and Fort Glory, and gathered supplies. While walking through the streets of Glory Harbor, I saw several catfolk, like Kine. They were all branded as slaves. Kine wouldn’t have liked to see that, no, not at all!

There was a broad, well-traveled road that stretched west towards Fort Glory. According to Leopold and Va’lyndra, we should arrive early tomorrow.

In the evening, when we were alone in our tent, Olivia knelt between my legs and offered to gratify me that way, as way of apology for hurting me last night; she had noticed me crying, and felt awful that she hadn’t dared to comfort me at the time. However, when I saw how disgusted she was by the thing poking at her face, I flipped our positions and worked my magic tongue. When Olivia was good and ready, she invited me inside.


Thoughts on March 26th

The same dream came to me again. And I was still a man when I woke up. Didn’t Sulla understand that I wanted to be reshaped to my old, glorious self?

After a couple of hours of travel, we crossed a bridge over a brown river. Not much later, Fort Glory rose above the desert. The city lay nestled in a mountain pass, and its walls stretched up the hillsides. The flags of many nations flew proudly above the city. I feared we might not find room inside the walls, for there was a sea of tents below the city.

Leopold pulled out his artifact and measured a one, the lowest measurement he had ever done. Perhaps we would encounter Serals here? I hoped we wouldn’t have to fight, for I was still struggling to acclimatize to my new body. It had unfamiliar needs. Olivia had to remind me every morning to shave my face.