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Later that same Evening.

Courtney sits on edge of the dragon's throne, her legs pulled up to her chest as she stares into nothingness. Her eye makeup is halfway flowing down her now-scaly cheeks, and her maid outfit is draped to the side. She's shivering, but the relative cold does not really seem to be the reason for it.

'That's not our daughter! W-what have you done, dragon?' the shout echoes in the goth's head. Her parents came for a surprise visit. Surprise visit that was really just them trying to find why their daughter had gone no contact lately.

Now they know the truth, or as close to the truth as Rebecca and Courtney were able to convince the older couple. The result of that conversation is why Courtney does not feel like wearing the maid dress right now, as though it was responsible for all the hurtful things said - and pointedly not said.

Courtney is pretty sure she can never forget the look on her Mother's face after today.

Rebecca has kept her distance for the moment, still shocked and upset over the accusations from the unexpected visit, the vitriol that was thrown at her. She didn't respond, just letting them throw their hate at the her. She couldn't exactly yell back, not that she'd want to even if it were justified.

But she didn't anticipate how much all of that would effect Courtney. She slowly walks back from the door, having made sure everything was locked up for the night. She sits down at the foot of the throne and drops her head downwards in concern. She lifts a hand and sets it within reach of Courtney for support.

"...I'm here..." Is all she can manage to say at the moment, unsure what else she can say until Courtney is ready to talk.

Courtney takes a few moments to even realize her girlfriend has entered the room despite the size.

She swallows, whispering: "Why... How..." She glances at Rebecca: "... I guess there's not much we could have done different."

Upon realizing who were at the door a few hours ago, the dragon and the maid had tried to give the inevitable revelation softly, with Rebecca talking to them first. A plan that backfired when Courtney's Dad had spotted the maid peeking in from a doorway. Things rather rapidly spiraled out of their control after that.

Rebecca takes a deep breath, the guilt rising up in her. Even before they'd spotted Courtney, Rebecca's own attempts to ramblingly explain things had immediately put Courtney's parents on edge, or perhaps that was simply from trying to confront the dragon knowing all the rumors of what might have happened to their daughter. Except, then they seemed to react as if they'd preferred to learn Courtney actually was gone instead.

"Sorry... I thought it would be best to explain it simply and then... well... that didn't happen... obviously."

Courtney swallows, nodding weakly. "I... Just that... They just left..." She looks at her lover, helpless. In the day since their lovemaking in the morning, the goth had noted that her relative gothiness was on rapid decline as her hair is now only halfway black, the root of it now soft turquoise in color.

Not that it feels all that big of a thing now. Her parents didn't outright disown from having a daughter, they clearly left before they would say more things they'd regret... But they might as well have. No wishing her well, no hugs, not a single warm sentiment. They had looked at Courtney like she was an alien, and maybe she kind of is now.

She sighs deeply and puts her now-clawed hand on Rebecca's fingers.

Rebecca sighs, looking over at Courtney. Her changes gotten their most drastic in the seemingly final stages of whatever she is becoming. "It... it is a lot. For as fast as the changes have been, it still came bit by bit to us. But they saw it all at once... they just need some time... t-to let it process. That's all... that's... all." She's trying, but feels like her words are coming out hollow.

Courtney nods, lowering her legs down. They even dangle differently. "They... They will come around, I'm s-sure." She doesn't sound any more convinced than Rebecca.

She sniffs, but can't bring herself to move further.

Rebecca tries to force a laugh, "K-kind of hard to say it's 'just a phase'... right? Err... sorry..." She cringes at her own attempt at humor.

Courtney blinks, then chuckles despite herself. "W-which one, the goth, the gay, or the scales and tail?"

Rebecca smiles, "I don't know... I kind of like all of them. the scales, the tail, the goth... and especially the gay."

Courtney sighs, but manages a smile. "Mm, me too." She blinks, clearing up dried tears: "Oh. I um... I might have incidentally also come out to my parents in all this, too. Heh."

Rebecca blinks, slightly taken by surprise, "You mean they didn't know that either? I... I didn't realize..."

Courtney winces softly: "You're kinda my first real relationship, too." She sighs: "Apparently I'm getting all the revelations out tonight."

Rebecca shifts her paw to gently squeeze Courtney's hand. "Well... at least there's no more holding it all in. I know we've talked about telling and worrying about who to tell and when. Guess I really need to tell my family too..."

Courtney sighs, smiling weakly. "Let's wait til these changes run their course. I'd rather be whole something before I need to meet more of anyone." She feels her hand on the contours of Rebecca's paw. "I guess... It's not going to take that long either."

Rebecca nods in understanding, "I'm fine waiting until you're okay with it. I don't know if you were right about the cause, or if these changes just want to finish, but things have certainly sped up since we... You know..." She looks away shyly, but can't hide the smile that crosses her face at the memory.

Courtney smiles: "Since this morning. Yeah." She wipes her eyes, feeling better already - at least a bit. "I don't regret that part, that's for sure."

Rebecca looks back into Courtney's eeys, bringing a claw of her free hand over to lift Courtney's chin. "Me either. I... I know things have been hard for you... But... Once this change is completed, maybe that'll be the point when things start to get better? For me... Things started getting better the day you started working here." Her voice grows in confidence, buoyed by her love, "Your parents are confused, and I'm sure they're just as scared about losing you as You've been. But you're still Courtney. They'll see that. In time."

Courtney swallows, then nods slowly as she looks up at Rebecca. "I... I know. It's hard, and..." She trails off, her voice going down to a whisper: "I g-guess it's soon my face that changes to match my body. I'm going to need you with me when that happens."

Rebecca nods. "Nothing could pull me away from your side. And... You know, you're already 'moved in' but... We can certainly consider moving your things into my room... If... If you want to make it 'our' room?"

Courtney blinks, then nods: "Yes! I mean, um... Yes. I would. It's not like, uh... We really want to sleep apart I guess?" She trails off, almost certain of her guess here.

Rebecca nods enthusiastically, "I mean, as long as you feel safe... I know I never want to be apart..."

Courtney smiles: "I feel the safest with you. But I think you know that by now." She touches closer to Rebecca, then finally gets up. "Help me to your back. Let's go make dinner."

Rebecca brushes Courtney's face with her paw as she pulls it back from her side, then lays down at the foot of the throne to give her a quick climb up to her back.

"That does make my heart swell, love."

There's probably something to said about the dragon kneeling in front of the manor's throne to let the kobold climb atop her, but any such meaning is lost on Rebecca, who only wants to help her lover.

Courtney giggles softly as she makes her slightly precarious way on Rebecca's back, but she knows it's one of the safest possible places for her now.

She's not quite a kobold yet, but every day brings her closer to what feels inevitable.

"I like making your heart swell. How about we put some use to that piece of roast that was meant for the town meeting before it got - ahem - interrupted?"

Rebecca waits for Courtney to get into place, then stands back up and heads for the kitchen, "Sounds good to me. You just let me know what I need to do to help!" The dragon is mostly useless in the kitchen, but likes to help however Courtney needs.

Courtney sits fairly comfortably even in her underwear as she is now almost entirely covered in scales from waist down. "Will do. As usual it's easier if you lift the meats."

They found out some time ago that it's just easier for Rebecca to help out lifting stuff in the kitchen, than it is for Courtney to drag out the equipment she'd need for it. Degrading for a dragon, sure, but not like they care.

Rebecca does indeed prefer to work as a team, without a thought to 'degrading work' or helping being 'beneath her'. "Then I shall do so."

She ponders a bit as she heads down the hall, "You know, I do hope we can spend a bit of time just... together. I feel like we could use a couple of quiet days after everything that's happened this week."

Courtney smiles, letting out a small sigh. "Probably more up to you, now. With my parents... " She swallows: "Well, anyway, I don't think anyone is going to come looking for me, is the point."

Rebecca hums, looking back at Courtney with a sad smile. "Well... then we deserve a few days off. No work, no dresses, just us."

She reaches the kitchen door, the larger one, and lets herself in, leaning down again to let Courtney hop off easily. "And... just know that I will always come looking for you."

Courtney gets off, then gives the dragon a smirk, her tears maybe finally cried for today. "I know. I love you~"

She perks up, not caring one iota anymore that she's starting to cook in her underwear: "I think I'll do things extra spicy tonight."

Rebecca giggles, happy to see her girlfriend feeling better, "Well season to your taste. You know I can handle a bit of spice."

Courtney winks: "Another thing I like about you." She turns towards the kitchen cabinets, quite intentionally showing the dragon her butt and tail, even managing to wiggle the latter a bit.

Rebecca really can't help but stare, a lot less ashamed of the the lewd thoughts running through her mind. Still, she manages to pull her gaze away to get out the meat the Courtney requested. "I... like a lot about you..."

Courtney starts putting together the assorted sides and spices for their evening meal. "Me too. Whatever I am becoming... Whatever I am now, you do not think it's something horrible. I love that."

Rebecca sets the meat down, gazing at Courtney lovingly, "You're beautiful... in any form. But the scales and fur are admittedly very cute. That hair color might not be very 'goth' but it's very pretty. And... I don't know... maybe it's just because it's you, and I don't think I could ever find you horrible."

Courtney leans on the table with a grin... misjudges the position because of her changed height, then corrects herself with a more sheepish grin. "I uh, heh, I meant to do that." She starts poking through the spices, humming a bit: "Mm, maybe I can still dye my hair later... we'll see how this turns out..."

Rebecca startles, preparing to jump in to help Courtney, before she casually straightens back up. Instead, the dragon giggles, relaxing once she knows Courtney is okay. "I'd let you try it out on me first, but... well..." She glances upwards, sadly devoid of hair.

Courtney hums: "Clearly we need to stumble onto some magic that changes that~" She winks, then continues putting together a sauce for their selfish meat platter.

Rebecca giggles, cutting up the meat (though mostly this is just shredding the various meats apart into crude strips), and passing them over to Courtney, "Well... I can't exactly 'do' magic, but if you find the spell, I'm willing to be the test subject."

She stares a moment at Courtney's back, eyes lingering on the patches of fur, "...Crazy as it sounds, I am a little jealous of that fluff. It goes with the scales so well, and feels so soft..."

Courtney smirks, glance at the fur inbetween her patches of scales... or is it scales in between patches of fur? She shrugs. "Yeah, it's... well I guess it's not that weird anymore...?" She focuses on the preparing for a moment as she thinks. "Guess we'll see where all this settles. All signs point to my body changing in proportion a bit, if any of our research is even remotely accurate."

Rebecca nods, sitting back to observe Courtney. "You have gotten smaller, we did notice that... and your tail has gotten longer... Everything seems to be going the way we sorta expected... but the fur did take us by surprise, so who can say what else might happen? I just hope that it'll be done so you can at least have a bit of rest."

Courtney sighs as she starts painting the slabs of meat with the marinade she put together: "Yeah, that's really the biggest hope. That whatever the exact coordinates, this stops soon. It's pretty jarring waking up every morning with more of something changed."

Rebecca gets out some of the larger pans and trays for the oven, just things she knows that Courtney will probably be using. She chuckles quietly, still surprisingly shy about their new room arrangement, "Well... hopefully waking up in a different room won't be too strange..."

Courtney blinks, then giggles: "Waking up with you is probably the best part of it. Besides, you can then tell me if something's changed... which, again, I really just hope we're done with soon." She starts putting the ready meat pieces onto the pans, setting them up in a way that leaves most of them for Rebecca and one obviously smaller one for herself.

She muses on something else then: "You know, I was never averse to meat, but with you... I don't know if it's the change talking, or just being with you..."

Rebecca tilts her head, "Hmm? You feel like your diet has changed as well? Or, your preferences at least? That would make sense, I suppose. Most dragons will pretty much eat anything... err, myself included. But mostly meat, of course."

Courtney nods, musing as she works: "Yeah, just... kinda, I guess. It's not that I don't eat salads and veggies now-" She nods to the sides of bell peppers and onions she's putting on her plate "-but perhaps I desire meat a bit more now."

She blinks. "Huh. I wonder if my teeth will change." It's pretty obvious the concept of changing does not really bother the goth anymore, that much.

Rebecca hums, "Well, either way, at least we won't need to adjust the grocery orders too much?" She thinks for a moment, tapping a claw on the kitchen counter, "I guess it might be a little difficult... even once the change finishes, we'll have to figure out how everything works. Though, with stuff like your legs and tail, you've honestly adapted to most of the changes really quickly..."

Courtney blushes a bit: "I... may have pushed myself to adapt." She puts a finishing flourish of spicing on a big piece of meat. "Think of it this way, even if this vanishes and reverts tomorrow, I want to keep functional in the meantime. If I just lied in bed all day cause of this, I would just have my own bad thoughts for company and way too much time to think."

Rebecca chuckles, "Well, I have good news for you... you'll have other company in bed to keep those bad thoughts away. I hope, anyways." She leans back, her tail curling around her legs, "Though... I do admire your perseverance. I know the 'job' portion of this life isn't exactly fun or... well, now it's a little weird since we're girlfriends and all."

Courtney hums: "Well... change aside, you have also given me less and less things to actually do, that aren't direct upkeep stuff like food and basic cleaning. Or done them yourself." She winks: "Don't think I haven't noticed, love."

Rebecca glances away, "O-oh well... I mean what do I even do otherwise? Sit in the study looking all grand and imperious for no one?"

Courtney giggles: "I don't know, maybe that's the dragons' actual job?" She shakes her head a bit, then starts putting the oven ready. "Works for me, whatever you're doing versus whatever you're supposed to be doing."

Rebecca snorts, "That probablyis supposed to be my job. But you know what? Whatever! This is my manor now, right? I can do what I want."

Courtney smirks, leaning over the desk again, feeling very comfortable with the dragon by now. "That I believe is the right attitude, mistress."

Rebecca giggles, "Well, what I want is for my girlfriend to have time for herself." And selfishly for them to be together. "So least I can do is pitch in a little around our manor."

Courtney smirks, her tail lightly swaying behind her even without her thinking about it as she leans on the table. "Mm, music to my ears. Mind pushing our meats to the oven so we can... you know, head to the lounge, not that I mind hanging around here in the kitchen?"

Rebecca picks up the large trays of meat effortlessly and slides them into the oven. She grins as she closes the oven, "Also it's sorta fun being able to do stuff like this. Especially with you. Now then, the lounge?"

She steps away from the oven and leans down again in front of Courtney. It's not even a long walk to the lounge, one might think she just likes Courtney riding atop her.

Courtney would definitely not admit she likes riding on top of Rebecca.

Much. Often. To many people.

She climbs on with more ease every time, though. "Let's go, milady~."

Rebecca giggles, rising back up with a dramatic flap of her wings. "At your leave, milady~." She walks out of the kitchen the short distance to the lounge, maybe just walking a little slower than she's capable of.

Courtney laughs a bit at the motions, definitely enjoying this. She pats the dragon on the neck: "It's pretty fun seeing you enjoy this as well~"

Rebecca grins, shaking her head back and forth to wiggle her neck beneath Courtney's hands. "Well, it feels good, and it's nice to have someone close who I love. Who loves me."

Courtney giggles: "I guess there are more horrible fates than this, then." She might be admitting to herself that she's coming around to maybe sort of not-hating the concept of this change.

Rebecca looks back at Courtney with a smile. "There surely are.... I guess it's up to us to make the best of your fate." She reaches the lounge, but instead of letting Courtney down, she just slumps into the pillows laid out for her, curling up in place.

Courtney considers laying on the dragon's back, but in the end climbs, or somewhat slides down her side so she can also sit on the pillows - and lean on Rebecca. "Probably so. And... well, yeah, here we are anyway."

Rebecca curls her neck towards Courtney and rests her head next to her. "Yeah... here we are. You doing alright? We jumped right into making dinner, but.. I just wanted to be sure. You need anything?"

Courtney muses for a second as she caresses Rebecca's head. "Not... not really. Just, you know, this. With you." She looks down: "I mean yeah, my parents, it's a lot to process and it hurts but... I don't think they'll actually do anything."

Rebecca purrs quietly under Courtney's hand, the feeling coming through her whole neck and body behind her. "It's not the end of anything. Certainly not 'us'. Whatever 'us' ends up being. Girlfriends and lovers... That's the change I'm most interested to see. What do we become?"

Courtney smiles, looking at her dragon girlfriend: "...well, beyond the obvious change, anyway." She sighs, but it's a happier one this time. "Girlfriends, lovers... and whatever other titles we feel appropriate as time goes on."

Rebecca giggles, "I did mean in a less... physical sense, but you understood me. I've never actually felt excited about the future like this, and that's all because of you."

Courtney nods: "Yeah, I mean... I was excited about maybe getting to study arts, but now I guess I'm... finding myself excited for an entirely different kind of potential future." She scratches the side of her head, feeling her hair as she does: "It's strange, kinda."

Rebecca: "I'm guessing you weren't really considering 'dating the Dragon' a possibility when you first came here, hmm?" Rebecca chuckles. "It didn't really cross my mind right away either."

Courtney laughs a bit: "You're right there! I thought about the many ways being a dragon's servant would go, good and bad, but..." She looks at her hand, slowly turning into a scaled, clawed one: "...this I certainly did not think was going to happen."

Rebecca 's eye watches Courtney's hand, "Could anyone have predicted that? It's not exactly something I can imagine anyone knowing about... we still haven't heard from anyone that I reached out to online... maybe they were just hoaxes..."

Courtney smiles lopsidedly: "You have a point there." She looks at her body, in some ways more lizardine than human now. "Kinda moot to think about now, anyway. I'm apparently becoming a kobold, or whatever the dragons'... Servants, if they actually were that... Were called anyway. Kinda becoming that whether or not I want to."

...

"A thought occurs to me. Could you... Find more about these kobolds, from your family? Surely you can find someone who is willing to talk just history with you since you're not really prying for a cure?"

Rebecca blinks, "Find out more? Well... I probably could. I can lean on being the family 'history dork' again. Guess I could be less sneaky about what I'm asking too, like you said... would be interesting to know more about what exactly they were... or, uh, are."

Courtney hums as she considers her own body, more changed than not by now. "I just figure... I'm curious. And maybe we can learn something useful, if not directly a cure. Like... Eating. Physiology. Habits I might have to be on the lookout for. That sort of stuff." She looks at Rebecca: "Does that sound too strange?"

Rebecca shakes her head, "Not too strange... no weirder than learning about allergies and things like that, right?"

Courtney nods: "New body, new rules." She laughs softly: "It feels a bit insane, but guess that's life for you.*

Rebecca nuzzles against Courtney, "As you said, it's better than just wallowing about it. Anything we learn to help you... even if it's not a cure..."

Courtney shifts, looking at her tail as she manages to lightly make it wiggle. "Like figuring out how to use an extra limb I now have."

Rebecca giggles, "I saw you in the kitchen. I think you already know how to use it~"

Courtney blinks: "Oh, um... Oh. Well." She hums. "... Did you like it?"

Rebecca leans against Courtney playfully, "I love it~. You're a very alluring tease, you know. Parading around in your panties and wagging your tail at me."

Courtney blushes, giggling: "Well, that dress has felt increasingly confining, but if you want me to I can put it back on..."

Rebecca pulls away and shakes her head, "No, you don't have to. I think the dress is cute and all... but you're cuter. With or without it."

Courtney winks: "I suspected you might think so." She glances at her shoulder, at her back: "...besides, we may have to order in something more fitting for whatever my new figure ends up being."

Rebecca covers her snout with a claw, slightly embarrassed, "I just like those old cute outfits... but don't wear it if it's uncomfortable. We'll definitely have to take some time to figure out the wardrobe problem for you."

Courtney shrugs: "I'm flexible." She blinks. "Er, I... I didn't mean like that." She pauses. "Probably."

Rebecca raises a brow at Courtney, then giggles, "Well, that's something you'll probably have to prove to me some day. I'm pretty flexible for my size, but that doesn't prove much."

Courtney blushes: "I er... Y-yyeah, fair enough." She clears her throat: "Anyway, my point is, er, I think my back is now too, well, pointy to have that sort of back-laced dress."

Rebecca nods, lifting a paw to run a finger down Courtney's back, feeling the spines along it all the way down to her tail and along it. "So it seems."

Courtney shivers at the touch: "Ooh. Mm!" She glances at the dragon: "...c-can you do that again?"

Rebecca blinks, then nods, taking her finger back up to the base of Courtney's neck and much more slowly running it down her back and along her tail.

Courtney lightly purrs at the touch.. then stops as she realizes what she's doing. "That's... strangely involuntary. I didn't know I could do that."

Rebecca does it again, petting Courtney along her back, "Like I do...? It feels good, right? Sorta like... all your nerves light up with this feeling of satisfaction? It's how I feel when you're touching me the way you do..."

Courtney swallows, touching her chest and throat. "Just that... I... I freaking just purred, didn't I?" She looks at Rebecca with a hesitant smile: "See what I mean about wanting to know more?"

Rebecca hums, "Well, it's not really a purr. Dragon's don't purr." She totally purrs. "But you're right."

Courtney nods slowly: "Well, um... guess that's a change detail I'm f-fine with." She touches her arm on Rebecca's neck, as she always does, and smiles.

Rebecca obviously doesn't purr that's ludicrous, but she does make a suspiciously purr like noise at Courtney's presence touching against her. "I rather like it, that feeling. Never really happened before I met you."

Courtney smiles: "Yeah... me too." She continues feeling Rebecca's scales because what else would she do right now. Besides starting more low purring, this time not startled by it.

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