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The next day, mid-morning.

Courtney is sitting on the big kitchen table, surrounded by herbs, spices, sauces, cans, jars and other containers full of foodstuffs. She also has several lists in front of her, as well as a couple of bowls of small cooked samples she's done this morning.

The kobold figured fairly shortly that if she wants to do this, the table is too high to conveniently sort out stuff with her new height. So she just took a thorough shower, also just picking up on nuances of her body shape as she did. Like the fact that she does still have five toes, even though her feet only have three big ones - the other two migrated up to closer her now-higher heel, and shrunk in size.

She takes a finger-lick of one of the sauces in front of her, savors on the taste for a moment, then nods and jots down a couple of notes on her tablet.

Rebecca wakes up shortly after, having mumbled a few affirmatives to Courtney as she got up, the dragon has now showered as well, wandering into the kitchen.

She stops as she sees Courtney on top of the table, blinking a moment before she cranes her neck in closer, "Are you feeling alright? I'm guessing all of this isn't for cooking breakfast?"

Courtney doesn't look up at first, finishing up writing some notes. "Not, really, no..." She taps at the tablet a few times, having learned how to not damage it but still type somewhat expediently.

She looks up with a smile: "Going through the kitchen, sniffing and taste-testing... just want to see what my tastes agree with now, you know?" She sniffs at a sauce, then puts that into the bigger pile of foodstuffs behind her.

Rebecca settles down to look over the various piles. "Very thorough of you, hm? Has... has your taste changed that much too? That's not something I would have even considered to this degree."

Courtney hums, poking at the tablet, showing a few food-related sites: "Well, I just figured since my changes seem to done... I want to get to the bottom of this. I can certainly smell a lot better, so it's easier... if also an additional layer of weird."

Rebecca cranes her neck around to look over the tablet, "Oh, huh! Your smell is better too, hmm? Like mine, maybe?" She chuckles, a little self-conciously, "Do I smell good?"

Courtney nods with a bit of a grin as she works: "Yep." She sniffs at another spice, frowns at it, then takes a taste and winces. "Okay. Not that one." She puts the small spice bag onto a thankfully much smaller pile of rejects.

Rebecca grins, "Well, you don't mind if I just sorta... hang out here while you work? I admit, I'm curious about...well, you know. I want to learn about this and about you too."

Courtney glances at Rebecca, smiling: "Why would I mind? And I'll be happy if I can teach you somethings while I at it~." She motions at the other side of the kitchen, where there's maybe enough space for the dragon to sit down at despite the mostly-human-proportions room.

Rebecca creeps in and lies down in the space. She's long and thin enough to curl up and make it work comfortably. "Teach me somethings? About what?" She glances at all the spices, completely ignorant about them and about most food in general. Before moving to this manor she did eat like a college student.

Courtney mm's: "Well, call it a hunch, but you're not actually all that familiar with cooking and foodstuff, are you love?" She leans on her paws, about on level with Rebecca since she's now sitting on the table and the dragon is lying down. "I mean, I don't know everything either, but I've been trying to learn since I got here and, well, make food every day."

Rebecca shakes her head, "Well, I mostly just eat whatever was prepared. Or whatever is around. Or uh... no. I'm.. not that familiar. Honestly, the only things I've ever cooked by myself have been the stuff we've done together."

Courtney nods. She then smiles as she gets an idea. She takes a bit of spice from a shaker to her paw without showing it to Rebecca, then turns around and presents the paw. "What do you smell?"

Rebecca blinks, then sniffs at Courtney's paw, "I smell you... and... it's kinda earthy? Warm and strong and... not spicy exactly... what is it?"

Courtney smiles: "It's just thyme. I use it a lot when I prepare meats that aren't chicken." She considers the spices and sauces around her: "But you see my point, I hope. Food is much better when you have some idea what you're putting in there."

Rebecca grins, "Okay, you have a point. I mean, I guess I know that there's more to making meat than just 'cook the meat'. ...I've just never thought much about it before."

Courtney considers. She then nods. "Okay, another test." She takes a bottle of fiery hot sauce and drops a bit of it on her paw, lifting it up for Rebecca. "Lick it. Tell me if it's spicy to you." She knows dragons can tolerate heat in their food quite a bit, but now she's curious as to how much.

Rebecca giggles, "You don't have to ask me twice~" She licks Courtney's paw and opens her eyes in surprise, it's enough to get a get a rise out of her, even if it's not having her in any kind of pain, "Oh~ Very spicy! Hot. I wasn't expecting it, but not bad."

Courtney takes a drop to her palm and licks it, then nods. "Mm yes. Proper amounts of spice~." She's breathing a bit at the hotness, but clearly does not mind it. She looks at the bottle, then hums: "Huh. Guess I picked up some of that hotness tolerance myself. I'm pretty sure I had more of a reaction to this before..."

Rebecca nods, "I could do more, but the heat does start to just overwhelm any other flavor. I do like to taste the meat, afterall."

Courtney smiles: "Fair enough. I kinda like it hot, but you knew that."

Rebecca chuckles, "I like it hot too, just not 'nothing but heat', I guess?"

Courtney giggles: "Fair enough." She hums as she looks over the spices: "It does seem like my tastes are mostly as they were, really. I can tolerate more heat and spice, and even kinda crave it a bit, though."

Rebecca follows Courtney's gaze over the spices, "I guess that makes sense? Well, the tastes thing. I don't know what to say about the cravings?"

Courtney smirks: "I will find out. Also, turns out I'm like... mildly allergic to carrots and raisins now. Like, they taste bad in my mouth, kind of way." She shrugs: "Not that I really cared for them before."

Rebecca tilts her head, "Huh... so before they were just sorta 'meh', but now they actively tasted worse? It is like... a taste bud thing, or would it actually cause you problems if you ate it? Not that we should find out. If it doesn't taste good, we just stop ordering carrots, right?" She doesn't mention raisins. They are below mention. Why did they even have any in the manor to begin with?

Courtney shrugs. "Yeah, it's not a big problem... as long as I don't find the hard way I'm newly allergic to something. Really this-" She points at the assorted foodstuffs: "Is more about finding what I now like, compared to before."

Rebecca pulls out her tongue and holds it between her claws for a moment, then lets it slip back into her mouth, "...I know this will sound crazy, but that kind of does sound fun. Sort of a chance to try all your favorite foods for the first time again? And find new favorites."

Courtney blinks: "Yeah... yeah, I suppose it kinda is like that. Huh." She smirks at the dragon: "I shall leave tasting a dragon for later, though~."

Rebecca glances away slightly, smirking as well. "You're welcome to a taste anytime, love~." She leans in to give Courtney a quick nuzzle, "I hope any differences in your tastes don't end up too upsetting at least. I know I'm weird about this kind of stuff, though."

Courtney giggles softly: "I'll find out. Trial and error, rinse and repeat with every meal. I think I'll live. I survived this far."

Rebecca nods, "You have. And you will. You're amazing, Courtney. And you're putting more thought into this than I would, I think. Maybe not... I guess I have thought about this kind of thing before, but never the little things. Always the big things."

Courtney considers for a moment, but then looks at Rebecca: "Overthinking and figuring things out is how I deal, love. If I am busy figuring out the 'how to deal with it', I don't have time for the 'what the heck happened' part."

Rebecca feels a swelling of guilt come over her again but tries to swallow it down, "O-oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Right."

Courtney pauses, glancing at the dragon: "It does for me. That's enough." She starts gathering the spices up, now knowing where to stash them per their usage probability.

Rebecca manages a shaky smile. "Then I'll help however I can. Though, it seems like you've already got the first part figured out."

Courtney considers that shaky smile for a second. She then sighs a bit, gets up and steps to stand right next to Rebecca's face: "Yep. And here's something I want you to internalize, love: I do not blame you for this." She prods a finger at tip of the dragon's snout: "So you can stop sighing every time this comes up and blaming yourself, as well."

Rebecca droops, "You don't blame me... but I still blame myself. You're making the best of this in so many ways... but... you wouldn't have to do all this if it weren't for me. And I just can't stop feeling guilty about that, and... and guilty that I do find you beautiful like this..."

Courtney sighs, pulling the dragon's head to herself so she can hug it. "I know. But like, it makes me feel bad that you're blaming yourself, for something neither of us could have ever foreseen."

Rebecca sighs, leaning her head into the hug, "I don't want that, either." She blinks away the tears threatening her, and manages a laugh, "Okay, okay... if it's enough for you, then... I'll do what I can to stop and just... enjoy this. Us."

Courtney kisses Rebecca's snout: "That's better, beautiful." She smiles, her own eyes glistening a bit. "It's just... I've cried and wailed and wallowed about this now so much I'm... I'm honestly getting almost annoyed over beating that particular dead horse. I'm me, and that's what matters."

Rebecca chuckles, "Okay, fair, fair. No more wallowing... for either of us."

Courtney smiles: "Yuh~. I'm enjoying this, and say whatever else about this change, I certainly feel wanted now."

Rebecca smiles back, shifting her head up to give Courtney a 'small' kiss. "I can definitely confirm that."

Courtney giggles at the kiss, the size of it always being at least a bit amusing to her. "Mmh! Well, t-then there's no doubt~!"

Rebecca shifts back to look at Courtney, admiring her beauty, "None. If you're happy, then that's good enough for me. And... I won't feel guilty when I say you are beautiful."

Courtney blushes, glancing aside: "It almost feels weird to hear when no one said that to me before I met you..."

Rebecca raises a paw up to the table to stroke a finger against Courtney's cheek, "They weren't looking hard enough. I always found you beautiful. Now, it's just a different kind of beauty. I can't say it's better, or worse. It's just... you. Ah, just listen to me again, I always get so sappy when I think about you like this."

Courtney turns around to kiss Rebecca again with a slightly teary-eyed smile: "...much better than you getting sad over what happened, though~"

Rebecca giggles at the kiss, "I like feeling this way better too. You're very good at making me smile, you know that?"

Courtney smirks: "I like being good at things, it's like my one weakness." She laughs, shaking her head: "... Among many others, but like, play along for the moment."

Rebecca straightens out her neck trying to look regal, "Well, a Dragon has no weaknesses of course."

Courtney muses, then nods. "Of course." She hums: "Certainly not that spot beyond your left eye, and definitely not when I put my hands- paws down into your-"

Rebecca's poise falters almost immediately, "Hah! C-certainly not! You just uh, h-happen to be very good at those things as well~."

Courtney nods sagely. "Mmhm. Well, I will keep that in mind~." She glances around the table: "I think I am done here. I'll put these back in their spots and will join you in a minute."

Rebecca coughs to clear her throat, recovering herself a little, despite the guilty smile still on her face, "Aha. Well. Let me know if you need anything in particular, or any help with anything, yes?"

Courtney nods with wink: "I think I can keep my kitchen in check, but thank you, love." When the manor's kitchen had become hers, was never agreed on so much as it was never really disagreed on. Just a matter of fact, in an unspoken kind of way.

Rebecca half shimmies and half crawls back out towards the hallway, turning her neck back to grin, "Oh, I know. I'll leave you to it and go lay down in the study when you're done. I love you, dear."

Courtney smiles: "Love you too, beautiful. See you in a bit."

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