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The Dragon's Manor - A Few Days Later.

Courtney is a bit restless, wandering the floors of the house. She's done all her duties for the day, cleaning everything, even done dinner prep hours beforehand. She stops at the back door, looking out of the servant's quarters window.

In a word, the kobold is getting cabin fever something fierce. Took its time but happened.

She crosses her arms, sighing.

Rebecca pokes her head out of her study as Courtney paces past again. She frowns slightly, "Love... you've been wandering around in circles for an hour now. We really have to do something about this..."

Courtney spins around and spreads her arms: "Yeah, but what? I can't go out there!"

She takes a breath and her expression softens. "Sorry, love. It's not your fault I'm antsy."

Rebecca flinches slightly at Courtney's initial outburst, but lowers her head down towards the kobold with a sigh. In the past few days, her own mane has grown in bit by bit, from patches of fluff to a long streak of hair around her shoulders and down the length of her back. "I know. I'm sorry about all of this, and yes, I know we're past that but... what can I do to help?"

Courtney steps closer, touching her paws on Rebecca's cheek as she nuzzles her. "Y-yeah. It's just... I know I'm not a prisoner, but I can't help feeling like one when I can't leave either. I love you, but..." She let's out a deep, defeated sigh.

Rebecca closes her eyes at Courtney's touch. "You're not, but you might as well be. I want you to be happy... I want you to be able to go where you please, and do what you want."

Courtney sighs again, nodding. She leans onto Rebecca for a moment. "Makes me... Feel like I want to do something desperate like just go out on the town with you and hope no one connects me and the maid that started working for you some time ago and then vanished." She blinks. "... Wait. Can we do that?"

Rebecca tilts her head. She lifts her hand, putting a claw beneath Courtney's chin to lift her elongated snout upwards. "I don't know... I see the same beautiful you that walked into the main hallway nervous about getting eaten." She pulls the claw away, "But maybe that's just my heart speaking... you are almost... well, entirely different."

Courtney manages a smile: "Not even my hair or eye color survived. Aside from my parents knowing, I don't think anyone does. I think if we just find something for me to wear... We could go for a walk in town." She considers, then smirks: "Besides, only I know you're not a fearsome, scary dragon. I think your family might have been onto something, about cultivating that image. Who's going to bother you?"

Rebecca hums, tapping a claw against her chin, "It's... I mean, yeah. I'm trying not to be too scary, I do want the town to like me. But I wouldn't sit by and let anyone give you trouble. I doubt anyone would argue with even the nice dragon." She chuckles. "I think we could do it!"

Courtney rolls her eyes amusedly: "It's either that or I go insane in here. Besides, excuse to go see if we can find some clothes for me." She blinks, glancing at her now very short body. "... I might need to go to the kids' department."

Rebecca giggles, "Or we actually could hire a tailor for you, if you don't mind someone coming to take measurements and all that. Probably would go faster for you than it does for me. Maybe we start with this, and then consider the tailor?"

Courtney shrugs. "I can manage with something from my own clothes so I'm not entirely naked, then see what we can find on the town. Really I just want to go outside, even if I don't end up talking with anyone but you."

Rebecca grins, excited for the trip, she's not made many appearances outside of the manor either. "You've been cooped up here with me for... how many weeks now? I know I'm good company and all..." She would blush, glancing back at the study where she spends way too much of her time reading and writing. "...some fresh air is probably good for both of us."

Courtney nods: "Yeah. Like, even if it's just getting some snacks and attracting attention in the park by doing a picnic... Fuck, I'll take that."

Rebecca stands up, keeping her head low against Courtney, "It's settled then! Fresh air, sunshine, and a little bit of stretching our legs... almost like a date, right?" She laughs nervously, making a joke but also it's not exactly a joke.

Courtney smiles: "We can call it a date. Really, guess it kinda is one." Her tail twitches a bit: "Kinda makes me nervous, people are going to stare, but... I think we should do it anyway. We can come back when people get to be too much."

Rebecca grins, "It... it'll be the first time I'm showing off my mane too? Though, I guess it's hard to know if people are staring at my mane or just, you know, the rest of me." She nuzzles Courtney again and then lifts her head, "Just a walk down the hill into town, and we'll see where it goes from there?"

Courtney hums, musing for a second, then nods. "Yup, sounds like a plan. Who knows, might actually be kinda fun seeing how people react to me."

She silently hopes she doesn't end up eating those words.

Rebecca strokes the fur along Courtney's back down to her tail, "If it gets to be too much, you just say the word, and I can have us home fast. I am here for you."

Courtney smirks and purrs a bit at the touch. "Thank you, love." She looks down at herself, at her ample-for-her-frame boobs: "... That said, this maid probably needs a shirt or something."

Rebecca stretches and strides out of the study into the main hall. "Maybe I'll put on a little bit of jewelry? I want to look nice for you."

Courtney follows the dragon. Needing to keep a bit faster pace walking took some learning, but at the same time her body seems to be better equipped for it now. "We could see about putting some silver on you~"

Rebecca nods, "Silver does go with my scales better... And... I wonder if there's anything I can do with all this... hair?" She's never really considered the fashion-ability of her new mane quite yet.

Courtney smirks: "We need to add an industrial strength brush to our shopping list. And probably some dragon-volume shampoo and conditioner." She glances at her own mane and assorted hair tufts: "For that matter, I could use some of that too. Clearly, we have a mission."

Rebecca sets her jaw and nods, taking it very seriously. "Yes! So it seems. So, what about you? With the scales like mine, you could just go naked right?" One thing about dragons that Courtney has learned from Rebecca, no real sense of shame for nudity, or a lot of understanding why humans wear clothing beyond 'because it's pretty'

Courtney blinks and stops walking. "I er, Rebecca... No. I need to have something on." She clears her throat: "I know I'm constantly naked here with you, partially cause I haven't had clothes my size, but... Out there, while I am not human anymore - gosh that feels weird to say - I most assuredly still have some human features." She glances down at her chest: "... Couple of things people are bound to notice."

Rebecca cringes, "Oh right... hm. I keep thinking it's because humans used to be really vulnerable, so you developed armor, and then when things became less dangerous you kept wearing clothes because of all the... fashion? I read a lot of books on the history of fashion... I forget about all the concern you have for modesty?"

Courtney considers going into the multicultural and several thousand years of reasons and choices about human preferring to wear clothes, but decides it's better not to. "... I'll get you a book on the topic. For now, yeah, we humans do like to wear clothes when out with others. So, I want to at least wear an oversized shirt or something."

Rebecca nods, more than willing to take Courtney's word on it for now, "Alright. Do you have anything available that'll work? I mean... the maid dresses were getting pretty unworkable, but those are awfully frilly too."

The kobold hums, then shakes her head. "Nah, that wouldn't really work, but... Gimme a minute, I'll go digging through my closet. See you in your bathroom in five." With that, the kobold starts towards the 'servant's' quarters, clearly inspired now that she has a goal in mind.

Rebecca watches Courtney go, excited to see what she has come up. She heads to her bathroom and sets about selecting some silver jewelry to wear out, nothing too big or gaudy, just enough to highlight her features.

Narrator About ten minutes later, Courtney comes back. She has found a solution of sorts - one her black metal band t-shirts, now obviously oversized, partially wrapped around her waist and her longer spines in her mid-back, while on her hips she sports what was once a very short miniskirt but is now a fairly sized skirt going to her knees - tightened up several times on her hips, naturally. Overall, she gives a bit of a look of a kid in her big sister's clothes, but that can't be really helped, considering how much height she lost.

Although when fitting for the shirt she noted with bemusement that her bra size didn't change at all so her previously modest mounds look positively grand now.

Rebecca slips some silver rings over her horns, putting on a few silver chains down her neck, and posing a little in front of her massive mirror when Courtney returns.

She turns to look over the outfit, grinning, "Very cute! Though I guess I do see what you mean about the clothing size."

Courtney giggles softly, blushing a touch. "Heh. I think my entire wardrobe needs a rework. Oh well." She looks up at the dragon: "You look good, kinda cute too."

Rebecca looks away shyly, "Ah, I haven't even done anything but put on a few pieces of jewelry. Well, we can at least start to find stuff that fits you and suits your tastes, right? I'll see that it all comes out of the house budget, so whatever you find that you like, don't worry about it."

Courtney hums: "I suppose the difference between you paying me and you just buying things for me is... a bit vague. A difference on paper, if you will." She then steps closer to the dragon, smirking: "That said, I can do your eye makeup again if you want."

Rebecca shrugs, "The whole business relationship half does make it hard for me to just 'give' you things I want to..." Her expression does brighten up though, "Oh! Yes! If you want, that would be nice!"

Courtney winks, then heads to the dragon's makeup cabinet, deftly climbing enough to reach what she needs. "Shouldn't take long, and I need the practice anyway with these new claws of mine."

Rebecca sets herself down, laying her head down on a table basically set there for just this purpose. "Still getting used to them, hm? I guess doing your own make-up would require a little more care than mine."

Courtney nods. "I haven't really figured what I even want to do. Nothing I know about makeup applies anymore. So I gotta kinda start anew, and don't really have any online tutorials to help me either. Whatever other dragons do, it doesn't end up YouTube exactly." She picks up a hefty eyeliner and looks at Rebecca's eyes critically for a moment before starting.

Rebecca closes her eyes while Courtney works, "I guess not, more secrecy? Or just no one filling that niche yet?" She snickers, trying not to jostle Courtney and the brush, "We could be the first. Dragon make-up content creators."

Courtney blinks, and has to lift the brush because of impending giggles. "Oh boy, I can just see it. 'This is how you apply eyeliner to those big beautiful dragon eyes, remember to pay attention to using big even strokes, like you're painting a watercolor...'" The kobold shakes her head. "I'm not sure I could, I don't know anything about that stuff."

Still, a small part of her files the idea for later...

Rebecca hums, smiling wide, "Well, I'm happy to be your canvas for whatever you might want to try or practice with."

Courtney nods as she continues making the lines at the edges of Rebecca's eyes. "For now, that works. It's so weird trying to deal with muscle memory when I just have one finger less."

Rebecca peeks one eye open to watch her girlfriend while Courtney outlines her other eye. "I guess that's a relatively smaller change... compared to some of the other things."

Courtney nods: "My bra size actually stayed pretty much the same. I just have less shoulders now."

Rebecca's eye wanders towards Courtney's boobs, still prominent even under the baggy shirt. "I don't know if other kobolds even have those... yours are nice though."

Courtney shrugs: "If the other kobolds were human before, and women... Yeah, I'd guess so."

Rebecca hums, "We really don't know, do we? Though, I think you're perfect, regardless."

Courtney smirks with a bit of a blush: "Oh shush, you. You're biased."

Rebecca snickers again, closing her eye back up as Courtney moves to color that one. "Can't help it, and I don't apologize."

Courtney continues painting: "Mm well, I guess it's not something I can ask for." She winks: "Especially when I think you're pretty perfect too."

Rebecca mrphs, but doesn't jostle too much, "I'm the Princess? Well... maybe once you're done painting me up "

Courtney does couple more careful strokes, then steps back to admire her work: "There. My pretty dragon princess."

Rebecca waits for the touch of Courtney's brush to stop before she opens her eyes, fluttering them slightly towards the kobold, as she tries not to look away out of shyness, "Mmm~ As good as you'd hoped?"

Courtney nods with a smile... then hesitates. "Mm. Almost. I need practice." She brings the brush close again: "Hold still for a second more."

Rebecca lowers her head back down and holds still, "No worries. I trust your judgement. Ha, more than my own when it comes to how pretty I am."

Courtney smirks as she fixes her brushing mistake with a wipe and another brush stroke: "Mmm, probably the same the other way. Okay, now we're good."

Rebecca grins, "Maybe that's just your bias?" She turns to examine herself in the mirror, trying to pose herself to best look at the makeup, "But I think without you, I'd probably be much more of a mess. I mean, hells, here I am excited to go out with you! I mean, go outside along with you, not with you... actually... I guess I do mean go out with you." She catches herself rambling a bit and stops, giggling.

Courtney giggles as well, shaking her head: "Something like that, anyway. Probably a date in town, really. Who's counting? Officially I don't exist..." Her smile wanes: "...or... actually, come to think of it, I might be counted as one of those people who just vanish, now. Huh. Guess I'm happy my parents know, even if... you know, they just short of disowned me as well."

Rebecca's smile fades, "I hate that this had to happen like that... but... maybe it's your chance to restart? To remake who you are, without anyone telling you otherwise? I mean, I know I won't."

Courtney shrugs: "I guess it's a moot point anyway. Whatever I thought my life was before all this, it's not really a thing I can do anymore - well, not in the same kind of way, anyway."

She finds her smile again as she steps closer to the dragon, touching her paw to Rebecca's chin: "...and really, honestly, I'm dating a dragon."

Rebecca purrs quietly at the touch, "I just want you to do all the things you want to do. As the dragon in question, I'm very happy one of those things is dating a dragon."

Courtney laughs a bit: "Wasn't on my bucket list not that long ago, but here I am." She glances at the mirror: "...didn't think I'd have turquoise hair any day either, but eh." Because clearly, those are the big changes in her life recently.

Rebecca looks down at Courtney, "You could always dye it. I don't think I have any kind of hair dye here... but definitely need to look into it now, like you said. But my make-up cabinet is all yours if you want any of it."

Courtney hums, picking a lock of the turquoise hair onto her paw. "You know, will be interesting to see how well hair dye even takes to this. My hair feels like... thicker, kinda waxier but not in a greasy hair kind of way. Like it's some of the same make as my scales are now. But I would like to see if I can make this black again."

She lifts a paw to her chin: "You know, there's gotta be a hairdresser crazy enough in this town to want to try if paid enough."

Rebecca brings her claw over to ruffle through Courtney's hair slightly, "And we have the enough to pay it. We can head down to town, and start asking around. Besides, you said my mane feels even thicker than yours, right? So we both need help in that direction!"

Courtney chuckles. "Someone will probably love us for giving the chance and accidental publicity, considering how dragon-crazy people in this town are." She blinks, then blushes a bit: "...I mean, I am too I guess."

Rebecca blinks a little, trying to process that, "A-are they? I sorta assumed... everyone was afraid... we've grown so close, I figured you were such a wonderful exception..." She glances down, "I keep thinking I'm supposed to be all aloof and scary and driving folks away... I still wish I could just be more friendly with the people in town."

Courtney nods, thinking. "They are afraid... and curious. And of course you guys having so much money helps. But like, humans aren't inherently bad."

She considers: "... That said, being distant means getting to be more alone. But maybe there is a middle ground. We can be nice to people we deal with and keep enough of a private, aloof image to be left alone?" The kobold's mind is obviously whirring as she tries to figure out what's the right call.

Rebecca sighs, clearly torn as well. "Well... we don't need to decide all at once... but going down there now, we're probably going to remove a little of that 'distant' allure."

Courtney nods, then touches Rebecca on the cheek: "You're right, of course. Let's just head down and see what happens."

Rebecca smiles, nuzzling Courtney. "Yeah. Let's do it."

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