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The Day After the Picnic.

Rebecca lets out a roar of frustration as she hangs up the video call with her Mother, the Elder Dragon having seen images that came out from the day out on the town and called to 'check in' on her daughter, and her newest 'servant'.

Rebecca had to come clean about just about everything, Courtney's changes, as well as her own, their relationship, and their hesitation and growing frustrations keeping it all secret, leading up to their picnic, which at first she seemed to take very well. But it slowly became clear that she only considered how the family could benefit from this, 'Oh, a Kobold in the family will raise our standing considerably!'

Rebecca's continued defense of Courtney's position not just as a hired servant, but as a friend, a loved one, family, and someone that the family owed a life to... fell on frustratingly deaf ears, and even as Rebecca's voice raised throughout the argument, her Mother barely seemed bothered at all, finally ending the call with 'Oh, well, do whatever keeps it happy, I suppose. Don't worry, Reb'hek'aran, we'll handle everything on our end.'

When the call ended, Rebecca buried her head into the pile of pillows in her bedroom and screamed.

Courtney startles from her reading in the other room, blinking. She makes her way to the doorway. "...guess that did not go as well as you'd have hoped."

The kobold has been a bit afraid about the result of this call, but out of courtesy (and a bit of fear) stayed out of the room and out of hearing range for the duration of it.

Rebecca pulls her head up from the pillows and lets out a sigh, "No, not at all. I mean, she took it well. Just... too well? URGH she is SO frustrating! She wouldn't listen at ALL. Just... 'oh a kobold! Do you have any idea how good that will be for the family?'"

"Ugh! No! I don't CARE about the family!" She slumps, looking at Courtney with tears in her eyes. "She didn't even ask about what was happening to me..."

Courtney's expression drops as she walks to her girlfriend. "That sounds... Pretty awful of her, really." She glances aside: "... Better or worse than being yelled at and disowned, jury's still out."

She steps close to hug the dragon's snout and kiss her in between the eyes. "Seems we are on our own, then."

Rebecca sighs, "I... I don't know... I guess so? Probably better than being disowned... at least we still have the manor. I just... wish she cared about me... I don't even know if she registered what I said about us. She talked about you like I'm supposed to own you." She bristles upon saying that aloud, the mane of hair down her neck and back all riled up.

She sighs and manages to relax just a little at Courtney's hug and the tender kiss as she cries softly.

Courtney whispers softly: "You do own me, just not in the way she thinks~. And that's what matters."

Rebecca blinks, "N-no! Not like she thinks, no. And only because you own me in turn, love."

Courtney smiles and kisses Rebecca's snout again: "A mutually beneficial arrangement~"

Rebecca takes in a deep breath, trying to calm herself, though she can't stop the tears, "Very. You are being very beneficial right now."

Courtney gives a low chuckle as she caresses the dragon's cheek: "Not that long ago you would not have caught me dead pleading such loyalty to anyone, but turns out I just needed to find the right dragon." She holds up her paw: "And no, that's not actually how I believe we fell for each other. That happened before I was intending to stay or grew scales."

Rebecca manages to chuckle through the tears, bringing one of her claws forward to stroke a claw down Courtney's back and down her tail. "I know... if I believed otherwise, I don't know where we'd be. I certainly wouldn't be swearing that same loyalty back to you."

Courtney smirks: "Imagine though, the expressions on your family's faces if you served me for their visit."

Rebecca giggles at that, "The throne in the main hall is a little big for you, but I bet you could make it work~."

Courtney grins: "We might need to buy more pillows."

Rebecca glances an eye back at the mountain of pillows on her bed. "Well, you can never truly have enough pillows, right?"

Courtney smirks as she looks at the pillows: "Pretty sure that's the case." She looks up at the dragon again: "So in short; your family can suck it with their opinions, and we need more pillows."

Rebecca hums, snuffling still, but she seems to be in quite better spirits already, "Yes... yes they can. And yes, we do." She scritches at Courtney's fluff and sighs, "I shouldn't be surprised, I guess. My Parents never really cared about anything I said or did. So long as I wasn't 'bad for business'."

Courtney hums: "Out of sight, out of mind, huh? I guess..." She glances aside: "...that does sound familiar."

Rebecca sighs, "It really does doesn't it? But, on the bright side, maybe that's why we found each other?" She chuckles again, finally managing to clear the tears out of her eyes, "You do tend to be the only thing I can look at when you're here, and the only thing I can think about when you're not."

Courtney smiles up at the dragon: "The same, except if we're being real, you're really hard to not see, or forget."

Rebecca glances back at herself and giggles, "I guess I am a bit hard to miss... though I feel like those changes have made me feel a bit... heavier?"

The added blue fluff atop her head grows lighter in color as it travels down her back, the tip of her tail a big poofy mass of whiteish-blue. Her lithe body seems mostly the same, but her arms and legs has seem to have gotten thicker, her hands growing more pawlike and the claws less sharp. None of her changes have been as drastic as Courtney's, but it's certainly changed her.

Courtney hums as she considers the dragon, then in a swift motion jumps and climbs up the dragon's side to 'inspect' the hair fluff closer. "Mmhm. I guess you might be a bit. Or is that just sitting down and reading a bit too much and not... er, whatever it is that dragons might do for exercise." She leans over the side and pokes at Rebecca's belly. "Are you getting gut, my dearest?"

Rebecca laugh at the pokes, "No! I mean... I don't think so? Am I? Maybe it's just because we've been eating so much good food together... or maybe it is more changes like yours... I can't even say at this point... it's not too bad, is it?"

Courtney climbs the rest of the way up to brush her paws through the fur on Rebecca's back: "Nope, it actually makes you softer looking. Adorable if you ask me."

Rebecca watches Courtney climb, the kobold having gotten better and better at it, and the fur on Rebecca's back certainly helping as well, she purrs at the feelings of Courtney's paws running through her fur, "...I guess I don't mind being adorable... for you. I know it's nothing compared to what you've gone through, but it does feel weird... taking it all in. I still wish I knew the why of it all... but maybe we'll never know that."

Courtney smiles: "You know this is the part where I would philosophize about maybe needing to freak out more, but really honestly aside from like... losing some height and having one finger less, what do I miss?"

Rebecca watches Courtney sadly for a moment, but leans her head down to smile, "That's one way of looking at it. I haven't even lost anything, just gained? I admit, I never much cared about my looks, I mean, I don't think I was ugly for a dragon or anything, but I didn't do much to make myself any prettier. I didn't really care. And then... you came along, and suddenly I wanted to look pretty for you..."

Courtney rubs at the dragon's shoulders: "So I am good for your self esteem. I'll take that."

Rebecca rises up with Courtney on her back and carries her over to the pillow pile, snuggling into them, "You are certainly good at making me feel better about myself. I'm pretty plain, as far as Dragons go." She pauses, "Or I was, anyways. Guess I'm a bit unique now, huh?"

Courtney makes her way down to a pillow next to Rebecca, making sure to touch as many tufts of fur as she is able on the way. "Mm, it's possible you're a bit more different now." She muses as she sits down and leans on Rebecca's forearm: "I mean, I might be the only kobold on Earth... although I don't really believe that."

Rebecca continues to purr with every touch. She brings her face down to nuzzle against Courtney before resting her head down alongside her. "I don't know if I do either. I'd feel sad if we were the only ones who got to feel this for one another."

Courtney chuckles softly: "I don't think we own the concept of love, even if our stumbling on it was different from most."

Rebecca laughs, nudging Courtney slightly, "Not what I meant! It's more than just love... or... maybe it's not? I guess I don't know. Not like I was ever in love before."

Courtney hums: "Me neither. So I don't know. But... well."

Rebecca tilts her head kiss Courtney gently, "It feels like more. If we weren't made for each other before, we are now."

Courtney giggles, kissing back: "Mm well, guess so. I don't really... believe in being made as such, but... supposee there is some evidence to it now. Eh." She shrugs.

Rebecca giggles, "I just grew up reading too many human fairy tales. Love at first sight, destined lovers, Princesses capturing dragons! Ah, so romantic..."

Courtney smirks: "So that definitely makes you the softie of the two of us. I grew up reading awkward fanfiction and just assorted everything on the internet."

Rebecca blushes, the highlight of red standing out on her face as something very new... "Ah, maybe. I was the one writing the awkward fanfiction, after all."

Courtney smiles: "Maybe you can be excused. A horny dragon writing fanfiction, and all."

Rebecca: "Ah! I'm not- well... I wasn't... I just-" She crinkles up her snout, trying to back out of this accusation but not finding any terribly effective argument that doesn't dig her in deeper. "...okay, maybe."

Courtney smirks and leans up to kiss Courtney's snout. "Maybe you could try writing again~"

Rebecca chuckles, "I could. I do have some pretty strong inspiration, it seems."

Courtney attemps to look innocent: "And what might that inspiration be?"

Rebecca smirks, nudging Courtney with the forearm she's leaning against, "Just something I heard, about a beautiful maid who walked into a dragon's lair and managed to ensnare her Mighty Mistress, stealing her most valuable treasure."

Courtney hums: "Sounds interesting. Looking forward to your prose, love~." She blinks: "Speaking of which, I should try and draw more. Been kinda putting it off since I got claws..."

Rebecca perks up, "You should! I've pushed away almost all of that guilt over your changes, we've both come to accept this for what it is... but I admit, seeing you give up art for so long has been... well... I don't think I could forgive myself if I had fully taken that away from you."

Courtney shakes her head. "No, you haven't. I still have the drive." She lifts up her paw. "It's just... relearning how to fingers."

Rebecca nuzzles against the paw with her snout, "I know. A challenge, but one you have risen to." She pauses, then giggles, "Well, Mom did say I could do whatever was necessary to 'keep my kobold happy'. I'm sure that might excuse a bit of a shopping spree on art supplies... maybe we could convert one of the unused rooms into a studio?"

Courtney blinks: "An art studio... I uh... well I certainly won't say no..."

Rebecca nods, "I... I'd like to try to do art too. Maybe having a dedicated space for it will help? But... it'd mostly be for you, probably."

Courtney shakes her head: "If we get such a room all prepped, it's for both of us."

Rebecca smiles, "Alright. Not just probably , then. Definitely. For both of us."

Courtney giggles and leans up for another small kiss. "If I am to be creative, so are you. It's in the rules."

Rebecca grins, "Well, you are the one in charge of the rules, so I guess I don't have much choice~."

Courtney smirks: "Oh come on, that's not fair. I don't get to make the rules anymore than you do."

Rebecca hums, feigning deep thought, "Hm, maybe. Co-rulers then. Though, most of the rules I want to pass involve our meals, and snuggling." She leans her head against Courtney to emphasize. "If I am getting 'softer' I want to take advantage of it."

Courtney giggles as she leans against Rebecca's head: "I guess that's fair enough. We can be soft and fluffy rules of a kingdom of pillows, together."

Rebecca hums, settling into the pillows of her bed while just as readily being a pillow for Courtney, her thoughts focusing on the kobold, rather than lingering on the call from her mother, and her family once again putting business ahead of her...

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