Same Heart, Tad Bit Softer

Golems shuffled up and down the hallway, diligently preparing the guest room. Their stony bodies thudded against the wood as they worked, carrying fresh bed sheets, pillows, blankets, and whatever other amenities that could possibly be needed. Larkspur would occasionally stay in the room if he spent too long going off on some alchemical tangent, so they had the routine down pat by this point.

Not that Citrine was really focused on them. Her eyes were locked on the new guest.

Ferris stood with her back to Citrine, looking over the garden window in the back room. The warrior's tall figure was barely able to fit in the space, and she had to lean over the sill to get a closer view. Even then, the way the muscles in her shoulders flexed was apparent to the half-elf. And her backside—

Rationality kicked in like a slap, banishing the thoughts before they could travel too far. It was natural to be curious considering how much Ferris had changed, but there was no need to ogle.

Yet…

Her gaze drifted back up, lingering over the ogrelyn's broad form. When they'd first met nearly a decade ago, she'd admittedly found herself attracted to Ferris, despite her best—and rather successful until just now—attempts to suppress the feeling. His personality was genuine, his loyalty unshakeable, and his body…

Well, it was nice, to say the least. Despite being half-ogre, it'd been more apt to have compared Ferris to a particularly built human, standing at nearly seven feet and with a body that'd been carved from stone.

And that hadn't changed in essence. Sure, his—her?—form was softer now and slimmer, but Ferris was still very much built, and the feminine additions only seemed to accentuate it.

Citrine shook her head again, realizing she'd been staring for too long. They'd barely talked since their awkward introduction, and the first thing she was doing was ogling her?

How shameful.

The half-elf cleared her throat, projecting her usual composed self. "The room will be done shortly. In the interim though… would you like to talk? If you haven't had the chance to eat just yet, I can make something passable as well."

"…" Ferris shifted awkwardly, a few seconds passing before her voice finally responded. "Y-yeah, that sounds good. Something to eat, that is. Sorry, but… I'm not sure where to start."

"It's fine, take your time," she reassured, giving a wave. "Just follow me to the kitchen and mind your head. The front was built to accommodate heights all the way up to draconids, but the back is… not so much. There might be a few hanging decorations in the way."

A nervous laugh. "Yeah… it's been an adjustment, that's for sure." Ferris's voice strained, the words coming out a little high before she coughed to clear her throat. "So uh, is it this way then—"

*SMACK*

The ogrelyn stumbled, catching herself on the doorframe as she'd walked straight into the pot of a hanging fruit vine.

Citrine winced in secondhand pain. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm good. It didn't hurt too badly," Ferris responded, rubbing her forehead in a distinctly familiar way. "Low hanging fruit, am I—"

She bit her tongue, terminating the joke. Instead, she just bowed her head. "S-sorry. I'll be more careful."

"…"

Citrine frowned. It was hard to tell if she was just imagining it after five years, but it seemed like Ferris's personality had shifted too. Sure, the warrior knew self-restraint and deference, but she'd always been quick to quip or laugh to lighten the mood. To see her like this, just cutting off her own humor?

It felt… strange. Almost alien.

"…Ferris, can we talk about this?" she eventually asked as wood floors gave way to polished tile. "I understand if it's a sensitive topic, but… what happened? You erm, look and sound very different."

The ogrelyn grimaced, taking a seat at the small table in the center of the kitchen, almost comically too small to accommodate her. "Really? Uh, didn't think it was that noticeable," she said, before immediately shaking her head. "Hah. Apologies. That was a dumb thing to say. Of course it is."

"…"

Citrine moved to start some tea, then fetched a few things from the pantry: a loaf of bread, some assorted cheeses, a few slices of preserved meat, and a small dish of jams and preserves. She arranged the assortment on a platter and placed it gently in front of her friend, retreating to the other side of the table as the water boiled.

Well, this was getting nowhere. Might as well bite the arrow and be blunt.

"Is there a reason you're a woman now?" she asked, crossing her arms and leaning on the table. "And what's the purpose of your visit tonight? None of us have heard from you in a long while outside a few rumors."

"…" The ogrelyn's shoulders drooped, nibbling a piece of cheese and prosciutto. "Sorry, Citrine. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just… a little embarrassing to admit. I'll start with the second question though."

Emerald eyes suddenly sharpened in resolve. "I got Larkspur's message. Saw it on the Help Guild's quest board a couple of towns over. I came here as soon as I could."

"The… Help Guild? Wait, you're still accepting their requests? Doesn't your prestige push you past that?"

"Yeah, well…" Ferris trailed off, scratching her cheek with a finger in a strangely girlish way. "It works out. I get to help those with difficult tasks that don't have a lot of funds, and it keeps my profile low. I've been trying to keep out of the limelight because of… well, the first reason you asked about."

The kettle whistled, prompting Citrine to rise and pour it. She began steeping a tea blend she thought would be appropriate, although she wasn't sure what exactly that would be in this situation.

"Could you tell me then? I don't want to pressure you, but… you have no idea how much of a shock this is."

Ferris laughed, the first full one of the night, although it was dry and self-deprecating. "Yeah, no, I can sort of understand. I imagine it's probably like how some of my old 'admirers' feel like now. If you'd like, I can just… go." She stood up. "Wouldn't blame you for needing some time."

"No!" Citrine protested, a bit louder than she'd meant to as her ears drooped. "Sorry, that was unbecoming of me. I didn't mean it that way, I—Wait. What do you mean by old admirers?"

The warrior sat back down, awkwardness returning as the seat groaned beneath her. "You know, the ones that would look up to me when in town? Young adventurers, aspiring guards, the like. Now? Not so much. Makes sense if you think about it though, really."

"…" The half-elf blinked in disbelief.

Was Ferris joking? With her body? Her strength? Sure, there was that strange awkwardness to her now, but she could still feel that endearing personality and humor in there somewhere. The only thing that actually seemed different about her was the shape it was all in.

"That's ridiculous." She shook her head and poured two cups of tea, setting one in front of the ogrelyn when it was ready. "You're still… you, aren't you?"

Ferris hesitated for a second, then nodded a little dejectedly. "Yeah… I guess that's still technically true. I sorta fight the damn same, fumble the damn same, and even mostly feel the damn same—"

A sudden wince, and her voice rose. "A-apologies for the language. I'm trying to work on that too."

"It's fine? I don't care if you swear. I'm a shopkeep, not a noble." She took a moment to sip her tea. It was light, a bit floral, and had an underlying layer of bitterness. She reached over to dump a few sugar cubes into Ferris's drink to sweeten it before continuing—she'd always liked her things a bit on the sweeter side. "Anyway, while we're on the topic, could I ask about your new… features? You mentioned that it's embarrassing to admit, but please understand, I'm not judging. I'm just trying to get all the information I can."

The warrior took a drink, nodding in appreciation of the flavor. "I'm sorry. I know I can trust you. We've put our lives in your hands more times than sand on the beach. But I'm… not exactly used to talking to people anymore. Been a long time since I've had friends around."

It felt surreal hearing that admission. She'd always thought of Ferris as the most sociable and outgoing member of the party, always surrounded by people, and yet, here she was, sounding just as lonely as Citrine herself had felt at times.

"If you don't want to talk about it, don't. My queries aren't worth making you uncomfortable tonight. We can just have tea together and catch up."

Ferris tilted her head. "A-are you sure? I can keep going. It's the least I can do for—"

Citrine snatched one of the cookies from the basket and shoved it in the warrior's mouth. "Mmph!"

"Shush. We'll get it once you're more composed again. I can already tell you're going to say something dumb otherwise," the half-elf said, taking her hand away. "No, you're not wasting my time. No, you're not a bother to me. And no, I'm not going to think any less of you if you choose not to talk. Now, enjoy the damn cinnamon and listen. I'll just need you to move your head."

Ferris's cheeks flushed, skin turning a light pink as her teeth crunched through the cookie.

Ah, that was… sort of cute. Citrine found herself smirking, continuing the conversation as if it didn't make her feel strangely warm inside.

"Let's go down the list then. First. You're a woman now. Yes or no?"

The warrior paused before nodding, dusting sugar onto the table.

"Fine by me. Next item. You know about the new revelation about the curse. Yes or no?"

Another nod, this time, more relaxed.

"And finally, you've come here to check on me. Yes or no?"

Nod.

"Alright, so you're still the same person at heart then, a big softie." She quipped at the ogrelyn, who only reddened in return. "One last question, actually. I'm not sure what to call you now. Are you still Ferris? Your name, that is."

"Mmm, y-yeah," Ferris answered, her voice muffled as the last of the cookie disappeared into her mouth. "That's fine. I'm still Ferris."

"I see. Then, in that case—" She stood up and walked around the table, standing in front of Ferris's seat. "Welcome back, friend."

Citrine leaned down, giving the warrior a quick hug and feeling her stiffen. The embrace was brief, lasting barely a few seconds, and she quickly retreated toward the hallway when done.

"The golems are probably finished by now, so once you're settled, feel free to use the bath and anything else you might need." A thumbs up.

Ferris swallowed, then nodded, replying with a thumbs up of her own. "Sounds good."

Citrine nodded, about to leave to tend to her own needs as she stepped into the hall. However, her mind suddenly had other ideas, jumping into overdrive. Perhaps it was because both Larkspur and Ferris had visited recently, but the nostalgic hum of tactical thought stirred to life, conjuring a plan.

One year was left on the clock, and she had to make the most of it. So with Ferris here now, perhaps it would be a good time to put a previous thought into action? The one with the lead?

"Say," she said, leaning on the doorframe. "Since you already know about my time limit, would you mind humoring me tomorrow? I have a favor to ask."

"Sure. I don't mind," the ogrelyn answered. "I came to help, didn't I? What do you want me to do? Bodyguard?"

"Something like that. There's a place in mind that could possibly—very unlikely—point me to some solution for this curse, and I'd like to check it out. It'd take us a month of travel. Would you be willing to come with?"

"A place that could help, huh?" Ferris mused before agreeing, forgetting any bashfulness in the face of duty. "Yeah, of course. Just lead the way."

Her heart warmed a little at that, the corner of her lip twitching.

"Great. I'll tell you all the details tomorrow then. You may want to prepare yourself though. Before we head out, I need to make sure you're still up to par."

"Up to par?"

Mischievousness blurred with nostalgia, and the half-elf cracked a wry grin. "Frankly, you've been off your game tonight, Ferris. Fumbling into pots, awkwardly trying to hide yourself? It's a little worrying. I need to know if I can trust my life to you like old times if a fight happens. Same honestly applies to me, although it's nothing a good sparring match can't figure out."

"S-spar? You and I?" Ferris stuttered, then blanched. "Oh. Oh no."

"Relax, it won't be like the regimen of old. Just something casual to test each other's limits." Citrine waved her hand, finally ready to retire.

The warrior kept sputtering, a mix of her new uncertainty and old humor mixing in her voice. "Y-yeah, but… Citrine, please. There's no need. I'm clearly as capable as I ever was. See these?" She flexed, trying to showboat around her teacup.

"…" The half-elf paused for a moment, debating about addressing the rebuttal before shrugging instead.

"Good night, Ferris. I hope your form hasn't softened like your personality."