It's the day after my world changed forever, how do you expect me to be able to emotionally bounce back?!

The next morning-- no, sorry, the next evening --I stir awake feeling absolutely awful. Even Exgrave's surprisingly comfortable bed can't help me from the restlessness and depression that last night has inflicted upon me. Forgive me for having overslept-- yesterday was the longest day of either of my lives.

"Penelope." Exgrave mutters, held within my arms like a plush doll. They must've realized I had woken up.

"Yeah...?"

"While I have grown appreciative of this kind of physical contact, I would also appreciate it if you would let me go, at least for a moment." Their stomach grumbles. "I, uh, find myself famished, to be blunt."

"Oh, sorry." I let go of Exgrave. They bow to me as if to say 'thanks' before heading off. I hope they return sooner rather than later.

...I'm hungry, too, but I don't feel like leaving this bed. Too depressed. I'll leave when the hunger becomes unbearable, but for now I remain here.

The setting sun cracks through the windows, causing me to recoil as soon as my eyes make contact. Let me just turn off the sun, tell it to come back another time. I'm beginning to appreciate how dim Exgrave keeps the castle right about now.

...

Someone's knocking at the door. Probably not Exgrave, but who?

"Yes...?"

"Ahh, Lady Pento-- is this a bad time? I can come again later if you need me to." Zephys meekly shouts behind the door, not even opening it a crack to see me. I appreciate the courtesy, but this is a bit ridiculous. I've got to help them be more comfortable around me. I'm not even a demon lord-- yet --so they have no reason to feel intimidated around me.

"Come in already."

Slowly, she cracks open the door. The first thing I noticed is that she's carrying a basket with her, containing... fruit? Apples, bananas; the works. Curious. Mom is with her as well, still using her spear as a crutch.

"Oh, hi mom."

"Hello." Her smile is subdued, as though she's trying to put on a brave face despite all that's happened. She hops onto the bed, sitting beside me. "...How are you?"

"Terrible."

She pauses, before laughing in response to my bluntness, probably relieved that I'm not pretending things aren't awful right now. "I feel the same." She falls backwards, lying down on the mattress. "I'm sure I'll get used to living here, but I'm not sure I can handle not having my hands busy."

"It just doesn't feel real." She sighs, brushing away burgeoning tears from her eyes. "None of it does."

"It really doesn't." I so badly want to wake up and realize everything was a dream, but I know I won't be so lucky.

We sit there for a moment, not sure what kind of small talk would even be appropriate right now. Then, I realize Zephys is just standing there, still holding the basket of fruit.

I need to know, so I break the silence. "What's... What's with the fruit?"

"Ahh, I had figured you would want something to eat." They slither over, placing the fruit beside me. Their expression softens, voice matching as they continue. "...I've lost loved ones too, so I'm familiar with the feeling of not wanting to get out of bed. Just figured you could have some low-commitment food to keep yourself going."

How... sweet of them. Genuinely so. "That means a lot, thank you so much."

"T-thank you, Lady Pento!"

She bows, moving to take her leave, but I stop her. "Zephys."

"Y-yes?" She tenses, clearly nervous that I'm addressing her.

"Stay a bit. I'd appreciate your company."

"Stay a while," Mom interjects. "I'd like to learn more about my daughter's first soldier."

"Pffff..." I laugh, amused. It's not an inaccurate way of describing Zephys, I suppose. Probably doesn't help the whole confidence issue she has around me, though.

"I-I, ah..." They rub the back of their neck. "I'm not exactly sure what to talk about. I'm nothing special, Miss..."

"Mae'poi." She sits back up, scooching to lean her back on the base of the bed. "I'm sure there's lots of interesting things about you. What inspired you to take up arms?"

"Ah, that I can answer." She takes a seat-- after looking at me to see if it's okay to do so. "...Places tend not to make concessions for non-bipeds, if they even allow them patronage in the first place." She adjusts in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position. "Hemera, my mother, was also under Lord Exgrave's employ. I want to carry on her legacy."

"You've got a good head on you, Zephys." Mae'poi smiles. "You'll do well in my daughter's army."

She laughs, looking away out of embarrassment. "I hope so, miss. I really do."

"Do you have any combat training?"

"Not at all-- father's a chef, and while my mother was a very powerful mage, she never had much time to teach me."

"A chef?" I interject. "That explains your interest in cooking."

She nods, laughing. "I could never dream of reaching his level. Truth be told, I'm better suited to following in my mother's trail."

Mom looks surprised. "You're a spellcaster, then? I'd never seen one before meeting Lord Exgrave-- and Narce."

"I want to be. When she was alive, mom had said my potential was nigh divine." She sighs, laughing wistfully. "Unfortunately I lack the know-how to properly control it." She crosses her arms, looking uncomfortable. "I'm what scholars call a 'spell conduit'-- meaning the ability to cast spells comes as natural to me as breathing. A bit... too natural, though." She looks to me. "Sorry again."

"What happened?" Mom asks.

Oh right, I never told her.

"She... blew me up, the first day we met." Mom stifles laughter-- prompting me to feel the need to elaborate. "We had a scuffle before then, so I tried to scare her off thinking she would've been in our way."

"For what it's worth-- all I was wanting to do was place a holding spell on you --as I had every intention of fleeing..."

So it was a freak occurrence that lead to us working together. Funny how that works-- in the moment, I was cursing myself for underestimating her.

"Well, you're certainly in good company for people who can teach you." Mom adds, having regained her composure.

"Of course. Though, in the meantime I've asked Lord Exgrave to teach me in the ways of physical combat. I'd hate to be useless in the event I can't cast any spells. Which is to say... most of the time, given my fear of misfiring."

"Smart of you. I can teach you some hunting techniques as well, if you'd like."

Zephys lights up. "I would love that! Thank you so much, Miss Mae'poi!"

"I'd like to be part of that too, mom." I need to be able to defend myself better-- with all that's gone on, I can't rely solely on flying around and hoping the enemy can't hit me.

That... and a part of me is craving the taste of raw meat again. Is that normal for dragons? ...I guess I can ask Elioxus about it later.

"Of course-- I'd be honored to teach you, dear." She smiles as though her heart was warmed by me asking. "But for now, I should probably get going. I... actually haven't eaten yet, myself." She shifts to get off the bed-- I help her, of course. "Love you so much, Pento." She kisses my forehead.

"Love you too, mom." We share a hug, before heading off. Zephys follows, assisting her with the door.

"I should be off, as well. Just let me know if you need anything more, Lady Pento."

"Of course. Thanks again for the food, by the way."

She nods, giving a bow before the two head off.

...

Is it bad part of me still expects Khil to rush in, ready to start the day with her sister?

As if on cue, someone makes their way into the room. It's... Blubbo, my pet slime. I'm not surprised. I'm pretty sure pets have a sixth sense for their owners' emotions. I help it onto the bed-- only realizing once it's on that it might stain the linen. Oh well, it's not like Exgrave uses most of this bed anymore.

Blubbo nuzzles into me, practically confirming my earlier thoughts.

"Heh... I'm glad you survived, Blubbo." I give them some headpats, basically winging it as I don't really know what kind of physical enrichment slimes take well to. If they were a cat, then I'd easily--

!?

Did... their form just change? I could've sworn... I had seen some cat ears form on Blubbo.

Huh. I wonder. It's... probably a coincidence, but if I were to keep a hand on them and think about cat ears more...

Oh, wow. I wasn't imagining things. The amorphous blue slime genuinely has cat ears, now-- still made out of slime, mind, but still. I scratch behind the left ear, seeing it twitch in response as though it was always here.

...

How far can I take this?

I concentrate further, closing my eyes and imagining Blubbo as though they were putty within my mind. Then, curiosity gets the better of me, and I begin sculpting that mental clay.

Their form shifts and morphs in my mind and against my hands, and after a few minutes pass I open my eyes, curious to see what they've become.

A small, anthropomorphic cat, probably as tall as Exgrave, dressed in the cutest of tuxedos. They've got a bit of a blank expression that suggests that nobody's home upstairs, but that honestly adds to the cuteness factor.

Though, while I'd envisioned them having black fur, they're still very distinctly a blue slime. Maybe that's a limitation of this strange ability I've found myself with?

Oh, right. I never actually thought to ask if they were fine with this.

"Do you um... do you like it?" I ask.

They look at their hands, examining them, before looking back to me... and placing their paws on my forehead.

I think their cuteness is going to be the death of me.

"What have we got here?" Elioxus speaks, leaning their body against the door frame. "Didn't know you were in possession of a putty slime, Pento."

"Putty slime?"

"A near-extinct breed. As you can see, they can be reshaped by individuals that they have bonded with. They're often mistaken for regular slimes-- hence their low numbers."

...I'm glad I wasn't thinking about Khil, then. That would've been far more awkward for someone to walk in on.

"I've always wanted to study one, myself-- though I was convinced they're gone extinct by now. Do you mind if I do so, sometime?"

"As long as you don't dissect him or anything." He's one of the few things I have that connects me to Khil, after all.

Elioxus chuckles. "Of course not. I only wish to satisfy my curiosity. Nothing will happen that you won't be aware of-- especially as they're bonded to you."

"Fair enough, then." I shift in bed, sitting up to more comfortably headpat Blubbo. "What brings you here, exactly?"

Elioxus enters the room properly, sitting beside me on the bed. "I figured it best to check up on you, perhaps answer any questions you may have."

"Right-- I appreciate it " What even do I ask first, though? I've known them for five years and they've been another dragon this whole time... Maybe that's a good place to start, actually. "Why hide being a dragon, exactly?"

"I'm close to my awakening," they say without skipping a beat. "Twenty years from now, I'll become a full fledged Dragon-- a god amongst men. I already feel my magic capabilities fluctuating wildly as the time approaches. I'm watching out to avoid those who prefer to not see that happen."

"...Even dragons face discrimination, here?"

"Many high ranking religious folk find us inconvenient. No rational reasons, of course-- they just find us scary because of our power."

"...Of course." I groan out, unsurprised though still annoyed. "Wait, you're almost 200 years old?"

"180."

"I see why Exgrave regarded you as an old friend, then."

"I've known them since they were a kid, actually." They laugh a bit. "I've got plenty of embarrassing stories from our shared youth, but I'm sure they'll try and kill me if I ever shared." A devious grin. "Keyword being 'try', given their current circumstances. But I'm not one to betray the trust of a close friend."

"...How old is Exgrave?"

"Probably 10-20 years younger than me-- I don't recall."

That's a pretty wide margin-- but, I suppose your perception of time would be different when your life expectancy is in the thousands.

"Oh, right. How much does Toko know? Should we be worried about her?"

"I'd only told her that I cared about you and the kobolds-- she knows I'm a dragon, but beyond that she isn't aware of my friendship with Allogor. We can trust her, though. I've known her for some time, before meeting Brysen, even."

"...Is Elioxus not your first identity you've taken on?"

"Huh?" They're taken off-guard. "W... What do you mean?"

"You're proficient with magic, yet you chose to be a martial artist to cover for your fluctuating capabilities-- you must've had other identities when not showing your true form as Narce, right?" Just making a shot in the dark here, given how they're conveying themselves now that their secret's out.

"Well..." They regain their composure as best they can. "I've gone by other identities before, yes. If you're not lucky to be raised by a Dragon who's awakened, you tend to have to lay low in these years before your awakening-- I'm sure Allogor has told you about the dragon poachers, yes?"

"They have, yeah."

"So you understand, then. "

I tilt my head. "Not why you would need to use multiple identities, though."

They pause again. "...I suppose it helps me gain multiple perspectives on the world." Or to be able to keep tabs on people, I suppose. "Have you considered an identity for yourself? We'll need to train you to be able to shapeshift sooner rather than later, given the Ale-knights had reported about you to the king."

My heart skips a beat. "They... did?"

"Ah, no need to worry about it though. Nobody takes them seriously-- most regard them as a bunch of cowards who work for hire to cover the tabs accrued from tavern crawling."

Still... had I not stepped in, maybe Khil would have...

I shake my head, dismissing that thought. "But uh... I haven't really thought about a new identity, no."

"You could always bring back your appearance from your old world."

That's the thing, though...

"I've been meaning to ask; do catfolk even exist in this world?"

They look at me funny. "You... you're kidding, right?"

"No?" For a moment, I don't follow what they mean. Then, it hits me. "Oh, no I mean-- not like Toko, where she's like, a human with cat features. I mean..." I gesture to Blubbo. "Like Blubbo here. Bipedal cat person."

"...Right. I had thought you were a human in your past life."

"Nope-- I was a black cat." I'd say it explains why my lives have been so unlucky, but that's too on the nose.

"Well, in any case; Arethon does have Felids-- that would probably be what you would want to go for."

"Good to hear. I'm-"

...'Relieved.' I trail off before I finish my sentence. Am I relieved to be able to return to my old form? I've gotten pretty used to being a dragon-- and it's not like I ever felt comfortable in my own skin back in my old world.

"Something the matter?" Elioxus asks.

"Do you feel more like yourself when you're Narce?"

"I suppose so. I feel no discomfort when I'm acting as Elioxus, nor did I with any of my prior identities. Do you feel more like yourself as Pento?"

A pause.

"I... don't know."

"Well, I wouldn't overthink it." They pat me on the back. "You've got your whole life ahead of you, Pento-- hundreds of years to figure out who you are."

"You're right. You're... right."

"I should probably get going though; Allogor wished to chat with me-- I think they wish to catch up with everything that has gone down." They stand up, making their way to the door.

"Hey, Elioxus."

"Yeah?"

"You have any idea where Khil's dad could be?"

"Khil'nubs dad-- that would be..."

"Crux'nub."

"Right, right-- I'd found that out, actually. Where he is, I mean."

"Y-you did?"

"I couldn't find the time to tell you earlier, unfortunately. They're currently under captivity of one Anson Slader-- the leading slave trader of this continent."

"So let's go after them, then."

Elioxus grimaces.

"What?"

"I... my hands are tied, here." They break eye contact with me. "She and Brysen are close business partners-- I would risk compromising my cover if I was to take action." Their expression sours. "Much as I would love to do so..."

"Then I'll do it."

"Too risky."

"What? I can't imagine they're that tough-- plus, it'll get back at Brysen-- two birds with one stone."

They look to me. "I don't know if it was the case in your world, but enslaving people here requires a magical ritual."

"...Meaning she's a spellcaster."

"Precisely."

"At best, you'd probably be able to take down one of the caravans that transports slaves to and from her house-- but taking her on yourself? Certainly not."

Caravans...? Hmm.

They give a smile. "We'll figure something out-- don't worry." They curtsy, turning around to leave.

"Leave the door open, please."

"Of course." They take their leave.

I move to hug Blubbo close-- nearly breaking into tears when they reciprocate. "Stay here." They nod, and I set off to find Zephys.

As I expected-- they're at the library. And they're alone too, making things a whole lot easier for me.

"Ah, Lady Pento! Are you feeling any bet-"

"You know who Anson Slader is, right?"

Their expression dims. "Unfortunately, yes."

A grin stretches across my face. "Wanna play heroes?"