“How are you feeling?” Victoria nudged Maxine softly as they walked back towards the parking lot. Both of them were carrying some bags. All in all, shopping had gone quite well. One of the first things Maxine had discovered, however, was that physical changes did not take away the discomfort, the feeling of fakeness, when she walked into a store. So they’d gone in and out quickly, fanning out to look for the things they’d looked up the night before. Max would try shopping casually some other day. Today was a day for speedrun strats. So she’d gotten everything she’d wanted, minus some things that had been wrongly priced on the site. Neither of them were especially well off, but some financial sacrifice had to be made when assembling an entirely new wardrobe. 

“I’m okay,” Maxine said. “A little stressed out. Glad we’re done,” she admitted. “But it was a good distraction from yesterday.” Victoria nodded and started to fish for her keys as they approached the car. Max waited for the telltale double-beeps before opening the trunk. “My life has been such a mess lately, it’s hard to put everything in perspective. Like, I fought on a rooftop yesterday!” She realized how loud she was being and lowered her voice. “And he’s still out there…” 

Victoria put her bags in the car too and kissed Max on the cheek. “Try not to worry about that right now. Just because you fought him doesn’t mean he’s your responsibility.” Maxine grumbled, so Victoria shut her up. When Max recovered from the kiss, her eyes were still glassy and glazed over. “C’mon, get in the car. We’ll drop these off, get changed, and then go to the party.” Max nodded happily and hopped in. They speculated on the thief’s intentions -- beyond, of course, accruing wealth -- and his nature, but they didn’t get very far. Without more information and more sightings, all they had to go on was what little Max had learned in her short ‘conversation’ with him. 

Back at Victoria’s apartment, they saw that the people hired to clean up the mess had been paid extra to work on the weekend, and had been let in. There had been a lot of glass, and Max wondered how many floors had similar damage. When she’d climbed the building yesterday, it had definitely seemed like the busted windows went all the way up, so it’d be a good week for contractors. Most of the glass on the floor had been cleaned up, at least, and Victoria quickly went to make tea for the men and women picking shards out of the furniture while Max went to take another shower. Partly because she didn’t like putting on fresh clothes without taking a shower, and partly because she still hadn’t gotten around to doing that in this form. 

The hot water running down her body emphasised things that were right that had previously been wrong. Curves that hadn’t been there. A couple of things that went ‘bounce’ that had never gone ‘bounce’ before. Bounce bounce. She grinned to herself. 

You’re a doof, Penny said, but Max could feel the grin in their voice. Besides, she figured, this was their fault. She wondered where they’d even got the measurements they’d used for her. There was a slight internal shrug. You already had a template in there. Hormones happened to you the same way damage happened. Just a matter of working off what was already there. That was a good feeling. Sure, Max was coming to terms with the fact that she was actually a girl, but hearing that the girl had always been there was… good.

She was lathering her hair, enjoying the feeling of the asymmetrical cut, when she heard the door open, and she froze. The frosted glass of the shower obscured the intruder, and she hoped it similarly made her shape hard to read. She was about to really panic when she heard Victoria’s voice, and panicked.

“Hey, sorry for barging in. I’m just gonna put the dress and underwear you picked on the dress, okay?” Max took a few seconds to get her bearings. She felt incredibly exposed, but not necessarily in a… bad… way? 

“O-okay!” she stammered, and she heard the door close. “She was in here,” she thought to herself, her brain going a million miles a minute. 

Yes, Penumbra said. She was. There was some slight amusement in their voice.

“While I was naked.” Max tried to calm the beating of her tell-tale heart. “She was in here while I was naked,” she repeated, both excited and a little terrified. 

Calm yourself, gay one, Penny said. She literally just dropped off clothes. She probably didn’t even see you.

“Are you sure?” Maxine tried not to sound too hopeful because she knew Penny  would probably make fun of her if she sounded eager. She failed.

Maybe next time you can invite her in there with you. That way you’ll be -absolutely- certain. Penny’s cocky attitude was hard to resist, and if she could poke them in the ribs with her elbow, she would. Don’t overthink it, Max. It didn’t mean anything. Well, that wasn’t necessarily true. If it meant as much to Victoria as it meant to Max, maybe it did mean something. But how was she ever going to ask? Oh goodness, Penny interrupted. Max stuck out her tongue to nothing in particular and got out of the shower. 

For the first time, Maxine saw her new body in the mirror while naked. She instantly noticed some things. Small tiddy. Very smoochable face. A little bit of a tum. Hips. And… 

“Gosh.”

You okay?

“Yeah. It’s just… a lot.”

I understand. I feel what you feel.

“I’m so sorry.”

Don’t be.

“Gosh.” She had to stand there in awe for a minute. She didn't think she'd ever get used to this being her. It couldn't be. She didn't deserve--

Max. Stop. I picked you. That’s all the ‘earn’ and ‘deserve’ there is to it. Look in the mirror. That’s you. Enjoy it. 

Maxine grumbled and did as she was told. The dress fit perfectly. The training bra fit… well enough. Wearing it was a new sensation, but Victoria had mentioned beforehand that the constricted feeling was something you got used to over time. And it would definitely help with the chafing, which was a problem even with Maxine’s improved physique. 

It’s either toughness or sensitivity, Penny said. Can’t have both. They paused for a moment, loudly and clearly not judging her. And we both know which one you picked. Yeeaah. No getting out from under that one. If she was going to be a girl, she wanted to feel like one, not be numb to everything just because she could put a hole through a wall. Feeling like herself was more important than feeling like… well, a superhero.

Then, finally, came the biggest and final revelation: the dress. It went spinny. She twirled left and right and realized that she couldn’t twirl too much or she’d be showing her ass. Her new underwear was cute, but it was not meant for public consumption. 

Finally, she slipped on the flats, and looked in the mirror. A cute little gay looked back at her, and she barely managed to contain a giggle. You don’t have to contain it, you know. Go ahead. The giggle escaped her lips, and she immediately felt cuter than she ever had. Observing herself like that was just… incredible. She sighed happily and left the room. Victoria was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, typing away on her laptop. Her mouth fell open when she saw Max, however, and she threw it onto the bed as soon as she saw her. Maxine was about to ask her what she thought, how she looked, but Victoria had figured that words maybe weren’t necessary. 

The taller woman advanced on Maxine, and this time, Max was prepared. That was to say, she managed to keep breathing for all four steps it took for Victoria to approach her. She wanted to say something glib, make a reference to something, but then, Victoria was on her, hands on her waist, and Maxine was gently pressed into the bathroom door. She’d lost count of how many times she’d been kissed these past few days, partly because she’d never been kissed like this before. She felt herself turn to putty in the other woman’s hands and she reveled in every breathless second of it. 

Her head swam and she slowly lost herself in Victoria’s arms, lips, scent, and she would probably be adrift forever if it wasn’t for the noise in the other room. They pulled away, their lips clinging to each other’s for a half second while they both caught their breath. Then Victoria managed to read Maxine’s mind and say exactly what she herself was thinking.

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

They looked at each other in blissful, bashful silence, and then got ready to leave. There was no need to lock up behind them. The cleaning crew had a key, and they weren’t planning on being gone all that long. Maxine was due to turn back into a pumpkin in a few hours, after all. In the car, she was already getting a little anxious. 

“What are your friends like?” she asked, bouncing her leg. She was desperate to make a good impression. What if she wasn’t good enough for Victoria’s friends? What if Victoria would realize that this meant that she wasn’t good enough for her? Penny bopped her on the hindbrain. 

“They’re cool,” Victoria said, not really aware of Maxine’s internal struggles. “A little weird.” She paused. “A lot weird. I’ve got witches and weirdos galore,” she laughed. “But they’re all… how do I put this… they’re all kind. I think that’s the most important part.” Max nodded, but her trepidation didn’t really go away. She looked out the window, where the busyness of the city began to give way to the uniform horror of suburbia. What if they disapproved of her and convinced Victoria to dump her as soon as possible?

You’re catastrophizing, Penny said. You’re a perfectly acceptable girlfriend. Before Max could say anything about the word ‘acceptable’, Penny stuck out their tongue. Relax.

“We’re actually coming up on the place now. It’s hosted by Daryl and Sue. They’re… well, you’ll find out,” Victoria said with a knowing little smile. Even without any more context like that, Max realized what she meant. All the samey houses of the suburbs were interrupted by a single house that, in midsummer, still had its holiday-and-halloween decorations up. 

“Wow,” Max said with a disbelieving laugh. “They’re…”

“Yup,” Victoria said with a proud grin. “They’re both teachers and I love them. Just don’t bring up government reforms if you value the next three hours of your life.” She looked at Maxine to make it very clear she wasn’t kidding. Max nodded in agreement. Then, after Victoria parked the car, she pulled Victoria in for another kiss. For good luck or whatever. She didn’t need an excuse. 

They got out and walked up to the front door, and rang the bell. The couple that greeted them was in their mid thirties and looked exactly like she expected a Daryl-and-Sue to look, although Daryl was a little taller and a little more buff than she’d anticipated -- she had to crane her neck to look him in the eyes -- but the full well-kept beard was exactly where she’d expected it. They greeted the both of them, and led them into the living room. There were half a dozen people already there, enjoying various tapas and bubbly drinks in flute glasses. Maxine turned to Victoria in a slight panic. 

“Are you okay?” Victoria asked. “What’s wrong? Too many people?” Maxine shook her head, swallowed, and tried not to look like she was looking, then whispered. 

“I know at least four of these people,” she said quietly. “And they all think I’m their token straight friend.” She looked up at Victoria, and tried to maintain her feelings of panic in the face of the beautiful woman who was clearly doing her best not to laugh.

Elamimax

aaa! Thought I'd forgotten about them, didn't you?

So, to reiterate the announcement from the previous chapter: As you can probably tell, updates have slowed down considerably. The reason for this is simple but annoying: Money. While I'm already incredibly grateful for the support I've gotten from my patrons, it has been necessary to append that income with my disability funds. The problem is that those run out at the end of this year if I can't prove that my writing is a viable means of income, so I need to expand that income. 

The bad news: that means working on Penumbra less. Penumbra is a passion project, but it's a little niche, and, for lack of a more nuanced phrase, I gotta sell out or starve. 

The good news: Penumbra isn't on hiatus, it's just going to have to take a back seat. To what, you ask? Well, in order to supplement my income with shorter novellas (about the length of Mutually Assured Seduction or Horns In The Library), the latter of which I've actually STARTED TO PUBLISH AAA. 

In short: A bit less Penumbra, more short stories, and more Patreon exclusive stuff. It's not ideal, but I need to be able to pay rent. 

What I'm asking from you: Keep reading! Simply reading my work gives it views which give it attention, and that already helps. Of course, word of mouth goes a long way, and I'll never be mad if you signal boost me on twitter or elsewhere. And of course, if you're not subscribed to my Patreon yet: I have a story that is so far Patron-exclusive, as well as other fun little benefits. So, if you have a few dollars to spare, it would mean the world to me.

also: please, share this link. Twitter, facebook, wherever your family can't see it :p Horns in the Library is now a purchaseable ebook, it's very cheap, and it's through sharing that I get the exposure I need to keep making stories like this. 

I also want to point people at the discord server of the ever-prolific QuietValerie (right here) where you can find her wonderful stories, like Ryn of Avonside, Falling Over and The Trouble With Horns, as well as other authors' works, and talk about them with fellow fans, and even the authors themselves! I heartily recommend joining it and reading their works! (Also check out Walls of Anamoor. It's rad as heck.) 

Thanks again for reading, and I'll see you all in the next one. 

<3