Ursula and Sophia were curled up together in bed. Ursula, now a half head taller than Sophia, had her arms wrapped around the small boy who was nestled into her embrace. The spell to provide a bubble of heat they cast the night before just barely staving off the bitter winter storm permeating through the ramshackle orphanage building, the sun, which was far from rising, not providing any reprieve from the biting cold winds and rain.

All of a sudden the one lumpy pillow on their bed started to violently shake side to side, only a few moments passed before both kids deeply groaned. Their eyes, which had dark shadows cast beneath them, slowly fluttered open.

“Why’d you set the alarm?” Sophia mumbled, “I thought Rosa’s lessons were finished.”

“Sorry, reflex. Should we try going back to sleep?” Ursula asked quietly.

“I think we both know that wont happen.” The blonde boy grumbled as he snuggled deeper into his friends warmth, “I don’t want to leave the bed though.”

His partner gave a quick ‘hmm’ of agreement.

They lay there for a few minutes just dozing before Sophia spoke.

“While they were informative I’m glad that Rosalind’s lessons are over though. Having to pretend that we didn’t know anything about the human body was getting to me.” The green eyed boy griped.

A brief frown appeared on the girls face, “Yeah, that was challenging. Although getting told that bad smells cause disease was pretty funny.”

Sophia lightly chuckled but the pair soon fell back into a haze asleep daze once more.

Soon the cloudy sky began to lighten and children could be heard moving about in their rooms.

“This was nice. We haven’t had much time with just us recently.” Ursula commented.

“Well with Rosalind’s lessons, and with both of us staying late at our apprenticeships and then Eyvor’s lessons after. We just didn’t have enough time, “the boy defended, his head pulled back to stare into his friends chocolate brown eyes.  

“I know,” the auburn-haired girl held her hands out placatingly, “But I think we should take some time someday for just us, you know? No training or anything.”

“Yeah, that would be nice.” He said wistfully.

“Now lets check my height!” He continued energetically, springing out of the bed.

A spell later found him hunched over on all fours, “One-hundred and twenty point one. It’s not fair Ursy, three centimetres in the last year... why am I slowing down? Why is the milk not working.” He bemoaned.

“Complaining each morning isn’t going to change anything Soph,” the girl chided as she cast the same spell, a small smug grin appearing on her face.

Sophia looked up at her and froze, “No! It’s not fair. It’s not fair!”

Her smug grin turned vicious as her next words fell like blows upon her friend, “One-hundred and forty two-“ Sophia shoulders slumped, “point seven,” and then his whole body sagged to the floor.

Ursula continued to get ready nonchalantly avoiding her almost catatonic friend on the floor, divesting herself of her sleeping garment revealed a body with slight musculature from training, a simple dress quickly covered her, however.

Now finished, she lightly stepped over to the boy and poked him with a toe, “Come on, we’ve still got to help Rosa with breakfast.”

Sophia sighed and got up to remove his night clothes, his friend watching on avidly. Removing his shift showed his whole body that, aside from toned legs and small amount of height, was almost no different than when he first arrived.

His eyes briefly met Ursula’s as he was changing, and she quickly looked away her cheeks reddening. He swiftly dressed himself in his enchanted blue dress and they both left the room.

As they softly padded downstairs, they were greeted by the unusual sight of Eyvor missing. Rosalind spotted them and walked over.

“Eyvor has a special assignment for me this morning. So, you’re both going to be helping with my milk today. The rings are on the table.” She explained.

The two children nodded and walked over to a table where there was nearly one-hundred rudimentary wooden mugs and two rings, slightly glowing from magical energy, that looked to be able to fit over a persons upper arm.

Sophia grabbed one and activated the magic within the ring causing milk to fall at a steady rate. When the glass was full, she handed it to her partner who chilled the mug before setting it aside. Within a few minutes they swiftly filled the remaining glasses, switching to the other ring midway, and prepared them for drinking.

For the leftover milk within the rings Sophia quickly chilled and drank and few more glasses, grumbling as he did so, “Not like it’s gonna make any difference.”

They walked back over to their caretaker who was just finishing serving from the familiar pot of gruel.

“We’re all done Rosa,” they both said.

With a quick nod Rosalind uncovered her basketball sized breasts, to the children’s slight awe. Her thimble shaped nipples jutting out proudly from light pink saucer sized areolas, milk lazily dripping from the tips. She picked up both rings from the children and with a muted flash of magic stuck them to her breast causing the nipples to disappear into a pocket space.

She gave off a relieved groan, as the children could see her breasts being lightly squeezed by magic, “I’m so glad these work Sophia. Make sure you give Tartok my regards.”

The blonde boy gave her a quick smile and hug, “I will. We’ll see you tonight.”

They both ate a quick meal before almost running out of the building as the morning bell sounded through the house.

 

<-{|}->

 

At the smithy Ursula was hammering the last few blows into a steel two-handed sword. Compared to her first work the metal was now slightly glossier, the edge sharper and a rippled pattern could be seen on the blade from the forging process.

The fire blanketed her nude body as she confidently strode out of the forge and plunged the blade into oil to temper the metal. Using magic she cooled the blade to a more reasonable temperature before slamming home a pre-prepared crosspiece, handle and pommel. She then used magic to meld them together with the blade, letting out a relieved sigh once the magic had finished.

With a triumphant smile she strode into the workshop where Axia was practising her sword fighting movements on the dummies. Hearing her apprentice enter the room, she finished her set and then stood still.

Ursula rolled her eyes before walking up to her.

“I’ve finished.” The girl stated, presenting the sword.

The muscled woman took the blade and inspected it carefully, grunting once and giving the girl a slight nod.

Ursula’s small frame puffed up from the rare praise, “Soon I’ll be able to make the best swords in the world.”

“Evorlond Shadebeard currently has that title. The man’s steel is legendary. It will take much to match him.” The woman curtly replied.

“Then I have much to do, but I will get there,” Ursula coolly returned.

A brief flicker of respect appeared in Axia’s eyes but it was quickly smothered as she gestured to the weapons surrounding her, “Come. These weapons need cleaning.”

The nine-year-old sighed and reached for the nearest blade.

 

<-{|}->

 

Sophia was carving the last few runes into the stone block magical manifestation. As he mentally relaxed his magical concentration the block flowed back into the shadowy form of a dagger beside him, returning it into a corporeal form.

The boy settled back into the chair with an exhale of relief as the dagger glowed slightly as the enchantment remained stable.

Taking the dagger in hand he ambled over to the magically reinforced dummy in the corner of the room. He took a quick swipe at its head and his knife went through with little resistance, causing the head to roll off.

“Fucking finally,” he groaned out, placing the dagger on his desk. Beside which sat a bin with over fifty daggers in it, some glowing dully while others were only a twisted and charred version of what they once were.

He quickly conjured a bean bag and flopped down into it letting himself rest for a few minutes before grabbing the dagger and walking over to the front of the store.

Entering the atrium of the building he quickly spotted him sitting at the desk with a woman kneeling in front of him, hidden from the customers he was currently talking to, and silently bobbing her head back and forth. The saccharine scent of lavender covering up the heady smell of sex.

The boy barely bat an eyelid at the scene as he patiently waited for the customers to leave staring at the floor, though his eyes occasionally flited over.

As soon as the people left through the door Tartok grabbed the back of the woman's head and started to roughly fuck her face, her throat bulging obscenely as his cock sawed in and out. With a restrained groan he pushed her head as far down on his dick as he could and came down her throat.

Sophia could almost hear the cum surging down the kneeling girls throat as it expanded slightly with each pulse. With a slight shiver Tartok pulled the girl off his dick, giving a few spurts off on the girls face before closing his robes and leaning back, breathing heavily, but with a content smile on his face.

The woman was kneeling on the floor coughing and gasping for breath and it took a few minutes for her to gather her wits, soon spotting the child shyly standing by the door. She tapped Tartok on the knee and pointed at Sophia.

He whipped his head around and his eyes widened. He schooled his expression as he stepped off his stool to provide cover for the girl.

“S-Sophia it’s good to see you. Lovely weather today isn’t it?” He asked nervously.

“It’s raining,” Sophia replied flatly, “I’ve finish the project you got me to do master.”

He frowned before a weak smile creased his mouth once more, “I see. Come with me, I’ll make the enchantments harder for you to cut again.”

“Actually, master last time you said that I could move on to more complex enchantments and my own work when I cut through this one.” The blonde corrected.

“Right. Thanks for reminding me.” The bat-like man said jovially, “Follow me and I’ll get the materials you require.”

He walked up to Sophia placed a hand on his back, turned him, and then started to usher him out of the room towards his office, leaving the girl sputtering on the floor.

Sophia walked inside his office and Tartok followed up behind him and silently closed the door.

 

<-{|}->

 

Ursula walked into the enchanting shop once more to find the typical scene of Tartok sitting behind the service counter, his usual happy smile was even larger on his face today.

“Good afternoon Tartok. Good day today?”

His smile shifted to a more enigmatic one, “Why yes. I finally managed to crack a problem that I’ve been having for the last couple years. I hope this discovery will be as good as my last few.”

He cast a quick spell causing a muffled ringing sound to echo from the door behind him.

A few minutes later Sophia trudged out of the hallway bleary eyed, “It’s already time?”

“Come on let’s head back,” Ursula grabbed Sophia’s hand, rolled her eyes and walked out the door.

Over her shoulder she shouted, “See you tomorrow Tartok.”

The man gave her a wave as they exited out the store.

“I caught Tartok again today getting a blowjob under the table,” Sophia said after a few seconds.

“Damn, he hasn’t done that pretty much since you started.” Ursula commented.

“It’s not so bad, at least I got to see a good looking woman under the table,” Sophia said blushing.

Ursula’s eyes narrowed a moment giving her partner a shrewd look before shrugging.

The smell of the nearby tannery washed over them once more causing their noses to wrinkle. The boy stepped back inside the shops nice smelling aura to take a few breaths.

“I’ve always loved lavender,” Sophia lamented.

“Aha! Finally, you’re coming over to our side. What, the smell of old books no longer as good as flowery scents?” Ursula replied jestingly.

“Well, it’s a heck of a lot better than everywhere else,” Sophia said pointedly.

Ursula, still standing outside the range of the lavender scent, nodded as her nose wrinkled.

“Well I’m glad you trusted me with that but-” Ursula’s eyes narrowed once more, “-Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah just tired you know. I finally managed to convince master to give me the more advanced materials so I spent time working on that.”

“Okay,” the auburn-haired girl drew out the word, “If you’re sure.”

They trudged their way back to the orphanage their usual conversations silent. A few minutes later they walked behind the orphanage where Eyvor has some targets up and a pair of bows and quivers beside her.

“Hello Kiddos,” she said jovially, continuing once spotting their countenances, “Rough day?”

Ursula piped up tiredly, “Just a long one. Soph is just having one of those days you know?”

The buxom woman nodded and thought for a few moments before speaking.

“Since you’re feeling so down Soph, I’ll teach you both a new trick,” Eyvor consoled, “You can actually conjure arrows with the same momentum as the one you just fired, uses a little more magic though.”

Eyvor grabbed a bow and an arrow from a quiver, took her stance, and lined up her shot towards a target. She nocked the arrow and drew the bowstring back, just as her hand reached her full lips she held the arrow and concentrated. Half a second later she released, and the arrow leaped from the bow immediately splitting into three.

The arrows sailed through the air and thudded into the dummy all hitting the torso in the centre. She gave the children a cheeky smile, “Now let’s see you do it.”

The duo spent the rest of the evening trying to replicate their older sisters’ trick to no avail. Tired from a long day they ate their dinner and were asleep not long after.

The next morning Ursula woke to Sophia lethargically getting dressed, with her brown eyes half open she spotted something different about Sophia, “Better get Tartok to change the colour of your dress again.”

The green-eyed child yawned, “What do you mean?”

“Your dress,” Ursula paused incredulously, “it’s pink again.”

Sophia’s eyes drifted down and then up, “Oh right yeah, better go get that fixed. To be honest I’m getting a bit tired of getting it coloured over and over.”

“Lavender yesterday, not minding pink today. You’ve really joined us on the dark side, haven’t you?” Ursula jested.

Sophia’s cheeks coloured a fraction, “Hey did you just try to stereotype me?” He replied jokingly. “Men can wear pink too!”

Ursula rolled her eyes, “And you wore so much of it before.”

“That was then… this is now. Besides, I am considered a girl in this world. So, your argument has no legs to stand on.”

“I’ve got one more than I used to have,” Ursula stated blandly causing Sophia to snort, “Either way, you look good in both blue and pink.”

Sophia’s blush intensified, “T-Thanks, um, you look nice too.”

“Damn right I am.” Ursula said with confidence, wrapping her arms around her short blond friend, “Come on, we’d better get going.”

 

<-{|}->

 

After breakfast the pair made their way towards their apprenticeships, the bitter winter chill forcing them to cast warming spells. As they crossed the lavender bubble outside Tartok’s shop Sophia took a few moments to deeply inhale the slightly sweet, scented air.

“That’s so much better,” Sophia uttered, relieved.  

“I don’t really smell that much of a difference,” Ursula commented.

“That’s because your nose has been destroyed from all the ash in the forge,” Sophia shot back.

“My magic makes sure my body is maintained,” Ursula shrugged, “It’s probably going to suck when we go back to our world.”

“You know I think it’d be a good idea to tell Tartok about our origins,” Sophia said genuinely, “He could probably help a lot.”

“I thought we agreed we’d tell no one,” Ursula said, a hint of confusion growing on her face.

Sophia frowned, “We did. Why did I just say that?”

Ursula’s memory flittered back to yesterday evening, a look of concern grew on her face, “Sophia what do you think about Tartok?”

“Um – He’s my teacher?” Sophia replied, baffled.

“And romantically?”

“Ew, gross no. Why would you even ask that?”

Ursula let out a short sigh of relief, “But letting him know that we saw seven ancestors during our maturation. What do you think about that?”

Sophia thought for a moment, “I don’t really know, it would probably be okay.”

Ursula grabbed Sophia’s hand and started to lead her back to the orphanage, “Something’s not right Soph. Let’s head back.” She said, her voice tinged with worry.

“You’re right. I know I made the wrong choice there, but it was like nothing bad would happen if anyone knew.” Sophia muttered, “How does that even work?”

“Alright, from now on just don’t talk.” Ursula jerked Sophia from her spot and they ran back towards the orphanage.

Bursting through the front doors, Ursula turned to the nearest kid, “Where’s Rosalind?”

“She’s gone out to the markets for a birthday,” they replied.

Ursula lightly growled and shot up towards Eyvor’s room.

She barged in to find her target blissfully sleeping naked on her bed, her dick, almost fully erect, poking out from under the covers and hanging off the small bed. 

“Eyvor get up!” She shouted.

The buxom woman groaned, “What are you doing Ursula? What’s wrong?” she said half-asleep.

“You know how Sophia was acting really tired last night?” The girl babbled out.

Eyvor nodded sleepily.

“This morning he started acting weird near Tartok’s shop. It was like he couldn’t process consequences for telling people things.” Ursula said seriously.

Eyvor looked over to Sophia, who was standing behind Ursula.

Their pseudo-sister sat up, “You’re sure? She looks fine to me.” She asked doubtfully.

“Certain.”

“Alright. Tell me everything.”