I'll attempt to change the other titles to match this format going forward.
~~~~~~~~~~~~scriggles~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time Bridget, Devin and I returned with our new charges in tow, Kaikadi had worked out a plan to house the wayward guild and used Lily and her Pink Ladies to implement it.
The result had left the militant woman staring at the newly decorated palace from the fountain at the center of the square when we arrived, grinding her teeth and groaning in a simple white uniform not unlike my own. Though where mine bore my mother's red glyph over my breast, hers bore mine in purple
"I did NOT tell her to do THAT." She spat the words like poison as she pointed towards the renovated palace, which now looked more like child's dollhouse than the creepy-as-fuck murder-mansion it had before.
I chuckled, "Well, it is an improvement..."
She stabbed me with her steely eyes and stopped grinding her teeth again long enough to spit, "The inside is worse."
I turned to Faeravin and found the dark elf also staring incredulously at the newly pink building, "It looks like Barbara's Dreamhouse and the Presidential Mansion had a baby..."
Devin raised an eyebrow at the drow's words, "That is so weird... I was gonna say Barbie's Fantasyhome and the White Palace..."
I shrugged at the elves' equally confused faces, and offered a quick explanation. "We call it reality bleed. Your worlds are similar, but not the same. This 'Barbara' is probably a deity somewhere, and their presence leaked across both of your worlds." Pulling the conversation back onto the tracks, I focused on the drow. "As for the palace, I'm sure I can get her to modify the palette. Well.. pretty sure." Hopefully.
My slimy little princess could be down right obstinate when she wanted to be...
The drow shook her head and sighed, "It's just...
very
pink."
She wasn't wrong.
Even the formerly grey stone of its base had been either painted or transmuted pink, along with the walls, the windows, the steps, the roof, the chimneys. All various shades of vibrant pink. And from what I could see, every window now had pink drapes, and even pink lighting shining behind them...
Turning to Kai, I asked, "Are the lights-"
She cut me off without looking at me, "All pink. Everything. She even transmuted the tiles..."
A loud gasp behind me told me her guildmates had caught up and seen their new home, and I turned to find an ogre smiling in wonder.
"OHMYGOD! IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!" His words bellowed like a roar, but with the giddy tempo of an ecstatic fanatic. The ogre wasn't alone with his clapping hands and sparkling eyes as half a handful of others smiled while the rest were taken aback at best.
While I didn't want to make any assumptions, I was guessing from their reactions and observations I'd made during our return that at least a few had found themselves in bodies that not only didn't match their original species, but also their anatomical sex. "Bridget, do you think you can brew or bake some things to help our new friends feel more like themselves?"
The blonde serial killer raised an insulted eyebrow, so I quickly added, "I meant would it fit into your schedule."
Her pinched smile became a smirk as she sighed and rolled her eyes, "You're fucking lucky you're pretty, you know that?"
I matched her smirk and wiggled my own eyebrow at the uncharacteristic compliment, "I do."
The self proclaimed lesbian bit her lip, then narrowed her eyes as she read the smugness in mine, "Dinner tonight. You and me. We have shit to talk about." Shifting her eyes to Devin, she added, "Both of you."
Sensing her sudden unease, I wiped my smile clean of anything but respect and nodded. "Of course, Lady Bridget."
The short blonde snorted a laugh, "Bro, call me a 'lady' again and I'll punt your balls into your throat."
I chuckled as she turned to depart for the inn, "Understood." Her reply came in the form of a rude gesture I knew she didn't mean as she swayed her hips, showing off her curves as she swaggered away.
Faeravin's voice tore my gaze away from the lethal woman's leather clad backside a few moments later, "Umm... Now that you've mentioned food..." Her stomach growled audibly, drawing more chuckles from everyone except Kai, "Sorry, I haven't eaten since breakfast. And I know plenty of my guildies have poor eating habits as well..."
Devin responded to the blushing dark elf before I could, "Oh he didn't mean normal food, but we have plenty of that too." Turning to the silver haired Kai, she raised an eyebrow, "I assume..." The ginger elf let her words fall away.
And the grizzled human woman finished for her with a smile, "That I anticipated the need to feed a dozen or so floodworlders with no supplies of their own? Yes, yes I did."
The freckled elf scrunched her nose and smiled, "You're the best Kadi! You should come to dinner, too." Kai and I both opened our mouths, but she spoke over both of us, "I'll talk to Bridget, it'll be fine. She loves you just as much as I do, she's just not very good at showing it."
I closed my mouth and shared a shrug with Kai, "She's not wrong."
The laconic woman huffed, but nodded before turning back to Faeravin as the rest of her guild approached while chatting with two pink-clad knights, "Come on, let's get some chow in you guys." Shifting her eyes to me, she added, "Our civilian administrator, Linnea, has a presentation for you as well."
-- -- -- -- --
The common room of the inn had been rearranged to accommodate a small stage, presently occupied by a podium specifically designed for small folk.
Behind that podium, a two foot tall halfling woman wearing denim trousers and a simple white shirt began her presentation with a professional tone, lacking her typical drawl. "Welcome! And know that you are safe."
I ate my food and kept my focus on the halfling as she explained again, and in better detail, their new reality. After that, she went on to demonstrate the usage and utility of various common magical items, and explain why they should wait until they'd been trained properly before attempting to use their own new powers.
The wayward guild watched with their jaws on the floor as she shifted her garments to an elegant white dress, and then a swimsuit that showed off a surprisingly toned and muscular body.
Meeting my eyes, the scantily clad halfling blushed but smiled confidently as she continued. "As I said before, our Lord, Brother Dilin, is kind, just and merciful. But you should know he is a paladin of joy, and his mother was originally a goddess of lust and passion."
"His aura is quite potent, and he is presently suppressing it. When you feel it, you can choose to deny it and it will not have an effect." She raised an eyebrow at me and smiled, "Brother Dilin, if you would be so kind as to release yourself for me?"
I opened my mouth to argue, but as usual was cut off before I could.