“Youcouldbe an elf,” Oli continued. “But claiming you’re a royal right away, might be problematic. People have been searching for residual royals for years and found none. You’d need proof. But even then, the people who’ve beenlooking for royals are mostly trying to kill them, so…” She grimaced.
I knew most of this, but I let her go on.
“And as a half-blood, most of the elves would shun you rather than accept you as their queen. So… here’s what I suggest. For now, be a nymph, lay low, under the radar, and simply be yourself. Take time to gather followers before you make your claim on the throne.”
Seemed reasonable.
“Learn what you can, as quickly as possible,” she continued. “Bide your time. Wait for the right moment to rise up and fight the tyranny of the elves.”
I nodded.
“But…” she hedged, “you can’t do any of that… as no one special, as some uninteresting nymph or human.”
Yeah… on some level, I’d known that.
“So… I guess I’ll be a nymph for now,” I said. “Someone who can be uninteresting and lay low, under the radar to those in power… but who can also inspire those around her.”
Oli smiled. “Now we’re getting somewhere. This should be simple.”
Simple sounded good.
She stood and with our joined hands, drew me up with her.
“Calm your mind, get comfortable, shake out your body a little, relax.”
Relaxing wasn’t easy with everything going on, but I tried. She released my hands, and I shook out my arms and shoulders and took several long breaths.
“Good… now look at me,” she coached. “Later, you can do this with just an image in your head, but to begin, it will help to have a model to work with.” I stood there and took her in… even if it wasn’t easy to see my grandmother this way.
As if reading my thoughts, she smiled and said, “If it’s easier, don’t think of me as your grandmother, just a model, a sexy model.”
I smirked and raised a brow.
She shrugged with a grin.
I relented and nodded.
“I find it helps to start at the top and work down. Reach up and stroke your hair. You’ll be able to make it longer or shorter, any color you like… eventually. For now, feel it in your hands.” She mirrored me as I combed my hands through my hair, stroking my locks.
“As you do this, look at my hair, see its color, its texture, how full and bouncy or straight or whatever it is. Then, as you feel your own hair, make it the same.”
Currently Oli’s hair was a shimmering golden blond, falling in lustrous waves to mid-back. This wasn’t too hard. The hair I’d grown up with had been similar enough to that. Having already done a little body-shifting with Tala, it didn’t take too much effort to match my hair to Oli’s. The shift was subtle, my hair extending while becoming more voluminous. When I lifted it up before me, I saw the shimmering golden hue.
Nice!
“Well done!” Grandma cheered. “Now your eyes. Touch your face, trace the socket and the brow and lids. Feel any lines or puffiness or bags, and all the while look at my eyes, the skin around them, the bridge of the nose, the color. Focus on me and match what you see.”
Her eyes were a stunningly clear cobalt blue, and the skin around her eyes infuriatingly smooth. I moved myfingers over my face, feeling myself shift, skin tightening, growing taut and silky.
“Good,” Oli purred. “You’re a natural.”
And in this manner, we slowly progressed over every part of my body: my ears and nose and cheeks and lips and chin. Then lower, elongating my neck a little, which felt super odd, but I did it. I’d already worked on my chest with Tala, but Grandma Oli had a way of making the work seem simple without turning it into a sexual thing, just… tactile and clinical. We rounded my shoulders a little, narrowed my waist, tightened my abs, streamlined my hips and lengthened my legs. And somehow, even though it felt damn weird, it didn’t feel… unnatural.
And when I was done, she led me to a long mirror in her front hall and I marveled at the change. I’d become her twin. And what was even more stunning was… there were no fluctuations. I was solid, set.
“How…?” I breathed.
“It’s all in the touch,” Oli said next to me. She smoothed her hands over her massive bust and as she did, they shrunk to a much more manageable and reasonable size. Then she ran her hands back up over herself and the outrageous bust returned. “Just thinking yourself into a new body isn’t easy at first. But you’ve touched yourself and others many times. Sometimes your fingers know forms better than your mind does. Working with the hands as you change helps to solidify the process. Given time, touch won’t be necessary, but for now, as you change, touch yourself and it should help you keep your new form. Try it.”
