Disclaimer: Simply put... All the characters and ideas canon to MAR: Marchen Awakens Romance belongs to Nobuyuki Anzai, and I make no money off this. The OCs, however, belong to me, as does whatever plot that shines through.
Warnings: AU and genderbender. Warnings will change almost every chapter. Other than that, all spelling/grammatical errors are my own. If you spot any, mention them and I will fix them.
Music: Hear it for the Boy, Gloria, She Works Hard for the Money - the Young Divas.
Chapter Summary: He's always wanted to do this.
Rating: M
They call it a World
Dream
Nanashi can't say he's never dreamt of this. Actually, other than figuring out where he comes from, this has to be his most sought after goal: being surrounded by throngs and throngs of gorgeous, sexy, nude women.
There are brunettes and blondes, red heads and women with hair of ebony silk. They are bare, as one should be when taking a bath. He can barely contain himself as his eyes feast on their smooth flesh, some speckled with freckles, some tanned and some tinted pink from the hot water they're immersed in. Even the petite ones have long, slender legs that seem to go on forever. Nanashi can't help but trace their every curve as his eyes work their way down to their cute feet, before he counts their toes and heads back up again. There are a few older ladies chattering in the room as well. Nanashi doesn't pay them too much mind.
Nanashi had been awed when he'd first stepped into the gargantuan building. He still is. It almost pains him to look away from the lovely women carrying on around him, but he manages, emerald eyes taking in the exquisite tiles decorating the floor around the baths.
No matter how many treasures he steals, he's never dreamt of being able to sit where he is, immersed in steaming water, not in here. Nanashi can't believe he's sitting in the women's bathing house in Pomnius. It's one of those expensive ones that he's only ever seen from the outside, with miles high walls and a dull shell. But stories featuring the area have always described it as a haven for all that could afford it. Nanashi almost wishes he could have a look inside the men's one...
He remembers the first time he'd laid eyes on it. It had almost seemed like a prison, until he'd registered the laughter and chatter echoing from within. He's sitting on a heated step within one of the huge pools in the soaking room. The baths are extravagant, far from the simple miniature lakes he's used to at Luberia, with elegant mosaics, gold trimming and impressively detailed paintings on each wall. The paintings feature women and their children, bathing and paddling in the murky water they're submerged in. They are modest though, nothing like the women around him. There are a few plots of dirt amongst the baths. They're the homes of heat tolerant trees and shrubbery.
He pinches himself, his grin renewed as he rubs away the sting. He's in heaven, that's all there is to it.
But he's here for a reason: he wishes to acquaint himself with the female population and learn about them. He hopes to invite a few of them to their nightly miniature parties.
His men would be around for the next week or two, and he's sure they would all appreciate having pleasant, beautiful and feminine company. He hopes they'll stop eying him as they have been; as much as he appreciates their "you're lookin' good today, boss!" woops each morning, he can't help but feel slightly uncomfortable as their eyes rake up and down his body.
Nanashi supposes he can't blame them though, as his eyes skim over the crowd around him and his hands slide down his smooth stomach; he's rather taken with himself as well.
Galian's first lesson was to be careful of what you stole. The prettiest trinket always has the potential to be the deadliest of ARM, complete with spiffy, eerie glowing. Some jewels were covered in a thin layer of poison, a line of defence that wouldn't stop them from getting stolen but would give the thief their just desserts when they suddenly found themselves keeled over in a ditch with fluffy, white foam bubbling from every orifice.
Nanashi had let his guard down. It was a classic case of what Galian had warned him about: The broach had been incredibly beautiful and decked with rubies, diamonds and opals that shined hypnotically in the light. Stallion had joked about how it'd suit him just fine, a laugh echoing around the snug cottage they'd been invading. Nanashi - ever ready to include himself in his men's fun - had immediately adorned it. It was slightly too delicate for his tastes, but he couldn't deny the craftsmanship was excellent. Unfortunately, he hadn't expected or realised the broach's real reason for being until he'd started glowing like a fire worm within a pitch black cave.
Being turned into a girl had been one of the oddest sensations he'd ever felt. It was all warm and prickly and not unpleasant, but odd. He'd felt himself shrinking and stretching, his every cell warping until his lithe, thinly muscled frame was slender and curvy and extraordinarily soft. His hair was as mangy as it always was, shiny but coarse, like cleaned straw, his skin blemish free except for the calluses still attached to his palms and his favourite body part was replaced with his other favourite body part.
He'd quickly decided that owning one of the most amazing sets of breasts he's ever had the chance to fondle is a definite plus. And fondle them he did, watching with rapt attention as he pushed them around and squished together, leaving himself distracted from his original mission of getting dressed. He hadn't been able to help himself. He'd squeezed them. He'd bounced on the balls of his feet and made them jiggle. They fit in his hands so perfectly. Nanashi had quickly decided that this was most likely women took so long to get ready each morning or before he took them out.
Women are so lucky.
In some areas. Nanashi immediately pushes the memory of his first time answering nature's call in the body he's in away. He hopes to never repeat the entire affair. Rather, he wishes to wipe that memory from the face of the world and anyone who is stupid enough to bring it up will be forced to clean each of the ships at Port Treblanca with a deck brush - inside and out, rope, sails and all.
But none of the women here know about that or about who he really is and he plans to exploit that to the fullest extent.
He turns to the woman beside him. She's on the dumpy side, with dimples and a sprinkling of freckles covering her shoulders. She's cute with round doe brown eyes and hair that's flecked with silver. He taps her shoulder gently, tearing her attention away from the other older women she'd been talking with.
"Excuse me, miss," He says quietly, with a shy smile, making sure to hold his arms in front of himself modestly. He revels in the way his breasts wrap around his arms, "I'm new around here and I'm not sure about the etiquette yet. Was I supposed to bring my own soap?"
"Aren't you the prettiest thing!" She exclaims with a raspy voice and a kind, warm smile. She turns in her seat, "Yes, yes, you were supposed to bring your own. But I'm sure someone here won't mind sharing. I'd offer you mine, but I'm afraid I've got rashes in unseemly places and I'd hate to see you suffer from them."
Nanashi fights to hide a cringe, "Ah, I see, thank you. I'll just ask around..."
"Oh, now, none of that! My grand-baby's here. I'll ask her."
Out of habit, Nanashi averts his eyes as the lady stands up, the water drizzling down her ample body in hurried rapids. She calls and waves across the room, her voice laced with laughter. The noise seems much louder than the chatter in the room, lingering in his ears even as she sits back down.
"How old's your grand-daughter, if you don't mind my asking?" Nanashi asks as the woman shares knowing looks with the ladies beside her.
"17. She's quite mature for her age, though she is quite lazy." The woman chortles to herself, her generous breasts bouncing as she does, causing ripples in the mineral-rich water, "Ah, the young ones of today. They don't realise how easy they have things. Why, when I was her age, there were no where near as many ARM around MAR as there are now. We had to do things by hand."
Nanashi is surprised to hear that. His eyebrows float up near his hair line, "You farm?"
"Yes, of course," The lady is still laughing, "Do I look like one of those prissy rich folk to you? I have worked this land all my life. As an act of gratitude, I am allowed one bath here each fortnight." Her eyes widen and one of her thick, stumpy hands flies up to cover her mouth, "Oh, but I haven't introduced myself yet! My apologies, I'm Freya."
"It's nice to meet you, I'm-"
"You called nanna?"
Nanashi's eyes lift to the opposite side of the bath. His toes can just touch the wall if he lays flat. But he doesn't want to disappear into the water today, rather, he sits up straighter and beams brightly.
"Hello, Gorgeous~" He practically sings.
Freya and her grand-daughter regard him oddly, and Nanashi forces a blush to his cheeks as he sinks himself into the water up to his eyes. He'd forgotten; his shell looked like a woman now. Oops. It's a good think Nanashi is used to conducting damage control - he has to be, with what the children of Luberia overhear when the men have put a few away.
He makes sure to make himself look very small and very ashamed at his outburst, forcing splodges of pink to his face as he covered his now plump pink lips with his hand.
"H-Hello." The girl says, eventually.
"Come now, child, join us." Freya ushers the girl into the pool across from Nanashi, "Did you bring your soap?"
"Yes, nanna."
"Good girl."
Freya raises a thick arm towards Nanashi, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name."
Nanashi allows himself a small smile, "Ulrica, ma'am. But my friends just call me Ula."
Freya nods, "And this is Wilona."
Nanashi busies himself with looking the girl over, as her grandmother speaks softly and clearly to her. She has shoulder length, dark hair, cobalt blue eyes and a thin body, with the tiniest bit of pudge hovering around her stomach. Nanashi wants to run a hand over it, it sticks out so cutely. She has long fingers, but short palms, and legs with prominent muscles bulging with her every step - she must do something around the farm for those to be there.
"Why are you grinning like that?"
Nanashi blinks up at the girl. She's standing over him, hands resting on her hips as she glares. Obviously, she's not too happy to have baby sitting duty. Not that Nanashi blames her. He knows he can be a handful.
"You're so pretty!" He gushes, finally, as Wilona motions for him to follow her. Nanashi eyes her ass as they leave the pool. He has to force his hands to his sides, lest he reach out and pinch the white globes.
"Whatever."
The rest of Nanashi's enthusiastic attempts at conversation collapse like a pyramid of cards with every breath of air; practically falling apart as he starts stacking them up. He starts to pay more attention to those around him and just what he's supposed to be doing, as time wears on and he takes to laying on the tiled floor and air drying. He can't remember a time he was able to breathe clearer than he can here; he surmises that it's the mineral enriched steam floating about cleaning out his sinuses. But Wilona's unfriendliness lingered; it annoyed him that he hadn't been able to crack through her unsociable shell. It was an odd occurrence, because with Nanashi's charming personality and incredibly good looks, who wouldn't like him?
It didn't matter much though; whilst following Wilona around like a stray puppy, Nanashi met some of the loveliest ladies he'd ever had the pleasure of laying his right then sparkling eyes on. There was Helga, Tania, Florence and Aeris, not that he was going to forget the beautiful older ladies, Alice, Gloria and Vivi. They were playful and fun, with attractive bodies and shining personalities.
"Why aren't I invited?"
Nanashi idly turns his head, large eyes blinking lazily at the girl. Not for a moment does he remove his head from the comfy rest he's been dozing on.
"Hm?" He asks. His shy charade had been forgotten entirely sometime between talking with Vivi and giggling madly with Tania. He doesn't think it matters much now; he's successfully infiltrated the baths. It was the entire reason he'd taken it on in the first place (that and he didn't want to scare them away with playful flirting and leery glances - playing charades had taken his mind off sizing the girls up).
"You've been asking people to a party, haven't you?" Wilona grumbles. Her eyes are narrowed, "Why aren't I invited?"
Nanashi sits up, his now higher voice stitched with honest surprise, "I didn't think you liked me."
Wilona huffs as she sits up rigidly and starts to ring her hair of water. Nanashi should probably start doing that; he's been in here for a good few hours and despite his having left the water for the warm sun smiling down on them, he still looks like a prune. Wilona wraps her practically black hair in a towel and sets it atop her head like a crown. Nanashi grins at it - Wilona looks quite regal with her elegant neck on show for everyone to appreciate.
"If you wanted to come, you should have told me!" Nanashi flashes a toothy grin, "I'd appreciate having someone to talk to."
Again, Wilona huffs.
"Whatever. I'll meet you at the bath's gates in three hours."
Before Nanashi gets the chance to do more than beam again, she's gone. Her wide hips swing back and forth as she makes her way to the changing rooms.
Nanashi sighs as she disappears from view, before he starts ringing his own wheat blonde hair out. He supposes he can't get everything his way. Flirting with women whilst he looks like one isn't one of the best of ideas and he doubts his usual charms will work in the same way. He grins as another pretty woman catches his attention, hair forgotten as he turns to her, compliments her skin and asks her how she manages to keep her hands so soft and smooth whilst fondling them.
You win some and lose some. Nanashi is sure he's a winner this time though. He's had an very enjoyable afternoon. Now it's time to catch the eye of some hotshot, rich man and convince him to buy him dinner; him and his men aren't the best of cooks. Surely it isn't that hard to bat his eyes up at them and talk in a cutesy voice.
Later that week, he'll ask Dorothy how to fix himself. After he manages to cop a feel of her hair first; he's got money riding on his fulfilling that task (and he's hoping Jack's mother will pay in that mouth watering broth of hers).
But before then, he's got a party to attend.
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Woffy: Generally, I'm not much of a fan of genderbender fics - unless they're for Hetalia, but even then I can only really stand genderbent France, Hungary and Romano. But that's never stopped me from having a gander. I've never seen anyone make the character take advantage of the situation. I mean... If I magically turned into a guy one day, I'd do exactly as Nanashi has done.
Thank you the Ladies Luck for your review and corrections~ I've fixed them.
Once again, critique is encouraged and reviews are love.