I was in the middle of making breakfast when Abigail knocked on my door. Fortunately for my embarrassment, I had already been working that morning, so I was dressed. I gave her a happy welcome and invited her in for some pancakes, which she readily accepted. At first I was worried she would step or kick my Junimo friends, but they seemed well versed in avoiding people's feet. They even went so far as to hop on Abigail's boots and ride on them as she walked. Amused, I had to tear myself away from watching her and returned to my griddle to pour some more batter onto it.

Stardust X

By: Satashi

When I flipped the pancakes, I felt Abigail sneak up behind me and bury her face in my hair, shamelessly hugging me from behind. "What do I smell like?" I pondered curiously, holding back a laugh. She was much more aggressive in showing her feelings. It was something that embarrassed me, but at the same time made me feel special and wanted. I needed it sometimes, and Abigail was always ready to smother me with affection.

"Delicious," she answered playfully.

"I'm not a gem, don't eat me." I briefly pondered what it was with the girls in the area and wanting to nom on me. Maybe something was in the food that made them want to eat flesh. Was that how the zombie apocalypse was going to start? Here In Stardew Valley?

"What are you grinning about?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing, nothing." I plated the pancakes and poured the rest of the batter onto the cook top to finish them off. "Did you talk to the wizard guy like you planned on doing today?"

"Rasmodius, and yeah." Abigail moved away from me and hopped up to sit on my countertop, almost crushing a white Junimo. "He explained it to me in more detail and offered training to hone my newfound abilities."

"Abby the witch… or wizard? Does sex change what you're called?"

"I don't know, are you offering?" I almost dropped my spatula at that remark and turned away, blushing furiously. "Forty gold an hour and I'm all yours." Abigail pressed her luck.

"A-Abby!" I almost burnt myself trying to poke the pancakes and that was enough for her to ease off of me.

"I'm a mage," she informed. "There are a lot of others like me out there, even one in our guild in town. We aren't as common as standard adventurers, but it's still nice to be in a special class. Apparently I'm affiliated with fire, which is good for fighting."

"Wow, that's amazing." I plated the next batch and nodded over at the table. Abigail joined me and we both sat down to a heaping stack of pancakes. "Here, homemade maple syrup." I passed her the bottle. "From my own trees!"

"Wow, that's so cool!" Abigail poured some out in appreciation. "That reminds me, you're super accepting and calm about me having mana. My parents freaked out."

I knew this would come up, and have been trying to think of how to explain it to her. "The wizard, Rasmodius, told me I had mana as well. I never brought it up because I never thought I needed to. When I first came here I saw all sorts of things around the house and farm. Once I started working and planting… I saw more things. The Junimo, you know of them?" I took the moment to stuff some pancakes into my mouth while she nodded. "I can see them. They are all over the place. One is sniffing at your pancakes right now." This made Abigail look down at her food. "I don't know much about my powers, or what my mana can do, but from what I understand…" I motioned with my fork while talking. "I absorb energy from the land, and when I plant or water or work with it, I put some of it back in, only focused on what I'm doing… Makes my plants grow faster and better."

"That's… really helpful." Abigail looked impressed. "So I'm eating some of your magic now?"

"Seems so," I agreed. "I just accepted it and enjoy it. The Junimo are my friends and really help me out as well."

"I see…" She looked around the house. "How many are over here now?"

I began pointing. "White, Red, Blue, Green, Teal, Dark Blue, and Purple are here now. I think the rest are in the fields working their magic on my crops."

"So… am I going to step on them or anything? I've seen them in books, they're super tiny."

"Apparently they avoid you really well. I found that out this morning."

"Oh…well… Ok…. I'm sorry if I hurt any of you little guys." She smiled at me. "I'm glad you told me, I feel like we're really two of a kind now."

"Mmhmm, me too." My phone chose that moment to bleep at me and vibrate on the table. "Oh, Leah." I almost regretted saying the name, as I wasn't sure if Abigail would get upset. Instead, the girl just smiled at me and nodded. I picked up the phone and tapped it. "She says… she wants a picture of my ear."

"Your ear?" Abigail couldn't hold back her surprise. "Why does she need your ear?"

"She's painting a picture of me," I laughed happily. flipping my loose hair out of the way, I held my phone up to the side and took a picture. "There, sent."

"A picture hmm?" Abigail finished off her last bite and chewed on it slowly before talking around it. "What kind?"

I felt my cheeks color darkly. "Uhm…a tasteful picture of me in underwear?"

"Ohhhh…" She seemed to accept that. "Can I see it when it's done?"

I felt a little hotter. "Th…That's up to Leah."

"I'll ask her." Abigail took out her phone and started tapping on it. I felt like I could die of embarrassment at that moment, but didn't stop her. A moment passed and her phone played a tone that I recognized from the Metal Gear game series. "She says 'Absolutely! I'd love to show you as soon as it's done. I'll let you know and you can swing by whenever you like!' Seems like she's excited to show it off."

"I-I see…" I never really thought about that. Of course Leah would display it, it's the first time she's ever drawn anyone like that, and it seems like she's putting in a lot of hours on it. "I'm not sure how I feel about people seeing me in my underwear."

"Even if it's just a painting?" Abigail, to my surprise and enjoyment, stood up and picked up our dirty dishes to take to the sink and start washing. "Is that the same as a normal picture?"

"Would you be ok with it, if it were you?"

Abigail shrugged. "I think so. She's probably putting a lot of love into it, so I think it would be really flattering." I considered that. It was very true, and I'm sure Leah wouldn't show it to anyone who would think bad things about it or me. I felt a little sheepish at even thinking about it. "I'd like to see you like that for myself one day," she pressed on. "But for real, not a painting."

I coughed. "Wh-what?"

Abigail replied nonchalantly, her usual flirty mood coming back. "Oh you know, whenever you want to take a picture and text it to me."

"Oh I am not texting you a picture like that." I denied her, crossing my arms. "You perv."

"What if I asked nicely?" She inquired, drying the plates.

"Nope!"

"Really nicely?" She looked around at the cabinets and I pointed to the area where I kept them.

"Not a chance."

She walked over to me and leaned forward, a large grin on her face. "Really really nicely?" She held up her phone with one hand and playfully tugged on my shirt with the other.

"R-Right now!?" I shook my head quickly. "No! For real no! I'm not wearing anything sexy!"

"Oh-ho!" She stood up straight, triumphantly looking down at me. "So later is okay then!?"

"I… I… You tricked me!" I stood up and walked away from her, only to get pounced onto the couch. Her hands tugged on my pants, pulling the baggy jeans down enough for her to take a snapshot. The picture clicking sound came and I franticly tried to turn around and grab her phone. "N-No! Don't look at that!"

"How adorable!" Abigail's eyes were practically laughing at me. "Were those chickens on them!?" I felt like I would die, trying hard to reach the phone which she was holding away from me. "They are! With little eggs and chicks as well! Oh my, I have to show Leah this!"

"NO!" I tried once more to grab her phone but she ran out of the house with me hot on her heels. "I'll let you take one later, but don't keep that one! Please!" She was laughing merrily, running around in circles while I tried to get her. Finally, after I was too tired to chase anymore, she quit as well. She nudged my panting form and showed me her phone.

"I never even saved it," she laughed through gasps of air. "I hit cancel right away."

"You… You…" I stood up and fumed at her. "You tricky little… minx! I was so embarrassed!"

"Like I would do something without your permission." She stuck her tongue out.

"Ugh!" I was mad at her, but not in a serious way. She looked so pleased with herself at her little prank, and I had fallen into it hard. "So mean!"

"That's me!" She came back to me and put her arm over my shoulders, phone up for a selfie. "Say cheese!" I gave the phone a pout and let her take it. Right before it made the sound, I felt her lips on my cheek. I swallowed and looked over at her smiling face. "I'll take this one instead," she told me happily. "If that's okay with you."

"… Yeah." I smiled as best I could, trying to hide my shyness. "You can keep that one."

Abigail stayed with me most of the day, helping me out with my chores and getting a taste of the farm life. Currently my list of things to do each day was short compared to what it could be, but I didn't really want to push into some of the things that other farmers did. Marnie had all sorts of animals for sale just south of me, so I didn't want to impose upon her business by selling my own. This of course led me to choosing not to build any barns or coops on my land, despite profit being available to me. I knew winter would be hard on me, but if I saved up enough, I knew I could last through it.

After I had all my crops watered and weeds pulled, I allowed Abigail to help me start clearing more of the land that I hadn't had time to clean yet. We worked together to dress up a large patch for a new garden and I could really tell she was about to give out at any moment. "You going to be okay?" I pondered aloud, slamming my hatchet through a small sapling and then uprooting it.

"You do this every day?" She wheezed out, leaning onto my hoe for support."I train and do exercises , learn swordplay and endurance strengthening… And this is killing me."

"I think it's because of my mana. Speaking of, how is yours? Do you feel fine?"

"Just peachy," Abigail breathed out. "I had some quartz this morning as a snack before coming over." I still wasn't used to her new ability to literally eat gemstones like hard candy, but it was an endearing trait to say the least. I bet she really enjoyed showing her parents her talents at doing that. The thought of eating made my stomach growl at me and I realized we had been working most of the day and into the late afternoon.

"I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed when I realized what that meant. "We completely skipped lunch! I bet you're starving!"

"Oh, yeah, I am a little hungry." She took out her phone and checked the time. "Oh! I was supposed to be home a little bit ago. I better head off or I won't make it for dinner."

"You can eat with me here," I offered instantly.

"Thanks, but my parents are really trying their best to work with me and accept how I am. In return they only asked that I try to eat dinner with them at the table every night if I could. I used to eat in my room or get something myself at the Saloon… I think they want some more quality bonding time with their new daughter the mage." She gave a smile. "My mom even brought me a topaz she got from a small shop nearby. It was really low quality so it was super cheap. Taste like honey, actually. Really chewy like a gummy bear."

"Topaz is chewy…" I shook my head. " I see magical creatures and absorb energy from the land, and I still think you're weird."

"To each their own." Abigail pointed a finger out at me and a cute little flame came to life over it. "I summon fire at my call, and I think you're an oddball that has imaginary friends." We both laughed at each other before she gave a short little wave and handed my hoe back to me. I offered a ride on my horse, but she turned it down in favor of a nice stroll. Back when I first got here, walking to town was a task I wasn't really up for nor enjoyed doing. Now though, after a few months of working my butt off and not eating fast food, I found I could actually jog it and not be super exhausted when I arrived. Maybe that was the Junimo's magic as well, but I wasn't sure. I barely knew anything about my powers at all.

As I walked back to the house, I stopped at my strawberry patch. I had harvested them already, and there were tiny buds still growing but would take another few weeks before the next gathering. Testing, I kneeled down and stuck out my hand to them. "Grow." I spoke softly, getting nothing. "Please grow?" I tried again, waving my hand in a light circular motion. "Grow plant grow!" I shook both hands at them and even did the jazz fingers. "…I guess not." Standing, I went back into the house to call it a day.

The air conditioner felt wonderful as I came in, but it was still struggling to cool my whole house. I briefly wondered if Robin or maybe Maru could do something with it to make it better. I'd love central heat and air instead of just the window unit in the living room… I'd have to ask. As I made my way to my bedroom I took off my sweaty clothes and tossed them into a hamper to, possibly, wash later. I would probably wait until I had literally nothing else to wear before that happened though.

Stopping by my vanity, I gave myself a once over. My bra was simple white with blue straps and my panties, as Abigail discovered earlier, were matching white with chickens all over them. "Why would anyone want to see me in these?" I asked the green Junimo sitting on my dresser. "I can understand that lingerie I have, but this is… so plain." I modeled in front of the mirror and sighed. "Abigail would laugh if I sent her this… what do you think?" The Junimo shook it's head. "How do you even pose for that?" My laptop was opened and I hit a button on it to wake it from hibernation mode. I spoke my words as I typed, ignoring more of my friends now gathering around me to watch. "How…to…pose…for…selfie."

I looked at the image results and made a face. "I said how to pose, not how to raise ducks…" My phone beeped at me but I ignored it for now. "Okay.. top angle, stick out chest, look up, stick butt out behind…" I really thought I'd look funny doing that. "I'd prefer something like I did with Leah… I'm not really one of those girls, you know?" I picked up my buzzing phone and laid on my bed, holding it above. I shifted slightly and smiled up at it, taking a picture of my messed up hair, sweaty face, and just the top of my bra showing. "There. That's me." I tapped the message notification at the top that had Abigail's name on it. "And send." I smiled as it beeped at me. I ran my finger down to pull up the whole message chat and froze solid when I read it.

Abigail: Hey! I thought we could do a group chat!

Leah: Oh hi! That sounds great. It gets lonely here sometimes. What are you two up to?

Abigail: Just got home from Kim's farm. I helped till a plot of land!

Leah: That sounds hard. I bet you two are both all sweaty now.

Kim has sent a picture to chat!

I felt my heart go up into my throat and my stomach turn as the little speech bubbles popped up from both girls and stayed there for what seemed like ages as they typed. Both chat bubbles vanished after a bit before Leah's came back up. Abigail's came up a moment later and then Leah's disappeared, followed once again by Abigail's. My breath was still almost nonexistent for the next little bit before finally I saw a reply.

Leah: You look cute all sweaty! Are you that bad Abigail?

Abigail: A little worse actually. But I did enjoy the picture!

Leah: Isn't she sexy like that?

Abigail: You know it!

I finally breathed out a sigh of relief. I was so thankful they were so easy going with this. As their texts continued, I simply laid on my bed and watched them go one by one, replying every now and then as well. When Abigail said she had to eat dinner and Leah wanted to get back to her painting, I said I was going to take a shower. Abigail instantly asked for another picture with all sorts of smiley faces behind it while Leah simply told me to enjoy myself from such a hard day's work. I sent back a heart to both of them and left my phone on my bed while I got undressed the rest of the way. "I have the best friends in the world," I told the Junimo who were still with me in the room.

When I awoke the next morning, I could feel the heat already bearing down on me. I had kicked the covers to the foot of my bed and was sweating already. My air conditioner was on still and my door was open, but I didn't feel any cool air waiting for me as I went into the living room. Upon closer inspection, my unit was blowing out slightly cool, damp air. "No, no, no, no…." I asked of it softly, flipping the switch to the off position in hopes it had just frozen over on the outside. "Don't do this to me…" I made sure to turn on every fan in the house before putting on some tight jeans, the only ones not smelling like dirt, and a light white tee shirt that didn't cover much of my stomach. My hair was pulled up into a high ponytail to keep it off my neck and I grabbed a homemade granola bar on my way out for breakfast.

The sun was just coming up when I left my house, casting a reddish orange glow over my crops. I shouldered my watering backpack and filled it up with the little pond near my house. The cool water felt great running down my back and I debated watering myself for a moment. Instead, I went over to my crops and started giving them a healthy drink for the day. A lot of red caught my eye with my strawberries and I kneeled down, eyes going wide when I realized the crop I had messed with the night before was actually sprouting at an alarming rate. "Oh wow…" I gave a small laugh. "I guess I can do this after all!"

Standing up full height, I concentrated as I watered them. Willing myself to try and give them my mana, I walked around everything while sprinkling them. At first I couldn't tell any difference, as I was kind of expecting some magical green glow to envelop everything, but by the time I was half way done with my watering I started feeling a bit weak. The end came pretty soon, but I was struggling to walk correctly with the backpack on. Sure enough, I fell and landed with a thud. The watering pack was shrugged out of and I panted hard, gasping for air. I stayed on my back for quite a while, unable to really walk. Deciding to just rest, I began eating my breakfast. Crunching on the nuts and seeds held together by maple sap that I turned into a thick syrup, I started to feel better almost at once.

I was a little confused at my body today and decided that I should probably stop by Harvey's and get a check up to see if something was wrong. I shouldn't have collapsed so easily and I most definitely shouldn't have recovered so quick on just fruits and seeds. As I stood, I wiped sweat off my forehead and looked towards the front of my farm. A car was pulling in and parked near my house. To my surprise I saw Haley get out and wave over at me.

By the time I made it to her, she had popped the trunk and was assembling a camera that looked beyond expensive. "Hi!" I greeted her. Haley was wearing a very light sundress that lightly clung to her figure and went to her mid thigh, showing her smooth legs off. Her feet were covered in simple white sandals, definitely not the best to be tracking through my farm but cute none the less. "Decided to take some pictures of the sunflowers?"

"I was really wanting to," she agreed readily. "Where are they at?"

"Waaaay over there!" I pointed out near my fruit trees. "I try to keep the flowers away from my crops so they don't spread weeds or try to take over my beds."

"Oh… Wow, that's far. No wonder you told me not to come after a rain."

"It's not bad, here I'll give you a ride." I gave a hard whistle and my horse came over to us. "Meet Okami." My horse nudged Haley with its nose and got a laugh.

"He's cute!" She praised him, getting another nudge. "Hey, don't knock me over!"

I jumped up onto my horse easily and offered her a hand. "Here, climb up."

"Without a saddle?" She looked nervous. "I don't know…"

"It's easy! I'll make sure you don't fall." She reluctantly took my hand. "Jump and climb up." She did as requested and I had to pull hard to get her in front of me. It took a moment for her to settle down but after she was steady I heard a happy laugh. "See? Easy."

"Not at all!" She giggled. "Whoa!" She held the horse with both hands as we began to walk. "I might fall!"

"You won't fall." I put an arm around her waist and held her close as we began to gallop across the fields. Haley, to my utter surprise, was very vocal about how neat it was to be on a horse like that. She was giggling constantly and when I hopped off at the end, she was smiling ear to ear. "Told you." I offered her my hand again. "Now come down."

"I think I really will fall," she denied. "Is there an easy way?"

"Just slide your leg over and hop down." I grinned. "Or is that pretty little dress going to get dirty?" Haley sniffed at my tease and did as I asked. I could tell she was going to fall before she did and I caught her easily. "Oopsies!" I laughed at her terrified face. "See, I told you I wouldn't let you fall."

"Wow, you're really strong." She gave a half laugh, half embarrassed cough. "Thank you, Farm Girl."

"You're welcome, City Girl." I teased right back at her. "Take all the pictures you want, I'll be over here trimming some of the grass down for Marnie. When you want to head home just let me know and I'll ride you back, okay?" I got a nod and I began to go about my normal routine. I had struck up a fantastic deal with Marnie not too long ago. My field was over grown with grass that was perfect for hay, and she needed as much as she could get stored up for the winter. In return I had a tab from her that was insanely in the positive that I spent on milk and eggs and sometimes when she went into the city to sell her animals she came back with meat to sell to the village. I took advantage of that really quick, and my fridge and freezer were packed with enough food to last me for weeks.

Haley stayed for a lot longer than I thought she would. The girl actually made her way around my farm, taking pictures of lots of things. I wasn't really sure what all there was to be interested in, but I didn't mind. It was past lunch when I rode by her again and noticed she looked about ready to go. She accepted my invitation and rode back with me to her car. I once again helped her down, this time literally lifting her off the horse and setting her on her feet. "You're really strong!" She praised me as I let her feet touch the ground. "Are you sure you're not a farm guy?"

"I'm sure!" She made me laugh.

"Can I get a quick picture of you?" She held up her camera. "In front of your house?"

"Sure!" I walked up to my house and turned around. "I'm getting used to having my picture taken."

"Are you?" She was interested. "By who?"

"Leah and Abigail." I wasn't really sure how to pose for her.

"Oh that's right, you're…"

"I am." I snickered at her. She snapped a picture of my laugh. "Does that bother you?"

"No," She admitted, looking a little shy. "It's just… weird."

"Weird how?" I moved my arms out as if motioning to my house and she took another picture.

"Just… you know… how do you…" She held up a finger with one hand and made a circle with the other and moved it in and out. "You know…"

I blushed at that question. "We-we… uhm… lots of ways! It's perfectly natural!" Haley took the chance to take a picture of my red face.

"So it's… just normal?" She looked at me.

"Yeah.. when you love someone and want to have sex, you just… find what feels good. You don't have to have one specific thing to make love. You just need the feelings behind it."

"Oh…" She blushed a little too. "So, like, is it… nice… with another girl?"

I was starting to get the hints. Was there something in the food here that not only turned people into zombies but made them really open and accepting about their sexuality as well? "It's nice with anyone you want to be with, boy or girl." I informer her softly. "And you just need to want to, there's no special things you need, no weird positions or… attachments… or… things. Just, you know, feel nice."

Haley looked at me a moment and decided to ask one more thing, although she looked very unsure. "Okay…Thank you Farm Girl." I guess she changed her mind. "Could you keep this between us? I don't want people thinking things."

"Absolutely." I beamed at her and gave the girl an pat on the shoulder. "You're a very pretty girl, you'll make someone happy once you find out who."

"Thank you… you're not that bad."

"I try."

Haley leaned forward and sniffed at me. "Although you're really dirty and smell like grass."

"Some people like that," I defended myself.

"It's not as bad as I thought." She held up her camera and took one more photo of me. "See you around, Farm Girl."

"See ya, City Girl." I gave a light, playful salute at her to send her on her way. When the car was out of my sight, I spoke to the Junimo who came out of hiding. "Well that was odd… I wonder who she's crushing on." They made small cute sounds to reply, but I couldn't understand them. "I hope it's not Abby or Leah…" They made some more sounds and I looked down at them. "Don't think it's Farm Girl do you?" I laughed hard at that. "Oh that's rich! Farm Girl and City Girl!" I chuckled hard as I went into my house. "Don't get your dirt on my nice clean carpet, Farm Girl!" I shouted playfully to myself. "Take off those boots and change those clothes!"

I found myself heading over to Emily's house a few days later to try on my dress for the upcoming Festival. I had been cutting it close, apparently, as the event was in two days on the last of spring. Arriving, I hopped off my horse and knocked my standard little rhythm on the door. Emily called for me to enter and all at once I was swept up in Hurricane Emily. My clothes were all but tugged off and the woman was all over me, tugging and zipping and measuring. She spoke words around several bobby pins in her mouth that I didn't quite understand and before I even knew what was happening I was standing in a lovely white dress in front of a mirror. "H-hi." I finally greeted her, wondering how in the world my boots had come off and were replaced with those heels.

"Hi. Is it too tight? Too loose? Can you move?" Her words ran together and she leaned on all different sides to check.

Trying to move, I tested the dress's abilities. "Feels great around my stomach," I mused. "Really nice on my hips and…" I puffed on the chest. "I have a padded bra at home that will fill this out." I was rather impressed with it for being made so quickly. It was very lacey but light and airy. I could dance in it no problem since the bottom only went to my knees. It didn't suit me for sure, but it was a traditional dress so it wasn't really supposed to. "I really like it!"

"Great!" Emily looked relieved. "I was scared I was going to have to revise it a lot. This means your other clothes should fit as well!" I was about to ask about them, but I was attacked again, being stripped and turned and dressed up so quickly that when she was done I was panting. My hair was a mess and I looked in the mirror to see myself in something that looked really flattering on me.

"Whoa!" I turned to inspect myself. "This is nice!" I had one blue jean shorts that were cut so short I could see the back pockets hanging out of them. They actually made my butt look nice as well, something I wasn't quite used to. My top was a flannel pattern red that was more or less short sleeves that went over my arms and shoulders. There was a little cloth on my back and the front was tied in a knot over my bra. It was a little slutty, but danged if I cared. No one would see me in this at home. With a cowboy hat and some boots I was sure I could pass for a really sexy model in these clothes!

My next whirlwind came and I was looking at myself in a mini skirt and a sports bra that matched. They were a matching black and red that still screamed farmer! while looking like I could sweat it out in them without being uncomfortable. "Yes!" I praised her happily. "This is what I needed! Something I can get dirty in without drowning in my own sweat. Thank you!"

After paying for my clothes and getting them in a little bag to carry back to the farm, I headed out to hop onto my horse. Haley stopped me just outside and asked for the address of my farm, which I gave. Although confused at why she needed to know, I left it at that and waved goodbye to her and heading home. I was close to the bottom of town so I decided to visit Leah along the way. As I approached, I saw her outside coming from Cindersap Forrest. She had a basket in one hand, which means she was probably foraging for her dinner again. I didn't really understand why she liked doing that so much, but to each their own.

"Afternoon," Leah greeted me with a smile. She had paint smeared on her face and arms again, a sure sign that she had been painting nonstop today.

"Afternoon," I replied back in kind. "Have you eaten today?" She gave an embarrassed laugh. "Thought so. Don't forget to take care of yourself!"

"Your painting is done." She changed the subject and looked rather proud of herself. "I finished it just a bit ago."

"Can I see?" I asked all at once, delighted to find out what it looked like. She nodded and I offered my hand, pulling her up behind me on my horse. We rode the little path to her house before each hopping off skillfully. "I shouldn't be too long," I told my horse while patting his neck. "If you're hungry or thirsty, go find some food. I'll whistle when it's time to go home, 'kay?" It neighed at me and shook his head before trotting off in search or something to nibble.

"Can he understand you?" Leah looked amazed.

"I think so." Walking over to her, she took my hand and lead me into her house. Instantly she put her basket on the table and moved me over to the easel that was still near the bed instead of at its usual spot. I couldn't really believe what I saw on it. Leah was plucking off literally at least a dozen of the pictures she had taken of me from around the painting, leaving just the raw artwork. It looked wonderful and very realistic, but still had that hand stroked feel to it. Upon closer inspection I noticed the black lace of my lingerie was pretty accurately recreated as well. I had no idea how she managed to get such tiny detail in there, but from the mass of brushes nearby I could make a guess. "How long?" I breathed out.

"I have no idea." Leah admitted. "You know I don't time my artwork. Do you like it?" She asked the last part a little nervously.

"I… don't really have words." She had managed to make me look exceedingly attractive, but I didn't feel as if she had embellished any of my features at all. I was still me, but… a sexy me. "It's… wow…" The girl was tugging on her braid nervously, watching me with a mixture of delight and excitement. I could tell she was holding back more questions and possibly a squeal of joy at the same time. "Leah…You're so skilled… really… I just wow."

Finally she hopped on the spot, clapping her hands together. "I'm so proud of it, you have no idea!" She finally gushed. I used brushes that I never used before to get the lace designs in there, and mixed actual gem dust I got from Clint to make your body look like it shined in the light! And, and I strained my eyes looked at the designs but I'm so happy with how it turned out! I even got the little nick on your nose just right!"

I blinked. "Wait, nick on my nose? I squinted at the painting and saw a tiny, almost unnoticeable scar on my nose on the painting. "Do I have a scar on my nose?"

"Of course," Leah said proudly. "It's hard to see, but I know it's there." I moved over to the side of the room where she had a mirror and checked. Sure enough, the cut that Abigail gave me when we first met had scarred over, probably from the cleaning supplies I rubbed all over it and not really allowing it to heal properly. "Is that bad? Do you hate it?"

"No, no I don't hate it. I just never realized it scarred." That caused me to giggle slightly. "But yeah, your painting is phenomenal. What are you going to do with it?"

"Of course, every rational aspect of me is screaming to submit it to a contest I know about. If I win I get a whole lot of really expensive art supplies. A new easel, high quality brushes and a complete set of paint bases, not to mention a lot of gold to invest in other tools. "

"Wow, why ever would you not do that?" I looked at her in shock.

"Because… I have to send it off to be observed and graded… and I won't get it back."

"Oh. Okay, I understand that." I wasn't super thrilled about a lot of people observing every aspect of me in lingerie, but at the same time I felt like it was the best choice for Leah to make. "You should go for it," I encouraged her. "For real, you'll have to get used to letting your art go, even if it really means a lot to you. I can't imagine putting that many days into something just to never see it again, but that's just how it works I guess. You can always scan it or take a picture of it to keep for yourself? The memories and emotions will always be there, right?"

"It's not that easy," Leah sighed. "I know I should, but at the same time it's my first one like this… and it's you. It's special."

I thought about that. "Yeah…I understand." I didn't want to push her to make a choice though. "Hey… tell you what… If you do end up submitting it, I'll come back if you want me to…. and I'll let you do two sessions this time. "

The girl looked over at me and bit her bottom lip. "Two?" I nodded. She hesitated and I could tell the next question already. "Without clothes on?"

"M-Maybe without top? Maybe. Probably not. I can't promise. But two." My answer made her a little less enthusiastic about the deal, but I saw that she was considering it. "I'm sorry, I'm just… really shy about being naked."

"D-don't say it like that!" She waved her hands, blushing. "Don't make me feel like I'm pressuring you!"

"You're not!" My voice cracked in my hurry to answer, making her bite back a laugh. "Really, I just don't think I'm that pretty… It's embarrassing."

"You are pretty," she took both my hands. "I'm just really eager to capture that… but for real, don't worry about it. I can do you with clothes on this time."

"I don't mind a little." I felt like burying my face in my hands. "L-Let's just get your painting wherever it needs to be for now. We can discuss more later. Right now, the most important thing is that you can have whatever you need to make whatever you want."

"…Thank you." Leah stepped forward and kissed my cheek. "You're amazing, have I told you that before?"

"Maybe once or twice." We both giggled and she started playing with my fingers, glancing at me every now and again before looking away with a silly grin. I was going to say something about how cute it was, but her stomach growled out at that moment. "Eat." I poked her nose.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" She asked hopefully. "Maybe we can snuggle up and watch a movie afterwards?"

"I'm sorry, I have to get home. My horse is still out there and I don't want to risk falling asleep. I'm really tired today." To stress my point I felt a yawn coming on. "But next time for sure. It feels really nice and cool here, I'd love it."

"The breeze from the water really cools my house down. Why? Is yours hot?"

"Blazing. My air conditioner is going out I think."

"If it does, you're welcome to stay here anytime you want." Leah looked happy at that idea.

"Thank you, I might have to take you up on that."

Leah walked with me to the door and waited a moment there before finally speaking what was on her mind. "Hey, can I ask something?"

"Sure?"

She met my eyes and was giving me a really shy but eager look. "If you do pose for me again… can I pick something for you to wear?" She smiled nervously. "Back then…I was always asked to wear things for pictures but I've never gotten to pick something out for someone I cared about… I'd like to do that."

I felt suddenly a little nervous about what I was getting myself into, but I couldn't say no to that look. "Yeah… anything you want."

"You're the best." I got another hug. "I'm really painted out right now though. I'm going to work with wood for a while to get my groove going again. After that, I'll see about something."

"Take your time." I giggled. "I'm still nervous about it. Maybe then it'll be easier."

"…Sweet dreams, Kim."

"Sweet dreams, Leah." She held onto my hand until I had walked far enough away where she had to finally let go. I called out with a loud whistle and heard my horse come galloping up to me at once. Mounting him, I gave another small wave before going off to my house. When I finally arrived, I gave my horse some extra feed and water before allowing myself to check my phone.

Leah: I finished the painting! Come by whenever you want Abigail.

Abigail: Awesome! I'll be there tomorrow!

Leah: Can't wait, huh?

Abigail: Kim in underwear? Sign me up!

Kim: I look amazing in it too, she cheated somehow.

Leah: I did not! The green lingerie just really fits you.

Abigail: Wait, she's in Lingerie!? Now I have to see it right now!

Leah: Abigail!

Kim: Abigail!

Abigail: What?

Leah: I'm going to eat now.

Abigail: Wait, send a picture first! You can't tease me and leave me!

Kim: Goodnight, Abby.