Chapter 3: Part 3

Dinner was… acceptable. A lot of meat for my tastes. And the vegetables seemed over cooked. But… fine over all. 

I was thinking I might try giving some advice tomorrow, though. Especially if Nekra let me talk her into getting more fresh vegetables. I knew more than a thing or two about cooking… mostly because my mother was a disaster who often forgot to feed herself let alone me. Which had meant I’d had to learn how to feed myself. I had come to enjoy the process, though. So I hoped I would get to help here, if I was going to be staying for a while.

Not permanently, though. I still wanted to get back to civilization proper sooner than later.

After dinner I found myself directed towards the bath. Apparently Grolog had built his home out here, a good way from the main town, due to the presence of a natural hot spring.

“You will probably want to fill the barrel over there with the wash bucket, rather than going in the spring itself,” Y’suk explained as she showed me the bathing area. “Orcs can handle hotter water, at least according to the human guests who sometimes stay over.”

I gave a nod, slipping my hand in to check. “Oh. Y—yeah. That’s… that’s hot.”

Y’suk gave a nod. “Fill the barrel, then get undressed and washed up. That should give it time to cool down. I’ll bring you a night-shirt to change into.”

“T—thanks,” I replied. 

I did have to admit, Y’suk still felt fairly safe to be around. Maybe she had just as much potential for violence as her younger sisters and I just hadn’t seen it yet? I hoped at least one of the adults in the family lacked the anger issues the others seemed to have.

The bath was nice, though. The hot water was much more relaxing than the cold river fed public baths back home. It was definitely something I could get used to. 

The night shirt was also nice. It was light and flowing, more like elven clothing than the heavy multi-layered human style dress I’d put on earlier. The extra length of it emphasized the way it flowed as I walked and moved about, more than my usual short tunics back home.

I decided I should try to talk the tailor into making my clothes more like this. Assuming they had any skill.

---

Sleep, however, would largely evade me that night. The noises of the northern forest were far more varied and unsettling than the well maintained forests of the elven domains. Strange things were screaming in voices that sounded almost like those of people. Other screaches were quite unlike anything natural I had ever heard.

All in all it left me quite out of it the next morning. I was barely dressed before Zago burst in, wanting to drag me off for my measurements. Eka at least convinced her to let me eat breakfast before setting out.

Breakfast turned out to be dried meat and berries. The berries having been more of a garnish than anything.

Then it was off to the tailor’s. And my slow realisation that things could go very badly for me. Getting measured was just so… intimate. I was pretty sure even an orc would figure out I wasn’t actually a woman if they were up that close. I needed a way out of this.

“You know,” I said, as we walked along the road into town, “Your family is already doing so much for me. Buying me new clothes seems like too much to ask. I should try to find some work and pay for them myself.”

“If it means so much to you you can pay us back later,” Eka said. “Right now you need clothes, and your mother probably isn’t going to send you up the money from selling your things. So we can pay.”

“I… she’s probably going to sell everything, isn’t she?” I mumbled, that possibility only hitting me now.

Both sisters offered me soft smiles. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. I really hadn’t given this the most thought…

Well, I hadn’t thought Grolog would keep me here. What had my mother said to make herself seem so horrible in his eyes? I could only wonder. 

I also supposed I was lucky she wasn’t able to convince him to strip me and prove I was a guy. In hindsight that seemed like something she’d offer. She was generally one for getting straight to the point and finding results.

Walking along, deep in thought for that, it took a bit before I remembered the actually pressing concern. Dealing with the tailor issue…

“Can we stop for a messaging journal first?” I asked, an idea forming in my brain.

Both sisters turned to me.

“You didn’t want us paying for clothes for you, but you want us to cover a messaging journal?” Eka asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I’ll pay you back. With extra!” I replied, hoping they’d go for it. “I… I realised I should try to clear some things up with my friends before my mother has a chance to cause any problems.”

“Ah… well, I guess,” Eka muttered. “We’ll have to go to the far end of town for that, but we can.”

“Sure, sure,” I replied, trying not to be too excited about the extra time that would buy me to think up something else as a cover. 

Though, as we reached the town, I was reminded that ‘the far end of town’ wasn’t much further than the close end. The magic shop itself was a crowded small thing, minor artifacts on every wall. Nothing felt like it was really radiating power, at least not enough for someone like me to pick up on. I recognised most things, though. Generally things were a bit outdated compared to the latest elven charm designs, but still… usable. 

I did poke around for a bit, just out of curiosity. Browsing while Eka looked a bit impatient. I didn’t have any good reason to ask for anything extra, however, and so gave in and grabbed the messaging journal. Those seemed reasonably up to date, probably popular with the scattered towns of the north. 

It then took a little negotiation to get Eka to let me write messages to someone right away. Then it was a simple matter of double checking my sigil tablet, and scratching down my cousin Tuar’in’s sigil. After all, Tuar’in had always been my closest relative on my father’s side, and was a skilled mage to boot. If anyone could and would help me, it was her.

‘It’s Anrik. Weird question, but, are there any illusion spells that could convince a tailor someone was the opposite sex and… could you run me through how to do that?’ I scribbled down in elven, while still trying to keep Eka and Zago from seeing the journal.

Just in case they could actually read elven.

It only took a few moments to get a reply from Tuar’in appearing in my journal. ‘No, and no. A tailor would physically be touching you. It’s much easier just to actually turn yourself into the opposite sex with transformation magic than to manage a tactile illusion.’

I blinked. ‘There’s spells that actually change you?’

‘Yes. But, not something I could teach you without extensive training in transformation magic. It’s not easy magic to do. Why are you asking, though?’ her message read.

‘Uhhh. Complicated story. Some slight misunderstandings,’ I replied.

‘Mmmm. Well, good luck with whatever that is, baby cuz,’ she wrote back. ‘I have to get back to work. This heating sigil won’t write itself.’

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And that was goodbye. Which left me with no option but to hope for the best with the tailor.

I followed the orcish sisters like a man walking to the gallows, little hope that my deception would survive. Arriving, Eka said she had something to talk to the tailor about before I went in, and I gave no protest. A bit longer to live was nice. 

Eventually, though, I was called in for my measurements. The tailor was an orcish woman, taller than Eka, and built roughly as solidly. I swallowed nervously as I realised how much larger than me she was. She led me to the back, for a private measuring.

She started with the safe things. Arms. Neck. Waist. Nothing I had to worry about.

Then it was the chest, and I had to blush at her hands. 

“I, uh… elves don’t tend to have much in the way of chestiness?” I offered, and she grunted in reply.

“Mhrm… I could probably figure out a padded chemise to help with that a little,” she muttered, scribbling something down in orcish on her small pad of rags she was using to write my measurements down.

Then came my legs. The outside measurement wasn’t anything to worry about, but the inside thigh… well… I held my breath. Waiting for her to say something. 

Surely she would have noticed…

No? She didn’t say anything..

Had I made it through undetected?

After sitting quietly for a few moments, the large orcish woman turned back to me from her writing. “You can go back out with the others. Take a look at fabrics and the catalogue of styles. I have a bit of planning out to do.”

I gave a nod and hurried out to the front portion of the store. 

“How did it go?” Eka asked as I stepped out.

“Better than I—I mean, good?” I replied, not wanting to be suspicious with my relief.

Eka smiled, for reasons I couldn’t guess. Zago dragged me off to look at the various fabrics available before I could spend too much time thinking about it.

Lots of the cloth was very thick. It also tended to be on the redder end than elven fashion. I wanted to find something lighter, closer to elven tree silk, though Eka insisted the colder winters meant I would want something heavier.

“What if I get a heavier winter overcoat?” I offered, not wanting to give up on the possibility of a light flowing dress. 

I’d never gotten to have one, after all. And they were so pretty.

“I guess that could work,” Eka muttered, after some hesitation.

“I would love to see a flowing elven style dress,” Zago said, her eyes sparkling.

“Her fault if she freezes in the autumn,” Eka grumbled.

Zago and I cheered together before heading over to look at the actual designs to get the fabric cut in. I was able to rule out the… lower necklines fairly easily. Had to keep the chest covered. Since I didn’t…

Since I was a guy.

How had that slipped my mind just now, while looking at the dresses?

Well, because they were so pretty, obviously. Everyone knew women cared more about fashion, so that’s why they had better fashion. It made sense if you thought about it. And getting access to that was the silver lining to the whole scheme.

Which meant I could hop back into looking at designs to try to find something cute. I just hoped my position having grown up in a cultured elven city covered for my lack of direct experience from growing up as a guy.

It seemed to be working? At least with Zago. I couldn’t quite get a read on Eka. She seemed to be thinking about… something. 

I had heard orcs were supposed to be straightforward and quick to act. Yet Eka was so quiet and mysterious, not sharing whatever it was she was thinking about. 

Well, she was smiling softly when I looked over. So, that was probably a good sign, right?

In the end I ordered a sleeveless but high necked dress of thin green dyed sateen cotton as well as a flowing white shirt with a shorter kilt-like skirt for more active days, which the tailor promised would be ready in a few days. We started heading home after that, Zago excited to see what my dress would look like. I was excited myself. Eka said she thought I would look cute in something fitted for me. Which turned my cheeks hot.

Clearly we were all looking forward to see the new dress.

We were also all apparently hungry, Zago’s stomach growling, followed by Eka’s, and myself giving in and admitting I could go for food.

Which led to being taken to a street vendor selling… meat and bread on a stick. It was greasy, but quite delicious. A good level of spice to it.

I was, however, beginning to suspect that orcs saw meat as three out of four food groups.

Which meant I was going to have to start getting a lot more active, if I wanted to maintain my svelte elf-like figure. Which I needed if I was going to keep up the ruse.

(That, or bother Tua’rin for help with that transformation magic option…)

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