Chapter 6

The next day, Kitiala came downstairs after her second-to-last appointment. It had ended early, but Ash was already waiting in the guildhall lobby. She was wearing a black robe with the hood pulled up. Kitiala lead Ash up to the room she had had reserved for her last appointment.

Once they were in the room, Ash noted, "Good, you have a full-length mirror in here. I don't have to conjure one." Ash un-cinched her robe and removed it. It turned out that was all she was wearing.

"Uh, what are you doing?" asked an alarmed Kitiala.

Ash hung her robe on the doorknob and locked the door. "Disrobe."

Kitiala was taken aback. "Excuse me?"

"Take your clothes off so I can get a good look at you," Ash ordered.

Kitiala panicked. This was not what she was expecting. "What do you need to see? I mean, I don't really know if I can..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ash calmly interrupted. "I have to ensure that I look exactly like you. Every blemish, every scar, and every last hair must be the same if we are to convince the king that we are the same person. Stand next to the mirror."

"Oh, right then." Kitiala complied and took her clothing off.

Ash stared hard at Kitiala, and then looked at herself in the mirror. Despite all of her training and experience handling interpersonal relationships as a courtesan, Kitiala could not shake the weirdness of the situation. Ash repeated the process a few times before Kitiala mustered to courage to speak up. "So, you nagas can imitate people?"

Ash considered whether she should answer or not. She decided that it wouldn't do any harm and may help Kitala to relax and trust her more. "It is an ability that I have developed. I'm the only one that can do it. So far."

"Oh." Kitiala struggled for something else to talk about. "So you can look like whoever you want?"

"Not really. There are severe limitations. With time, I hope to overcome them." Ash looked intently in Kitiala's eyes. "Minor details I can change: eye and hair color, nail and hair length, skin tone." Ash smirked and stepped back.

"I've heard that you can turn into snakes," Kitiala said. "Is that true?"

"It's true," replied Ash, who was squinting hard at Kitiala's navel. "We call it our serpent form"

"How long would it take you to change into a snake?" Kitiala asked.

"It takes most nagas about ten minutes to undergo a transformation from nymph form to serpent form. I can do it in half the time." Ash stopped and stared at herself in the mirror. "Look in the mirror. What do you think?"

Kitiala took a good look. Ash had turned her outie bellybutton into an innie. She had shortened ever so slightly and now matched Kitala's height perfectly. Ash had also made her nose smaller to match Kitiala's. The differences between them had been so subtle that Kitiala hadn't noticed Ash altering her appearance, but, upon review, she could clearly see that she had changed. "Wow. You look even more like me than before."

"Yes," Ash said, "but, by Dentin, your butt is so skinny, I'm having trouble shrinking mine to match it."

"Hrmph," Kitiala snorted. "If you're the king's servant, you must live in the palace. It's probably all of that good food you're getting."

Ash chuckled politely. "Yeah, that's probably it." Ash nudged Kitiala from in front of the mirror. "Turn around so I can see the marks on your back."

Kitiala turned around and Ash whistled. Her back had bruises and scars all over it. "Unholy Talos! He's done a number on you. Now hold still."

Kitiala sighed. "So, what do you think will happen after the king is dead?"

Ash examined Kitiala's backside. "Well, without an heir-apparent, the royal officers would try to hold a wizardry tournament like in times past. But, we're going use our influence to try and start up a constitutional convention and hopefully establish a democracy." Ash paused a moment and continued. "Now let me ask you something. Why did you want to learn magic?"

"To protect myself. And, you know, maybe some healing so I wouldn't end up like," Kitiala gestured backward, "this."

"Understandable. Perhaps when this is all over, I can teach you a few spells." Ash closed her eyes for a moment in concentration. "So, what about Jobis? He's a handsome fellow."

Kitiala smiled a little. "He's a decent bloke, but our relationship is purely platonic. He's way too into arcane, esoteric things than I'd care to be."

Ash grunted. "There, I think I have it. Look at my back."

Kitiala looked and said, "It doesn't look right. The skin looks all twisted up and wrinkled."

Ash grumbled, "I never was good at faking injuries. Well, if I can't look like you, you'll have to have smooth silky skin like mine."

"How do you do that?" Kitiala asked. "Healing spells still leave a scar."

"A vulnerability spell to make your skin soft and malleable, followed by a regenerate spell will do the trick," stated Ash. "You slap yourself where you want the skin to heal, and it erases any scar. It's painful, but it does work. I'll send the potions to you tomorrow. A word of warning: it'll make you hairy. Make sure to shave afterward."

"Ok," Kitiala said. "Anything special I should be doing?"

"Not really. Keep practicing magic," Ash said with a smile. "It'll come in handy."

Kitiala smiled back, and, with that, the two redressed and parted ways.