Getting Ready For The Date

My performance in the dungeons today is sloppier than it usually is. I’m taking more damage, missing openings and my aim with my spells is off. I can’t really help it of course; my head just isn’t in the game today. My mind is very much focused on other things than battle, mainly wondering what Skylar has planned for later today.

Ivy and Mia call me out for it, but they understand why I’m not really concentrating. “As long as this doesn’t become a habit.” Mia muses, after I apologise for the umpteenth time. Despite my lack of focus, we do manage to get both of the dungeons done within a decent amount of time. It helps that Ivy is there to heal me whenever I make a mistake.

“Ayee we made it!” I exclaim. “Despite you goofing around.” Mia jokes. “Oi! I was not goofing around!” I shoot back, my tone full of mock offence. We gather the loot, exit the dungeon and walk back home. Before spending my statpoints on the obvious thing to get me over my goal, I first look at Ivy’s character sheet and ponder which stat of hers to raise.

I turn to her and shrug. “I reckon endurance. You can never have too many health points after all. Your health regeneration is amazing, but a higher health pool can’t hurt.” I explain my reasoning and Ivy nods. “Sounds good to me.” I spend Ivy’s points on endurance, then my own on agility. A window pops up for the 50 agility milestone.

That’s a substantial bonus, even if it is mostly intangible. Increased dexterity is a bit niche but it’ll help me keep steady hands when aiming spells. More spatial awareness is definitely a useful thing in melee combat, as is increased reflexes. It’s only 10:30am as we get home, and just as we sit down on the couch, another popup opens that I’m happy to see.

“Ready for some new perks Ivy?” She smiles happily at me. “Getting stronger is always nice.” I open up the skill tree to see what the options are.

“We love repeat choices.” I express, the sarcasm in my voice palpable. “In Gaia’s defence, designing so many different abilities for a healer must be difficult.” Ivy replies gently. “True true. Anyway, I’m leaning towards the range upgrade here.” “It certainly would mean I wouldn’t have to put myself in so much danger by getting close to the fighting to heal you all.” Ivy agrees.

“More repeat choices!” I throw my hands up in the air dramatically. Ivy turns my face towards her and kisses me. Surprised, I kiss her back. She breaks the kiss and looks me in the eyes. “Stop complaining dear.” She orders. “Yes ma’am.” I reply jokingly. Looking back to the choices, I start to consider them all.

Maid is definitely out. I get the feeling that if Ivy hadn’t already gained quite a bit of skill in the area of cooking, the cook option would still be there. The past two weeks have seen her expertise soar to new heights. It’s remarkable just how quickly she’s taken to cooking. The maid option just isn’t needed at this point. We don’t make anywhere near enough mess to justify it.

Between rapid regeneration and material bonus, I tend to favour the latter. Rapid regeneration has a very definitive effect, doubling Ivy’s health regeneration. While it’s potent, there are also other ways to get the same effect, namely raising her strength stat. The potency makes it worth considering though.

The material bonus on the other hand, isn’t super definitive in its effect. The bonus seems like it really could be just about anything, although Gaia wouldn’t let it be anything too overpowered. The versatility of the choice is what persuades me. The near endless variety of potential bonuses for Ivy could be quite potent if we find the right thing.

With the choice made, I close the windows and turn to my girlfriends. “I need your help.” Sighing, I muster up the courage to ask a question I never thought I would ask. “What do I wear for the date?” “Oh my god, I forgot! We need to get you an outfit!” Mia looks me up and down, tutting disapprovingly. “Actually we need to get you a lot of new clothes.”

“What’s wrong with my battle jacket and jeans?” I ask. “Absolutely nothing. But Gemma, it is hilarious to me that you, as a fully passing trans girl who loves being feminine, have not bought a single article of feminine clothing save for bras.” My eyes trail off downwards. “Well yeah….it’s scary. Shopping is scary, I don’t know where to start.” “We’re going on a shopping date after this! For now, let’s find you something.”

Skylar said that she’d be at Mia’s place at 12pm sharp, so we have an hour and a half to get ready. I’ve only ever experimented with makeup a couple of times before, and haven’t tried on many feminine outfits. It was one of my old friends putting makeup on me once that made me realise that I am trans, but I fell out of contact with her.

Since then, I’ve been too scared to try anything else, even as my face and body have grown feminine enough that I pass for a cisgender woman. Because I’m not used to getting ready in a more feminine way, the amount of time it takes me is surprising. As a boy, all I’d had to do was have a 5 minute shower, spray some deodorant and throw on some clothes. Getting ready took 15 minutes at most.

But as Mia rushes me around, showing me all sorts of little tips and tricks for getting ready, looking and smelling nice for a date out, I realise just how much I have to learn. I wanted to go with more of a goth look, since I think it goes well with my hair colour and my music taste. Mia didn’t have anything like that in her wardrobe, so she ordered me an outfit from the auction.

While Ivy walks down to the auction to pick up the outfit that we picked out, Mia continues to show me little things about dressing up, looking and smelling nice, and being more feminine in general. I’ve always wanted to learn this stuff, but I’ve always been too shy and never had anybody to teach me. It feels good though.

She shows me that conditioner should only be put on the ends of your hair, not the scalp, otherwise you’ll make the roots of your hair greasier. She shows me how to put on perfume properly. Instead of just a quick spray, she shows me that it’s better to put some on your wrists and rub them together, as well as some on your neck.

She also shows me some of the basics on applying makeup, giving me a short lesson on what products do which things. I know a bit of the basics and I find that I have an intuitive understanding of what colours and makeup looks go with certain hair colours and outfits, but Mia’s quick lessons teach me much more about the fundamentals.

Eventually, Ivy gets back from the auction with my new outfit, without a hiccup. After drying my hair with Mia’s hairdryer for the first time (which is helpfully enchanted so that the heat doesn’t damage hair), I try on the outfit. It’s more complicated than what I’m used to, but I find myself loving it more and more.

A black lace bra, a black mesh top, as well as a black and pink corset as the outer layer for my chest. Black leggings and a black and pink plaid skirt. The leggings really show off my ass, although it’s hidden from view with the skirt. Black heels and a choker with a black collar and pink heart complete the look.

The heels don’t have much height to them, because in Mia’s words, “You’ll fall over as soon as you put them on.” I apply a tasteful layer of makeup, just enough to accentuate my features and the colour of my hair and eyes, without being excessive. Finishing the makeup with Mia’s help and about 5 minutes to spare, I put on the perfume that Mia bought me along with the outfit. It’s called L’Occitane Rose, and Mia says it’s really nice smelling. I have to agree with her.

I step outside Mia’s room, and Ivy and Mia take in my full image. “Gaia, you look good.” Mia exclaims, and I smile. “Thank you.” I say, my eyes trailing off and my face flushing. “Gemma, you look amazing!” Ivy compliments, stepping forward and kissing me. “I love you both.” I respond happily, before panicking slightly. “Is my lipstick still good?”

Mia giggles upon hearing this. “You are SUCH a girl. Your lipstick is fine. Enchanted makeup, doesn’t come off without enchanted remover. How do you feel?” I look down at myself, before turning around and looking in the mirror. My face breaks out into an elated grin when I see myself fully, and my heart soars. “I love it! This is so weird! I’m actually confident in how I look?”

Mia comes up behind me and wraps her arms around me, with Ivy not far behind. “You deserve this honey. You are absolutely gorgeous, and I’m glad you’re finally starting to see it for yourself.” Ivy leans down and whispers in my ear. “Now you see yourself as I see you. A stunningly beautiful woman. Skylar’s going to be blown away when she sees you.”

Her words send shivers down my spine. I can feel her smirk next to me. She knows the effect that she has on me. “I love you sweetheart.” Ivy whispers, kissing me gently on the cheek. A knock on the door brings us all out of it. “Go get her honey, show her what it means to be one of us.” Mia says. With a nod and smile, I turn around to walk down the stairs.

I’ve only gone a few steps before I hear giggling behind me. “What?” I ask, amused. “You’re changing the entire way you walk. It’s funny and you’re adorable! Now don’t keep her waiting, go! You idiot.” Mia giggles, and I roll my eyes at her before continuing my way down the stairs. As I approach the door, my heart races. My mind rapidly churns out different ways this could go wrong, but I gently push them aside. I got this.