Parvenu: [5] Son & Heir/Sun & Air

"Before we get too into this, I'm just wondering if there isn't already, like, a... template or something for the construction of a human illusion?" Paul asked cautiously.

"Yeah, of course there is. I mean, it's generic as hell and it's just got a bump between its legs, but it's got a lot of built-in options that you can dial up or down, however you like." G said simply.

"Then why aren't you using one of those?" Paul asked cautiously, just in case he was missing some obvious reason.

"Because then it wouldn't be my work. That'd be like painting a new face on someone else's portrait." G fought to explain.

"You've already got your grade and Lex needs to be ready to go in the morning. Is there any reason you can't just stick his head on a new body, slap a cock on him, then shrink him down to Lucky's size?" Paul asked seriously.

"Um.... yeah. I guess I could do the body easily enough, I mean, just go through his spell definition and copy-paste his naked body stats over those of his clothed body." G said thoughtfully.

"How long's that going to take?" Paul asked seriously.

"Not long, once we've found the body form that we want to use." G said consideringly as he glanced at Lex.

"Lex, do you already know what kind of body you want?" Paul asked simply.

"There's this one called 'Alfie 3' that I noticed. It's got kind of a long lean look but it doesn't really catch your eye as being too sexy or athletic or anything. It looked about right to me." Lex said honestly.

"Do you have everything you need to do the body thing?" Paul asked insistently, not indicating to whom his question was directed.

"You want to do it right now?" G asked cautiously.

"Yeah. Why not? Do you get some kind of extra credit for dragging it out until the very last minute?" Paul asked in return.

"I'm beginning to see the demon summoner side of you." G muttered as he led the way out of the living area and into the bedchamber where the computer alcove was located.

The others looked at each other and reached silent consensus before following along.

* * * * *

As G walked to his computer and began to search through the file menus, Paul quietly told Lucky, "If you get into the habit of waiting till later to do things, you'll end up not doing anything at all."

"You need to show me how to get things done like you do. I think it might be a more important thing to learn than the magic." Lucky said thoughtfully.

"I don't know if it's something that I can teach. I learned from Mom working all the time leaving me mostly on my own. If I didn't do it, it didn't get done." Paul said frankly, then continued more gently, "I tell you what, just as soon as we've got things sorted out with G and Lex, we'll work on finding something to put you in charge of so that you can get some practice running things. It may not be exactly the same, but I think that learning how to organize supplies, your time, and even other people will teach you just about the same lessons... and it's not nearly as lonely as what I went through."

Ginh Zah loosed a long meow that trailed off into a purr.

After a moment to consider, Paul finally admitted, "I don't know. I'll ask."

Lucky waited with interest to find out what Ginh Zah wanted to know.

"Lex, Ginh Zah wants to know if you want to have an unclothed form for some specific reason, or if it's just because you want to be like everyone else." Paul said seriously.

"I do want to be like everyone else, but I don't know if that has anything to do with this. Even though my logical mind knows the truth, when I look back on my life, I see myself as being a flesh and blood person. I don't know how to exist as an illusionary mass of magic." Lex said honestly, then quietly added, "And to tell you the truth, right this minute, I don't want to know."

"So, you want to be a person. I totally get that." Paul said seriously.

"Good, because I don't know how else to explain it." Lex said honestly.

"You explained it fine." Paul assured him.

"I've got the specs up for 'Alfie 3' on the screen if you want to give this thing a try." G announced.

"Let me grab a robe or something to put on. I don't want to be standing around here with my junk hanging out." Lex said as he walked toward the bathroom.

"There won't be any junk until we reach the next phase." G reminded him.

"That's even more of a reason I don't want everyone looking at me." Lex said anxiously.

Paul recognized Lex's expression and quietly promised, "We won't."

* * * * *

Paul had previously noticed that the performance of a 'foreign' spell wasn't quite as interesting to him as a spell performed in his own specialty, although there was still some entertainment value in it. However, witnessing a 'foreign' spell being read aloud from a computer screen seemed to hold the same level of excitement as watching corporate lawyers discussing the minutiae of copyright law.

Finally, after an excruciating barrage of dry definitions, Lex's body transformed in the blink of an eye. One minute he was standing amongst them dressed in casual clothes. The next, he was standing before them stark naked... and quite obviously neuter.

After a long moment, Lucky held out Lex's robe to him and quietly said, "Here."

"Thanks." Lex said absently as he accepted the robe into his hand, but made no move to put it on.

"Is everything alright?" G asked with concern at his lack of reaction.

"It doesn't feel like me." Lex said slowly as he flexed the fingers of his free hand.

"I really wouldn't expect it to. The other you was made completely by me. Every part of it was made with a purpose and was there by choice. The body you're wearing now has a lot of built-in options that I didn't need to include." G carefully explained.

"I guess that makes sense." Lex said reluctantly as he mulled over what he was feeling.

"Once you get settled in and have made a few decisions, we can do away with some of the optional bits and you'll feel more and more like 'you'." G said seriously.

"Does any of that need to be done right now?" Paul asked curiously.

"No. In fact, removing the options too early could end up being a big mistake. Erasing something is a whole lot easier than going back and adding it back in later." G said frankly.

"Good. Then do you have a box of penises around here somewhere for Lex to choose from?" Paul asked with a teasing smile.

"Yeah. Right over there, beside the bed." G answered as he turned away from the computer and pointed.

"Seriously?" Paul asked with surprise.

"No! Not seriously! I can't believe that you'd even ask me that!" G said as he fought to stifle a laugh.

"You had me worried for a second." Paul said honestly.

"Lex, do you already know which style of penis you'd like to have?" G asked seriously.

"As much as I'd like to get something... memorable, I really don't want to draw too much attention to myself in the locker room." Lex said consideringly as he finally pulled on the robe that Lucky had given him.

"Did you have any particular style in mind?" Paul asked curiously.

"Actually, I was thinking that in this, it might be one time when I choose to mimic G." Lex said slowly.

"I guess he can take that as a compliment." Paul said with a grin in G's direction.

"He can if he wants to." Lex was quick to interject, then he explained more slowly, "I don't really have an opinion either way on what G's got. I think I'd like it because I'm just kinda used to it. With all the changes in my life... my state of being, I think it might be nice to have one or two things that feel familiar to me."

"I think I get what you're feeling." G assured him, then continued, "If you'll give me a second to dial up the specs on this, then I should be able to get you fixed up in just a few minutes." G said confidently.

"Thanks. I was afraid that you'd think I was being stupid."

"Nope. In choosing to be yourself, you're deciding what 'being yourself' means. There's nothing stupid about that at all." Paul assured him.

Ginh Zah loosed an inquisitive meow, then waited for Paul to relay her question.

"You may have more options than you realize. Ginh Zah wanted me to remind you that you aren't human, or even a witch." Paul said frankly.

"I hadn't thought of that." Lex cautiously admitted.

Ginh Zah mewed sweetly, then focused on Lex with large innocent eyes.

"She was just thinking that you might consider something barbed." Paul said slowly, looking at his familiar uncertainly.

"If things end up going well with Corabeth, that might turn out to be an inconvenience. Besides, I can always go back and make alterations later if my situation changes." Lex said carefully.

Ginh Zah didn't react to his decision but, at the same time, didn't appear to be displeased.

"Have you considered becoming Jewish?" G asked from in front of his computer.

"Not really." Lex said honestly.

"Okay. I just thought it might be a good time to ask." G said casually from in front of the computer screen.

"Yeah. I get it. Um, no. Thanks." Lex said awkwardly.

"Then I guess this is about ready. Do you want to look it over?" G asked as he scooted away from the screen.

"If you think it looks right, I'd rather just go with it. In a sense, you're my creator. I think I'd feel better if we stuck to your vision of me." Lex said frankly.

"I'll do my best not to disappoint you." G said quietly, and sounded to be a little choked up.

Before Lex could think of anything to say in response, G began casting his definition spell, slightly redefining 'what' Lex was as well as how he was to appear.

"Do you think you could do that?" Paul asked Lucky quietly.

"No. I mean, yes, maybe. I don't think I could do what G is doing right now because he's changing something that's already been made. He isn't casting a spell, he's remaking it from the inside. That's something I've never done before. But as far as the magic and the words and stuff, yeah, I could probably do it." Lucky said uneasily.

"Changing a spell that's already been cast without dispelling it can be a little tricky. Unless you know the spell inside and out and know without a doubt that the change you're making won't impact another part of the spell badly, it's probably best if you dispel it, modify the written spell, then recast." Paul said seriously.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were the one being 'dispelled'." Lex informed him.

"Probably not." Paul admitted, then added more quietly, "Nothing personal."

"No. What you're telling him is right. If you're not a master and intimately familiar with the spell, it's better to recast than potentially corrupt the spell and release unstable magic into the world." Lex said seriously.

"So is Lex a spell or a person?" Lucky asked uncertainly.

Before Lex could answer, Paul quickly said, "He's both... or maybe he started as one thing and is becoming the other. It's kinda hard to say."

Lex considered a moment, then nodded his agreement before explaining, "Part of who I am existed within G, I could see through his eyes, learned his lessons, and experienced through him what it's like to be alive. Then one day I became myself. That's the magic. That's the spell. But what I am, who I am, is something that existed before the spell that made me was cast. I don't know if I can explain it more than that, but I know that it's true. I can feel it."

There was a long moment of silence before Paul finally said, "Considering the abilities that Dad and Grandpa J have, it wouldn't surprise me a bit to find out that G has a little clutch of 'soul eggs' gestating deep inside him somewhere, all ready and waiting for him to bring another one of his illusionary creations to life."

"Great. Now I'm going to have nightmares." G said flatly, then turned to Lex and said, "Lex, check that out and see what you think."

Lex peeked inside his robe and smiled with surprise at what he found there.

"I'm guessing you did it right." Paul said with a smile at Lex's apparent approval of G's work.

"Are you going to make Lex my size now?" Lucky asked hopefully.

Before anyone had a chance to answer, Mah Zah interrupted with a stern bark.

Paul, who had been about to respond to Lucky's question, instead turned slightly to look at Mah Zah consideringly.

"She may be right." G said uncertainly.

"I don't really know enough about it to be able to say for sure either way, but my instinct tells me that she's on the right track." Paul said slowly.

"What's going on?" Lex asked curiously.

"Mah Zah was just saying that if this is going to be your 'resting' form, then the next thing we need to establish is your full-out transformation form. If we don't set that now, you risk making your temporary state your permanent extreme magical form. According to Mah Zah, your extreme magical form needs to be rigged to channel intense magic. Your temporary form should be rigged to be more of a container with built-in safeguards to prevent accidental magical leakage." Paul explained.

"I've studied the same things that G has and I've never heard of that." Lex said warily.

Mah Zah barked, then Paul slowly nodded before translating, "This has to do with 'creating' life. Only the highest level sorcerers would be likely to know about stuff like this."

"Is Mah Zah a high level sorcerer?" Lucky asked seriously.

Mah Zah barked in response, then Paul translated, "She's a demonic wizard with centuries of practical experience. She's picked up a few things in her travels."

"So what do I need to do?" Lex asked cautiously.

Mah Zah barked and whimpered her response, then looked to Paul to translate. Before he could do so, G told the group, "Mah Zah says that we need to craft an extreme magical form for Lex and rig it for his preferred style of combat."

"What does that mean?" Lucky asked curiously.

"Basically it means that if he defends himself with brute strength, then he might take on the form of something like an ogre. If he defends himself more with weapons he'll be set up for that, if it's more about some particular magic, then he'll probably get something that works well with that." G explained, then thought to add, "Like if he had ice spells, then he might become a frost giant."

"If that's how it works, what does it mean that my magical form is a Pegasus?" Lucky asked curiously.

"I don't know. Maybe it means that you're strong, fast, powerful... not easy to overcome." Paul said speculatively.

"What do we have to go through to figure out what kind of spirit animal or whatever it is that I'm supposed to have?" Lex asked slowly.

Mah Zah barked, then Paul and G exchanged a look.

"What?" Lex asked uneasily.

"She says that you can agonize over it if you want to, but it probably won't make much of a difference. All you really have to do is pick something and stick to it." Paul said frankly.

"So I don't have to pick a form related to the air element or anything like that?" Lex asked to be sure.

"You could. But you don't have to. The rest of us get the luck of the draw for our magical forms and then we can assign whatever meanings we can devise to justify them. You get to pick. I guess that you're the only one who can decide just how big of a deal that is." G said seriously.

Lex looked at Lucky for a moment, then turned to G and asked, "Do you think we can rig up a unicorn in a reasonable amount of time?"

"I'm not sure. I remember seeing a unicorn construct in one of my old textbooks. Give me a minute to see if I can find it." G said as he hurried to the bookcase just outside the computer alcove.

"Really?" Lucky asked Lex hopefully.

"Yeah. I was thinking that if we're going to be sharing a room and going to school together, then it'd probably be good if we had something in common with each other that we don't have with anyone else." Lex quietly explained.

"That sounds really great." Lucky said with a smile.

"We can do this." G said with a textbook open in his hands.

"What do we have to do?" Lex asked cautiously.

"Mainly, figure out how and where your magic is going to be channeled in an attack situation." G answered seriously.

"How long is that going to take?" Paul asked cautiously.

"As long as it takes." G said frankly, then explained, "But once the decisions have been made, implementing them isn't all that difficult."

"Do unicorns have any magical defensive channels already built in?" Lex asked cautiously.

"I really don't know, it doesn't talk about that in the book. Let me look at the spell design." G said as he started leafing through pages of his book.

"Remember, unicorns are pure nature. They aren't native to this realm. You may have to make some adjustments for that." Paul cautioned.

"My book is from this realm, so it automatically assumes that everything takes place using this dimension's magical laws." G assured him.

"At least there's that." Paul said with some small measure of relief.

"Here we go... from the look of this, unicorns are hard-wired to channel a fairly high level of magic. I'd guess from this configuration that the most effective attacks would be magically augmented speed and strength and concussive blast attacks. Everything you need is all hardwired into the construct. You'll just have to learn the spells." G said slowly as he fought to continue to read while giving his summary.

"Okay. Then I suppose the next question is, do we know how to establish Lex's extreme magical form?" Paul asked cautiously.

"That is so far beyond my understanding that I can't even guess at how to do it." G said honestly.

Mah Zah barked once, and even to those who couldn't understand her language, she sounded confident.

"If you're sure..." G trailed off.

Mah Zah barked one more time, then whimpered.

"Lex, if you'll let Mah Zah take control of your magical flow for a couple minutes, she'd like to conduct your part of the ritual while she talks me through my part." G slowly explained.

"Take control?" Lex cautiously asked.

"Lend her your magic and she'll use it to alter your form." Paul paraphrased.

"I guess that doesn't sound too bad." Lex said hesitantly.

"You'll be giving up control of your magic to a literal demon. Even though she's Paul's familiar, you still need to be aware of what a big step it is." G said frankly.

Mah Zah barked a brief statement in her defense.

"If Dad taught me anything, it's to see past people's words and judge them for themselves." G said seriously as he looked Mah Zah directly in the eyes, then continued, "I judge you to be sincere in your desire to help and useful toward reaching our mutual goal. I will trust you... that much. But you wouldn't respect me if I were gullible enough to believe everything you said to me just because you're cute."

Mah Zah yipped once and it was easily interpreted by all present as being a verification of G's contention.

"So, what do we do now?" Lex asked cautiously.

Mah Zah quickly barked instructions for the coming spell.

"She's going to need to sit on your shoulder or on top of your head." Paul informed him.

"Now?" Lex asked anxiously.

"Unless you've made another commitment that you haven't told us about." Paul said with a grin.

"You can really be a dick sometimes." Lex said with annoyance.

"Yeah. But only with my closest friends and family... take a minute to think about that." Paul said with a slight smile behind the words.

Lex looked around the group of boys, his brothers, and smiled as he realized what Paul was saying.

"Come on up here. We need to get this thing going so that you and Paul can get back to working on your master plan." Lex said as he picked up the little black puppy.

After a moment to try and comprehend what Lex might mean, Paul cautiously asked, "My plan?"

"To take over the world!" Lex said theatrically.

"They're Pinky, they're Pinky and the Brain!" G sang maniacally.

"Mah Zah, why don't you help this goof gain his magical form now." Paul chuckled.

The little black dog with the white patch of fur around her left eye settled in on top of Lex's head. Once she seemed to be fixed into place, she began to bark and whimper instructions.

"Lex, you're going to need to lend her your magic. Give up complete control, so that she'll be able to use it as if it were her own." Paul quietly explained.

"Can't she use her own magic?" Lucky asked cautiously.

"She needs to perform this spell with elemental air and she's a demon. She doesn't have access to this element on her own. I'd offer to help, but air is one of my secondary abilities. It wouldn't be strong enough to make the spell stick." Paul patiently explained.

"Is what Mah Zah is doing something like what I do with my magic?" Lucky asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure." Paul said honestly, then explained, "You can mimic other people's magic, but I still haven't figured out if you're borrowing some of their magic or if your magic somehow adapts to act like theirs."

"Mah Zah, I'm ready when you are." G said confidently.

"I'm open wide here, so do what you're going to do." Lex said anxiously.

"Lucky, why don't you and Zah Zah come over here by me so we won't run the risk of getting caught in their magical fallout. I have a feeling that they're about to let loose with something big." Paul said as he backed toward the bedroom doorway.

Lucky picked up Zah Zah and took the few steps to join him.

There was a sudden 'meow', then Ginh Zah began to run in tight circles around Lex's feet.

"Ginh Zah is worried about the fallout too, so she's putting up a containment spell to isolate Lex." Paul translated.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Lucky asked hopefully.

"I think all we can do is stand by until we're needed for something." Paul said honestly.

"Actually, Lucky can help us with inspiration." Lex said seriously.

"How's that?" Paul asked curiously as Lucky listened with interest.

"Think about what we're trying to do and then think about what Lucky can do. Seeing it might help to inspire G to do his best work." Lex said seriously.

"What do you think, G? Will it help?"

"It won't hurt. Go ahead and do what you're going to do. I'm just about ready." G said firmly.

Mah Zah barked and Paul relayed, "Mah Zah's just about ready too."

"Can you transform yourself like you did before?" Lex asked cautiously.

"Yeah. I think so." Lucky said uncertainly.

"Go on ahead and if all goes well, I'll be joining you in a few minutes." Lex said encouragingly.

"Is this going to help you?" Lucky asked as he placed Zah Zah on the floor beside him.

"Yes. Not only will you be showing me how it's done, but you'll also be helping G to get a sense of scale and form a vision of how my magical form should look." Lex said seriously.

"Okay. It's just... I've only done this once and I got stuck when I did it." Lucky said nervously.

"Yeah. But we didn't leave you stuck, did we? Mah Zah and Gihn Zah showed you how to come back. If it happens again, I can help show you too." Lex carefully explained, then quietly added, "Or if I get stuck, maybe you could show me the way back."

Lucky seemed to scrape all his resolve into one monumental burst of magical effort as, from a standstill, he abruptly changed from an average looking boy into a young winged horse.

"He made that look easy." Lex said, sounding impressed.

"Then I guess it's time for us to get you set up so it isn't wasted effort." Paul said slowly.

"Yeah. Let's do this." Lex said as he closed his eyes.

"Ready." G announced.

Mah Zah barked once in the affirmative.

"Here it goes."

* * * * *

Mah Zah tilted her head back and released a long sustained howl worthy of any wolf twice her size.

While she was doing so, G began to read the words of the spell from his computer screen while also performing complex gestures in the air, directed toward Lex.

Ginh Zah was still running in circles, creating a protective barrier to shield the others in the event that Mah Zah lost control of Lex's transformation or Lex spontaneously exploded, either of which were possible outcomes of the spells being performed.

"You know, if we never went on that 'work study' project, I wouldn't recognize what you were doing there, but that's some really nice barrier work, Ginh Zah." Paul said appreciatively.

Lucky, in his Pegasus form, slowly spread his wings as he watched what Mah Zah was doing.

"Water into air. Air into water. Let two houses combine and retain the memory of what it was to be separate." Paul said firmly as a spell diagram appeared on the floor beneath Lex and Mah Zah.

G spared him a curious glance, but was experienced enough to know not to stop in the middle of a spell.

"Water withdraw from air. Air release water. Let both retain the fluidic nature that they share. Grant them access to the traits of each other's house, diminishing neither." Paul intoned as the spell diagram faded slightly, then reformed into another configuration.

As Paul had hoped, Ginh Zah understood what he was doing and immediately took up the task of slightly altering Lex's elemental essence.

After a long moment of staring and trying to comprehend what he was seeing, Lex finally asked, "What are you doing to me?"

"Because of my demonic magic or maybe because of our recent barrier work I was able to see a flaw in the spells being cast. With one teeny tiny little alchemical alteration I was able to tweak your physiology just enough to give you a more or less corporeal form." Paul carefully explained.

"I thought I already had one." Lex said slowly.

"I thought so too." Paul said honestly, then explained, "But from a magical standpoint, your solid form was created, and has been sustained by elemental air... which is fine, except that it's possible to become disconnected from a primary element. You can think of it as putting all your eggs in one basket."

"So what are you saying? If I went underground or scuba diving, that I might cease to exist?" Lex asked uncertainly.

"No. Probably not. But there's no telling what could disconnect you. In your pure sylph state all it would take is to lose your connection for a second. That could completely destroy you, and we might never be able to get you back." Paul said frankly.

"But you fixed it?" Lex asked hopefully, beginning to understand the scale of what Paul was trying to explain to him.

"I think so. I basically made a tiny change in your primary essence to allow you a link to a secondary magic. I linked you to elemental water... think of it as being like a battery backup."

"So that would keep me from disappearing if I lost my link to the air?"

"Possibly. But if something that magically catastrophic happened, you might still end up winking out. Doing it this way, at least there'd be a chance that you might wink back in or that we would have some way of retrieving you."

"Thanks for thinking of that." Lex said timidly.

Mah Zah barked abruptly, drawing their attention.

"Yeah. Go ahead. We were just entertaining ourselves until you were ready." Paul said warmly.

Mah Zah looked at him dubiously, but didn't dignify his assertion with a response except to explain, in yips and growls, what was about to happen.

"Lex, the redefinition should be kicking in any second. Don't worry if it doesn't feel right at first, it'll smooth out as G finishes his casting." Paul said carefully.

"I understand how it works." Lex assured him.

"Knowing the mechanics and actually living through it aren't always the same thing." Paul said seriously.

Before Lex could respond, his body drastically transformed.

Lucky stomped his front hooves anxiously, obviously trying to restrain his escalating worry.

"He'll be fine. Everything's going exactly the way it's supposed to." Paul said soothingly.

Ginh Zah finally veered away from Lex and came to a full stop at Paul's feet.

Without hesitation, Paul picked her up and placed her on his left shoulder.

As Ginh Zah was fighting to catch her breath, Paul quietly asked, "Would you like a portal so you can go home and get a drink?"

Ginh Zah meowed once, not demonstrating any of the playfulness that she usually did.

"Okay. I'm sure Mah Zah will be joining you in just a minute. It looks like she's almost done."

Ginh Zah meowed once, then dropped from Paul's shoulder, shapeshifting in mid-air into her winged-lizard form.

In a blur of movement, Ginh Zah glided fluidly and effortlessly through the gray blur in reality at Paul's feet.

* * * * *

G's spellcasting came to a stop and Paul looked at him quizzically for a moment, since Lex still seemed to be in a transitional state.

"Wait for it." G said confidently.

Paul nodded, then took a step toward the young Pegasus and petted his silky soft mane to try and help to soothe his nerves.

Mah Zah suddenly barked, then jumped off Lex's head just as he seemed to be settling into a final form.

Paul watched as Mah Zah transformed into a winged-lizard, then zipped through the portal that Paul had left open for her.

"How are you doing, Lex?" Paul asked cautiously as he looked at the young unicorn with concern.

Lex made a slight neigh, then looked at Paul with puzzlement.

"Nod if you're okay." Paul said carefully.

The unicorn quickly nodded, then seemed to go cross-eyed for a moment, trying to focus in on his horn.

"You'll get used to it." G assured him with a chuckle.

Lucky made a noise, then waited for a response.

Paul and G both waited, and were happy when Lex responded positively.

After a few neighs and whinnys between them, Paul finally interrupted, "You guys can compare notes later. Right now, Lucky, why don't you show Lex how to change back to your resting forms?"

G looked at Paul with a smile for thinking to give Lucky the responsibility and honor of helping Lex.

After a few puffs and snorts and one slight whinny, Lucky began to turn in tight circles, like he was trying to chase his own tail.

After a moment, Lex began to mimic Lucky's performance.

Paul and G moved fully into the computer alcove to get out of their way as Paul said, "Keep after it. I can see it working."

First Lucky, and a moment later Lex, smoothly transitioned to their bipedal forms.

"That was really something." Lex said breathlessly, then panted for a long quiet moment.

"Good job, Lucky." Paul finally said, so that it was acknowledged in front of everyone.

"Here's your robe." G said quietly as he handed it to his naked twin.

"You need a clothes changing spell so you don't have to get naked to change. I already learned one. I can teach it to you, if you want." Lucky said proudly.

Lex tiredly smiled at the younger boy's enthusiasm and said, "Yeah, Lucky. I think I'd like that."

To Be Continued...

Editor's Notes:

It's interesting to me that a lot of this magic is similar to the magic illustrated in the Hurt and Comfort stories.

I am really pleased to see Lucky becoming more comfortable doing his magic and even helping Lex become more real if that is the correct way to say it.

Speaking more generally in terms of sci fi or fantasy, I always had a little trouble buying the concept that totally different species, forms or creatures could mate successfully, that is could produce an offspring that was an amalgamation of the two mated beings.

That is not to say that I can't accept the concept, just that it takes me a little time to suspend my disbelief about that sort of thing.

This was a very satisfying chapter. I just hope it doesn't take as long as it did last time for another new one.

Thanks MM for another great chapter.

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher