Finn danced away from the hug with Miriam, turning a pirouette to flare the skirt of her dress.  “Does real transformation always feel so...”

Nianzhen giggled.  “Yeah, pretty much.  Everything is new and wonderful.  You’ll stop having the urge to sing Disney Princess songs after a while.”

Finn giggled, and snuggled up against Miriam.  Then she frowned daintily.  “Wait, wait.  I shrunk when I changed into a girl, but Miriam didn’t grow?  Will I end up shorter if I change back?”

Nianzhen shook her head.  “Not if you change back with your ring.  They both work mostly the same, but the dimorphism factor’s different.  Yours adds three inches of height and some extra muscle when going male, and a few extra cup sizes and three inches of hair length going female.  Miriam’s is more of a minimalist exchange.  If she had put yours on, he’d now be the same height you started.”

Finn bit her lip.  “I’d like to see that.  But if I take my ring off, I can’t put it on again without changing back.”

“There is a way to do that,” Nianzhen claimed, reassuringly.  “If you put the ring on slowly, so that the anticipatory glow fades before it’s fully on, you won’t change or waste a charge.”

Finn touched her ring, then shook her head.  “I’ll try it later.  I just can’t take it off right now.  Not so soon after Miriam’s wonderful proposal.  Do you mind, love?  Being this height?”

Miriam chuckled warmly.  “Not at all, sweet.  Not at all.  We’re a perfect pair like this. Besides, I’d need to change clothes before trying your ring anyway.  If I grew to your size in this dress, I’d probably wreck it.”

Finn studied her sweetie.  Miriam’s dress was tight at the shoulders where he’d filled out a little, and flopped comically loose in the chest.  “You should probably change anyway.  None of your tops are going to fit right, unless you want to stuff your bra.”

Miriam’s eyes went wide.  “I can ditch the bra!  C’mon.”

Agnetha fixed both of them with a critical eye before they could dart off.  “Don’t forget your guest.”

Miriam and Finn dashed up to Nianzhen and gave her a double hug that made her stumble back a step while grinning.  “Thanks so much for bringing the rings, Nianzhen.  I’m sure we’ll visit often.  Maybe I can be something for Finn to wear next time.”

“Our VIP customers are welcome to try out some of the more esoteric wares, too.  And you two sure qualify.  Have fun, and don’t be strangers!”  Nianzhen hugged them back, and then headed out the door.  

Miriam and Finn waved to her until she was out of sight.  Then they darted off to Miriam’s room, giggling wildly.  Miriam had his dress off in a flash, and the bra not much afterward.  “Freedom!”  He danced around in front of the mirror, laughing.  “This is so wonderful.”

“Really?”  Finn covered her chest with her hands, and gave her breasts a gentle squeeze.  “Because I’m loving these.”

“Wait until you’ve tried to run more than a few steps, especially without support.  Speaking of which, we need to get you some better bras if you’re going to spend much time like that.”

“Love,” purred Finn.  “I want to spend a lot of time like this.”

Miriam turned back from the closet, brow furrowed.  “How much time?”

Finn shrugged.  “How long do you want to stay male?  You’re happier like this, so much so it’s startling and wonderful.”

Miriam stared down at the ring on his left ring-finger, grazing it with the fingertips of his right hand.  “These give us the freedom to be either, and know we can go back when we want.  We have all the time in the world to figure this out.”

“So you don’t want to change back any time soon either?” asked Finn, smiling shyly.

“No, I don’t...  I mean...”  Miriam looked over at Finn worriedly.  “You don’t mind?”

Finn hugged Miriam as tight as she could.  “Love, you’ve been so happy like this, I would never ask you to change.”

Miriam smirked.  “Except to grow taller and more muscular.”

Finn’s hand went to her own ring, covering it.  “I hate the idea of taking this off so soon, but my heart goes all fluttery at the thought of you bigger and stronger.”

“Well, who am I to deny what the heart flutters for?”  Miriam said with a grin.  He stripped out of a pair of plain if slightly strained panties, and grinned even more at where Finn’s eyes were going.  “What?”

Finn blushed and looked at the floor.  “You look... good.  Tempting.”

“I’ll be even more tempting in a bit.”  Miriam slipped his ring off, then put it back on.  Finn’s eyes flicked up to track the changes.  The glow wasn’t bright enough to obscure what was happening to Miriam’s groin and hips, or to her returning chest.  “Get a good look.  Might not see these for a while.”

Finn’s blush brightened, but instead of backing away she closed the distance between her and Miriam, then ducked her head to give Miriam a tender kiss on the chest.  “Bye, you.  Be good.”

Finn handed over her ring, and soon Miriam was glowing once again.  This time the changes were more dramatic, as Miriam gained height and muscle definition.  His hair shortened, pulling out of the ponytail and falling into shoulder-length waves around his head.  Finn gasped for a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.  “Mmm.  Now this I like.”

Miriam pirouetted.  “You think so?  I feel weird.  Being taller than you, even just this little bit...”

“Pick me up.”

Miriam pulled Finn into a hug, and swung her into the air.  “Oh!  You feel so light, so...”  Miriam blushed and abruptly set Finn down.  He backed away with his hands over his crotch.  “Uh, maybe I should get dressed.”

Finn’s blush was even brighter as she tried to look anywhere but at Miriam’s hands, and failed.  “I... yeah.  Or we’ll break dad’s rules in no time.”   Finn spun to the bed, and she grabbed the clothes he’d been wearing before the rings arrived.  She shoved them at Miriam without looking.  “At least the pants.  Then we can go to my room and find something that suits you better.”

Half an hour in Finn’s room was enough time to go through his entire collection of clothing.  Twice.  Miriam despaired of it all.  “None of this feels right.  Don’t you have anything in nice fabrics?”

“Welcome to the world of guy’s clothing.”

Miriam pouted, the expression on his male face making Finn giggle.  “Well, then.  I’ll just have to wear dresses.  That’s allowed now, right?”

Finn smiled at his sweetie.  “Wear whatever you like.”

“I’ll need to borrow your ring again.  If I go back to my normal height, most of my skirts should fit.”  Miriam scooped up one of Finn’s older T-shirts, gone soft by repeated washing.  That it had cartoon characters on the front didn’t seem to bother him.

Soon Miriam was back as he’d been when they proposed to each other, and their rings were safely settled on their fingers.  Finn tried to pout about Miriam’s diminishment, but a same-height hug and kiss quickly ended her mock tantrum.

Miriam kept the T-shirt on as she went through her clothes, and eventually settled on a dark green skirt that he declared a good enough match.  Once he’d settled the skirt around his hips, he pirouetted to show it off.  “Oh yeah.  Much better.  Finn?  Are you OK?”

Finn was watching with a blank look on her face.  “Sorry.  Just...  Confused.  You’re this weird mix of male and female, especially with your long hair down like that...”

Miriam pulled Finn into a ferocious kiss that turned into an extended fondling session.  Finn gasped for breath as she stumbled away from her sweetie and fell onto the bed.  “Less confused now.”

“Are you as turned on as I am?” asked Miriam softly.

“More.”  Finn sat up.  “But I...”  She blushed and looked away.  “Dad’s rules.”

“Feh.”

Finn shook her head determinedly.  “No.  I...”  She blushed harder.  “This is going to sound stupid, considering everything we’ve done.”

“Given everything you’ve done for me, I think I can handle a little stupid,” replied Miriam softly, sitting on the bed beside Finn and offering her a hand.

Finn flashed Miriam a smile and took his hand, staring down at the ring on it as she talked.  “I want to wait.  I never understood that before, but suddenly...  Some of it’s the romance of the idea, some of it’s just how new being a real girl is.  But... yeah.”  She looked up to see a smile on Miriam’s face.

“I can wait.”  Miriam got a speculative look on his face.  “Although... does playing in your Mother’s ring count?”

Finn shook her head, and flashed the ring with the sky-blue gem on it.

Miriam laughed happily.  “Oh!  Well then.  Definitely can wait, and... I think I agree.  There’s something special waiting for us.”  He reversed Finn’s grip on his hand, and bent to kiss it gently.  

Finn gasped softly at the touch of Miriam’s lips, then whimpered.  “What are you doing?”

“Treating you like the beautiful woman you are.  Is that not how you wish to be treated?”

Finn bit her lip.  “Yes, but...”  She pulled her hand away, and Miriam let it go.  “If you keep doing that, my resolve won’t last the day, never mind however many months it’ll be until we can get marr...  Oh my God.  We’re going to get married.”

“That... is the usual thing to do after getting engaged, yes.  Didn’t you think that far ahead?”

“I was a silly boy when I made that promise.  Sweet and well-meaning, and...  And now I feel like a completely different person.”  Finn put a hand to her chest, emphasizing the change there.

“Does that alter your answer?” asked Miriam in a low, worried tone.

“No!  Oh, love, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.  I want to marry you with all my heart.  I’m just starting to realize what it all means.”  Finn blushed, and fidgeted with the skirt of the dress she was wearing.  “And,” she whispered softly, “I find...”

“Yes?” encouraged Miriam, after a too-long silence from Finn.

“I want to be the bride,” blurted Finn.  “Your bride.  But it’s not fair to take that away from you.”

Miriam’s gaze went distant.  “Oh.  I...” he hummed softly to himself, and Finn recognized the wedding march.  Finn held her breath as Miriam closed his eyes, hands shifting as he imagined the scene.  “I dare say I’d look sharp in a tux.”

Finn gasped.  “Really?  You’d do that for me?”

Miriam chuckled softly.  “After you saved my life?  I think I owe you this little thing.  Though... in my heart of hearts, I’d like to wear the dress too.  Perhaps since we had two proposals, we can have a double wedding?  Once each way?  You’re so close to my size, I bet we could wear the same dress.”

Finn’s eyes went even wider.  “Oh!  That would be so romantic.  So we’d get married, change, and get married again?”

“Yes.”

Finn flung herself into Miriam’s arms, and it was only through herculean effort on Miriam’s part that they did not end up breaking their vow then and there.

Miriam all but dragged Finn out of the bedroom, and they almost ran into Agnetha in their rush.  “Did you two have fun?” she asked lightly.

Miriam and Finn blushed.  “We’ve decided a few things,” ventured Finn.  “We’re not going to do... that, while we’re like this.  Not until we get...”  Finn got a reassuring squeeze from Miriam’s hand.  “Not until we get married.”

Agnetha beamed at them.  “So we can start planning a wedding?”

“Two weddings,” said Miriam.  “Once this way around, once in our original bodies.”

“Oh!  That sounds marvelous.  How soon?”

Miriam and Finn looked at each other, then grinned.  “As soon as possible,” they said in unison.

*** *** ***

After an afternoon spent poring over all the minutiae required to organize a wedding, Agnetha shooed the two of them out of the house.  “You need to go shopping.  I’ve seen how you’re fidgeting with your bra, Finn.  I’m sure Miriam would be more than happy to help you find something that fits better than hers do.”

“Ooh, and we can look at wedding dresses.”

Agnetha studied Finn.  “Not something I’d ever expected to hear from you.  You know, you two are about Mary’s size.  Do you think you’d fit in her dress?”

Miriam gasped softly.  “Mom’s dress?  I...”  His eyes started to water.  “She’d be at the wedding.  In spirit, anyway.  I hope it fits.  I think... I think she’d like that.  I like it better than the idea of bringing her statue, that’s for sure.”

Agnetha patted his hand.  “She’ll be there in all our hearts.  Now go, go do something fun.”

Miriam looked at Finn.  “We really need to get you some bras that fit.  Shopping time!”

Finn grinned.  “You’re not going to be one of those boys that grumbles about his sweetie spending time looking at all the dresses, are you?”

Miriam laughed and pulled Finn in for a quick hug.  “Nope.  I’ll be right beside you, looking for dresses that fit my new figure.  Or at least some cute tops.”

Agnetha shooed them off with a cheerfully fake smile.  “Take your time!”

Getting into Miriam’s car drove home Finn’s new stature.  When she tried to buckle her seatbelt she found that it fell across her chest in a rather inconvenient way.  Miriam giggled at Finn’s dismay, and helped her settle it comfortably.

When they got out of the car at the mall, Finn hesitated.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s one thing to become a girl at home, with friends and family.  Among thousands of strangers it’s a little more daunting.  Do I look okay?”

Miriam hugged her tight.  “Sweetie, you look gorgeous.  I doubt anyone except maybe a few close friends will spot that you’re Finn.  You’re shorter, have a more delicate face than before, your hair will throw them off as well.”

Finn smiled brightly, and linked her arm with Miriam’s as they marched up to the entrance.  Her bravery lasted most of the way to the first store, then she pulled in tighter against Miriam’s side.  “All the guys are looking at my chest,” she hissed.

Miriam laughed. “Yeah, because you’re sexy.  My sexy sweetie.  C’mon, let’s get you something really hot to wear, and see if we can get some of them to walk into walls.”

Finn snickered at the idea.  “You really think that’d happen?”

“One way to find out.  Off to the sexy shops!”

Finn blushed brightly as they entered a lingerie store, helped along by Miriam loudly suggesting she’d look sexy in the outfit on the mannequin outside.  Miriam toned the teasing down while they got Finn measured up for some bras that would fit her properly.  Then made Finn blush once again by suggesting she show off the bras she was trying on.  Despite her embarrassment, Finn shyly emerged from the fitting room in bra and panties, and did a little turn before Miriam’s appreciative gaze.

“Damn, Finn.  You look hotter than I did.”

Finn grinned happily.  “I do?”

Miriam took her by the shoulders, and turned her to face the mirror.  “Tell me that’s not a sexy woman in the mirror there.”

Finn nodded slowly.  “I cannot lie.  She’s hot.”

Miriam nuzzled against Finn’s ear.  “And she’s allll mine.”

Finn shivered, then turned to kiss Miriam fiercely.  A discreet cough by the salesclerk broke them up a minute later.  Finn tried out four more bras, and Miriam bought all of them for her, plus several sets of matching panties.

“Better?” asked Miriam as they walked out of the store, one of Finn’s new bras hidden under her dress.

Finn wriggled a bit and nodded.  “Definitely.  Less pinchy, and way more supportive.  Thanks.”

“Now to find you a dress that fits right.”

Finn looked down at herself.  “What’s wrong with this one?”

“You’ll see.”

Miriam led Finn around the mall, window-shopping at Miriam’s favourite stores until he saw Finn fixate on a shimmering red satin number.  It didn’t take much persuading to get Finn to try one on, and when Finn emerged from the changing room, Miriam’s breath caught.  Finn looked incredible, and was grinning broadly enough to split her face open.

Miriam bought her the dress, and two more like it in different colours.  While Finn was debating over which colour she liked best, Miriam also found a few ruffled tops with stretchy enough fabric that they settled on him acceptably well.  He stood beside Finn in front of the mirror.

Finn tittered cutely.  “Now you look even more confusing.  Is that what you’re going for?”

Miriam swished his skirt back and forth as he studied his profile from either side.  “I’m almost tempted to get a padded bra.”

“Are you trying to look like a girl?  Was this all a mistake?”

Miriam shook his head.  “I like being like this.  I also like to wear pretty clothes.  Is that wrong?”

Finn fitted herself against Miriam’s body, then nuzzled in for a kiss.  She closed her eyes, making happy little noises as they snuggled.  “Nope, nothing wrong with it at all.”

“So glad you approve.”

Miriam bought several of the tops, and asked the clerk if she knew of any other stores with similarly forgiving clothing.  One in particular sounded promising, as it specialized in “alternative fits”.

As they strolled through the mall to their destination, Finn started giggling.  Miriam raised an eyebrow, and Finn just pointed to a guy who was staggering to his feet after stumbling over one of the seating arrangements that peppered the mall.  “I think I did that.”

Miriam giggled conspiratorially.  “Keep score.”

Finn had counted four accidents by the time they made it to their destination.  She found it easier to giggle at it after each one, as a distraction from fretting about everyone staring at her.  

At the entrance to the store, Miriam stopped abruptly.  “Ricky!  I... of course you shop here.”

The person so addressed stared at Miriam intently.  “Miriam?  Why are you here?  Wait, what on earth are you wearing... and what happened to your breasts?”

Miriam winced.  “I am spending some time male for...”

Ricky’s eyes went even wider.  “You what?  Just... just like that?  What the fuck, Miriam?”

Finn studied the angry person confronting Miriam.  Ricky was dressed in a masculine button-down shirt and loose-fitting jeans.  The face struck her as familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.  Then something about the pose and the aggressively pitched voice made her eyes widen.  “Ricki?  But you’re a girl.”

“No!” snarled Ricky.  “I’m not a girl.  I’ve suffered in the wrong body all my life, and my parents won’t let me...”  He stopped, blinking rapidly as he realized what he was facing.  “Finn?  What on earth have you done to yourself?”

Finn pirouetted in front of Ricky.  “Do you like it?”

“It’s not fair!” wailed Ricky, voice breaking into its natural, higher register.  “You're not trans, just playing at it.  And here you are, traipsing in front of me showing off magic my parents won't let me use until I'm eighteen.”

Ricky's diatribe continued in that vein for some time, bitching in equal measure about his stingy shrink and Miriam's perfidy in daring to have what Ricky needed.

Miriam tried to stem the tide, but everything he said drew fresh accusations, until he broke down in tears.

Finn stepped between them then.  “Stop it, Ricki.  Just stop.  Miriam’s been through so much.”

“No!  She can’t just...”  Ricky disappeared.

Miriam sniffled.  “What did you do?”

“Turned him into a rock.  Mentally, too.  He won’t bother you again.”

Miriam looked around.  The argument had been loud, and several people were staring at them.  “You can’t do that.  Could you calm him down, then bring him out again?”

A wild-eyed Ricky reappeared, breathing raggedly.  Finn put a finger on his lips.  “Shh.  My sweetie here asked for your reprieve.  If you apologize to her nicely, I might even use my powers for good.”

“Apologize for what?” asked Ricky, mumbling around Finn’s finger.

“Making him cry.  Miriam was very unhappy, and making her male helped.  We weren’t trying to taunt you with this.  I didn’t even know you were trans.  You never showed any sign at school.”

“My parents are being sticky about it,” sighed Ricky morosely.  “They think it’s just a phase, and with magic there’s no need to rush into anything ‘irreversible’.  They’re paying for a counsellor, and he’s great, but he’s puzzled by me too.  Doesn’t know what to recommend, so I’m stuck like this until I’m eighteen.  Or later, because it’s not like I can afford good magic, and I’ve seen what the cheap stuff does.”

Finn glanced over to Miriam, who was looking somewhat less watery.  “You still owe an apology.  Doubly, now, as Miriam and I could help with that.  Miriam bought the magic that changed us, and while it’s out of power for today, it will be ready to go again tomorrow.”

“Really?” gasped Ricky.  He went to his knees in front of Miriam, and begged forgiveness so effusively that Miriam began to blush, and then to giggle.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough grovelling.  We can’t change you today.  When do you turn eighteen?”

“Next March.  I don’t know what my folks would do if I suddenly showed up transformed.  Probably ground me for months,” added Ricky with a pout.

“Seems like a small price to pay to see the right body in the mirror,” noted Finn.

“That’s the trouble,” groaned Ricky as he got to his feet.  “I don’t know what that body looks like.”

Finn’s brow wrinkled cutely in confusion.  “You don’t know?  I thought you...  I mean, isn’t that the point?  You have this idea of what you should be, and it doesn’t match?”

Ricky looked down at his arms, and scrubbed at them.  “I just...  My body doesn’t look right to me.  Ever.  This helps, dressing it up and hiding it... but it’s not enough.  Dr. Shandy has tried everything he can think of.  He even borrowed a colleague’s magic item and let me use it a few times.”

“Oh?” asked Finn curiously.  “What did it do?”

“Turns you into a random person, but only for an hour.  I got to spend my sessions male a couple of times.  Different person each time.  One was tiny, one was huge, and both felt right enough at first, but soon enough the wrongness was back.”  Ricky’s arm-scrubbing had progressed to scratching, and he looked down at them.  With visible effort he balled up his fists.  “Sorry.”

Finn grabbed one of Ricky’s hands. “Hey, it’s okay.  I’ve had that problem a few times because of Mom’s ring.  But hurting yourself isn’t the answer.  Can we distract you somehow?”

“Shopping!” exclaimed Miriam.  “You know this store, right?”

Ricky shrugged uncertainly.  “I’m a regular customer, yeah.”

“I need some tops that’ll fit while I’m like this.  Could you help me find some?”  Miriam tried fluttering his eyelashes at Ricky, making Finn laugh.

Ricky snickered as well, and agreed to help out.  As they wandered around the store, Ricky asked Miriam what sort of look he was going for, puzzled by just what sort of image he was trying to present.  Miriam explained that he just wanted “pretty things that fit”.

With Ricky’s help, they located three different styles of top that flattered Miriam’s new profile, and he bought several of each.

As the cashier rang up Miriam’s purchases, Ricky shook his head.  “You’re serious about this.  That’s a good starter wardrobe.  Are you ever going to change back?”

Miriam shrugged.  “I don’t want to deal with my feminine side right now.  Probably not for a while.  And I look cute like this, so... yeah, I think I’ll stay like this a while.”  Then he shot a smouldering look at Finn.  “Except inside the ring, anyway.”

“Inside what ring?” asked Ricky.

Finn looked guiltily at Miriam.  “Uh, the one I popped you inside when you made Miriam cry.  Inside I can turn you into anything, but you go back to normal once you leave.  We’ve had some fun with it.”

Ricky snickered.  “I can imagine.  Actually, I bet I can’t, the way you two are looking at each other.  Wait.  You could change me?  Into... anything?”

Finn nodded.  “Feels completely real, too.”

“Please?” asked Ricky softly, hand starting to scratch at his arms again.  “You can make my body right.  Just... knowing what I’m supposed to be would be such a help.”

Finn looked to Miriam, who nodded.  They hid off in the same service corridor Miriam had used to entrap Finn, and once the door was closed, Miriam and Ricky vanished.

Finn leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, then projected herself into the ring.  She added fairy wings to her dress as she approached the others.  “Ready to have your wishes granted?”

Ricky nodded eagerly, and his form shimmered but didn’t change dramatically.  “Did you do something?  Oh, my voice is lower...”  He felt his arms, then his chest.  “I’m really male?”

Finn nodded.  “Just a straight up swap.  Is this what you want?”

Ricky’s hands patted further down his body.  “Oh!  I have a...  Right, of course.  This is too weird.”

“I thought you’d been changed before,” said Finn, puzzled.

“Yeah, but... they were very much not me.  One was a big beefy guy, the other was just... all the wrong shape.  Neither felt even close to right.  Heck, the time it turned me into a violet catgirl was closer than they were.  Hey!”  Ricky’s voice was suddenly high pitched again.

In Ricky’s place was a violently purple-furred catgirl with such an exaggerated figure that Miriam gave Finn a dangerous look that soon changed into a shared giggle.

“Sorry, Ricky.  The image slipped out.  Want me to change you...  back?”  Finn stared at Ricky, who was feeling up her body and purring happily.   “Ricky?”

Ricky didn’t answer immediately, her eyes were closed in bliss.  “Oh, yeah.  That’s the ticket.”

“Uh...”  Finn looked to Miriam, who gestured emphatically at Ricky.  She sighed, and snapped her fingers.

Ricky blinked back to her normal body, looking startled.  “I... Uh...  Wow.  Can you give me fur again?”

“Sure,” agreed Finn.  “Purple again?”

Ricky considered the question.  “Purple wasn’t quite right.  Can I try... red?”

Finn snapped her fingers again, and Ricky sprouted fine red fur all over her body.  Running her fingers through it led to her shaking her head.  “No, not quite...  Can you make it feel... rr, I’m not sure.  Sort of... fabric-like?”

Ricky’s clothes melted away as her skin became plush.  A few other suggestions led to her having an outsize head like a mascot, thicker limbs, and a shapeless torso.  “I can’t help but feel I’m missing something important.  Like...”  Ricky patted it’s belly.  “Something here.  A picture?”

“Like a rainbow?” asked Miriam, giggling.

“No, not quite...  More like a screen.”

Finn’s eyes went wide as the changes locked into place almost involuntarily.  “You’re a Teletubby!”

And so Ricky was, with the big-eyed moonlike face, elven ears, and circular “antenna”.   It danced around and giggled giddily for a time, then settled in front of Finn.  “Thank you.  This explains so much.”

“It doesn’t explain anything!” cried Miriam.  “How can this possibly be your true self.  Finn, is this your idea of a joke?  Did you make Ricky want to be like this?”

“You can do that?” asked Ricky incredulously.

“Uh, yeah,” admitted Finn.  “I wasn’t trying to, but it’s really easy to change things without meaning to, and making someone accept their body is especially easy.  So it’s possible.  I should turn you back to normal and pop you out to check.”

Ricky nodded reluctantly, and a moment later the teletubby was replaced by a human girl in slightly ill-fitting guy’s clothes.  A look of surprise and wonder crossed her face, and then she vanished.

Finn popped Miriam back out of the ring as well, then opened her eyes to see Ricky pulling off her shirt.  “What are you doing?”

“Feels wrong.”  Ricky tossed the shirt to the ground, then started unwrapping the binding around her chest.  “This is so weird.”

“What is weird?” asked Miriam, looking Ricky over worriedly.

Ricky sighed happily as her breasts bounced free.  “Oh wow.  I haven’t felt right in my body for... I don’t remember how long.”

Miriam tossed one of her new blouses at Ricky.  “Here, you can’t go out there topless.”

Ricky pulled it on thankfully, but before they could make it to the mall entrance, she was fretting and rubbing at her arms again.  Miriam noticed it first, and suggested they all head over to her place for some privacy.  Ricky agreed, once Miriam promised to drive them home afterward.

Once they were on the road, Finn pulled Ricky into the ring.  This time when he turned Ricky into a Teletubby, she was careful not to push any mental changes.  Finn locked off the ability to change Ricky so she wouldn’t do so accidentally, then spent the rest of the ride chatting.  By the time Finn had to wake up to walk into Miriam’s place, Ricky was starting to look agitated again.

Finn popped Ricky back out of the ring.  “No good?”

Ricky blinked a few times as she adjusted to her body.  “Did you adapt me to this body?”

Finn shook her head.  “No, you’re probably still thinking you should be red and fuzzy.”

Ricky studied her hands, turning them over and over.  “It feels weird... but a different kind of weird.  But it’s like... I’m not seeing the body I expect to have, so this body doesn’t bother me.”

“Yet,” added Miriam.

Ricky sighed mournfully.  “Yet.  I’m sure I’ll hate what I see in the mirror soon enough.”

“Maybe you should avoid mirrors,” suggested Finn.

Miriam sighed and rolled her eyes, but Ricky nodded slowly.  “That is what I hate the most.  The person in the mirror is never me.  It’s creepy.  But it...”  She frowned.  “Put me back in.  Change me and show me a mirror.”

Finn did so, and brought Miriam in as well.  They sat and talked with a muscle-bound male Ricky, trying to distract him from the mirror, without success.  After a time Ricky moved to stand in front of the mirror, as if drawn to it.  “Mirrors are creepy,” he declared.

Finn giggled, and the mirror in front of Ricky rippled, turning into a funhouse mirror that made him pear-shaped.  Ricky laughed at that, then shuddered and turned away from it.  “Ugh, that’s worse.  Stupid house of mirrors.”

“What house of mirrors?” asked Miriam.

Ricky shrugged.  “Got lost in one as a kid.”

Finn and Miriam looked at each other, then back at Ricky.  “You should talk to your counsellor about that.  Maybe it’s always been about mirrors.”

Ricky looked stunned, then softly thanked them.  He changed back into the shirt he’d been wearing at the mall with little fuss, and accepted a ride home.

Once they were back at Finn’s house, Miriam gave her sweetie a hug.  “Look at you using your powers for good.  Thanks for helping Ricky, even after he made me cry.”

Finn hugged him back.  “You’re welcome.  I’m glad I could do something good, we’ve created plenty of chaos for ourselves with the ring.”

Miriam giggled, holding Finn’s hand as they walked up to the front door.  “Yeah, but I’m sure the worst is over.”

The door opened to reveal Finn’s father.  “What the hell have you done to my son?”