Out of the Ashes Ch. 07

Chapter 7: Growing pains

(6,5k words, romance, slow growth, bulges, oral, teasing, measuring, size difference)

"We will be leaving then! Time for some shopping!"

Margaret's voice echoed through the inn accompanied by Alexia's chuckle near her. The tavern in a way mirrored Margaret's state of mind with the old, hideous planks and floor getting replaced just like her initial worries.

Like the formerly ramshackle building she was starting to shine brighter with every new day. Her and Alexia's ongoing work didn't stop with her growth spurt though, but Manuel was very keen on granting the two enough time and off days for themselves over constantly working on the renovation of their combined home. This would be one of these days.

Margaret eventually realized the hypocrisy of her enjoying her sudden and ongoing development. As one person that suffered greatly under the weight of being considered inferior in the past, she found herself in a position of admiring and loving every new inch she was gaining. Was it really wrong to enjoy it when it brought her such joy and confidence? A question that was getting less and less prominent in her mind, until it eventually vanished into obscurity.

Unlike her doubts some things couldn't be fixed by simply rationalizing her growth spurt. Manuel tried his hardest to explain to his customers that the popular waitress was another futa, but it turned out that wooing Margaret was the reason for many to go visit the "Sailor's mug" on a daily basis. The impact on the inn was immediately noticeable, with at times only half the visitors compared to back before Margaret's reveal.

This would have been something Margaret was worried about but her elderly boss showed great understanding for her and his customers reaction. Eventually they would accept it he said. Overall the support she received was overwhelming for the young princess - besides the ongoing distance by Remy.

From Manuel's welcome and genuine change of heart to Agatha and Ricky they all did their part to destroy the last bit of doubt and anxiety that was nagging at Margaret. And then there was Alexia.

It turned out that "Lexi the bodyguard" acted quite different to "Lexi the girlfriend", but just like with her previous profession she was keen to exceed in her new role. Their sex life quickly developed from overwhelming acts to an intense and hour-long back and forth that left both entirely satisfied. With the blonde's increasingly royal body she was soon able to hold her own against Alexia's demanding and muscular frame.

Sexual satisfaction wasn't the primary reason for them to fully enjoy life though. What mattered most was the way their relationship was developing beyond just lust. Knowing to wake up next to a person that loves her back with all their heart, was more fulfilling to the two than any pleasure could ever be. The smaller moments were the ones they appreciated the most - just like going shopping together.

"Are you two going... already!?" Agatha shouted back from upstairs.

"Yeah, the tailor is waiting for us," Alexia responded.

She smiled while looking at Margaret and grabbed the now 7'3" tall hermaphrodite's hand.

Margaret's growth spurt, for all the pleasure and excitement it brought, left her with a few daily struggles. She was insatiable, literally and figuratively. Often three meals a day were not enough to satisfy her hunger. Alexia took it as her new responsibility to satisfy the blonde's more "delicate" desires, also often multiple times per day.

This developing body of hers soon took its toll on her now insanely tight clothes, which were suited for a woman over a foot shorter and much less "blessed" than her.

Her initial work outfit just barely kept the blonde's now more feminine curves in and if they wouldn't go visit the tailor soon Margaret might as well go naked.

Agatha rushed down to the waiting couple and brought a plethora of rags and old clothes that needed stitching.

"Hope you two lovebirds don't mind me joining in? Gotta get my hands on some new clothes too and get these fixed," the human said.

"Well... if you are asking like that..." Alexia chuckled and felt her girlfriend's elbow playfully jabbing her side.

"Don't listen to everything she's saying. Of course, you can join us," Margaret smiled, while rolling her eyes at her girlishly giggling girlfriend.

Usually the former commander never behaved like this in public, but their growing relationship brought her more casual and playful personality to the surface, even around humans. Another little detail that Margaret appreciated more than Alexia could even imagine.

With Agatha in tow the two imposing hermaphrodites headed out for another hopefully peaceful stroll through the district.

It was public knowledge at this point where the two hermaphrodites lived and who their employer was, but that didn't mean they wouldn't catch eyes wherever they went. Many curious gazes rested on them with every step as the trio walked down familiar streets to meet an equally familiar face.

"Hey, Lexi?" Margaret asked.

"Hmm?"

"Did you already warn her? You know just to make sure she won't be too surprised I mean."

"Don't you worry. She already knows all there is to know," Alexia grinned and leaned in for a kiss, doing her best ignoring the other citizens still observing the unusual couple.

"Hope you didn't tell EVERYTHING," Agatha interjected with a risen eyebrow.

"Hah! She probably wouldn't mind at all..." the taller futa chuckled at the sexual innuendo.

"What do you mean?" the blonde asked.

"You will see. But she didn't look too shocked, believe me."

"I... alright. I am curious about that!" the blonde mused.

Usually there were two types of reactions when Margaret presented her ever-changing body. The ones reacting like Remy, confused, angry or even hurt to differing degrees that eventually led to cutting off any ties with her.

The blonde experienced that quite a lot since she started to grow but, in a way, she was even happy about it. It helped her showing who her real friends were, the ones that accepted her no matter what and not just what they wanted to see in her.

And there were the ones like Manuel. To be fair, everyone would be at first at the very least confused when the waitress next door turned out to be no human and would soon tower above them. But, just like the innkeeper some showed understanding for her growing needs, as much as her relationship with Alexia.

These people and these reactions made the incognito heir comfortable enough to proudly show off her bond with her childhood friend instead of keeping it a secret - it was a liberating feeling beyond her wildest imagination.

The three were almost half way there and just walked past the district's market place when a group of teenagers started pointing towards the two imposing futas, with the oldest of them being one of the regulars in their inn refusing to visit again after Margaret turned out to be a hermaphrodite.

Margaret sighed, she felt nothing more than minor annoyance anymore at such incidents at this point. The times she felt actually hurt or enraged by the comments of such people were behind her, but not for Alexia.

The former commander didn't even bother to react to insults towards herself, but if anyone kept on offending her girlfriend it eventually triggered her short temper... the group of boys seemed determined to achieve exactly that.

"Lexi..." Margaret sighed.

But before she could hold her lover back the usually professional warrior walked towards the juvenile group. Their eyes widened as Alexia hastily shortened the distance between them, making it appear as she was growing with every step before towering directly in front of them.

Margaret and Agatha observed the 8'6" soldier menacingly casting her shadow over the others and talking herself in a frenzy while the indecent boys were lectured.

"There she goes again..." the blonde chuckled and winked at Agatha.

"I thought she stopped doing that a while ago."

"Yeah... I asked her to, but she insists on "defending" me like that. I dunno ... it's kinda cute actually," Margaret blushed and smiled while Alexia silenced the group of boys by what looked like seriously threatening them.

"She was always pretty ... protective, wasn't she?" Agatha asked while her nervous gaze darted between the blonde and the black-haired futa in the distance.

"Yes. Since back when I was a kid. She was always like that..." the heir said and remembered some childhood memories with Lexi in her head.

"I wonder if there is an actual reason for that..." Agatha kept her unspoken question vague but Margaret immediately picked up on its implied meaning.

Her gaze locked onto Agatha's and for a moment she had to collect her thoughts. Lying was nothing she was too keen on, but being fully honest could end up being dangerous - for everyone involved.

"Let's say she always looked after me...and I am grateful for that," Margaret dryly replied.

"Does she still have to 'look after you'?" the woman squinted and kept her eyes focused on Margaret's to see every minor reaction, but even with her focusing hard to sound calm there was a sense of urgency in her voice.

The princess was convinced that Agatha would never dare to ask this question with Alexia present. Nevertheless, she seemed determined to get some answers.

This silent standoff was more intense than expected and the blonde princess felt herself reminded of many such encounters back at the palace. And just like back then she was instinctively acting more and more obsequious and timid.

"No... I don't think so ... not anymore. Not here..." she cautiously said.

There was some discomfort on Agatha's face, not that she gave much insight on what she was thinking, but a glimpse of her worry for Margaret fired up in her eyes.

"Maggie... you know you can talk about anything. Sometimes it's easier to talk about... the past. Wherever that was..." she stated calmly.

The incognito heir wondered what Agatha might be thinking about and what theory she could have come up with. Agatha surely realized that the futa's past was the reason why she and Alexia were forced to seek shelter in this town.

The princess could almost literally see the human chef's brain working overtime to scramble for a logical answer. A minor noble maybe? Or bastard of someone important? Better if Agatha kept believing that, Margaret thought.

"There isn't much to talk about. For now, I am a waitress and I don't plan to change anything in that regard either," Margaret eventually replied with a subtle smile.

The elderly human nodded softly and took a deep breath. This wasn't much of an answer, but it seemed it would suffice... for now.

"And neither do we!" she mused and playfully hit the now 1,5' taller waitress as she changed the topic. "So... any ideas on what clothes you want?"

Relieved that Agatha wasn't insisting on further questioning her, Margaret let out a soft chuckle and playfully rolled her eyes.

"I have no idea. That's what tailors are for I guess, let's see what she got in store for someone my size!" Margaret grinned. "It was quite a challenge to make anything for Lexi back then. Thankfully I am not that big yet."

The chubby human looked up at the imposing blonde woman next to her and examined the strained and patchy outfit. Many holes were stitched by herself over the last few days, draining her last supplies of wool but it wouldn't last much longer.

"Well, she has got her work cut out for her, I think. There is a lot of woman to kit out now!" Agatha joked.

There were no signs of distrust or scepticism after their rhetorical skirmish, but Margaret couldn't help but feel that she already revealed too much.

Eventually Alexia returned and finished off her rant as the young band of troublemakers quickly dispersed once she turned around.

"So... they will think twice about talking like that again," Alexia said.

"I hope you were not too rough on them. Not that they report it to the militia," Agatha smiled.

"Nah. But I am sure they get where I am coming from now," she chuckled and soon felt her hand being grabbed by Margaret.

"My hero..." she playfully chirped and pulled her girlfriend close next to her while she embraced her hand. "But you don't need to do that ya know that, right?"

"Maybe I simply want to," Alexia replied and blushed for a moment when Margaret rested her head on her bicep.

Once again, they heard whispers and murmurs from the people on the streets, but this time it didn't bother her as much. Just having the younger heir calm her down like that in the most tender of ways was enough to keep Alexia's overly protective attitude at bay.

"Let them talk..." Margaret grinned and led her girlfriend and Agatha towards their original destination. "Gretchen's tailoring".

It had been a while since their last visit at Gretchen's shop. In fact, it was Remy who had recommended the tailor's services when the inhuman duo first had to look for some proper work clothes.

Alexia and Margaret would occasionally pay a visit when they were around but usually there were not many more wardrobe malfunctions to take care of beyond Alexia's initial struggles- until now.

The trio didn't even come close to knocking at the door when the energetic human chirped out the window, eagerly awaiting company like she always did.

"There you are! You are late!" the high-pitched voice originated from behind the wooden entrance.

"Well, we got ... distracted," Margaret smirked and knowingly looked up at her taller lover.

"Guilty as charged!" Alexia mused.

The door smacked open and the slender, in more ways than just looks, girlish woman stepped out her shop. The redhead was of frail stature, tall, at around 5'10" in height, but almost no curves to speak of. Just like many other's her body was testament to the shortcomings and malnutrition from her time in one of the more impoverished and in the past famine-stricken districts.

Agatha and the others at the tavern could consider themselves more than lucky to never actually have to worry about food with Manuel in charge.

" I am just kidding! Glad you are here..." Gretchen mused and stopped in her tracks. Usually never one to miss out on an opportunity to hug visitors or struggle to find words for her witty repartee, she was nevertheless stunned by the sight of Margaret. Not out of disgust, but out of pure awe.

"You said you warned her in advance, Lexi!" the 7'3" hermaphrodite giggled at the speechless tailor.

"Well... I did. Gretchen, don't you wonna say something? You make me look bad..." Alexia smirked while Agatha started laughing next to her.

" S-sure... I mean... look at you Maggie! Lexi wasn't exaggerating when she said you were stunning!" the fragile redhead gasped in awe with her narrow cheeks also turning red. Like usual she proceeded to hug her visitors, but much more awkwardly than the times before.

"Oh! Did she?" the blonde smirked and once more winked at her now also blushing partner.

Gretchen kept on staring at the curvy body of the now blossoming futa, an ongoing stare that almost turned into drooling.

"Uhm... I also got some stuff that needs your attention by the way," Agatha joked, amused by how "impressed" Gretchen looked.

"Yeah, yeah. Old rags, I gotta get around stitching those, but let's get to the more pressing issues first, shall we?" Gretchen said hastily with her voice getting very high pitched near the end.

Alexia frowned at this last remark and how Gretchen seemed to be waking up from her initial stupor and regaining her eccentric attitude- which included her flirtatious subtext.

"Sounds good. Things got a bit... patchy," the blonde chuckled at her own pun while the slender woman's gaze went all over the strained set of former work clothes.

"Absolutely! That poor outfit won't last much longer," she chuckled and carefully touched the strained fabric, for what it looked like she had to stop herself from sliding her hand lower to more delicate places on the blonde's body.

"So, let's get in. You two can wait outside. A professional like me needs to focus in silence!" the tailor muttered fervently.

The redhead grabbed Margaret's hand and before the amused hermaphrodite could react, she felt herself getting pulled towards the door.

The blonde rolled her eyes playfully as she looked at Alexia and almost bursted out in laughter when she saw her lover's and Agatha's confusion about Gretchen's behaviour.

"Well... guess the professional is talking hehe!" the blonde laughed as she ducked to fit inside the 7ft doorframe and left behind the others as the door shut behind her.

The combined workplace and home were filled to the brim with all things that fittingly described its owners' character. Wild, a bit messy, interested in all kinds of stuff, but also showed that Gretchen despite being quite outspoken and social, spent too much time alone. Her 3 cats further added legitimacy to this claim.

"Here we are. You... can take a seat, while I get some additional fabric. Didn't think you would be... THIS big already," Gretchen said and headed to her work room.

"I hear that quite often lately," Margaret replied and petted the already purring feline as she sat down.

"Speaking of which. When did this all start? You growing I mean..."

"About 3 weeks ago. With around an inch or two per day."

"And... what do you think about it? How does it feel?"

"It's pretty great actually. I didn't think I would enjoy it this much, but I start to get what this fuss was all about!" Margaret grinned and saw Gretchen reappear from the room.

"As I said. It ... really suits you..." the redhead blushed and felt her temperature rise as she eventually spotted Margaret's subtle bulge under the stretched fabric.

"Thank you. Usually Lexi is the one dishing out compliments, but I will take this one as well. Don't get these that often from humans..." she chuckled while the cat laid on its back and literally on top of her lap... and bulge.

This made it only more difficult for Gretchen to take her eyes off the intriguing sight and focus on her work.

"I... uhm... we can begin if you want. I think I got enough for one outfit, but I gotta take your measurements to make sure," Gretchen said and again ended her sentence with a comically high-pitched voice.

"Fair enough. Guess I will have to pay you some more visits in the future. I doubt I am done growing yet," the blonde casually said without taking her eyes off the purring pet.

"Oh my...even bigger?" the tailor gasped as she kept repeatedly staring at Margaret's impressive assets.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing! Shall we you know... start?" Gretchen muttered nervously, repeating herself and blushing as Margaret eventually got up.

"Well... let's get some measurements then. Not gonna lie, I am a bit curious myself. We didn't find a measuring tape that was suited for the job," Margaret said with a wide grin and casually walked past her blushing friend. Not noticing that she offered another spectacular sight that made Gretchen drool even more.

The redhead gulped as she followed the voluptuous woman and couldn't take her eyes from the outrageously round bottom and thick thighs, barely concealed by the tight-fitting fabric.

"So... uhm... just stand still... I will try to reach all the way," the tailor said after collecting herself.

It was surprisingly difficult to get exact measurements of Margaret's height, but with their combined effort they agreed on 7ft and 4 inches. To Margaret's delight.

"7'4" I am no longer short! Almost above average that's incredible!" the futa chirped and for the first time ever could objectively feel proud about her height.

"You say this, like you were tiny before..."