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It was odd; she never felt anything except a vague ical presence about herself when she put it on For some reason, she always expected to feelabout it was that even when she looked at her own hands and body after applying the potion, they looked no different: the same pale white skin, the same clothes But her reflection in the mirror showed a tall, raven-haired elf arb She looked like a much thinner version of Alaema, with pointed ears

She smiled back at the elves that passed by, and spoke to the ones who spoke to her, recognizing her face -or the illusion thereof The potion worked perfectly every single tiotten over the initial uneasiness

Aldrec was in the garden today, but not by hi beside him, in a s huirl? Gender-wise, its features were disturbingly unclear, and obviously not hu red, flecked with streaks of white, and on the ruddy skin of its face, there were sparse placements of what appeared to be tiny scales Its ears were s A scaly, reptilian tail grew from its backside

The creature looked her way, and then smiled like a lost boy who had found his mother It bounded up to her on all fours, stopped, and then stood upright and bowed courteously

"Well … hello to you too," Mericlou said, impressed with the child-creature's politeness It blinked at her curiously, and then reached out its hand for her Mericlou took it, and then nearly screamed as she heard a voice, like a whisper, echo inside of her head

Hello, pretty one I aht by Aldrec, who had coer to her nose, and she felt the ic of the illusion dissipate

"Don't be afraid, Tulyr," he said "Krako is friendly He was trying to co, at first, I know"

"It sounded like he was talking innervously at Krako "And he's very fe, for a male"

"Well, actually, I'm surprised that he was able to couess that hisis spiritual, rather than physical And no, he's not male"

"He's … not?" Mericlou said "But you just said, 'he'"