^^ Judah, 4 years old ^^

I stepped through a portal to the Riad, and then another into the Demon Throne room, and found Eileen's room. I laid on her bed comfortably, and sighed. "So listen... I need some pointers, Eileen..."

--- Greta's POV ---

She turned, blinking, and smiled. "The juicy kind, or the innocent kind?" She grinned.

"First Date kind, whichever that falls under." I waved a hand.

She hummed. "I see... well, there's a lot to go over... first, who's the boy/girl? Are they shy or experienced? Is this their first date as well?"

"He's shy, I don't know if it's his first date, his name is Willam-"

"Now wait a minute!!!" She interrupted, raising a hand imperiously. I shut my mouth, and waited. "Not Daniel or Dante or Diana or any of the other beautiful people you've been interested in?"

"I'm a little Tuckered out with D's." I chuckled, and she laughed.

"Okay. So Willam... ah! Willam Finch, the hunky piece of man-meat from 4 years ago?!?" She exclaimed, giggling.

"I heard my name?" Dianthus stuck his head in, grinning, while Judah sat on his shoulders.

"You did? Odd... I don't remember saying 'husband' or 'dummy'..." Eileen smirked.

"Hey bubba!" I giggled and tickled Judah, setting him on my lap as Dianthus kissed Eileen... thoroughly.

She giggled when he finally was done. "Ah... that one. Yes. Hello, hubby. Take Judah, please, this is important Girl Talk." She commanded, caressing his cheek.

He nodded severely. "Ahh. The sacred Girl Talk. I'll be in the Gym." He picked up Judah after I kissed his nose and said bye, and closed the door on his way out.

I smiled. "And yes, the Hunk of Man-Meat from four years ago. He's even bigger and so much taller now..." I swooned, laughing.

She hummed. "And his hands?"

"Oh gods his hands!! They're big enough to shake hands with your father!!! It's amazing, and slightly frightening... you know what they say about men with big hands..." I smirked.

She laughed. "It's so true... hmm... alright... well, what happened? Tell me everything."

---

"He didn't recognize you?!?" She growled.

"Apparently I'm not much more physically matured since last time, but I'm Taller, and my face is more mature. I'm as tall as him, but my body is stunted. I obviously take after my fathers side of the family, because the paintings of my mother showed her as a busty woman with an ass to kill for... not like me." I sighed, and leaned back. "The boob fairy just fucking forgot me, that's what happened. I'm all brains and muscle." I sighed, looking in her mirror.

She laughed. "Oh dear. You're a Shape-shifter, dear, you can be whatever you want!"

I hummed. "But it feels... duplicitous, to go on a date with someone, looking different than normal, you know?"

"No, not just for the date, I meant permanently! You turned that man into a woman, surely you can turn yourself into... a thicker woman?" She shrugged.

I sighed and leaned back against her pillows. "Maybe... I don't know... maybe once I shed my True Name. If I'm no longer the 'Pale Witch', I could look different. But not for now." I shrugged.

She nodded. "Well, I'm sure it's fine... he wouldn't have said yes if he didn't like you as you were anyway. Now. Your date is at 08:00, so I'll make you pretty by then." She sat me down at her vanity before I protested.

"Hey! I'm already pretty, and I don't like too much make-up!" I huffed, crossing my arms.

She laughed, and patted my head. "Don't worry, dearest." She undid my braids, and brushed out my hair, tying it into a loose pony tail. Then she went to her closet, and came back with a black suit and charcoal Grey Vest. "Here. This will be a good outfit."

I hummed and pulled it on, after folding my Namean Lion Skins. I buttoned the undershirt and vest, smiling at the feeling of cold Silk on my skin.

I grinned at the image I now painted. "I like it..."

"It was my mother's, so don't get it dirty." She warned me.

I nodded. "I'll do my best."

She grinned and sat me down. "Now. The trick to removing it quickly is-"

---

I leaned against the mosaics, breathing deeply to calm myself. I saw Willam nearby, looking for me, and stood up straight, waving.

He jogged over. "Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting, I was trying to find the Mosaics. Huge floor, you know?" He grinned easily.

I laughed. "Indeed. Well, let's go." I pressed a hand to the Keyhole, and it glowed, acknowledging my presence, and then opened.

I walked through, and Willam followed slowly. He looked around, and whistled as his ring started steaming. "Well then. Those are some Wards, huh?"

"Yeah. This is the Nerve Center, where I can go anywhere in the world from, if I try hard enough. But Tea was promised." I smiled and closed the door, turning the dial to my shop, and opening the door again.

We walked into the shop, and he gasped. "That's... amazing! How'd you find it?"

"I built it." I countered, sitting down at a table.

He sat across from me, and smiled. "I knew you were smart, but... that's incredible. A Door of Hermes, twisted into something else?"

"Seven doors of Hermes, actually, and one Loki's Door. I mixed them together and voila!! Then it was just a matter of hiding it..." I sighed.

One of my servants walked up. "Lady Falkirk, Master Finch, welcome to Greta's Garden! What would you like today? Our menu is newly expanded, so feel free to try our chef's newest creations!" He said genially.

I smiled. "I'll have my Snake-Root Tea, and you, Willam?"

He smiled. "I'll try what she's having, but if I'd also get an apple crepe?" He asked, eying the menu on the wall.

The server bowed and scurried away to get our orders.

"I'll warn you now, Snake-Root Tea looks exactly like blood. It's brewed from a Red Leaf." I smiled.

He shrugged. "Eh. I can handle it."

"Okay." I giggled. "If you say so..."

The servant came back quickly, and set the Tea on the table, along with Willam's crepe. He hummed at the tea, and I smiled, drinking mine slowly, after blowing on the hot liquid.

He decided to try it, and blinked. "Wow... different from what I was expecting... I expected sweet, because it was red... I like it." He smiled, and then tried the crepe. "Oh! What type of apples are these? They're awesome!"

"Gala Apples. From Iberia." I nodded at the wall of ingredients, which was a gigantic chalkboard with all the ingredients we used here, over a map, showing where they came from.

He scanned it, and grinned. "Hey! You buy your Mint from us!"

I blinked and looked at mint, which was next to a small floating mountain. "The floating mountain?" I asked.

He nodded. "My mother found it when she was a kid, and figured out how to ride a Roc up there with her older brothers. She used it as her base, and eventually started building up there. Now there's an entire city that we own and trade out of. Surely you've seen the Rocs we deliver from." He grinned.

I nodded. "I never gave them much thought-"

A loud screaming started up outside, and I leapt to my feet, jogging to the door with Willam close behind me.

I opened it, and gasped. A rhino Demon was rampaging across the streets, bigger than the two-story buildings.

I saw it about to step on a little girl, and growled in annoyance. "I was on a DATE YOU MISERABLE BASTARD!" I yelled in annoyance at the Demon, making Willam Blush.

"A date? Really? Was it a good date, before the-" I glared to silence him, and darted forward, snatching the girl.

I ducked us both, dodging the demons horn, and jumping out from between its legs as it suddenly keeled over, roaring in pain.

I tossed the girl to a woman who was reaching for her, and growled at the Demon. "DUNWAL!" I roared, reaching behind me.

'Oh aye, Milady! Ye'll be needing a sword, won't ye?'

I drew a hot golden sword, and darted forward, only to pull up short as something picked up the Demon, and then threw it away, roaring like a fully-grown dragon.

I looked, and gasped. Willam stood, huffing, his shirt shredded to give me a delicious view of his chest, which was twice the size of normal. "Ooh my..." I purred, and he blushed.

I laughed and patted his cheek. "Very nice, but I'll handle this. Get the citizens out of my way."

I leapt at the Demon, and swung down at it with all my strength, cleaving a few inches into its hide, before my blade got stuck.

I hissed at it, and braced myself when it swung its horn at me.

I was prepared to be blasted back, but instead I heard that same Roar, and Willam was holding the horn. He yanked, and it snapped off with a gargantuan 'Crack!'

The beast lowed pitifully, and stood slowly, trying to run away.

I ripped my sword out of its throat, and it healed quickly. I hissed in annoyance, and Willam surprised me again with a leap onto the beasts back, where he grabbed its neck, and I gasped.

"He isn't going to-" CRACK!!! "-... oh my..." I purred in happiness as he walked towards me, away from the beast with the broken neck.

His shirt was toast, completely shredded, but he smiled. "I take it you're pleased with my actions, even though I disobeyed you?" He asked.

"Disobeyed? I'm not your mother, nor your queen, nor your boss. I'm your friend. I can't order you around, and that's why I value you and my other friends, no matter how few they are. You did well, and killed the demon. Good work." I nodded.

He smiled an innocent smile as his muscles shrank down to normal levels. "Cool."

"How did you do that, by the way? Are you a Son of Hercules?" I asked.

He shook his head. "It's just a Gift of Mine. The abilities to greatly improve two of my physical abilities for a short time... I needed strength... and now I need rest." He sat down, and I laughed, sitting next to him.

"That's some ability. So I guess it works for speed and agility, as well?"

"Mm. No, only Strength and Durability, for me, my sister has Speed and Agility. My skin can become like Adamantium. My brother... he's different. My sister and I take after our mother. She has Speed and Strength. We can't change it after we first pick it. Don't know why. Mother says she'll explain more when we turn 18." He shrugged, and laid down on the concrete.

"You're not sleeping on the concrete. Let's go." I helped him up easily, and walked him inside, then through the Door into my Riad. I led him to the baths, and set him down. "Get a quick bath, and I'll get a bed ready. Alright?"

He nodded tiredly. "Sure..."

He started stripping, and I smiled, watching shamelessly from the doorway.

I gasped a little when his undershorts came off, and giggled when he dove into the water, blushing and glaring in my direction. I waved and walked out, giggling.

'He's exactly as big as I thought, Eileen...' I sent to her.

'Ooh, you whore, I'll hear more later, Judah is here now!'

I laughed and built a pallet in the library, and looked up, gasping. He stepped out of the Bathhouse, wearing a Towel, and looked for me warily, before closing the door and dressing.

I laughed. "I'm over here, Willam, and I'm not going to ravish you. Not just yet." I muttered.

He heard, and blushed all the way to the tips of his ears, which, I noticed, actually had tiny tips.

'Ahhh... a Halfling. That's why he has such good Magic and that odd Gift. He's half Elf.' I nodded.

He stumbled over in his tattered dress pants, and I guided him to the pallet. "Lay down, get some rest. I have to go deal with the Fallout of a Demon getting loose in the city." I sighed.

He nodded slowly, eyes drifting shut. "O-yawn-Kay... don't get... into... any trouble... without me..." he fell asleep, a false stern expression on his brow.

I laughed gently and threw a blanket over him, tracing only one muscle group before I stood and walked away, giggling. He was adorable, and beautiful...

I stepped through the portal to see the Order cleaning up the mess, tending the Wounded. I walked up to Samira. "Yo, Sammy. Any word on where it came from?" I asked.

She sighed. "You're always the center of this nonsense... no. Someone released it at that end of the street, and that's the bit we know. So we know it was released on purpose."

I hummed. "Interesting..."

"So who broke its neck? Mirage?" She asked.

I smiled. "No. my date, Willam. He's... Strong."

She raised an eyebrow. "Date? What about marrying Danny?"

"Seriously?" I looked at her, annoyed, and understanding dawned over her as she remembered the recent events that had estranged Danny and I.

She sighed. "Right... sorry about that. I guess that hurt you, too... well, you're a part of my clan anyway, midget." She patted my cheek, and turned to survey the damage again.

An order Knight walked up and saluted. "Sir! We can report 16 dead, 12 heavily injured, receiving healing now, and 30 lesser injuries. The road is being fixed as we speak by... some type of Demon Fish."

I smiled. "My contribution." I nodded to Samira.

She smiled, then sighed. "16 dead... such a shame... I wonder who the target was..."

I hummed and looked at the restaurant that the Demon had tried to run into. "Symphony De Cocoa... was Thomas Delano one of the Fatalities?" I asked, humming again.

"No... he was injured, however. The beast attempted to Gore him, but he dodged, and it just threw him through a window instead." The soldier responded.

I nodded. "The beast charged directly for his Shop. Ask him if he made any enemies lately." I waved goodby and jogged away through the portals again.