Cercy had a deep connection with the table.

  Or at least, that’s what anyone observing would have to think. With her head turned, cheek pressed tightly against the wood as she slumped over the table, and arms hanging loosely by her thighs, it may as well have grown around her.  

  A sudden spray of cool water made the opposite very clear, however. “Whu–!” She sputtered as she jerked upright, her head swiveling 

  “My, I actually hit you?” Came the culprit’s wry voice as she extinguished her magically summoned water. She sat down beside Cercy, brushing a tuft of navy hair off her forehead. “Perhaps the seas are freez- actually, something has happened, hasn’t it?” She frowned.

“Oh… it’s only you, Aegea.” Cercy sighed, displaying an almost theatrical degree of melancholy. 

 “Ah, don’t tell me… forgot a comma in your last essay? Accidently gave yourself a tail during your last practical demonstration? Indigestion?” Aegea put her finger to her chin in mock thinking.

“What? No, definitely not, and no!” Cercy shouted.

“Height?” Aegea shrugged.

“N- actually, yes.”

Aegea giggled, “tell me about it. It’ll help, I am sure.” 

“I don’t see how…” Cercy grumbled, but she began anyway…

….

 “It was earlier today, I was in my seminar for Advanced Transformative Brews-”

….

“Oh yes, I believe I dropped that one.” Aegea muttered offhandedly.

“You did. Now shush and let me continue.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

….

  “Right, as I was saying, we are all required to–annoyingly–participate in a group presentation,” she grimaced. “Now, I had little choice for my partner, but even still, he would not have been my first. His unkempt hair, his shirt left half-untucked, and his muscle-bound physique, none of it even remotely resembled a deserving academic.”

  “So when we began, I made it clear that I expected him to treat this with the deserved maturity, and that I would not tolerate any failures to keep up. His response? He merely scoffed! When I confronted him, he denied his actions at first, but with enough prodding, he confessed ‘that he couldn’t believe someone who couldn’t even reach the top shelf was going on about maturity,’” Cercy went on in a deep, mocking, voice.

  “And then, he had the gall to forcibly carry my belongings, or lift me around the waist, as if I am the disadvantaged one here!” Her fist trembled as she relived the memory. “There can be no working with such a man.”

….

 When she had finished, Aegea pursed her lips as if searching for the right words. 

  “I am attending this school to build a future for myself,” Cercy continued. “But if all people see from me is some ingénue or-or… child, then all my achievements or prospects will be for naught!” She said breathlessly.

  Aegea sighed, her voice serious. “Look, dear, I’ve known you a long time, and in that time, I’ve seen no one smarter or more hardworking. So what if your body lacks some inches, the fact that it holds a mind so brilliant should be more than enough to compensate.” She stretched contentedly.

  Cercy craned her neck upwards, Aegea’s loose, gauzy, sleeves flowed around her lithe arms as they stretched on upwards. “The have-its cannot understand the plight of the have-nots,” Cercy muttered, looking away.

 Aegea giggled again, “all I am saying is that you need not worry about measuring up, it’ll only drag you down. I know you’ll find a way to surpass this, Cer”

“Surpass…” Cercy repeated as she began to rise.

“There it is,” Aegea said, a knowing smile on her face.

“I… I have to go, thanks again!” Cercy said as she hastily gathered her belongings.

  “Anytime, dear, always happy to provide a pick-me-up!” Aegea called out after her as Cercy rushed out the dining hall, her figure disappearing into the distance.

….

There were scant few places Cercy felt more at home, than the campus alchemical wing.

 The familiar sights of glass labware and wood tables freshly cleaned from the day's endeavors greeted her, all lit by cool, pale light emanating from glass-encased Whisps along the walls. Despite herself, Cercy smiled.

   Something didn’t fit however. A set of labware had been left shattered, its pieces tinged green, a mild, unpleasant haze still emanated from it. They hadn’t even bothered to put their protective wear away! First-Years can never do anything right, she thought ruefully already moving to clean it up before moving on.

  Cercy opened a large recipe  tome she had carried here, its pristine visage interrupted by one heavily dog eared page. However, even as she skimmed the familiar words, a touch of apprehension still lingered in her mind. 

  It wasn’t that she was necessarily unhappy with her body per se, though when she often compared Aegea’s far fuller figure to her much more modest one, she couldn’t help but feel a small, guilty resentment, not that she’d hold it against her. No, Aegea had been right, her mind far eclipsed that of her form, and if others were unable to see past her body to give her the respect she deserved? Then it was time to bring her body up to task and make him respect her.

  A small, distant… chittering? Brought her out of her thoughts. Was there someone here? The idea didn’t seem likely at this hour. Still, an uninvited audience was exactly what she did not need right now, and so she peeked out into the hallway, only to see… nothing. She scowled, it was unbecoming of her to jump at shadows.

  A base of Charybdis brine, add Kelpie’s mane, Pixie Dust, and… what else. Cercy recounted her list as she stood in front of an imposing shelf stocked with various reagents, some in boxes, others in preserving-fluid filled jars, all neatly labelled and organized.

  She spotted what she was looking for with practiced ease, but then she froze, her thoughts ringing with the two words that never failed to make her scowl…

Top shelf.

 Stretching out her arms, standing on her toes, even jumping, it was all hopeless. She stood there impotently glaring up at the shelf. A certain part of her knew it would be best to walk away, find a stepstool, but the words of her classmate rang in her head, drowning out any rational voice.

  So, obviously, the way forward here was to unfasten her robe, and attempt to scale the shelf like a rocky mountain side. Much of the shelf was taken up for its intended purpose, meaning she would have little purchase on the smooth wood.  Unless she shoved a hand, or foot into school property, she gritted her teeth, some things were beyond even her. Still her plan worked, with the boost, she was able to reach out and grasp her prize. I-I did it! She thought as the jar seemed to sparkle in the pale light.

  Unfortunately, she had forgotten her precarious position. Her eyes went wide as her fingers began to slip, and in an instance of cat-like scrabbling, she collapsed to the ground. 

  “Ugh…” Cercy groaned as she rubbed her side. Nothing was broken thankfully, including the jar itself. There was only a throbbing ache, and… she gasped, something was faintly twitching beneath her. She immediately stumbled to her feet and covered her mouth to suppress a scream. She was sure she would see a cockroach or some other repulsive insect  twitching in its death throes. 

 However, insects usually had more than two legs… didn’t they?

  Cercy kneeled down, interest overcoming repulsion. Was it some rogue golem? No, what shallow breathing there was seemed too rhythmic.  Illusion? There was no apparent caster. Dream? While she’d had dreams which had started like this before–the thought bringing a touch of colour to her face–her pain seemed real enough.

  Yet looking at the creature’s tanned complexion, soldier’s haircut and matching toned build, even if it seemed impossible, only one conclusion appeared viable.

“Od!?” She cried. 

  The shrunken man winced at her volume. He was somehow unharmed, but clearly still sore. “Is that…? Today just keeps getting better.,” he muttered in response.

  “B-But how did– Whatever caused– I-I sat on you!” Cercy sputtered. Then, it all hit her at once. the damaged equipment, discarded robe, the odd noises…

“You tried to make a shrinking brew, didn’t you?” She asked pointedly.

  “Figured it out, huh? Guess I missed a step,” he chuckled awkwardly.

  Cercy looked down at the pitiable thing. Finally she sighed, “very well, since you are clearly so incompetent on your own, I suppose it falls to me to clean up after you.” She said, barely hiding her condescension with concern.

  “It’s alright!” Od nervously backed away. “I’ll just find some professor on my own.”

  “Pfft, obviously you are not alright on your own, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” she said smugly. “Now hush and be grateful.”

  Without allowing any more words to the contrary, Cercy scooped Od up, her hand closing around him like a vice grip. 

  Despite token efforts, she could hardly keep the smile from her face as she made for the exit. One way or the other, he would learn respect.

….

  The room Od found himself in was laconic in presentation, aside from a modest bed pushed against the back wall, and a small bookshelf tucked beneath a covered window, the room was bare of personal possessions. In fact it didn’t seem like there was a mote of dust out of place. Like seemingly everything about Cercy, it all seemed immaculately put together, 

In short, just about the opposite of him.

 Suddenly, the world shifted around him as Cercy reached down to take off her boots. From his position gripped at Cercy’s side, an acrid and earthy odor hit him, and his face scrunched up as the smell washed over him.

  Seemingly indifferent, however, Cercy picked three books seemingly at random from a nearby writing desk before sitting down comfortably on a cushioned seat in front. Od meanwhile, was tossed unceremoniously onto the hard table. He hardly had time to recover when two more thuds shook him.  

  “I am all sore from walking all the way from the labs,” Was all she said. Od turned to see her feet–both dwarfed his form considerably–turned towards him, she flexed her toes as if to say; Well? I’m waiting. 

  “You cannot be serious,” Od said. He sighed, “look, Cercy, are you still upset about what happened ear–”

  “This isn’t about anything! All I am asking is a small favour in return for my generous aid! Now get to it!” Cercy snapped open her book, and began to read.

  Further protests would only incur further ire, so Od gritted his teeth and made for the gigantic sole in front of him. Immediately, he gagged, so close to the source, the musk he’d smelled before was far worse, and he struggled to move. However, a few stray droplets of sweat rolled off her toes, nearly knocking him over had he not narrowly dodged. The message was clear, don’t get complacent.

  He began to push earnestly against the wrinkled flesh. Rubbing and kneading at different points of the sole, occasionally his efforts would bring soft sighs from Cercy’s lips. But it wasn’t easy, Cercy’s soles were covered in a thin layer of sweat, making the skin moist and squishy, it was a struggle to maintain a decent grip.

  “Now, why would someone like you be spending their evening alone in a lab? It’s deeply irresponsible to try and brew a shrinking brew without experience.” Cercy chastised. 

  “I. Realize. That,” Od grunted as more sweat fell toward him, showering him in the warm, salty, liquid. “And hey! What were you doing there!?” He countered.

“I-I- doesn’t matter!” Cercy sputtered. “Now do the other one.”

  As he made his way to her left foot, Od couldn’t hide the smirk on his face. Still, something was different. All the sweat, the musk… it didn’t seem so uncomfortable anymore. It was as if his brain was reordering itself to find it all… nearly pleasant. Od shook his head, there was no way he could enjoy something like this. He began to take out his frustration on the sole, attacking it like the training dummies he was experienced with, the soft sole absorbing the blows like a cushioned wall. Annoyingly, his frustrated efforts only seemed to pleasure Cercy further.

  Od was caught unaware when Cercy’s right foot crept up behind him like a stalking predator. Suddenly it pounced, and Od screamed–though it came out more like a squeak–as he found himself sandwiched between the bony surface of Cercy’s right foot, and the squishy underside of her left. Surprisingly, Cercy hardly seemed to notice her own actions, her attention seemed solely aimed at her book.

  Od found himself plastered spread-eagle against the titanic sole, each part of him adhered completely to the warm foot flesh through the unrelenting pressure on all sides. It was as if everything he’d felt before had been multiplied. There was nothing left to breathe aside from her scent, and smothered to her sole, sweat seemed to soak into every fiber of his being. Whether he liked it or not, Cercy had become his entire world. 

  Cercy began to run over him in stuttered intervals, sometimes back and forth, other times he was pressed down in circular motions, or she would stop abruptly, though Od could hardly struggle free under the immense pressure. Cercy’s actions were almost absentminded, as if he was a toy she was fiddling with out of boredom. 

  There wasn’t all, however. Between the sauna-like heat, and the way the slick flesh seemed to conform to every nook-and-cranny, Od soon found himself growing aroused, and with little room to hide it.

  It wasn’t long before a small poke against her foot broke Cercy’s concentration. She gasped, letting her plaything fall to the table below.

  “I-Is that…? Hmph, guess I shouldn’t be surprised someone like you gets so… excited being under my feet,” Cercy giggled.

“I—It doesn’t…” Od panted out.

  “You know, it’s really sad you can’t be honest with yourself even now,” Cercy wagged a chastising finger.

  Od was scooped up in his fleshy prison again. This time however, Cercy had only one intention. The sole rolled over Od once more, leaving him panting against her. He shuddered as Cercy picked up speed, and he knew he would soon reach his limit. When suddenly, it all stopped.

  Cercy lifted her left foot, revealing his battered form scraped against her right. “Admit it. Admit you like being under me,” she commanded.

Od said nothing.

 “Fine then, be that way.” The foot came down again and pinned his midsection under the ball of her foot. Cercy came at him with redoubled vigour, subjecting his length–still sensitive from the sudden temperature–difference to untold levels of intensity. He gritted his teeth, but it felt like a lightning storm of pleasure was arcing inside him, and he desperately needed a release. 

  “Admit you love this, or… or I won’t f-finish you off!” Cercy shouted, parting her toes to reveal his face.

Od couldn’t take it anymore. “Fine! Fine, I love this! So get it over with already!” He cried.

  That was all it took for Od to cum harder than ever before. Black spots swam across his vision as he shook and shivered, his seed shooting on Cercy’s waiting foot. Finally, he was left a panting mess, finally given the release he craved.

  ….

  When it was all over, Cercy placed her feet back on the floor and reclined. “You know, maybe I should just keep you this way. You could give me a massage whenever I wanted, since that seems to be what you’re best at,” she sneered.

“Would you just cut it out already!” Od snapped. 

  “Oh, so now you don’t find it acceptable to treat others like they are incapable, just because of something they can’t control,“ Cercy seethed.

  Od let out a mirthless laugh as he began to rise. Cercy only scowled. “Hmph, I was not making a joke. But I suppose it makes sense that someone who’s never had to fight to be taken seriously wouldn't get that!” Cercy’s voice rose to a shout.

  “No one takes me seriously!” Od countered. Everyone thinks I’m either some idiot who can hardly tell left from right, or a disaster just looking for a place to happen,” he let out another laugh, though it almost sounded like a sob. “And they wouldn’t be far off, you know? I’m already failing half my classes and struggling with the others, not all of us are prodigies here!

“I-I didn’t mean to–”

  “People like  me don’t go to places like this. My parents… it was supposed to be a way out. But I’m three years in and I hardly know what I want out of this place. Not to mention all the money I have no idea how to repay. So, yeah, forgive me if I got a little snippy when someone I hardly knew started lecturing me on my looks and… and conduct when I have bigger problems!” He finished breathlessly.

  Cercy winced as if struck. “I-If you knew your limitations, yet still foolishly tried to work beyond them, that only makes my assessment of you more accurate!” She countered, though her indignant expression seemed fractured.  

  “Fine. you want to know why I’d want to shrink? I thought it would be the only way I’d get a break. I don’t know why, maybe I just liked the idea, maybe I thought it’d be meditative or something, I don’t know! I just wanted to get away,” he gestured around him. “Didn’t exactly work out that way.”

  Weariness soon settled over Od like a heavy blanket, he hadn’t realized how tired he was, and he slumped against the firm spine of one of the many books arranged on the table. A long silence settled over the table, but eventually, the three words that broke it got Od’s full attention. 

“I didn’t know,” a soft voice said.

Od wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. “Course you didn’t,” He muttered

  “Ugh, look… I still can’t understand why you would want to be small, but… I know what it’s like to feel like you’re one step from losing everything…” She trailed off, grasping the hem of her skirt. “And if I were in your position, I think– no, I know, I would try to take it into my own hands as well. So… if I knew, I would have handled things… more maturely.

“Yeah, well I guess I’m not blameless in this either..”

Neither of them met the other’s gaze.

“So… can you unshrink me now?” Od asked with some effort.

“A-Ah… about that,” Cercy replied nervously.

“Cercy…”

  “No it’s not that… It's just that the alchemical building will be closed by this hour, and there will be wards to keep people out. I promise, tomorrow evening,  r-right after my classes.”

“Cercy…!” 

“Fine! …fine, I guess I can skip Practical Transformations.” She muttered somewhat unhappily. 

  Just then, Cercy wrinkled her nose, she sniffed the air twice before she moved Od up in front of her face… before immediately scowling and pulling him back. “Do I… really smell like that?”

Od only shrugged, as if to say ‘your words, not mine.’

“Perhaps… Perhaps there is something I can do for you.”

….

There really was nothing better for a sore body than a hot bath.

  Od sighed contentedly as he relaxed in the water, steam rising around him. He was laying in a small wooden pan, like the ones he could find in a sauna, though where Cercy had found this one, he had no clue. Though honestly, he was far more interested in washing the stale sweat from his… everything.

 “Well, someone’s enjoying himself,” Cercy said as she re-entered the room, her steps creating ripples in the water. Since he had last seen her, she had changed into more casual nightwear. She leaned over the tub and began aimlessly dragging her finger through the water. “You know, you really are quite sturdily built.” She said slowly as if realizing for the first time.

Od chuckled. “Thanks? I guess the training ground isn’t bad for burning stress.”

  “I see, a-and the water’s alright? The heating spell is actually quite elementary,” Cercy suddenly stopped. “Er, but don’t feel bad if it’s beyond you,” she added hastily. 

  Od quirked an eyebrow. After her earlier performance, it was weird to see Cercy tripping over herself, The juxtaposition was nearly comical. Then again, he supposed he didn’t know her all that well. “Say…” he began. “That ‘worship me’ stuff, was that just you? Or did you pull it from somewhere? Forgive me for saying, but you don’t exactly seem the wild type. 

  Cercy went red, but didn’t say anything. After a long moment, she finally muttered “...I guess I could show you.”

 She pushed her chair out delicately and made for her bed. intrigued, Od leaned over the tub’s rail to see her pulling various out-and-ends from beneath it –a colourful feather, a lone piece from a strategy game, a dusty bottle of deep-blue liquid–until finally, she pulled out a simple book bound in a maroon cover, unlike the spotless books dotting the room, this one was clearly well-loved.

  “These are the memoirs belonging to a famous courtesan in the capital. Normally I wouldn’t care about someone so vapid, but this woman… She was a complete visionary! Not only did she have the maturity and allure to charm her way through high society, but her applications of size transformation are ingenious!” Cercy said, her voice growing excited. “For example, just by utilizing the increased sensitivity of a shrunken individual, she could create an attraction by her scent alone! Not to mention…”

  Od smiled, he realized there was none of the condescension or derision he had come to expect from Cercy. In fact, she was actually kinda cute when she got all excited about something.

  “...And I may have taken some inspiration from her more unorthodox methods,” Cercy finished with a blush. Her eyes fell to a passage on the open page, then moved to Od, back to the page, and Od again. Finally she spoke. “Actually, I’ve always been… curious about some items here. I-I don’t know if I’ll ever get another chance, do you think we could…?” She looked at him expectantly.

    Maybe it was the heat getting to him, or maybe it was the lingering memory of that strange pleasantness he’d felt, but Od decided to indulge her. “Well, we’ve already gone this far.”

  Cercy’s whole demeanor lit up. “Great! I just need you to turn around,” she flipped a page.

  Od turned around and sunk deeper into the water. Soon, he began to hear footsteps and rustling behind his back, then a faint sweet smell greeted him. Finally, there was a soft fwup of something hitting the ground. “I… I am ready now,” a nervous voice said.

  There Cercy was, standing naked in front of him. Her arms were nervously clasped behind her back, as her toes pawed the ground. “I’ve been staring at you all evening,” she said softly. “I know I’m not much… but I thought I’d do something to return the favour.”

  Od found himself at a loss for words. Sure, he had been with other girls before, but something about this felt different. Maybe it was how she loomed above him, or how everything about her–the sound of her foot falls, the rise and fall of her chest–seemed so much grander. 

“It’s enough,” Od said through a dry mouth.

  Cercy’s confidence seemed to grow as she approached him. Her gait was slow and catlike as she leaned forward to emphasize her chest. Od’s eyes caught on them. Despite their modest size, they still dwarfed him easily, and he couldn’t help but imagine being pressed between the warm skin, or her moans reverberating through his entire body as he serviced her nipple. For the second time that night, he felt something stir below.

  Still, there was also a sort of trepidation to Cercy’s movements, as if she was rehearsing a script she wasn’t fully comfortable with. Her focused gaze, however, suggested none of this.

   She was so focused in fact, she hardly noticed the lone Chess piece pulled from beneath her bed had rolled directly in her path, not until her foot landed right on it. Cercy gave a pained gasp as she stumbled forward on one foot, her arm reaching out for support. Od could only watch helplessly as the falling hand knocked the tub over the edge, sending him tumbling.

With a conjoined cry, the two collapsed into a heap below.

 “Ugh…” Cercy groaned as she pulled herself up. “Not exactly graceful.” 

  Od, for his part, had his fall broken by the soft skin of her thighs. Though as Cercy pulled herself into a sitting position, he fell between them with a grunt. His new view greeted him with dripping wet skin and a scowl plastered so deeply to Cercy’s face it might have been chiseled on. Still, as he lay there, an odd scent met him. He turned to see the massive lips of her womanhood, they were dripping slightly, as if anticipating him. He stopped laughing.

  With new fantasies entering his mind, he began to approach her entrance almost gingerly, his tongue caught on how to voice his ideas.

 He didn’t have to, however. From above, Cercy stopped consoling herself as she observed his approach, grin widening as she caught on. “Hmph, having a backup plan is quite reliable, you know, but… you’re sure about this one?”

 “I am, so-” he couldn’t even finish his sentence before Cercy’s hand came up behind him and pushed him inside her, his body–still slick from the bath–was easily enveloped by her pink walls.

  Cercy let out a choked gasp as he entered, one hand covered her mouth to suppress a moan, while the other grasped his ankles, as if she was afraid of losing him.

  Od sputtered as the most overwhelming pressure he had ever felt surrounded him on all sides. He instinctually thrashed against it, but the hungry walls only seemed to contract further around him, sending jolts of pleasure up his spine as they pressed down on him.

  Above, Cercy began to push him deeper and faster, her rational thinking quickly being replaced with raw desire. As her orgasm approached, the contractions rolled over Od like an earthquake. His eyes almost rolled back as the silky muscles compressed and rubbed his tiny form, and it wasn’t long before he finished.

  Finally, with a moan she didn’t–or couldn’t–try to suppress, Cercy joined him, Her legs went taut and her toes curled as it rolled through her whole body. Finally, it passed, and she leaned down on the floor, her eyes growing heavy as she lay there.

  A moment later, a drenched and dizzy Od joined her, splayed between her thighs. With a groan, he pulled himself up, one hand against her leg for support. 

  “Cercy?” He called, but there was no response. Od realized her breathing had gone relaxed. She must have been so exhausted, that she’d passed out then and there.

  Od felt himself grow weary as well. He smiled contentedly as he slumped back down, and his eyes closed. 

….

  Aegea stretched languidly as she stood in a warm sunbeam coming from the dorm commons’ window. Of course, it was another beautiful day, but something was off. Her friend Cercy had missed her morning class, something that seemed less likely than the seas freezing over.

  As she approached the dorms, she expected to see a closed door, and perhaps a moping tear-stained girl behind it. Instead… sitting on one of the couches dotting the room, was Cercy herself talking with a tall, tanned boy she had never seen before.

“...If you ever want… “a break” again, then you will need these,” Aegea heard as she saw Cercy press a felt pouch and a wooden tool into his hands.

   Aegea didn’t hear the rest of their conversation, she had already begun walking away, a knowing smile on her face as she decided to leave the two to their own devices.

  Yet as she left, a final snippet of their conversation floated her way, though she could not be sure which one said it.

  “Apology accepted.”