[color=ed1c24][b]Camilla, Star and Valen[/b][/color]
Collab with [@RedDusk]&[@January][hr]
Another deep frown threatened to mar Valen’s expression, and it took a considerate amount of willpower to keep his face blank. The servant was beyond rude and abrasive, despite the fact that Valen had already lower his expectation immensely after the tense welcome on the bridge. Then again, Lancelot was aledgedly a traitor, and he employed beastmen and goblins in his service. Of course, he shouldn’t have expected class and courtesy from such a man. 
 
Or whatever he had become. 
 
Valen simply adjusted the collar of his vest once more before stepping back. He got the information he needed at least. Walking back to Star’s side, he then leaned down and spoke low to the fae. 
 
“[color royalblue]Allow me to escort you to your chamber, my lord.[/color]”
 
[color DCDAFF]"Mm, I'll allow anything if you're the one offering, Sky,"[/color] the "lord" replied, snatching the opportunity to give Valen's cheek a kiss before the knight-impostor drew away.

Valen couldn't hold back an annoyed grunt, though he smoothed it out quickly enough by adding a fake cough.
 
However, just as they were getting ready to leave, the strange young women announced an invitation to her ‘lab’, before walking off. Usually, Valen wouldn’t have given her a second glance, but the mention of flesh mending and the name Camilla did give him pause. Was she a healer? Then it would be beneficial for them to introduce themselves and get on her good side, strange as she was. 
 
“[color royalblue]On second thought, my lord, perhaps you fancy a stroll?[/color]”
 
Star, in fact, did not fancy a stroll, but he looked at Valen curiously all the same. [color DCDAFF]"I suppose...?"[/color]
 
The basement was not hard to find, though Valen did wonder briefly why Lancelot assigned such a damp and dark space for someone with a seemingly useful skillset. He brushed that thought off and made three knocks on the wooden door to announce his presence. 
  
The knock woke up Camilla up, though not the still sleeping wall girl from a simple glance upwards. Camilla could already see some of the flesh she stuck on the wall growing just a little bit more. By the end of the week, she should have all of the wall covered, and most of her machineries set up. 

[color=fff79a]"Come in,"[/color] she spoke, standing up and turning to the door.

[color DCDAFF]"Amazing! Grotesque, but amazing!"[/color] Star remained near the door, his fascination restricted only to visual appreciation as he looked around the disturbing room. Disembodied wall flesh was one of the rare types of body parts he actually would [i]not[/i] touch--at least, not without some large sum of money involved.

Valen simply regarded the fleshy patches with suspicion in his eyes, slightly confused. These creations were...impossible. There were indeed traces of magic on them, but they did not stink of it. It was curious, how these monstrosities came to be, and Valen couldn't wait to find out more about them. 

"[color royalblue]Greetings, my lady. May I introduce my lord Valen of Aldebaran?[/color]" -He gestured toward Star, who half-bowed politely as greeting, though he maintained his position between the fae and the clocksmith -"[color royalblue]We have decided to take you on your offer and hopefully, we can get more...acquainted with your craft?[/color]" -He raised his voice a bit at the end, phrasing the sentence like a question.  

 Camilla gave them both the look over, lingering over 'Valen' a mite longer than she did 'the knight'. Valen of Aldebaran was it? The name rung a bell, but she did not pursue her curiosity. 
 
Yet.
 
[color=fff79a]"A pleasure. Once again, I'm Camilla."[/color] Giving a look towards her still sparse lab, she cleared away a surface for them to lie on. [color=fff79a]"Tis just a bit of examination. Quite necessary, I assure you, to ensure that I could put you back together."[/color]
 
Already she was getting excited, enough so that she did not entertain the thought that these guests might have questions floating around in their head. Flesh was flesh, and she took pride in her work, as she always did. Any true craftsman would be able to understand her feelings, though they might not extend that understanding to her current craft.

Valen's gaze turned back to Star. 

"[color royalblue]The healer [i]requests[/i], my lord.[/color]" -He gave a toothy smile -"[color royalblue]Perhaps you should comply.[/color]"

Despite his expression, Valen did have doubts about the flesh smith. Then again, having an efficient healer ready for Star was more important, so he held his emotions in check. At least, he was near. Should the woman do something strange, Valen was confident that he could stop her magic.  

Star leaned back against the wall, a pleasant smile on his face while he addressed Camilla.

[color DCDAFF]"My knight could certainly use the healing. If you would be so kind as to focus your efforts on him?"[/color]

"[color royalblue]A humble servant does not require healing, my lord. The lady should save it for the more important ones. Such as you, my lord.[/color]"

Camilla could only keep up that smile as she observed the two while waiting. Something was definitely up; they seemed both a tad too friendly with each other.

[color DCDAFF]"No no. You first. I insist--wait--I command it."[/color] The smile turned into a mischievous smirk and Star tilted his head slightly, waiting for Valen's reaction.

Valen looked like he swallowed something bitter, but he knew better than to make another remark. Knights were supposed to follow orders, weren't they?

Without another word, he took a few steps toward Camilla, shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. 

"[color royalblue]I am at your disposal, healer.[/color]"

Smilling brightly, Camilla clapped her hands together. [color=fff79a]"Then, can I ask you to take off your clothes then lie down here? I need to touch bare skin to properly examine you."[/color]

It did not actually matter even if he had armor on, but piercing through that with her hand shaped like an auger was unlikely to be well received, both because she would destroy whatever they were wearing and because of the image of her stabbing someone with something sharp.

"[color royalblue]As you wish.[/color]" -Valen nodded, then complied, but not without visible discomfort. He also only removed the clothes covering his upper body, not wanting to expose himself any further. 

Camilla glanced at his body appreciatively. It was one used to hard exercise it would seem, shaped presumably by his martial exercises and practice. It seemed healthy, no doubt due to having enough food to eat, excercise to tone the muscles as well as some sunlight to enrich it. Like a botanist appraising a plant in a pot, it was just as easy for her to discern that just from observation alone.

[color=fff79a]"Well, lets start the examination."[/color] she grinned, laying her hands on his chest.

For a moment, she felt around his chest, feeling the hard muscles underneath his skin, before pressing down on it. Her eyes twitched at that, as her hands simply felt the resistance of a well toned body. Moving her hands to his stomach instead, she found that even there she could not manipulate his flesh so easily. There was an odd slight tingling in her hands however, most noticeable whenever she tried to actively manipulate his flesh. Stepping back with a puzzled look, she molded her hands together, moving her flesh around to make sure her abilities were still working.

[color=fff79a]"Apologies, but it seems my abilities aren't working on you,"[/color] she spoke, still wearing that puzzled look. [color=fff79a]"I have no idea why, but do not worry. I will simply have to resort to a more... manual sort of healing with you. Should you get injured that is."[/color]

[color DCDAFF]"What a shame, Sky. But thank you, my lady, for offering your assistance. I'm sure we'll have to rely on you in the days to come,"[/color] Star said, bowing again to the strange healer for a longer duration this time before straightening. [color DCDAFF]"There isn't much we could offer that would interest someone so well-versed as you, I'm sure, but in exchange our assistance is also at your disposal should you need it."[/color]

Valen already half-expected the outcome, given his nature and magic. A part of him was relieved, in a sense, because he had seen the woman worked her magic in the hall before, and it seemed strangely...violating. But she must produce results, right? Why else would Lancelot require her presence? 

"[color royalblue]Your turn, my lord.[/color]" -He addressed Star as he shrugged his clothes back on, the crease on his brows made it clear that he would not take no for an answer. 

[color DCDAFF]"Don't be silly, Sky. If I'm hurt, I'll either heal normally or die. No need to waste our fellow knight's time on the mundane. Now let's retreat to our accommodations. I'm sure the lady would like to resume her work in peace now that we've ascertained different sorts of healing need be invoked on you."[/color]

"[color royalblue]My lord.[/color]" -Valen repeated, the frown deepened. 

[color DCDAFF]"You're such a worrywart. I mean to say that our dear healer is no doubt completely attuned to the workings of a typical human body. Nothing really needs examining on my part."[/color]

Star sauntered to the glowering bodyguard, resting his hands on his hips and leaning his weight on one foot, the very picture of "try me" as he regarded Valen's look with his own nonchalant stare.

[i]This is actually quite fun to observe,[/i] Camilla thought.

But as to why they seemed rather opposed to her examining them... . Well, she wouldn't know why but that just makes her want to examine 'Valen' more. There were already some questions running around her head about those two, and the oddness of the knight just made more questions appear. Deciding she'd take the matter into her own hands, she simply extended her hand towards 'Valen', enterring their body easily.

The sudden intrusion without his consent took the fae by surprise, and it felt like cold water rushing into his body where Camilla's hand penetrated him. The chill ran up his spine and he gasped for air, bracing himself against Valen's arm in surprise.

Valen grabbed him instinctively, craddling the fae in his arms as he flicked his gaze to Camilla. For a moment, he looked hostile, almost ready to push the woman off his 'lord', but he mellowed soon enough, merely holding Star in place so the flesh smith could finish her examination while Star shuddered in his arms.

[color=fff79a]"Heeh... So this is why you were so against an examination?"[/color]

So one of those people with certain tastes; men who like men and men who like crossdressing. That, she paid no mind to, but this 'Valen' person certainly wasn't human. That was easy enough to tell once she got her hands in him, though it certainly wasn't the sort of inhuman that she was really interested in. That looks the knight gave her intrigued her as well.

[color=fff79a]"So, which was it? Afraid I was about to find out who you really were? Or afraid I would find out you weren't human?"[/color] Unconsciously, she puffed up slightly with pride before speaking again. [color=fff79a]"I'm not sure about the latter, but I can change the first if you like. Changing body parts and sculpting flesh to fit a new look is easy for me."[/color]

As if to prove her point, her face rippled for a moment, changing into Liv's countenance. Her hair grew to match, as horns sprouted easily from her head. 

Star heaved several steadying breaths as the girl chattered with her water-cold hands still submerged within him. Not being human was the least of his worries in their sort of company, but he couldn't quite fathom what she meant by the first part.

[color DCDAFF]"P-Pardon the--question,"[/color] he forced the words out through gritted teeth, resisting his body's instinctive shivering, [color DCDAFF]"but I'm--I'm not sure what you mean. R-regardless I don't need any chang--changes."[/color] He gripped Valen's arm harder, swallowing in an attempt to allay the discomfort.

[color=fff79a]"Ah, I see."[/color] Grinning widely, she started focusing on his form. [color=fff79a]"Perhaps a demonstration is in order."[/color]

Now focusing on her ideal self, 'Valen''s body started to change. His features started to soften even more, his skin turning a lighter colour. There was no fanfare, no flashy effects, just his body rippling and changing as she worked her craft on him, sculpting him in her mind's eye. There was no pain as she made adjustments to his bone structure, and his entire body's makeup. Perhaps a slight numbness as his chest swelled slightly, his lips turning slightly fuller and his hips widening. 

[color=fff79a]"This is what I meant."[/color] She moved closer to the knight and lord embracing each other, both to admire her handiwork and to relieve the odd feeling of working from afar with her extended arms.

Star felt the anxiety the moment a strange tingling permeated his body, immediate fears of becoming another flesh decoration on the girl's wall reigning over his thoughts. The hasty conclusion skidded to a halt the moment he felt his chest rise into female form, pressing against Valen's body. There was shock and there was...sadness.

It took a moment for the thoughts to settle and the numbing sensation to fade, but his body felt fine again aside from the now-familiar pangs along the insides of his thighs, though the strange discomfort of the girl's hands remained.

Star hadn't responded to the change aside from a sudden gasp, but now he looked up at Valen, the face clearly that of a woman's and a question on his tongue that he didn't dare ask. Old conversations and joking suggestions of becoming a more "male appropriate" concubine flashed through his thoughts, and he wondered if Valen had come to a decision by now, especially when the answer seemed so easily presented to them.

Yet, Valen seemed blind to Star's current condition, instead focusing fully on the woman. His grey eyes seemed alight with fury as he bellowed.

"[color royalblue]What did you do? Fix this![/color]"

Star flinched at the sudden sound, but held onto Valen all the same. [color DCDAFF]"Wait!"[/color] the female voice that rang out made him pause, the sound unnervingly different from what his mind had always been used to. Shaking it off as best he could, Star continued, [color DCDAFF]"If you--if you want this more..."[/color] The implication remained unsaid.

Valen only gave Star a withering look. Another word and the woman could likely guess at their disguises. He wouldn't have that.

Camilla's eyes narrowed slightly, as her grin seemed to grow wider. It would seem her suspicions of something strange between them was right. A forbidden romance perhaps? One their respective families did not approve of?

[color=fff79a]"Fix what?"[/color] Realizing she had just changed 'Valen' without asking for their preference, she spoke again. [color=fff79a]"Ah yes, of course, perhaps I had been too hasty. I quite forgot to ask you for your preferences. Did you want to be taller perhaps? Longer hair? More exotic colors for your eyes?"[/color]

There was a quiet sigh, but Star gathered his composure once more--as much as he could in the face of what seemed a convenient solution to their problem.

[color DCDAFF]"...Would you mind doing as Sky asks? I share a room with him, after all, and his mood tends to become my problem for days on end."[/color] A weak, shaking laugh followed the half-joke, but Star's gaze seemed directed elsewhere. [color DCDAFF]"If it ever...becomes an issue, I'll be sure to consult your expertise."[/color]

Blinking, Camilla stared emptily for a moment at 'Valen', before realizing what they meant.

[color=fff79a]"Eeeh...."[/color] Sighing, she focused on her image of 'Valen' once again, sending his body rippling once again, turning him back to his original form. [color=fff79a]"I understand. A sudden image change would be shocking for one not prepared for it after all."[/color]

There was a slight hesitation as she wondered if they would notice if she left him with two sets down there, but ultimately decided against it as she pulled out her hand. 

Sighing once again, with a slightly disappointed look on her face, she addressed them both. [color=fff79a]"With that, I have examined the both of you to the best of my abilities, all things considered. Do return to me in the future, should any of you be inflicted with disease, plague or injuries. Or perhaps even any sort of machines to be repaired."[/color]

[color DCDAFF]"Certainly,"[/color] the now-restored Star nodded, stepping away from Valen once the girl had finished her experimentation. He would have felt offense at the callous disregard for his personal space and permission, but he supposed as long as no harm was done, the matter could be settled at just that. It left only one thing to say. [color DCDAFF]"And Camilla? ...I appreciate the thought."[/color]

With another half-bow, the fae left the room, limping almost imperceptibly as another shot of ache spread across his thighs. The experience had been a bit more rattling than he had let on, but his hasty departure was enough to signal something was amiss, if not physically then mentally.

Valen turned to follow Star outside then, though he still threw a dark look at the flesh smith over his shoulder. 

"[color royalblue]Thank you, healer. Though I would appreciate you informing us of any...experiments [i]before[/i] performing them.[/color]" 

With that said, he hurried to catch up for Star. Clearly, they needed to talk.