NOVEL NEXT Chapter 216: Cassiopeia at work
Note: discussion of gender dysphoria and transition
The new patient was named Vivi Chandler.
She came Redmond town, and like many other Redmond town residents, she had seen and read many of the information booklets released by the Rosewood Group.
Usually, those information booklets informed residents about new laws, planned events, office hours at the Rosewood Group help office, support groups and initiatives available, new products being released, and new job openings.
Ahead of Prince Pollux’s first visit a year ago, the Rosewood Group had released a few booklets with facts about Angio; and when Earl Rosewood visited the Hraun Nation, the Rosewood Group had a few booklets with facts about the Hraun Nation. There was even a small booklet with recipes from Earl Rosewood.
In short, these information booklets’ contents spanned the entire gamut. They were completely free, making them a cost-effective way to learn a bit more about the world, and also to practice reading.
For those who rather pay, the Rosewood Group compiled a lot of the booklets’ contents into books for sale.
The booklets about gender and sexuality diversity didn’t seem particularly odd to the Rosewood residents, given the context.
Vivi—though that wasn’t her name back then—also didn’t think much of it, and just read them to idly past the time during the cold winter.
She hadn’t expected to be proverbially struck in the chest.
She had felt vaguely uncomfortable with her body since puberty, but she couldn’t identify it. Until now.
Once she knew, she started to dislike her body more and more.
But what could she do about it? She didn’t even dare to buy a dress.
She…wasn’t even sure if she was a woman.
What if? What if? What if?
Vivi fell into a gloom that none of her family could understand.
The news that Earl Rosewood was opening a clinic for ‘gender transition’ felt like a huge boulder was taken off her shoulders. She still other boulders—including the boulder called telling her friends and family. But now she had an idea, a direction she could take.
Eventually, the clinic opened, and the Rosewood help office put up a poster advertising the clinic in Redmond town, including a note about subsidies available.
However, Vivi was too apprehensive to take up the offer.
The reason why she finally went to the Capital was because her childhood friend’s eyes were too sharp.
Cerdic worked in the Rosewood group, and perhaps that was why he noticed something off and (somewhat) correctly identified it, asking her if she was gay, or if she wanted him to source certain books for her.
The rest felt like history.
Cerdic was the one who told her that ‘Vivi’ was a great name.
With Cerdic’s support, Vivi mustered up the courage to speak with the Rosewood staff member in charge of the clinic. They were told that they could travel with Earl Rosewood to the Capital and back. With the Earl Rosewood!
Cerdic agreed for her, telling her it was an amazing opportunity.
To be honest, she felt that Cerdic’s admiration for Earl Rosewood was a bit too much, but then again, most of the people who signed up to work for the Rosewood Group either already liked Earl Rosewood, or somehow came to admire him after working.
After a bit more hesitation, Vivi locked in a consultation date with the clinic, and a travel-with-Earl-Rosewood date.
Vivi and Cerdic didn’t travel in the Rosewood carriage, but they were still part of the contingent. They didn’t stay at the main Rosewood house, but they stayed at the Rosewood secondary property for free.
And then, on the morning of the appointment, Earl Rosewood came over, personally, to pick them up!
“Nervous?” Earl Rosewood said calmly.
“A little bit…” Vivi chuckled nervously. To be fair, she was nervous both because of the pending appointment, and because Earl Rosewood was right there. Wasn’t there a rumour that seeing Earl Rosewood was good luck?
“Healer Cassiopeia Schauss is young, but excellent. She’s much better than me,” Earl Rosewood said, his voice even and his gaze steady. “Approach the meeting thinking about your ideal future and try not to worry about anything else. If you still have any concerns after talking with Healer Schauss, you can tell me.”
“Yes, my Lord…” She was distinctly aware that she was still dressed in men’s clothing and looked like a man to everyone else.
Cerdic gave her a supportive nudge.
Earl Rosewood escorted them to the clinic and introduced them to the young Healer Cassiopeia Schauss.
Healer Schauss was even younger than they expected, and very pretty too, with long wavy hair and a lovely dress.
Healer Schauss was so lucky to be a girl…
Healer Schauss smiled and welcomed them into the consultation room.
“Hello, Ms Chandler, I heard that you were interested in medically transitioning from male to female,” Healer Schauss said.
“Yes,” Vivi said.
Healer Schauss gave a friendly smile. “Not a problem. Have you been informed about the range of changes that can be made?”
Vivi nodded. “Yes, back in the Rosewood fief.”
“Please allow me to go through it all again, in more detail,” Healer Schauss said.
Healer Schauss’s voice was confident and clear, showing her experience despite her young age. She went through the range of changes that could be done, explaining a little about the process, and flagging which procedures required a reference person and which procedures didn’t due to her prior experience.
For example, Healer Schauss could remove facial hair without a reference. She could also turn testicles into ovaries that produced feminising hormones and remodel a penis into a clitoris and urethra opening without a reference.
Healer Schauss had experience in this? Had she done this before? Was there another person out there like Vivi?
However, Healer Schauss would need a reference person to reduce the Adam’s apple, to speed up the growth of breasts (though noting that they would also naturally grow due to the feminising hormones), to give her the ability to breast feed, to craft a vagina, and to possibly even give her the ability to having children, by forming a uterus inside her body and triggering the testicles-turned-ovaries to produced eggs.
Vivi’s heart didn’t slow down. She had read the information sheet previously, but hearing in greater detail was still overwhelming.
Healer Cassiopeia continued, “Changing face structure would be hard but not impossible. And unfortunately, changing your height is the most difficult, and there hasn’t been good study into this yet due to the risk. But everything else can be done. We can start with whichever area you want, and we can go fast or slow, according to your preference.”
“I’m not too tall so that’s fine,” Vivi said, smiling weakly. She exhaled. “That all sounds good.”
“I will follow your preferences, and I can also reverse anything if you don’t like it,” Healer Schauss said. “Is there anything you want to start with first? Or is there anything you really want done?”
“There are many things…”
In Vivi’s pocket, she had folded up that information sheet, marking out all the things that she had wanted. Which, on the ‘male to female’ information column, had been everything.
“Yes?”
“However, I was told that it would take many regular sessions, but I have work back in the Rosewood fief,” Vivi said.
“In that case, you could have fewer, more intense sessions, whenever you can find time to come to the Capital,” Healer Schauss said. “It may be a bit painful during the session but it won’t be painful afterwards.”
Vivi glanced at her friend.
Cerdic said, “What about starting now? But we don’t have a reference person.”
Healer Schauss’s eyes brightened. “We can certainly start now with the areas where I don’t need a reference person. I also work at the clinic tomorrow, so you can come back tomorrow too.”
Vivi exhaled. “Please do.”
Healer Schauss smiled. “Great. All you need to do is sit there. There’s a selection of books here, I recommend picking on to read while I work. My magic will enter your body, and it may be uncomfortable, but this first session shouldn’t be painful at all. I’m going to step out and give you a few minutes to prepare yourself.”
“Okay.”
Healer Schauss indeed got up and walked out of the consultation room, closing the door behind her.
Vivi immediately stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. There were a lot of books there, ranging from medical texts to Rosewood Group information books and novels. “You should get something to read too,” she said.
“I’m fine with anything,” Cerdic said. Not in the tone of not caring, but in the tone of—there can’t be anything bad in this bookshelf. “However, do you still want me to stay? I could go and wait outside if that’s more comfortable.”
Vivi glanced at him. “Do you want to see Earl Rosewood?”
Cerdic choked. “I’m just thinking about you!” he protested.
“You can stay…”
“Alright, pass me a book. Is there a book co-written by Earl Rosewood?”
“…No.”
“Awww. Any book is fine then.”
Vivi selected two books and handed the one printed by the Rosewood Group to Cerdic.
Healer Schauss knocked at the door before entering. “Ready?” she asked, her voice bright.
“Yes.”
“Alright, I’ll begin with your face first,” Healer Schauss said.
Vivi glanced down at her book, but she wasn’t reading. A tingling sensation came across her face.
Cassiopeia started easy: the removal of facial hair.
In fact, it wasn’t that she didn’t need a reference person, but because she could use the skin on her own face and the skin on Ms Chandler’s face (the part that didn’t have facial hair), as references.
The face, on all genders, had hair. There was the fine vellus hair, and the dark and thick terminal hair. What Cassiopeia did was push out (kill) the terminal hair cells and replaced the area with cells that produced vellus hair. Cassiopeia discretely manipulated the dead hair and dead skin cells into a tucked-away bin.
As Cassiopeia worked, she became more familiar with the process, and so she went faster and faster.
The possibility of developing this into a spell, which would be useful to ‘remove’ hair from other body parts, was at the back of Cassiopeia’s mind.
Ms Chandler was clean shaven, so there didn’t appear to be much hair. But slowly, as the hair roots were changed, Ms Chandler’s face became brighter.
Over an hour later, Cassiopeia did one last check, before casting a general healing spell to sooth any traumatised skin. “And that’s done.” She took out a small hand mirror and handed it over. “Please take a look.”
Ms Chandler hesitantly touched her face, her fingers sliding across smooth skin. “Thank you…”
“That’s just the start,” Cassiopeia said. “Please tell me if there’s anything you don’t like. We’ll need to start on the testicles-to-ovaries conversion soon, before testosterone affects your face and re-produces facial hair again. I’ll be here the rest of today and tomorrow.”
“We don’t have any plans,” Ms Chandler said. “We can continue after lunch, if you’re available.”
Cassiopeia nodded. “Of course!”
Cassiopeia: You know…have you thought about being a Northern Duke?
Ren Xiyang: ?
Cassiopeia (excited): They’re the male leads in romance novels, they have black hair and red eyes and are super domineering!
Ren Xiyang: I’m an earl…
Cassiopeia (deflated): True…
Rian: Interesting 😏
Vivi Chandler’s name is made from the suggestion “Vivian” (by The_other_Abe) and “Chandler” (by Trin). Thanks!
I just wanted to recommend/give a shout out to two stories (BL) that I’ve been reading lately:
Fun and funny, if you like BL with some gaming vibes (here, the characters play an MMORPG, with the main couple in different ~rival~ guilds), then recommend for some light reading!
Fantasy, and the love interest is a FIRE mage!! (well, the equivalent of a fire mage, with the ability to use other elements) I have a soft spot for fire mages 🥰😉, if you do as well, I recommend checking this out!
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