Tiny Kobold!
In the portrait a small green kobold, no taller than 3 1/2 feet, was holding hands with Mark on what appeared to be their wedding day. A peculiar feature of the image was that even Katie and David were a good deal taller than her, but despite the odd proportions, the awkward crocked smile plastered on the tiny creature's muzzle and the real joy in Mark's eyes sent a happy tingle down Jeff’s spine. A spin that now seemed to extend past her tailbone and continue into a nubby reptilian appendage. Narrow shoulders, plush skin like scales, and a pair of small perky breasts made up her petite upper body. Further below was a large eye-catching derriere cushioning Jeff’s rear end, giving her an exaggerated pear-shape in conjunction with her smaller upper half. Wide birthing hips and long digitigrade Legs ending in blunt talons complemented this cute bottom-heavy silhouette. As she continued to shrink, for some reason her perspective at the table did not follow suit. Looking down she saw why; a high chair was seated beneath her plump rump. It was complete with images of some child’s cartoons scribbled out, the thing obviously repurposed for someone with, erm, “vertical difficulties”. In fact it was even a tight fit, her hips wider than the plastic arms, the thing not being built for individuals with lower assets like her own. A small clawed hand reached up to cover her now blushing draconic muzzle, surprise and embarrassment clear on her face.
“What’s wrong Jericho, you look flustered?”, said Mark. New knowledge and experience filled Jeffs mind. Yes, his, or now she guesses HER, name was Jericho, wasn’t it? She felt a good deal less, how would she put it, intelligent? Not exactly slow, just that pure textbook learning was replaced with a sort of quick mischievous cunning natural to any kobold such as herself. Yes, that’s what she was, a Kobold! The most noble and regal of races. Of course Mark would have such discerning taste in his lovers!
While reveling in this self-evident truth, Jericho was surprised by the words that came out of her tiny mouth; "yes-yes love mine, just thought had" in cute, skittish, and somewhat broken English.
Jericho beamed her husband a lively smile, soft scaly cheeks pulling back in childlike amusement.
She promptly moved on from the subject and picked up a slice of pizza, biting into the sloppy meal contentedly. It was as if two parts of her were acting in tandem, one was naturalized and the other just getting to grips with the situation; slowly accepting this reality as the old Jeff's life faded into the background and this new one came to the forefront.
Mark looked on happily at his odd little kobold bride. Ever since his previous wife died, Jericho has kept him together. Maybe not entirely filling that hole in his heart, but definitely soothing that wound. It wasn't exactly a traditional marriage, but it was one that he cherished nonetheless.
"Mhhh, good-good, Mark makes best cheesed bread! you should be cook!" Jericho looked on with full honesty in her big expressive eyes.
"hehe, what do you mean, I just microwaved some of that frozen stuff, it's no chef de cuisine, your cooking’s much better."
"well, you microwave pizza good, me not so good. If not distract, Jericho would eat all pizza."
The kids chuckled amongst themselves at the absent-minded thing that was now their step-mother.
"Maybe if you told us what’s biting your tail so bad you could get back to eating instead of staring off into the distance every few seconds!" David exclaimed.
Jericho tapped her muzzle in mock thought for a moment and said “mhh, no-no, Jericho no think it matter" as she fully naturalized into her current role.
It was a challenge to get used to someone who was supposedly your step-mother, but was a good head and shoulders shorter than you, but the kids had adjusted to this new life surprisingly well. Having to help Jericho reach high shelves until they got a proper set of foot stools, getting used to small trinkets being stolen and horded under their parents’ bed, and dealing with an adult who sometimes acted more like a younger sister, or even a pet! But despite this, Jericho was committed to their good upbringing, putting in a lot of effort into make sure her adopted clutch grew strong and healthy, even if that meant the occasional wormcake put into their lunch boxes every now and then when she forgets about those odd human dietary habits. At the very least, they could say it was never boring! And maybe that was the best they could ask for.
Dinner eventually came to a close and the kids ran off, completely abandoning their dirty plates for someone else to clean up. Mark sighed, and before Jericho could wiggle her fat hips out of the high top to get the dishes, he got up and started clearing. Putting them in the sink and starting to wash off the tomato sauce and imbedded cheese. At first glance he seemed all too happy to do so, eager even, but Jericho knew when Mark wasn’t feeling like Mark. He put on a carefree smile, but there was a palpable sense of anxiety about him.
Jericho wrangled herself out of the snug high top with some difficulty and jumped down to the floor. She slowly walking over to Mark’s side, her talloned feet clacking against the linoleum. Reaching up on her tippy-toes the kobold pulled on his sleeve, drawing his gaze. She sternly looked into his eyes, and bluntly stated "We need talk, now".
She dragged the much larger man towards their shared bedroom. Less through the force of her own strength and more from the man’s surprised compliance towards the usually unassertive Kobold.
She might not be the sharpest tooth in the maw, but she knew when something was bothering her mate. And she knew for a fact that he: