Luke had aged to somewhere between 17 and 19 but from his perspective he doubled in height and weight, so he must have doubled in age too... Besides that he wanted to stay with and watch over his brothers.
"No! I don't want to be old, and I don't want to be with some stupid girl! I don't know anything about farming and I don't want to! I want to play video games! Change me BACK!" Luke screamed, only having the communication skills of a 7 year old.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that child." The magician made a gesture and Luke fell into a daze. "The physical changes are immediate but the mental changes will take a few hours. The inside is so much more complex than the outside you know... and that's the part that really matters after all, isn't it?"
"Yes, I suppose it is..." she gazed at Luke suspiciously. "My father told me of your work but I just need to confirm for myself if you don't mind." She said biting her lip.
"Of course darling, ask away." the Magician cooed.
"You aren't changing his lifespan, he still has just as many years to be alive, he will just live them in a slightly older body, right?" she asked worried about the moral implications of what she was doing.
"Yes dear, and for that very purpose I must refuse you, should you request a 100 year old boyfriend. His living past the age of 160 would draw some unwanted attention from the mundane world and supernatural attention wouldn't be far behind." The magician replied, despite his comedic smile the threat seemed quite serious.
"Very good, and these boys truly are orphans? Not some... annoying men you wish to be rid of or punish?" her accusing look was fierce but the magician burst out laughing.
"Oh! My my, you're such a delight. I certainly have transformed men in the past, as punishment, and I will undoubtedly do so again in the future. However I can 100% assure you these boys came to me as such, and I truly believe this is their best chance to lead a happy and possibly even somewhat productive life. Now if my word isn't enough to convince you I am sure your own logic is." A mischievous smirk came across the magicians face... "Do you really think my powers extend only to age, musculature, and memories? If a man truly became a threat or hindrance to me, do you really think they'd remain a man for any period of time?"
"You've turned men into women?" She asked.
"Only when I really want to make sure they suffer." The magician answered without skipping a beat. "Horses when I think they need to work off a debt to me or society, and dogs if they aren't awful people but cant be trusted to not become awful people..." The magician let out a light chuckle. "I'm practically a one man humanitarian group and I surely do not consider becoming your boyfriend a punishment for any of the unsavory folks I find myself needing to deal with."
"But to the heart of your line of questioning... If I had not intervened... their futures..." A tarot deck flew up from the table, it's cards forming a spinning circle with the backs facing the pair, randomly cards would show their face then flip back. Through the circle the boys were visible but a hazy film materialized and instead a movie of the boy's future played.
The boys stole and scavenged to eat. As they entered puberty their bodies demanded more and within a few more years, a particularly harsh winter would have claimed Ethan in the night while they were squatting in an abandoned building. The summer that, Luke would have gotten severe food poisoning followed by a flu and they would have lost him from severe dehydration due to the illnesses and summer heat. Dylan would have been heartbroken and alone having lost his entire family over 6 years. Now 16 he would eventually find work and be doing better with only himself to support. He would have continued on but once a young man, he would have gotten drunk and get himself accidentally killed in a bar fight ending his family line.
"That, that's awful!" the young woman exclaimed.
"It would be, it COULD be, but it won't be." the magician gestured to Luke as the cards set themselves back upon the table. "You are doing him a service and he will repay you for it. This isn't a perfect system but I do believe it's better than what we just saw. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I suppose there's no question about it. I appreciate you entertaining my questions." the girl exclaimed.