Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
June, x785.
While Alfonzo was conversing with the Elrics in the living room, Winry was standing in the middle of Elicia's workstation in nothing but her bra and panties. And the reason for that was simple, Elicia was currently moving around her, taking her measurements for the clothes she would design and create for her.
"You know, I don't think this is necessary." Winry said awkwardly while the rest of the girls stood around and watched Elicia work.
"There's no point in trying to stop her, you know." Cana said before taking a swig from her flask.
"Cana's right." Mirajane said with a smile. "Once Lici gets the idea to make clothes, there's no stopping her."
"Why would you even want to?" Marin asked in a tone filled with confusion. "I mean, Lici makes the best clothes in the world."
Hearing that, Elicia smiled brightly as she took down Winry's measurements.
"Yeah, but there's no need to make something just for me." Winry said. "I mean, I would be fine with just having a few pieces that you can find in the stores."
"Nope." Elicia said as she wrapped the measuring tape around Winry's shoulders. "You're way too pretty to not have something special made for you."
In response, the only thing Winry could do was sigh while smiling wryly.
"I don't know why you're complaining, girl." Cana said with a roguish grin. "Once Lici is done with you, that little boyfriend of yours won't be able to take his eyes off you."
Immediately, Winry's wry smile turned into an embarrassed expression with a deep blush.
"Wh-wh-what are you talking about?" Winry squeaked out. "Ed's not my boyfriend! We're just childhood friends!"
"Huh?" Cana exclaimed in feigned confusion. "But I never mentioned anything about Ed. Oh ho! Looks like there's more to your relationship than just being childhood friends, huh?"
Somehow, Winry managed to blush even harder as she lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.
"Stand up straight!" Elicia barked as Winry started shrinking into herself.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Winry replied subconsciously as she stood up straight once again.
"Lici can be really intense when she's working, huh?" Sun said with a shocked expression on her face.
Not only Sun, but everyone was surprised at Elicia's tone. Since none of them ever moved while Elicia was taking their measurements, they never got to see this side of her.
"Sorry." Elicia replied with a wry smile. "I just don't want there to be any mistakes."
With that, the girls stopped teasing Winry... for now. Meanwhile, Elicia focused on taking down all of Winry's measurements. A little while later, Elicia put down her measuring tape before sitting down at her workstation.
"Alright, the measurements are done." Elicia said happily. "Why don't you girls take Winry to have a bath in the hot tub."
"Hot tub?" Winry asked in a confused tone.
"Oh, that's a great idea." Mirajane said, not one to say no to a nice dip in the hot tub. "Trust me, you'll love it. It'll be like no bath you've ever taken before."
"Uh... Okay?" Winry said, still confused by the term. "But aren't all baths hot? Why do you need to call it a hot tub?"
Hearing that, Elicia, Cana, Mirajane, Marin, and sun could not help but laugh.
"Just trust us, okay?" Cana said as she started pushing Winry towards the master bedroom. "Once you've taken a bath in here, you'll never be able to compare the two."
"Okay, okay, I can walk by myself." Winry said as she was pushed along.
"This is gonna be fun." Sun said happily as she followed along.
"Yeah, there's never a bad time for a dip in the hot tub." Mirajane added.
Meanwhile, although Marin did not add to the conversation, she skipped alongside the girls with a smile on her face.
"Oh, and since none of you brought a change of clothes, there should be enough robes for everyone in my closet." Elicia called from behind while quickly sketching the design she had in mind for Winry.
"Which one?" Marin asked from the master bedroom.
"Actually, now that you mention it..." Elicia said, stopping to think for a moment. "I think they're in Fonzie's closet."
"Looks like Alfonzo was right." Mirajane said with a smile. "He always said half of his closet would be filled with your stuff by the time it was all said and done."
"Whatever, Mira~~~!" Elicia replied playfully.
A little more than an hour later, the girls, now wearing bathrobes in assorted colors, walked through the master bedroom, looking rather refreshed. Meanwhile, Elicia was checking her nearly completed work.
"Ah~~~! There's nothing better than taking a dip in the hot tub while having a drink." Cana said with a relaxed smile on her face.
"Well, when you consider that you drink everywhere, I think that lowers the impact, Cana." Marin said playfully.
"What did you say?" Cana asked with a mock expression of anger. "Why don't you say that again?"
With that, Cana lunged at Marin, who hid behind Mirajane to escape. Then, the two ran circles around Mirajane playfully.
"Well, I don't know about having a drink in the hot tub, but that was amazing." Winry said, sounding just as relaxed as Cana. "I bet Granny would love one of these. I wonder if I could buy one from Alfonzo. But how much do they cost?"
"I don't think you have to worry about that, Winry." Mirajane said with a smile as she reached out and caught Cana and Marin by their collars. "Even if Alfonzo doesn't have the time to make one for you, the Sixth Sense shops sell them, too."
"Really?" Winry asked in an amazed tone.
"I think we should quiet down, everyone." Sun said as she pointed into Elicia's workshop through the master bedroom's door.
Hearing Sun's warning, everyone looked in the direction her finger was pointed. After seeing Elicia's concentrated state, Cana, Mirajane, Marin, and Sun exchanged glances. Meanwhile, Winry was in awe at how quickly Elicia had finished working.
'Then again, that may be a different outfit.' Winry thought while she watched Elicia make any necessary adjustments. 'I mean, it's only been a little more than an hour since we left her, right?'
While Winry was lost in her thoughts, the other girls finished their silent conversation. Then, Sun stepped closer to Winry and whispered into her ear.
"Hey, Winry, we're gonna go upstairs and get dressed, okay?" Sun said quietly, trying not to disturb Elicia. "You should wait here. Oh, and we'll take your clothes and put them in the washing machine, too."
Although Winry was a little uncomfortable to be left alone in just a bathrobe, she ultimately nodded her head in agreement. She was not really keen on putting on clothes she had already worn after a bath, after all.
A moment later, Cana, Mirajane, Marin, and Sun filed out of the workstation as quietly as possible before heading upstairs to get dressed. Meanwhile, Winry had nothing to do but watch Elicia work. Though, she would admit that she found it quite fascinating.
"And that should do it." Elicia said as she cut off the final thread. "Now, the only thing to do is wait for Winry and the others to get out of the bath."
'Wow, she didn't even notice us earlier.' Winry thought to herself after hearing Elicia speak to herself. 'That's some real concentration.'
A moment later, Elicia stretched and took the chance to look around. And when she did, she made eye contact with Winry.
"Oh, I guess you're already done." Elicia said with a smile. Then, she noticed that Winry was standing alone in a bathrobe. "I guess the others went to get dressed, huh?"
"Uh... Yeah." Winry replied.
"Well, they'll be back soon." Elicia replied with a shrug. "Anyway, let's get you to try on these clothes."
With that, Elicia picked up a pair of white boy shorts with lace accents and a matching bra from her desk. Then, using her [Thread Magic], she floated the outfit she just finished from the mannequin. After that, she started walking towards the master bedroom.
"Huh?" Winry exclaimed in surprise. "You finished the whole outfit that fast? You even made me new underwear?"
"Of course." Elicia said happily. "Unless you wanted to put on your old ones."
"No, that's not what I... You know what, never mind." Winry said, trying to explain herself before eventually deciding to give up.
Like that, Winry followed Elicia into the master bedroom to try on the new clothes Elicia just finished making. Not long later, Cana, Mirajane, Marin, and Sun returned to the master bedroom as well. Then, like always, they were all amazed at the quick, yet quality work Elicia had done.
"Now, I guess it's time to show off for Ed, right?" Cana said in a mischievous tone.
"Yeah, I bet you'll knock him dead." Marin added with a smile.
"You really think so?" Winry asked curiously. "II mean, it these clothes aren't much different than what I usually wear."
"Don't underestimate Lici's ability to bring out a woman's appeal." Mirajane replied with her usual smile. "She has a way of emphasizing your good points in a subtle way."
"If you say so." Winry said as she looked at herself in the full length mirror in the master bedroom one more time.
In the mirror's reflection, Winry saw herself, surrounded by the other girls, wearing a somewhat tight, black crop top, an unzipped, short-sleeved white summer jacket, a matching white, mid-thigh-length, pleated skirt, white ankle socks, and a pair of white tennis shoes with black accents.
On top of that, the relatively tight crop top drew a little more attention to Winry's breasts, which usually do not stand out because of her tomboyish fashion choices, despite the fact that they are relatively big.
"There's no point thinking about it for too long." Sun said as she started gently pushing Winry towards the door. "Let's go see what Ed thinks, instead."
Finding Sun's enthusiasm infectious, Winry could not help but giggle as she let herself be pushed along. Meanwhile, the rest of the girls smiled as they followed behind.
Eventually, the ladies reached the living room. To everyone's surprise, however, Alfonzo, Edward, and Alphonse were no longer there.
"Where did they go?" Sun asked while tilting her head cutely.
"Hold on, I'll check." Elicia said as she spread her [Magic Power Detection]. "They didn't leave the house, otherwise, we would have felt it in the barrier. Oh, I found them. They're downstairs."
"Then, let's go." Cana said excitedly. "I could use another drink, anyway."
"Uh... Cana, you're still holding a drink right now." Sun pointed out.
"Yeah?" Cana asked, not understanding what Sun was getting at.
"Don't bother, Sun." Mirajane said as she patted Sun on the shoulder. "A small detail like that would never slow Cana down."
As the ladies continued to chat, they made their way out of the living room and headed down the stairs to the basement. Then, when they finally arrived in the game room, they found Alfonzo standing next to the pool table with a pool cue in his hands, Edward bending over the pool table while lining up a shot, and Alphonse standing off to the side watching the ongoing game.
"Come on, Ed." Alfonzo said with a smile. "You've been lining up that shot for almost three minutes now. If you're gonna shoot, just shoot."
"Shut up!" Edward barked back. "Let me concentrate, damn it."
Seeing that exchange, the ladies made their way over to Alphonse so that they would not interrupt Edward's concentration.
"What's up, Al?" Winry asked. "Why does Ed look like he's taking this so seriously?"
"Oh, Winry, you're back." Alphonse said as he turned his attention from the game to Winry. "Ed thought he would..."
After seeing Winry's new outfit, Alphonse's words were caught in his throat. Although Winry's clothes were not much different than her usual casual outfits, Alphonse found himself tongue-tied, though he did not know the reason why. However, he did find himself paying more attention to her chest than usual.
"Al, are you okay?" Winry asked, not expecting Alphonse to stop mid-sentence.
"Oh, um... Yes, I'm fine" Alphonse replied, snapping back to his senses. "Anyway, Ed challenged Alfonzo to a game of billiards. Then, he accepted a bet to make it more interesting."
"What kind of bet?" Marin asked curiously.
"The loser would have to where female clothing produced by Elicia." Alphonse replied.
Hearing the wager, Cana, Mirajane, Marin, and Sun's eyes lit up. Then, they all turned their gazes towards the pool table, hoping that Edward would win. Just the thought of Alfonzo's tall, athletic frame wearing a dress, or a skirt, was tickling their funny bones.
Meanwhile, Elicia was excited at the prospect of doing something new. She had never designed female clothing for a man, after all. Winry, on the other hand, was hoping that Edward would lose for the same reason that Cana and the other girls wanted him to win.
"*Sigh* I'm just glad I don't have a body." Alphonse said in an exasperated tone. "I think that's the first time I've ever said that..."
With that, Alphonse stopped to ponder. However, he was broken out of his contemplation rather quickly.
"Why do you say that?" Mirajane asked, though she had an idea as to why.
"Oh, because I probably would have been pulled into that bet, too, if I had one." Alphonse replied.
"You know, you could still be put into a female suit of armor." Marin said with a grin. "I mean, I'm sure Alfonzo could manipulate the metal of your armor to make it quite feminine."
Hearing that, Alphonse began to shudder violently. On top of that, all the ladies felt as if they saw an illusion of a sweat drop sliding down Alphonse's helmet.
*Clack!* *Clack!* *Clack!*
Just then, the sound of billiard balls colliding drew everyone's attention back to the pool table.
"Damn it!" Edward's angry shout echoed throughout the game room.
"Aww... You put the 8-ball in early, too bad." Alfonzo said with a shit-eating grin on his face. Then, he lifted his right hand and pinched his thumb and index finger close together without letting them touch. "You missed it by that~~~ much."
"Shut up! I want a rematch!" Edward shouted disgruntledly. "Double or nothing!"
"Come on, Ed." Winry said while suppressing a smile. "Don't be a sore loser."
"Shut up, Winry!" Ed shouted as he spun around towards the sound of Winry's voice. "What would... you... know...?"
However, after catching sight of Winry's new outfit, his words lost their aggressiveness as he trailed off. In the end, he could only stare at Winry while his face reddened rapidly.
"See, I told you this would happen." Cana said while bumping Winry with her hip.
Meanwhile, Winry, after seeing Edward's reaction, started feeling self-conscious because of his stare.
"So... How do I look?" Winry asked nervously while pinching the sides of her skirt.
"Oh, um... You look great." Edward replied as he swiftly turned towards the game room's entrance. "Anyway, I think we've been here long enough. I think we should go talk to Mr. Hughes about what we found out. You can stay here if you want though, Winry. Let's go, Al."
As he spoke, Edward, with his face completely red, started walking towards the game room's entrance. Before he could step through the door, however, he felt a hand land on his shoulder.
"You're not trying to go back on our bet, are you?" Alfonzo asked, that shit-eating grin still on his face.
A moment later, another, more slender hand, landed on Edward's other shoulder.
"Yes, I'm really looking forward to designing an outfit for you, Ed." Elicia said while smiling from ear to ear.
"Oh, of course not." Edward said with cold sweat dripping down his face and back. "I just thought we needed to talk to Mr. Hughes, is all."
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that, Ed." Alfonzo replied. "I'll go to the guild and get him while you get your measurements taken. Then, you two can talk to him while Lici makes your outfit."
Hearing that Maes would be here to see him cross-dressing, Edward's expression fell as his face paled rapidly.
"You know what, I think I can wait to talk to him until later." Edward said, basically pleading for Alfonzo to not bring Maes over.
"If you say so." Alfonzo replied with a shrug.
"Then, you can come upstairs with me." Elicia said, the excitement visible in her eyes. "I'll have your measurements taken real quick. Then, you can come back down here and have fun until I'm done."
Nodding mechanically, Edward allowed himself to be dragged upstairs with lifeless eyes. At the same time, Alfonzo turned his attention towards Alphonse.
"So, you wanna give it a shot, too, Al?" Alfonzo asked with a bright smile.
"No... No thank you." Alphonse replied immediately. "Maybe another day."
In response, Alfonzo simply shrugged his shoulders, causing Alphonse to sigh in relief. Meanwhile, Winry rushed out of the game room excitedly to discuss the design for Edward's outfit with Elicia.
"Tch!" Cana clicked her tongue. "I was hoping Fonzie would lose. I really wanted to see him in a dress, or something."
Immediately after hearing Cana's muttering, Mirajane, Marin, and Sun quickly distanced themselves from her.
"Oh, did you?" Alfonzo asked as he approached Cana. "Then, how about a little wager over a game. If I lose, I'll wear female clothes that Lici designs. But if you lose, you can't touch any alcohol for the next month."
Hearing Alfonzo, Cana's head snapped in his direction. At first, she recoiled at the thought of not being able to drink for a month if she lost. However, after remembering how good she was at darts, she boldly accepted his wager.
About an hour later, Cana's heart wrenching cries rang out through the mansion, shortly followed by accusations of cheating with the use of magic. Naturally, no one took her side. Especially since everyone was capable of feeling the fluctuations of magic power usage, even without the use of [Magic Power Detection], which the rest of the ladies had been using from the start to not miss either competitor cheating.