Moira
Moira was about ready to strangle her wife. Coincidentally, she could tell her wife felt the same. Unfortunately, right now Moira was far more likely to suffer that fate than the woman in front of her.
"What, are you into girls like her now?" Yulia asked in an icy voice.
"What, you mean literal children? The answer is no. I may look 14 but I still see teenagers as essentially infants. Also, every time I look in the mirror, I feel like I myself am an infant."
"Then why were you two showering together?"
"We had both done a lot of physical and mental labor today, including awakening as cultivators, and we both needed a shower, and I knew the one in our room was more than sufficient for both of us and far superior to the one in her room. I didn't realize that I would then be setting myself up for further emotional labor!"
"You were showering with somebody else! How the hell was I supposed to take that?"
"An innocent thing a young girl and a girl she sees as a younger sister do together? Like, I don't even understand why you think I would see her as a potential mate, or why you see her as competition! No one is hotter than you!" Moira's angry outburst accidentally partially defused the situation, but Yulia was still upset.
"But… we haven't been together since you assumed this form, and I thought you were maybe seeking such attentions in the arms of another." Yulia said, a little mournfully.
"Yulia, when would I have had time to have sex between frequent doctor's visits, hospitalizations, and basically perpetually feeling like shit? Trust me, if I were to seek out such attentions from another, you would be the first to know!" Thus, the rage was reignited between them, hotter than ever.
"I would kill anyone before letting them touch you!"
"The fuck you will! Remember Yulia, I am not the one slowly losing every last piece of my mind because I haven't found my mate. I have fortunately been given a stay of execution on that. I love you enough that I am willing to see you with another if that will keep you whole. The least you can do is offer me the same courtesy!"
"You may think it isn't affecting you, but do remember dearest wife, as you have proven, human form doesn't stop it or reverse it, merely delays it. You are already further gone than I!"
"Really? Prove it."
"I don't need to. The fact that we are even having this conversation while you are stuck in that ridiculously weak, pathetic, and diminutive form is already the first piece of evidence!"
"I won't be weak forever. You should know that better than anyone. But I will remember what you truly think of me forever." Moira practically spat this out.
"How can I not think it? All mortals are weak and disgusting creatures, with ambitions far greater than they will ever be!"
"Really? Even Ashley?" Moira said this pointedly, as a warning, but unfortunately Yulia was too far gone to take her warning before she ruthlessly attacked the self esteem of the little girl standing directly behind her.
"I am sure in time she will be exactly the same."
"I thought you were nice!" Ashley cried out, before running off to the room she was staying in.
Yulia opened and closed her mouth helplessly, looking at Moira askance, as if somehow her wife would conjure the answer to this problem.
Moira gave her a look back that told her in no uncertain terms that she would have to be the one to fix this. Moira was done cleaning up the damage Yulia left in the wake of her rage.
"I happen to like this form! It feels far more like 'me' than I ever did before! You were mortal once, and I really do not understand where you gained this prejudice against mortals from. What the hell did they ever do to you?" Moira was now incensed for a very different reason.
"For centuries, I would watch you grow to love them, to hold them safe and keep them as friends, only for them to hurt you in the most final of ways when they passed. I learned from you, and from the passing of my own father, that it was better to just not get attached. The few mortal friends I made despite myself throughout the years did nothing to disprove this theory. Each of them felt like a new wound opening up my heart to bleed in eternal grief. However, my grief pales in comparison to yours! It would practically tear you apart, each and every one, and yet you would continue to let them get close enough to hurt you, like you hadn't learned your lesson sufficiently the first few times! You think I enjoy watching my spouse hurt like that? Of course I would grow to hate them!" Yulia's outburst now made Moira feel somewhat sympathetic. However…
"It is not their fault that I cannot help myself. I never valued any of them any less just because their lives were short and fleeting. In some ways, I cherished the time I had with them even more because I knew it was a rare and precious commodity. It also isn't their fault that they were born mortal and thus fated to die, as all mortals will. The truth is, there are many immortals and trans-immortals who I grew close to who I also outlived. Being unaging and hard to kill does not prevent you from dying, and anything can happen to even the strongest of us."
"Yeah, including randomly getting turned into a little girl."
"The little part may have been the result of my transformation, but I am beginning to suspect that the girl part was not a recent development."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Let me tell you about one of my favorite hobbies from before."
"I have long had the ability to shapeshift. I would often take the form of a young maiden and play the part of one of my own maidservants. I would wear the skirts and sensible shoes accompanying the position, and I would do the dusting in my study and den. I would do so right up until the head maid discovered a maid she did not recognize as having on her payroll, and then I would make my excuses, enter the bathroom, and resume my previous form. Then I would return and act like nothing was the matter."
"Other times, I would give my secretary the day off and assume her form, making my own appointments and fielding my own uninvited guests by implying that I was out of office for the day. I would then put together a lengthy written account of my actions for the day and email this to my secretary, while she would have to make minor edits on her next day at work. Of course, she was compensated as if she had worked that day, because especially at first I turned out to be shockingly unskilled at her job and this would just create more work for her later."
"Finally, I have multiple women as my subordinates in the Royal Vampire Army and hundreds of thousands as my main shock troops. I am beginning to think that the signs have been there for some time now. This didn't just happen. However, I suppose I didn't have to make this bet to start committing to my identity further."
"If your outburst is based upon your upset with this entire situation, I suppose that is understandable. I outright refused to communicate with you and just did a whole bunch of shit that affected your life and our relationship without even thinking about having a conversation about it. However, you cannot take your rage at me out on all the mortal girls around us."
"Most importantly of all, that little girl means more to you than you might realize. If you remember, it has been given to me to see the bonds between people. The one between the both of you is absurdly strong for literally 7 hours of interactions. I can only imagine how strong it will grow as time goes on. She may even agree to become immortal for you, but not if you push her away like this."
"Look, Yulia, it is either childish or creepy that you are getting jealous over literal children, especially if I am so damned disgusting to you. Now apologize to that little girl who had no business being caught in the middle of this!"
Yulia had a brief flash of relief pass over her face that was unfortunately snatched away from her when Moira said, "Don't expect her to forgive you anytime soon, or maybe at all. You have to be willing to give the apology despite the fact that she has every right to be hurt by what you said for quite some time."
She turned and raced after the girl, not even considering that perhaps that was not the only apology that was owed that night.