User:Triskelelynx\Leathermancer
It was her boots that caught his eye.
She wore a flirty sundress and Army-regulation tanker boots. Rather than laces or zippers, they were closed by a long strap of leather that spiraled around her calf up to a buckle near the top.
Tanker boots had a special significance to Jacob. An ill-fitting pair led Jacob to discover his ability to manipulate leather with his thoughts, in Kuwait during the first Gulf War in '91.
It was the first really nice day of spring, in one of Ithaca, NY's lakefront park. As usual, winter in Ithaca had been long, cold and gray. So, on the first warm, sunny day, Jacob went to the park. No one paid any attention to the older-seeming gent behind the gray beard and glasses, pretending to read the paper on the bench.
What he was really doing was playing with other people's leather. The guy in the suit's new oxfords were pinching, so Jacob made them a little softer. The kid in the leather hi-tops would have a blister by the end of the day, so he made them fit better. He was limited by physics - he couldn't make more leather with his mind, or destroy it, but he could change its shape and texture. He could also work other materials, but leather was always easiest.
Then he saw the girl in the tanker boots. She was a medium height brunette, average in looks, and maybe 25 or so in age. Then she looked at something behind Jacob, and he saw that her dark wavy hair framed vivid ocean-blue eyes.
Jacob decided he had to do something special for her. Luckily, her Army-issue boots gave him plenty of leather to work with. Most women's boots are made of thin flimsy leather that gave him few options.
He decided to fix the rubber sole first, since it would take more of his energy. He stared at the low, blocky heels, and pictured a tapered three-inchers instead. Then, he reached into the back of his brain, gathered up some energy, and willed the heels of her boots to look like the picture in his mind's eye.
The woman let out a little squeek as she was suddenly lifted two inches higher. Jacob smiled behind his paper, and started Phase 2. He grabbed the tops of her boots with his mind, and pulled up. When he stopped, her legs were wrapped in black calfskin leather from toe to mid thigh. The spiral strap wrapped around, making the soft leather conform to her every curve. She yelped, and looked around wildly, as if making sure no one saw what just happened.
Jacob buried his eyes in his paper, glancing up now and again to watch her reaction. She was looking down, prancing around a little bit, plainly admiring his work. She should be freaking. Boots don't just change by themselves! A bit miffed that his practical joke had not worked the way he hoped, Jacob decided to try something he had never done before.
He reached out with his mind, grabbed some of the extra weight she carried around her waist, mentally divided it into four pieces, and pulled it down. She screeched just a little, then clamped her mouth shut and grabbed onto a light pole for balance. He continued to pull the parcels of adipose tissue down until they were where he wanted them, then converted their mass to muscle and bone. Her legs were now about three inches longer, and her waist noticably thinner. He took a little more tissue, and this time dragged it upwards. He didn't make her small breasts much larger, just rounder and firmer, and added enough connective tissue to keep them that way through the years. Then, with a light touch, he toned and firmed her body, adding strength, yet leaving enough softness to keep an appealing, feminine look. With the last of his power, he tailored her dress to fit her perfectly.
He slumped on his bench as she ran towards the parking lot. She stumbled the first few steps, unsure on her new legs, then ran with the grace of a gazelle despite the heels. He watched her until her could no longer see her, then folded his paper and walked home.