Tim felt really odd, as she observed a world that had once been so regular, in a perspective that no longer fit to her normal expectations. Her eyes were too low to the ground, and this weight on her chest... She was a stranger in her own body, her mind didn't fit what she had always known just so -personally- to her. It raised so many feelings but most of all an instinctual dislike that something happened- of which she had no control over. It's not as if she did anything unusual the previous day. She stayed to her normal and assuredly safe path, and yet... this happened. Looking at her friend Michael, the taller girl was far more adept to the new situation. The way she walked, despite being in her badly fitting clothes was surprisingly casual. Her lack of a bra didn't seem to impede things too much outwardly, at least as far as Tim could discern and if it bothered her she showed no sign of it. Clothes were their main concern, especially for Tim as she ended up so much shorter. Her own clothes were all bunched up but trailed on her arms and legs. "W-We should probably walk," she stammered as she realised something.
"Eh? Why?" Michelle slid her jacket over her new body with curious at the way it brushed across her hairless arms. She zipped it up giving a little push and nudge around her new attributes. She gave a satisfied nod as she glanced to the car, expecting a quick trip.
Tim groaned at how 'normal' Michelle was taking this. Didn't she realise just how freaked out the situation was?! There were so many things to be worried about now. "For one, I don't look anything like my driver's licence. If anyone finds 'Tiffany' driving, I could be questioned or worse- we could be deported!" And now Tim was back to panicking as those fears exploded in her mind. No identity, possibly no job tomorrow, no life... no family? Not even a gravestone with her own name on it... oh crap!
Michelle sighed as Tim went back into a panic about.. identity and deportation. The drive would only take five minutes. Still she didn't mind. She was rather confident nothing would happen and even if it did, hey they had a good explanation. Then again it wasn't her car, or her licence to risk. "Yeah fine, I suppose it will be good for the world to look at a cute girl like you anyway." she snickered. She opened the door "After you, Tiffany."
Tim groaned. "Why are you acting like this?"
Tiffany shrugged. "Is moping about honestly going to change things? Shit happens, but frankly I feel pretty good. This body is quite healthy, more so then I had ever been in my life." It was a good deal to her... a very good deal.
"But you're a girl!" Tim protested.
Michelle glanced back. ".. and? So are you at the moment," she cocked her head.
Tim glanced side to side with nothing more she could say. "I- n-nevermind." She wasn't confident she could really win this argument, and they had to sort out clothes. She wasn't even sure what they were arguing. The diminutive girl glanced down to her shoes which were not even fitting right at all, even the socks she put in them were threatening to spill out.
Out in the street and walking as they did, 'Michelle' couldn't help but feel like people were staring at her. It must be because of her hair which was very unusual with its brilliant moon-shade of white. It didn't make her look old, somehow it made her look... strong, unique.. almost divine. Tim was of course being wrapped up in a hood and much shorter was probably not getting quite as much attention. At least she hoped not. Still, Michelle was definitely being casually noticed by others, particularly the men she realised. That might take some getting used to...
Tim glanced up as she saw one man cast a gaze towards her then look away. Was this the sort of social contact she had to endure now? She was happy enough being an unnoticed male, rather then a noticed girl that was ignored the moment she acknowledged someone. 'Just get the clothes', she thought to herself. The mall wasn't too far away... what exactly was she going to wear? They had to cross a road, and another stranger was to the left looking at her with a polite smile. There was also a girl that Michelle recognised.. a neighbour of theirs perhaps? Or someone anyway. Tim knew far less people around. She was giving a rather friendly smile too, though Tim kept her distance.
Tim aligned her gaze at the ground, conscious of her shuffling feet and trying to make sure she didn't loose her shoes. Her overgrown clothes were the likely cause of the gazes. She looked at her mobile phone and hoped that message to her boss got out okay. There was no reply yet, and it worried her.
Michelle gave a little grin in the silence. "You know, this is the first time shopping for clothes might be fun." she giggled.
"For you perhaps," Tim said back annoyed, as she tired to hold up her huge pants with one hand. "Did the transformation affect your brain? You're acting really weird."
"Eh, I'm just letting loose," she said with a shrug. "You're the one worrying too much."
"Maybe you're not worrying enough."
Michelle shook her head. "Come on, stuff like this doesn't happen often. I think our lives are about to get more interesting... don't tell me you're not a little bit curious on where this could be going. Who did this, why, and what the possibilities are. Yesterday I was worried about getting a mundane job, but today we know magic is real."
"I don't want my life to be interesting. I was just fine!" Tim spat back.
Michelle patted Tim's head finding her outburst just too cute to take seriously. "Come on dolly, lets dress you up." She winked.
Tim endured Michelle's teasing to the mall. It was packed and everything looked quite normal. She couldn't believe that she was about to try finding clothes for this body. It was small and.. urgh. She hated it! Maybe Michelle could act so big because she actually 'was' big. They walked into the clothes shop, Michelle acting like it was no big deal while to Tim it was like she was was walking on nails.
The assistant there was a lovely oriental lady. She gave a polite smile. "Hello, and welcome to Trendy Fashions. Can I help you?" she gave a polite smile though she was clearly intrigued at the strange appearances of her customers.
"I- we- we need clothes," said Tim quickly. She glanced to her friend. She just wanted to buy the clothes and leave. She tugged Michelle down to her level, as the taller girl bent down to her with a faint smirk. "I don't think we need her help Mike, let's just get what we need and then get out of here." the less people involved in this, the better in her view.
Michelle gave a look to Tim."Eh Don't listen to hi her." She drew in an exasperated breath. "Neither of us really knows anything about our sizes and um We just need something that's going to fit " she looked over at her red-headed friend, and frowned. " and I'm Really not keen to try on every item in this place to find it "
The conversation was interpreted with a faint ding from Tim's phone. A message from her boss! She read it over and the message acknowledged her sickness and that they could talk tomorrow. Tim sighed in relief. She wasn't in any trouble! That put one problem out of the way. It was the first excuse she had ever made and to some extent, the first time she made a full out lie to get out of work. She felt so guilty but what choice did she have... until this could be sorted out. She glanced back at Michelle the moment of relief making her a little more relaxed. "Well- I- suppose," she said glancing at the store. Was shopping as a girl really going to be that hard?
The clerk looked at them with an appraising look. She seemed quite sympathetic, clearly it was odd that two girls turned up with clothes that did not fit them. It was not unreasonable to suggest they had somehow lost their clothes... and that implied something awful could have happened to them recently. It was not her place to ask though, and to give them something fitting would surly be in their best interest. "It's alright dears, let me help you." she smiled as she lead the duo towards the measuring areas. "My name is Anya, by the way."
Tiffany nodded. Maybe a bit of that nervousness on this situation was starting to intrude in her mind now. This was quite a big step after all, if not symbolically to wear something to deal with her.. situation. How to begin this... "I uh Hi there Anya. I'm... Michelle and this is Tiffany." she gestured. 'Tiffany' gave a slight glare at the name but nodded. Using a girl's name at this point was just easier and avoided questions. "We don't really have a big budget..."
Anya nodded in return not quite sure what was going on between them. "Well, If you have no clothes at all, I suggest we sort some underwear at least for the two of you. Do you have anything in particular you want?"
"No just- normal things," Tiffany said quickly.
Anya nodded. "Oh it's all quite normal here dear. Hmm... well come along and lets find something nice. What size are you?"
Tiffany had always known the answer to that before.. but.. now she didn't know. She didn't know! For some reason tears brimmed at her eyes on such a simple question. "I- I don't know- I don't know anything about sizes!"
Anya arched an eyebrow. "It's alright-"
"Oh don't mind her she's an emotional shopper," said Michelle rolling her eyes.
"... hm... well we can measure you? I'm sure we can find something you like and I'll teach you all about sizes. It's honestly not that hard."
Michelle smiled. "That will be wonderful. Won't it Tiffany?" she nudged the girl. She whispered down to her."Hey calm down, sheesh. You're embarrassing me."
Anya proceeded to explain all the measuring systems in place. She told her that by and large, underwear came in a variety of sizes and she advised Michele to but a couple of medium and large ones and to go from there. For Tiffany, she suggested a couple of small sizes.. and one or two mediums. They were quite cheap, though she wasn't sure what to make of the look from Tiffany when she was given the panties. They were hardly anything more then a normal girl's 'underwear'. Nothing frilly at all about it- which Tiffany took with some reluctance with a bit of prodding.
Given the introverted responses from Tiffany, Anya was more inclined to interact with Michelle who seemed more approachable. "Would you like to see our selection of bras now?" she asked.
'Tiffany' raised an eyebrow at that. "Bras? We don't need that... do we?" She glanced down at herself.
Anya tilted her head. The saleslady wasn't sure she had heard it right but she tried to answer as she might to a child. Tiffany was certainly small enough to almost look like one. Maybe she was a late bloomer? "Well, you don't have to of course, but.. most women feel it helps. I can only suggest you try it and see if you like it or not, and base your decision on that."
Michelle glanced down at herself in thought at the question of bras. Her breasts were larger then Tiffany's and they had bounced a bit painfully. "I think I'm going to need some " she admitted. "Maybe you can get away without one."
Anya smiled sympathetically. Clearly the girl was struggling a bit. "Growth spurts are a little hard to handle at first. But you'll get used to it in time!" she smiled then looked over at Tiffany who was blushing beat red in the whole conversation, with her hands drawn inward like a little girl. It looked just adorable. "And what about you? Do you want to give it a try, at the least?"
"Huh me?" Tiffany looked aghast. "Uh- N-No I- I'm good, really." she said flushing. "We don't have a lot of money anyway..." Tiffany glanced down at her own breasts in quiet judgement. They were on the small side... maybe... maybe that meant she didn't have to wear a bra? Even if.. it felt like her nipples were really getting irritated by the course fabric. Why did she have to think about wearing something so girly? The panties were more then enough to embarrass her.
"It's up to you miss, honestly," Smiled Anya though she then focused again on Michelle. "Let's take a few quick measurements of you," she said as she brought up her measuring tape. "Could you raise your arms up please?" Michelle did so and.. couldn't help but notice that Tiffany was staring at her- and quickly looked away, back to her ill-fitting shoes. The clerk went over Michelle's form very professionally. "You do have really interesting hair by the way, is that a dye?"
Michelle blushed a little as the clerk checked her body over. "Oh, um I'm not actually sure -how- it happened to be honest I kinda just woke up with it one day. I'm still not sure if it's going to wear off or not "
Anya then put a few notes down on paper. "Okay, It looks like you are about.. 36 inches.. and a C-cup. It might feel a bit tight though, I'm afraid bra's are not exactly made to fit perfectly for everyone.. but we'll make do with what we can find." She provided a number of basic bras. Again they were white, and had a strong base on them. Michelle might seem at a bit of a loss. "Do you need any help trying it on?" smiled the lady again. "It's honestly not that hard. Just put your arm through here..."
Tiffany watched the experience that Michelle was going through with a growing flush. She didn't want to look any more at this. It was just too weird. "I- I should probably go select some shoes," she said going to the shoe isles. Looking down she found a set of scales to measure foot size. Fortunately there was a foot sizer. Making use of it she took off her shoes and 'sock-balls', and tried to get an idea of what she could get. . She was a perfect size... six. So not only was she short, but her feet were smaller than they could have been too. She really was dainty. There were some.. girly shoes which she avoided completely, offending her eyes as they sat there for her 'convenience'. If she could just find some simple trainers.. she eventually found a pair that looked quite similar to her old one, just.. really small. She tested it and it felt.. a bit odd, but yes. That will do. With shoes sorted, she decided to pay for them straight away so that she could at least.. walk on something... she handed her card to the cashier from her wallet.
"Uh.. are you sure this is yours miss?" asked the cashier, looking at the card suspiciously.
"Oh... sh-" Tiffany tensed. "It- It's uh- well- I must have picked up the wrong one! Silly me..Uh... let me go get the right one.." She quickly got the card back." Now she was in trouble again. How were they going to pay for all this! She needed to get some cash from a machine... or.. did Michelle have any cash? It was her only hope to sort this out quickly. " Mi- uh 'Michelle', she said straining her voice. "I don't have any cash on me, just.. 'Tim's' cards.. do you have anything?"
Michelle shifted around in her new clothes. The bra was very comfortable, and that bouncing motion was no longer a problem . "That feels a whole lot better. Hm? Yes, I've got cash. Emergency fund, remember?" she shook her head, then nodded. "How much exactly were you needing for those?"
"I can pay you back when I get to a cash machine," she whispered in hushed tones.. "I still have my PIN number, I can get cash out no problem. How much is this underwear- what are you kidding?! How is this so expensive!" she looked at the various packages with an exasperated look.
"It's quite average for a set of bra's miss," said Anya. "I can give you a discount for some bulk buying, but not much."
Tiffany was starting to feel rather self conscious in her own clothes. She looked over Michelle's new look and she certainly did look a lot better. "Okay.. well... can we sort some clothes for me? Sorry about that I just needed to get some shoes rather desperately."
It was now Michelle's turn to watch as Tiffany was measured. She was clearly quite a petite girl.
"Can you please remove your hood?" asked Anya. "I'm sorry it's just a bit distracting to measure you in these thick things."
Tiffany looked reluctant and took off her hood, passing it over her head. Though for some reason it was a bit more of a struggle to get past her hair. "mph.. huh?" Her hair had grown out once more, down to the top of her shoulders. The end was still a ragged cut, but that was mostly unnoticeable with how it fell on itself. Even so, the sight inspired a smile from Anya. "Oh! You've got such beautiful hair You really shouldn't hide it away like that!" she continued to measure her as Tiffany blushed at the complement, her eyes gazing up at the odd locks of red in the top of her field of vision. "Hmm Looks like you're about 30 inches, and a B-cup and..." She took a few more quick measurements "your dress size " she paused for a moment. "...well, your best fit is a size four. I'm not sure how much we have in that size though You might have to try on a few things to find the best fit. I think we've a few dresses that could do "
Tiffany had never felt so humiliated as she was measured in a body that was not hers. Anya was a professional.. but the way it was catalogued made her want to scream: 'I don't have a dress size! I don't have a bra size! I don't have breasts!' But the constant insistence of reality was forcing her to look at this .. this body. Forcing her to accept that this was her at the moment, even if it clearly wasn't! What was wrong with this world and.. why did her hair become long again? "N-No dresses, no bras," Tiff insisted following the same example as Michelle- well except for the bra. "I just want to wear these jeans.. shirts.. um..."
"Right. No dresses. Hmm " she frowned thinking what they had that could fit her. Dresses were easy for someone petite like this but... "In that case You might be able to find something at the larger end of our children's range " she stated tentatively, knowing how that sounded. "Come along I think we can find something suitable."
Michelle was of course watching Tiffany and couldn't help but have some amusement. The young girl was not exactly acting as calm about this all as she had. Though now she saw something that caught her eye. A strange.. glow... in one of the mirrors? It just briefly caught her eye. She had a quick look and found something strange. She glanced at it and could swear she saw just the briefest flicker of orange behind her.
"Mom that woman's got a tail!" said a young boy quite shocked. "Whys she got a tail?!"
Michelle turned around to see what looked like an average boy and his mother shopping. The mother glanced at Michelle apologetically. "sorry, kids have a rather wild imagination," she smiled. "Please apologise to the nice lady."
Still the young boy was very insistent. "But she does have a tail! Why can't you see it?"
Michelle blinks, looking over at the young child, before twisting around to look behind her, and back again. The memory of that dream still fresh in her mind. She smiled softly towards the mother and nodded. "No, no It's alright." She then looked down towards the child and turns to show her back. " If there's a tail there, I certainly haven't seen it!" she laughed. "What kind of tail are you seeing? It's good for someone to know what their own tail looks like " she winked, playing along for the moment.
"This tail!" the boy said and grabbed the air then- winced. "Ow! It just shocked me!"
It was a strange feeling to Michelle... at once she could hear something so old call out to her as she closed her eyes for a split second. That voice in her dream and a power of choice. 'watch the fall of the petal once more.....' All at once she could see this random boy's soul attached to the tree of humanity. She looked at it oddly, and it seemed secure for the moment.. it wouldn't take much to nudge it- but she resisted that. "Um Right. I uh Have a good day. He's really adorable."
"Michelle?" Tiffany called out after paying for the items. "I need to get a haircut if you don't mind." She gestured to her long hair...
"Uh... sure. Let's go." Michelle glanced quietly to the boy as they left, wondering how long it would take for him to change... it seems magic had not completely stopped with them.
It's not long before they've arrived at the hairdressers. Tiffany was seated whilst Michelle leaned against the wall and waited, a lot of though on her mind. She couldn't help that the kid saw she was.. well.. what was she? Something magical clearly... Still, leaning against a wall was the safest thing to do until she understood what had happened... she didn't feel any tail... she was a human wasn't she? Female but.. human... yet she could still feel that leaf that represented his soul... and was slowly becoming aware of the myriad of other souls...
A hairdresser arrived for Tiffany. She was a young blonde girl with emerald eyes and a bright white smile. "Hey there! I'm Sarah Welcome. I got lucky and get to be your hairdresser today!" She looked at Tiffany's hair with brimming enthusiasm. It was so red and soft... it looked amazing to her. she smiled and gently began to stroke and run her hands through her hair, admiring the very nature of it. "Hmm, the ends are a little ragged Maybe a little trim here..."
"No- just cut it short again. All the way." Tiffany insisted folding her arms a little, as her hair swayed over her shoulders. The red-headed girl looked down awkwardly at the touch. She felt nervous to feel someone else touching this hair... her nervousness translated into a new sensation building around her like static in the air! The charge gets thicker and thicker, heavier on the air, until the hair on her skin was all standing on end. What was going on?
Sarah frowned at her customer's request. " That's Really a shame. You've got such beautiful hair " she smiled hoping she could convince her otherwise. "I mean, it's so soft and that red colour is so DEEP " she reached out to stroke it again then the world froze. All at once, the static charge pulsed. A wave of sensation passed over her feet, her legs and outfit, and finally Through her hair, and straight into the hairdresser Sarah.
The first thing Tiffany noticed was a strange crawling sensation. Her clothing started to tighten around her in places but loosen in others. It wasn't a perfect fit when bought- almost nothing was, but by the time the wave passes, there's no possible way it could fit better! The comfort of the properly fitting clothes might be a relief for a while "“ If it weren't for the tingling around her nether regions and breasts, followed by a subtle tightening around her chest. What just happened? Did she just get a bit bigger? No that wasn't it...
Of course, Tiffany didn't have long to think about that, because in the very next moment, she noticed an absence of something. Specifically, the hand on her hair, the warm presence of someone behind her, and the constant stream of chatter from the hairdresser. For as the wave discharged through her, the girl had all but vanished. Now, all that was behind Sarah was a small, emerald hair-tie "“ The same shade as the former girl's eyes tightly looped around Tiffany's red hair in the same manner she had just seconds ago held it and was now doing so.. naturally.
Tiffany glanced behind her. "W-what? Uh miss?" She turned trying to see her but she.. she was gone. A person .. a stranger she never knew, had just vanished. How? How did that happen! She glanced around to see if anyone else noticed the odd occurrence but nobody else was around. She felt physically ill that she might have caused someone to disappear as she felt the hair tie looking at it in the mirror. "Did she put this on me?" But a strange impression came to her as she looked at the colour and thought of the woman's eyes. "Sarah?" she asked. Her heart sank as she thought of it of of
"I saw it," said Michelle carefully walking but a bit wary to get too close. "You um.. turned her into a hair tie." She looked at the article of clothing with some curiosity and surprise. What would that be like...
Tiffany suddenly cried. "Michael!" She shouted. "What are we going to do?" She winced. "Please Please This girl I- I just- I-" she tried to pull off the hair tie, but had to untie it first. She had never done so before and accidentally dropped it on the ground. "Ah- no!"
Michelle gingerly picked it up. She realised something... she could see an aura around it. There was a person... this hair tie was still a person, in a different form. She wasn't sure how. She once again recalled that strange field of change, to see where this 'petal' was in that tree of humanity. Surprisingly it was still there... but the petal was glowing. On the tree she was sure she saw the scampering feet of a squirrel, hiding away. Was that Tiffany's magical body in this world? What exactly was this strange place... "I need to restore her..." said Michelle, as she looked at the leaf. She had no idea what Tiffany had done, but Michelle believed she could fix it. "How do I do it?"
A voice called out to her. 'The nature of chaos... if you restore this one, something else will happen to another.. another random person..'
Tiffany was looking up to Michelle pleading, not aware of her strange vision as she stared at the hair-tie. "There's to be something we can do!" She didn't want to be responsible for this. She couldn't! "I'm gonna go to jail.. this is my fault somehow, my fault "
Michelle frowned again, deep in thought. "Tim? Just.. calm down I'm... thinking.." She twisted the hair tie around, examining it; before seemingly just Stopping. Staring into space for a while. Clearly Michelle and Tiffany both had magic, but they were distinctly different kinds. Michelle's eyes flicked back and forth, trying to understand what would happen if she restored Sarah's body. She would have to 'blow' a wind across the leaf, and let the magic drift away... but that act will cause a bunch of leaves to possibly fall... it was dangerously close to that young boy's leaf she saw earlier. If she restored Sarah, that young boy's petal would fall...
She made her choice and started to call upon the magic, brushing away the strange light Tiffany and placed on it. She saw to her quiet sadness as the other petal fell. She tried to chase after it, to try and find something that would at least be workable... 'something humanoid at least!' The petal landed quickly.
'.. this one will become a cat girl...'
Outside the mall an ordinary young boy and his mother were heading home. The boy was in the car, insisting something to his mother. "It's true mom! I swear I saw that woman and she had a huge tail it was orange and big- I think she had two-"
"Now now Steven," said his mother. "I told you before about that wild imagination of yours. Didn't you also say there were doors in the sky when you were little? It was cute back then, but you really need to grow up remember the time you said little people were sliding down the rainbow?"
The young boy, Steven... fumed. But then it was quite obvious he was feeling something weird on his hands like- from when he had touched that odd tail the tail that wasn't there. That tingle was spreading.. somewhere between his legs and rubbing it didn't seem to make it any better. Then suddenly there was an instant.. of.. magic.. and the young boy was looking oddly. He felt.. somewhere under his clothes but..
... No that couldn't be..
The car started off, the mother oblivious to Steven's quiet exploration and.. loss.
