December 20th 2015
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Day 0, 6:20pm
Alexander Pallas unlocked the door to his rented apartment and shouldered it open. He stepped inside and nudged the door shut with his foot, his hands burdened with a pair of shopping bags. Stepping into the apartment's small kitchen he deposited the bags on the counter. He didn't bother putting the groceries away as he turned to the fridge. The bags were full of bread and canned, not like they would go bad if left out.
Yanking open the fridge the man ran a hand through his short brown hair as he searched. Milk, eggs, week-old pork chop (which he probably needed to throw out), leftover rice, leftover ham and pineapple pizza- he grabbed the saran wrapped plate and closed the fridge. With a grin he headed for his bedroom just down the hall, all while tunelessly humming jingle bells.
Walking into his room he deposited the plate on the folding tv table he used as a side table for his double bed before sliding into the seat of the desk squeezed up against the opposite wall. Powering it on he leaned back and grabbed a slice of pizza. It disappeared before the computer finished turning on thirty seconds later. Brushing his hands off he typed in the password and watched as the computer finished loading.
Busying himself with another two slices he leaned back into his chair with a sigh. Hopefully he wasn't too late. He'd been looking forward to tonight's session for the last couple weeks. Heck he'd have been home sooner if they hadn't been down two men at work. With one hand he booted up the VoIP service skype and smiled as he saw a call in progress. Perhaps he wasn't late after all. He clicked the answer button and voices filled the room.
"All I'm sayin' is that if you played her you might have fun." The first voice drawled lazily.
"I'm not playing a giant chicken, and you can't make me Luke." Replied the second.
"Why resist? You know he'll get you to play Anivia before the nights out Will." A third said.
Alexander chuckled, drawing their attention.
"Oi, Pally-boy you're here." The third said cheerily.
Alex sighed. "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that Richy?" He asked.
"A few, and how many times have I asked you to stop calling me Richy? I'm not a movie character damn it." 'Richy' said annoyed.
The Luke and 'Will' both laughed. "I don't know Richard, you do act like one sometimes." 'Will' said.
Richard sighed loud enough to be heard through the speakers. "Fine, fine. Love ya too William. Bit late aren't you Alex?" He tried to change the subject.
"We were down a couple guys, jerks were out on sick leave. Probably just faking to get an extra day." Alex groused as he ripped another piece off the pizza. "Boss made us stay another hour to finish up."
"Well that sucks." Luke said, "So about that Anivia."
"Just shut up about the damned chicken till we're in the game." Will complained.
Alex finished the pizza as he listened to the ever more persistent attempts of Luke to get William to play the Cryo-phoenix. "Oi Will, where's your girlfriend?" He asked eventually, "She's joining us right?"
"Yeah she is. She's just finishing packing. Flies back to Utah tomorrow afternoon. Shouldn't be too long." He said. As he said that a 'Ziggy_Bear_33' joined the call.
"Speak of the devil and she shall appear." Quipped Richard in amusment.
"It better have been nice Richie." Claire replied with equal amusement.
"Alex was just wondering where you were is all Claire." William said over Richard's complaints.
"Packing. Clothes don't put themselves away." She said.
"I wonder if you could design self-packing clothes?" Mused Luke.
Alex snorted in sync with William and Richard. "Sure you could, probably wouldn't be very nice to wear though." He said with a laugh. "Now that we're all here are we going to do anything tonight?"
Everyone but Luke chorused agreement. "Yeah, uh… ARAM or normal?" Luke asked.
"ARAM." Said Alex.
"Yeah, ARAM sounds good." Claire said.
"You two got anything with ARAM?" Luke asked Richard and William.
"Nah, I'm good. Richie you fine?"
"Stop calling me that." Richard groaned.
"No." Chorused everyone else, causing him to go silent for a moment.
"Fine be that way." He said, a pout audible in his voice. "I'm fine with ARAM if you guys are."
"Right, let's get this night goin'." Alex said as he logged onto League of Legends.
December 20th, 2015
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Day 0, 11:35pm
"One last game guys, I've still got to be up a reasonable time tomorrow." Claire said after five hours of game.
"The flight right?" Alex said as he nursed what was left of a second bottle of beer, the first perk precariously on the side of the TV table.
"Yeah. Going back to Utah for Christmas. Almost not worth it really. My parents probably have a line of suitors a mile long by now. All just waiting to try and steal me away." She said sarcastically.
Alex took another sip as William said, "They're still doing that? Even after…?" He sounded surprised.
"My brother claims they're just 'hedging their bets'. Bet they just don't like what you're studying. Archeology doesn't exactly pay well." She said with a sigh.
"And astronomy is any better?" William said.
Richard snorted. "Hell yeah it is. If your girl gets a job at NASA or some big name research institute we're talking five figures easy. People like her aren't exactly common."
"Only if I went to one of them, which I don't want to. Going to NASA means moving back to the states, and with the way things are going right now… I'm not entirely sure I want to be in the same country as my parents. I swear I've never heard of most of the people they throw at me every time I come home." She complained.
"Point." Richard conceded.
"Anyway, ARAM, Normal or Bot?" Luke asked. "I'm getting a little wired, and tipsy, myself. Not sure I'm up to another match against real people."
"You just don't want to get banned again for drunken cursing." William said with a laugh, remembering the 'incident' two years earlier.
"I'm not drunk, just tipsy." He defended, to a chorus of snorts. "So bot game or...?"
Shaking his head at the topic change Alex piped up, "Yeah bot game. Nice easy win to finish the night off."
"Right invite out."
Moments later they were loaded into the character selection screen. Alex stared at the selection screen for a moment before smiling. "Why don't we just play our favourites to finish this off?" He said selecting the nine-tailed fox Ahri.
"Always after that tail huh?" Richard said with a laugh as he selected the frost archer Ashe.
"Hey they're fluffy." Alex defended with a laugh. "And I see you're going for the archer. Try not to shoot me this time alright."
"That was an accident. Besides I'm not the one holding the bow this time." Richard defended himself, "All I got to do is right click to win. Nice and easy."
"Right click to win? You're just too slow for something more complex Richie." William said as he picked Ezreal.
"Don't call me that damn it. Go and play your pretty-boy Mr. Jones, we'll see whose numbers are better after this."
"Hey hey, you're both getting ahead of yourselves." Luke said as he picked the card wielding scoundrel Twisted Fate. "Tonight my numbers are going to be the highest so both of you can just stand and sputter."
Laughing Claire picked the light sorceress Lux. "The scoundrel, the queen and the tomb raider. Got room in this competition for me?" She asked.
"Oi." Alex protested, "Your forgetting someone."
"Oh, who?" Her voice was far too innocent to be sincere.
"Me. I'll be top of the board tonight guys. I damn well better be after the week I've had." He said.
"You guys care to place a wager on that?" Luke said with a carefully crafted sneer as the game jumped to the loading screen.
Richard laughed. "Sure why not. Money or favours?" He asked.
"Either works for me." Luke said.
"Sounding a bit arrogant there Luke." William said, "Two hundred Canadian, and a six pack of Coors."
"Help on your homework for a month." Claire offered, "But only math, not too good at much passed that."
"Oi I don't go to school." Alex said.
"So? I don't plan on losing." She cheerfully replied.
"Nah he's got a point pick something everyone can benefit from." Luke said, "I'll offer Two hundred and add a meal at a restaurant of your choice."
"Trying to steal me away from Will are you?" Claire said with amusement. "Fine, one-fifty US and two skins under 2000RP."
"Just getting expensive now Claire." Richard said, "I can offer one hundred and two bottles of wine from my collection."
"Two? You sure you haven't drunk too much tonight?" Alex said.
"Like Claire said, I don't plan on losing."
"Fine… let's see… A hundred and three skins. Your choice." Alex said with a laugh.
"All wagers are final once the game starts. You sure everyone?" Luke said with a laugh.
"I'd have offered if I wasn't?" Richard replied sarcastically.
"Just making sure."
Then the game started and the taunts started flying.
December 21st, 2015
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Day 1, 12:35am
"And… damn it Claire." William complained as he saw the game records. "How the hell did you get 100k hero damage?"
Alex had to agree with the sentiment seeing as the closest competitor of their impromptu bet was himself at a measly 37k.
"Hm? I'm sorry was that a 'Hail my girlfriend Queen of the Rift'?" Claire asked sweetly.
Alex laughed as William sputtered before sighing. "Yeah yeah. Hail Claire, Queen of the Rift. Seriously though, how the hell did you? You spent half the game dead damn it."
"She's just that good Will." Richard said with defeat. "That or we need to petition Riot to nerf Lux."
"Try arguing that on the forums and see how much you get laughed at." Luke said. "Guess I owe you that dinner after all."
"Oi." William said annoyed as Claire laughed.
"It'll have to be after New Year's Eve some point. I'll be around to collect after then." She said, "I'm off guys, sleep well."
"Good night Claire, see you when you get back." Luke said.
Ziggy_Bear_33 left the call.
"Well I better get to sleep, I'm driving Claire into YVR tomorrow," William said before leaving himself.
"Jealous much? Geez he's possessive." Luke said.
Alex laughed as he finished his third beer, the acquisition of which probably had something to do with his lackluster performance. "You're hitting on his girlfriend Luke. Course he's mad at you." He said shaking his head.
"His fault if he can't keep her interested."
"Not how he's going to see it Luke." Richard piped up. "So just back down before he knocks you out for a loop."
"Fine fine… Ah I should get to bed. This rum and coke needs to be slept off." Luke said, "Calls going to end when I leave so, G'nite everyone."
"Later, guys." Richard said.
"See ya." Was all Alex managed before the call ended. Staring at the screen for a moment he shook his head and stood, not the slightest bit unsteady. Turning to the window he stared out at the city below. There wasn't much he could see really. Ten Floors up was rather high, but in Vancouver it barely rated average for building size. His gaze drifted to the taller towers of the city. While he didn't know which one he did know that Luke lived in one of the penthouses. Never said which one, hell he'd never actually confirmed it either, but enough slip ups to certainly let everyone know he had money.
With a yawn he pulled off his shirt and pants, leaving him in a white tank top and boxers. He flopped onto the bed with a sigh. Yeah sleep sounded good now, after the day he's had and three beers. Oh yeah sleep was what he wanted.
December 21st, 2015
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Day 1, 9:30am
Alex groaned as he woke up. The first thing he noticed was the pounding in his head from the night before, which was odd because he'd normally need a lot more than three beers to get a hangover. Like eight or so. The second was the dry mouth and throat, which coupled with the wet pillow he'd apparently been kissing all night, helped explain the first thing. It wasn't the beer that had done this.
Pushing himself up with a groan he found his entire body felt stiff and sore, like he'd been squeezed by a giant all night. It was probably the after effects of moving so much heavy materials and equipment the day before.
"God I hurt." He complained. He stopped. Somehow that sounded wrong. "God." His voice was… strange? Higher perhaps? "What is-" He opened his eyes and looked down. Straining the his tank top nearly to the breaking point two large orbs jutted from his chest.
"Breasts? I have…?" He reach up and poked one of the round orbs. The tingly sensation and slight jiggle he could feel wasn't reassuring. Nor was the fact that the hand that did the poking was far too slim and soft with well-manicured red claw-like nails. Something soft on his legs drew his attention. Turning his head, and being forced to brush away the suddenly long black hair that got in his way, he saw nine long flowing white tails that were twitching this way and that in quite visible irritation.
"Tails…" His hand brushed aside his hair as it fell back into his gaze. It fell back immediately and he tried once more to push it back behind his ears, only to stop and feel where there was supposed to BE a pair of ears. Nothing. Nothing was on the sides of his head. Slowly he reach up his head, suddenly having a very good idea of what was going on. It felt strange as he touched what he was sure were a pair of long black ears, a bit like an itch on top of his head, only not so irritating.
Simultaneously his other hand reached down to check something important. Not finding the very familiar, and important, bulge in his boxers he sighed. "Why…" He paused at the distinctly higher, and dare he say feminine, tone that came from his mouth. "Why am I… Ahri? This has to be a dream. A really weird, very lucid dream." He looked down at his hand. The nails on it looked rather sharp, and weren't you supposed to not be able to feel pain in a dream? Or at least not without waking up? Lifting one manicured hand to his right breast he pinched the nipple through his top.
Letting out of strangled yip of pain he yanked his hand away. Staring at his hand in horror he much more gently prodded the offended orb of flesh again. It jiggled defiantly in defiance of the logic it shouldn't exist. Couldn't exist. He'd been most definitely male the night before.
She stared unseeingly down at her breasts, tails stilling before her eyes rolled back up into her head and she collapsed back onto the bed.
December 21st, 2015
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Day 1, 12:33pm
Alex groaned as she came to for the second time that day. Once again the first thing she noticed was the pounding in her skull, like an army of dwarfs had taken up residence in Mt. Alex and were busy carving a nice home out of her brain matter. Gory as the thought was it would go a long way to explaining the weird dream she'd just had.
Opening her eyes she pushed herself up, only to freeze as her arms brushed the two traitorous orbs hanging from her chest. She looked down at them and wilted visibly, her tails flopping to the bed and her ears going flat. "I'm… a woman now? A kitsune even?" She said running one hand uncertainly along the new curves of her body. Where the night before she had been firm and, even one could have called him squarish, she was curves. Curves in what she'd have considered all the right places, on someone else's body.
Large breasts, a narrow waist and a derriere that was perfectly formed, beyond what she suspected was naturally possible on a human. Shaking her head of those thoughts she noticed a bright flashing light on her computer. The Skype icon was pulsing insistently. Standing up she stumbled slightly before her tails instinctively spread out to correct her balance.
Stepping over to the computer she tried to sit down, only to realize she'd sit on her tails if she tried it the normal way. Sitting sideways she leaned into the screen curiously. It was a conversation from this morning.
8:20am Luke: Oi, which of you guys snuck into my house last night?
8:22am William: Define snuck into?
Luke: It was you!
8:23am William: I don't even know where you live, and frankly I'm dealing with some weird shit this morning.
Luke: I have a beard, like Abraham Lincoln or Twisted Fate.
8:24am William: Like who?
Luke: You know who I'm Talking about
William: Yeah, but like, a full beard overnight?
Luke: I'd shave it but I'd rather not wreck my razor with whatever adhesive you guys used.
8:25am William: Look if they got you, then they're probably whoever got me. Only I look like fucking Ezreal. I swear to god I'm going to kill whoever did this. I am NOT a blonde pretty boy.
Luke: What they dyed your hair blonde or something?
8:26am William: Its more than that. It's like someone applied a full face prosthetic or something. And if it wasn't impossible I'd swear I've lost six inches.
Alex leaned back from the screen as she continued to read. So she wasn't the only one to have something happen. Still they didn't seem to be realizing it as fast as she had. She flicked her gaze to her tails for a second before continuing. It was probably the severity of the changes that had helped that.
Luke: Find some water, try and wash it off.
8:27am William: Not going to work. This sort of this is usually waterproof. I did some work in the drama department in highschool this sort of thing usually needs a solution to dissolve, though I guess if I stuck my face in the sink for an hour it might work… Problem is I need to be able to drive. I look nothing like my licence.
8:28am Ziggy_Bear_33: You don't need to worry about that. No way I can go home right now.
8:28am William: Claire, what happened?
Ziggy_Bear_33: You know how you joked I look like Lux's sister a few weeks back.
William: Yeah?
Ziggy_Bear_33: well now I look like her twin.
Luke: Hold it. I get a beard and you two got some kind of full makeover. You're trolling me aren't you?
Ziggy_Bear_33: Would we do that about something like this!
William: Why the hell would we?
8:33am Luke: Prank stage two. Once I'm in a panic about the beard start making all of this seem even stranger.
William: that's…. You're being paranoid, we don't even know where you live!
Ziggy_Bear_33: he's right Luke, no idea where you live, not to mention I WAS SUSPPOSED TO LEAVE TODAY! WHEN THE HELL WOULD I FIND THE TIME!
8:34am Luke: Ow… Watch that caps lock, and yeah you wouldn't have the time but Richie and Alex might.
William: … Hard to refute that logic, if I wasn't currently looking like a clone of mr. pretty boy I'd agree
Ziggy_Bear_33: we could call him
Richard: I have boobs
8:38am Luke: What
William: The hell?
Ziggy_Bear_33: What happened
Richard: I have white hair and boobs. Big ones. They jiggle.
8:40am Luke: Okay now I know you're having me on.
Luke: Once sec he's calling me
William: ?
Ziggy_Bear_33: ?
8:44 William: They dead?
Ziggy_Bear_33: Maybe?
8:49am Luke: He has boobs. They jiggle. Also he looks like Ashe.
Ziggy_Bear_33: Oh you believe Richie now.
Richard: Don't call me that, and I flashed him
Ziggy_Bear_33: …
William: I want to be surprised.
Ziggy_Bear_33: but I can't be
William: yep
Ziggy_Bear_33: Breasts?
8:51am Richard: Big ones. Not sure what cup size.. also Silver hair.
Luke: Yeah, uh…. Definitely him. He knows things, She knows things uhm… do I call you….?
8:52am Richard: Whatever, I mean this is… This is weird my chest should not bounce.
9:01am Ziggy_Bear_33: anyone still there?
Luke: Trying to empty my mind.
William: Hows it going?
Luke: Not well
William: Same
9:02am Richard: J
9:05am Ziggy_Bear_33: Pretty sure I'm not dress up as lux
Luke: oh?
William: y
Ziggy_Bear_33: Pretty sure I am lux
9:07am William: That's ridiculous
Ziggy_Bear_33: Prosthetics have seems, also they can't change your height. I'm five inches shorter than yesterday and I gained a cup size.
9:08am Richard: I think I gained six
Luke: Richie…. Shut up please.
William: Seconded.
Richard: L
9:13am William: Right, I've lost seven inches. Pretty sure this isn't a prosthetic. Also I found a rather strange amulet on my bedside. Looks… shuriman.
9:14am Luke: Repeat that last
William: Shuriman. As in from Shurima, Created by shurima, found in a shuriman temple. MADE FROM FUCKING GOLD AND GLOWING BLUE. Also I need a new lamp. I just blew it up by accident.
9:17am Ziggy_Bear_33: I better not touch the rod next to my bed then. I like my lamp…
9:20am Luke: you have super powers?
William: I guess? Isn't part of his lore something about an amulet or magic focusing device?
9:21am Ziggy_Bear_33: yeah, something about that… did we really?
Luke: I just found a deck of cards next to my bed… wait if I turned into twisted fate why don't I look different?
9:22am William: I guess you already looked a lot like him already? I mean the thing you noticed was the beard right?
Luke: huh… odd yeah the beard…hm…
9:27am Richard: I found a bow. Its cold but works. I've got arrows sticking out of my wall now
9:37am Richard: Guys?
9:41am Ziggy_Bear_33: Do not use that thing until we get you lessons.
Richard: but why do I need lessons. They all hit exactly where I wanted.
Ziggy_Bear_33: where was this?
Richard: superman poster at the end of my hallway, all clustered in his forehead. Somehow this thing just feels… right. Kinda creepy actually
9:43am Ziggy_Bear_33: Repeat after me, ancient magical artifacts are not toys. I will not practice them inside the house.
Richard: Normally I wouldn't, but I can't exactly go outside with clothes. My shirts don't fit…
9:45am Luke: Your naked?
Richard: Topless. Got tired of the blanket. I did find a copy of one of her shirts in my wardrobe though. And a cloak. Bit too skimpy with the snow though. Also a bit strange.
9:46am Luke: And suddenly my mind is no longer empty.
William: Same
Richard: J
9:47am Ziggy_Bear_33: William it better be on me
William: eh right sorry
Ziggy_Bear_33: here's a question: Where's Alex? He should be up by now.
9:48am Luke: Maybe he thinks we're trolling him?
William: And why would this have passed him by?
Ziggy_Bear_33: it got the four of us. Maybe it got him worse?
9:49am Luke: Like what? Nami?
Ziggy_Bear_33: Maybe something worse. Richard's been acting weird this whole time.
Richard: Actually I'm on the edge of panicking right now. I'm moments from snapping and crying my eyes out with despair.
Ziggy_Bear_33: seriously
Richard: Yep J
9:50am William: Maybe someone should check on Alex?
Ziggy_Bear_33: Who I can't drive like this, neither you nor Richie can either. We look nothing like our pictures.
Luke: I'll come by and get everyone. Even if I can't drive, Albert can.
9:51am Richard: Who?
Luke: My butler
Richard: You have a butler? Since when!
Luke: For years? He worked for my parents then me. Hell his family has worked for mine for decades. He's a bit like an uncle.
9:53am Luke: Guys?
Richard: You have money?
Luke: Yeah?
9:55am Richard: Marry me
William: 80
Ziggy_Bear_33: XD what?!
10:00am Luke: I'm going to pretend that's the shock talking. Anyway I'll come round pick you guys up and we can go check on Alex? Just in case he's turned into Cho'gath or something, better have numbers.
William: If that's happened, then I think we'd need the army Luke.
Ziggy_Bear_33: Please don't joke about stuff like that Luke.
Richard: Maybe he's responsible for this?
10:01am Luke: Really? Be reasonably Richard
Richard: It's possible, not likely but hey if we're talkin crazy things
10:02am Ziggy_Bear_33: just come pick us up.
Luke: Right, ttyl then
William: see ya, Claire vid call, private channel.
Ziggy_Bear_33: kk bye
Alex leaned into her chair with a sigh. There was a little more between Richard and William, but nothing really important. She looked down at her hands and flexed them experimentally. She felt numb, like nothing was really registering. Looking back at skype she added a response of her own.
12:44pm Alex: Guys?
She waited and a moment later a response popped up.
12:45pm Ziggy_Bear_33: On my phone, you okay alex?
Alex: Feel, numb. Odd. I have breasts, like Richie. I have tails to. Well nine actually. Funny, why am I so calm right now?
12:46pm Ziggy_Bear_33: Tails, what nm We're almost at your place, Richie has a key from that last time you went on holiday. Will it work?
She thought for a moment. The last time she went on a holiday was in the summer. There had been a change on the inner apartment locks, but nothing had been done to the outside.
Alex: Front door locks are the same, Apartment locks were changed in October. I'll unlock the apartment.
Feeling somewhat more dazed than before Alex rose from her chair and walked out into the hall, not particularly registering as one of her tails knocked the plate she'd used for pizza onto the floor. Only a dim 'at least it's on carpet' was all the registered as she strode to the front door. The chain on the door was hanging loose; she'd never replaced it after she returned. Undoing both of the other locks she went not back to the bedroom, but to her small living room where her somewhat beaten couch resided.
She flopped face first into the battered couch, bouncing only slightly. She rolled onto her side and stared at the TV. She felt like watching TV, but the controller was across the table and she didn't want to get up again. Her stomach grumbled, but she remained. Somehow the hunger felt… unimportant if that was possible. A tail flopped across her, into reach of her hands. Pulling her tail to her she proceeded to pet it, sighing as a strangely relaxing calm settled over her.
Minutes passed and finally she heard the door creak open. "Hello?" Called a girl's voice.
"Here." She called, wincing once again at her own voice. Why was it so high?
A moment later a blonde girl, it took a moment to realize who it was. Claire, suddenly blonde and even if not wearing Lux's iconic outfit, was certainly recognizable as the young champion. Following her came three more people she both recognized and didn't. In the back a tall man with a beard, wearing slacks and a dress shirt was the most recognizable. While the beard was strange and his body was a touch leaner he was definitely recognizable as Luke Mitchell. Funny she'd never realized how much he looked like Twisted Fate, it must have been the beard.
Just off to the side a very beautiful woman with long white hair gave a cheery wave as she held a long blanket wrapped package to her chest. A chest that was quite visibly straining against a T-shirt a size too small. Something about the way she smiled reminded Alex of Richard quite a bit, which would make sense since Richard had turned into Ashe. Supposedly.
Finally at a full head shorter than Luke, William stood with his arms crossed, a concerned frown on his new 'pretty boy' features. "That you Alex?" He asked only to groan as his girlfriend elbowed him in the ribs.
"Be nice." She whispered almost too soft for Alex to hear. In fact she was sure she wasn't supposed to hear that.
Trying, and failing, to force a smile Alex looked at her friends. "G-guys. Hi." Tears gathered at the corners of her vision as everything suddenly felt so much more real than it had moments earlier.
Even as she started to cry Claire was by her side, pulling her into and embrace that Alex welcomed. She wasn't sure how long she cried, but it definitely didn't help her head, which was throbbing worse than ever as she finally pulled her head off Claire's shoulder.
"Hey." The other woman said softly, "You feeling a bit better now?"
"Yeah. Sorry about-"
Claire shook her head vigorously, sending golden locks flying. "Don't apologize. This isn't your fault. Frankly it looks like you got hit the worst out of us." She said, "So a few tears are understandable." She gestured behind her to where Richard was playing with a bow of solid ice that glowed a soft blue. She looked up and smiled.
"Finally back with us? Need anything?" She asked, wrapping the bow back up in the blanket.
"Water, food. An aspirin or two? My head's killing me." Alex said as she sat up.
"Be right back." The archer said as she headed off, leaving the blanket wrapped bow on the seat.
Following the other changed man Alex asked softly, "How is he doing?"
"Alright. SHE broke down in the car, lasted a bit longer than you did once we showed up. I think she's being overly cheerful on purpose though." Claire confessed quietly, "She gets really quiet when she thinks you're not looking."
Alex nodded. She could understand that bit. "Reason you're calling him a girl?" She asked.
"To build habit, and we don't know if this is reversible either." Claire said.
"Could just say she's trans."
"I suggested that, she didn't like it for some reason." The Blonde shrugged. "No idea why, though it might have something to do with religion. Her parents were rather strict Catholics when they were alive."
"That sounded like an idea." Alex pointed out and chuckled slightly at her return glare, only to stop as it turned into a giggle. "God this is so weird." She said looking down at her hands, "I feel like a stranger in my own body right now."
"I can only imagine." Clair said, "I've been dealing with clumsiness all day thanks to the changes. It's like puberty all over again."
Alex paled and shuddered. Puberty. She was a woman now wasn't she? That meant periods. "Thank you so much for that comment." She deadpanned irritably.
Claire took one look at her face and broke down into giggles. "Sorry, but it's not THAT bad, really." She said. "I'm being honest you know. I've put up with it for years and so does every woman. You'll get used to it."
The newly nine-tailed woman pouted. "I don't want to." She said as she leaned over onto the armrest. A moment later she sighed. "I am so tired and sore."
Claire nodded as she stood from where she was kneeling. "We all are. Well, all of us except Luke. Which I guess makes sense, he gained a beard and not much else." She looked Alex up and down intently for a moment. "So you're Ahri then." She said.
Alex shrugged. "I guess. I haven't used a mirror yet, but the tails…" She trailed off.
Richard chose that moment to return carrying a tray with a few plates on it. "Bacon, scrambled eggs, two pieces of toast and a bowl chicken noodle soup." She said setting it down on the coffee table along with a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water.
There wasn't much said for the next few minutes as Alex lunged at the meal and proceeded to outdo a pack of piranhas. The water and an aspirin were her first victims, followed swiftly by the toast and eggs. The bacon followed immediately after and soon she was leaning back on the couch, feeling significantly more alive and calm than she had earlier, with the bowl of soup being slowly nursed in her hands.
Looking up at the two woman she raised an eyebrow as she realized she they had taken several full steps back. Sipping the soup she asked, "Never seen someone hungry before?"
After a moment Richard collected herself and stepped forward to collect the tray. "Not like that. For a second I thought you'd eat the plate… Do you want more?" She asked.
"More toast, and there should be a bit more bacon in the freezer if you've used it all up. I'm feeling like a lot more bacon actually." She said somewhat puzzled. "I'm not normally this hungry for bacon."
"Don't normally like bacon?" Claire asked as she carefully sat down on the other end of the couch.
"If I didn't why would I have it?" She replied.
"Point." Claire conceded, "Maybe it has to do with the whole fox thing? Or maybe you're just hungry."
Alex shrugged and finished the bowl, setting it on the table. "I'm going to go see if I have anything that fits this body." She said, "I'll be back in a few.
Claire nodded as she started for the hall. "Wait." She called out before Alex could leave, "Do you have a suitcase?" She asked.
"Yeah why?" Alex asked.
"Luke brought up a good point earlier. None of us can stay where we currently do. My neighbours don't recognize me, plus I'm supposed to be in Utah. Richie had to pretend to be his own girlfriend to the manager of his apartment already, and Will's in much the same boat as me. You're a bit worse off. You might be able to pretend to be a friend who likes cosplay a bit too much, but that'll only work for a day or two before it gets suspicious." She said.
"That's a bad thing why?"
Claire sighed. "We've all turned into characters from a game. Richie's bow shoots ice. Will's managed to accidentally destroy his own lamp, and Luke's managed to get one of those cards of his to light up. Can't get it to do anything but he definitely has the ability. Lux is supposed to be an unmatched light mage, and you. You're a nine-tails. Theoretically out of all of us you're probably the most dangerous. If someone finds out about this, how long until we wind up in some government or corporate blacksite? The moment the CIA or some other big name group gets word of this…"
Alex felt her blood go cold. That. That would be a massive problem. She looked down at her hands. This body… She didn't want it, or whatever powers it might have hidden away. She wanted to go back to normal, not get dragged into some spy thriller. She looked up at the other woman who looked back, an uncharacteristically grave expression on her face. "The plan?" She asked.
"Luke's invited us to spend Christmas. Apparently when the guy who owns the building brings strange people over the millionaire residents don't ask questions." She said deadpan, "We'll be safe for Christmas, give us time to figure out what to do. After that…" She shrugged. "Luke says we can stay as long as we want, but… well that's for later."
Alex nodded. They all had responsibilities and other baggage, but like all things the holidays had put something of a stopper on most of it. "I'll get dressed, and packed." She said leaving the room. She slipped passed the arguing pair of Will and Luke in the kitchen, apparently at odds over the proper temperature to cook bacon at of all things. She waved at Richard who returned it cheerily as she passed.
Entering the bedroom she bent down and picked up the fallen plate. It was whole surprisingly, though that probably had something to do with the carpeting in the room. Looking around the room she realized for the first time just how cramped the room actually was. Her double bed dominated the room leaving barely any room for her desk and computer. It was so crowded in fact that her closet was half blocked off by her bed. Sighing she closed the door with her foot and barely stifled a yelp as it tried to close of her tails. She turned to close the door with her hands and winced as the lamp on her TV table/End table was knocked to the ground. Fortunately like the plate it bounced.
Deciding to leave the lamp where it was she wandered over to the closet and pulled it open. T-shirts, dress shirts, slacks and coats all hung from hangers. It only took her a moment to realize that nothing in there would fit her. At all. She looked down at the tank top she was wearing. It every move she made strained the material more, even now she could see a gradually increasing tear in the corner of the shirt. Pulling it off she cast is aside and sighed. It was amazing just how uncomfortable something that tight could be.
Pushing aside her dress shirts she searched for something that would fit well enough to wear for the moment. Clothes were thrown aside, slowly piling up on the bed with the steadiness of a conveyor belt. With nearly half the closet on the bed a bit of red in the back of the closet caught her eye. Reaching back she pulled out a stack of silk clothing. She looked at it puzzled, this was not something she owned. She would have remember if it was. Lifting up the first red piece she realized it was a tight red shirt with a short skirt. A moment later it clicked. Richard had said she'd found a set of Ashe's clothing in her closet, was this a set of Ahri's?
Pulling the pile apart she laid it out on the bed. It was exactly like she thought. It was a perfect match for Ahri's iconic outfit. She looked at it wearily, while it would most definitely fit her like a glove it was called iconic for a reason. Not to mention very, very revealing. More revealing than anything she had ever worn. Well except that speedo back in high school on a dare. Overshadowing that though was the simple fact that it was feminine beyond anything she had every worn before. While her body was that of a woman a rather large part of her was still made up of the same male mentality she'd lived with all her life, a few hours wasn't going to change that. Turning back to the closet something Claire said came back.
'You might be able to pretend to be a friend who likes cosplay a bit too much'
Cosplay. Alex looked back at the clothing more thoughtfully. She was technically trapped in this apartment for the moment. If she wanted to leave she'd have to make it to the elevator and doing so without being spotted would be nearly impossible. She could pass off her tails and ears as part of a cosplay like Claire had suggested, but if they knew anything about Ahri…. The risk of someone putting things together from something like that was small. They'd have to have an open mind, knowledge of League and even a connection to someone who'd not only believe them, but have the power to do something. Still, if she was going out in 'cosplay' anyway it would be a lot more believable if she actually looked the part, right down to the clothing.
She stared at the clothing for a few more moments before caving in. Her boxers came off as she replaced them with the white silk panties, followed by the skirt, then the corset/tunic. Finally she managed to wrestle the unattached sleeves up her arms and tie them in place with the red braided cord provided. Looking down at herself it was hard to tell if it looked any good on her, but lacking a mirror would do that. Reaching under her bed she pulled out her lone suitcase. It was already partially packed with a bag of toiletries and some spare underwear. Tossing the underwear aside she added the spare set of the iconic outfit and closed it up. There really wasn't anything else she needed at the moment.
Glancing down at the bed two items remained, a red tassel that was supposed to hang from a hook just beneath her breasts, and a hair band. Looking down at the tassel she sighed and attached it under her breasts. It swayed hypnotically as she moved. Ignoring it she picked up the ornate red silk hair tie. This she would need help with.
"Claire, can I get some help!" She shouted. A minute later the door creaked open and the blonde magician stepped in.
"You need some hel-" Claire trailed off as she laid eyes on her. "What the hell are you wearing?" She demanded.
"Cosplay." Alex deadpanned, "Found it in the back of the closet. Nothing else fits. At all."
Claire looked at the outfit with the same wariness usually reserved for wild animals like tigers or bears, not silk dresses. "We still don't know anything about what's happening Alex." She started.
Putting on a deliberately confused look Alex said, "Alex? Whose that? I'm Ahri remember?"
The horror struck look on Claire's face was enough to send Alex into a fit of roaring laughter, rolling around on her bed, legs in the air.
Claire's face went purple before she reached out and slapped the kitsune on the arm, as hard as she could. "That's not funny Alex!" She snarled.
"Yes it was." Alex said with an unrepentant grin as she rubbed her arm. "You hit hard." She complained.
"You deserved it." The blonde sighed. "What did you need my help with?"
Alex held up the silk hair tie. "I need a bit of help with my hair." She admitted, "If I want this to look authentic it needs to be braided."
"I was making a point when I mentioned cosplaying, not a recommendation." Claire said as she accepted the hair tie and gestured for her to turn around.
Doing so Alex shrugged. "It's only until I can get something else to wear. I wasn't joking when I said nothing fits." She reached up and bounced her breasts. "These things are way too big. Nothing fits over them."
"Woe betide the woman with perfect breasts." Snarked the woman behind her.
Alex rolled her eyes. "Yours are nothing to sneeze at either." She said dryly.
"These are Lux's not mine." Claire said stiffly.
"And these are Ahri's, not mine." Alex mimicked.
"Touché." Claire conceded as she finished braiding the hair and tied it off. Looking at the hair tie she frowned. "There is something strange about that silk." She said.
"I don't think its silk, not like we know anyway." Alex said, "The entire outfit is made of it, and something tells me it's a lot tougher than the silk we know." She stood up and turned around. "So? How's it look?"
"You look like Ahri." Claire deadpanned, "Also you're missing the stockings and shoes."
Alex looked down. "Thought I was forgetting something." She said before turning back to the closet. After digging around for a few minutes she pulled back out with two pair of white and red stockings and a pair of red silk slippers. She slid the first pair of stocking on and added the other to the suitcase. Slipping on the shoes she sat down on the bed facing Claire and crossed her legs. Letting a mischievous smile appear on her lips her eyes became half lidded and she pitched her voice as close to a purr as possible. "So, how about now." She said.
The effect was instantaneous; a crimson blush flooded her friend's face as her mouth dropped half open. After a few moments of no further reaction she let concern enter her expression. Her intention had been to screw with her friend's head a little bit, not break her. Reaching out she gave Claire a small shake. In a more normal voice she said, "Hey, Claire you okay? Helloooo? Anyone home?"
After a few moments the blonde shook herself and said, "Do that again and I'll tell Will you're hitting on me."
Alex sent her friend a horrified look. "I was joking, no need to get your boyfriend to kill me for it." She protested.
Claire gave her a funny look before shaking her head. "You don't act like someone who was crying their eyes out a half hour ago." She said.
Alex hesitated. It was true, she'd been virtually catatonic a short while earlier. The cry had helped a lot, as had the food. Now for some reason she couldn't quite explain she felt almost giddy. "Maybe I'm in the reverse of shock right now?" She suggested, "The crying helped. The food helped as well, but… I'm not sure why I'm suddenly so silly. It's like I can't help seeing the strangeness as some kind of joke… When did I start…" She trailed off.
"Richard knows a bit about psychology. You can ask her." Claire suggested.
The kitsune shook her head. "No, I can't. She's got enough issues at the moment. I don't need to add to them. Maybe in a couple weeks if this whole thing doesn't just sort itself out." She said.
"You think it will?"
"I don't know." Both women fell silent.
"Probably should get back out there before Will thinks you've tried to seduce me." Claire said cheekily before leaving the kitsune with a flaming blush of her own.
Alex smiled softly as her friend left, the blush fading quickly. This entire thing was so strange, and she doubted she'd seen exactly how odd it was going to get. "It's not even been a day yet." She whispered. Shaking her head she stood up, hopefully she could get this over with quickly. Grabbing her suitcase she headed out into the hallway. She left her suitcase at the door before heading over to the kitchen. Her bacon and toast were probably ready. Stopping just short of the doorway inside she could hear her friends talking.
"How is Alex?" Luke asked.
"Silly." Claire said.
"Silly? How?"
"I think she's still in a little bit of shock right now. One moment she's normal the next she was trying to screw with my head as a joke."
"What did she do?" Will asked.
Alex snuck a peek around the corner. Both men had their backs to the hallway, talking to Claire and Richard. Both of them spotted Alex but a quick gesture prompted both to continue as if nothing happened, though Alex noted an amused look creeping into Richard's eyes.
"She tried to convince me she was Ahri, couldn't keep a straight face though." Claire said with a shrug.
Alex ducked back as Luke and Will shared a confused look.
"Why one earth would she?" Will asked.
"Because Alex has always had a twisted sense of humour, and it gets worse in stressful situations." Richard said as she chewed on a piece of toast. "Remember last spring when her work got so backed up?"
Both men twitched while Claire looked confused. "What did I miss?" She asked.
"Don't ask." All three chorused as Alex stifled her laughter. She hadn't intended to traumatize her friends that day, but hey things happened sometimes.
"So what else did she do?" Luke asked after a moment.
"You know you could ask her yourself." Claire deadpanned as she helped herself to a piece of toast.
Taking that as her que Alex slipped out from behind the wall and quietly sashayed up behind William. She'd have done it to Luke but he was a little too tall for her joke to work.
"You're the one who said to leave Alex to you." Will protested.
Richard rolled her eyes. "And she's better now. Well betterish. None of us are exactly better yet. This whole thing is screwy." She groused, receiving a chorus of ayes from the three and a wicked grin from Alex. "Besides your food's been helpful. For all of us. I'm sure Alex will want to thank you as well. Won't you Alex?"
Before Will could react Alex slipped her arms around him and pulled him back so his head was squished between her breasts. Leaning down she whispered a throatily as possible, "I'm sure I could think of a few ways to… thank you for it." She let the hug linger for a moment longer, in fact a moment longer than she was comfortable with, before pulling back.
Will stumbled away and turned on her, a crimson blush that only grew stronger when he laid eyes on her. He stared at her, anger forgotten for a long moment before Claire smacked him over the back of the head.
"She basically did that to me." Claire deadpanned, "Aren't you supposed to be a guy? Don't seduce my boyfriend."
Alex smiled back mischievously. "He was asking for it." She said, "And you didn't have to help." There was no way she was going to admit how uncomfortable holding a man that close had made her in those last few seconds. Not when a joke was on the line anyway.
"Like I said, twisted sense of humour." Richard repeated, "Nice outfit." She said.
"Thanks." Alex said shrugging non-committedly, "Food ready?" She asked.
"What are you wearing?" Luke finally asked, Will nodded his silent agreement in the background.
Alex accepted a plate of toast and bacon from Richard before responding. "An Ahri Cosplay of course. It also doubles as a class project for a robotics class I had this last semester." She waved her tails in an exaggerated motion, about the only thing she could do with them.
"Ah, right. How silly of me." Luke said, an amused grin on his own face. "Ready to go?"
"After this." Alex said finishing the plate of bacon. She passed it back to Richard who rinsed it and set it aside. "Right. Lead the way Luke."
Pulling out a radio Luke said, "Albert, pull the car around back. We're on our way down."
A formal aged voice replied, "At once Master Mitchell."
"Come on, and make sure you lock up." He said to Alex.
She nodded, snagging her keys from the counter on her way by. Following him to the door she raised an eyebrow as he snagged her suitcase on the way out. She could protest, but really who wanted to wrestle a suitcase down the hallway if they didn't have to?
The hallway itself was surprisingly empty. A good thing in this case as Alex locked her door and headed for the elevator. The elevator itself was also empty as they got on and headed for the bottom floor. No one boarded until they hit the bottom where an older man and young girl were waiting.
"Oh my." The man said taking a step back even as the young girl stepped forward.
"Pretty." She said reaching out for one of Alex's tails. She managed to grasp one before anyone could stop her.
Carefully keeping her face under control Alex reached down and gently removed her tail from the girl's surprisingly strong grip. "Careful, I've put a lot of work into this costume." She lied, "I'd rather it not get damaged quite yet."
"Costume?" The man asked faintly.
"Oh yeah, she's been working on it for months, even managed to include some robotics in the tails." Richard said, managing to hit the right note with the enthusiasm.
"Robotics, oh of course. How silly of me." The man said shaking his head. "I confess you make quite the impressive sight my dear."
"That was the intention." Alex said with the best smile she could put on as she fended off more attempts by the little girl to grab a tail. "We need to get going, have a good day." She said heading off down the hall.
"A good day to you as well. Come on Amelia, your mother is waiting for us." He said, pulling his granddaughter into the elevator.
"That girl has one heck of a grip." Alex complained as they turned the corner to the back parking.
Claire giggled. "She seemed to love your tails." She said.
"They are fluffy…" Alex sighed as her friends laughed.
Luke pushed open the back door of the building and they headed out into the alleyway. Waiting for them was a long black limousine. An old black man with grey hair and a suit stood waiting by an open passenger's door.
"Master Mitchel." He said stepping forward. "Allow me to deal with the suitcase while you get settled."
Passing off the suitcase Luke smiled. "Thank you Albert. I hope you enjoyed the break?"
"There's a wonderful little coffee place just down the road sir." Albert said as he stuffed the suitcase in the trunk.
Alex shook her head as she stepped into the limousine, finding a comfortable place to sit to one side. The rest filed in with Claire and Will took the far back seats and both Richard and Luke spread out on the seat opposite Alex.
Albert slipped into the driver's seat and rolled the divider down. "Where to Master Mitchel?" He asked.
"Home Albert. The private elevator for today."
"Of course." The divider went back up.
"Well this is nice." Alex said feeling the leather seats.
"Yeah it is. Relax, for now what's mine is yours. If you need a drink there's some in the side pocket." Luke said gesturing to the wine bottle.
Giving it a thoughtful look Alex shook her head. "No, I'm good for now." She said.
Time Ended
December 21st, 2015
Day 1, 2:35pm
Authors Note: Oh my god. How many years has it been since I posted something? Unlike my previous stories this one actually has an ending already planned out, and while it might stall depending on my college work I intend to finish it eventually. So tell me what you think, good or bad. But remember be constructive I can't get better if all you say is it sucks, or OC are terrible.
Actually on the OC part I'd like to state that this is NOT a Self Insert. At all. While I will admit that some of my own twisted sense of humour has infected the characters I'm afraid that was inevitable. I'm a writer not a god. Or am I? this characters will do whatever I what no matter how little sense it makes. Why the power could corrupt a lesser- *end power trip* Right where was I? Oh yeah not a self insert. I'd like an honest opinion on these characters. Did I do a good job in differentiating them?
