a pooltoy, Charge, Cradle, Echo, Kharaya-do, Luna, Meredith, Sevens, Sparkles, Spoke, Taliesenn, Tanwen/Tanwyn, UMBRA. and Vivi


Plural

ΘΔ

Autistic, ADHD

Nonbinary, Genderqueer, Trans

Kinky Ace, Demi, Bisexual


Weasyl (Visual Art and Commissions Archive)
www.weasyl.com/~faealchemist
pronouns.cc (WIP)
pronouns.cc/@FaeAlchemist
🗡️pleasepraise.me
pleasepraise.me/Kharaya-drone
🪀pleasepraise.me
pleasepraise.me/Cradle
Neocities (Personal Site)
faealchemist.neocities.org/

FaeAlchemist
@FaeAlchemist

I pushed the door open with my shoulder, carefully gripping the milk crate I was carrying, the potions inside clinking at the impact. As I worked my way between the shelves of miscellanea, I mused on how this whole affair would have been so much easier had it not been for the extra-strength cuteness potion incident earlier this week. But I'd decided to savour the moment, this vulpix body mixing sensations old and new. And so I was carrying a crate that felt one-and-a-half times as big as it should, and twice as heavy.

Finally, I found a free spot large enough on an old writing desk, and hefted the crate there. "Mystery Potions" read the label on the front. Those draughts that survived a fall behind a shelf, got left in a box buried under a box buried under a box, and so on. Truly, I had a pretty good inkling what most of them did. But a good inkling does not a viable product make. And so I brought them here, to a strange little shop that asks for nothing of its customers, and asks no questions of its suppliers.

With my task here complete, I turned to leave. If I— CRASH

CRASH

"Sugar!" I whipped around to look at the source of the sound. My eyes fell upon the remains of some kind of pot, bathed in an unnaturally dark shadow. As if reacting to my thoughts, the shadow began to flow inwards on itself, then reach upwards. A tail split from behind its body, and a pair of arms did the same, then a second tail accompanied by the shaping of a blank, but distinctly vulpine head. With the third tail, its legs took shape, lithe and digitrade. The fourth brought with it a shift in its core, shadowy mass redistributing from its waist to its hips and chest, and a great fluffy ruff formed around its neck. The fifth's changes were more subtle, a sharpening at the extremities, toes and fingers made distinguishable from palms and soles. And with the sixth tail, a familiar looking face took form, crested by three curls of fur, eyes lit with a red glow. The shadowy figure was undoubtedly a vulpix—and not just any vulpix. She was me.

"Heya!" the shadow Tali called, her voice not quite alike my own. "Thanks for the save!"


I scanned the nearby shelves for anything that could contain this other me, but it was a hopeless task. Even if I found something capable of the task, it could just as easily release another demon, or spirit, or whatever this Tali was.

"What's the matter," she asked, "fox got your tongue?" Her expression straightened. "Seriously though, I'm not gonna hurt you. After all," she started grinning, "I did make a promise."

"A promise?" I asked. Maybe if I just kept her talking, I could buy enough time for someone else to notice her.

"To put it in your tongue, it'd go something like," she threw her arms out to her sides, knocking a book off one of the shelves. "'To the one who breaks me from this prison, I will grant you the deepest desires of your heart.' They might've translated it a bit differently, but that's the gist. Ring any bells?"

I shook my head.

"Oh, curious," she tilted her head, "why did you release me then?"

My face flushed through my fur, and I held my arms behind my back. "I-it was an accident."

"Oh, huh. Well, no take-backsies! Besides, I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted to." She crossed her arms and frowned slightly. "Which to be perfectly clear I don't, 'cause that'd be mean..."

Despite the circumstances, I realised I couldn't help but believe her. That said, I've had enough experiences with demons and fae to be a little wary of contract magic. "My deepest desires sounds pretty intense. Could we maybe, like, just get an ice cream instead?"

Confusion briefly flashed across the shadow's face. "Oh. Ice cream." She grinned. "Yeah, I can do ice cream."

To be continued


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