Miaow was curious about something, and the moment Kaz pulled up in a parking lot she asked him about it. ᱿Why'd you give her your number?᱿

᱿She seemed nice was all. Cute, smart… What's not to like?᱿ Grabbing his bag and climbing out of his car, Kaz checked the time on his phone: 8:37AM.

Purring softly, Miaow wasn't done poking at the problem. ᱿Hrmm. And what if I said I wanted to be your girlfriend?᱿ She liked the way he jerked to a standstill.

᱿Look, Miaow, we both know that won't work. We're kinda both stuck in the same body, and besides, we'll know too much about each other for that.᱿ Resuming walking again, Kaz shrugged his shoulders.

᱿And what about Jaybird?᱿

᱿What about Jaybird? They're nice, but they haven't exactly sent me any signals that way.᱿ Crossing at the traffic lights, Kaz was still a little freaked out that no one else seemed to realize there was a huge freakin' castle they were driving past.

When Miaow remained silent except for some soft purring, Kaz almost swore. ᱿What's your deal, Miaow?᱿

᱿Trying to point things out to you, Kaz. Maybe see if Jaybird is into you before going after a girl who doesn't even have magic. You know how hard things would be to explain if she caught you doing magic?᱿

Stopping and leaning against the stone wall of the entrance, Kaz let out a sigh and looked up at the arch above him. ᱿This is going to be that kind of thing, is it? Us and Them? Sorry, Miaow, but I don't believe that for a second. Things can be perfectly normal without having to worry about revealing magic.᱿

᱿I just—᱿

"You're taking this way too seriously, Miaow. We haven't even been on a date yet." In his exasperation, Kaz had spoken out loud.

"A date?" Jaybird had heard their friend talking and found Kaz literally talking to himself. "Who's the lucky girl?"

᱿Ha! Told you!᱿ Kaz turned his attention from the suddenly huffy feline in his head to his friend. Reaching out an arm, he pulled Jaybird to his side with a hug. "A girl at our sharehouse named Abigail. She's pretty cute."

Pulling his phone out again, Kaz flicked through until he found her contact number—it had a tiny picture of her face.

"Kinda hard to see." As Jaybird looked, they felt tiny claws hopping up their shoulder, across their back, and over to Kaz's side.

The tiny peck on his cheek surprised Kaz. He looked at Puff and, as carefully as he could, kissed her blue jay form one little cheek too. "Good morning, Puff."

Chirping in excitement, Puff jumped from Kaz's shoulder and assumed her harpy form. "Good morning, Kaz!" She scooted in on his other side so she could get under his other arm. "I heard you had to deal with a yokai earlier."

Kaz could feel eyes of other people stray to him, and he didn't need to feel Miaow's purring stop to know this was a dangerous time to be talking about himself. "Oh, you know how they are. He was just trying to catch some fish and I got in his way. He's perfectly harmless."

᱿Good work. I don't know who that was, but there was a lot of presence in their attention. Also, you kinda lied, so I guess that ploy is completely gone now.᱿ Miaow still didn't take up purring again—she was far too on-edge.

᱿Yeah. I wanted to lie just to settle the whole not telling lies thing.᱿ For comfort, Kaz squeezed Puff and Jaybird.

"Is something wrong?" Jaybird asked. They'd just felt the emotional cocktail of Kaz's suddenly run to caution.

Kaz barely nodded his head and led their little group a bit further into the castle grounds. Finally feeling less on-edge, Kaz audibly let out some breath. "I don't know why, but the moment you mentioned yokai back there, I got this feeling like someone was watching really closely."

"Huh? I didn't feel anything." Turning her head, Puff looked back at where they'd been standing. "Was this a magic feeling?"

᱿I didn't feel anything different in your body. It was all you.᱿

"Apparently. Miaow says it wasn't anything I physically felt, so I guess I have magic reflexes or something." Kaz had no idea what else to do but shrug his shoulders a little? "So, do you know what's going on today?"

"There you are!" Flo rushed over to the trio. Her phone had started beeping at 8 A.M. and hadn't stopped until seconds earlier—Mal wanted her to stick to Kaz like glue. "You all ready for class selections?"

Kaz blinked in surprise at Flo's question. "Wait, we pick what classes we're doing in first year?"

Shaking her head, Flo pointed forward to a line of stalls with magic users sitting behind them. On each was booklets and a sign-up sheet. "Not really. You have your core classes, which represent each primary aspect of magic, and you get to pick two elective classes. You know, just something you've always kinda had your heart set on sort of thing. The electives don't matter to your second year, when you do pick your major, but it's really common for people to use them as a way to explore what they want to do with their lives."

"So just two?" Kaz thought on it. ᱿What do you think? I mean, I get that your specialty is transformation magic, but should I get something to compliment that or should I get something else to round out my experiences?᱿ The purring in Kaz's head returned, accompanied by laughter.

᱿Kaz, this is your education, not mine.᱿

Flo couldn't notice the mental conversation Kaz and Miaow were having, and kept going with her vocal one. "Two per semester. You get two now and then two more for second semester. You can either play the field with them and take a simple course in four different topics, or you could focus on two specific things for both semesters. Either way, I'm sure you'll get a lot out of them."

Feeling the trepidation in Kaz ate away at Jaybird's own confidence, but it was a sure sign their friend needed some words to help him. "I already know what I want." Curiosity was a surprisingly useful emotion, Jaybird had realized, for combating pesky negative emotions. They'd never really spent so much time in contact with someone before. Kaz was proving to be a wealth of not just support but also information on their telempathic ability.

"What's that?" Kaz asked.

"Anything that helps me explore my empathic abilities." Just saying it out loud made Jaybird grin wider.

"That's not what you said yesterday!" Puff had to lean forward to look past Kaz and to Jaybird. "You said you wanted to study druidism for nature and healing magics."

A little spark of surprise in Kaz added spice to their emotions and made Jaybird tingle with excitement. "Yeah, but—I guess seeing how useful my empathy is opened my eyes a bit. There's not many who have this kind of gift, but almost anyone can learn druidic magic."

Not quite following, Kaz figured just outright asking would be the best way to understand the conversation. "Useful? What do you mean?"

"Kaz, when you were feeling a bit confused before, what did I do?" Jaybird asked.

"Well, you said you knew exactly what you wanted."

"And how did that make you feel?"

"Curious. It was—" What it was, for Kaz, was a revelation. "You distracted me from being confused and got me thinking about what I'd actually want to learn." Which answered the question he'd asked. "You want to find other useful ways to use your power."

Laughing and jumping out from under Kaz's arm, Jaybird twirled in a circle. Their own emotions sustaining them despite the attention from others looking their way. "Yes! You taught me that I have a power I can use for good—to help people!" Spinning closer, Jaybird stopped directly in front of Kaz. "Thank you!"

᱿Have you noticed that Jaybird is really pretty?᱿ Miaow asked.

----------------------------------------

᱿Do you know how strange it feels to be signing up for witchcraft as a guy?᱿ The world had taken a strange turn, but Kaz had decided firmly that he wanted to get a good grounding in spellcasting without specializing on any one thing—yet.

Miaow was lazily counting down the hours, minutes, seconds, and whatever other time unit she could think of until Kaz was asleep again. ᱿You picked wizardry too. What's your problem with witchcraft?᱿

᱿I guess it doesn't mean the same thing to magic users as in popular culture. Witches are meant to be female. Haven't you read Harry Potter?᱿ Kaz checked his phone to make sure they still had plenty of time before the not-actually-a-date-but-maybe-a-precursor-date message would come from Abigail.

᱿I haven't, but if it implies witches can't be men, it must be very poorly written. Witchcraft is the low-magic field of spellcasting. Sympathetic magics. Wizardry is high-magic, very technical and precise.᱿ Rubbing her metaphysical body around in Kaz's head, Miaow giggled in an echo. ᱿Besides, if you feel it's required to be a female to be a witch, perhaps I can help there?᱿

The deep purring reminded Kaz of a video a friend had shown him on their phone in school, of someone with a tiger on their lap. ᱿You want to play dress-ups, don't you?᱿

᱿I could play dress-ups tonight while you're asleep, but it wouldn't be as fun. You did promise we'd go shopping, remember.᱿

᱿Of course. Look, Miaow, I don't know how bad you've had it before, but when I promise you something, I intend to follow through.᱿ Somehow the purring got louder in Kaz's head, to the point where he was having trouble listening for his phone alarm.

Miaow dialed back the purring just a little, mostly because it was starting to make her feel dizzy. ᱿Kazuma Wilson-Shimizu, you are every bit as honorable as your mother and father.᱿

Hearing, or at least thinking he was hearing, his mother and father's last names as his own made Kaz smile. He felt a rush of warmth that came from talking to someone who knew his mother. ᱿What was she like, Miaow?᱿

᱿That garappa was right to fear her son. Makishi was a warrior when she needed to be, but she chose to spare me. That probably means I'm biased, but I respect her not for the power she had, but the restraint she showed. She knew I was a yokai, and yet she spared me and gave me meaning.᱿ Miaow felt a little unsure of herself in describing Kaz's mother, given her limited interaction with the woman. ᱿Which is why I wanted to know you better.᱿

᱿Huh?᱿

᱿Kaz, I wish to know you from the start, right from the beginning. That way I can point at the greatest magic user in the world and say: that is my friend!᱿

᱿Miaow?᱿

It took her a moment to calm her purring enough to answer. ᱿Yes, Kaz?᱿

᱿You might be a monster, but all cats are monsters. They're also soft and cuddly. I wonder if you'd purr if I rubbed your belly?᱿

᱿Only twice. If you pet my belly more than twice, I'll take your hands off.᱿

Kaz's phone beeped with a message.

> Hi, Kaz. Uh, still on for hanging out?

It was a relief to get it at last. His thumbs worked quick to write a reply.

> Yeah. My friend can't make it, though, so it'll only be us if that's fine with you?

Miaow groaned in Kaz's head. ᱿Don't tip-toe around it. Ask her out. Find a place to have dinner.᱿

᱿I thought you didn't like this?᱿ Kaz asked.

᱿We settled that, didn't we? Jaybird is a close friend that you like watching bounce around. Abigail is someone who will not just bounce around for you, but let you hold her while bouncing around. Don't send mixed signals.᱿

It took a few moments for Kaz to catch up with Miaow's thought, but he got a bit of insight. ᱿You want to have sex with her.᱿

Blindsided by how accurately he'd cut to the chase, Miaow let out a dramatic (but completely mental) sigh. ᱿It has been almost thirty years, Kaz. A girl has needs.᱿

᱿You know she'll be expecting me, right? You'd have to be a guy.᱿

᱿With this kind of dry spell, I'll take what I can get. We can compare notes afterward.᱿ Miaow tried to keep the pleading out of her voice, but it was hard.

Kaz's phone beeped again and flashed up an address and a time that gave him about half an hour to get ready. He quickly typed a reply and sent it.

> See you there.

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With his orientation week out of the way, Kaz slid into a relaxed weekend. He'd managed two dates with Abigail, and things were going well. What excited him was learning magic. Real magic. He could feel it now in almost everything around him.

The strange thing was that when he woke up on a lazy Saturday morning and went for a run, he came home to see Abigail in the living room with a pet on her lap.

᱿Careful. Don't say out loud what you're seeing,᱿ Miaow said in Kaz's head. ᱿She doesn't know it's a griffon."

᱿But it's a griffon.᱿ Kaz was sweaty and felt like he needed a shower, but seeing a tiny griffon curled up on someone's lap had broken his plans up into so much confetti and shot them into the sky. ᱿Like, a tiny little griffon.᱿

᱿They're pests, mostly. The Veil guards them from sight most of the time, but if someone is looking for a cat or a dog, and sees one, sometimes this happens.᱿

"Kaz! Look who I found. He doesn't have a collar or anything, and I think he likes me." Abigail ran her hand down the griffon's back from its crest to rump. When it looked up at her in bliss, she rubbed under its chin. "Poor little guy must be a stray."

Deciding his shower can wait until he has worked out if there is significant danger, Kaz approached the couch and then crouched down beside Abigail and her new pet. "Friendly little guy." Kaz focused all his attention on the griffon, studying its falcon-like forequarters and head along with the feline back half. Reaching out, he rubbed just under its chin.

"Please don't throw me out. I'll be good."

᱿Griffons can talk?᱿ Kaz asked Miaow.

Miaow mentally rolled eyes she didn't have control over. ᱿Why do you think I told you not to talk to it. Abby won't hear it because of the Veil, but she'll think you're nuts.᱿

"Aww," Kaz kept rubbing the griffon's chin, "we can't throw you out unless you make a mess we can't hide, isn't that right, Abby?"

᱿What are you doing?!᱿

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

᱿People talk to pets all the time, Miaow. Just chill.᱿

᱿Really?᱿

᱿Yeah. Just relax, I got this.᱿ Kaz looked up at Abigail and raised an eyebrow.

"You mean that?" Looking from the "cat" in her lap to Kaz, Abigail felt bubbly and excited. "What are we going to call him?"

"Why don't we let him decide?" Focusing his attention back on the griffon, a new idea was forming in Kaz's head. He smirked. "Not sure if you're a Tigger or a Mog… Why don't you just whisper it to me." Leaning a bit closer, Kaz turned his head to the side as if listening to the griffon—which he was actually doing. "And if you bite my ear, I'm going to be angry."

᱿I don't know whether you're a genius or a lunatic. Keep going, though.᱿ Miaow wasn't purring at all, too worried that Kaz was going to break the most important rule of magic-kind.

"Claws. My name's Claws. You're really not going to throw me out?" Not really sure how to take things, Claws wasn't the smartest of critters, but he knew when someone was cutting him some slack.

Grinning up at Abigail like a fool, Kaz pulled off an enlightened expression. "Oh! Claws? Nod your head if you like that one."

Trying to understand what was going on, Claws nodded. "Why aren't you angry at me?"

Ignoring Abigail's giggling, Kaz continued. "So, Claws, what do you think? If we take care of you and give you a place to live, will you guard our house from evil monsters and mail delivery guys?"

"Oh. So guard the place and raise hell when any other magic user or monster comes in? I can do that." Kneading Abigail's leg with his talons, Claws brightened and looked up at Kaz. "No one's ever been this nice to me before."

Kaz laughed and lifted his head back. "Okay. I think I got everything we need. The little guy's name is Claws, he likes fish and mice, and he'll ferociously attack anyone who pets his belly more than twice." As Abigail broke into gales of laughter, Kaz looked back down at Claws. "I'm not exactly normal, Claws."

It was completely and utterly baffling to Miaow how Kaz had handled the situation. She'd expected him to fumble it and need her intervention, but somehow he'd wound up with a griffon guard for his home. ᱿You can say that again. No magic user would ever suspect a wild griffon of working for you.᱿

᱿I mean, with a yokai in the back yard, what could possibly go wrong?᱿ Kaz stood up straight after giving Claws one last rub along his neck. "I better go have a shower. You take care of Abby, okay Claws?"

"You are the biggest goof." Abigail would have thrown a cushion at Kaz, but that would not be respecting Claws' right to a lap—and being a cat-person (figuratively), she wouldn't upset a kitty on her lap.

"Yeah I am. You wanna go out somewhere tonight and be goofy together?" For Kaz, Abigail was more than just someone fun to be around, she was normal in a way his college life wasn't. "No bringing Claws, though."

Abigail laughed at that. "I'm not going to bring him, don't worry. It can be a test, I guess. If the little guy hangs around, he's picked us as his home. So, where are we going?"

"A club? Maybe we could see a movie?" Now that he wasn't distracted with griffons or running, Kaz realized how soaked through his shirt was with sweat. "Let's figure it out after I shower. I must stink."

"Mmmm…" So far their fun hadn't gone much further than being good friends who go on dates and snuggle, but Abigail was interested in taking it another step or two. Watching Kaz walk to his room to grab a towel, she couldn't stop admiring him.

Caelyn walked in just in time to see the dreamy expression settle into place on Abigail's face. Part of her was annoyed that she hadn't pushed to be more friendly with Kaz, but that part was now completely overridden when she saw how cute the two of them were together. "Another date with Mr. Dreamboat?"

"Yeah—" Abigail froze when she realized how she'd answered, then she snorted. "I don't know about Mr. Dreamboat, but used his abs as a pillow last night."

"You're gonna have me green with envy." Sitting down and reaching a hand out to tickle the "cat" on the side of his head, Caelyn bit her bottom lip. "Were they hard?"

For Abigail, it was nice to be treated as just another of the girls. In high school things had been less than stellar. "Yes and no. Every now and again he'd tense them up and I could feel each ridge in them, then he'd relax and be soft again."

Both Abigail and Caelyn went quiet as Kaz walked out of his room with just a towel wrapped around his waist. Only when he entered the bathroom and closed the door did both let out a little sigh.

----------------------------------------

Normally, a shower was time for a person to be alone with their thoughts. For Kaz, however, there was no such thing as being alone, especially where thoughts were concerned. When he was done and climbing out of the shower, he looked in the mirror and started dealing with his hair.

᱿You know they were both ogling you back there?᱿ Miaow asked, her purr going again.

Kaz was more than a little confused about what he should do with that information. ᱿I guess it's nice to be liked.᱿

᱿Liked? Pfft! They would have been pouring oil on you if they could. Maybe you're aiming too low? Back in my day, a powerful magic user could have an entire household of nubile servants.᱿

Kaz, thankfully alone enough that pausing in response to a mental event wasn't going to be seen, juggled the thoughts around until they made sense to him. ᱿You're such a lech sometimes, Miaow.᱿

᱿Guilty as charged, but you could probably talk them into a little fun together, you know?᱿ Purring deeply, Miaow ran through how to approach each. ᱿Though it would be easier if they weren't quite as smart.᱿

᱿I bet there's a spell for that?᱿ Kaz stepped into the shower and started washing himself.

᱿Hmmm… Maybe. Actually, I know three. Two of them are reversible.᱿ When she felt Kaz's mind still and his ablutions stop, she let out a mental groan. ᱿I know, I know. Don't worry, I won't do that kind of thing to anyone we have to live with. Besides, the contract made it clear that we're supposed to help each other. Drawing suspicion to you and getting you in trouble would be breaking that.᱿

᱿But it's wrong, too.᱿ Kaz resumed washing.

Miaow winced a little at that. ᱿I can't be too teasing, since you bent your morals to accept me already, but you're going to find that life is all kinds of shades of gray, Kaz. They don't deserve to have a big dose of mental fog dumped on them, no, but there's some people out there who probably could use some. Don't dismiss mental manipulations.᱿

᱿A deal, then?᱿

᱿I'm always willing to compromise for you, Kazuma.᱿

᱿Teach me. You said there's three, teach them to me. Teach me how to undo the two that can be. Teach me all of these things and we can discuss together when it's right and wrong to use them.᱿ The moment he sent the thought to Miaow, Kaz was almost overwhelmed by purring.

᱿I can do both those things. To be completely honest, the methods are fairly intuitive. The ways to slow someone's thinking are to literally slow it, one makes every thought take longer by fuzzing their mind, the other by clouding their memories. The irreversible one does it by literally damaging parts of their brain. Magic being magic, the fastest one is the damaging one.᱿

᱿Is that a general rule?᱿

᱿Hard and fast rule, which is also the reason it is a rule. Doing something fast means doing it without precision.᱿

Thinking for a while, Kaz finished off his shower and reached for the towel. ᱿Okay, doing things fast means they aren't good. So, why was I able to transform so easily?᱿

᱿That's easy. First, you're Kazuma Wilson-Shimizu, son of Makishi Shimizu. Second, you have a Bakeneko in your head. Third, you're really good at visualizing things. That's literally the most important part. Most people will leave something out and bam, they're missing a nipple or a finger. You even got the hair just right!᱿

"The hair?" As he said it, Kaz turned to the mirror and his hair—normally short and neat—grew out into flowing red locks that hung around his head, down his back, and curled just enough to remind him of who they belonged to. "Ariel."

᱿Bingo! The Little Mermaid princess! Oh, you embellished here and there. The cartoon didn't do her justice, but you were a mermaid down to your finned tail and big, perky, br—᱿

"Stop. Okay, so I'm good at this. I want to be good at the stuff I'm bad at, too. That's why I'm studying witchcraft and wizardry." Gesturing to his hair, he smirked and made it bright green. "This is the kind of thing I can do already. Why do I need to study that?"

Miaow was more than a little excited by how easily Kaz was working his magic. The hair quickly pulled up and into his head and settled back to his normal do. ᱿You might want to keep your voice down when speaking aloud about magic. But, yes, I see your point.᱿

"Bah!" Kaz quickly dried himself off, wrapped the towel around his waist again, and stepped out of the shower. Crossing the hallway got him more intense looks from both the girls and, on a whim, he walked over to Abigail and leaned in from the side to kiss her cheek.

"How'd you get your hair dyed so fast?" Caelyn asked, unable to look away from the vivid coloring.

᱿You didn't warn me my hair was still green.᱿ Kaz reached for a little lie that would cover for his gaff. "I felt like a change, you know? What do you think?" he asked Abigail.

Liking the attention, Abigail bit her lower lip and grinned up at Kaz. "I like it. Do you change it often?" She reached out her hand to feel his hair, expecting to get a little dye on her fingers, but it was dry.

"Thinking I might. Just—you know—express myself with it." Kaz could appreciate having his hair played with, but what with just wearing a towel he was more than a little worried that might become apparent to both the women. "Anyway, let me get dressed, and we can chat a bit more about it."

When Kaz walked out of the room, Caelyn almost groaned at the sight of him reaching to pull the towel away as his door closed.

"You're drooling." For the first time in her life, Abigail could feel that spike of pleasure that came from seeing a guy she was dating get ogled by others. It might not be completely devoid of annoyance, but that he showed no interest in Caelyn buoyed up her little narcissistic head-rush.

᱿You could have asked if Caelyn wanted to come too. They both looked hungry for a Kaz sandwich.᱿ Miaow waited until the door was safely closed before voicing her opinions.

Laughing, Kaz pulled the towel off and tossed it in his washing basket before going to his closet. ᱿You're insatiable. Abigail hasn't even slept with me and you're thinking about three-somes.᱿

᱿And now you are too.᱿

Kaz stopped, looked down, smirked and let out a bark of more laughter. ᱿Yeah, guess I am.᱿ He had to put up with Miaow's laughter while he finished getting dressed. ᱿Will this color wash out or anything?᱿

᱿No. You literally made your hair that color. It will grow that color.᱿

᱿I guess the best way to hide that would be to change the color regularly.᱿ Pulling a shirt on, Kaz looked in the mirror and had to admit that he was nothing if not in shape. The memory of Abigail resting her head on his belly made him smile a little more.

Purring at what she could see through Kaz's eyes, Miaow wondered if she could talk him into an afternoon nap. ᱿What's still surprising is how well you avoid lying.᱿

᱿Picked it up in high school. Teachers were annoying sometimes, I just wanted to be left alone—and I suck at actual lying.᱿ With jeans, socks, runners, and his shirt on, Kaz felt more ready to face a pair of women and a griffon.

What Kaz was unprepared for was two grinning women and a griffon that looked over at him—the first with playful grins and the latter with wide eyes. He walked over to the couch and sat down beside Abigail. "So, still got Claws all figured out?"

"Him?" Having been petting him near constantly, Abigail chuckled. "Yeah, I think he's under control."

Looking at Kaz, Claws let out a soft warble at the renewed petting. "She stopped while they were talking about your prowess."

Miaow purred a little louder. ᱿Oooh! I like having our own spy. This was a good plan.᱿

Reaching one arm out, Kaz put it over Abigail's shoulders and shifted himself a little closer to her. "That's good. I kinda like the little guy. Guess that means I'm buying his food, huh?"

It tickled Abigail that Kaz was offering to take care of the cat. It tickled her even more that he had his arm around her shoulder. "We can go halves if you want?"

᱿What do griffons eat? Is Claws going to need raw meat or something?᱿ With his free hand, Kaz started petting Claws, rubbing under their beak until both eyes closed and soft squawks were heard. "Sure."

"Soooo—" Caelyn leaned forward a bit so she could see Kaz past Abigail. "You two are getting kinda serious, huh?"

Rolling her eyes, Abigail looked at Caelyn. "Ask us that in, like, a year. We've only been on a few dates."

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Waking the next morning, Kaz wasn't surprised to find Abigail sprawled out against him. It had felt good, she'd seemed to be having fun, and he'd definitely had a lot of fun. But, they weren't the only two involved in the evening.

᱿Good morning, sleepyhead.᱿ Miaow, so recently having moved back to her dormant position in Kaz's head, stretched and started purring. ᱿Tell me that wasn't fun?᱿

᱿Can't and won't. Uh, after I fell asleep, did—?᱿ Kaz wasn't sure how to feel, but conflicted was the first word he reached for.

᱿She woke up when I took over. Is that a problem?᱿ Only able to hear his thoughts and not feel his emotions, Miaow wasn't sure how Kaz was feeling.

It shouldn't have been a surprise and it really wasn't a surprise. ᱿I knew, kinda, that you would. I guess it just snuck up on me. Did she enjoy it?᱿

"You're already awake?" Abigail asked, reaching a hand up to rub at her eyes. The smell in the room was the biggest surprise to her. It smelled not just of Kaz, but her as well. "What time is it?"

᱿Kazuma, if you don't intend to—᱿

"Time for round three." Ignoring Miaow's laugh, Kaz turned his full attention on Abigail.

----------------------------------------

᱿Shopping day.᱿ Kaz sat up on the bed and looked at the small pile of rubbers in the waste basket. ᱿Well, after we clean up a little. You still want to go shopping, right?᱿

Miaow purred all the louder. ᱿She's still asleep. Can you look at her for a moment?᱿

Turning his head, Kaz looked at Abigail. She was curled up under her side of the covers of his bed, wearing a big smile and nothing else.

᱿She's cute. Can we keep her?᱿ Miaow couldn't stop herself giggling. ᱿Seriously. She was cozy last night, and she seemed more than happy today. I don't think she noticed the difference between you and me at first, but she might ask you about your being a little… bitey.᱿

᱿Bitey? What did you do to her?᱿ Kaz pondered grabbing a towel and going for a shower, but then he'd effectively be leaving Abigail alone in the unlocked room asleep.

᱿Nothing she didn't return. She'd make a good queen. Look at your back.᱿

Turning, Kaz stood with his back to the one mirror in the room and turned his head to one side enough to see fingernail marks and three hickeys on his back. ᱿Wow.᱿

"I don't remember doing that. Did it hurt?" Stretching, Abigail kept herself hidden under the covers while she looked at Kaz—all of Kaz. She found looking at Kaz to be a great spectator sport. When she shifted a little more, she felt a few tender spots herself. "You got a little wild and I just couldn't hold back."

Turning toward the bed, Kaz ignored his own back and walked alongside Abigail. "As long as I didn't hurt you."

When Kaz leaned down, Abigail met him halfway by propping herself up and kissing him. She hooked one arm around his shoulders and held on for the duration of the kiss. When he straightened up and lifted her out of the bed, she let out an excited squeal, then giggled as she found herself pressed to his buff chest again. "I'm sore in all the best ways. Don't apologize, whatever you do."

With Abigail in his arms, Kaz had an odd thought. ᱿Wait, were you awake all night?᱿

᱿Yes and no. I slept most of the night too. Just because I have control of your body doesn't mean I have to be awake for it. She was nice to sleep beside.᱿ Miaow couldn't help herself, she was purring up a storm and she didn't care.

Setting Abigail back down on her feet, Kaz looked around for her clothes. "So, uh…"

"If you're looking for validation, you were great. If you want to know if I'd like to do this again, see my previous answer." Locating her bra and panties first, Abigail pulled the latter on and set about getting the former into place. "Have you seen my shirt?"

"Uh…" Kaz started looking around.

Miaow giggled through her purring. ᱿Don't look at me. By the time I started playing with my prize, she was already unwrapped.᱿

Giggling and sharing little touches and kisses, they each located enough clothing to get them to a shower each and propelled them into Sunday. Kaz left his bathroom first, making his way through to his bedroom and then hitting a bit of a wall. ᱿If we're going to be shopping for you, how are we going to do this?᱿

᱿Wear short shorts, a dark shirt, and then you can just turn into a woman with the same proportions I want to use. Easy.᱿ Miaow didn't even stop purring—if anything, the thought of Kaz embracing more transformation made her purr louder.

᱿Come on. I can just tell them I'm getting stuff for my sister. Besides, you can adjust your shape to what I buy, right?᱿ Despite his nixing Miaow's plan, Kaz did find himself a pair of shorts to wear—though they weren't short-shorts.

᱿I love it!᱿ Practically bouncing in Kaz's head, Miaow embraced the new plan with all four paws and her teeth. ᱿It's the exact opposite of buying clothes to fit, and besides, I want you to model them anyway.᱿

Spraying on a liberal amount of deodorant, Kaz shook his head. ᱿Not gonna happen. You can try them on tonight, anyway.᱿

᱿You're no fun.᱿

᱿That's not what Abigail said.᱿ He pulled on a shirt and got out a comb for his hair.

Miaow giggled more. It wasn't that her aim was to completely subvert Kaz, but she wanted to subvert him a little. ᱿Damn straight she didn't. Here, try this spell for housecleaning.᱿

The knowledge flowed from Miaow and into Kaz's own mind. It wasn't so much a desire-driven spell like he'd used to become a mermaid or change his hair, but it had words that needed speaking—an incantation. ᱿This really is a spell, right?᱿

᱿Sure. It'll put things in their rightful place within the room's confines. Uh, you might want to avoid the trash bin with it.᱿

That add-on made Kaz curious. He looked in his trash bin and saw all the condoms. "Oh shit. Good point."

᱿You said that out loud. Anyway, you don't want some things going to their rightful place. Like those. It would be safer to cast this from another room, but that's not really possible.᱿ The tedious explanation bored Miaow by about the halfway point. ᱿But who cares. Cast it and see what happens so you can refine it for next time.᱿

᱿Okay, but like my clothes. Would they all end up in the wardrobe or all on me at the same time?᱿

᱿Kaz?᱿ Miaow asked.

᱿Yeah?᱿

᱿Just stop thinking so much and cast the spell. You'll see what I mean once it's working.᱿

A little annoyed, Kaz thought of the words, felt around them for how Miaow had wanted them spoken, and spoke them. At first he felt nothing, but then a tingling sensation started in the back of his mind and he realized the spell needed to get to his magic. The moment he opened the floodgate, power poured out into the room and things started flying about.

In Kaz's head, a strange sort of focus happened. Decisions needed making and he had to make them quickly.

᱿Those clothes in the closet.᱿

᱿Covers need to be turned down.᱿

᱿Human doesn't need to be put in the bed.᱿

᱿The contents of the bin doesn't need sorting.᱿

More and more little questions flickered up and Kaz knocked them down. When the spell was done, everything in the room was put exactly where Kaz wanted it because the spell had required him to tell it. ᱿Okay. I get it now.᱿

᱿No. You get it, Miaow.᱿ Quite proud of her joke, Miaow giggled through Kaz's vocal groan. ᱿Now let's go shopping.᱿

When Kaz left his bedroom, Abigail snapped her mouth closed and looked over at him—along with Caelyn and Ying. He moved, she thought, much like a dancer would, or maybe more like an athlete. She was still trying to make her mind up about that when he came all the way over to the couch and kissed her.

The bowl of cereal, her conversation with the others, and even a few digits of Pi faded from her mind as she indulged in the touch of his lips. When they broke apart, it was like surfacing from a lake to find there was air to be inhaled. "Heading out?" she asked, noticing his keys.

᱿Careful. We don't want her coming along for a ride to find you buying a bunch of girl's clothing.᱿

᱿You say that like I don't already know it.᱿ Kaz nodded to Abigail. "Yeah. Got some things I need to pick up. You need anything from the auto parts store?"

Miaow's purr stopped. ᱿You are scarily good at that.᱿

᱿Okay, so I might not want the whole can't lie thing, but that doesn't mean I want to lie to Abi.᱿

"I keep forgetting how much you enjoy working on your car." Abigail didn't actually think it would be a good idea to drag him off shopping, but she did like the idea of doing so at some point. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, shouldn't be too long. Gimme a call if you want me to pick something up for dinner on the way back." Comfortable with that as a detour, Kaz headed for the door. "Bye!"

Waiting for the door to close, Abigail let out a sigh and slumped back into the couch. She almost got to think about having some more of her breakfast before she noticed the dead silence from Ying and Caelyn. "What?"

"You didn't see it?" Ying asked.

Purposefully taking a mouthful of her breakfast, Abigail enjoyed the sugary cereal. "See what?"

"I think she's asking about that big hickey on the back of his neck," Caelyn said.

"Oh"—another mouthful of her food and a long pause to make the two stew—"that." She got through two more mouthfuls of cereal before she was sure Caelyn was going to explode. "You should see what I did further down."