It was colder outside than what Kaz would normally have worn a shirt and shorts for, but he was going to a mall so it hardly mattered. When he walked to the garage where all their cars were, he spotted Claws laying on the hood of someone's car. "Anything causing you trouble, Claws?"

Opening one eye, Claws looked at Kaz with disdain at first—then he remembered that this human wasn't just talking to him like he was a cat. "N-No. You're going somewhere?"

Walking over to the hood of the car Claws was on, Kaz reached up to the griffon's head and started rubbing him around his neck. "I was going to do a little shopping. Do you want to come with me? I could grab some stuff for you to eat."

Kaz took a step back as Claws jumped into the air directly from laying down. Circling around Kaz's head, the griffon let out several screeches of excitement. "Hey, calm down. What do you eat, anyway?"

"Anything," Claws said as he landed on Kaz's shoulder and avoided digging his claws in and annoying Kaz.

"Maybe some meat?"

"Yes! Meat is anything! Meat is the best anything!"

᱿He's not actually a cat, Kaz. Remember that he's a… monster. And now you're petting him while he snuggles around your neck.᱿ Miaow's expressive mental sigh, she hoped, would betray how strange she found Kaz's continued behavior to be.

᱿Miaow, you're just jealous you're not the only feline in my life anymore. Why don't we get some fish for you to—᱿ Kaz actually flinched at how loud Miaow shouted in his head. Walking toward his car, he tried to not let her behavior distract him. "Okay. Meat for a griffon. Would chicken be good? KFC?"

"Chicken is the best anything-meat!" As Kaz leaned into the car, Claws jumped across to the passenger seat and looked up at Kaz. "You smell like nice woman."

Laughing as he put on his seat-belt, Kaz put his key in the ignition and started the car. "How much? Obvious-smell or do you really need to work at it?"

"Not obvious." Claws felt the vehicle rumble and shift under him, but judicious use of his namesake kept him in place.

Kaz kept quiet as he drove, his brain still struggling to deal with all the distractions magic could throw at him while driving. When he pulled up at the mall, he turned the car off and undid his belt. "You're coming?"

Letting out a surprised squawk, Claws jumped up to Kaz's shoulder and snuggled in against his warm neck. "Why is your hair green?"

᱿Don't change it in public!᱿

᱿I know, Miaow.᱿

᱿Just making sure. You could probably argue your way out of it, but I really want that fish you promised.᱿ Miaow's purring was somewhat subdued.

"I felt like a change. I could really use something for breakfast, so maybe we can go to KFC first. Is there a way I can make it so people can't see you?" Opening his door, Kaz climbed out with Claws still on his shoulder.

᱿True invisibility is hard, but just making the uninitiated not see something is really easy. Here.᱿ Pushing yet another spell to Kaz, Miaow felt excited to be teaching him all these spells he can use to subvert expectations. ᱿It shouldn't mess people up to see it, either. Some will see Claws as a cat still, others just won't see him.᱿

Focusing his attention on Claws, Kaz murmured the words of the spell under his breath. He felt a tugging on his magic and slowly fed the spell threads of power until it just snapped into being.

"What did that do? It feels like I'm wrapped in something. I don't like it." Claws turned and started trying to preen his feathers to get the odd sensation to stop.

"No one can see you like that. It's like the veil but better." Reaching his hand up, Kaz tried to distract Claws. "Stop freaking out. It's just a simple spell."

"Oh! Why didn't you say so?"

"Because I'm kinda new at all this. Let's go get some food." Now without anyone being the wiser to Claws, Kaz walked into the mall and checked the map to work out where the food court was.

Miaow was still a little upset that the plan wasn't going exactly how she'd wanted. ᱿You know, it's not to late to become a girl. You could have an unveiled griffon on your shoulder and no one would pay any attention to him then.᱿

᱿Because I wouldn't be wearing a bra?᱿

᱿Bingo! You could even go with a gorgon look. Snakes hanging down to your butt and eyes turning people to stone. Nope, cute boobs; they wouldn't see.᱿

᱿For the last time, I'm shopping for my sister and that's it.᱿

᱿Kaz?᱿ When he didn't respond immediately, Miaow started purring as loud as she could. ᱿Kaz?᱿

There was no line at the little booth selling KFC. Kaz walked right up to the counter and waited for the young woman to acknowledge him. "I'll take a salad, three pieces of chicken, and… This is going to sound weird, but instead of chicken on the salad, can you put the meat out of a fillet of fish on it instead?"

Miaow's teasing died. She realized he was getting fish for her, and it hurt that she'd been a little mean. ᱿I was going to point out that if you told them you're shopping for your sister, they might think you're shopping for yourself.᱿

Kaz paused for a moment. He tried to work out how to figure this out so that he wouldn't look weird to the shop assistants. ᱿I mean, if I get sizes that are too small to fit me, that would work right?᱿

᱿Why don't you just do it my way?᱿ Miaow was focused on not giving up this fight.

᱿Because your way will result in a series of events that will almost assuredly be comical and stupid and might even get me in trouble.᱿

᱿No.᱿ When Kaz didn't reply to her bait, Miaow continued. ᱿You, Kaz, won't get in trouble. The woman with my exact dimensions might, but not you. Half the fun of transforming yourself is avoiding blame.᱿

᱿That actually works?᱿ Kaz asked.

᱿If you get caught, you weren't transforming enough.᱿

At the point of surrender, Kaz closed his eyes and paused just outside the entrance to the mall bathrooms. He was preparing himself to surrender and let Miaow have her fun.

"Kaz?"

Eyes snapping open, Kaz saw Jaybird standing not ten feet away. "Hey, Jaybird. Didn't expect to see you here." They were wearing a big hoodie that hid most of their features behind a gray wall of loose fabric. Long and somewhat loose jeans hid further their body shape.

"Had to pick some things up. You too, huh?" Secure in a bubble of not needing to acknowledge the people around them, Jaybird kept their hood pulled up and hands in their pockets as they walked over to Kaz.

"Yeah, Miaow needs some things to wear. Hey, uh, could I ask you a huge favor?" A solution had just occurred to Kaz and he was not going to let it go without trying to act on it. "Could you come with me when I need to buy things for her?"

Jaybird looked at Kaz for several seconds, not understanding things. "Uh…?"

"I don't want it to look like I'm buying them for myself. If I have a friend with me, it's less likely for them to think that." Kaz had hoped it would sound less insane when he said it out loud.

"Who's that?" Claws stretched and lifted his head from the nap he'd been taking.

"Kaz, insecurity about your masculinity aside, do you know you have a tiny little—uh—cat on your shoulder?" Tilting their head slightly, Jaybird looked at the griffon with some curiosity. "New pet?"

"Kinda. Little guy needed somewhere to live, figured having an extra pair of eyes would be worth a steady supply of cat food. Also, he's kinda cute." Reaching over his shoulder, Kaz found Claws' beak easily enough and started rubbing the griffon's chest. "Also, I'm fine with my masculinity."

"Okay, so why not—We should go somewhere a little more private to chat." Jaybird led the way to a shop that had a symbol they recognized in the window. Pulling Kaz inside, they let out a sigh. "Magic shop, we can talk here. So, why not—"

"Hi there! Can I help you with anything or are you fine to browse?"

Kaz looked up at the perky-sounding shop assistant. She wore a set of dark robes, a witches hat, and had what looked like a fake lightning-bolt scar above a pair of glasses that looked like they didn't have any glass in them.

Seeing Kaz was stunned by the parody (but not really) witch, Jaybird reached out their hand and grabbed Kaz's. Confusion was there, but so was Kaz's underlying strength of character and outgoing personality. "We're just browsing, thanks."

"Well, if you need help with anything at all, just ask!" Turning, the young woman left Kaz and Jaybird to themselves.

"Okay, so you said you'd messed around with transformation, right? So why not transform into the shape Miaow wants and then just go shopping for things like that?" Still touching Kaz's hand, Jaybird felt his dislike for the idea, but in the background they felt Miaow's excitement. Feeling a little distracted by the double-rush, they pulled their arm back from him.

᱿I told you that would be the best way!᱿ Miaow's vindication was well-earned in her own mind. ᱿Plus it will be fun! You've learned how guys live, why not get some experience as a girl?᱿

Feeling hemmed in, Kaz sighed. ᱿One condition.᱿

᱿Eeee! Name it!᱿

᱿You teach me how you do this.᱿

Miaow felt mild confusion. ᱿Do what?᱿

᱿This.᱿ When she didn't respond, Kaz mentally sighed. ᱿What you're doing right now—being awake in my head. When you take over, I am completely unconscious.᱿

The situation surprised Miaow more than she would have let on. She was excited, but at the same time saddened. ᱿I don't know how I do it. I'm kinda new at this too.᱿

It was an answer Kaz hadn't anticipated, but he quickly moved things forward. ᱿Okay. If I do this, you have to work your hardest to teach me to do it.᱿

᱿I'd do that anyway. It sounds like fun.᱿

᱿Then we have a deal. Okay, so now what?᱿ Kaz's awareness flickered to the world around him again. Jaybird was looking at something on the shelf beside him. "Sorry, discussing how to do this with Miaow."

"Uh, okay. So are you going to do the change in here or somewhere else? We could go to a change room or something." Jaybird felt a little excitement at the fun of using magic in public.

"Change room? Oh, bathrooms? Yeah, let's do that." Turning for the exit from the magic shop, Kaz tried to ignore the excited purring in his head.

Without even touching Kaz, Jaybird felt energized with purpose. "Never been here before, huh? Follow me." Not sparing a glance for Kaz, they marched out into the crowd of humans and led him to the nearest bathroom. "I'll stand—"

Kaz pulled Jaybird into the changing room and locked the door. At the strange look from his friend, he shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I want to get the look right—for Miaow's sake. She has to wear this stuff, and if I'm not how she wants me to look, she's going to have a bad—Miaow, can you cut down on the purring? It's hard to think."

"She purrs in your head? That's kinda cute." Jaybird reached up to Kaz's shoulder and held out their hand to the griffon. "You probably want to climb out of there while he practices this."

"Huh? Is he going to do magic?" Claws, given the way Kaz had reacted to Jaybird, felt at least a little obliged to listen to them too. That's when Jaybird started running their fingers down his back. Everything relating to complex thought dissolved and Claws dropped to his belly on Jaybird's arm.

᱿Okay, Miaow, what kind of body do you want?᱿ Kaz asked.

᱿Sporty. A little chesty. Firm butt. Cute tail. Slim waist.᱿

Kaz shook his head. ᱿Tail's a no-go here. I could tell them I'm a furry.᱿

᱿What's a furry?᱿

Trying to picture someone who looked like what Miaow had described, Kaz thought of one movie character he'd come to associate with that aesthetic. ᱿Try this.᱿

Pulling his magic in and around him, Kaz imagined the exact womanly shape from his younger fantasies. He'd gotten in trouble at school for looking up porn of her online, but right now it meant he had a perfect image of exactly what he wanted.

When the magic faded, Miaow stared at Kaz's reflection in the mirror with excitement. ᱿Yes! Yes that! I like that!᱿

"Laura Croft? Kaz! Did you really—Wow you got the details perfect." Jaybird walked around their friend, surprised to find Kaz was a little shorter now, but it was the impression he made in his shirt that got the biggest giggle from Jaybird. "Really perfect."

᱿Is this someone in particular, Kaz?᱿ It was a struggle for Miaow to stop watching Kaz move and shift.

᱿Yeah, it's a movie character played by an actress. Should I change some of my features?᱿ Focusing more on the mirror, Kaz looked at his eyes and lips especially. ᱿I guess they don't matter to whatever form you'll use, since we just need to get body shape and size right for the clothes.᱿

"Kaz, don't use a famous person. Well, you can, just try to change things enough," Jaybird said.

"Yeah, Miaow and I were just talking about that. Gimme a sec. Oh! I know what will change things up." Grinning, Kaz looked in the mirror and focused only on his head and hair. The hair in particular would set him apart from Angelina Jolie. Again he let his magic out, but this time the tight dark braid of hair exploded out into a mess of red. Tangled and huge, it spilled halfway down his back. His eyes, already blue, became a little more intense and he got a good array of freckles on each cheek.

᱿Another movie character?᱿

᱿Kinda,᱿ Kaz replied, then out loud said, "I was going for Merida from Brave. It's about as far from Tomb Raider's Jolie as I could get."

"You definitely made for something different. I like it," Jaybird said. "How'd you get so good with this transformation magic so quick?"

"You can probably blame Miaow for that—mostly. She said I'm just naturally gifted in it too." Now that Kaz had settled on the shape, he had to admit that he looked like a striking woman. He'd rounded Jolie's cheek bones off enough to give a softer look, but his intense blue eyes surprised him with the way they pinned him in place. "Now I just need to get used to all this."

Jaybird, who was trying to defend themselves from a surprisingly snuggly griffon only with the power of petting, giggled at the statement. "Just go with it. You've got more than enough confidence to pull this off, Kaz. Just be yourself."

"Right. Be myself. Even when I'm not myself." The purring and giggling in his head was starting to throw Kaz off just a little. ᱿Hey, can you try to at least not laugh while I'm doing this?᱿

᱿But it's adorable! And, you're hot enough that I'd tap that.᱿ New language had flooded Miaow's mind when she took up residence in Kaz's head, though she often had little context for it beyond knowing where and when to use it. She did manage to back off her giggles just a bit, but that made room for more purring.

"She's telling me I'm adorable and hot. Those are not normally things I'd associate with me." Kaz sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. He did look hot, though adorable wasn't usually a word he'd use.

᱿Abi calls you hot and adorable already. She's a pretty good judge, too.᱿

᱿Really not helping…᱿ Kaz had to do something because, otherwise, he would be ambushed by the sight in the clothing shop. Reaching up to the buttons of his shirt, he started to undo them until his chest was freed.

Kaz hadn't seen as many breasts as most people his age who had private access to an internet connection, but he could admit to the fact that the breasts he'd given himself were nice.

᱿By the spirits, this body will be heavenly. Thank you, Kaz.᱿

᱿Er, uh…᱿ Kaz was more than a little distracted by what he'd made of himself. It took a supreme effort of willpower to get his arms moving to button his shirt back up. ᱿You're welcome, Miaow.᱿ He might try to ignore it, but the purring in Kaz's head still had a cozy feel to it and made him relax a little despite his temporary body-confusion.

"So, what's going to be your cover story?" Jaybird asked, ever-curious about Kaz's methods of allaying suspicion.

"For this? I—I guess I can't just walk in and demand they measure me despite wearing—This shirt is a bit tight." Kaz looked down and grinned. ᱿Well, I still don't know about adorable, but hot is definitely a yes.᱿

Excitement building, Jaybird actually bounced in place a little while giggling. "I love this bit."

"Huh?" Kaz asked.

"Where you figure out what your story is going to be. I mean, I have never seen someone so new to the art do so much stuff in public—and get away with it."

"Oh, that. Well, I'm your friend, obviously, and I just flew in from Maine to find none of my cases made it with me, and all I could do was borrow some of your brother's things. That way I get to be embarrassed, explain why I'm wearing guy clothes, and—crap, underwear."

"Someone at the airport dumped their drink over you. Your clothes are all dirty and you can't wait to get them cleaned because you have to leave again tonight for… somewhere else." Jaybird hadn't really participated in Kaz's lies before, and was super-excited to help.

Kaz smiled and reached his arm around Jaybird's shoulders. "That works great, thanks. I guess Claws can keep riding with you. No one should see him, but just in case it would be better if the person claiming they lost their luggage didn't have their pet with them."

Jaybird had never been big on hugs before, but Kaz-hugs were like snuggling up in a warm blanket. Just the way his confidence and positive emotions bled into Jaybird made them want to snuggle against him more.

Opening the door, Kaz stepped out and around the woman who had been waiting, apparently, with her child beside her. He had to ignore an annoyed look from the woman and guide Jaybird along. "I think she was angry."

"I didn't need to touch her to tell that. Don't care—she can deal with it." The notion surprised Jaybird to say, mostly because just a week earlier they couldn't have possibly thought such a thing.

᱿You need to tell me what you want. I talked to Yukako via Mager, she has sent extra money. She seemed surprised I would accept you as my familiar. Does she have a thing against bakeneko?᱿ Kaz steered them toward a clothing store he could see specialized in women's underwear. "Do you—Sorry, getting a little personal. You cool with that?"

Jaybird almost swooned that Kaz would ask first. "I'll tell you when I'm not."

Kaz smiled a little wider. "Do you buy this kind of stuff?"

"Not this kind of stuff. I'm not really big enough to show anything off and I don't feel comfortable when people look at me and I'm showing it off." Jaybird felt a slight blush forming at just walking closer to the shop that was filled with frilly, lacy things.

"You don't feel comfortable when people look at you normally, though. If you see something you want, even if it's not something you want others to see you wearing, I'll buy it for you. Okay?" Kaz asked as they stepped into the shop together.

"Hello, ladies, can I help you?"

The shop assistant sounded genuinely happy, which surprised Kaz a little. He'd heard about retail workers who hated their job. "Civilization at last. You're not going to believe the day I've had."

Jaybird shifted slightly to the side and out of contact with Kaz, though they could still feel not just an echo of his confidence, but a strange tingly assurance. It took a few moments for them to realize it was Claws.

"I flew in from Maine on the red-eye, only to have all my luggage be diverted to O'Hare, and then some klutz spilled his frap all down my top. Jay's boyfriend lent me some things until my clothes are clean, but I need to be gone again tonight and I have nothing to wear." Kaz kept his voice running, pouring out words at the woman and exposing her to the fake life-story. At last he shook his head a little. "Please help?"

The shop assistant with a name badge that read Monique smiled at Kaz. "You poor thing. How much civilization do you require?"

᱿All of it! I want all the civilization!᱿ Miaow was not just excited for some new clothes, but she loved the way Kaz spun lies.

᱿And how much is all the civilization?᱿ Kaz asked in his head.

"I'm pretty sure she wants a lot of civilization, right—?" Jaybird felt all their confidence evaporate when they realized Kaz hadn't made up a convincing female name.

"Yes. I'm meeting my boyfriend in Austin and I want to give him options, if you know what I mean. I'll need some things for everyday wear—I have no clue how long I'll be without my things—and at least one outfit that will drive him wild." Kaz looked around the shelves but, with his masculine mindset, saw things he could only describe as bra.

"Why don't you come through to the fitting room, uh…"

"Abigail. Call me Abi," Kaz said.

"Oh, I just love that name. Why don't you come on through and I'll get you measured up so we can get the perfect fit?" Turning, Monique made her way to the back of the store where the fitting rooms were. "Can I get either of you a drink?"

"Um, ice tea if you have some?" Jaybird asked.

"Same for me," Kaz said.

Fetching two bottles and two glasses, Monique set both down on a tray at the counter and ushered Kaz into the measuring area. "Now you're not wearing right now, which will complicate things. Are you comfortable taking your shirt off? It will mean a more accurate measurement."

It was do-or-die time for Kaz. His manly-man side insisted that it didn't matter if he had his top off, but another part of him insisted that wasn't right. Miaow was just giggling and purring like a fiend. "I just want to feel like me again. Whatever gets me there faster is fine." He started undoing his shirt's buttons again.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Monique used one hand on Kaz's left shoulder to turn him facing away from her, while she brought the measuring tape around his chest—just below his breasts.

The tape pulled reasonably tight, but Kaz was doing his best not to be aware of how really odd this situation was. ᱿I hope you're having fun.᱿

᱿SO MUCH FUN!᱿

Kaz, with his back to Monique, rolled his eyes a little. "Sorry if I'm making this difficult. I'm just so stressed out after losing everything. My next stop is everywhere that sells shoes."

"Oh, I can believe that, and no need to apologize. I don't know what I'd do without my wardrobe. Okay, you're a 28 around there." Monique pulled the tape back and wrote down the band size on a post-it. "You probably know all this, but here comes the tape for the bust. It should be warm at least."

Eyes widening, Kaz stood stock still as Monique positioned the tape over his nipples and brought it around behind his back. ᱿Next time I'm going as a girl, I'm going to be as flat as a pancake.᱿

Miaow whined a little and paused her purr. ᱿Aww, but I like these curves. Maybe we could get Abi to like them, too?᱿

᱿Abi's straight.᱿

᱿Spoilsport.᱿

Kaz felt the tape measure removed and let out a sigh of relief.

"That's it. I'll just grab a top to check fit, and we can see about finding some things to make your man purr." Monique wrote down 33 on the paper, then "28DD?" and circled it.

Unsure what to expect, Kaz waited until Monique reached over his shoulders and held the bra out before him with the shoulder straps presented. Without a word he reached his arms forward and into it and let the woman pull the top up and then scoop his breasts into the cups.

The fit was slightly pinchy and tight, or so Monique could feel when she tested the straps. "You'll need something with a slightly larger cup. Don't panic about the sizes, every product line is different."

Kaz now was a little lost. The bra had felt good when it supported him, but Monique's tugging had made it feel a little tight in places. Now she unhooked it and slipped it off him with practiced ease. Before he knew what was going on, another was being slipped down his arms.

"This is a 26F. Let's see if that's better." As she pulled it up and squared Kaz's breasts up in the cups, Monique could already feel the fit was better. She fastened it in back and adjusted the shoulder straps to suit. "How's that? Turn around for me."

"It feels a lot better." The words—absolute truth—spilled from Kaz's lips before he could think to stop them. Turning, he faced Monique.

"Much better. Maybe my tape has stretched a little. You're definitely able to have things a bit tighter around the band for that extra cup size." Monique critically tested the band and tugged on the cups. "Perfect. If you'd like to put your shirt back on, we can go shopping."

᱿Is 26F big? It doesn't sound big.᱿ Miaow purred sedately now, loving both the show and experience. ᱿She's really nice.᱿

᱿Miaow, I'm spoken for. And, yeah, I think that's big. She didn't seem put out by it.᱿

᱿Hypothetically, if you got her number, could I hit that?᱿ Miaow had her full purr on again, now trying to catch glimpses of Monique whenever Kaz would oblige.

᱿The problem with that is she would be expecting this body, not whatever you pick that has similar dimensions.᱿

She stopped purring. ᱿You've always gotta bring reality into it, don't you?᱿

᱿It's my superpower.᱿ Kaz reached back toward the bra's hooks.

"You can leave it on if you'd like, for the time being." Turning, Monique grabbed up her notes and rewrote 26F on it and crossed out the previously circled entry. "Should we start with an everyday-wear selection?"

Miaow's excitement did, however, bubble up through Kaz thanks to her deeper-than-usual purring. It let him put on a relieved smile and follow Monique. "What would you recommend?"

"We have a good range of neutral tone, comfort-focused push-up bras." Monique actually enjoyed her job, despite the sometimes boring customers. Having someone refilling their wardrobe was going to look great on her sales figures, and she'd found Kaz's willingness to ask for help refreshing. "If you don't mind me asking, you're asking my opinion a lot more than most."

An alarm bell went off in Kaz's head and he started trying to fish for a lie to use to deflect Monique.

"I take it you're more used to having others lend more input? It's just, most girls come in here with a firm idea in mind for what they want. I'd recommend at least one in black and one in red—that will be a great way to show the girls off."

᱿I thought she had you there.᱿ Miaow giggled in Kaz's head.

᱿Nah. She might have gone looking for other reasons that a woman would be so—I don't even know how to put it, but what I'm doing would be furthest from her mind.᱿ Out loud Kaz said, "That sounds great, and yeah, I kinda get stuck shopping with my big sister sometimes. She's a little overbearing, but has great fashion sense."

᱿Oooh! White! Get some white ones. My belly fur is white, and they'll go great with it.᱿

Kaz thought quickly on how to articulate that for Monique. "Uh, I tend to wear white shirts often—for my work. I should probably get some white bras for that."

"Oh, good thinking! Do you want them with or without lace?"

᱿With,᱿ Miaow said. ᱿Ohhh, those! I like those ones on your left.᱿

"Definitely with." Kaz reached toward his left and ran a hand along the shelf until her heard the purring in his head ramp up. "Do you have these in my size?"

Miaow had lived a long life. She'd been born as a cat and loved immensely, grown older and loved even more, and when her owner died—an old wizard—she's found herself invested with magic enough to become a yokai. After that, she'd lived up the cat life without the love and attention of any particular human—but to find someone willing to go through so much for her stoked her devotion to Kaz higher.

Panties, Kaz had discovered, were far easier to purchase. He went through all the styles with Monique and located what he thought was cute and what Miaow hinted at that she liked. He was so distracted with shopping that he'd almost completely forgotten about Jaybird.

"Sorry, been kinda distracted with all the shopping. Are you doing okay?" Kaz asked when he walked over to Jaybird.

Jerking their head up, Jaybird blinked a few times to adjust their eyes from their phone to Kaz. "You remember how I'm an introvert, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you gave me a strangely cute griffon to pet while reading my phone?"

Kaz was starting to see where things were going. "Yeah."

Smiling, Jaybird reached up with their free hand and booped Kaz on the nose. "Go on. You looked like you were having fun. I take it this look might be more common than just Miaow?"

It froze Kaz where he stood. For a moment he'd felt his masculinity challenged and had a need to deny everything. However, he'd just spent the better part of an hour shopping for women's underthings—as a woman—and he'd actually started enjoying the fun of not-quite-lying and picking out things that he thought Miaow would like as well as the things she'd let him know she liked.

"It's complicated," Kaz said at last.

"Kaz, remember who you're talking to here. Just relax, go back to having fun, and try not to spend too much." Jaybird gave Kaz a little smile before turning their attention back to the griffon. "I never knew you guys were so cuddly."

"Most people just ignore us." Claws looked up at Kaz and clacked his beak a few times. "He's nice, though. And you're nice too."

Jaybird was too caught up tickling Claws under the chin to see Kaz walk back deeper into the store.

The conversation had stirred up a lot of thoughts for Kaz, not the least of which was him worrying about the expenses card his aunt had sent. Life seemed to get more complicated the more Kaz experienced of it. "Sorry about that. I feel terrible for leaving Jay out, but they only accompanied me on protest—not really an extrovert."

"That's how you can tell they're an amazing friend. Despite all that, they still came with you." Monique was surprised at herself for the opinion. "S-Sorry."

Kaz found himself really liking Monique. She was trying to help him as much as she could—and putting up with his strangeness—so he wanted to make her feel better. "Hey, don't be. You got that absolutely correct, and I owe them big time. Speaking of owing, I need something to make my man so distracted he can't talk. What do you suggest?"

"Does your man like to look or does he like to touch? A sheer negligé with something more extravagant under it would be a good start." It was literally the one thing Monique could put a big markdown on—the way she could make Kaz think he got a good deal AND make a strong profit.

The garment was a black lacy bra, panties, and garters, with a sheer white silk negligé over it that left nothing to the imagination.

When Miaow saw what Monique was leading Kaz to, she stopped purring and let out a meow of appreciation. ᱿That. I want that. You want that. We both—Maybe we should buy something for Abi too?᱿

᱿I have absolutely no idea what size she is,᱿ Kaz replied, though his mind was racing imagining Abigail wearing something like this. "I, uh—Wow. I'll take it, but do you—do you have gift vouchers?"

Having previously measured Kaz's hips, waist, and thighs, Monique could select the perfect fit off the shelf. "We have plenty of gift cards. One for your friend?" She nodded her head toward the seats where Jaybird was still engrossed with their phone.

"Well, I was going to try getting Jay to come and pick something. You'll need to measure them, right?" Kaz asked.

"I could make a guess, but it wouldn't fit nearly as well as something properly measured, no. Is that a problem?" Monique had heard Kaz use they when she'd expected she, and was a little confused by it. Pronouns, she knew, were a bit of a big deal lately. "Would they be okay with measuring? What if I guided you on how to measure—them?"

Kaz missed the emphasis on Jaybird's pronouns, but liked that Monique was going to so much extent to help—it didn't feel like just to make a sale thinking. "I'll ask them." He turned and walked over to Jaybird, but when they didn't notice him, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a message on Mager.

> Hey, you wanna look up?

As soon as they read the message that popped up from Kaz, Jaybird blushed and looked up at him. "Sorry. Was chatting with Puff. What's up? Leaving already?"

"I still want to say thank you for being my support here, so, uh, would you like something from here?" Kaz felt awkward about asking again. "I'm not trying to push it, I just—"

Jaybird interrupted Kaz by reaching up and taking his hand. The emotions told them everything about how Kaz was feeling, not that Jaybird needed that. "No, but you can buy me ice cream for waiting."

Holding Jaybird's hand, Kaz helped them stand. "Ice cream it is. I still want to get a present for Abigail, but I don't know her size."

Letting go of Kaz's hand, Jaybird felt a small afterimage of the eros emotion he'd felt as he'd mentioned his girlfriend. "A gift card would probably be best. Then she can buy something and show it off for you."

A tingle ran down Kaz's spine, and he wasn't sure if it was his own or Miaow's. "That was exactly my thought. Wait, Abi will come here and talk about me."

"Just tell the woman that Abi's my girlfriend." Jaybird shrugged their shoulders—which lead to Claws poking his beak out from around the side of their head. "Oh, sorry. Forgot you were sleeping there."

Yawning and tilting his head to bump it against Jaybird's jaw, Claws said, "I'll forgive you if you scratch my right ear."

Snorting, Jaybird reached up and gave the itchy ear a little work with their fingernail. "Wait, didn't you give your name as Abigail?"

"I need to start keeping better track of these things." Kaz tried to think his way around the problem, but couldn't find a solution. "I guess I'll just have to bring her here myself."

"As yourself." Now rubbing both of Claws' ears, Jaybird was honestly surprised at how affectionate the griffon was. Their only other experiences with them was as stray animals and pests.

"Guess that can be our one-week-aversery. Thanks for helping me with this."

Suppressing a giggle, Jaybird said, "You are going to be the pinnacle of modern boyfriend, you know? Taking a girl shopping to a lingerie store, not shying from the pink and frilly things, and paying? You'll be lucky if you make it out of the store before she marries you."

"You could say I'm in touch with my feminine side." Despite one of the strangest situations of his life still being in process, Kaz couldn't resist a joke. "I better go pay for all this. Back in a second."

"If you want to take off that store bra, you can take one of these with you." Monique gestured to the bags she'd just put all of Kaz's things in. "Otherwise I will have to charge you for that one."

It took a moment for Kaz to catch up with what she meant. "Oh! Right. The one I'm wearing. You have no idea how much of a relief it was to wear it." He walked to the changing area, and was just getting the bra off when Monique passed him one of the ones he was buying. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Monique turned and made her way back to the checkout.

That's when Kaz realized he had a problem. Monique had put the other one on for him, but now he was flying solo. For nearly twenty seconds he drew a complete blank on what to do.

᱿You don't know how to put one on, do you?᱿ Miaow asked.

᱿No. Not really high on the things a guy learns from their dad list.᱿

It was impossible for Miaow not to laugh at Kaz's antics. ᱿You literally watched someone put one on yesterday. Abi!᱿ When Kaz didn't reply, she giggled in his head. ᱿Come on, you were looking right at 'em while she was doing it.᱿

Kaz blushed a little, remembering how much he'd watched her getting dressed. Abigail had put on a bit of a show, he was sure, but now that he returned to that memory he could remember how she'd gotten her bra on.

Threading his arms into the straps, Kaz leaned forward so that his breasts hung down into the cups, then he leaned back and worked his arms so the straps rode up and past his shoulders. Reaching behind his back, he fastened the straps together. The instant comfort was back and Kaz couldn't resist taking a look in the mirror—only for his mind to skip a beat.

᱿Whoa! Is that a magic bra or something? Why are they so much bigger?᱿ Miaow asked.

᱿Guess I never really noticed how much of an effect a push-up bra had. That's pretty amazing.᱿ Kaz rolled his shoulders and reached for the shirt. When he got it on, the shirt was now pulling tighter over his chest than before—enough that it was noticeably tight. ᱿Well, now we go fix the other problem. You need some outfits, so let's pay for this here and go do some more shopping.᱿

᱿The pinnacle of modern boyfriends?᱿ Miaow asked. ᱿No, the pinnacle of modern mages.᱿

By no means immune from flattery, Kaz walked out of the changing area and over to the checkout. Reaching to his shorts pocket, he pulled out his wallet and the credit card within—the one his aunt had sent him.

The prices on the shelves had been more than a little shocking, but his aunt had assured him that he could use the card to buy anything for either himself or Miaow. Well, this was it. He reached out and offered the card to Monique. "Here you go."

Running the card took only a moment. Monique turned the keypad around. "You need to enter a pin number. I don't think I've seen a card need that before."

"Uh, yeah. My boyfriend's from Japan." It was the easiest way to explain it, or so Kaz thought. "They do a lot of stuff a little different there." Tapping the four digits in took just a moment before the machine beeped and said "approved".

"Huh. Guess they have a different system for doing these things. Well, here you go." Passing over the receipt for the purchase along with the card, Monique felt satisfied she'd just gotten her biggest sale of the month. "Please, don't hesitate to come in again if you need something!"

"Absolutely. Thank you, Monique." Kaz, with two bags in each hand, started toward the exit. ᱿I hope I never have to come back in here.᱿

Miaow was purring up a storm in Kaz's head. ᱿Aww, come on. You think this buxom form is all we're going to get up to? Kaz! You're a natural at using forms as disguises. You practically invented this character out of thin air.᱿

"Got everything," Kaz said to Jaybird. "Did you need a hand with something?"

Standing up and tapping their last message to Puff, Jaybird looked at Kaz and didn't bother hiding a grin. "Planning to do the rest of your shopping like that?"

"Uh, well…" The worst part for Kaz's masculine side was that he felt comfortable. There was nothing that really seemed wrong, since he knew he could just undo the magic and go back to his normal self. ᱿It feels like I'm just wearing clothes. Is this messed up? Am I messed up?᱿

᱿Well, you still need to get me some clothes to wear, unless you think I should go out to parties in just a bra and panties?᱿ It was an excuse, Miaow knew, but it was the best lifeline she could drop for him, except for: ᱿And no, I don't think you're messed up at all. Clothes are a good analogy for it. Look at how well Jaybird can hide their sex under their clothes. What you're doing is just a bit more of a flaunt.᱿

᱿I mean, I'm still a guy, right?᱿

᱿A brave one.᱿

Kaz let out a sigh. "Sorry, just getting some reassurance from Miaow. I still need to buy her some more things, so I guess I'll keep going like this."

"I just came here for the other magic store—not that other one. Come on, I bet you can get some of the things on your booklist there." Jaybird now started feeling confidence just in Kaz's presence, though it wasn't their telempathy at work—just trusting Kaz as a friend.

Following Jaybird, Kaz noticed a lot more eyes on him now. Guys mostly, though there was a girl here and there who either gave him the same hungry look as the guys, or almost-literal daggers. He kept close to Jaybird, though, and soon found himself in that back-corner part every big mall has where the less brand-name stores lived.

The shop Jaybird led Kaz to didn't seem odd to him until he was inside. There was a sense of magic within that made his scalp tingle a little. "This is the place?"

"You can't feel that? This shop is so heavily warded, a normie could walk right in and not notice they were in a magic shop—assuming the wards at the door would let them in." The wards seemed a little oppressive, but Jaybird had a way of dealing with that kind of thing. Letting their magic flow just enough to make their skin tingle had everything feeling better.

᱿Jaybird is channeling magic—I can feel it. Wow, look at how well they hold it in against them. Quick, hold their hand.᱿

Kaz did what Miaow said, and the moment he made skin-to-skin contact with Jaybird, he felt better. "Wow. What is that?"

The emotional change in Kaz lagged a little after the contact, so Jaybird felt how much he seemed to calm at their touch. "I'm channeling magic. The wards are set to be hostile to non mages. By channeling magic they know to just ignore me."

"Yeah, sorry about that. My boss made it standard policy to keep those going. I tried to tell him that it would freak out any new magi, but do you think he listens to me? Nooooo."

The speaker that got Kaz and Jaybird's attention stood almost six and a half feet tall, had green skin on her arms, legs, and face, and brown bark on her torso and the top of her thighs. Cascading down her back was a myriad of vines.

Jaybird felt a buzz of confidence pouring through them at Kaz's touch. Every time they held hands like this it was like Jaybird could literally pick if they wanted to be an introvert or extrovert. "Kaz here is pretty new to magic, but I think if I hold his hand I can keep up a channel around us. I'm Jaybird, this is Kaz, and this—please don't freak out at him—is Claws. Come out and say hello, Claws."

"Hello? Oh. A dryad." Squinting at the shop assistant, Claws slumped his body against Jaybird's neck and tilted his head back to nuzzle under their chin.

"You have a pet griffon?"

"Actually, Claws is Kaz's pet. I'm just looking after him because he's so adorable and cuddly." Tickling Claws under the chin with their spare hand, Jaybird kept their fingers tightly in Kaz's grip.

"Yeah, uh, anyway." Kaz wasn't sure if telling everyone that he had a pet griffon was a good idea, particularly when said griffon was meant to be his hidden eyes keeping watch. "We came here to get some stuff for school."

"Oh! Right! We have the booklists from the college. If you want to just tell me your classes, I can get you a pack that has everything you need in it." Bustling to the back of the store, the assistant reached a row of shelves that had the packs in question.

"I'm studying the usual first-year topics, plus witchcraft and wizardry for my electives," Kaz said.

"And I'm studying witchcraft and personal power studies." Jaybird puffed their chest out a little, something that surprised them as something they never did normally.

"Well, I can't help you with the second one there, but witchcraft packs are here, and wizardry are on the shelf above them."

Already juggling a bunch of bags, Kaz regretted not getting a trolley for their little escapade. "My arms are a little full."

"Hey, don't sweat it. I'll just grab your things and pack them in portable holes—for a small fee." Reaching up, the dryad lifted down the four specific packs and carried them toward the service counter. "You want the basic packs too?"

"Yeah… How much is this small fee?" Kaz asked.

"Just an extra thirty bucks. It's also a good way to carry your things around—means no normies can see what you've got."

Jaybird looked at Kaz with a slightly worried expression, even his confidence pouring into them didn't help Jaybird with their money worries. "R-Right. So how much all up?"

Checking the values, the dryad ran the numbers in her head. "Thirty for the hole, forty for each of the casting packs and sixty for the basic pack. So yours would be—"

"I'll pay for them. Just put it on my card." Kaz had to put down the two bags in his right hand to reach into a pocket and pull out his wallet. "Consider it payback for helping me get through this shopping trip."

With Kaz's emotions motivating them, Jaybird moved a little closer, rose up on tip-toes, and kissed Kaz on the cheek. "You are the best, you know that?"

᱿Damn they're cute.᱿

᱿Not helping, Miaow.᱿ Kaz would have said something about the kiss aloud, except Jaybird's expression was too giggle-worthy. "What?"

"I've kissed guys before, Kaz, but I think that's the first time I kissed a woman. Today is a strange day." Jaybird could feel Kaz's laughter spike further. "Good-strange, though."

"Here you go." The shop assistant put two sheets of black felt fabric on the counter. Each piece was about a foot square. "You could probably put the rest of your shopping in there too—save your arms."

Staring at the black fabric, Kaz tried to make sense of it, but decided to just ask. "You're going to need to explain how to use these. I'm from kinda way out in the sticks."

"Oh! Well, first you just charge your fingers with a tiny bit of magic, touch the felt, and—" Reaching into the square, the assistant felt around inside. "… all your things are in there. It's a fairly standard one about a foot deep and three feet across. That way you can reach-in without any difficulty. Some of the more fancy ones stretch your arm out inside so they can fit more, but that takes some getting used to."

Still holding Jaybird's hand, Kaz reached out to the felt and sent the smallest bit of magic he could to his fingertips and his fingers just pushed into the felt. ᱿Huh, I expected it to feel weird or something, but it's just like having a small box inside the bench. I wonder if I could attach this inside a bag or something, so I could hide the fact I'm using it?᱿

᱿What you need, Kaz, is a handbag. It would be perfect.᱿

᱿Miaow, that would only work if I stayed as a woman most of the time. I think something I'll investigate is making multiple entrances for the same storage space. That way I could have one in a handbag, a folded piece in my pocket, and maybe get a backpack with another in it.᱿ Kaz mulled over the options a little as he thought them, but also lifted his bags up and into the box one by one. Being fabric, the contents packed down easily enough so that he wound up with just the piece of felt at the end. "How do I close it?"

"It closes on its own when the magic you used wicks out."

Grabbing their own, Jaybird squeezed Kaz's hand. "We should go; lots more shopping to do."

"Yeah I—Hey, thanks for the help!" Kaz didn't fight as Jaybird dragged him out of the store, but he did shoot the shop assistant another smile before leaving the oppressive protections it provided. The moment he was outside he couldn't believe how clearer he was thinking. "Wow, that's some effect."

"Kaz, she was coming onto you pretty hardcore." Jaybird gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go. The loss of Kaz's emotional support was less of a cut-off and more a gradual decrease. It left Jaybird making a soft sigh.

᱿She was. Can't blame her; you made a gorgeous body.᱿ Miaow's purring told Kaz anything else she thought on the matter.

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

The last thing Kaz did before leaving the mall was duck into an empty men's toilet and discard his transformation. That left him wearing a bra that wasn't meant for his male body. Struggling to get that off without making a scene, he remembered one last thing. "Right, green hair."

Miaow giggled in his head. ᱿You don't need to go green. Why not pick a new color?᱿

᱿You mean change again? Abi's going to freak out if I keep appearing with different hair.᱿ Nonetheless, Kaz pictured his hair being vivid pink now, and without even looking at it he knew the little push of magic needed to change it.

Stashing the bra in the portable hole, Kaz folded the felt up and slipped it in his pocket again. ᱿You'll see.᱿ Stepping out of the toilet stall, he pretended everything was normal in case anyone walked in, but looked up at his reflection in the mirror to make sure he looked both his own self again and had the pink hair.

᱿Pink?!᱿

᱿Yup. Call it being in touch with my feminine side, and pretty comfortable with it.᱿ Reaching up to brush his hair back a little, Kaz washed his hands to complete the charade and left the bathroom.

Jaybird stared for a few seconds before giggling. "Pink? It looks good on you."

"Thanks. I'm going to do a thing where I keep changing my hair super-regularly. If nothing else, it will leave Abi focusing on that in case I miss anything else." Without any bags to carry, Kaz felt like the portable hole was cheating. The best thing, he had to admit, was that it didn't weigh anything.

᱿It's the only thing you've ever missed. Your control with it, at least for familiar forms, is excellent.᱿ As far as Miaow was concerned, Kaz had given her the best day ever. Her mind did wander, however, to capping it off with an evening with Abigail.

᱿Thanks. It was more of a joke than being serious. Could you imagine how much she'd freak out if I came out of the shower with tits bigger than hers?᱿ Kaz ignored Miaow's giggling response.

"Well, it's not bad, but you don't want to forget things. You could use a spell to make yourself seem like normal you, but if you do that and you need to shapechange, you'll be all kinds of messed up." Shrugging their shoulders, Jaybird held a hand up to their neck. "Hey, Claws, this is your stop."

Arching his back, Claws poked his head out of Jaybird's hood and looked around. "Is there more sushi?"

It was hard for Kaz to claim that he'd never buy Claws sushi again—mostly because of how adorable it had been watching him eat it. "No, we're going home."

Wiggling his rump as he tensed up his feline muscles, Claws pounced across the gap between Jaybird and Kaz's shoulders. "That sushi was really good. You should have that every day."

᱿I agree!᱿

᱿Well, I knew you enjoyed it—you did nothing but purr the whole time.᱿ The whole time being out, Kaz felt good about his strange little group of friends. "Miaow agrees with you, which doesn't surprise me. Anyway, time to go home and put this stuff away." He turned his attention back to Jaybird. "Thanks for making my day out a lot more fun than it could have been."

"Not a problem, Kaz. Thanks again for paying for all my books and things." The thought of what he'd done for them made Jaybird blush just a bit.

"See you at class tomorrow, I guess. You don't need a ride home or anything?"

"I'm fine, Kaz, and I'll definitely see you tomorrow. Hold on, I need to test something." Stretching up on their toes, Jaybird leaned in and kissed Kaz's cheek in a mirror of their earlier chaste kiss. The touch made their telempathy even more intense than usual—Jaybird got a wash of strong emotions that left them rocking a little. Fighting against the aftereffect of the torrent, they managed to smile at Kaz. "Thank you for the wonderful day."

Kaz was a little dumbfounded, and watched Jaybird walk out of the front of the mall. ᱿They're really something.᱿

The drive home was mundane, and he soon found himself parked in his own space at the back of the house. Walking to the back of his car, he opened the rear door and dropped the felt down. With a flick of his magic, he reached in and pulled out the food Abigail had texted him about earlier.

Grabbing back up the felt, he closed the door to his car and locked it, then headed inside. The moment the door was open he was assaulted by loud music. Unsure who it was, he made his way to the front of the house only to find Abigail, Ying, and Caelyn sitting on the couch—the music pouring out of an open bedroom door.

"Kaz! Did you bring the food?" Spotting her boyfriend, Abigail's eyes focused on the bags he was carrying. "You did! Ying was saying this place does the—" She froze, her gaze having wandered back up to his head. "Did you get your hair dyed again?!"

Hearing the shock in Abigail's voice, Caelyn looked around and spotted Kaz's hair. "Pink? Huh, it suits you."

"I'll put this in the kitchen." Kaz ignored the shocked look from Abigail and walked through to the nearest eating area and set the boxes of takeout down on the bench.

"Sorry about the hair thing. We've been talking about stuff all day, and a big topic was your green hair." Following Kaz, Abigail sat down at the table and tried to ignore the smell of the food. "I'm just not used to a guy who does that kinda thing—or a girl, but I haven't dated girls and…" She let out a sigh as her mouth started running away with her. "Just sorry."

"It's okay. Honestly, it's something I've only started doing recently. I don't even know how often I'll keep doing it." Kaz lifted out the boxes of noodles and set them in a row on the bench. "Probably should have told you, I took Claws for a ride with me."

"You really connected with that little moggy, didn't you?"

"Well, he is pretty adorable. Smart, too." Kaz almost jumped when the topic of the conversation rubbed against his leg. "Speaking of, he looks hungry."

Looking down at Claws, all Abigail could see was what her non-magical mind was capable to understanding. "Aww, poor thing. I bet Kaz didn't give you anything to eat all day."

"He starved me!" Claws knew sympathy when he heard it, and though Abigail couldn't understand him, he still did his best to convey how terribly hungry he was. "Do you have any sushi for me?"

Kaz was doing his absolute best not to crack up laughing at Claws' antics. "Actually I shared some sushi with him."

"You didn't?! Ugh, you'll spoil him." Getting up, Abigail approached Kaz and kissed his cheek. "That's it, I'll get him some dry food for dinner—since he's already had a treat."

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

Yawning and stretching, Miaow looked around the room through the windows of Kaz's eyes and let out a happy gasp—which sounded odd to her since it was in Kaz's voice—at the sight of the portable hole on their bedside chest of drawers.

"I need to thank him so much for this. Maybe I could arrange for him to wake up sandwiched between two hot girls?" She reached into the hole and pulled out a bag from the lingerie store and giggled.

Shaking her head and looking down, Miaow focused on the form Kaz had used in the mall to acquire the glorious undergarments. "This hair's too much, long and dark would be nicer." The huge quantity of red hair toned down into a uniform and silky black that hung down Miaow's back and spilled onto the bed under her.

"These, though"—Miaow's hands cupped her breasts, the perky mounds each a little too much to hold in one hand easily—"these are absolute perfection. Kaz, if you can hear me in there, thank you."

For a moment Miaow thought on that. "Tomorrow night we'll have to start working on that." She reached into the bag and pulled out a pair of the panties and one of the dark bras, mind already racing with ideas on what to wear with it.

She slipped the underwear on and the effect on her pride was immediate. Miaow sprouted herself a tail and a little pair of cat ears in celebration. When she reached into the portable hole for the next bag, her hand found something loose. "What's this? A price tag came loose?"

When she drew the little slip of paper out—and saw what was written on it—Miaow finally made sense of something Jaybird had said earlier in the day to Kaz. "Well, well, well. You really were a little flirty, Miss 311-555-0138."