It was probably because he didn’t want me to run again, but he refused to let my hand go as he led me to his room. Not that it mattered. It wasn’t like I wouldn’t run; I just wouldn’t do so right now. Xander was right that I needed clothing.
Wait, didn’t I have a few sets of other clothes in my inventory? A quick check confirmed that I did indeed have clothes. How could I forget that I had extras? It wasn’t like I had suddenly lost a few brain cells or something. Hell, it wasn’t that long ago that I was constantly wearing them.
As we reached the door to his room, he opened it, releasing my hand as he gestured for me to proceed him. Without hesitation, I walked across the room and toward the bathroom. I ignored the sound of the door closing or the soft noise his shoes made as he tried to follow me.
The moment I entered the bathroom, I shut the door and locked it. Likely as not, it wouldn’t hold him for but a moment, but he would get the hint that I didn’t want him in here with me.
My mind stalled out as I debated just how much to change. I could just put on some underwear and pants and call it good, but I had no clue just how long I had been wearing this shirt. His shirt.
Somehow, the thought was enough to redden my cheeks. Unfortunately, at that moment I got a decent sniff of the thing. It smelled of sweat, as well as a few other things I couldn’t parse out. They were unlike anything I had ever smelled before. Considering how strong the smell of sweat was and my recent changes, I was fairly sure that I was smelling things no human could.
Practically ripping the shirt off, I tossed it onto the lid of the toilet. I looked over at the shower, debating jumping in even though I had just taken one. Yes, it had been in the real world, Earth, whatever. Surely if our bodies transferred from one world to another, that meant that what we did in one would affect the other. Which would explain why I was never all that hungry when I logged off to take care of my body.
Finally, though, I decided I had to at least wash off the sweat. I was about to meet Xander’s sister and we all know how first impressions can color a person's view of someone.
The water pressure and instant steam put my apartment's semi-modern plumbing to shame. It felt as though someone was massaging my scalp with millions of fingers as the thin streams dug through my hair without issue.
A soft knocking on the door startled me out of the relaxed stupor I found myself in. My ears perked up as Xander’s voice, while soft, cut through the noise generated by the shower. “Are you okay in there?”
I didn’t know what to say. On one hand, I was physically fine. On the other, I was mentally unglued. I mean, who wouldn’t be? Especially after having, not just their view of the world changed, but having their body changed.
He must have understood what I was not saying because he didn’t say a word. Though, judging by what my ears were telling me, he also hadn’t moved. As if he was waiting, listening for some sign that I needed his help or something. Quickly toweling with the softest towels in existence, I pulled out my stored clothes.
The shirt was a tiny bit tight around my chest but after a few moments, the material shifted. Loosening up in places while shrinking in others. As I pulled out my underwear, I caught a glimpse of the shirt I had been wearing before. It hadn't shrunk to fit me. Or maybe it had. Maybe whatever magic caused clothing to change also allowed it to detect what the user was going for.
But that made no sense. If one could simply change their wardrobe with a bit of mental work, there would be no need for people to sell various styled clothing. The entire issue was going to bug me to death until I got an answer. I debated asking Xander as I slid my underwear up my legs.
The material felt scratchy and odd. While most of the hem sat where it was supposed to, the back quarter had to accommodate my tail. It was something that shouldn’t have been a problem if my original thoughts on how clothing worked was right. Some sort of button or hole would have formed in the material to accommodate my tail. Now, I could handle wearing uncomfortable underwear for an hour or three, but something told me my pants would have a similar issue.
With a resigned sigh, I wrapped the towel around my lower half and opened the door. Xander stood there, eyes popping open as they flit down my body before jumping up to meet mine. Neither of us spoke a word, choosing instead to see who would break the silence first. Which, given that I was the one that needed something, I was the first to break. “My pants won't accommodate my tail.”
The corner of his lip lifted as he spoke. “Try these.” A pair of pants appeared in his hand. I took them and shut the door in his face.
I let the towel drop to the floor as I unfolded the pants. As I did so, something else dropped to the ground. A shudder ran down my spine as I got a good look at the dropped material. Based on the shape and the fact they were bundled with the pants, the additional item was a pair of panties. Panties with a tiny v-cut in the edge.
I hesitantly picked them up. Allowing the soft fabric to slip through my fingers. Part of me still recoiled at the idea of wearing anything labeled as for a woman, but the cut at the back promised comfort that my current choice didn’t. Before I knew it, I swapped the two.
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The soft material slipped up my legs and into place without issue. It didn’t feel bunched up at the base of my tail.
Not willing to stop and inspect anything, either visually or with my hands, I slid my new pair of jeans on. They were tight, reminding me of skinny jeans. Something I had not dared to even try on since going through puberty. Now though, what was the point in hiding the obvious curves? It wasn’t like hiding my legs or hips would hide anything else.
As the material reached my tail, I reached back and guided it through the provided hole. I don’t know how to explain the feeling but my fur did not like being bunched up and pushed in the wrong direction. It took a minute of running my fingers through my fur for the feeling to diminish.
Finally dressed, I picked up the nightshirt and opened the door. Xander stood there, seemingly not having moved a muscle since I shut the door. His eyes roamed over my body. My breath caught in my throat as his eyes returned to mine. They had changed and I hadn't noticed until this moment. Until I had no other choice but to look him in the eyes.
An off-grey color, closer to mercury than silver, ringed his irises. The change caught me off guard. Still, even I could tell that his gaze was full of heat and desire. While I had seen the look in the gazes of random strangers before, it wasn’t something I expected from him.
And I wouldn’t have to decide as a cough forced its way out of my throat, breaking whatever was building between us. Xander’s eyes darted away as he spoke. “You look good.”
My cheeks were likely a light shade of pink as I sheepishly replied, “Thank you.” He started for the door, holding it open as he looked in my direction. In an attempt to not get sucked into his eyes again, I looked just to the side of his face as I moved to join him. “Shall we go meet your sister?”
He shut the door and took the lead. Seeing as neither of us were going to start the conversation, I spent my time looking around. Small points of light on the ceiling reminded me of modern LED lights, though these things were likely magic-based rather than electric. The light red wooden walls were only broken up by a door every ten or twenty feet.
Looking down, I realized that, while my bare feet had been comfortable, I had been walking on what looked to be stone. “Um, what happened to my shoes?” I hesitantly asked.
Xander sighed as he spoke, “They were destroyed.”
“What will I wear outside?”
“If,” he emphasized the word, “we need to go outside before you get shoes, I will carry you.” My face heated up as his words brought back the memory of him carrying me to the bed after I had found out about the changes.
We both stayed silent as we descended the stairs to, what I assume, was the ground level. From what I could see as we stepped off the stairs, the room was large enough to rival most professional sports stadiums. The vast hall buzzed with countless conversations as both natural light and magical lit the space from high above.
Still, none of the people milling around were willing to get close to us. Some of them even went so far as to change direction as soon as they saw Xander. Given that he did nothing in response, I wondered if he even noticed what was going on around him.
Without warning, a streak of red and brown flew through the air. Whatever it was slammed into Xander’s side with enough force to cause him to stagger a step to the side. His voice came out in a low growl. “Ginger.”
“Oh, don’t be like that.” A feminine voice purred from where she hung off him. A braid of reds and browns reached her lower back, almost reaching a very lively tail of the same color. “When was the last time I saw you?”
Xander spoke as he tried to pry the girl off him. “Two weeks ago.” Seeing how she was clinging to him sent a spike of pain through my chest and had me thinking about running.
“Why?” She sounded like she was pouting. “It isn’t like you left the city. You could have at least joined me for dinner when I got back from my trip.”
“I was busy,” he said, still struggling to pry her off. Something about his lack of progress had me slowly turning. “Not so fast.” His words froze me in place as I somehow knew they were directed at me.
“OH,” the girl’s voice perked up. “Is this my project? I mean, victim. Wait, no, that sounds worse.”
“This is the person I was telling you about.” Her graceful drop from him to the ground was the only warning I got before I found myself pulled into a full-body hug. I could barely breathe as she smashed my face into her chest. “You will kill her if you keep holding onto her like that.” My lack of oxygen slowed my ability to process what Xander said and who he was talking about.
Thankfully though, she understood, releasing me from her deadly embrace. “Sorry, sorry, I just…sorry.”
“And that is why you cannot take Kyren anywhere without me present.” Xander’s words were packed with enough power to spell death to her if she dared to defy him. Around us, the room went silent. “In fact, I don’t want any of you going near Kyren here without first talking to me.” Something about how he spoke sent shivers down my spine. Judging by the shifting and varied reactions around the room, I wasn’t the only one affected.
The girl let me go as she spun around to face him. Shock, coupled with glee, tinged her voice as she spoke. “How bold of you. Whatever happened to the complete refusal to even consider dating someone? What was your excuse again? Oh, that’s right, you were too busy leveling for anything.”
“Nothing,” he growled. “Nothing has changed.”
“So, you don’t mind if I take her for myself? Or, if she doesn’t want me, one of the other guys here?” What the fuck. Just how much of a death wish did this girl have? Couldn’t she see that she was pushing him too far?
“No.” The room around us darkened as his growl grew deeper.
“What could you do to stop me?”
“If you, or anyone else, dares to defy me in this, I will send them back to respawn. Damn the consequences.” His lips lifted into a predatory smile as he continued. “Say, did you ever set your spawn to somewhere in the city or is it still in the capital?”
The two of them stared at each other before she suddenly laughed. “Goddess, how I missed you.”
Both the predatory look and the darkness vanished as he smiled back. “You too, little fox.”
The way he looked at her was something one would see before two people kissed. A knot tightened in my stomach as I wondered if the two were somehow involved. “I will just give you two some room,” I muttered as I started to slowly back up.
“Oh no you don’t,” the girl said as she spun around to grab onto me. Her eyes were sparkling as she spoke. “I have to know just what is going on between you and little Xander here.” Her insinuation caused my brain to stall out for a second.
Thankfully Xander, unknowingly, covered my freezing up. “When was the last time I was shorter than you? Ten years? Fifteen?” He snapped back as the silent crowd started to whisper. “Now, can we get on with getting Kyren some clothing?”
“Yay…Shopping!” Her tail blurred through the air as she grabbed my hand and led me toward the crowd. A crowd that rushed to get out of our way revealing what had to be our first destination.