Do you Believe in Magic?

[Victorious]

Damien nods to the girl. "I look forward to it." He picks up his new make-up case and turns toward the door throwing an inquiring look towards Winters, seeing as the man had started to ask him a question before being distracted by the other customer.

Paulette...remains quiet on this front, not really sure what to say. To say that she'd be looking forward to it would be a lie...but it would be rude to refuse him, wouldn't it? Especially in front of Winters...

*Eyes widening, Richard crouches down and pokes the floor.* Did you do all this?

The dragon responds with a quiet "Mrrr...", and approaches closer, rubbing it's head against her arm, like a warm scaly cat. Seems it likes her!
Unfortunately, that does not answer her question...However, if she looks around, she may see the last of the rainbowed shell melting into the ground nearby...even as a few trees start to sprout up from the ground nearby.

[Ookalf]

The dragon responds with a quiet "Mrrr...", and approaches closer, rubbing it's head against her arm, like a warm scaly cat. Seems it likes her!
Unfortunately, that does not answer her question...However, if she looks around, she may see the last of the rainbowed shell melting into the ground nearby...even as a few trees start to sprout up from the ground nearby.

Okay... Try not to panic... *Richard pats the dragon on the head, then opens the door to the apartment (assuming it's still there) and looks outside.*

[Mystic Mina]

Chrissie loved Mandy's plan, but there was a problem with it... Actually, there were TWO problems with it, and they were standing right in front of the school's locker room, outfitted in white tennis dresses and armed with rackets. A difficult obstacle... But it didn't discourage Chrissie one bit. In fact, if anything, it made the redhead even more motivated to follow through with the plan!

"Hmm... We need some way to distract those girls. Got any plans, Mandy?" She asked her friend as she twirled one of her ponytails around with her fingers.

---

"Damien, is it?... You and I will be meeting again soon. Call it a hunch of mine." This was not what Samuel wanted to say to the mysterious customer, but it was highly unlikely that Damien would have listened to his original thought. Besides, he did not want to crush the aspirations of a would-be magician. That would be terrible! "Have a pleasant night. Now, on to the other business."

---

Winters withdrew from the counter (Seriously, how much space does he have in there?) a peculiar looking blue sphere decorated with a myriad of other swirling colors. With the way the light twisted and flowed on its surface, it almost seemed as though the strange orb was alive in some way.

"They say that, long ago, this object you see before you was owned by a renowned illusionist with an odd sense of humor... To tell you the truth, that is all I know of this artifact. I am not much of a prankster myself, so I have not bothered to learn more about this orb. Perhaps you, a prankster, can unlock its secrets?"

---

There was no need for Stephanie to fix her dress, for it had already shrunken in size to fit her smaller frame. Of more pressing matters was her long, thigh-length hair, which was now completely straight and jet black in color. Judging from her reflection in the nearby window, it seemed her face was changing as well. It gained a distinctly Asian touch as her eyes slightly slanted, her face rounded out, and her eyes shifted from a bright green to a warm brown. If Stephanie didn't know any better, she'd say she was an Asian woman now!

"So, Sayako, I think it'd be great for the two of us if we went to visit your parents in Japan! I know you haven't spoken to them in a while, but I think they need to know about our relationship, you know?" Drew, unaware of any of his girlfriend's transformation, took her hands into his and gave them a little squeeze. "What do you say, huh?"

---

Yes... Well, actually, no. In reality, there is only me, stuck in this medallion. I have been trapped within this pendant for centuries now. Thanks to you, though, I finally have company! These men shall make excellent servants to me, at least until their life forces finally run out and they expire... But you should not worry about that!

[Marky]

Pausing for a moment as Drew takes her hands into his, Stephanie, now apparently Sayako, stares at Drew for a moment, unsure of what to do, other than smiling back a forced smile and slowly nodding. Meanwhile, inside of her head, Stephanie/Sayako is mentally screaming. 'What the hell is going on now?!'

[Evra]

"well it's not that bad talking to you and trust me i couldn't care less about them." she says finnaly making it to the store and getting what she needs

[Victorious]

Okay... Try not to panic... *Richard pats the dragon on the head, then opens the door to the apartment (assuming it's still there) and looks outside.*

Mrring, the dragon again leans into the pat, following her closely as she turns, relief surely filling her as she sees the door, same as ever amidst the moss and vines that seem to have eaten her wall.
Thank goodness!
Grabbing the doorknob, she goes to pull it open...and the knob comes off in her hand! Stumbling backwards, she nearly falls over, given her new footwear, as--as if triggered by her touch--the knob in her hands breaks away into dry leaves...and all at once, the door in front of her cracks and twists, a trunk seeming to form. Odd as this is though, what happens next is stranger, as, with a K-KRACK the ground under her shifts, and another sprout shoots out, carrying her into the air! Not to fear though, as the roof too seems to be breaking away, to reveal a sunny sky. Odd, considering he lived on the second floor of a five story building...

[Harri-chan]

Mandy peeked around the corner at the older girls in the tennis dresses, and then ducked back into cover, setting a hand on Christine's shoulder, "What do those kind of girls think about most? Maybe boys? We could tell them some boys from the football team were looking for them? I know Esper is annoyingly smart... but there can't be that many pretty AND smart girls in her army, can there?", she whispered.

[Ookalf]

Mrring, the dragon again leans into the pat, following her closely as she turns, relief surely filling her as she sees the door, same as ever amidst the moss and vines that seem to have eaten her wall.
Thank goodness!
Grabbing the doorknob, she goes to pull it open...and the knob comes off in her hand! Stumbling backwards, she nearly falls over, given her new footwear, as--as if triggered by her touch--the knob in her hands breaks away into dry leaves...and all at once, the door in front of her cracks and twists, a trunk seeming to form. Odd as this is though, what happens next is stranger, as, with a K-KRACK the ground under her shifts, and another sprout shoots out, carrying her into the air! Not to fear though, as the roof too seems to be breaking away, to reveal a sunny sky. Odd, considering he lived on the second floor of a five story building...

Don't panic, don't panic...! *Richard looks down to see just how high the plant is taking her.*

[Stray-chan]

Damien nods to Winters as he makes his way out. "Well. I do intend to visit again soon. The contents of your shop are simply fascinating. But it is beginning to grow late, and I must be off. Have a good evening, both of you!" With that, he is out the door, raising the cowl on his cloak again as he exits.

Some time later, Damien returns to his small apartment, makeup case in hand. Pausing to hang his cloak up on a coat hook, he goes strait into his ritual room, placing the case in the middle of his ritual focusing circle. "What magic do you contain, I wonder? I daresay enchanted makeup would be interesting..." He takes a few moments to prepare, then, and shortly thereafter begins an incantation over the case, his attempts at divining its nature aided by both the circle and a translucent ritual crystal he pulled from his box of foci.

[Mystic Mina]

((I'm aware that things might be moving a bit too slowly, which is why I'm about to speed things up a tad. If this boost proves to be bothersome for you, please tell me about it. I'll ignore- Er, listen to your every word!))

The identity confused woman would receive no answers as to why she was changed yet again. She would, however, receive an incredibly delectable four course meal courtesy of Drew, who was busy rambling about matters that she either had no knowledge of or had no interest in. After several hours of eating and chatting (one-sided chatting, really), the two were finally done with their dinner. Much food and alcohol was consumed during the course of their meal, a fact which was reflected in Drew's glazed over, droopy-lidded eyes. Sayako, too, was possibly under the effect of the spirits she drank as well.

"Ya' know... Ya' know, Sayako... I love ya' a lot. You're the beeeest thing that's ever happened to meh in a long time." The obviously drunk geek drawled as he sloppily leaned over the dish ridden table and rubbed his girlfriend's hands. "That's why I... Uh... Spend all this money on ya', ya' know? I love ya' so much... Soooo much..."

---

The Valkyrie within the medallion remained silent as Rein gathered his groceries and headed back home on that cold summer's night, but she finally spoke up when the boy-turned-warrior was at the very first steps of the front of his home.

I... In all my years on this earth, not one person has said that they have enjoyed my company. On most occasions, most consider me a nuisance and rid themselves of me the first chance they get. The voice mumbled softly, the past fierceness in her words lost. Tell me, mortal, your name is Rein, is it not? I have yet to tell you mine. My original name is a long and difficult one to pronounce, which is why I have taken to calling myself... Cecilly. You may call me that too, if you wish.

---

(In the interest of moving things along, let's just say that Ivan has purchased the orb and left the shop.)

With the final customer gone, Samuel let out a great sigh of relief and contentment. He never expected so many people to visit his store on the first day of its reopening, but he was glad that he had them all nonetheless. Now, to close up shop and be done for the night...

"Ah, I believe your work here is just about done, Paulette. How did you enjoy your first day? I hope the job was not too stressful for you, was it?" Mr. Winters asked his new assistant as he popped open his cash register and began to count the amount of profit he gained. Not a lot this time, but something was better than nothing to him for now. "I am aware that I pushed some duties upon you that you may have not been ready for, which is why I believe you should earn a bit more than usual today. How does... One hundred and sixty dollars sound for four hours of work?"

---

Mandy and Christine, working together, came up with a grand plan to distract the two guard girls with the promise of cute boys, and it worked! The big duo, pretty but nowhere near as smart as Esper or even Mandy was, eagerly ran off to find the hunks they were told of, giving the two friends just enough time to rush in and grab their normal clothes, which were thankfully intact and not tampered with. Armed with outfits that did not look completely ridiculous, they marched out of their oppressive school and onto the... Busy, crowded streets. The high school of Mandy's past was located in the middle of a huge metropolis, one that was filled to the brim with people and vehicles. It was far from being the most beautiful place in the world, but it had one thing that many other cities did not: A giant mall that had all of the best fashion shops!

[Marky]

Sayako beams at this, the drinks clearly having gotten to her a bit. "I'm grateful, and I like you a lot, too." She says, or at least attempts to say, it's not quite sure if her recent change did anything to her speech or not...oh and let's not forget the drunkenness, too.

[Harri-chan]

Mandy was still laughing at their victory over the tennis team girls as she and Christine arrived at the mall. "I think you've got a future in acting, Chrissie", she said, arms linked with the red-haired girl. After the incident with the dog outfits, the school uniform she'd always hated suddenly seemed so much easier to wear. It had been ages since she'd even thought about her adult life, her teenage body and high school world felt so natural. "Where do you want to start?", she asked as they stood in the entrance of the crowded mall.

[Evra]

Rein has gone about her buisness and as she listens to you speak she stops outside the door "well cecily it's officially nice to meet you" she says before walking into the house "mom im back" she says sittng the purse down

[Whatevr89532]

With the orb's description, Ivan was ready to buy it; he'd only wanted to know how much it was after that. No details necessary..the mystery was going to be part of the fun, he hoped. Once he'd bought it he simply pocketed it for the moment, heading outside and wandering along the street.
Now, he is still wandering the street, looking for someone who looks like they might have a good sense of humor...

((Sorry for the absence there.))

[Victorious]

Looking up, Richard may be calmed...if only slightly...to realize that the tree doesn't seem to be growing too incredibly high. Indeed, after only a moment several others catch up to it, the ascent slowing gently...until the girl finds herself alone on a tree branch in what seems, by all accounts, to be a fairly thick forest.

Her solitude does not last, however, as with a gentle flapping, the little dragon propels itself up next to her, with a proud burst of tiny flame, in a scene looking rather like this. It's catching on pretty quick considering it seems to have just been born.

----

As Damien begins the ritual...very little seems to happen, at least at first. Still, as a magician--even a neophyte one, perhaps--he likely understands that even magic rarely produces instant results.
Or at least, not without consequences.
After several minutes, however, very slowly, small particles of the makeup start to creep out of the sides of the case, slowly...slowly swirling up and around his focus crystal, like tiny snowflakes...and, after another very long moment, start to coalesce around it.
Seems he'd confirmed at least a little magic in it, at least. But what was the ritual trying to tell him...?

----

Paulette frowns very slightly at Winters's questions.

"Well...I..."

She shakes her head, her mind going back to Damien.

"...This body makes me feel uncomfortable."

Shaking her head...Paulette blinks at the figure of payment.

"One...hundred and sixty? Really? But I--I mean, I only sold two things...!"