private A Pony in Anima City (Private with Illiad Easle)

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would smile, secretly wanting her to finish what she was saying but just smiled "Very well" he'd say, getting out a printed contract an signing it "alright, just need you to read this and sign it, then you'll be a full time employee" he says to her as he sits back, sipping on his soda and idly swaying his tail, "Then I'll give you your pay and we'll figure out sleeping arrangements. Luckily I do have a spare room, though I do need to tidy it up" he smiles to her.

As he waited, he would think to himself "She's actually really pretty"

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Despite her growing trust for Ash, Mari would read through the entire printed contract. If there was anything she had been taught that she wasn't going to fail at, it was ensuring she didn't get bound to an unfair contract. She would Ash about any terms she didn't recognize, in this case if any governing bodies were mentioned, and if there wasn't anything untoward in the contract she'd sign it and return it to him.

Being a changeling she was also empathic, or able to sense what those around her were feeling, she was surprised to notice a hint of affection coming off of Ash, who had previously had nothing but kindness towards her as far as she could tell. Inwardly she wondered if such were appropriate, and if she could feel the same for him. It was uncommon for changelings of her type to enter romantic relations, but she figured that wasn't a common situation.

"So..." She pushed those thoughts aside, "What comes next? I assume I need to visit this Co-Op place before I can officially work for you. Do I... need to do anything in preparation?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

There was a slight shift in Mari's behavior, and Ash noticed it, though he didn't say anything about, he was also quite happy that she took the time to read the contract fully, he wasn't going to screw her over, but the fact that she took the time to read it fully, showed him that she was serious.

He'd nod as he took the signed contract and read it himself before putting it away and smiling at her "Alright, lets see, as you worked 6 hours today, that's a total of 150 dollars"

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari just nodded, still not really having an understanding of the relative value of the money she had been promised.

(Copied from above)

"So... What comes next? I assume I need to visit this Co-Op place before I can officially work for you. Do I... need to do anything in preparation?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

"Right the co-op, just bring any form of Id, which I don't think you have, do you?" he'd ask her, raising an eyebrow "Well that doesn't matter, lots of people come here with nothing on them but the clothes on their backs" he smiles a little more, standing up and stretching, "the registration is free, so we don't have to worry about money, how-ever I should stock up on some food" he smiles to her, offering a hand up.

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari didn't initially recognize why Ash had held out his hand, assuming he meant to shake it given they had just concluded a deal, so she stood up by herself and shook his hand. "You, er... you don't need to worry too much about food, at least in my case, I don't eat very much and what I do eat is mostly this." She held up the half empty glass of the gel she had made, "So long as I have mineral water I can make it. What I'm saying is, since you're paying me so generously and all, the least I can do is pay for my own food... if that's alright?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He'd smile and shake her hand but then look to her "I was actually offering you a hand up from your seat, but a handshake is a good way to conclude a deal as well" he would say, nodding as he listened to her talk about her food "That's fair enough, luckily mineral water isn't that expensive" he would tell her "so your pay can go towards anything else you'd like ,clothing, outings, etc.." he would say, picking up a satchel bag and making his way toward the door "To be honest, I'ts been nice not only having someone help out, but someone who is experienced in customer service"

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari would look embarrassed when the misunderstanding was cleared up, "Oh, sorry."

She would follow him to the door, unsure of what to do and assuming he wanted her to follow him, "Are you sure you've never met another changeling? You're taking all of this rather well, I don't think you've asked about anything I've done since we met. Not that that's an issue of course, I mean, I'd be happy to answer questions, I'm just curious."

Per being experienced in customer service she shrugged, "More accurately it was in tourism, but a lot of the same things apply." 

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle (shoot my bad, I thought i had posted)

He would chuckle a little and nod "I'm sure, and as for not asking what you've done in the past, well I always the past is best left in the past. If someone wants to open up about it, then it's up to them" he smiles to her and then nods once more "Pretty much, it's all about how you treat the customers" he walks with her "The Co-Op may ask you some questions about what you are though, for identification purposes, and ask you to fill out a form, but other than that, it's pretty straight forward and you'll be counted as a citizen of Anima City" he smiles to her.

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose (No worries, I was pretty busy last week anyway.)

What Ash said didn't really make sense to Mari, as she had been referring to the things she had done in front of him, like change her form, teleport, and make emotion gel. Maybe he is used to magic like that? Still, I haven't seen anyone else doing magic, I'll have to keep it secret until I get some guarantee that it is normal and acceptable here.

Per her other concerns, she figured if Ash were curious enough he would ask about it, and until then she'd just keep quiet about it.

When he mentioned the Co-Op asking about what she was she looked concerned, "About that, unless there are other changelings about, I don't think I want anyone else knowing what I can do. Frankly even if there are other changelings I'd rather as few creatures as possible knew what I could do. Do you think they'd be able to tell if I said I was a zebra? Or anything else? You know, since we were going to work on making a better disguise tonight?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

"She's right, we better keep her true identity a secret, at least for now" he'd think to himself and nod "You're right, we had best keep up your disguise and maybe think of a new identity for you, you can keep your name as I doubt anyone here would know it, but lets keep your identity as a Changeling to ourselves" he'd say, saying the last part softly.

The co-op wasn't far, but it was a nice leisurely walk, long enough to discuss her new identity"So, the most things they will ask you to put on the form is name, age, species, and blood type" he would say to her softly "The people that own and work the Co-Op are very nice and friendly, and they don't push for too much information"

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari paused when Ash mentioned making a new identity, realizing that she had followed him outside, she matched his soft tone in response, "Well, I'll have to step into an alley or something to change. I don't want to risk burning these clothes I'm borrowing, we should figure all this out before we get there."

The first three attributes were easy enough, though she didn't know how well ages translated. How old did one have to be to be considered mature here? Was it species dependent? Mari herself was only about seven years old, but that was because changelings matured very quickly, reaching full maturity after only four years. Maybe here the ages were closer to ponies, "Is 22 old enough? Does it make sense for me to be that old? And what do you mean by Blood Type?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

"Oh you don't need to change your appearance, just like you'll need to say you're a Zebra and not a Changeling" he'd say to her, "Otherwise 22 is fine for age, and by blood type, like what type is your blood, is it O blood, A+ Blood, it's confusing but that's for medical reasons" he would tell her "In case you need a blood transfusion, but that'd only be if you lost a lot of blood from an accident or you got ill and needed to be drained and have a transfusion"

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

On 2021-08-25 at 2:28 AM, Scarlet Rose said:

"Oh you don't need to change your appearance, just like you'll need to say you're a Zebra and not a Changeling"

MAri looked a little down, "But I, I..." she sighed, "I don't want to be a zebra." Not that I know what I'd want to be otherwise. "I know, it sounds crazy, 'You can be anything, why not just be something else?' Well it's not that simple, at least it wasn't. My mother, she had to approve of it first, and she said I had to be a zebra so I'd 'have the greatest chance of success' or whatever. Now I've been a zebra so long I don't know if I could pull off something else... but I want to try, now that I have the chance. If I put down zebra in there that would just lock me in wouldn't it? Can we at least discuss it first?"

On 2021-08-25 at 2:28 AM, Scarlet Rose said:

and by blood type, like what type is your blood, is it O blood, A+ Blood, it's confusing but that's for medical reasons" he would tell her "In case you need a blood transfusion, but that'd only be if you lost a lot of blood from an accident or you got ill and needed to be drained and have a transfusion"

She looked confused as he explained things about blood and blood types, then thought a moment, "I think the zebra I was with had some concept of that, but the same wouldn't apply to me. My blood is not like theirs, it's green and highly flammable, plus it keeps my body from bursting into flames by circulating the field that keeps the atmosphere away from my skin. If I lost too much blood... there wouldn't be anything left to heal."

She let the morbid moment sit a moment before bouncing back, "We'll just have to fake that too, what's the most common blood type?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

1 hour ago, Illiad Easle said:

MAri looked a little down, "But I, I..." she sighed, "I don't want to be a zebra." Not that I know what I'd want to be otherwise. "I know, it sounds crazy, 'You can be anything, why not just be something else?' Well it's not that simple, at least it wasn't. My mother, she had to approve of it first, and she said I had to be a zebra so I'd 'have the greatest chance of success' or whatever. Now I've been a zebra so long I don't know if I could pull off something else... but I want to try, now that I have the chance. If I put down zebra in there that would just lock me in wouldn't it? Can we at least discuss it first?"

Ash would think for a moment, "You're right" he'd say to her, thinking to himself "This is going to be more difficult than I thought" He smiles a little "Yes, it's still a bit of a way, so we for sure discuss it more" he would say to her, finding a park bench "How about we sit down and discuss it further"

2 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

She looked confused as he explained things about blood and blood types, then thought a moment, "I think the zebra I was with had some concept of that, but the same wouldn't apply to me. My blood is not like theirs, it's green and highly flammable, plus it keeps my body from bursting into flames by circulating the field that keeps the atmosphere away from my skin. If I lost too much blood... there wouldn't be anything left to heal."

She let the morbid moment sit a moment before bouncing back, "We'll just have to fake that too, what's the most common blood type?"

After sitting down he would look to her "I see, yes that does kind of complicate things, well the most common type is Type O"

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari would nod, taking a seat on the bench, "This place... it is so very different from my home. All these complicated things... I don't know if I'll ever be able to figure them all out." She looked over at Ash with a small smile, "I'm glad though, that you're willing to help me through this."

She took a moment to compose herself, "Alright, there's a few creatures I've wanted to be, but..." she blushed, "Is there maybe some species you would prefer I be?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He'd smile over to her "Yeah, you see" he would point over the horizon and ocean "Over there is Japan, humans live there. Some are alright with Beastmen, but there are a lot there that hate us, and they hunt to kill us" he'd say with a shake of his head, "then there are Beastmen who are anti-human, and oppose the merger between the two, so unfortunately we have to deal with terrorists not only from across the ocean but in our own home as well. That's why the Co-Op exists, to register citizens. It is a little much to some, but honestly, it is for our safety" he says.

He then looks over to her "And you're welcome, so, what other species would you like to try out?" he'd ask her

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari looked surprised to hear about those who wanted the other group dead, then looked down, "I... Where I'm from, there are those who think that way too. Many of the creatures there would kill you if they even suspected you might be a changeling. That's why I was so hesitant to tell you in the beginning. It's sad that that sort of creature exists here too."

She'd shake off the negativity fairly quickly though when Ash asked what sort of race she wanted to try, "Well... I did want to try being a deer, they have really cool horns, I think they call them antlers though, it's too bad they don't keep them year round, but if I wanted antlers I'd have to be a buck, or a reindeer." She looked at Ash, "What do you think of that?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Ash would listen to her and nod with a small frown "Unfortunately it would seem that no matter where you go, it'll always be a part of the world you find yourself in" he'd say, his ears folding back a little but he then does perk up "I do truly appreciate you trusting me to tell me about your actual species" he would say to her, "and rest assured your secret is safe with me" he looks around and smiles.

"As for being a deer, that would certainly help you fit in more, as there are other deer here, in fact the Cherryton High's Beastar...that's the student who excels not only in academics but helps bridge the gap between the herbivores and omnivores" he'd tell her "anyway, the school's Beastar is a deer himself, his name is Roui" he says and nods "And yes, you are correct, their horns are called antlers" he smiles some more, now thinking to himself "She'd look really cute as a deer, or maybe a gazelle" he looks to her "How about a Gazelle? Have you thought about being like one? Beautiful, graceful, and a bit exotic"

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari pursed her lips as she thought about it, "Hmm... That could work, though I don't have much to go off of, I haven't seen many gazelle before. You wouldn't happen to have a picture of one would you? maybe from a few different angles? Usually when a changeling makes a disguise, they study the creature they intend to mimic pretty in depth to pick up on their mannerisms and physical features, but it sounds like here that won't be as necessary. Still, I should at least try to look the part."

She looked down at her body, "Are gazelles... er, different, from the neck down? Or are they fairly typical? I mean, while I prefer a feminine body type I can pull off just about any shape if need be."

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

Ash would nod as he almost instantly got out his tablet to look up photos of gazelles on it for Mari "They're naturally slim" he would tell her, giving her the tablet so she could go through the photos, he'd lean back a little "I think you look pretty either species you choose however" he says softly to her.

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Of course I will, I'm not going to make myself not look pretty. I do at least have that luxury."

She looked through the pictures that Ash had pulled up with an analytical eye, "Very slim, athletic build, though I suppose a deer would be similarly thin." She sighed as she looked down at her chest, "I guess it's back to being flat chested then." She looked around the park to make sure they were alone before pulling off her shirt, a roll of fire following the hem as it rose, slimming up her build considerably and stopping at her neck and shoulders where she quickly pulled the shirt back down where it now fit a bit looser than before. "We can get the rest right later, in a more private setting, like the coloration fur length, all that."

She turned her attention back to the pictures, "Now for the face... I can't really see what I look like, so you'll have to tell me if I get it right or if I need to change something." She closed her eyes as the fire rolled up from her neck and over her face, consuming her mane, with a pair of fairly accurate gazelle horns. The coloration of the fur on her face has changed from the black, white, and grey of a zebra to the tan, brown, and white of a gazelle. Her face had changed shape, narrowing considerably from the wide zebra muzzle to the pointed gazelle nose.

Had Ash not been present to witness the transformation he would be hard pressed to recognize Mari after the change. "How's that?" Even her voice had changed, becoming softer and higher pitched, likely to better match the shape of her head, "I don't need to worry about any sort of accent or dialect do I? Like... is there a certain way that gazelle typically talk?"

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

He would smile as he watched her change into the form of a gazelle "You look amazing" he would say, using a the camera function on his tablet and on the front camera, so she could see what she looked like "You're pretty spot on, but you are right, we can work on the fur and such in private, the top I lent you ought to cover up any mistakes you may have made," he would smile "Also I'm sure there are some gazelle who have larger chests" he chuckles a little, shaking his head.

He waits for her to put the top back on before standing up and offering her a hand up "If I didn't know better, you could have fooled me" he smiles to her, helping her to stand up again "Come on, lets get you sorted at the Co-Op and then we can go back home and fix any mistakes" he would say with a slight blush, "I wonder if she picks up on how I feel? Am I really falling for her? this has never happened before" he thinks to himself with the blush across his face.

[Illiad Easle 3,127]

@Scarlet Rose

Mari used the tablet as a mirror, making a few small adjustments with minute bursts of fire until she was satisfied with the outcome. 

She blushed when he mentioned the potential acceptability of having a larger chest, "Well... it's all the same to me, but if you would prefer... we can look into that later as well."

When he mentioned how she could have fooled him, she nodded, "That is the point, it wouldn't be very effective if I couldn't. Maybe later I could pretend to be you? Not in public or anything, but to demonstrate."

She'd follow along with him towards the Co-Op, blushing as well as she felt his affection in the air. It feels genuine enough... maybe he really does care? I hope it isn't just the novelty that he likes.

[Sphinx-Ara 3,569]

@Illiad Easle

As they walked and talked, he would smile "Well, it's really up to you, if you want to have a larger chest than I'd say go for it, but ultimately its your body, your decision" he would tell her, still somewhat blushing and trying to decide if his affections for her are real or not "Last thing I want is to hurt her, I do care, I care for all my friends but with Mari...I feel different" he would think to himself, taking a glance at her as they walk, he'd then gulp a little as he then felt like he had butterflies in his stomach.