No Need For A Core? - 169: Playing with Appearances

169: Playing with Appearances

No Need For A Core? by Zagaroth

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Mordecai watched with some amusement as Fuyuko proceeded through four more plays. For one scene she was an extra for a ballroom dance, and a trio of bunkin were stacked inside of a rough framework with the costume nailed to the frame to keep it in place. As the bunkin couldn't dance like this, and Fuyuko clearly had no experience dancing, the results were entertaining. It took several takes, but eventually, they made it through without falling over or knocking anything else over.

In another play scene, she was part of a trio of heroes setting out to find a gift left in the world by a goddess, but she was separated from her friends during a stage battle and found herself wandering alone through a wasteland, her friends nowhere to be found. Passing this one required her to figure out that she needed to bemoan her fate with proper melodrama, and when she passed, the scene ended with her being captured by the enemy army.

Next came the same play that Nainvil and Brongrim had gone through as their first play, only she was playing the part of the princess who was being saved from her father. She gave it a new ending by tossing both her father the king, and the prince hero coming to rescue her, over the 'walls' of the castle and declaring herself queen of both countries by right of conquest. Watching the bunkin on the stage floor yell out a slowly fading scream as if they were falling down a cliff was great, and he was amused to see the rest of the actors scramble to finish the suddenly revamped scene and get a crown to put on her head.

For the final play, she was the daughter of Yamaraja, the Judge of the Dead, and was trying to sneak her way out of her father's realm and into the mortal world. Unfortunately for the other actors, they had not accounted for how much her gear was going to help her blend into shadows when setting up the stage, and her ambushers found their positions reversed as they failed to keep her from escaping.

After that last play, Mordecai found her sitting on the ground with her arms around her knees, her head down. Fuyuko looked exhausted, and he suspected it was as much mental as physical. It was a lot to deal with in a short time, with so much that was very different than she was used to. So he sat down a short distance away, facing her, and simply waited for her to recover.

When Fuyuko felt rested enough to raise her head and wave at him weakly, Mordecai gave her a smile, “You did well. Taking over the scene like that for those last two was great. You worked to create a new story and made them respond to it. But I think you're done for the day, so when you have caught your breath we can collect your prize and then I'll show you to our shortcut on the next level.” Easy access to the nice side of the library was important to have available for their long-term guests after all.

“Yeah, alright,” she said before she rocked up onto her feet, “let me see whatcha got.”

The director had been waiting for her to rest, and now approached with a soft, paper-wrapped package, “You seemed to have a bit of fun with some of the dress-up, so we put together a few sets of clothes you might enjoy. They are lightly enchanted to resist wear and prevent staining.”

Fuyuko took the package and bowed slightly, “Um, thank you. I'll try them on later.” She was talking a bit slower than normal as she made herself enunciate more clearly. Mordecai appreciated that she made the effort when she was trying to be specifically polite. After the director left, she stowed the package in her pack, and then looked at him questioningly.

“Clothing isn't an uncommon reward here, but your gear already covers most of the special items people might get here, so it seems they decided to just give you something to enjoy. I checked, the outfits are a bit more colorful than what you have, but not too bright. Most of it should be able to go over your armor, but some of it is really meant to be worn without.”

Once she was satisfied with understanding what she'd received, they headed down the stairs leading to the rest area before the actual level, which got her curious about how large the next floor was going to be, but seeing a giant library open up in front of her caused the girl to step back with a shocked, slightly fearful expression. “Ya jokin' yeah?”

Mordecai was amused to hear her street accent getting worse when confronted with books. “This is one of Kazue's favorite places, and she put a lot of work into making the puzzles and riddles for the library. We've been adding to our collection as fast as we can, and we have started to gather the occasional scholar. We don't have the waiting list that the libraries in the capital have, but we also do not have the depth or breadth of them either, so it's usually more junior people wanting to do some private research for a project.”

Fuyuko muttered something under her breath and then sighed, “Alright whatever, where's shortcut ya were talkin' about?”

“It's a little way in, Kazue connected it to her favorite section, and I think you'll like a treat we can pick up there. Now, this is a library, so keep your voice down and follow the rules that Kazue posted. And don't let the head librarian startle you.”

She tilted her head, “Why would I be startled by a rabb-”

“Ook.”

He watched her bite down on a startled scream as she jumped and spun to face the hairy orange primate behind her. Horace waved then adjusted the pair of glasses on his face, looking amused. Mordecai raised an eyebrow, “Where did you get those? I know you don't need them.”

“Ook,” Horace replied with a sniff.

“Hmm, I guess they do give you more of an educated demeanor. Well, as long as you like your 'smarty glasses', I'm fine with it.”

Fuyuko pointed with a slightly shaky hand, “Ah, I take it, this is ya librarian?”

“I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce you. Fuyuko, this is Horace. Horace, I would like to introduce you to Fuyuko. She may be joining us as a contractor, and as our ward for a few years as well. Assuming that happens, I'm hoping you'll be willing to take on the responsibility of her formal education in the basics; reading, writing, math, and history. We can work out the details later.”

Horace scratched his chin as he examined the girl, then nodded. “Ook.”

“Excellent. Kazue will tackle religion and philosophy, while Bellona and I will work on her combat skills.”

The girl in question looked dizzy at the sudden rush of information. “Wait, ya mean proper schoolin' like a rich kid?” She asked rather dubiously.

“It's not just rich kids who get a proper education, and if you are going to be my ward I am going to do my best to see you as educated as any of my children have been.” Mordecai replied, then shrugged, “That said, we'll be customizing it to your needs. History is best told as stories, not lectures, and reading is a good way to find even more stories on your own. Math is a little trickier at first, which math you need depends on what you want to do with it, but at the least, I want to make sure that you will have the knowledge needed to handle money properly and make a budget. It's important to know how much you will need to pay to buy the equipment you need for a trip.”

Fuyuko shook her head, “It's kinda strange, you figurin' out all this stuff so soon. Why do ya care so much anyway?”

“Two of my oldest friends care, which would be enough on its own. But from what we've seen of you so far, Kazue and I like you too, Bellona's seen less but got a positive impression, and Moriko likes what she's hearing from us. So why shouldn't we help you out to the best of our ability?”

They had begun walking again as they talked, and Horace waved goodbye to them before heading back to a pile of books he'd been sorting. Fuyuko used this as time to think before she responded, “And ya all just talkin' in ya head while we're doing all this? Is that gonna be part of being a contractor?”

“Only the way that Bellona can. You would have to focus your thoughts to be able to send them, and you aren't going to send anything you couldn't communicate by just talking. And only when you are in our territory, our bond with Moriko is fairly unique.” There were other ways to create similar mental bonds, but a connection with such range and depth is difficult.

While she was thinking about that, they arrived at the hidden shop with the cold drinks and frozen desserts, “You can have a drink and treat of your choice, you'll have plenty of time to try out more later.”

Fuyuko was uncertain at first, but quickly fell in love with the sweet creamy desserts, “Ya just tryin' ta bribe me,” she muttered halfheartedly before shoveling another spoonful into her mouth.

Mordecai tried not to laugh, that was pretty much the reaction he'd expected. “It's one of our more popular spots for visitors, but we'll be able to provide it anywhere. Come on, I'll show you the shortcut now.” Letting a guest use a shortcut always took a bit of effort and will, and even then it was usually hard for them to find the entrance on their own.

Once they arrived in the main hall, he took her on a brief tour of the more public areas, including the kitchen where she picked up a meat and cheese roll, before leading her to her room. “Gil's room is across the hall, I am not sure when he'll get down here though. Right now he and Li are having a party in the mushroom forest.”

“A party?”

Mordecai nodded, “Yes, after they beat the two factions on the floor, they insisted everyone gather for a big feast and party. They haven't hit the final chamber yet though, so they still have some work in front of them. So you should take some time to clean up and maybe take a nap, and try out your new clothes.” He paused as a new thought came to him, and he briefly consulted with his wives, “Do you want Kazue to make a projection platform in a corner of your room? We can add a button for you to be able to call on her if you want to talk about anything.”

Fuyuko seemed pleased with that idea, “Yes, thank you. That could be nice.”

Once that change was completed, Mordecai let her know she could go wherever she wanted in the public spaces he'd shown her, as long as she didn't interrupt anyone who was working, and they'd let her know in plenty of time before dinner.

Then he was off to visit Betty, who had let him know she wanted his attention. It felt important enough to be face-to-face, rather than just his core's focus. He appeared in his standard form a few feet away from her. “Hello Betty, is everything all right?”

Their boxing bunny was looking contemplative as she slowly petted a purring Umbrowl. “Yes, nothing's wrong, I just, well,” she looked nervous, but she finished gathering her thoughts and practically blurted, “Look, I like what you guys did for me, and I'm happy really, but I think I might like a change.” She glanced down and said more quietly, “I was hoping you might be able to modify me a bit more. I don't really want to give up being a rabbit, but I'd also like to try out having a body a little bit more like a human or elf's.”

Huh. He'd actually been considering something along those lines, specifically to be a runner's build to take advantage of a rabbit's speed and a human's cooling sweat and endurance, but he hadn't really worked on the idea past the concept. “I think we can manage that, but what brought this on so suddenly?” To Kazue he sent, “Do you think you could design a dress for her, once we have finalized the changes?” She'd seemed content with her gi and its copies before, but if she was changing up her appearance this much, he suspected she'd want something new.

“Mhm, I'll see what I can do for now, she and I can talk more about ideas later,” Kazue replied.

“Well,” Betty began, looking rather shy, “None of the others are as tall as me, and while I hadn't really been looking to be, um, close to anyone specific, I realized earlier today that I could find humans attractive too.”

Mordecai was about to ask what she meant when realization hit. Oh. That could be tricky. “Ah, I think I see. You know that he's probably leaving in a couple of days? It might be several decades before you have a chance to see him again.” If she chose to follow Gil, Mordecai wouldn't stop her, but he didn't get the feeling that was what she wanted.

“I know, but, I just, I want to explore the option. And maybe nothing will come of this, but at least I'll have a better idea of what I like and what I want.”

Well, he saw no reason to deny her, and as long as she wanted to pursue this idea, “Do you want me to help you fit what I know of his preferences?”

He was pretty certain that Betty was blushing under her fur as she mutely nodded. They talked for a little while to get the details finalized, and then he got to work, using kitsune biology for some of his design choices.

Excluding the ears, Betty ended up just a little bit shorter than Gil, and as fur receded to the normal light fuzz of human hair, Mordecai used a template of toned muscle and soft curves like the elven avatar he'd shown to Fuyuko earlier.

Betty's hair remained the same light blue as before, though now her hair and the tips of her ears were frosted, fading to a bright white color. Her newly revealed skin was a rich, medium brown and her eyes had been lightened to a tawny amber.

She kept her tail as well, and the proportions of her height masked that her feet were jointed differently than a human's. While she could comfortably rest her heels on the ground, coming up to a running pose left a slightly longer section of her feet on the ground, and she could soft-lock her joints in that position to stand like that indefinitely. Her muscles were also arranged to accommodate this stance.

The dress Kazue designed was fairly simple, ending slightly above the knee and with most of the focus being on fitting Betty flatteringly and complimenting her coloration. The fabric was a light gold color and decorated with a scattering of pale blue and green flowers, and she also gave Betty a few pieces of turquoise jewelry as accents, along with some gold earrings for each of her long rabbit ears, and as a final touch, Kazue gave her lightweight sandals made of leather with a gold sheen on top of the natural brown. The sandals had straps that went over her calf, and they were designed to not interfere with her ability to run.

When they were done, Betty looked herself over in a mirror that they conjured for her, then bounced happily as she gave him a hug. “Thank you, I look beautiful!”

Mordecai smiled as he disentangled himself. “I am glad you are happy with our work. But you might like to know I also worked in some other options for you. Since I used kitsune biology to help shape this form, you should be able to learn to change back to your previous form, or even to a bunkin or dire rabbit shape with practice. I just wouldn't do it immediately, you might want to wait until you don't mind the risk of not being able to get back to the form you want immediately. I assume you want to join us for dinner tonight, when Gil gets down that far?”

That was exactly what she wanted. Mordecai wasn't certain how he felt about setting up one of their bosses to help her seduce one of his oldest friends, but he would always do his best to help his people pursue their happiness. He was also going to have to work on a new training regimen for her; while rabbits weren't suited for forward kicks, her new body was much more flexible in that regard.