My second trip to the bar proved to be much more fun than I could remember from my first trip. It being early Saturday evening at this point, the bar was busy. Once again I could pick out members of more than a dozen races milling about and hanging out. A small band played some jazzy music that felt appropriate and had my fingers tapping at my leg. The bar top was full, so I eventually took a seat at one of the high top tables near the stage. A waitress spotted me and began making her way over. Before she could make it though, I realized that a second waitress had spotted me. 

"Welcome back, cutie. Not sticking with the boss lady this time?" Ivy looked at me, that mischief still potent in her green eyes. Her voice was a pleasant contralto, but it carried a hint of devious playfulness as well. "Well, I hope you are smarter about your drink choices tonight, I don't think poor Liz could handle you flirting with her again."

I blushed hard at one of the few things I semi remembered from the previous evening. "So what'll it be tonight? Grace had that tab for ya, so I don't think you need to worry too much. Seems she took pity on you and it's tryin' to help ya out." Her voice dripped saccharine as she made a face as if looking at an adorable animal.

I gave it a few moments thought before answering. "You know what? I don't feel like picking. Give me whatever the cook has on special and get me a soda to go with. Pick whatever for the drink, just nothing sugar free."

"A special and whatever for a drink? Alright cutie, you got it. I'll be right back with that drink." She turned and left, keeping a brisk pace through the throng of people patronizing the bar that night. 

I sat and listened to the band for a few minutes after that. They were really actually quite good and had a good handle on their music and instruments. I also listened to the people around me. There were at least a few dozen conversations within earshot, though I couldn't really understand much through the music and other voices. Most seemed to be talking about jobs and relationship issues or sports and such. It was exactly as I would have found in a bar back home. It was comforting in a way. 

Ivy came back soon after with a tray carrying not only my drink but also a large sandwich that was dripping with cheese and some sort of thin sliced meat. I was surprised to see food so quickly, but it looked delicious and I wasn’t complaining.

“Here ya go! Got a special and a Raging Red. Anything else I can get you?” She placed the drink and plate down and I, embarrassingly, found myself accidentally looking down at her chest as she did so. My mind thankfully focused on something other than certain features though. Unfortunately, the object of focus ended up being her necklace.

“Does it hurt?” The question fell out of my mouth with no warning and to my complete surprise. I cursed myself for not being able to filter my mouth. “The change, that is, from the necklace?” Great, you idiot, now you aren’t even speaking coherently.

Ivy not only took it in stride, she gave me a smile like she had just won a bet. She made a few looks around, likely checking her other tables, and slid into the seat across from me. The edge to her eyes and voice softened considerably when she spoke.

“No, it doesn’t. Honestly, it just kinda feels like TV static for a moment until it’s done. It was a bit awkward to deal with the first couple times because of the shift in perspective and balance, but changing helps me be true to myself. I’m not always female, I'm not always male. Sometimes I’m in the middle, and others I’m just neither. Getting an enchantment that would do all of that is beyond my funds unfortunately though, but being able to go to one side or the other physically at least puts me in a position that I can adjust further with my own abilities. Wearing different clothes, bits of makeup, jewelry, it all helps get things where they feel right to me. Right now? I’m feeling femme. So yeah, I’m dressed the part. I tell you though, it gets expensive keeping such an extensive wardrobe. So I guess that hurts a bit.” She gave me a grin at that last part.

“Any other questions?”

“I uh… Grace said yours is custom, can you get those necklaces to make you look like anyone? The one s-” I caught myself before I spilled too much. I still didn’t know how I felt about the thing. “The one she saw in the market yesterday was pre programmed, only could do the one generic form and then back to normal.” That was a good cover, right?

Ivy smirked and mischief lit up in her eyes again. “Yes, it can be used to look like anyone. The official vendors require you to have the other person’s written permission though before you can copy their appearance though. Otherwise, yes, the forms you can choose are highly customizable. I didn’t get my extra form without spending a good amount of time putting it together. I wanted everything just right, and I wanted it to be natural. The basic setup for those enchantments puts you in one static form. It won’t age, it won’t grow, not even the hair will grow, and any changes you make to it will revert as soon as you use the enchantment again. Mine grows with me. The necklace just helps me go back and forth. Very expensive though. Don't think it makes you immortal or anything though, your natural body still ages as well as your mind. There will still come a day that you will die from old age.” Her eyes softened again as she looked over at me.

“So does it revert as soon as you take the necklace off? Which form is your original one?” Idiot! Do you not even realize how rude that was?

In exchange for my terribly rude question, Ivy gave me a saucy look. “Wouldn’t you like to know, cutie? As for the other question, no. I can take anything I want off and nothing will change until I want it to.” Her innuendo was clear in the smirk she wore, and I was suddenly uncomfortable on top of realizing how insensitive my question had been. 

“Well, I can’t stay any longer. I have people to, well, take care of if you catch my meaning. You let me know how things go for you, alright cutie?” She shot me a wink and got up, walking back to her other tables. 

I sat stunned. That woman, person, was quite the experience to be around. I found myself too distracted by the conversation and just silently ate my food rather than people watch as I had planned on. I did eventually calm down a bit and listened to the band, but I was still rather unsettled as I sat docile in the bar.

And then I felt it. I remembered it was in my pocket. It wouldn’t hurt to try, would it? It was reversible after all. If I did it now, my curiosity would be sated and I would never have to deal with it again. I would just get a taste of what it felt like, maybe get a feel of it for a few minutes. Then I would turn back and be back to normal, no strings attached. Easy as that.

With a purpose, I finished my food and drink and worked my way over to the bar where Grace was.

“Hey Grace, think you can let me upstairs? I think I want to get away from the noise for a bit. Couldn’t handle it as much as I thought I could after this morning.” A believable lie, not even untrue. 

“Sure, hun. Just a moment.” She shook up a drink, poured it into a glass and placed it on a side counter for pickup. “Here you go Jarahd! Unicorn Spit on the rocks!” I had to wince at the name. Why were so many drinks named such weird things? She looked back to me with a soft smile. “Alright, come on. Are you feeling okay? Not drunk again are you? I don’t think I saw any drinks go out to you, but I'm not the only one working bar tonight either.”

“No, no drinks. There’s just a ton of people in here and the noise is kind of getting to me, that's all.” Oh, and wanting to turn into a girl out of nothing but curiosity. But I wasn’t ready to tell her that.

I got another bright smile for that. “Alright then. Head upstairs, maybe watch some TV or something if you want to entertain yourself. The cable is parental controlled, but I’m sure you can find something to watch still. There’s a history channel that you might enjoy, always playing documentaries and such.” She led me the short distance to the door and unlocked it, holding it open for me. “Have a good evening. I’ll be up late, but I’ll try not to wake you when I come back up, okay?

“Thanks Grace.” With that, I walked up the stairs, becoming filled with determination. The apartment was as I had left it about an hour back. Krystal was in the office, the kids were in their rooms. Apparently they had come out for dinner, judging by the takeout boxes on the counter, but they were finished and back in their respective rooms. All the better for me. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it. If I was going to do this, I wasn’t about to do it where people could see me.

I forced myself to look in the mirror. The familiar short cut brown hair, the broad shoulders and bulky frame stared back at me with the same dull hazel it always did. It felt big and exactly like a guy should look like. Years of hiking had seen to it that I didn’t carry too much excess weight and I was in decent shape. I suppose one could call me somewhat attractive in a bland sort of way. I didn’t really see the appeal of the look, but a few others had told me they had. 

The reflection was just me. Nothing exciting about it. Nothing strange about it. Just me, as I had always been. The necklace and what it could do was just a… vacation. Yeah, that was it. A vacation. Getting away from my life for a bit had been my entire goal for the trip after all. Ending up in this world was an unexpected adventure, but it had definitely accomplished what I was after. This was just an extension of that.

So why was the idea so stuck in my head?

My hands fumbled for the box in my pocket, pulling it out. I slid the lid off and flipped it and placed the box within. The necklace inside was exactly as I had seen it last. The thing was incredibly simple in appearance for what it could supposedly do. The silver chain was just like any mass produced necklace I had seen back home and the natural amethyst crystal hung from a very basic hexagonal bail. The bail was covered in runic engravings, many of which were too small to read. One larger rune extended down over the top of the crystal and had a bit of white coloring to it. I assumed this to be the key rune Grace had mentioned. The crystal itself was a beautiful bullet sized amethyst point. The color was rich and swirled around the otherwise clear quartz in a way that reminded me of smoke from a match. 

I pulled it out and let the necklace hang from my hands in front of me, setting the box on the vanity. The light from the strip of bulbs over the mirror reflected and refracted through the crystal. It seemed so mundane just looking at it. I would never have guessed what it could do if I hadn’t been told. My curiosity was burning as I slipped the chain around my neck and fumbled with the tiny clasp. Why did jewelry have to be so fiddly? 

When my fingers finally got the clasp to close, I looked back to the mirror. Nothing had happened yet of course, but the necklace looked decent around my neck. It wasn’t overly feminine, I had in fact seen similar necklaces worn by plenty of men back home, albeit usually more gothic or spiritualistic than I had been. It was plenty long enough too, not at all tight around my neck. The pendant itself hung an inch or two below my throat. 

I took a few breaths and asked myself if I was really doing this. The answer came back as a cautious affirmative. With shaking hands, I kept my eyes locked on the mirror and reached up to the pendant. I grasped it in one hand and placed a fingertip to the key rune. The crystal lit up in a soft purplish glow. I placed my other hand on the crystal.

“Well, here goes nothing.”

I twisted the crystal. I could feel a small click within the pendant and then that corner of my inner being that had felt the portal back in the mountains and felt the magic of the ritual that morning could suddenly feel the magic of the amulet flare to life. I felt the magic spread over my form and all of my senses turned to static. I couldn’t see, I couldn’t hear, I couldn’t feel. There was nothing but the buzzing of the magic as it changed me.

Just as the moment began to stretch the limits of my sanity, it was over. There was still no light, but I immediately realized that I had my eyes closed. Everything felt different. It was obvious that things really had changed. I could feel that my balance was very different than it had been. I could feel the weight on my chest and the different positioning of my back. The lack of certain other body parts was obvious as well. I could even feel hair brushing against my face that definitely had not been there before. 

Slowly, I opened my eyes and let them readjust to the light. When my vision cleared, I felt dizzy as I realized I had lost a few inches in height. It was the oddest thing having that change in what was really only just a moment. I had to fight a gasp down my throat when I finally saw myself in the mirror. The change seriously was complete. 

My clothes were nearly falling off of me now. The form given to me by the necklace was much smaller than my usual self in width of not in height. I still stood at what must have been five foot nine or so, but though I had only lost a relatively small amount of height, I had definitely had some drastic changes to my build. Even through my now vastly oversized shirt I could see that my shoulders had shrink down considerably and that my frame was far more slender than before. My arms were well toned and terminated in dainty hands that possessed none of the calluses of my normal skin. 

I did actually let out a small "eep" when my pants fell down off of my hips. I caught them, but allowed them to go to the floor when I saw what was hidden a moment previous. My shirt was long enough that I couldn't immediately see my hips and groin, but logic told me what to expect there. No, what caught me was my legs. They were graceful and well toned and held absolutely no hair. I touched the skin and was amazed to find how soft it was. It was also easy to feel that my feet had shrunk in equal measure, as I could feel them loose in my shoes. 

I reached down and removed them along with my socks and the tiny feet that I found were nigh on adorable. I had never found feet cute before, but somehow these were. 

Looking back in the mirror I focused more on my face. This form's features were somewhat plain, but pretty nonetheless. Dark brown hair cascaded in glossy waves down my shoulders and I had to brush strands off it out of my face to get a better look at it. My nose was smaller and somewhat button like, framed by cheeks that showed no signs of blemish or hair. My lips were in the classic cupid's bow look that seemed to be so highly thought of. I thought they looked somewhat oversized for the face. The eyes though…

The eyes I saw in the mirror were those of a stranger. I don't really know why it bothered me so much, but it did. They were a dark green and were rather large and round. Grace hasn't been kidding when she said this form was generic. It didn't have identity. I couldn't see myself in those eyes and it disturbed me in ways I couldn't describe then or really even now. Those eyes lacked my soul. This wasn't me. I was in a stranger's body. 

Suddenly unable to get the thought that this wasn't me out of my head, I quickly reached up and activated the necklace again. The static covered me once more, and after a moment's time, I was back to my old self. I yanked my pants back on and made sure everything was in place before sitting on the closed toilet seat, breathing hard. 

The whole experience only lasted a couple minutes but it was very intense for me. It took twice that for me to calm down again. Things had actually felt rather nice until I realized that it wasn't me in the mirror. I had oddly enjoyed the feeling of smooth legs and I had loved the feet. I hadn’t been able to see much of the rest of it, but I had even somewhat liked how my torso had felt too. But the eyes? Somehow those were what had triggered me. That body was somehow violently not mine and I needed to get out of it. 

So I didn’t like it. I was back to a guy. Experiment over. I could just give the necklace back to Grace and all of this nonsense would be finished.

So why did I not want to do that?

I stood and looked in the mirror again. Everything was in its place, including my eyes. Eyes that almost looked dead. Many years before, before college, before adult life, before high school really, there had been life in those eyes. I had been an excitable little kid. I had big dreams for life. What had happened to all of that, I wondered. It was good to have gotten out of my parents home, but my failed attempt at college and my two years of working in a warehouse had sucked a lot of life out of me, but it had started much earlier. It had really started right about the time I had turned twelve and had only gotten worse from then on. 

“Allan! You okay in there?” Krystal’s voice. I didn’t know why she would think there was anything wrong. I opened the door and found myself almost in her face. Standing just behind her was Ariel. 

“Yeah, I’m okay, just cleaning up a bit. Got something on my face while I was eating.” I kept my voice even and cool, hoping they wouldn’t see behind the mask and into my still roiling mind. 

“I felt your magic twice, I thought there might be something wrong so I told mother.” Ariel looked up at me with sharp eyes. The girl was smart and I couldn’t deny what she had said. Krystal looked at me up and down and then focused on an area just below my face. I then realized that I was still wearing the necklace and cursed myself harshly for not being of a mind to remove it before answering the door.

Krystal, apparently having seen enough, backed off, nodding. “Well, it's obvious that you aren’t hurt in any way. Ariel, head on back to play with sissy. Allan? I  really think you ought to talk further with Grace come morning. I think she will have some interesting insights for you.” There was almost a look of mild disappointment on her face, though it wasn’t at all directed at me.

Just as Krystal was about to walk away, she paused and looked back at me. “Oh and Allan? I realize that the bathroom mirror is a good place to see your reflections, but try not to hog the bathroom too much, okay?”

I cursed myself mentally again. She knew exactly what was going on. I sighed heavily as she walked away, Ariel having already done the same. I moved out to the couch, collapsing into it. All I had wanted when I left home was a vacation from life. I didn’t want all of this existential crisis. 

I spent the next several hours with the television on, though in truth I was not really watching it. I was too busy thinking about everything that was going on. Through it all, I still never took off the necklace.