I walked into the lunch room ready for battle, both with my friends and with my gross healthy food. It was packed, as usual, since our school had been growing recently, with some kids lining up for food while others found their seats. Interestingly, there were a fair few kids with newly added features like me, including at least four others with fox-like features.

Making straight for the back corner, where my group of friends always sat, I saw that I was the last one to arrive. My usual seat next to Eva was empty, her bag saving the spot for me. I was honestly so relieved to see her there, it would make the coming conversation so much easier with her to back me up.

Benny saw me first, his gaze flicking up to track me with casual interest as I approached. Benny was the best of the guys, but also the worst. His heart was made of pure gold, but it was greatly hindered by a brain that perhaps… wasn’t quite a match.

He tried his best, but he was constantly making a mess of things by accident or getting excited by something and running into the nearest wall or whatever. That wasn’t even counting his oddly terrible luck, which seemed to strike at the most hilarious moments. Not the worst moments though, his luck wasn’t malicious, just mischievous. Maybe I should look into a possible pixie haunting. Those little buggers were always a pain in the ass.

Benny perked up a little when it was clear I was aiming for our table, nudging Jared who was sitting next to him. Jared’s stare was considerably more guarded. The poor dude had been the target of some pretty nasty bullying by one of the cliques of basic girls a year ago and had gone a bit off the deep end because of it.

The whole table quieted as I sat down, except for Eva who dragged me into a quick hug before I was even properly in my seat.

“Tia!” she exclaimed happily. “I made sure to get here early so I could help.”

“Help what?” Noah asked, phone hanging forgotten in one hand where he had presumably been playing games. Dude was terrifyingly good with tech and had his phone set up to stream from his home PC. He had trouble playing more intense titles, but strategy games apparently worked fine.

“Me,” I replied, giving the table an apprehensive smile. “I uh… yeah. To help me introduce myself and stuff.”

“Well, you’re already off on the wrong foot because you took our other friend’s spot,” the final guy in our group of friends said. Doug was… an interesting character. He liked to think of himself as the coolest guy in the group, the leader, the wisest, etcetera. Which is to say, I guess, that he had a bit of an ego. He was my least favourite person in this group by a significant margin.

“Do we even know if Itias is coming to school? I know we all don’t DM much sometimes but he’s been radio silence for like two months,” Noah asked, waving his big Samsung Note phone around for emphasis.

“Itias isn’t coming back to school, no,” Eva said with a cheeky, knowing grin in my direction.

I had to cover a smile by scratching behind one of my ears, while under the table I kicked her lightly. “Look,” I said, placing my hand back down on the table to poke at my unopened lunchbox. “I uh… yeah. I’m… Itias, or I was Itias. Except, back when everyone got magicked on that night that everyone is calling the Concord Event, I didn’t just get the ears and the tail…”

All the guys stared at me uncomprehendingly for a full fifteen seconds or more before Doug let out a laugh, “Oh jeez, are you like, pulling a prank right now? I didn’t know Itias had that kind of sense of humour! He’s usually a lot more dark with it.”

“Yeah, well… turns out that being turned into a fox girl changes you a little,” I shrugged. He wasn’t wrong. I was a pessimistic little shit beforehand. “Guess I’m less of a downer now.”

Benny, of all people, was the one who noticed my clothes. “She’s wearing Itias’ clothes. So… I mean some of them anyway. I recognise the shirt.”

“Guys,” Eva groaned, facepalming in consternation. “It’s legit. No prank. She’s called Tia now, if you didn’t catch that. I hung out with her while school was out, her mum is like that as well, has fox ears and tail and stuff.”

“Wait, you guys aren’t pranking us?” Doug asked, suspicion crossing his expression.

“They aren’t,” Noah said mildly, turning his phone so everyone could see it. “I looked it up. It’s right there in the school news email, right next to everyone else who got changed. Itias to Tia, sex change as well as kitsune features.”

“I’m actually a loarne, not a kitsune,” I supplied before I could stop myself. “Celtic fox spirit, not Japanese.”

“Huh… how did you figure that out?” he asked curiously. Oh no, I’d set off Noah’s information fetish.

“Uh… it’s a long story,” I shrugged, pretending nonchalance . I really wasn’t supposed to know that particular piece of information.

Noah didn’t budge. “Can we hear that story?”

“Not now, Noah,” Eva said, cutting in and saving me. Of course, she gave me a look that said I’d be explaining myself to her later.

Noah gave a little sigh, but otherwise nodded. That was when Benny took the momentary lapse in conversation to shove his foot firmly into his mouth.

“You’re really pretty,” he blurted, staring at me rather intently. “Are you into boys now as well as being a girl? That’s what happens right?”

My look of exasperation could have probably warped steel with its intensity. “No, I am very much not into boys, nor men. Still interested in girls.”

“I wasn’t aware you were into girls in the first place,” Doug said with his customary snark. “Honestly, I thought you were gay.”

“Well, I’m gay now,” I shot back with a roll of my eyes.

Eva shifted and looked at me, the ghost of a smile on her lips, as though she were trying to hide it. “Didn’t you already sleep with another girl?”

I stared at her in confusion, then I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Okay, yes, I did, but cuddling in bed with you isn’t sex.”

“Oh come on, I was trying to throw you a bone there,” she grinned, nudging me with her shoulder.

“I was under the impression that there weren’t any bones involved when it’s two girls,” I shot back with a matching grin.

Her eyes when my silly little joke landed, there was something in them, a depth I didn’t recognise. Her hand brushed against my hip under the table, then up to squeeze at my thin waist.

“Don’t be cheeky,” she said, her voice matching her eyes with that weird depth. It was like she was trying to communicate on some higher plane of existence and I wasn’t equipped with a dish that could receive the message.

“Why did you cuddle in bed?” Benny asked, looking genuinely confused.

“It was the night of that big storm,” Eva explained patiently. “I was only meant to be at her house for the afternoon, but right as mum got there to pick me up, the warning went out and we had to stay the night. Then there was the weird howling and shit, so yeah we cuddled and stuff. We’re both girls now so it’s chill.”

Benny made a sound of understanding and quieted down, clearly happy with his understanding of the whole situation. I was always in awe of Eva’s continued patience with him. Everyone else tended to get a little exhausted by the never ending confusion.

Noah cleared his throat and turned the conversation back to me with one of his trademark curious head tilts. “You have decided to just roll with the sudden change then? As I understand it, you could continue as Itias and get hormones and surgery.”

“I could?” I blinked, surprised by his question as well as the new knowledge. “I… didn’t really think about it? I’m happy like this, I guess. I wasn’t a fan of my old body, hated it actually, so girl or no, it’s an improvement.”

“I think the girl part is an improvement,” Eva said forcefully, alarm all over her face.

Laughing, I placed an arm around her and gently wiggled her a little. “Don’t worry Eva, I think so too. Not going to go changing anything.”

“Good, don’t you dare,” she told me grumpily, although her worry had eased. Geez, she was really attached to my new look, huh?

"Another girl in the group is nice," Noah agreed with a subtle glance in Doug's direction. "Helps stop masculinity poisoning."

"What the fuck is masculinity poisoning?" Doug scoffed, clearly missing the smaller, nerdier guy's jab at him.

"Just something I made up," he replied off handedly, turning back to his phone.

Benny, clueless as ever, blinked and stared for a moment. "I didn't get the joke."

Jared, silent for most of the conversation, finally said, "Well, good to have you back Tia."

I sent him a warm smile, in part because I didn't expect him to be quite as chill about the whole thing as he seemed to be now. Poor dude was like, literally scared of girls. Not in a hateful way either.

Eva let out an excited little gasp and turned to Jared, "Oh! Guess what Tia did on the bus this morning! She like casually ripped Tonya Tucker a new one!"

My excitable friend told the group about the encounter with an excited stage whisper, very much embellishing the whole thing in the process. I didn't interject though, because if I remembered right, Tonya ran in the circle of girls that had fucked with our friend here. Jared needed the win.

"Damn Tia," Doug grinned by the end of it. "Didn't even realize how bad you burned her. That's so fucking good. Bitch deserves it for staying friends with that group. Did our Jared dirty."

"Honestly I was just running on autopilot," I said with a sheepish smile. "We're not together, just by the way. Me and Eva I mean."

"Obviously," Doug snorted. "Eva would be even more all over you if you were."

"Wow," the girl next to me pouted. "Rude."

"It's true," he shrugged, popping a slice of orange into his mouth.

Before Eva could take actual offence at his blunt but truthful assessment, I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I don't mind it, you being all touchy. It's fine."

Goosebumps rippled down her arm as she turned to look at me, mouth hanging slightly open.

"What?" I asked with a shrug and a sly smile. "It's true."

QuietValerie

Sorry about the long absence! Been chilling out and taking some time off etc, just writing my patreon exclusive story. Hope the new year is treating you all well so far, and if not I'll fight whoever is making it difficult!!! Okay not really I am like noodle arms girl, but I'll glare angrily. Anyway uh, thank you so freaking much to my patrons for your support and I'll catch you in the next chapter!