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Yellow beams scorched through the asphalt as cab UN20570 barreled down Unova Freeway 7. Ska music filled the cab, doing it’s very best to keep the driver awake with trumpets squeaking poorly over speakers long since blown out. They’d be replaced soon enough, Jen just needed to clear this job. That and… avoid any inconveniences.
A lump of white and navy blue fur snuffled as the cab hit a bump. “Sorry Sid, they said this road was cleaned up, never told me that only made it as far as Black City.” She reached over and gave the grumbling lump a scritch, hand sinking deep into the fur.
“You know you don’t hafta hide, right? We still have another hour and a half drive before the rest stop in Undella.” The lump stretched, navy blue claws extending from his fur, and a big yawn revealing his face. As he rolled over, the large horn extending from the right side of his face became visible. The Absol finished turning over and gave Jen a very unamused stare. “Don’t look at me like that. I told you that when we finished at the weigh station an hour ago.”
He responds with a yawn and stretches out. As he does, the long, luscious white fur shrunk away, replaced with thick black fur, his horn retracted, being replaced with a pair of small black ears with red tips, claws pulled back in, hiding within red tipped paws, and the sharp blade of a tail fluffing out into a extremely fluffy fox tail, complete with the red tips matching his ears. His whole body shrunk, nearly a fourth of what it was before, and now that he was lapdog sized, he leapt across the gap between the seats, and crawled into Jen’s lap.
“Ack! Sid, ya goober, yer gonna make me crash.” There’s a moment of hesitation, but a decade of driving with Sid had taught her to be prepared. He knew she’d never actually lose control, and responded with a small snicker and a big grin, indicative of his trickster Zorua origins. Jen sighed, and began to pull over, waiting for what inevitably happened next.
Air brakes enabled, she released the seat belt and playfully tossed Sid into the camper behind the seats, crawling back and flopping gently on top of him. “Ack! Fuck! You ass, that was my tail!” The string of swears coming from the black fox confirmed her suspicion, and she laid back, hand in the air as she made mental notes.
Black fur began to creep across the back of her hand. “Siiiiid,” she groaned, her nails pushing out and forming short red claws. “Whyyyyy.” There was a grumble from underneath her as he wiggled out. “Cause you woke me!” She sighed and rolled over, looking into a small mirror hanging just above where her pillow lay. Her eyes had already shifted from a deep emerald green to a sky blue, and fur was climbing her neck, threatening to take over her whole face. Black rolled down her existing hair, replacing most of it, save for the tips becoming a bright vibrant red, matching her new claws, and the very short fur growing on her eyelids. Her nose pushed out, bones grating in her head, and gave her the appearance of a muzzle, complete with a wet, leathery nose. A single fang became visible on the left side of her mouth.
She waited a minute, then two. Her ears had become more pointed and covered in the same black fur, but did not find themselves migrating up her skull, a strong indication this would be mild.
And mild meant a slow burnout. She groaned and rolled back over, grabbing Sid when he attempted to bat at her new tail. “Damn it Sid.” He looked up at her from where she had planted him in her lap. “Whaaaaat. We still got 3 days to Opelucid. 'Sides,” he flipped a paw at her, “You got the pearl, so you’re fine. Just Illusion.” She reached back, taking her now much longer hair into her hands. Sure enough there was a sea-foam green pearl binding her hair near the end, the telltale indicator that she’d be able to have some control over her glamour.
A quick glance at her hands… no, her paws, confirmed she retained her thumbs this time, so they wouldn’t lose any time from parking, but that didn’t quell her frustration. “Buddy, you have got to stop throwing those dice. You know what happens if things don’t hit the sweet spot.” He responded by scratching behind his ear. “Yeah yeah, we spend an extra day waiting around, bit whup.” Her tail thumped against the bed in frustration. “Or I spend a week waiting for it to subside to can face anyone and actually get our money.” He paused, a more thoughtful look on his snout. “Oh, yeah, that too. But seriously, how like is that? It’s only happened what, twice so far? Besides, I like it when you can understand me.” She grumbled and rolled eyes, “because you know I can hear you ask for scritches?” “-because you can hear me ask for scritches, yeah!”
He circled her lap, then started to nuzzle her hand. “Wellll? Get scratching. I got that spot just behind that,” she gave in and started using her new claws to scratch just at the base of his ear, the hardest part for him to reach, “ooooooohhhhh, yeaaaaaaaah, that’s the stuff.”
Jen sighed and fell back. Another typical route. Again. Least he keeps it interesting… enough.