Date with Melusine

Naginri had been eager the whole day for her ‘date’ with Melusine. It had taken her weeks to work up the nerve to ask out the mysterious Boo. Hell, she’d purchased three potions that she hadn’t even sipped that were sitting in the back of her cupboard just as excuses for Naginri to go into the shop to talk to her crush. 

When her friends had asked her what she even saw in the mysterious one, she had a hard time answering. There was just… something about their gaze. How they looked through you and saw so much more. The way their voice felt like a soft hug in your ear. How dedicated and passionate they were about their craft and their incredible imagination of ingredients to put together to make their perplexing potions. How could Naginri not fall for them? That was a far better question. 

Sure enough, when she arrived, the shop was marked as closed but this is where she’d been told to come. She knocked nervously, the flowers in her hands clutched a little too tightly at the stems. When Melusine opened the door, she found herself a little lost for words. They hadn’t dressed up, but their dark eyes shone with an eagerness that was almost infectious. 

“H-here! I hope you like them,” Naginri said as she shyly offered up the flowers. Melusine looked at them a moment, blinking slowly. 

“Hmm… yes, yes, these will do nicely for the brew. Come in, come in!” 

Naginri found herself ushered into the shop, now dark and clearly closed. Melusine took her past the the rows and rows of brewed potions of various colours and decorations, some of which were familiar and others not. She was taken back to a curtain and pulled through where she found herself in a sort of workshop. There were more brew bottles here, but many of them were empty. Shelves with jars and jars of ingredients and oddities. It was fascinating. Naginri felt a little surge of glee at being invited to what was clearly a sacred space for the hard working boo. 

“Hop up there, yes. We’ll get started shortly. I have it nearly ready but these flowers will be just the thing it needs.” As they spoke, Melusine gestured to a little lounge sofa. It was almost a love seat, but not quite and Naginri found herself blushing. Surely… this was only a first date. No, things wouldn’t be moving along in any kind of intimate way. Not yet. But perhaps… She’d get a kiss by the end of their first date?! That would be a resounding success. Her heart pounded against her chest in anticipation. 

“Any allergens I should be aware of?” Melusine asked, not even looking up at their date, instead focusing on the cauldron in front of them. Slowly, they were plucking off the petals of the offered flowers and adding them to the green liquid within. Each petal sizzled and hissed as it hit the surface before sinking beneath to disintegrate. 

“Um… no, not that I’m aware of,” Nagiri answered honestly, Swinging her tail back and forth, brushing the floor. 

“Perfect. It’s nearly ready.” Melusine looked over at her and frowned. “Hmm… No, I think that dress will be fine,” they mused aloud. 

Naginri blushed at having her outfit complimented. Sort of? No. It was a compliment. Most definitely. It was surely just the strange way that this boo spoke and- “Here, take a sip. No guzzling, I want you to describe the taste,” Melusine interrupted her thoughts, a small flask of the bubbling green liquid offered out to her. She was nervous. What did this mysterious brew do? She’d seen it do some incredible things but this wasn’t like any of the other brews she had seen. It was clearly something new. Something that Melusine was trusting her to be the first to try. She was scared, but also honored. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth and took her first sip. 

It was almost… minty. Despite it bubbling in the pot only meters away and clearly hot, it was cool as it slid down her throat. She felt a tingling in her legs and tongue as well. She opened her mouth to speak and answer Melusine’s question when another gulp was tipped down her throat. “The whole amount. Good, yes.” The other boo looked at the now empty vial with approval before tossing it on a nearby table and pulling out a notebook, beginning to scrawl in it. 

Naginri’s abdomen felt a little tight, and she was light headed. Her legs were tingling and she leaned back on the little couch, trying to ease a spell of dizziness. Her mind felt a little muddled as she tried to think of how to describe her experience. Finally, when her head seemed to clear a little, she looked up at Melusine whose expression looked almost giddy. 

“Yes, yes, the flowers were just the thing. Thank you for bringing them,” they said breathlessly. “Can you move your tail?” 

“Of coursssssse,” Naginri said, then blinked in confusion, unsure why the ‘s’ had been so drawn out. She moved her tail and felt her legs move in tandem. Only… Her legs weren’t… She looked down and her eyes opened in wonder. She didn’t have legs or a tail anymore. Or perhaps that wasn’t right. Under her dress, she now only had a tail, her legs having fused together into a serpentine tail. 

“Perfect, movement seems full and operational,” Melusine said, jotting more notes in their notebook. 

“Whatssssss thisssssss?” Naginri hissed out and then looked down and stuck out her tongue. Instead of her previous one, it was now longer and even forked at the end. That certainly explained her new fascination with the letter ‘s’.

“It’s my newest brew. I’m thinking of calling it the ‘Slither Brew’. What do you think? Nice and catchy yes?” Melusine chirped with glee. 

“B-but.. My legsssssss…” Naginri said, not sure if she wanted to cry. She certainly hadn’t expected this when she’d asked Melusine out on a date… 

“Yes, yes, they look fabulous.” Melusine reached out a paw and gently pat over the smooth length of her new larger tail. “Beautiful…” they breathed. Naginri blushed and the end of her tail wiggled with happiness. Well… This would certainly take some adjustment and she had always really enjoyed dresses. Perhaps this change wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Perhaps it was worth hearing the awe and truth in Melusine’s words as they called her beautiful. Naginri would just have to work on the whole ‘s’ thing. Surely that couldn’t be too difficult, right?