Maybe they were just seeing things, but the hesitation Issa showed after their question struck Lec as odd. So it had been a weird thing to ask, and they had made him uncomfortable. Lec prepared an apology, but Issa unknowingly dismissed their shame with his answer. Lec exhaled slowly and, after once more checking that no one was watching them, focused their full attention on Issa. He had done this in front of them before, they reminded themselves; this was nothing new. Still, Lec could not deny the rush that clamored through their veins insisting on the contrary.
Issa closed his eyes and focused, and Lec braced themselves too. Soon, the human body Lec knew morphed into something strange, something shapeless, as Issa’s limbs trembled and his hair—fur?—grew. Now that Lec was paying close attention, they could hear the sounds of Issa’s transformation, the snaps and pops that Lec realized with horror were his bones breaking. Issa had assured them that this was normal, that he was used to the pain that came with all of this, but that didn’t stop them from wanting to reach for him and offer some comfort until it stopped. They rubbed at their arms, wondering once again if these transformations could ever be worth it.
It wasn’t long before Issa’s limbs settled into their new shapes, and soon, Lec was standing in front of a cat. Issa was a cute little thing now, and Lec fought the urge to pet his soft-looking fur. This new creature looked so relaxed, so content, that it was hard to imagine the pain he’d had to endure to get here. Issa turned to him, and Lec could see those eyes. They seemed ridiculously big now on his much smaller face, and the dark hue of them reminded Lec that, even after the impossibility of shapeshifting, that was still Issa. No matter what form he took, he was still there, still with them. Lec thought to crouch beside him, but they decided against that, figuring it was probably condescending. “Are you…” they started, but they realized he wouldn’t be able to respond to them in a way they understood anyway, so their question fell away unasked.
The longer they looked at Issa’s new body, the more they wondered about it. Had Issa taken the form of a cat, or had he become one? How much of his humanity was a skin, too? Did he even recognize them like this? Of course he did, they told themselves, shaking their head. He had every other time he’d transformed. But Lec still wished they had asked a few more questions about how this all worked before Issa lost his ability to speak to them.
They were still just standing there. Lec coughed awkwardly, suddenly all too aware of their own gaping. Issa seemed ready to go, so Lec nodded at him and started out of the garden. Endless questions swam in their mind, but they would have to save them for later, unless they figured out a way to talk in meows and purrs. They glanced around the city, feeling almost like they had something to hide, but they shook the thought. People walked their pets all the time. Usually not cats, exactly, but still. They would only look out of place if Lec made things weird, so they took another steadying breath and continued on.
“We should find a place where people gather,” Lec mumbled, not sure if Issa was even listening to them. “Let’s check out the restaurants.” So close to a major port, the city was oversaturated with various cafes, bistros, and other eateries. Lec didn’t know how to decide between them, and they didn’t know how to ask for Issa’s input either. One seafood restaurant sang to them as they walked by, and Lec mentally decided against that one for fear their kitty companion would have less self-control than they did—and those crab cakes one excited diner was tearing into did look really good. There was a colorful diner not far from that, and according to its sign, it specialized in food from a country Lec knew very little about. Further down the street was a general buffet advertising its glazed chicken special of the day. Lec stopped walking, not wanting to give both of them more options and make the decision even more complicated.
They had just eaten, but everything here looked so tasty that they wouldn’t have minded having a meal at one of these places. Lec shook the thought though. They were here for information, not food. “Let’s try that one,” Lec said to Issa, pointing to the foreign restaurant. A sign by its doors warned against bringing pets inside, but the weather was nice enough that there were plenty of people eating on the patio instead. The ambiance was gentle, relaxing, and several beach-themed decorations had been tastefully placed around the tables to create a canopy from rain or harsh sunlight. A sweet tune flowed from a person in a straw hat playing a violin, and a few diners were pointing towards him and swaying with the music. It was a perfect place, and no one would even notice a red-eyed cat listening in on their lunchtime meetings.
Lec motioned towards the patio. “That looks like a good place, right?” they said to Issa. “I won’t be able to get close enough to hear their conversations without it being weird, so I leave the intel gathering in your capable hands. Paws. Sorry.” Traveling around with Issa in Evimaire had been easy; he’d been a human nearly the whole time. Exploring the world with a beast-man would take a lot of getting used to. Lec stepped away and watched Issa go. They wanted to see how he moved, and they told themselves that was for the sake of their mission. Their curiosity wasn’t so pragmatic, however, and they found themselves dreaming of what it would be like to shed skins so easily.
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