"Nice choice of decor," she thought, her eyes scanning the room, taking in every inch, every corner, the paintings that adorned the walls. She couldn't help but admit, the decorations were impressive, unlike what she was used to back home. The humans had a certain flair for style, far from the chaotic mismatched elements of her realm. They weren't as foolish as she'd assumed—they were far more competent. The moving objects, though, still baffled her. What had Crooge called it again? CA...ce, she muttered to herself, trying to recall his pronunciation. Whatever, she thought with a dismissive sigh.
Humans... she pondered, her thoughts drifting.
"So, what's next?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"How about you freshen up, Pittaria? You look like you've been through hell. You need to heal. I'll grab some healthy bags of blood, and we'll think about what's next later," Crooge said, his voice soft but authoritative. She nodded in agreement. After all, he was right. Her body was still resisting healing, its energy drained by the lack of nourishment.
"Alright," she muttered as she closed the door behind her, allowing her body to slide down it. Her eyes felt hollow, her heart weighed down by an emptiness she couldn't explain. What had happened to her life? She stood up slowly from the cold floor, her legs sore, and limped toward the bathroom.
It was different here—everything was different. The bathroom was no exception. It felt sterile, foreign. Everything gleamed with an almost unnatural shine. Her fingers traced the cool surface of the ceramic sink, and she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked tattered, her once-beautiful blue and white striped hair now dull and unkempt. It lacked its usual lustrous shine. She had the power to clean herself up, to bathe, to restore her body—but the strength was simply not there. She hadn't eaten in nearly a week. Her stomach felt like an empty cavern, and even the thought of food left her hollow.
She slowly removed the male shirt she'd been wearing for days. It was a gift from an old woman in the human world when she had shifted from her animal form into her true body. The woman had been kind enough to offer her son's shirt to wear, and now it was the only piece of clothing she had left.
Her legs dipped into the bathwater, and she lay there, letting the stillness of the water engulf her. If one looked closely, they might think the water was undisturbed, but it was only because she was so perfectly still. She had been in the water for hours before finally emerging, her hair tied messily in a bun as she wiped the water from her skin. She had cleaned herself, but the hollowness within her lingered.
She made her way back to the living room, where Crooge was waiting.
"So, you're done, huh?" Crooge said, his voice casual, as he gestured toward the fridge. "The blood bags are in there, that big, dark box over there."
"Wow, it's cold," she murmured, the chill of the fridge making her shiver slightly as she retrieved a bag of blood.
"What's that?" she asked, glancing at the food he was placing on the table.
"Food," he answered simply, though the word felt so foreign to her.
"I know it's food," she said, her voice tinged with confusion. "But why are we eating this?"
"You ask a lot of questions," Crooge replied, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Come on, sit down. Let's eat. It might not be the healthiest, but trust me, it's good."
She sat down, still confused but too tired to protest. She took a sip of the blood. Her body craved it, but something inside her recoiled. The taste was too... unnatural.
"I have something to tell you, Pittaria," Crooge said, his voice turning serious.
"What?" she asked, glancing up from her drink.
"You have to live like the humans for now," he said, his gaze steady.
"So?" she asked, her tone flat, as if it didn't matter.
"You'll be fending for yourself," Crooge added, his voice firm.
"So?" she repeated, her face scrunching in confusion.
He sighed, clearly frustrated with her indifference. "You're going to have to start looking for a job, and, Pittaria," he paused, "you're going to have to go to school."
Her heart skipped a beat. "School?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. In the Fox realm, she had long passed the age for school. She was already of age to be married. What was he talking about?
"Why are you doing all this?" she asked, her face a mix of disbelief and disgust.
Ignoring her questions, Crooge continued, "Prepare by noon. We're going shopping to get you new clothes."
---
The stores were overwhelming. Pittaria had no idea what half of the items were, nor did she care. She was bored, tired of walking from one store to the next, her mind barely processing the colors, the brands, the unfamiliar shapes of everything around her. Her wound had healed, but that didn't matter right now. All she wanted was to disappear into nothingness, to sleep away the days until school began.
"Crooge, is this really necessary?" she whined, her feet aching.
He ignored her, focused on picking out more clothes, seemingly unaffected by her complaints.
"Whatever," she muttered as she yawned, clearly uninterested. "Just... let's get this over with."
Crooge handed her a beige body-hugging gown. "Go try this on in the changing room," he instructed, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Can't we just go home? I'm—" she started, but he interrupted her with a sharp "No."
Sighing in resignation, she made her way to the changing room. She slipped out of her old clothes and into the new gown. She stared at herself in the mirror, gasping in surprise. The fabric clung to her body, accentuating her hourglass figure in a way she never thought possible.
"Splendid!" the saleswoman exclaimed, admiring how well the dress fit her. "You look gorgeous."
Crooge, who had been watching, nodded in agreement. "You look perfect, Pittaria," he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Pittaria smiled and twirled, her unfamiliarity with the human world momentarily forgotten. She felt beautiful, powerful, and yet... something still felt wrong.
suddenly, Pittaria vanished, leaving him standing alone in the middle of the mall.
Crooge froze. His heart skipped a beat as he glanced around frantically. Where did she go? His pulse raced, and for a moment, panic gripped him. What if someone saw? He felt a cold sweat trickle down his neck.
The saleswoman, who had been busy packing the clothes, paused for a moment, her gaze lingering on the spot where Pittaria had been standing just seconds before. Crooge held his breath, praying that she hadn't seen anything. He carefully watched her, trying to gauge whether she noticed anything strange.
The saleswoman returned to her task, seemingly unfazed, but Crooge wasn't convinced. He exhaled slowly, trying to calm his racing thoughts. His eyes darted to the other shoppers, hoping no one had witnessed the odd disappearance.
Good, he thought to himself, feeling the weight of relief wash over him. But that relief was quickly overshadowed by the deep frustration that followed. He gritted his teeth. What is wrong with this girl?
He rubbed the space between his eyebrows, pinching the skin there, trying to collect himself. "Couldn't she at least wait until we were outside before disappearing?."
He quickly picked up the bags she had left behind, his eyes scanning the store one last time to make sure no one was paying attention. Thankfully, the other shoppers were absorbed in their own business, oblivious to the unusual occurrence.
He turned to leave, shaking his head in disbelief. I need to have a serious talk with her about this reckless behavior when we get home.