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„Oh no… no no no nonono!”
Muffled bangs sounded from Chise’s desk, pencils and writing utensils clattering in its drawers as they were opened and closed one after the other. With a haste as if her life depended on it, she scoured the floor underneath her desk, frantically searching every hidden corner. A short curse interrupted her rummaging as she bumped her head into the wood, but the pain fell short compared to the prospect of failing this task. She scrunched her face for a second before turning to lift her pillow and blanket for what must be the fifth time by now.
“It has to be here somewhere! It has to!”
“Chise… what’s all this ruckus about, so early in the morning?” A rather tired voice came from the door, followed by her yawning, black-furred familiar.
“Ruth!” Chise practically threw herself around his neck, her voice already laced with a desperate note. Only by small margin, he avoided toppling over along with her.
“Woah-! Careful! What’s gotten you so upset?!”
“Please, you need to help me find it!” she pleaded, forcing herself not to tear at his fur. “It has to be here somewhere, I know it!”
“Find what exactly?”
“The bolo tie!! I had it with me until just now I swear! I only put it down when I sleep and always place it right next to me, but now it’s gone!” She pointed at the nightstand that was glaringly empty.
“Please, Ruth, we have to find it! If I lost it then Elias would be.. he would be…!”
Ruth’s weariness was gone in a second, his expression wavering in foreboding. He then transformed into his human form to grip her firmly by her shoulders, prompting her to meet his calm, determined eyes.
“We’ll find it. But I need you to calm down first, alright?”
Chise focused on her breathing, noticing belatedly that she had been dangerously close to sobbing.
“Alright.”
For the next hour, Chise and Ruth combed every inch of the floor and every corner of her room as if searching for a pin rather than a necklace. Ruth tried his best to detect its scent in hidden corners and Chise opened every drawer twice before concluding that it couldn’t be in her room. Trying their best to be quiet in their operation, they scoured the living room as well, where they had spent the end of the last day. She was sure she still had it on her when reading with Elias, so perhaps it had fallen off even before she had gone upstairs. However, the more she thought about it, the more the memory started to crack and morph until she wasn’t quite as certain anymore. What if she had really lost it even earlier? They had spent the entire day in London! It could be anywhere!
The fact that their search in the living room remained just as fruitless was enough to make Chise’s heart plummet down to the ground, and for a moment she wished she could become smaller and smaller until she disappeared together with her shame. If it weren’t for Ruth, she might have actually fallen into panic, now that it was clear she had truly lost it, but his presence was reassuring enough to keep her head up.
Or at least, she tried to. Chise still felt as if a boulder had been hanging from her neck, judging by the amount of shame weighing down her shoulders. Her hand had been hovering in the air in front of Elias’ bedroom door for almost a minute by now, and she could tell she wasn’t the only one counting the seconds.
She had been surprised to wake up in her own bed this morning since they had grown accustomed to sleeping together by now. Then again, she was quite exhausted after several attempts to conjure a sleeping potion without interference the last evening, so maybe she had been too drained to pick the right door. She couldn’t even remember going to bed in the first place.
Her gaze flitted over to the black hound sitting next to her, who was looking back at her with what could best be described as encouraging impatience.
“He’ll get over it, eventually.” The way he added a pause before adding “eventually” didn’t really make it better to be honest. She just hoped he was right.
Squeezing her eyes shut and taking a deep breath for a decidedly last time, she knocked onto his door. It was a miracle in and of itself that they hadn’t woken him with the amount of noise they had made, but then again it wouldn’t be the first time that he had slept in so maybe he was just a very sound sleeper.
When there was no sound from the other side, she knocked again, this time in earnest.
There was no reaction whatsoever.
She exchanged glances with Ruth for one more time before carefully opening the door.
“Elias..?”
The room was empty.
“That’s strange… He must have been awake even before I was, and that was even before sunrise. I wonder where he went?”
“I am as clueless as you are.”
“Maybe the Silver Lady knows. Let’s check if she is already downstairs.”
When they entered the kitchen, Silky was indeed already starting to prepare a dough for breakfast. Chise wondered if there were times when Silky took a break for a change, or if she even slept at all.
“Good Morning! Have you seen Elias? Or did he leave a note perhaps? He must have left very early this morning.”
Silky looked mildly surprised to see Chise up already, but only shook her head in denial.
“Oh, uhm… well, thank you anyway! He’ll probably be back for breakfast then.” She said this more to herself than to the Silver Lady.
“If that’s the case, I’ll go back to sleep” Ruth yawned and brushed past her feet to walk towards the living room.
“What? But- That’s our chance! We still have time left to find the tie!”
“Chise, we searched everywhere. If it were here we would have found it. I’m sure Elias will understand, so don’t be so upset.”
“We didn’t search in the study yet..! Or in his bedroom!”
“That’s because it won’t be there. You haven’t been to the study for days, so there’s no reason to go snooping there as well. Now try to get some rest, or at least let me try get mine.” As if to underline his point, he dropped onto the carpet to curl into himself. An inquisitive mewl was heard from the fireplace where the salamander rested, its eyes taking in the dark bulk in front of it before darting over to Chise.
She was about to argue, but bit her lips shut. It sounded easy the way he did, but she knew exactly she couldn’t just shake her remorse like that, nor could she calm down while waiting for Elias to return.
Feeling at a loss with herself, she watched the black fur ball gently raising and falling as Ruth proved to have fallen asleep in a matter of seconds. Her gaze then wandered to the cupboard next to him.
With or without him, she would be damned if she didn’t exploit all means left to her.
Chise tread carefully when stepping over Ruth’s tail. Truth be told, she was still mildly upset with him for choosing a nap over further support, but she could never be truly angry. He was her familiar after all, and as close to her as only few people were. Though, technically speaking, the three people closest to her weren’t even people in the first place, now that she thought about it.
If he refused to lend her his nose, she would have to make do herself. And she knew just the way to do so.
As if guided by magical instincts, she found what she was searching for right away: The pelt of a werefox. The fur was soft to the touch, and for a moment, she thought back to the thrilling sense of freedom that had coursed through her the first time she used it. There was something compelling about it, wondrous and tempting.
She’d only use it for her current objective, nothing more.
Taking a deep breath, she grasped the fur tighter, trying to clearly envision her needs. Then she swung it over her shoulders.
I need a good sense of smell, and the ability to search in places I wouldn’t be able to see or reach as a human.
She thought of a hound first, like Ruth, but quickly dismissed it since he was too big. His nose was excellent, but he, too might have overlooked a gap or crevice where the tie had fallen. It had to be smaller then, but with an equally good sense of smell. A fox, perhaps? They did have good noses, too, right? Or perhaps a marten might be good as well, or-
A puff of magical energy surrounded her, and she found herself enveloped in a flash of light. Almost immediately, she could feel a curt surge of dizziness alongside with a sense of disorientation.
When she blinked her eyes clear, Chise couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
The world around her – the room she had been standing in just a second ago – had grown to what felt like a hundredfold of its original size. Of course, the ceilings had never been small in the first place, given the fact that Elias could comfortably move in them with his height of 6’7 feet. But now they felt as high as the sky!
A sense of dread surged through her fur-clad skin, and when she looked at her miniature paws, she knew immediately that her plan hadn’t worked out at all. It wasn’t until she found the tip of a very long and very thin tail beside her that she realized just how badly her idea had backfired.
Oh damn.
“uhm… Ruth…?” her voice was shy and dampened when she looked up at the wall of black fur towering before her. “Ruth, I think I might have a little problem here.”
She waited for a reply, but could only hear him breath evenly.
Alright, maybe she could fix this yet. Perhaps if she just concentrated on turning back, she could give it another try? She swore she would definitely stick to the fox this time.
Alas, try as she might, nothing happened.
This isn't good. This isn't good at all.
She moved forward on all fours, feeling highly irritated by the way her tail scrubbed over the floor and her whiskers tickled with her every movement. Her vision had deteriorated, the shape of his tail blurred where she should be able to make out the lines of its strands. But her scent was perfect, that much she could tell.
“Ruth, I could really need your help right now.” She scurried closer to where his head rested on his paws, skillfully overlooking the sheer size of his muzzle and the shiver it sent down her tiny bones. When her voice didn’t seem to penetrate his sleepiness, she gave it another try through their magical bond.
“Ruth, please. I mean it!”
A long, heavy breath washed over her, but he didn’t open his eyes.
“I already told you we’ve done everything we could…” he mumbled, his voice heavy with grogginess.
“No, that’s not what I mean! I have a far bigger problem here!” Or should she say smaller? She felt the urge to face-palm but her paws forbade it. “Please, Ruth, just look at me for a moment and you will –“
Her voice abandoned her when she found the salamander sitting at the fireplace. It had been staring at her for the entire time, the intensity of its gaze oddly unsettling. Chise knew it was the most innocent creature in their home, nothing short of adorable every time it snuggled up close. What she also knew, however, was the way it enjoyed nibbling on her finger like she was made of candy.
I her current state, its mouth seemed to be wide as a whales, capable of easily swallowing her whole.
“R-Ruth…?” Her voice threatened to break again while trepidation seeped in to her, button eyes widening to their full extent.
Where the sudden turn of events had primarily been a major inconvenience before, she was now certain that this was the very worst idea she had ever come up with.
The salamander cocked it's head, blinking for a few times. Then it lunged forward in a squeal.
Chise let out a panicked squeak as she all but jumped out of her skin. In the next moment, she had flung herself onto Ruth’s snout and scrambled her way up. The hound huffed in surprise, crimson eyes shooting open when he switched from fast asleep to wide awake in the fraction of a second. When he regained his bearings, his eyes almost crossed over in an attempt to make out the rodent clinging to the top of his snout.
“What the-!?”
“Ruth, help me, please!”
His eyes grew to an unseen degree. “Ch-Chise? Is that you??”
“Yes!! Now please keep me save from the salamander, I’m fearing for my life here!!”
“The salamander..?” Ruth’s head carefully tilted down to inspect the green-blue fellow sitting patiently in front of him, much like a dog that awaited a reward.
“I don’t think it means you any harm, it’s primarily just.. – w-wait, how did you even end up as a mouse in the first place??”
“I uhm… I used the werepelt to continue searching for the necklace, and I kind of got distracted during the process...”
“Did you try turning back?”
“I did, but I don’t know how! The last two times it – it just happened! I can’t recall what I did!”
“Alright alright, I’m sure we’ll find a way, there has to be. But for now, I need you to stay here with the salamander so that you don’t get into any trouble. You’re lucky we don’t have any cats in the household.” Ruth was already lowering his head when Chise scrambled up to climb onto his scalp and hide between his ears. “W-what are you..?”
“I-I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave me alone with it…”
“It will be fine, trust me.” He shot an inquisitive look towards the creature in question “I can trust you, can I?”
It only cocked its head in a soft, meaningless mewl.
“See? I told you.”
“It didn’t even say anything!”
“Just go.” With that, he lowered her to rest right next to the salamander, its curious eyes latched onto her.
“H-hey, uhm.. you do recognize me right?”
Please be gentle.
It only blinked a few times again, before nuzzling into her in a decidedly cheerful manner. Once she had overcome an instinctive surge of panic, she finally allowed herself to relax.
“Alright then. I’ll leave you two here for the moment. If anything happens, tell me immediately. And don’t get yourself into any trouble.” With all the care he could muster, Ruth tilted his head to direct her over to the salamander. Just like with him, she positioned herself onto its neck.
“I would never..!”
Ruth only gave her a knowing look when he walked out of the living room.
“Ok, fine. I’ll try to stay out of trouble.” Even from the distance, he could see her tiny shoulders slump. With one last snort, he transformed into his human form. Then he was gone.
“Well…” Chise looked down at her newly-acquired mount. “How about we wait on the armchair? Perhaps it will help me feel safer than on the floor.”
The door creaked open as Elias stepped into the house. Normally, he would call out to announce his return, but seeing that it was still early, he wasn’t sure if Chise might still be asleep, and he didn’t want to chance waking her. Carefully, he shut the door behind him and took off his robe. Silky was standing in the kitchen, the breakfast already served and ready. He didn’t miss the hint of disapproval in her gaze.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m late.” He said in a sincere voice before adding “Is Chise awake already?”
If the Silver Lady accepted his apology remained unclear, but at least she gave a small nod to his question.
“My thanks.”
He shot a quick glance to the living room on the other side of the corridor, finding it empty. Then, without so much as another glimpse at the opulent breakfast, he walked upstairs.
Ruth was having a hard time dealing with books.
Really, he wondered what he had been thinking in the first place. Sure, with Elias gone, he had to do something to help Chise in her predicament. But he could hardly make any sense of the vast amount of letters, given the fact that reading was much of a, well, a sealed book to him. So, naturally, how was he supposed to find promising titles let alone read entire volumes in search for a spell or cure to help her?
And if that was not enough, he felt undeniably uncomfortable in the study. Even now that it had undergone a thorough cleaning, there were still plenty of hidden layers of dust and mites covering the books like a second skin. It was as if the paper itself were irritating to his nose, tickling it every time he came too close, and he quickly learned to keep his maximum distance every time he flicked a page or else he would risk sneezing from the whirl of air it created.
With no luck in his first round of inked conundrums, Ruth tried his best to seal his nose when he lifted another stack of tomes, diligently keeping as much distance between them and his face while also trying hard not to lose his balance.
“Ruth, where is Chise?”
He all but jumped out of his skin, barely avoiding to spill the books all across the floor.
“E-Elias, I haven’t heard you come home!”
He eyed the tall figure standing in the doorway that had been silent as a shadow, appearing out of nowhere. He hadn’t smelled him either, though that was no wonder given the overload of mold in the air.
“I only just arrived. Now, where is Chise? I can’t find her in the house. And she’s not in the garden, either.”
Ruth moved to set down the pile.
“She is in the living room with the salamander. But while you’re here, can you tell me how to break the spell of a werepelt? I fear we have a little problem we need to - ”
When he turned to the door, Elias was already gone.
There weren’t many moments that Elias found himself genuinely puzzled, or at least he couldn’t remember the last time he had been, but this was one of those.
He was standing at the door to the living room, this time giving it a proper scan, but contrary to Ruth’s statement, Chise was not here. As her familiar he ought to know where she was though. Could he have been lying to him? But what reason could he have to do so?
He changed his stance in thought when a small mewl caught his attention, pulling his scrutinizing gaze towards his armchair. He hadn’t given it a closer look before, but now that he did, it struck out as odd to see the salamander resting in that place, knowing that it usually preferred the carpet or the vicinity of the firepit.
Most striking however, was that there seemed to be an object nestled in between its limbs.
Intrigued, he stepped closer to investigate.
A mouse..?
It lay still as stone, making him wonder if it was actually still alive, but the tiny movement of its chest proved that it was fast asleep. Upon his movement, the salamander stirred from its equally peaceful slumber, blinking at him with curious eyes. He had never heard of them being attracted to rodents, or vice versa. Usually, they only took interest in magical beings, and only ever because they fed upon them.
Clearly, something was off about this mouse.
“Pardon me.”
He bent over to carefully clasp the skin between its shoulders, lifting it up to his head to see with more clarity. Judging by its appearance alone, it looked like any ordinary mouse, but there was an unmistakable trace of magic on it that he couldn’t quite comprehend. Perhaps a type of fae or magical being that was yet unknown to him? But that wouldn’t explain why the salamander hadn't long devoured it.
“It appears that Ruth had been negligent about his duties as of late.” He said in a calm tone, mostly to himself. “I wonder how you came in. Perhaps I should place a tracking spell on you to see if there are any new gaps in the walls.”
The mouse in question was still unconscious, hanging limply from his grasp like a slouch bag while an occasional twitch of its whiskers was the only indication of the life within. He wondered how it didn’t wake despite his touch. Could the salamander have chased it to exhaustion?
He pulled it a bit closer in inspection to sample a smell. To his surprise, it didn’t smell like an ordinary mouse either. Or, not exclusively, at least. In fact, there was some oddly familiar touch to it, one that was significantly more appealing.
“Why, aren’t you a peculiar little thing.”
Perhaps it was the breath washing over her from the close distance, or a specific edge about his voice that could send a shiver up one’s spine, but sure enough, Chise’s eyes fluttered open. Slowly, drowsily at first before they shot wide open in shock. She all but squealed at the scene unfolding before her, flailing her limbs in an attempt to gain space from the canines that rivalled her in size.
“Now now, I would stop wriggling like that if I were you. You wouldn’t want me to drop you, now would you?”
She was still trying to get her bearings in the first place when she made the blunder to look down, an entirely different wave of panic pinning her in place. She felt like dangling off the edge of a skyscraper!
“Why, that’s better. You’re a smart one, aren’t you? It almost appears you can actually understan-“
“Elias! P-please let me down!”
The Magus gasped in surprise, avoiding only by small margin to drop her for real while Chise tried hard not to suffer a heart-attack at the perfect line of sight down the full length of his opened jaw.
“Ch-Chise, is that really you?”
Relief washed over her when she was released on a palm post-haste, the ground beneath her feet and tail granting some much-needed comfort. He increased their distance a bit, despite the desire to investigate up-close still apparent in his eyes.
“I’m truly sorry. I was a fool not to notice from the very beginning. Had I known I would have never-“
“Don’t worry, I’m fine” Chise lifted her arms to wave him off before noticing how weird it looked with her tiny paws. “Or will be at least, once I turned back to normal.”
For a moment, Elias didn’t say a word, and simply scrutinized instead. His gaze weighed considerably heavier than else, and paired with her unusual perspective it was enough to send a small shiver up her spine. The movement was miniscule, yet didn’t go unnoticed.
His head tilted to the side.
“Chise, do I frighten you?”
Her green eyes widened as if caught red-handed.
“Uhm.. n-no, n-not at all!”
If her incessant trembling was not already enough, the look in her eyes and pretty much her entire posture was yelling it was a lie.
He cocked his head even further.
“I-I…” she tried to hold his gaze but didn’t quite succeed. If it weren’t for the fur, her cheeks would be blushing red for sure.
“I’m sorry Elias, it’s not your fault I swear! I-I think it’s just the rodent instincts getting the better of me… I don’t know why I’m so skittish either.”
His expression didn’t waver, as if considering how to evaluate her words, but eventually, his eyes softened.
“I’m glad. Though I think I understand the reason for that reaction. I admit that the idea of devouring you did cross my mind, if only for a split second.”
Wait, what?!
Chise’s expression all but crumbled to dust.
“No need to fret.” A soft twinkle in his eyes was the only warning she received before his giant snout nuzzled into her, effectively toppling her over. “That was before I knew it was you.”
For some reason, his attempt to comfort her didn’t quite hit its mark, more so when she felt those protruding teeth starting to move across her very exposed belly.
“I know you’d never mean any harm, just p-please be gentle.”
He pulled back immediately, looking somewhat indignified.
“But of course. Am I not?”
“Just saying.” She did her best to assemble a reassuring smile.
When he didn't continue the conversation, she opted to speak up instead
"So, uhm... Do you by chance know how to revert the spell of the werepelt? I fear just concentrating on it like usual didn't quite work out this time and... Elias?"
Something about his eyes told her that he wasn't quite listening to what she just said, and when he didn't respond either it proved that he had reverted to his original scrutiny as if captivated by her appearance. When she tried to read his thoughts, she couldn’t help but notice a sense of mirth hidden in his expression. Her own expression sobered when she noticed it.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you..?”
“Mhm.”
She waited for him to add something but he only continued to bask in either her tiny appearance or discomfort. Or both.
“I can’t discern the reason as to why, but there’s something oddly delightful about having you fit in the palm of my hand. There's a warmth in my chest, similar to the warmth I feel when you are close, yet different. Additionally, there's a tingle, as if my insides are being pulled upwards, but gently."
"You mean... you think I'm cute..." Chise surmised matter-of-factly, mild annoyance starting to lace her voice.
"Cute?"
Oh dear, was she really going to explain this?
"It's uhm... It's a feeling that's often triggered when seeing a small animal or child. I think it's linked to parental instincts, like it often comes with the need to protect and spoil it."
Elias gripped the end of his snout, lifting his gaze towards the ceiling like he often did when in deep thought.
"I see. In that case, I think I might have thought you cute for multiple times already. And I think you're especially cute in this form, tiny paws and all.”
Chise wished to die in embarrassment, and he chuckled, running a thumb over her form. The suspicion arose that, even if he knew a way to break the spell, he might actually decide against telling her only to keep her this way a while longer.
“I can’t help but wonder, though. Why did you change appearances in the first place?”
Chise scratched one of her ears in discomfort, the tip of her tail swaying from one side to the other.
“I, uh… I was trying to find something, and I thought it would be easier as a dog or fox, so I used the werepelt to transform. It didn’t work out as I planned though and now I don’t know how to change back.” Her head hung low at her last words. “You know a way how to change back, right?”
“What is it you had been searching?”
So, the attempted diversion had gloriously failed.
“I… I uhm…” her paws started to fumble over herself, a different kind of nervousness claiming her until her whiskers started to twitch on their own accord. She glanced back to Elias for a moment, only to see his unwavering gaze. The realization hit her quite painfully that she couldn't run from this conversation any longer, not while trapped mid-air anyways.
Finally, she deflated.
“I’m afraid I lost the bolo tie you gave to me for safekeeping. When I woke up today it was simply gone and I searched everywhere and I fear I must have dropped it somewhere in London and I’m so, so, sorry Elias, really I didn’t mean to-“
“You mean this one?” was all he said before reaching into his coat pocket and plainly pulling out the necklace in question. Unbelieving, green eyes stared at it when it dangled in front of her face, until he put it down for her to receive it in a large hug.
“But… where did you… how…?”
“I noticed that the clasp was damaged when you fell asleep on my lap last evening, so I took it from you to have it repaired in town. I’m sorry if its absence had caused you any trouble.”
“So.. you had it with you all the time? I didn’t even notice you taking it.”
“I’m sure you were quite exhausted after your magical exertion. You didn’t even wake when I carried you to bed.”
She could practically hear two pieces clicking together.
“Wait, so, that’s how I ended up in my own room? But why?”
His snout dropped mildly, surprising her with a close to bashful look.
“I was planning to get up early today, so I didn’t want to risk waking you up. I had originally planned to be back before you woke. I’m sorry I’m late.”
“No, there’s no need to be! I’m just glad it wasn’t my fault after all! I swear the entire day I only wished I had not lost it!”
There was a woosh of light and energy and they both gasped in unison. When Chise looked up, she found herself cradled in Elias’ arms, finally back from a normal perspective.
“I see you found a way to break the spell. Welcome back, Chise.” He greeted her with a soft nuzzle to her cheek, and she threw her arms around his neck, the weight of the necklace reassuring in her palm.
“I’m glad I am.”
They must have held in place for several, long seconds, until a familiar, female voice cleared their throat behind them. Both turned their heads in unison to see the Silver Lady standing in the doorway, impatient eyes boring into them. Ruth was peeking in from behind her as well.
“I think we missed the usual breakfast hour…”
“Indeed…”
“But after breakfast I would like to catch up on some sleep. Would you mind if I went back to our bed this time?”
“Only if you don’t mind if I join you. If there’s one thing I’ve learned today, it’s that getting up early can be very exhausting.”
Chise’s eyes twinkled before she said “Shall I be the one carrying you to bed, then?”
He only stared at her in befuddlement, his mouth opening and closing again.
“I think that won’t be necessary.”
With that, he walked over to the breakfast table with Chise still safely cradled in his arms. She might not yet be given the chance to carry him for a change, but the look on his face had been priceless nonetheless.