Chapter 26: 26 – Amerie

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Cosmo had an astonishing variety of clothing available, and somehow, when he’d tried it on while in Amerie’s shape, it always fit.

Ophelia and Cosmo enthusiastically endorsed one outfit in particular.

Amerie gazed in deep bemusement at her reflection. This outfit certainly both showed off and enhanced her tiger stripes and her current build. The fabric was thick and stretchy and tight, shiny black and matte black woven together to create subtle suggestions of leaves, and the edges were adorned with short fringes of tiny beads, some glossy and some glittery. It exposed a lot of skin, though, since it consisted only of a belly-baring sleeveless top that supported her breasts without any uncomfortable wires or rigid bits, and a skirt down to mid-thigh that fit close over her hips but flared out from there down, leaving her tail comfortably free. Cosmo had found her a pair of knee-height black boots with chunky heels and laces up the front, adding another couple of inches to her height—enough for her to feel the difference, not enough to interfere with her mobility.

Just to set it off perfectly, he found a black satin choker that had a fringe of beads along the bottom, longer in the centre and gradually growing shorter to either side. He secured the flower from Thalia to the top, high on her left, with a small but pretty silver-and-black brooch shaped like a loosely-closed hand, which he said was meant for exactly that.

It made her feel daring, possibly edging towards shameless, although the fabric and the beads made it more classy than it otherwise might have been.

Did she have the confidence to leave this on, even with both Cosmo and Ophelia so encouraging?

Well, the alternative was to wear something that would be physically uncomfortable over her short plushy fur, rather than the possibility of being mentally uncomfortable.

And it seemed like a shame to wear anything that would hide her current enhanced and feline body.

It wasn’t her normal self under it, but her mirror-self had been right about clothes that made her feel good.

Slowly, she nodded. “I think I really like this. It’s gorgeous and striking and it works beautifully with the stripes. Thanks.”

“You are very welcome,” Cosmo said. “Different styles suit different individuals in different situations, and that one certainly suits you right now.”

“Oh, definitely,” Ophelia said. “Just wow. Super-groovy big cat. Forget obeying the ringmaster, you should be the one with the whip giving the orders.”

Amerie laughed. “Oh, that’ll be the day.”

“Even when the potion wears off, the clothes should still fit,” Cosmo said. “They have a lot of stretch. And we haven’t been at this all that long, you should still have plenty of time to go show off to the rest of the household. The rest of your things will be safe here until you want them back.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

“Have fun wandering around,” Ophelia said, standing up. “You know where I’ll be if you’re looking for me later. I have more fun stuff you can try if you want it, or just come hang around and chat.”

“I will.”

Cosmo walked them both to the door, and by the time they got there, he was no longer the same shape as Amerie, but back in what was presumably his own.

“Have fun for the rest of the evening,” he told Amerie. “There’s still lots to see and do.”

Amerie nodded. “Time to go hunt for it.”

Ophelia laughed. “Please do.” She waved and sauntered off, back towards her own room.

Cosmo turned back into his, which left Amerie alone in the corridor. She didn’t think it was meant to be abandonment, just releasing her to find her own path.

And it was going to be hard not to swagger a bit while walking that path, given her current felinity and clothes.

She prowled around the upper floor balcony, investigating the paintings that lined the walls. Given that they animated when she stopped to look at them, she kept her hands carefully away from them, unsure what might happen, but they were well worth looking at. She saw that strange suit of armour again, and stepped carefully around it.

When she ran out of paintings, she ventured down the grand stairway and into the great hall. On one side was the dining room where she’d eaten a delicious meal with Ségolène, so she took a look at the opposite side.

It was easy to imagine people in archaic clothes seated on the couches and chairs, listening while some young lady of the company showed off her skills on the piano, or something like that—it was the kind of scene she’d seen in movies, anyway, and it would fit perfectly here, with that big glossy piano, the great harp, the other instruments scattered around the room.

It wasn’t empty, though. There was a man seated at the piano, playing something lively but unfamiliar, and a woman in gauzy white clothes danced in the open part of the floor near the windows.

The woman halted as she completed a spin. “Master? Our guest.” She smiled as she looked Amerie over. “Who has certainly been having adventures. Come in.” She offered a hand.

The man at the piano turned in place without getting up. Black pants, white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the collarless throat undone a couple of buttons, a buttoned-up vest in several shades of deep green. An intricate medallion of silver with coloured inlay rested against the white of the shirt, above the vest, on a heavy chain. There was silver in his hair, too, just a bit at his temples. Amerie’s instincts instantly classified him as an authority figure, which was a category of person that made her wary, but that friendly smile made it hard to actually fear him.

“Hello. We don’t have guests every year but Ségolène told me we had one this year and that said guest was a charming young woman. I’m Richard Mallory. This is Dora.” The dancer curtsied playfully. “Please, come join us.”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Amerie said. “You were... it sounded and looked like you were having fun.” She should probably recognize his name, something was nagging at her about it.

“It’s a favourite pastime, even when it’s only Dora and I. My wife is often busy on Hallowe’en, although she joins us at other times. Unfortunately, we don’t currently have anyone else musically-inclined living in the house.”

“All I know about music is what I hear on the radio,” Amerie admitted. “And I definitely can’t dance. But I can enjoy listening and watching.”

Richard chuckled. “It would be a dull world if everyone had the same skills and interests.”

“You move like you could pick up dancing,” Dora said. “Come here?”

Amerie shrugged mentally and crossed the room to the dancer. Under the gauzy white clothing, she had scales from her bare toes to her collarbone, stopping at her shoulders and resuming down her arms to her wrists, and the scales were shifting colour gently towards a pleasant violet.

“Give me your hand, set it right here... that’s it, and your other hand... perfect. Just follow what I do. Music would help, Master. Something slower for the moment.”

Richard laughed. “Absolutely.”

Dora was taller than Amerie had thought, but still not as tall as tiger-Amerie in heeled boots. She felt ungainly and clumsy next to the graceful dancer, but concentrated on trying to just pay attention to the way Dora moved and moving with her.

“You’re getting it,” Dora said. “Just relax more. You’re trying to force it and that’s making you tense and getting in your way. Just be here and now with us. Be in your own body and this moment.”

“I’m not very good at that.” There were just so many things to constantly keep in mind—admittedly, fewer of them were immediate while in this house, but they’d become relevant again at sunrise.

“Very few people are. But dancing is a good way to practice it. You don’t need to think about anything else right now. Leaving the house isn’t an option and no one inside the house is going to interrupt.”

Amerie could presumably have just refused to do so, even refused to continue dancing, but it actually was sort of enjoyable. It grew more so as she figured out how to keep her attention entirely focused—at least for brief moments, which grew gradually longer.

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“There you go. Master? Maybe something a little faster?”

“Your every wish, m’dear,” Richard chuckled, and the music from the piano became more upbeat, less relaxed.

Amerie got completely confused about what she was doing; Dora just smiled and kept moving steadily, and after a moment, Amerie got into this new rhythm.

“See? Your instincts for dancing are really not bad at all. You’ve just never had the chance to express them. But I think you’re having fun.”

“I am,” Amerie admitted.

“Good! Then don’t stop, because so am I, and I’m very sure the Master is.”

“Unquestionably,” Richard said. “I’ll play at any hint of an opening, of course, and all the more enthusiastically while watching you dancing with a gorgeous tiger.”

“Then why would we stop, any of us?”

Amerie had no answer to that.

The longer they danced, the easier it was to stop thinking about anything outside of here and now, moving with Dora at the rhythm of the music.

Dora, though, finally stepped back with a smile.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, but there’s much more to the house, and we can’t keep you here all night. That wouldn’t be fair.”

“Have you had anything to eat lately?” Richard asked.

“I had a wonderful supper with the lady,” Amerie said. “And cookies in the kitchen afterwards. I’m fine, thanks.”

Richard nodded, lacing his fingers together to stretch. “Good. Always best to stay hydrated and fed while exploring houses where anything can happen. Dora is right, there’s plenty still to see and experience, beyond what I’m assuming was Ophelia and Cosmo and Thalia in some order. Ah, and Tarragon, you said. We’ll likely still be here if you want to drop by later to sit down for a few minutes and rest or anything of the sort.”

“Any suggestions on where to go?” Amerie asked.

“Have you been to the library?”

“I... looked in, briefly, but it was a bit overwhelming.”

“No one said hi and offered to help? Well, that’s easily fixed.” Richard stood up and started for the door. “There are some fascinating books with unexpected effects in there, but it’s a large room with a great many diverse books in it and could certainly be overwhelming.” Just outside the door, he called, “Sally?” It didn’t sound like a command, but it would probably be hard to ignore. The second time, he put more volume behind it, and he had excellent lungs that could project extremely well without making it sound like a simple shout.

Something blue and gelatinous pulled itself rapidly into sight from a narrow hallway—Amerie thought the stairs she’d gone up after seeing Thalia were over there. The blue goo stopped and pulled itself together into a naked young woman.

“You called, Master?” There was a hint of humour in her voice, and no fear that Amerie could detect.

“This is Amerie. Would you mind showing her around the library? Perhaps pointing out interesting volumes?”

“I’d love nothing better.”

“Good.” He turned to Amerie. “Everything in this house is your choice, but it would be a shame to skip the library simply due to lack of a guide, when one is available. Sally is, for all practical purposes, our resident librarian.”

“I like books,” Sally said. “And spend a lot of my time in the library. That’s all. Those are really pretty stripes.”

“Um, thanks,” Amerie said. “And sure, I’ll come check out the library.”

Richard nodded. “Dora and I will, I’m sure, see you again tonight. Enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks.”

It surprised Amerie that the goo woman could actually walk like a human, though it seemed to involve some effort: Amerie saw her forward leg thicken and shorten on a few strides, before Sally corrected for it.

“So, what kind of books do you like?” Sally asked. “Or just what sorts of things in general? We have books with nature and animals and pirates and exotic places, some of them I promise you’ve never heard of, and history and all kinds of subjects that can be really fun to get lost in for a while. Oh, hi, Wanda.”

Amerie blinked. Near the door she thought led to the library was... a person? Clothes, anyway, a bright mix of neon colours. She saw pink fishnets under white folded-down ankle socks and pink heeled pumps, a short skirt of neon-blue with stripes along the hem of multiple neon colours plus there was pink and yellow mesh underneath making it flare out, a yellow tank-top with an oversized pink t-shirt over it that was cropped and had a cute leopard kitten on the front in colours never seen in nature. Fingerless gloves were neon yellow, with a collection of jelly bracelets around one wrist; around a neck Amerie couldn’t see hung several strands of plastic beads, blue and pink and yellow and white, and she could see bright yellow wide hoop earrings and colourful eye makeup and glossy pink lips. But who was under all of it?

“It was hard to miss Master calling you,” the invisible woman chuckled. “But I think I see why. Hi there. I’m Wanda. And I absolutely love the stripes.”

“I already said that,” Sally said.

“So we agree on something. Like that’s never happened before.”

“I’m Amerie,” Amerie said. “And the stripes are more Ophelia’s work than anything I did.”

“Nope.” Wanda shook her head, earrings bouncing. “I’m pretty sure I know which potion. Did she ask you something about animals just as you swallowed it?”

“Yes.”

“Thought so. It was your mental image that determined the exact form it took. If you’d thought about, Idunno, a squirrel, you’d be all grey or black or red or whatever with a big floofy tail. So you get some of the credit. Library?”

“Yes,” Sally said.

“Okay. I’ll be good and leave you alone, but I’ll be lurking in the games room if you get bored with the books and want to do something else. I mean, I like the books, but you’re presumably not going to be playing with them all night.”

“Quite likely,” Amerie said. “I’ll find you afterwards.”

“Awesome. And meanwhile, Sally can find you exactly what you need.” Wanda raised a gloved hand, and disappeared through a doorway to the side, which Amerie thought led to the room with the card table, which made sense.

Sally, meanwhile, beckoned her onward to the library. “Sorry, I didn’t get your answer about what interests you. Whatever it is, I’m sure we have something that’ll suit you.”

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