FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Left to my own devices, it is a very strange thing to wander this place. Everywhere I look I notice just how much an amalgamation of two cultures it seems to be. There are places where things are written in English and then I'll see signs where writing has been clearly written in the language that is in the spell book. It is a very strange thing and yet no one seems to have any concern with it. Well I suppose after living here for so long it might become second nature to see both and be able to understand both. Then there's also the fact that this language that my body allows me to read would be somewhat of a common denominator. It doesn't matter what language you knew already or if you even knew how to read, the language imparted on us will make it okay enough to comply and know what's what just the same.

Though that does bring about another question. Just how firmly rooted is the notion of being able to read this language? Is it something that is permanently added to our minds or is it tied to our bodies? I mean I know they said that the body information was added but the ability to move should shift with the body. How my body moves right now will be different than how it will move tomorrow and how it will move when I'm fully human. If I was locked into only one it would only work for a short time. But that says nothing for the ability to read a language I didn't know beforehand. Is this something that is directly tied into my ability to cast magic and thus the further I return to humanity the harder and harder it'll be for me to read? If not, if they have managed to put into that enchantment a permanent bit of knowledge, there becomes a whole new issue to deal with.

A death without knowing you're dead. The ability to add information in and alter it without them knowing. At this point how much can I really trust about who I think I am? Is it all my own memories or did they come to me manufactured? I'd like to hope that I have my own memories, that they wouldn't do anything quite so barbaric as that but then there's the acceptance. Perhaps as I grow to accept the body I'm in my memories will fade, becoming more and more just fragments of a me that is no longer, a being completely dead even though the flesh that had animated it continues on in a different form. Would I even forget my own name?

I shake my head vigorously, almost causing myself to lose balance. Such topics are not things I should dwell on. I'm here to survive, to stay alive and hope that should this body last long enough to make it to the end of the year that I will still be me, both physically and mentally. As I walk along one of the corridors I see that one human and decide to approach them, trying to figure out what the deal is with them.

"Hello," I half bow at him, realizing that this is the second time I've done something like this when I didn't used to do something so dramatic for a simple greeting.

"Ah, hello," the human responds, seemingly social enough. "You're the new one, right? I think it was Rose?"

"Um, yes," I nod, also noting how quickly I have been responding to this new name. Though there is the fact it is a fairly simple name. I imagine if they had called me something like Kitifilicant or something I'd probably have a really hard time with it. I hope.

"They call me Gabriel."

"Named after the left hand of God?" I ask.

"Named after, sure, let's go with that," he half laughs as if I had said a joke or pointed out to something they found amusing at the least. "I'm sure you're wondering why it is that I'm fully human, aren't you?"

"A little bit, yes."

"Well I'm not one of you draftee's if that's what you're thinking. I never had that spell cast on me and almost never set foot on the battlefield. My purpose here is a bit more real than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing I'm at liberty to discuss in detail. It's nothing about you in particular, don't you fret about that. It's just that with the ability for them to watch your every move and everything thing said around you there are some things that are much better left unsaid. You'd be wise to remember that. They are always listening to everything you say or is said to you. Be careful that what that is is not something that will be used against you."

"Right, in other words never say my own name, even when alone," I state, commenting on that whole true name business.

"Among other things. You'll figure out what exactly I mean eventually. Or not. Depends on how perceptive you are or if you survive the lesson. But to not leave you empty handed let me just say that I am here to keep the peace. Nothing more."

"Okay," I nod slowly, not entirely sure what that means. "So do you know where there is a store around here? I was under the impression that there would be some things that we could potentially buy for ourselves and don't know whether it is on site or if we have to get like a special pass to go to town for or something."

"We have something of a store that way," Gabriel points over his left shoulder. "About three rows down and to the left a bit. Doesn't have too much there, but has a lot of the things you'd need for your day one needs. Anything it doesn't have it will put in an order for and take care of things for you. And unfortunately for you, no, you do not get to have a pass to go to town. At least not on this side of the portal. Humans would be very uncomfortable around you. You'd scare them and remind them of a thing they don't really want to acknowledge. They know it and accept it off-hand but never truly accept it. It just causes a lot of problems having those like you walking amongst the townsfolk. Thus one of the reasons this place is so big, to make sure that every need that any of us would have it take care of to some extent or other. Sorry. Anyway, I should keep making my rounds. It was nice talking to you Rose. I look forward to seeing what you are capable of."

I frown for a moment but force myself to smile and wave a goodbye to the strange person. I notice that they seemed direct and almost helpful but at the same time almost completely fake. The voice sounded sincere, the face looked sincere, but there was an air about him that implied that he wasn't someone that was telling me anything I should know, only what I had asked to know. So what was it that he was implying? Of things best left unsaid. Are there secrets to this place that we are not supposed to be aware of?

I find the store in question easily enough. It looks like a sort of gift shop with another imp standing behind the counter. That seems to be a theme in this place. Everywhere I go, in every instance where someone would be in control over what goes on there, it is an imp. It is not a vet or someone past their term. It is not a human willing to put aside their differences to work with us. Just these squat little figures. One of these days I'll have to ask why it is that Imps seem to be the ones running the entire place. Unless this is yet another one of those things I'm not supposed to say.

"Greetings, greetings," the imp speaks up, a somewhat feminine tone and an accent that seems very much practiced, as if they have spent a long time learning to speak as clearly as possible. "What can Ingrid do for you today pretty one?"

"Um," I stammer, feeling my ears go a little flush and almost embarrassed to say, "underwear?"

"Good, good. Always a good thing to have, is it not. Now do you want ladies or men?"

"Men's,"

"Good, good. Assuming you want no bra either? Or should I give you some just in case?"

"No, no bra," I quickly add, knowing just how easily that would create a slippery slope to accepting them. Let alone the hassle of having to put on and take off three of them or something. They're still small enough that it isn't going to be too much of an issue with motion.

"Good, good. Tail or no?"

I pause at the question. I mean, I'm going to probably end up having this tail for a while. Even if I reject it completely there will always be the issue of just how long it will take for it to fully go away. If it was exactly three feet, then after a week of not changing it will still be about what? Thirty-six. Eighteen. Nine. Four and a half. Two. One. Less than one. Okay it'll be small enough within a week but still four days likely that I will have to deal with the tail before it'd be small enough to fit inside the underwear completely. And that's for each time I release. Eh, I'll just have to deal with it. Might be a little uncomfortable but I'm not going to give it any lee-way. It is a useless appendage. If nothing else, I want that thing to be gone. Well that and have my own sex back. The rest is something I want but isn't quite as high a priority to me.

"No tail," I eventually speak up.

"Good, good," Ingrid states, moving over and stacking a few crates on top of each other and standing up on them. "Come, come. Ingrid needs feel to know right fit."

Reluctantly I move forward, not entirely knowing what she wants but when I get close enough she grabs at my uniform and pulls me forward a little more quickly. Once close enough she begins brushing my hands away and pressing in on my hips from every way she can, even going so far as to slowly turn me around.

"Relax, relax. Ingrid has no interest in what Ingrid finds. Ingrid only wants know fit. Make Rose happy with undergarments."

Even with that it is still incredibly uncomfortable. As one would probably expect at any rate. To have something the size of a small child putting their hands on your hips in and upper thighs. Just as I'm about to say I've had enough of the contact and insist on pulling away even if it means not getting what I wanted Ingrid lets go and climbs down off her makeshift pedestal and begins walking further into the store, rambling on about something or other in some language that I can't quite discern. After reaching the counter where the checkout would be she slips behind and heads towards the back room as if to go look for it.

"So, um. I don't mean to be too much of a bother, but they never gave me a credit card or anything. I don't exactly have any money to pay for it right now."

"No need, no need," Ingrid shouts from the back area. "You Rose. They know you Rose. I know you Rose. I ask for Rose money for stuff. They give Rose money for stuff. You no handle. You no need. You want, you get, we get Rose money. We no have, we order. You get later. We get Rose money later. All happy. Yes?"

"Um, sure, I think I understand."

"You want something else? Ingrid get," the small imp states after coming back up with something wrapped up in a plastic bag. "So not get embarrassed. Will fit good. Ingrid promise. Trust, trust."

"Oh, actually, about that. Do you have spell paper here?" I ask after a minute, thinking of what else would I want. I should probably get more clothes and maybe some personal hygiene items while I'm here since I don't know if they'd include them or not. Probably not considering how bipolar this place seems to be.

"Spell Paper? Yes, Ingrid has. Might I ask Rose why Rose wants Spell Paper?" Ingrid's face tilts slightly to the side.

"Oh, I uh. I read in my book that a common component in a lot of spells required Spell Paper."

"Oh, yes, yes. Many spells want. You have one you want use?"

"Actually, yes. There was this spell in the book when I was browsing it earlier," I comment, holding the bag holding my underwear behind my back and swaying one side to the other as I try to find the way to get more comfortable speaking with something less than half my size practically talking down at me as if I was the child. "Looked interesting. Don't remember the name to it. It was basically like a mine. Place it on a surface, charge it up and it blows up if an enemy gets too close."

"Ah, yes, yes. Ingrid knows. Good spell. Needs lots of paper. Ingrid get. One sec. You wait, you wait."

"You said it needed lots of paper? Does that mean that it destroys the paper when it explodes? Cause that might get expensive."

"No, no," Ingrid shouts from the back room. "No use up. Some get destroyed. They see, they cut, they destroy. No good. No good. Others never go boom, no one near. You need lots. Write bunch up early, place all over, few get used. Battle end, you go pick all up. Try again next time."

Ingrid comes back with a stack of somewhat purple paper, far larger than I would need. Just thinking of how many times I'd have to write that one spell on them all almost makes my hand cramp up before even beginning.

"This fifty. Fifty good number. Rose use half now on spell. Take with tomorrow. Use then. Rest save in case other spell need or write up spur of moment. Good advice. You take. You take. More advice. Remember your sigil. Sigil very important. Must get sigil right first time in all. Give friends sigil right first time too. Else no good. No good. Go boom when they place. Must remember sigil. Do not worry. Spell paper not use Rose money. Is battle item. Use Battle money. Rose money safe. You want anything else?"

"How about a sort of starter set of items? I don't exactly have much to me in regards to clothing or personal items at the moment. They didn't exactly let me take any with me."

"Sure, sure. No clothes today. Body too different. I can get you better outfit for this form but no clothes for more human. Don't know feel. Can't promise good fit. Come back tomorrow, I know then. Give you good clothes. Rest I can get most stuff now. You feel right at home. Ingrid promise."