2023-08-27 - He's Got the Cutest Fingers!

For the last thirteen days, he has observed her—this woman filled with cold wickedness. She is a witch, he is sure. Her magic is subtle, but she commands their adoration and their fear; he has seen them bow, seen them kneel. So, he has made his choice—she will be a great master, better than so many other insipid heroes that fill the islands with their selfish hunger for laughter, for material goods, for... happiness.

She sits now on a bench, overlooking the lake that encircles these islands in its magic-enriched waters. He watches as she stares out at the water, smoke curling out of her mouth after she's taken a deep inhale on the boxy contraption in her hand. The heat of the day lessens as the sun goes down, and she pulls her jacket tighter around her frame. He can feel her power, feel how it thrums through her like power in a thunderhead—held close, held tight, waiting for release.

Keeping low to the ground, he creeps out from the thicket of shrubs that crowd around this edge of the beach. His essence curls around rocks, through the grass that withers in the wake of his malicious touch. He nears her, touching her mind gently, feeling for what form she would like best for him to take—perhaps a serpent to coil around her hand, to bear his fangs at her enemies; or maybe a wolf, shaggy furred and red-eyed.

He catches sight of something in the back of her memories: dense fur of brown and black, accented in dingy white; hands nimble enough to steal, clawed enough to scratch; teeth sharp enough to bite. He swirls up under the bench, a chill nipping gently at her ankles. He hears her shiver out a breath, starting to glance around as he senses her. His new form starts to build around him, bones calcifying, sinew stretching, skin and fur thickening into his armor. The fur around his abyssal eyes darken into a black mask.

He's ready. His mind gently touches hers as he pulls himself into sight, and her hazel eyes turn toward him as he hops nimbly onto the bench beside her, bowing slightly to his mistress.

"... oh my god," Leon starts to smile, the gloom that had started to settle around her suddenly lightening. "You are so cute! Hi, buddy. What's your name?"

Melvin blinks at her, head tilting in confusion.

What the fuck...