The Secret Nia

Elysium Ruins – 4058 [Alrest Time]

“Masterpon, I have located perfect rest stop!” Poppi hovered above a small oasis; gesturing excitedly towards Tora and the other members of the impromptu ‘settlement team’. “Poppi will begin shelter generation procedure!” The artificial blade toppled over a dead tree. “Lean-to complete!”

“Whatsa matter with sleeping in one of the vacant buildings?” Pandoria stepped into a decrepit building only a few meters away. “Back me up, Zeke! I really wanna sleep on a bed or an approximation of one.”

“Chums, given Nia’s strange behavior, I do advise we sleep indoors!” Zeke knocked on the support pillar for the building. “Solid as an oak.” Within a few moments, the entire structure came down. Without a word, Pandoria shook off the debris as she made her way over to the tree. “On second thought, Poppi’s contribution does offer strategic advantages.”

“Of course it is! Tora make Poppi special and able to endure! Not like whoever make the old buildings!” The Nopon struck a triumphant pose that the ‘Best Girl Fan’ top undercut slightly. He noticed Nia giving him an odd look even compared to Nia’s usual disapproval of the shirt. “Meh? Why Nia staring so long?”

Nia looked away in embarrassment. “It’s nothing! I’m just waiting for this new status ailment to wear off!” Nia repeated her reasoning for why she hadn’t been able to summon any of her blades since the group split up. “Weird new monsters here have different effects! What’s to say Nullify Blade isn’t one of those effects?”

“It’s just weird that ya can’t even have the blade appear outta combat.” Pandoria grabbed a flower at random that she chucked towards Nia. “See if this works!”

“Oi! You can’t do that!” Nia dodged the dirt clod projectile almost as if in combat. “Infighting is only going to make your bad luck come back.”

“Masterpon, Rex and Morag are returning!” Poppi flew towards the returning party composed of Rex, Pyra, Morag, Brighid and a second Nia? “Error! Multiple Nia’s detected!” Poppi’s error message grabbed everyone’s attention.

The second Nia assumed Blade form next to Rex. “Rex, we’ve been through this before.” ‘Nia’ panicked as she began to run towards ruins in the far distance. A well-positioned anchor shot closed the distance quickly. “We’ll show you what happens when we catch you impersonating me again, Definian!” A single blade strike was all it took to reveal that ‘Nia’ was an anthro wolf masquerading.

Zeydaan woke up in a cold sweat in their bed. Frantically taking two pills from a nearby prescription bottle brought some relief from the recurring Nia dreams.

Greater London Area, UK – Present Day

Zeydaan rolled out of bed to discover that subconscious shapeshifting resulted in transforming the bed into a glorified Nia kigurumi. “The Butterfly Syndrome is getting worse.” A standard ‘form reversion’ spell returned the bed to its original form. Most shapeshifters tended to go through a fixation period during their initial experimenting or childhood. Regardless of the ‘how’, Zeydaan knew that their desire to be Nia ran deeper than any recurring desire.

Zeydaan wrote down the incident inside of an Aegis-themed ‘Nia journal’ that catalogued the instances. Zeydaan's doctor, some Yank shapeshifter form-locked into a video game character, had theorized that distractions and new forms could potentially mitigate the syndrome’s effects. Flipping through the older entries brought up the time Zeydaan Nia’d at a CATS screening in a cinema. “It’s probably best for me not to risk another jellicle cats incident.” An extended shower brought Zeydaan no closer to thinking of an adequate form of escapism. If anything, the drenched fur invited temptation to summon Adenine for an impromptu dry cleaning. “On second thought, air drying would be best.” Zeydaan slotted their wallet into their personal ‘hammerspace’ zone and left the flat.

Birds chirped outside to herald the pre-Spring period that still inexplicably had deep winter chills every other day. Zeydaan pulled out a white scarf as per the unstated rule of fur characters’ sole winter wear being a scarf. City life has its limitations, but it’s better to pay taxes than lose almost a quarter of a year in hibernation. Besides, Zeydaan's den had Netflix and hot water while most dens didn’t. Amongst the mishmash of people in parkas and shorts were a few people in colorful costumes. Curious, Zeydaan snuck up to the group to get a closer look. “Awfully late for Halloween, don’t you think?” Shingeki no Kyojin costumes were close enough to ‘horror’ to pass for the UK variant of the celebration.

A woman dressed as Annie Leonhart scoffed at Zeydaan's assertion. “I woulda expected the fursuiter to know about the con.” She began to scroll through social media posts on her phone. “Hange, you like weird stuff, dontcha? Fill the Sonic character in or whatever.”

‘Hange’ recognized Zeydaan immediately. “Zey, it’s you!” She swapped her cosplay glasses for her usual pair worn during work. “I’m Patty from Accounts Management at the insurance place. Are you heading to London Anime and Game Xpo, too?” Patty, ‘Annie’ and a Sasha Braus cosplayer crossed their arms in a pattern of X’s. “Sasha, this is my former fur coworker I was telling you about!”

‘Sasha’ poked Zeydaan's belly rather bluntly. “Woah, I didn’t think that Hawkmoth employees could afford ‘Real Skin’ fursuits.” She moved her hands towards Zeydaan's neck, assuming the ‘furs’ were simply people in costumes. “Please let me try the headpiece on.” Zeydaan instinctively jerked back from the ‘handsy’ woman. “Come on, it would only be for a minute!”

“It’s not a costume and neither are my coworker’s bodies.” Zeydaan presented their driver’s license as proof that the fur wasn’t for show. Sasha looked over the ID, compared the photo to the wolf standing across from her and slowly returned the card. Zeydaan slid the card back into hammerspace. “I can’t say that I’ve heard of LAGX before.”

“It’s a replacement for a ‘disgraced Royal’ event.” Annie looked up from her phone briefly. “A bit slap-dashed, but who am I to object to a £15K group cosplay prize pool?”

“The food is free, too!” Sasha salivated. “At least the high society stuff is until they run out.”

Free food? The prospect of encountering other furs? What wasn’t there at the convention! Zeydaan's eagerness quickly dissipated because of a potential risk factor. “There won’t be any Xenoblade Chronicles 2 cosplayers, right? I’m attempting to keep my mind off one of the characters.”

“Xenoblade 2 is old news, wolfie.” Annie shrugged. “We’re going to the group entrance down that way.” She pointed towards the left. “If you wanna walk in without registering in a group, go that way to the ‘individuals’ line.” Zeydaan now clearly saw a line to their right a few blocks down. “We’ll wave to you from the group winner stage.” Zeydaan's fear of missing out led the wolf to getting in line behind the one committed Daleks in Manhattan fan in the entire world.

Patty slapped Annie on the back. “Xenoblade 2 is more popular than ever after the Smash inclusion. Why did you lie to them like that?”

“I thought it was funny.” Annie watched Zeydaan stuck between a human Dalek and someone cosplaying as the ‘tile lady’ from Love and Monsters. “I’m just acting the part of my character.” She stuffed a lollipop into her mouth. “Besides, we got the competition in the bag.”

Two Hours of Queuing Later

“…and that’s why I think Trial of a Timelord is the best arc in the classic series.” The man in front of Zeydaan talked the entire time. Zeydaan's eyes would have rolled backwards if not for the sporadic pace of line movement requiring partial attention. “Many people or, in your case, wolves insist that the Sylvester McCoy era was darker to course correct. My thought is that the change in writers accounted for…” A volunteer handing an event badge to the man finally shut him up. “Thanks for listening and search for my Podcast ‘Sympathy for the Master’ on iTunes.” A flood of fans in tweed jackets and fezzes dragged the human Dalek cosplayer into the dark depths of a Bigheads fan panel.

Zeydaan's processing for an event badge proved far less harrowing. Showing ID and declaring ‘no dimensional travel’ bypassed the more intense screening process. A poster on the wall showed a ‘No’ sign over a stick-figure next to minimalist versions of the TARDIS and a Stargate. “The tachyon particle scans confirm you’re telling the truth.” A male event employee handed over a convention badge. “Enjoy the convention.”

“Out of curiosity, have there been a lot of interdimensional visitors?” Zeydaan joked uneasily to cover for their own dabbling in interdimensional travel.

“It’s mostly to keep characters from simply showing up in our dimension to cheat in the costume.” The employee shrugged. “Plus, it gives us an excuse to exclude the French.”

Event decorations were sparse and closer to a BBC period drama than the contradicting brutalism with commercialist aesthetics of American pop culture conventions. A multitude of sights and sounds put Zeydaan at ease knowing that she could find a multitude of distraction possibilities. Alas, spotting familiar red hair out of the corner of their eye made Zeydaan realize something rather grim. There were six Pyra’s, three Mythra’s, a Poppi QT and even a Boreas cosplayer all within sight. Despite the Boreas only wearing bodypaint, he had the most accurate costume.

A Pyra and Mythra pair approached Zey, mistaking their frantic looking around as shyness. “That’s a very nice wolf costume.” Pyra engaged in an inviting way. “There’s no need to be shy around us! People will probably want photos of your next level fursuit, anyway!” She positioned a selfie stick, done up like the Aegis Sword, in a shot to include her and Zeydaan. “Mythra, get behind our wolf friend and squeeze into the shot!”

“Gladly. I’ve wanted to see one of these ‘real furs’ in the wild all season.” Mytha pressed her chest over Zeydaan's head to get the ‘fan favored’ assets in shot. She could tell from Zeydaan's shaking that requesting this treatment otherwise would prove too embarrassing. “3, 2, 1. Cheesecake!” The resulting flash from the cell phone camera obscured Mythra’s vision long enough that she thought Zeydaan took a feel. “Hey! We did the positioning to make sure no pervo shots end up on-line!” Her jaw dropped upon realizing there was a perfect Nia between the two of them. “Where did the wolf go?”

Pyra flipped through the selection of photos taken in rapid succession that showed Zeydaan's sequential transformation into Nia. “Mythra, the wolf is this Nia.” She abruptly tugged off her own cosplay wig to reveal blonde hair underneath. She removed one of her gloves for further confirmation that her costume wasn’t fused to her. “I was afraid that I transformed, too.”

“Nya?” Zey-Nia looked at her gloved hands in horror. “No, anything apart from this!” Not wanting to make a scene, Zey-Nia knew that she would need distance from the Pyra and Mythra combo. Signs pointing towards the closest bathroom offered the closest oasis. Locking herself in the first open stall she could find, Zey-Nia sat down on the toilet to perform breathing exercises. “I’m more than just one character; I’m many.” Saying the line in Nia’s voice undercut the effectiveness significantly. “I won’t let a desire define me. I’m in control… I’m the driver, not the passenger.” Whoever wrote this bloody script never thought of the possibility that ‘driver’ might be tied to a form. “I’m in charge here!” She defiantly placed her hands on her hips. “No one says or does anything to my body apart from me!”

Gradually, the Zey-Nia balance shifted back in the wolf’s favor. She relaxed in a state of tranquility until someone knocked on the stall door. “It’s not your personal flat in there! Open up!” Bloody hell, a Nia cosplayer was provoking Nia through an absolute butchering of her voice. What type of smeghead would do a stereotypical Irish accent for Nia? She’s so clearly Welsh, ya ignorant bastard! Zeydaan stood up, unevenly reverting, to confront the sin against Nia’s everywhere. “Now you open the door…” She looked up at Zeydaan in horror. “What type of sick bastard goes as the Wanted Poster art Nia?” Zey, asserting dominance, stormed out of the bathroom before anyone could question the ‘how’s and why’s’.

Elsewhere, a duo cosplaying as Morag and Brighid sat on a bench waiting for the third member to arrive. Morag, clearly on edge, meticulously checked the stitching on her sleeves as a distraction. Brighid, in contrast, seemed completely chill. She pulled down one of her implied ‘flaming hair’ accessories to use it as a vape. “She’ll show up, sis.” She exhaled the smoke into Morag’s face. “You don’t need to be even more tightly wound than usual to be in-character.”

“This is the third delay to her arrival today.” Morag tensed her fingers. “First you said her train was delayed, next it was an issue at the bus terminal and now you say that she hasn’t even left her house. I put too much effort into my costume for your druggie friend to stink it all up!”

Brighid spotted a security guard approaching in the wake of Morag uttering the term ‘druggie’. “What she meant to say was that my friend is a thuggie. Isn’t that right, sis?” She did a combination side hug/headlock to obscure her sister’s mouth. “It’s her first convention and she hasn’t been out of the house in months. You know how kids are.” The security guard walked away, seemingly appeased. Once the coast was clear, Brighid released her sister. “Don’t forget I’m your ride out of here. That is unless you WANT mum to find out why her fabrics and other materials keep going missing. I might blab it all in police custody if I was caught, Mary.”

“Bridget, please don’t make threats like that. You know that she wants one of us ‘respectable’.” Morag nursed her sore neck. “If we brought Katherine with us as Pandoria, we wouldn’t have needed to invite Grey!”

“Grey does whatever she needs to win while Katie does everything to get another meal. If ya want to make a debut on a scene, you need the drive…” Brighid’s checked her notifications. “Shit, Grey’s in jail again. What are we going to do, diver?”

“The term is ‘driver’, Brighid.” Morag turned away from her sister in a desperate attempt to avoid screaming. Even if Katie took a taxi to the convention, nothing short of a Cinderella tailor miracle would work now. Plus, the judges would be on their toes for ‘shapeshifting makeovers’ and eager to disqualify. All of the effort circled down the drain because of an unreliable smoggie. “Unless we can recruit someone here already in a costume, we might as well head home.” She removed her elaborate hat, a perfect microcosm for her efforts, regretting the countless hours wasted to match the colors and materials down to a 400% upscale of the in-game assets. “You can pawn my sewing machine once we’re back to buy whatever you want.”

“Jeez, you want this that bad?” Brighid looked around for a reference she understood among the countless dorks. She whistled to a pair of blokes dressed as Charlie and Pim. “Hey, make my sister smile!”

“What’s wrong, soldier girl?” Pim leaned to the side making sure that Morag wasn’t wearing a ‘frowning friends’ armband or something worse. “Do you want to talk about it?” Morag shook her head. “Charlie, any ideas?”

“It doesn’t take an astronaut to see they need a third person to raise them up.” Charlie pulled up an imageboard thread on his phone. “No way, there’s a Nia catfight in the West Corridor.”

“There is?” Morag pulled her hat back on. “Come on, Brighid!” A massive smile formed on her face. “We need to find a Nia!” She dragged Brighid towards the alleged catfight location.

Zeydaan checked her reflection in a section of mirrored glass to confirm total reversion. Now that she was in ‘the clear’, the distraction efforts could resume. The vendor hall offered a pop culture cornucopia ranging from walls of Funko Pops to the inexplicable weapons replica seller who oozed shadiness. A magic-themed stall grabbed Zeydaan’s attention thanks to Luna Nova Magical Academy likenesses. Memories of time in the guise of Akko flooded back into Zeydaan's immediate thoughts. Making the robes on-site wouldn’t be too difficult to do.

“See anything you want?” An Akko cosplayer emerged from under the stall’s table. “Oh, you’re going to want the non-chafing robes!” Akko bumped her head against the table. “Diosir Sorware!” Akko’s wand flourished made the pain go away. She placed the purple robes on the table for Zeydaan to consider. “The robe is £60 on its own and £75 if you also want the wand.”

“How much would a Shiny Chariot outfit cost?” Zeydaan imagined that an Akko would offer that as a top shelf option. “She’s my favorite character in the series apart from you, Akko-chan.”

“I’m doing this booth in order to fund my own Shiny Chariot costume.” Akko pointed towards a crayon drawing showing the progress towards a very expensive costume. “I’m the Akko-iest Akko there has ever been!” Akko rode out on a generic Roomba clone from Amazon.co.uk. “I have a Sucy at Tesco getting some snacks.” A fellow fan should be delighted at the chance to transform into one of her classmates! “Be my Diana and we can share the Shiny Chariot outfit!” She aimed a wand towards Zeydaan. “Metamorphie Faciesse!” The actual animation for Akko’s attack, occurring at 24 fps, proved slow enough for Zeydaan to dodge the attack. The stray transformation spell caused a stack of Funko Pops to become a Diana statue.

“Now things are getting interesting!” An Eda the Owl Lady cosplayer from another stall injected herself into the battle. “If we’re going to be flinging spells around, I’m going to take advantage.” She grabbed Zeydaan by the right arm. “We’ll get a skull and, voila, instant ‘alternate universe’ King! Luz can stop hounding the guys in the mascot costumes.” She paused to consider the word choice. “Hounding isn’t a racial slur to your kind, right?”

“It isn’t, but I’m not going with either of you.” Zeydaan felt their other arm tugged in the opposite direction. Great, Zeydaan was now stuck between two fandoms each wanting them for different reasons. What next? An animatronic and Sonic fan character pulling at the legs? If Zeydaan had access to Nia’s blades, no one would dare lay a finger… No, that type of thinking was the problem! Luz and Sucy showed up to back their respective side in the argument. Running low on options, Zeydaan opted for the crazy option of jerking hard on Eda’s arm.

Eda’s forearm flew across Zeydaan's chest, impacting Akko in the process. The witchling’s opposing grip on Zeydaan lost all force in the confusion of a detached limb. “Her arm came off! Her arm came off!” Sucy picked up the detached limb, curious to replicate the effect for her own creepy dabbling. The limb crawled back to Eda on its own. Akko couldn’t believe Luz’s lack of reaction. “Why aren’t you shocked?”

“She just does that from time to time.” Luz slotted Eda’s arm back into place. “Is that a robe from Miniature Mage Academy?” Her curiosity to try the robe brought the fight to an abrupt conclusion. Sides shared information about witch academia long enough that no one noticed Zeydaan walk into the closest panel. Surely, things couldn’t be any worse in the panel room, right?

Morag finished an impromptu interrogation of the fifth consecutive Nia from the alleged catfight. She didn’t know if the costume gave her the confidence to enact the inquisitor role or solely the adrenaline. Regardless, the testimonies together suggested the presence of a ‘secret Nia’ among the crowd unwilling to show herself for whatever reason. “You’re free to go, Nia.” She dismissed the other cosplayer from the small corner in the lobby area. Eager to get away quickly, the Nia dashed away fast enough to not notice her event map drop from her leather pouch.

“Yoink!” Brighid scooped up the dropped loot to check for any financial information. Alas, it was merely a map the Nia printed out from a fansite that summarized the various panels. Multiple red circles in colored pencil encircled a single name. “Who or what is Catrin-Mai Huw?” She handed the paper over to Morag. “Is that an underground K-Pop group or a bad Scrabble hand?”

“Of course, that’s where they’d all be heading!” Morag facepalmed, much to Brighid’s confusion. “She’s Nia’s English voice actress! Our mystery Nia is practically guaranteed to be there!” Morag looked up towards the temporary numbers on the walls designating the general panel areas. “If we run through the Panel in Room 28 and pull a right, we’ll be only a few meters away from Room 3.”

Meanwhile, in Room 3…

Zeydaan fixated on watching the door she entered through that she failed to notice the hordes of Xeno-Universe fans walking in the other entrances by the dozens. Dim lighting conditions almost made Zeydaan blend into the dark if not for the varying quality of LED lights attached to various cosplayers. A KOS-MOS proved so bright that Zeydaan's eyes averted towards the stage where several unassuming people sat. An illuminated sign clearly stated that anyone asking about Xenoblade Chronicles 3 would be escorted out immediately. Zeydaan slowly surveyed the room to discover the overwhelming amount of Xenoblade Chronicles fans and, in particular, all of the Nia’s.

“Thank you all for coming to this unique opportunity since our dub is the English speaking world’s standard.” The panel’s master of ceremonies began. “Unlike the American panels you’ve all probably watched on Youtube, I won’t shill my personal podcast or Raid Shadow Legends.” Audience laughter led into cheers. “I must emphasize that nothing will be announced or confirmed today. Isn’t that right, Mario?” A spotlight focused on a person wearing the ‘perfect Mario’ mascot outfit watching from the far corner. A POW blocked marked ‘EUCD’ [European Copyright Directive] rested in Mario’s hands primed for use. “Having given thanks to the Nintendo of Europe overlords, let’s introduce the voice actresses! I see a lot of Nia’s in the audience.” The light switched to focusing on a dark-haired voice actress. “Do you have anything special to say to them, Ms. Huw?”

Catrin crossed her arms and scowled to get back into the role. “Here I come, ready or Gormotti!” Her exaggerated cat hiss noise made the audience hype build. “It’s humbling to see so many kittens based on my performance.” She peered across the crowd taking in all of the driver and blade costumes. “Why is there one of me dressed in Rex’s salvager suit? I wouldn’t be caught dead in such an antique! Get out.” Her tone was playful enough to not make the ‘diss’ malicious.

“She’s bloody perfect.” Zeydaan fell in love with the ‘prime’ Nia all over again. She put in the little touches that only the truest fans would notice even during other actor’s segments. Not even an impromptu ‘Pyra Vs. Poppi’ version of ‘Girl Power-Off’ on stage deterred Zeydaan's focus from Catrin’s total commitment to character. She even flailed her legs in-tune to the acappella version of the incidental dance music. Bizarrely, despite maximum Nia exposure, a sense of stage fright kept the subconscious shifting from happening. How would ‘prime’ Nia react if the proportions were off or, even worse, thought that shapeshifting was cheating? Zeydaan lifted up the scarf to cover their mouth in slight embarrassment. Under normal circumstances, this shock would cure the problem, right? You’re reading an Emily Rees story; a swerve is guaranteed just like the pop culture references.

“Give it up for Ms. Li and Ms. Bennett’s performance!” The panel head walked offstage towards the center of the room carrying the main microphone. “We will now be taking questions…” Almost everyone in the audience stood up. “that don’t spoil Xenoblade 3…” Several people sat back down. “or pertain to ship fics.” Everyone apart from Zeydaan sat down in their section. “Let’s start with the wolf! Do you have anything to ask the panel?” He shoved the microphone towards Zeydaan's muzzle. “Don’t be shy!”

“Hi, I’m Zeydaan or Zeydaan for short. I want to ask...” Zeydaan mumbled during the process of taking hold of the microphone. “I wanted to ask Nia about the voice acting process.” Ms. Huw stared directly at Zeydaan for the first time. Their tail wagged in such a way that a Rainbow Dash cosplayer screamed ‘wing boner’. “That is if she’ll have my question.”

“You’re certainly bold enough to not wear pants or a skirt in public. Ask away!” Catrin put on the full Nia accent even for the disarming joke. “Let me preempt other questions through saying that ‘gamer foam’ for your walls won’t land you a job in the industry. You’re better off getting a pop filter, ya wannabes.” Poppi’s voice actress playfully covered Catrin’s mic. “Pop filter; not Poppi!”

Zeydaan lit up almost imagining the exact characters on stage waiting on the question. “Very funny, Poppi.” Zeydaan unintentionally parroted Catrin’s tone to continue the little sketch unfolding before the crowd. “When you’re in the booth, do they give you a general synopsis for context in the script or are you kept in the dark?” By now people found it strange that either Zeydaan could perform a flawless Nia voice OR postmodernist ventriloquism. “Did you know that I…” Zeydaan corrected from the self-insertion as Nia. “about what happened to Nia in Elpys?”

“If you keep up the quality impression, I might be out of a job.” Catrin took a drink from a water bottle. “Sometimes. It depends on what the director needs in a given session. Random ‘grunts and screams’ day is always a chore.”

Within the crowd, the Nia’s lamented the attention Zeydaan got from ‘mama cat’ so much that Morag overheard. Through the process of elimination, the wolf somehow had to be the mystery Nia. “If I found a quick kigu maker, we could improvise something.” She pretended that the comment was in regard to an issue within her costume rather than encasing Zeydaan. Once Zeydaan's back-and-forth with Ms. Huw concluded, Zeydaan made their way towards the room exit. “Brighid, keep the audience distracted. I have a wolf to catch.” Morag briskly walked in the general direction Zeydaan fled.

Brighid stood up to request the microphone. Taking major inspiration from the nerd next to her, she asked the cast a very pressing question. “Yes, I was wondering if Blades could beat a bunch of Bionicles in a fight.” She could kiss her ‘cool girl’ card away for this. “Malos is a lot like a Piraka.”

She passed a Studio Trigger booth, a Tracer cosplayer and a Transformers 3 Megatron statue in the pursuit. Failing to notice a Solid Snake, hidden in a cardboard box, led to Zeydaan tripping face first into a display of unsold Phantom Menace action figures. Morag grabbed a Jar-Jar themed skipping rope and brandished it as an improvised whipsword. “I’ve talked to every other Nia at this convention.” She turned on the inquisitor act instantly. “Why then are you trying to hide when you’re the most interesting Nia here?” Feigning a whipsword swing triggered a Nia whine from Zeydaan. “It’s almost as if you’re ashamed of your talent.”

“Where do you get off chasing me like a bloody psycho?” Zeydaan put their hands on their hips for additional ‘indignant Nia’ energy. “I’m minding my own business until you come after me like a bad Yank police procedural!” Morag flinched from having her authority questioned. “If we’re being critical of each other, you hardly have the body type to pull off Morag.” Zeydaan's tail swept Morag off of her feet. “How do you like it, Costume Jewel of Mor Annoy?”

“Brighid is the Jewel of Mor Ardain!” Morag shouted back defiantly. “If you don’t care, I can’t force you to! What I won’t stand is an insult against my work!” She slapped Zeydaan using one of her gloves. “Don’t be a smug arse and embrace your talent!”

“Talent? You don’t know the first thing about me!” Zeydaan nursed the impact zone on their muzzle. Thoughts drifted towards immobilizing the girl in the form of a body pillow or figurine. However, the heightened awareness adrenaline offers let Zeydaan appreciate Morag’s costume on a deeper level. All of the materials were correct to the official style guide way beyond any ‘made to order’ service, she had treated the outfit with a mix of scents to replicate the pleasurable environments of Xenoblade 2 and even the metallic elements were manually forged. Morag’s passion was radiating in the fury. “What did you mix to make the cloud sea smell?”

“It’s evaporated sea water over lavender.” Morag raised an eyebrow. “How did you notice?” Oh, canines have significantly enhanced senses of smell. She kept her grip firm on her weapon in case the question was a trap. “Don’t change the subject!”

Brighid strutted in behind Morag, clearly reeking of cannabis. “Jeez, you two were busy.” She picked up a MSIB ‘Naboo Accessories’ pack from the ground. “These things emanate despair.” The stand vender, George Lucas himself, shed a single tear. “Let me be blunt: my sister has spent the better part of a year trying to make her debut in this ‘scene’. My friend dropped out and you’re the pumpkin we gotta make into our third member.” She grabbed Zeydaan by the scarf. “Are you going to help voluntarily or force my hand?”

“Cinderella never chased anyone into a rack of Queen Amidala’s.” Zeydaan leaned back, narrowly avoiding Brighid’s vape exhale. Any shapeshifter knew the magnitude of a Cinderella comparison because it was the quintessential transformation fantasy. The idea of someone unremarkable magically becoming an idealized self was practically gospel. “You can’t simply bully me into playing Fairy Godmother!”

George Lucas interjected. “You may have gone too far in a few places.” George Lucas interjected. “Remember that only Sith deal in absolutes.”

Morag didn’t want her ‘debut’ ending in the form of meme ridicule on social media. She dropped her weapon first in a sign of diplomacy. “This wolf is allegedly capable of pulling off a character to complete our trio. Why would someone capable of becoming anything not bother embracing it?”

Brighid, feeling she had to add something, spoke up. “I screwed up and, like any other big sister, need to help fix the situation. Mary… I mean, Morag shouldn’t suffer because I’m a fuck up.”

“You still can’t force me to shift!” Zeydaan's attempt to retrieve the Monado only led to ire from the costumed lawyers. “I came here to distract myself from Nia! She’s my Butterfly Syndrome result that has sidetracked my life. Hear the Xenoblade 2 soundtrack? I turn into her! Play Smash Ultimate online against random players using Pyra/Mythra? I’m Nia by the end of the match!” Zeydaan's voice shifted between their’s and Nia’s rather unevenly. “I’m not doing this for her!”

“Which her?” Brighid raised her voice. “Are you talking about my sister or me?”

“I’m talking about Nia.” Zeydaan faced away from Brighid. “You wouldn’t get it.”

Brighid smirked, gesturing for Morag to follow her lead. “I guess you’re nothing like Nia at all. She’s…” Brighid quickly searched for a personality description. “knowledgeable about annexing Gromit?”

Morag tagged in to cover for her sister. “I believe what my blade is trying to say is that the real Nia wouldn’t let her problems close her off from others. She’s selfless and didn’t let her experience taint her core.” Her attempt to impersonate the voice actress cracked into her actual voice. “She wouldn’t abandon people in need!”

“Abandon those in need?” Zeydaan turned back to see that the entire crowd was staring at the disagreement. Hundreds of eyes watched waiting for Zeydaan to either elaborate or run away. Even if Zeydaan took the latter option, the guilt from failing to embody Nia at a critical moment could haunt the wolf. “I haven’t been living up to her ideal today, have I?” Most of the onlookers nodded. “I’m scared that I’ll end up stuck. Each time I let her takeover, it takes longer for me to return.”

“We’ll be a team, Nia.” Morag, still unable to maintain the ‘stoic’ Irish accent, rested her hand on Zeydaan's right shoulder. “No matter how we place, we’ll coax you back to ‘you’ afterwards.” She signaled towards Brighid. “Isn’t that right, partner?”

“Yeah, power of friendship or whatever.” Brighid shrugged. Zeydaan's lingering worry prompted her to continue. “I may know someone who specializes in undoing transformations. If Nia won’t leave quietly, I’ll take you to my expert.”

“Girls…” Zeydaan felt the positive energy flowing from the sisters into them. Nia wouldn’t back down from teammates and neither will Zey! “I’ll do it!”

“Maclunkey!” George Lucas clapped before signing a document. “Now get the Hell out of my stall or pay me for all the damaged merchandise.” Naturally, the trio bolted from the scene to find an area to plan Nia’s outfit.

“The rules explicitly state that the costume must be removable to allow judges to check for ‘presentation enhancers’. There’s mention of ‘shock search’ if deemed necessary.” Morag read from the rules off of the convention website. “Zey, will that scarf be enough material to make an entire costume?”

Under different circumstances, simple shocks meant to throw off a shapeshifting form would present no risk to Zeydaan. However, given the current emotional flux, a failsafe wouldn’t be uncalled for. “Could one of you get me a medium yellow zentai suit? They might also be sold under the name of ‘morphsuits’.” Zeydaan pointed towards a ‘Green Man’ cosplayer for reference. “I need something like that.”

“I’m familiar with the American show that popularized them.” Brighid broke off from the group to quest for the yellow-ish stretchy material. She wasn’t under any obligation to disclose how she acquired the garment.

“This area seems remote enough.” Morag took photos of the resting spot that she texted over to Brighid for reference. “This convention map is much easier than Genbu or Uraya, isn’t it?” Zeydaan chuckled slightly. “I do apologize again for coming on too strong.”

“No need to apologize, you were acting the part. Let’s bring that confidence back, shall we?” Zeydaan gently placed their two index fingers on Morag’s throat. A blue jolt of energy ran through the girl’s nervous system that caused involuntary coughs. Admittedly, Zeydaan's transformation escapades typically didn’t involve transforming others on the fly. Morag’s coughing fit soon dissipated to her relief. “Much better, don’t you think?” Her attempt to object sounded exactly like Morag’s combat banter audio.

“It’s that easily done?” Morag spoke into her phone’s voice recorder to confirm the altered voice in audio playback. Listening to the sound byte several times cemented the alteration’s effectiveness. She would definitely need to record a few lines for personal use after the contest. “I trust that these tweaks are only temporary? Unlike a boy my age, I don’t have the benefit of citing puberty for a drastic voice shift overnight.”

“Yes, the effect will go away once you focus on your original voice or go to sleep.” Zeydaan noticed their arm veins glowing an unnatural blue; a sign of incorrectly using transformation magic. Not wanting to discourage Morag through the admission, Zeydaan dropped their arms to the sides, covering the glow. “Arms up, soldier.” Morag happily assumed a T-position that showed where the fit still needed slight adjustment. Throwing caution to the wind, Zeydaan ran their left index finger down Morag’s spine making ‘head canon’ adjustments. Transforming someone else’s body, especially underneath a costume, proved more challenging. A few inches in height, enhanced muscle definition and slight fan service elevated the girl’s presentation. “Much better now, isn’t it?”

“Zey, I got your…” Brighid saw her sister’s altered profile and nearly gasped. The term ‘glow up’ hardly did the alteration justice. “yellow outfit.” She tossed over a loosely sealed plastic bag. “I had to persuade a ‘sexy Pikachu’ that our need was more pressing.” An announcement over the loudspeakers stated that all teams needed to queue in ‘Third Hall’ ahead of judging. “Can you make adjustments on the way?”

“Aye, give me a moment to get the base outfit on.” Zeydaan tore into the bag, violently shook out the garment and shoved both feet in at once in an effort to save time. One upside to the drenched fur from earlier was that the lycra spandex almost glided over the sleek fur. If ‘fluffed’, the fur would have proven much less forgiving. Skin-tight yellow material coated Zeydaan's front and sides effortlessly until the tail made its presence known. “Could one of you push my tail against my back while the other pulls up the material in back? I’ll handle the rest.” Brighid inelegantly pulled up the material fast enough that Zeydaan's tail hardly felt the compression. Zeydaan struck a celebratory stretch upon snaking their hands through the sleeves. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” The group started towards the queuing area, hardly noticing Zeydaan's changes.

Immediately, Zeydaan's tail began to shift into a more abstract series of shapes moving under the surface. Separation from the coccyx ensured no pain through the process of adjusting the tail for Nia’s cosmetic needs. Black fur from the tail migrated out onto the bodysuit forming dotted lines similar to sewing patterns. Bone and muscle wove a black belt around Zeydaan's waist tilted downward from the right hip. Red fur sewed itself in the hand-stitched detail on Nia’s belt that would certainly woo the judges. Three knife holsters formed without the accompanying knives because the group didn’t have the time for a ‘prop check’ detour. Plus, Zeydaan would need the iron from the blood in their tail for more pressing metal detail. “My tail as the basis for leather accessories? That certainly solves the tail problem.”

Taking a pile of liquid metal in their hands, Zeydaan sculpted the metal pieces for the belt assembly. Miming the motion of an arrow formed the clip binding the right strap to the primary belt. Next up for conversion was the belt buckle through mirroring a seatbelt strap motion. Bizarrely, Zeydaan found a half-eaten pretzel within the pile of metal. Not wanting to question how the leftovers ended there, them made the mode of it. Coating the pretzel in metal and a bit of material manipulation formed the elaborate belt ornament. Whatever biomass remaining from the tail migrated down Zeydaan's back in the form of a disarmingly charming leather pouch. Minimal blood staining was always a good sign when using one’s own body. “Remind me to check that before the judges do.”

“Why?” Morag slowed her brick pace to check the pouch in the back. On close inspection, the pouch simply felt like a leather purse popular among tourists and people who sincerely use ‘trading posts’ in the modern age. “It’s simply a small purse. Were you expecting eyes or teeth in it?” Zeydaan's grim expression indicated that both were a possibility. She was in too deep now for doubt! “Don’t worry about it, Nia. You got this!”

“Thanks, Morag.” Zeydaan's facial fur began almost blowing away from running towards the queue area. Whole clumps of grey and cream fur congealed at the back of their neck in the shape of a windsock. Zeydaan adjusted the scarf hoping to knock the source of drag loose. Instead, the hair integrated into the scarf as a matching off-white hood. Additional shedding of fur led to the scarf evolving into a partial cloak. An abrupt stop sent the hood forward to cover Zeydaan's head almost entirely. Zeydaan felt both Morag and Brighid’s hands keeping them from advancing. “Why did we stop? I’m going to lift the hood up.”

“Eda and Akko are fighting in the common area.” Morag coldly stated. Zeydaan could tell from the battle noises alone that this conflict was their fault. “It would be best not to draw any unnecessary attention.” On second thought, Zeydaan kept the hood down.

Reddish hairs from Zeydaan's hairstyle almost liquefied for the remaining detail work in Nia’s cloak. A bold red strap formed at the collar of the cloak ensuring support without looking like a bloody kitty-cat collar! Red trim flowed across the material until resembling a mash between a White Mage and a neko. Whatever remaining hair formed a novelty pair of false cat ears atop the cloth hood. Underneath, Zeydaan's face distorted in ways she couldn’t consciously remember. For one second, Zeydaan felt Luz’s facial features form in reaction to Luz commenting about the ‘cat-ical’ hoodie. Horrified at the prospect of unmasking mid-transformation, Zeydaan let reflexes kick in. The muzzle melted into ‘anime face’, eyes grew in stark contrast to an ever-shrinking nose and any canine elements softened into distinctly feline ones. The position of the proper ears tilted improbably to the exact sides of Zey-Nia’s head.

“I only want to ask where she got it!” Luz flipped up Zeydaan's hood despite Morag’s best efforts to stall. “Ooooh, shiny.” Nia’s silver hair shined brightly in the convention lighting. Whatever shampoo Zeydaan used on their fur was paying dividends in volume. Luz could have sworn that Nia’s eyes were reddish for a moment. “Where did you get the hood, kitty?” She flipped up her own cat hood for comparison. “Cats gotta stick together, nya?” A Blake Belladonna visibly shuddered at the feline stereotype.

“Oh, this old thing?” Zeydaan nonchalantly pretended the hood wasn’t merely moments old. Luz’s behavior showed that the excitable girl was easily distracted. “I got it long before you were born, kid. You’d need to travel to the ends of the Earth for a chance at one.”

“It must be legendary loot or something off of Etsy’s!” Luz tilted her head in confusion. “Regardless, it is super cute!” Eda flying through a pane of Star Trek stained glass cut the cat inquiry short. “I really should get back to helping my friend.” She leaned in to tell a secret. “There was this WEIRD wolf earlier that I’d hate to be when Eda finishes fighting my manga-ganger.” Luz tossed a light glyph towards the ground for a dramatic escape.

Zeydaan audibly gulped. “That was too bloody close.” Enough people rubbernecked around the magic fight that hardly anyone noticed Zeydaan's group resume their trek. This was the time for the reconfiguring transformations to make Zeydaan's trail go cold. An exaggerated exhale motion prompted Zeydaan's body to undergo selective shrinkage voluntarily. Dropping below the 1.525 m range made the budding feline feel more, lacking a better term, vulnerable. Settling at just shy of 1.48 m left them at canon height well below the 1.78 m of their team mates. “It’s almost annoying how tall you two are!”

“Did you hear something, Morag?” Brighid’s sister bullying instincts kicked in. “I could have sworn I heard something.”

“Don’t be like that, Brighid. She’s just scared from the height difference. Isn’t that right, Nia?” Morag’s hand landed on Zeydaan's head rather than the shoulder she intended to touch. Zeydaan nuzzled against Morag in response. “Apologies, I wanted to reassure.”

Outrage flooded Zeydaan's psyche with the fury of a wildcat! There was no way she would stand idly by… Oh, that’s the spot. Those silk gloves were so smooth against the scalp. “Not a word of this to anyone.” Zeydaan hissed after one more headpat. So far, the Nia-ness was controllable. “We need to pick up the pace.”

Running down the corridors exposed a unique problem for Zey: lack of shoes. Uneven floors from debris, grim and other minor hazards kept Zeydaan's eyes towards the ground rather than checking costume progress. Keeping up at humanoid speed in bipedal form truly strains an anthro’s feet. Without any other options, Zeydaan opted to shift the feet directly into Nia’s stylish boots. Reddened soles hardened into reinforced rubber that almost squeaked on impact. Zeydaan's heels grew out into arched heels giving the support the region needed. Beyond a few moments of scuffling along, Zeydaan found the flatfoot walking style much easier. The wolf’s toes angled upwards forming spike shaped solid boot toes. Fur vanished from the remaining skin on the feet that weren’t already part of the boot. Faster than Zeydaan could test sensation, the skin became canvas hiding the direct connection.

Taking a break from the feet, Zeydaan shifted their attention towards the core bodysuit tying the look together. Sure, other Nia’s were wearing spandex and Luz fell for it. That said, the actual Nia deserved a proper outfit in a gesture of respect. Zeydaan changed a patch of the lycra into a sample range of various materials. Wool? Not bloody likely! Leather? Zeydaan already had enough skin in this particular costume. Polyester felt the closest to what Zeydaan imagined Nia’s outfit feeling like. On a chemical level, the polyurethane fabric changed to polyester through binding to the stray carbon dioxide in the air. Pleats formed on the completed section that resulted in a ribbed coveralls appearance. Slight compression around the stomach, hip flaring and minimal breast growth generated Nia’s silhouette. Zeydaan's remaining fur, underneath the outfit, reconstituted into a lower layer of clothing unseen beyond the black collar with metal trim around their rapidly thinning neck. In practice, this additional garment functioned as a corset that further molded the body into proper Nia shape and function. Nia was definitely tipping the scales of control over the body.

“I suppose this is good for a start.” Nia slowly moved Zeydaan's fingers in a sync test. Satisfied, she focused on shrinking the hands down into daintier forms more appropriate for a healer-focused driver. Forming a pair of gloves from the fur and claws covered the less ladylike aspects of reforming one’s hands. Whatever remained material that remained unused burst out of the sleeves in the form of lace petal frills. Granted, a Demogorgon costume may have inspired the flourish. “Strange, do the monsters of this realm not have information bars?” Morag raised her eyebrows wondering if Zeydaan was this committed to character. “How can we be expected to avoid the riskier foes without knowing the risk?”

“A threat indicator? That would make pub dating much easier.” Brighid laughed, much to Nia’s dismay.

“What are you getting on about?” Nia’s crossed arms triggered her outfit’s next series of adjustments. The general forearm sections puffed up so noticeably that Nia adjusted her indignant pose. “People don’t date blades anymore unless they’re desperate or don’t know any better.” Crosshatched vambraces emerged from the area above Nia’s hands quite unexpectedly. Metallic caps along the ridge straddled the line between functionality and design overkill. Eager to test the armor, Nia got into an attack position. Morag instantly planted her hand on Nia’s head in a defusing gesture. “That tactic won’t work on me!” Nia could hardly contain her delight from the pet treatment. Muscles felt lax and loose like jelly…

“Zey, do you want to disqualify us?” Morag thought of a humiliating solution. “I’ll carry you if you won’t calm down.”

“Carry me? I’m not some wee kitten.” Nia stomped her feet until a sharp pain reminded her of the incomplete shift. Biting her lower lip, she formed the red uppers from the exact regions in the ankles that were hurting. Metal detailing accented around the heel made from the unnecessary bone for the structure. Exaggerated collars split along the tops of the boots automatically. Such wide berths were necessary for the largest lingering detail in Nia’s outfit by size: the greaves.

Nia lost her balance from the sudden shift in weight up from her feet. Landing on her rear caused her comrades to quickly stop. Large shin guards emerged from the boots looking closer to a football striker than fantasy armor. Spotting an opportunity to move up in the queue, a trio dressed like Mutant League characters surged ahead. Patterning matching the vambraces formed alongside the metallic and red-thread motif present in most other sections of the outfit. Morag and Brighid helped Nia stand up. “Those bastards think they’re so clever, do they? We’ll show them!”

“We’re actually in the queue now, Nia.” Brighid casually dumped the liquid contents of her vape on the back of the mutant leaguers ahead of them. She mimed a whispering gesture for her teammates to not comment. “Morag, do you want to perform a final check on our outfits?”

“Good idea, Brighid.” Morag felt touched seeing her sister take teamwork so seriously. Sure, dumping an unknown substance on a fellow competitor was dubious, yet it was a bonding experience! Morag went into an almost meditative state checking the critical parts of her costume. Satisfied with her own outfit, she glanced over Brighid’s outfit. Asking Nia for last-second enhancements in the open would probably result in a disqualification. For now, Brighid’s non-flaming costume would make do. Finally, Nia remained the ‘make or break’ wildcard for the trio. “Nia, don’t you have your chest accessories in a pocket?” A contest official made their presence known several groups ahead.

Nia felt a gap in her outfit after looking down. “Right, they’re in a pocket.” She hid behind Brighid’s dress in order to ‘put on’ the missing components. Running low on options, Nia opted to transform the convention badge into a loose definition of an armored breast plate more closely resembling a crown than functional protection. A necklace dangled from the piece holding three precious stones made from super-compressed carbon. The remaining halves of the badge lanyard wrapped around the arms to form matching armlets. Nia narrowly finished in time for the judge to register the group.

“Another Xenoblade group, huh?” The official snapped a photograph of Morag for continuity purposes. “Nia, will you please pose for me? We want to ensure entrants can’t simply change costumes on a whim.” Nia struck a pose perfect for a promotional render that the official quickly took. “Perfect. Since there are so many groups, what would you like to be introduced as?”

“We’re the Firebrands.” Brighid turned to show her good side for her photo. “That’s what the wiki said any group I lead should be called.” The official scribbled down the name on the entry sheet.

Costume Contest Stage: 14:23

A trio of people wearing cardboard boxes walked off the stage. “Let’s give it up again for Team #72 – Chardboard’s Counter-Packaging!” The main host did his best to play up three people flailing and making ‘space laser’ noises. “Team #73 is a deep cut that your dad will get…” Someone ran up to hand a card to the host. “I’ve been informed that a member of Team #73 smelled of a banned substance. They are disqualified!” Someone in the audience played the Benny Hill theme from their phone to mock the absent team. “Moving along, Team #74 calls themselves the Firebrands. Let’s see if they’re Strike Witch versions of Royal Navy strike fighters!”

Morag, Brighid and Nia entered from stage left to little reaction from the crowd. Morag almost froze in place out of embarrassment. Fortunately, Brighid elbowed her in the back enough to keep her driver moving. Whoever was running the music incorrectly picked a version of “You Will Know Our Names” for mood music. Nia ran to the center of the stage letting the audience take in her Nia-ness. Clapping started gradually and ramped up once people noticed how accurate she and Morag were. Yes! These people appreciated Nia the same way Zeydaan did!

“Those are very impressive costumes.” The host approached Nia and Morag for a small interview. “Tell us what steps you took to make these outfits!”

Morag blushed deeply knowing that her time had come. All she had to do was tell the truth! “I’ve been learning to sew on my own over the last few years…” Nia cut off Morag’s speech through grabbing the microphone.

“What makes ya think this is just a costume?” Nia’s behavior made the audience think a skit started. “I’m the best Nia here… apart from her original voice actress if she’s in the crowd.”

A grip, assuming a skit was unfolding, activated the host’s secondary wireless lapel microphone. “Tell us why should we consider you the best? We did have a Nia/Roxanne hybrid make similar claims earlier.” A spotlight highlighted someone in a mascot suit adorn with fuzzy legwarmers and layers of mammal ears. “Why shouldn’t we crown her the title of best Nia?” Nia jumped the host in the way her in-game counterpart would an opponent.

Morag knew that things had gone too far and the number of camera lenses in the crowd confirmed imminent meme status if she handled this poorly. Doing her best to maintain composure, she acted on instinct. “Brighid, the Gormotti before us was spotted alongside the Aeigis.” She hoped Brighid’s bluff skills mastered on mum would suffice. “We shall reprimand her immediately.”

“Yes, she would be prime bait for…” Brighid watched Morag mouth the name ‘Rex’. “Rex and his blade. His days riding on a turtle are over!” The duo pulled Nia off from the host in an exaggerated fashion. Brighid held Nia in her arms high from the ground. “Target captured, Lady Morag.” Nia struggled very much like a grumpy housecat. “What did you say she was again?” Morag whispered into her ear. “What even is a flesh eater?” Brighid whispered back.

“It's explained about halfway through, but one hundred hours of anticipation would probably lead you to guess that.” Morag strategically moved to obscure Brighid’s bewildered facial expression. She addressed the crowd directly. “Commence the neutralizing!” Morag performed the most serious form she could to pet Nia. “Who’s a good kitty? You are! Who’s a good kitty?” Shock in the audience changed to cheers about the fan service.

“There we go, the Firebrands!” The host regained his composure. “Let’s give them one last round of applause!” Team #74 promptly left the stage.

Fifty Minutes Later…

“Check you out, sis! You’re trending on social media as #CatladyMorag.” Brighid scrolled through various tweets. Morag put down the ‘2nd Place’ trophy for a moment to read the chatter for better or worse. “If you filter through the retweet bots and haters, there are some positive comments.”

“I do see a few opportunities we could pounce on.” Morag flashed her portion of the prize money. “This will certainly help fund my next costume idea.” She stared towards the trophy. “That is unless the first place winner shows up at the next convention.”

“You didn’t know that some bloke from Norway would make an animatronic dragon costume. I couldn’t even tell who his entourage was meant to be.”

Nia inserted herself into the conversation. “The dragon was Fun-Time Ridley and his partners were Joker Baby and Cyclone Joker… Baby. With proper prep, we’ll be able to beat anyone next time. Do you have any suggestions that would work for my ears?”

“Huh? Aren’t you going to revert to your original form?” Brighid questioned why a known shapeshifter couldn’t simply take on any form. “You remember the wolf, don’t you?”

“What wolf? I’ve always been Nia and always will be!” Zeydaan's acute case of Butterfly Syndrome had reached the logical conclusion where the character persona took over. The pageantry had reinforced the delusion to make it feel ‘real’. Perhaps, given enough time, another form would dominate Nia’s psyche. Morag and Brighid stared at one another knowing that their masquerade would likely need to persist for the time being.

The End..?