Do you Believe in Magic?

[Marky]

The red ball of energy froze when Steve presses his finger against the glass. It simply floated there for a moment, as if it were contemplating on how to deal with this new situation, when it suddenly burst into action and slammed itself against the walls of its confinement, creating a tiny crack. From there, it squeezed itself through the exit it made and flowed into Steve's hand as though it were water. A shocking, slightly discomforting sensation shot through his body, then.... Nothing. Despite being assaulted by a glowing sphere of burning red energy, he felt perfectly fine.

Steve pauses for a moment after the shocking, slightly discomforting sensation goes through his body. However, feeling fine afterward, he stands there in complete confusion. "Okay...why do I get a bad feeling about all this...besides the fact that I feel fine..." Frowning, Steve slowly looks around a bit, before starting to head back to the man up front.

[Mystic Mina]

Steve suddenly felt himself vibrating!... But it turned out to be his phone. After checking the caller ID, he saw that a business he was attempting to get a job at was calling him.

"Hello? Is this Steve? This is Isabelle, the receptionist you saw at Green Range? I understand that you applied for a job at our company and previous came in for an interview, correct?" A woman's voice rings from the device. "Could you please come in as soon as possible? We have come to a decision about your employment."

[Evra]

Rein looks at the necklace walking up to the counter he puts it down "uhh do you know what this says by any chance?" he asks pulling out his wallet either way he was gonna get the necklace

[Victorious]

"Ah, you're back, and you've come at a good time! I just finished today's itinerary for you. Don't worry, I made sure your first day of work is light so that you are not overwhelmed." The well-dressed magician says, oblivious to Paul's panicked state of mind and completely ignoring her question. "... Oh, could you close the door please? There's a cold draft coming in."

"Yes--well, thank you, but..."

The girl shakes her head again, closing the door--though less because he asked er too, and more because it decreased the chance of people seeing her...that and she was a bit chilled with this skirt. After years of wearing pants, the sudden chill to her legs wasn't helping her new feeling of vulnerability. Neither was the fact that everything was a bit larger suddenly, or her sudden lack of muscles...but you do what you can.
Also, with the door safely shut, she could feel free to raise her voice without drawing too much attention.

"What 'APPENED to me!?"

Motioning--as if it weren't obvious, she continues.

"Look--Samuel...I don't know what this all 's...maybe...maybe it is really magic, but I must've been out of my mind before--I can;t work for you, now turn me back!"

[Mystic Mina]

Samuel simply stood his ground and stared at the angry woman, his face frozen in an expression of perfect apathy for her situation.

"Excuse me for a moment, sir. I must attend to this matter." Samuel stated coolly as he removed himself from the back of the counter and slowly made his way towards Paul. Once he was within arm's distance, he drew the girl in and began to whisper into her ear so that Rein would not be able to hear. "Well, I believe it's obvious what happened to you. You were transformed by my magic. Now, I can turn you back, but unless you calm down and give me a chance to explain myself, I won't be able to help you. Is that understood?"

[Harri-chan]

Mandy sat motionless for a moment, taking a second or two to recognise the voice. Her head turned slightly, and her eyes widened behind her glasses. She blushed even more, her heart skipping a beat, and couldn't help smile, which of course showed off her braces. "Brian... ", she murmured. Peering down, she eagerly leaned forward on the edge of her seat, the lack of weight on her chest very noticeable as she bent down, and picked up the pencil before holding it out to him. "H-Here you go... ".

[Victorious]

Paul quiets at this, the sudden proximity of the man only underscoring the smallness of her new form.

"I--alright...but this had better be good."

Stepping backwards, she frowns, not looking any less distressed...but quiets.

[Mystic Mina]

"Hey, thanks... Man Dork!" Before Mandy could respond to the juvenile attempt at name-calling, Brian lightly bopped her on the nose with the eraser end of his recently acquired pencil, chuckling all the while. "Man, I can't believe you fell for it again! This is the third time this week!"

He turned around and gave a celebratory high-five to a jock friend sitting close by.

"These fresh fish never learn, do they?" He gloated as he triumphantly twirled his pencil around with his fingers. The same smile that made Mandy so happy in the present was now used to mock the poor girl.

---

"Good. Take a seat somewhere. This will take some time to explain." Samuel pulled up an old stool propped up against a nearby shelf and set himself down on it. The cold expression on his face warmed once he saw that Paul was calm, but not by much. "Some of what I will saw may sound quite far fetched, but I'm fairly sure you're used to the improbable being possible now."

"The moment you stepped into this door, I sensed something buried deep within you. I could tell simply by the way the mana in the air floated about you that there was hidden magical potential just waiting to be unlocked. So, using my talents and these glasses of mine... Don't ask me to elaborate on those, it's a long story... I discovered that you held the blood of a certain sorceress in your veins. This is a blessing for you! Normal men would have to spend their entire lives learning the art of magic, but you, with your heritage, can accomplish so much more! All it costs you is your gender... A small price to pay, in my opinion, and the process is completely reversible."

[Harri-chan]

Mandy's mouth fell open as he poked her in the nose and called her names. It must have been her teenage hormones, because she felt more attracted to Brian than ever, which made this even more upsetting. Just being his close to him made her heart race and her knees weak, while she couldn't concentrate or sit still. "That was mean....", she said in a low, ashamed voice as he smiled at her. Her wide eyes continued to admire him from behind her glasses, her head tilting a little.

[Victorious]

After a moment, Paul complies, carefully sitting down on a nearby chair. Very carefully, in fact, once she realizes that it is now possible to flash her underwear.

"A...a sorceress?"

As she listens to the increasingly fantastic story, the girl's eyes widen, staring at the man like he had told her that the world was made of mozzerella and the moon was a blimp.

"And...I'd need to be a girl? But why?"

She shakes her head, still clearly freaked the hell out.

"But...b'sides, I couldn't live like this. No one would recognize me...and I look like, maybe half as old as I am...And..and..."

She shakes her head again, trailing off into incoherency.

[Evra]

Rein nods to the man and turns around leaning against the counter looking around the shop waiting for the man to return before turning back around and picking up the necklace looking at it wondering what it says

[Mystic Mina]

Rein continued to stare at the necklace... And stare... And stare... Until, finally, he felt the accessory heat up in his grip. The foreign lettering on the back, as if it sensed his inability to understand, rearranged itself into words he could easily comprehend.

"Pray to the Valkyrie, and march forth into battle with confidence!"

---

Mandy was snapped out of her reverie by yet another familiar voice. This one, however, was one she hoped she would never hear again. It was a high, snooty voice she attached many memories of pain, sorrow, and torrent to.

"Brian, quit fooling around with the fish. They're hardly worth our time." Esper Gomez, the school's number one sophomore tennis player and Brian's girlfriend in high school, sneered as she leaned over and gave her lover a quick peck on the cheek with her lips. "Especially this one... What are you staring at, fish? You're not checking me out, are you?"

Esper was the adoration of the entire school. It seemed as though she had everything: Long dark hair, a full figure uncommon in girls her age, nicely tanned skin, and a sharp intellect. The only thing she seemed to lack was a heart... And Mandy was reminded of that fact every day by Esper's constant bullying. The girl, despite barely knowing Mandy's name, seemed to have a vendetta against her.

---

"And you won't have to. Once you're done with today's work, you will be able to remove that hairband and return back to your normal self. Besides, you will only need to work as a woman for four hours every other day for two weeks." Samuel put a comforting hand on Paul's tense shoulder, and the warm smile he used to greet her when she was a man returned to his face once again. "I'm sorry, but this is the only way you can fully utilize the potential locked within you. For reasons I'm still unsure of, only women are able to utilize the power of the sorceress to the fullest... Magic has many quirks, and it seems this is just one of them."

After finishing his hopefully explanation, he rose to his feet and offered her a hand up.

"There are many friends I know of who would give anything to be in the position you're in. What you have is a gift, not a curse. To not use it would be a waste!"

[Harri-chan]

Mandy knew she shouldn't be fearful of a teenage girl anymore, but the sight of Esper at Brian's side sent a chill down her spine. She nervously adjusted her glasses, her heart sinking as she once more laid eyes upon the beautiful, curvy, and popular girl. The quick kiss was like a painful stab to her heart, and one hand even pressed over her chest as she watched the two of them. "Stop calling me that... I'm not a... a... fish", she said, although her voice was trembling a little. The jealously and intimidation she felt at Esper's presence was quite a shock, and she was sure she should have better control over her emotions now. "My name is Amanda!".

[Mystic Mina]

"Ms. Johnson, there will be no shouting in my class. If I hear one more outburst from you, you'll spend the rest of this class standing outside, with DOUBLE the homework for today. Is that clear?" Mr. Bainsfield sternly ordered, his eyes staring figurative daggers in Mandy's direction. He ignored Brian and Esper, and for good reason. If he so much as shouted at one of these top student athletes, then the school would have his head on a silver platter.

"Way to go, Man Dork." Esper sneered, showing off perfectly clean teeth that seemed almost unnaturally white. "I bet you were late to class today because you were too busy making out with that girlfriend of yours... Christine, was it? Must have been hard with those metal monstrosities stuck in your mouth."

[Harri-chan]

Mandy could feel her emotions getting out of control. They'd been picking on her, but she got in trouble! She gazes helplessly at the teacher for a moment before letting out a sigh and her shoulders slump. "Yes, Mr. Bainsfield, sorry... ". Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she bit down on her back teeth as a little wetness stung her eyes when the gorgeous Esper continued to make fun of her. Her cheeks went red at the accusation of making out with Christine, and she glared at Brian for a moment as if she honestly expected him to stick up for her. "Brian... are you gonna let her say that stuff about me?", she asked, sounding genuinely hurt.