Intro: The Store at the Corner of Here and Nowhere
#1 of Christmas at Jen's
Sometimes you find just the right gift at the last minute.
Author's Foreword: Warning, folks. This thing is HELLA OLD. Just putting it up here to pad my gallery a bit (and because it's kinda hot at times). It's unfinished, so be aware of that before reading. Thank you, and if you enjoy it, well, maybe my future writing will be as good / better.
It was December 20th, and snow was falling throughout the city, the sidewalks and roads iced over. Everybody who was out now had either forgotten to get presents or made the mistake of waiting until practically the last minute to do their Christmas shopping. One of these people was a fairly short girl, no more than five feet tall, trudging through the snow bundled up in a thick coat and a red and yellow striped scarf. It was obvious even through the coat, however, that she was obscenely well-endowed, more than making up for her lack of height. Her hair was black and short, falling to just above her shoulders. Her broad hips swayed as she walked, drawing the attention of more than a few of the other late shoppers. But she didn't notice them, apparently too distraught to think of much else. She sighed, her breath condensing in mid-air in front of her.
"Geez... what am I going to get this close to Christmas?" She grumbled to herself, continuing on down the sidewalk. "Jen is so picky... I should have known I wouldn't be able to find something if I waited this late..."
The girl sighed again, sticking her hands deep into her pockets. As she walked, something odd caught her eye. Unlike most of the street-corner stores, which were covered in the still falling snow, there was one without a single snowflake on it. She stopped in front of it, looking up at it. It was a homely little brick building, completely devoid of any decorations or even windows. The girl raised an eyebrow, looking up at the sign.
" 'Damus's Shop of Rare and Exotic Items'?" She read, still looking at it oddly. This was... strange, to say the least. She was sure she knew practically every store on this street, but she had never come across this one. Odd as it was though, it brought a new glimmer of hope for her late shopping. There was bound to be something in here. She pushed open the door, walking inside quickly to get out of the cold.
"Hello?" The girl called into the store. It was dark on the inside, lit only by a few candles in the windows. She blinked and looked over at the candles again. Those windows weren't there a second ago...
"I wouldn't worry about that. The shop does what it wants." A male voice spoke from somewhere ahead of her. The girl turned to see a rather tall young man behind the counter, which, much like the rest of the store, was now oddly visible due to a light from somewhere on the ceiling. She blinked again as her eyes adjusted to the light. She shook her head afterwards, walking through the aisles up to the counter. On the way, she noticed the peculiar array of items that were on sale. A perfectly sculpted figurine of a nude fox woman-- a very well endowed one, she thought with a blush-- carved out of what had to be some sort of marble. On another shelf, a series of collars and other jewellery along with some other odd looking objects. She blushed even further and sped up her step as she realized they were sex toys. She finally came up to the counter, while thinking that it didn't seem like that long a walk when she walked in, and looked up at the young man behind it.
He was tall, but then again, most everyone was to her, so she thought nothing of that. She did notice that he was... quite handsome, actually. He had dark hair and hazel brown eyes behind a gleaming pair of rather stylish looking glasses, and was thin, yet somehow well-built. He was dressed in a generic black t-shirt and blue jeans. She actually found that they looked out of place in this odd shop, but she shook her head and looked up at him again.
"Hello, and welcome to Damus's Shop of Rare and Exotic Items. I, of course, am Damus." He stated calmly, looking down at her over the top of his glasses. He smiled down at her before continuing. "A little late for holiday shopping, don't you think?" He asked, a wry grin crossing his face.
The girl opened her mouth to answer, before pausing. She then looked up at him again with a slightly confused expression. "Wait, how did you know I was in here for holiday shopping?" She demanded accusingly, taking a step back.
The young man merely laughed, shaking his head. "Think nothing of it. It's just that when you've been doing this as long as I have, you learn to read people." He said, grinning broadly.
The girl looked at him again for a moment, then looked back into the rest of the shop. "Quite an... interesting... selection you have here." She commented. The young man's eyes gleamed almost mischievously.
"Only because it's what you wanted." Damus said simply. He then grinned again, laughing a bit. "Like that nifty little fox statue, eh Nikki?" The girl turned back around, looking up at him again, this time a bit angrily, though blushing deeply from his comment.
"What do you mean by that? How did you know my name!?" She demanded again, more than a little flustered. Damus merely raised his hands defensively.
"I didn't mean anything by it. But that's why you've never seen this shop before. It's here because you wanted it to be. You wanted a nice gift for your girlfriend, and based on what you wanted, this shop is here." He explained in a gentle tone, pushing his glasses up a bit on his nose. "And I know your name because it's my job to know my customers... and their desires." He finished, looking back down at her.
Nikki stared at him for a moment. Either he was just spying on her, or he really did know what he was talking about. And that would explain why she hadn't seen the shop before... she sighed and looked back into the shop. "Well then, Smart Guy." She began acidly, looking back at him, her anger still not quite subdued. "What do you recommend, since you know us both so well?"
Damus grinned. "I'm not the one to show you that." He then turned towards an open door in the back of the shop. "Star!"
Nikki blinked, looking over as well out of curiousity. She gasped and nearly fell over backwards when a husky's head poked around the corner of the door. She actually did fall when it spoke.
"Yes, Damus?" The husky-- a female, by the sound of her voice-- asked from the room. A second later, she stepped out of the room. Nikki's eyes widened as she saw the rest of her. She looked like something out of her wildest fantasies; a beautiful husky woman clad in a skimpy maid's uniform that did little to hide her absolutely enormous bust, barely even managing to contain it. Her hair was long and dark, falling towards her short tail and her plush, deliciously round rear and her eyes were bright green, shining with an energetic light. Her ears twitched visibly as she saw Nikki there on the ground, and with a loud squeal of excitement, she scooped the shorter girl up into her arms and hugged her tightly, squashing her face against her massive bosom.
"Yay! Customer!" The husky woman, Star, squealed again, twirling around in circles with Nikki still trapped in her grip. The girl's cries of protest were muffled against Star's chest, but her arms flailed wildly. Damus, who had sat back and watched with an amused grin on his face, now spoke up.
"Yes, dear, a customer. Now put her down before she suffocates." He said, laughing loudly. Star pouted and put a trembling Nikki back down on her feet, before the girl screamed and ran to one end of the counter.
"Sh-she... she can't be real!" Nikki shouted, pointing wildly at Star. Damus merely chuckled behind her. "Well, by that logic, neither can I." said a deep, powerful voice.
Nikki turned around slowly. Her jaw dropped as she looked way up at the massive black furred wolf male who was standing where Damus apparently once was. She opened her mouth to speak, but it merely worked without sound as she gazed up at the wolf. He was huge, his ears brushing against the ceiling. His body was covered in rippling muscle, from his thick neck down to his massive paws. His bushy tail swayed back and forth as he crossed his muscular arms over his thick, solid chest, gazing right back at her with a pair of glowing yellow eyes. He grinned broadly, and Nikki at once knew who it was.
"Oh yes, my dear." The wolf rumbled deep in his throat, chuckling. "It's still me in here. Now do you believe what I say?"
Nikki gulped, still unable to form a reply. Star giggled behind her and hugged her again.
"Let's help her find her gifts, Damus!" She said excitedly.
Damus chuckled again, looking back down at Nikki. Their eyes met again. "Yes, let's."