FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Plush"

It was with an exhausted sigh that Tyson picked himself up from the living room couch to answer the door. A quick glance to the clock told him what he already knew to be true; that the final roommate applicant had arrived. "Just a second," he yelled as he walked down the entry hall, regretting his decision to rent an apartment rather than live on campus. Tyson and his three friends had thought that life would be a lot easier for the rest of college if they just got a place off campus. No late night parties (unless they wanted), no noisy neighbours, and no unexpected surprises; at least until the first bill came. They had been lied to about the price, which, after the utilities were added, had been bumped out of their price range. So, with great reluctance, they had turned their small gaming room into a fifth bedroom for rent.

Tyson opened the door hesitantly, and was surprised by the result. In front of him was a short, Asian student with medium length hair, dressed up with a messenger bag crossing his chest from the right shoulder. Tyson raised an eyebrow, as the kid couldn't have been more than nineteen, and the person he was expecting was almost twenty-five. "Are you Kai?"

The student nodded his head. "Yeah, that's me. Do you mind if I come in?"

Tyson stood aside for Kai as he passed. "Sure, take a seat at the kitchen table. If you don't mind, I'll be right there, then we can get to the interview."

Breaking off as they entered the kitchen, Tyson walked across the tiled floor to the bedroom hallway, knocking on the first, and only, open door. "Greg, the final applicant is here, and he's a bit hard to believe."

Greg looked up over his laptop. "How so?"

"He's a short Asian dude who claims to be twenty-four but looks about the same age as Sal."

"Yeah freaking right, let me see."

Greg put his computer to the side and joined Tyson in the hall. Together, they walked into the kitchen and sat in the two chairs opposite Kai.

Tyson picked up the sheet of paper that he had left on the table. "So, your name is Kai Takeda, correct?"

Kai nodded. "Yes, that's right. I'm twenty-four years old and currently a graduate student studying fashion and costume design."

"If I may ask," Tyson stated flatly, "why are you studying fashion? You don't really look the type."

Kai sighed. "It wasn't my original intention. It was something my sister wanted to do but never got the chance, so I took it for her. I expected to hate it, but I found it suited me just right. A perfect fit, you might say."

Greg groaned and let his head fall to the table. "Or dear lord, you're a punster. I knew it was too good to be true."

Tyson shoved Greg in the shoulder. "Ignore him, he's an idiot. Anyways, Kai, I'm going to tell you this now: the interview is merely a formality. You're our final applicant, and unfortunately nobody else quite made the cut."

"Why?"

Tyson sighed. "Well, some were uncomfortable with living in a house with four other guys. Most couldn't make the deposits, and the rest were girls, which we don't have coverage for. Unless you can't make the deposits, or you have some extenuating circumstance, you'll likely get the room, but I will still have to discuss it with the other guys when they get home."

Kai shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well, there is something I should let you guys know about beforehand, just in case it's something you'd rather not deal with."

Tyson shrugged. "What, are you gay or something? Do you smoke? Do you have a weird disease we should know about? I mean, if you're gay, that's okay, but the add did specifically say non-smokers only."

Kai shook his head. "No, not that. It's just that I, well, I have a bit of a large collection. . . "

Greg cringed slightly. "A collection of what?"

Kai seemed to have gained an acute interest in his toes. "I have a fairly large collection of plushies."

Tyson took a few minutes to compose himself before replying. Toys, sure. Games or books, pretty common. But plushies? "Plushies? As in stuffed animals?"

Kai nodded solemnly. "Um, yeah. I mean, it's pretty big, but it would likely all fit in the room. I wouldn't bring them into the common room without permission, so you'd never have to see them unless you needed to talk to me."

Tyson and Greg muttered to each other for a few minutes before Tyson replied again. "I don't have a problem with it, but it does make Greg a bit uncomfortable, and I'm not sure how the others will handle it. I have to ask, though, why plushies?"

Kai looked almost heartbroken. "I mentioned my sister, correct? A number of years ago, just as I was entering high school, my sister got really sick. She had been preparing to go to college for fashion, but the diagnosis wasn't good. She made me promise that I'd get into fashion for her, and that I'd take care of her collection and add to it every once in a while. When she, uh, didn't make it, I made sure I followed my promise to the letter, and that means bringing the collection with me to make sure that it gets taken care of."

Tyson and Greg looked back and forth between each other and Kai, unsure of how to process the information. Tyson was the first to clear his throat. "Well, that's touching and all, but I still don't know how the others are going to handle it. Now, if there's anything else . . ."

Kai grinned. "Wait. Maybe there's something I can do to make sure you guys don't have an issue with me staying here."

Tyson raised an eyebrow again. "Such as?"

"I can pay my full year's rent, in cash, right now."

Greg's jaw dropped, and Tyson just sat stunned. "Well, that's definitely unexpected, and given the circumstances, I honestly don't think I can refuse." He held out his hand to the older man, "Welcome to the house. This, of course, is the kitchen, and we have a living room set up just to the right of the entrance. The TV is for everybody's use, but if you have something you want to watch, or a game you want to play, it's best to book the TV a few days in advance. You could also get your own, as we have cable lines leading to all the rooms, but none of us have bothered. Across the hall from the living room is the closet, where you can put your coats and shoes. We've let it go today, since you're just looking it around, but the general rule is no shoes past the entryway. There's a lot of carpet, and dirty shoes just make it that much harder to clean."

Tyson gestured to the door around the corner from the entryway. "That over there is Lee's room," he turned and gestured to the hallway on the opposite side of the kitchen, "and down that hall are Greg and Sal's rooms, as well as the bathroom for this floor. Next to the hall are the stairs leading to the second floor, where you and I have our rooms, and the back door, which leads to a small porch with access to the basement where the laundry machines are, and another door leading to the back yard. Upstairs, there's a much smaller common space, a half bath, and your room on the one side, and my room on the other."

Kai nodded. "Would you mind showing me my room, before I go?"

Tyson nodded. "Sure, why not? Follow me."

The stairs to the second floor ran along the back wall of the building, reaching the corner and continuing up along the side. Tyson led the way up the stairs and through the short hall that opened into a small common room. Along the common room's side wall there was another hallway, with two doors on the one side and a single door on the other.

"The room on the right is mine." Tyson said. "There's a small half bath on the left, that's the first door, alongside your room."

Kai cleared his throat. "Why is your room the biggest room in the house?"

Greg grunted. "It's the master suite, it has it's own bathroom. We all wanted it when we moved in, but Ty here won the draw. I still say he cheated."

Tyson swatted Greg again. "That drawing was fair and you know it."

Greg sighed. "Lucky bastard."

"Anyways, the second door is you room. Feel free to go check it out."

Kai opened the door and entered his room quickly. The room was bare, save a twin bed and desk along opposite walls. Kai moved to the headboard and rummaged through his messenger bag. Pulling out a brown plush lion, Kai set it on the headboard, patted it on the head, and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Tyson and Greg stood there, having watched him.

"So," Tyson said, "any questions?"

"Two, actually. The first is, well, I know you mentioned them during the tour, but what are your names again?"

Tyson chuckled. "Oh, I guess we never really introduced ourselves, did we? I'm Tyson, 21, and going into my final year in general science. This here," he said, thumping Greg on the back, "is Greg, 21, our resident football star. He acts all means and tough, but he's really just a softy."

Greg knocked the hand off his back. "Shove off."

Tyson continued unabated. "Anyways, the two you haven't met are Sal and Lee. Sal's 19, Black, and kind of a nerd, but we like him anyways. Lee is 20, and Native. He's here decently often, but he spends a lot of time at the school pool, swimming."

Kai nodded. "So, do I pay you now or when I move in."

Tyson scratched his chin. "Pay when you move in, Lee handles out money anyways. If you'd like, since tomorrow is a Saturday, you can move in any time after noon."

"Sounds good to me. I'll do that then."

Tyson led the way back to the front door. "So, ready to go, Kai?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll see you all tomorrow."

As the door closed behind Kai, Greg swore. "That guy is seriously weird."

Tyson sighed. "He is a bit quirky, what with the plushies and all, but he's paying his entire years rent up front. It's not exactly an offer we can turn down."

"I know, but still. He makes costumes and collects plushies, he's probably one of them furries."

"Now, Greg, you don't know that. And, if he is, so what? That's his business."

"I know, I know. It just . . . creeps me out is all. How he patted that lion on the head before he left, what was that about?"

"It's probably just a quirk, we all have them. Now, come on, we've both got more important stuff to do that worry about the idiosyncrasies of our new roommate."

"Been using that word a day calendar, I see."

"Oh shut it, Greg."

"Just up the stairs and it's the second door on the left, guys. Just pile them in there, I'll take care of it later."

Kai moved to stand by Lee at the kitchen table as two men began moving the pile of boxes from the back porch into the house and up the stairs. Lee was tall and lean, his short black hair perpetually spiky. He stood with his arms crossed, resting against the table, as he watched the movers do their job. On the table behind him sat a black lockbox. "Tyson said that you were bringing a large collection of stuffed animals, I honestly didn't believe him. I don't think he expected this many, either."

Kai shrugged. "I gave him warning, and I wasn't lying, they'll all fit in my room. You guys will never have to see them unless you spend time in there with me."

"Good." Lee turned and faced the new roommate. "I assume you brought the deposit you promised?"

Kai nodded, pulling a bag heavy with bills from the backpack once again slung over his shoulder. "Yep, it should all be here. Well, what I was quoted, anyways."

Lee accepted the bag and opened it. Inside were wrapped bundles of hundred-dollar bills. With a sigh, Lee counted the bundles before closing the bag. "That's all of it. How did you get that much money on short notice anyways?"

"I told you, I'm in fashion and costume design." Kai said, raising an eyebrow. "Good costumes can be really expensive. That's not even a fraction of my savings."

"I wish we were all so well off."

Lee and Kai turned as Sal strolled into the kitchen from the hallway. Sal was only a little taller than Lee, but the differences between them showed. Where Lee was thin and lean, with no excess anywhere, Sal was the opposite. While he lacked muscle, he was by no means fat, but seemed to visually fall somewhere in-between. At best, he looked average.

"So," Sal muttered, pulling a soda from the refrigerator, "this is our new roommate, huh?"

Lee nodded. "Sal, this is Kai. Kai, meet Sal." Sal reached across the table and shook Kai's hand. "Pleasure." Leaning back, Sal leaned against the counter as the three students watched the moving men run the seemingly endless steam of boxes up and down the stairs. "So, what is it you're here at school for, again?"

Kai chuckled. "Fashion and costume design."

"So, you would have to be rather decent at sketching out clothing designs, right?"

"Yeah," Kai nodded uncertainly, "I'd have to be in order to ensure that a design looks good before I even try to start assembling it."

"Oh, good. Good." Sal was nodding and mumbling to himself. He seemed almost lost in his own world when Kai's attention was dragged once again to the back doors by a loud cough. Standing there, clipboard in hand, was the head mover.

"My men just took the last boxes upstairs. If that's it, we'll be out of here, since you already paid in full".

"Excellent!" Kai said, watching as the two other movers descended the stairs, the one at the end wiping the non-existent sweat from his brow. Kai watched them go, his eyes locked to the final man even as the door closed behind him.

"Are you alright there, Kai? You seem to be fiddling with your necklace something fierce."

Kai flinched as if he had been jerked awake by Lee's statement, his hand letting go of the coin. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just nerves about moving into a new apartment. Just those last minute jitters when you realize all the things you've forgotten."

Lee's eyebrow rose. "You forgot something. From how many boxes you had, I didn't think that would be possible."

"Yeah, just some groceries." Kai moved quickly to the back door, his body quivering. "I'm just gonna run up town quick, grab some things."

"But didn't you park out front so that the delivery people could get as close to the back door as possible?"

"Oh, yeah, right." Kai was edging backwards with every word, as if trying to dodge the questions. "It's just, I think I forgot to tip those guys, and I'd feel guilty if I let them drive off."

"Okay. . . if you say so."

The door slammed shut behind Kai as he bolted out of the house, breaking Sal from his thoughts. "Hey, where did Kai go? I wanted to ask him about some help doing some character designs for my D&D game next week!" "He said he was going to get some groceries, but with the way he was acting," Lee sighed, grabbing a soda for himself and heading for the living room, "I really don't know."

It was dark before the back door slammed itself shut once again. "Hey, I'm back! Where is everybody?" "We're all in the living room!" Tyson yelled. "Why don't you join us?"

Setting his bags down on the counter, Kai made his way to the living room. All four of the housemates were lounging on the furniture, the TV showing the highlights of the football game. Lee looked up as he entered.

"So, where have you been? I thought you were just going to get some groceries?" Kai nodded. "Yeah, that was the plan, but I met an old friend uptown. We got to talking and spent a few hours catching up. He showed me around the town a bit. Did you guys know that you had a Build-A-Bear in town?" "Really?" Sal's attention dragged away from the TV. "I've lived here my entire life and I've never seen one in town. Is it new?" "Yeah. My friend sad it opened last week."

"So, what did you get?"

Kai blushed. "Um . . . how did you know I got anything?"

Sal let out a deep laugh. "With that collection of yours, I figured you would have had to. I mean, you don't need to show us, the other guys here probably couldn't care less, but I wouldn't mind indulging you this once."

"Sure, just give me a second." Kai disappeared from the doorway. A few seconds later, there was the rustling of plastic bags and Kai reappeared, holding a torso-sized gorilla plushie. The plush toy was a deep black, with brown tinges in the forehead. On it were a small pair of tan shorts, a white button shirt, a dark brown jacket, and a hat. "What do you think?"

Tyson looked up and eyed the plush. "Since when does Build-A-Bear offer gorillas?"

Kai fiddled with his necklace. "Apparently they partnered with the local zoo to raise money for some endangered species. I picked the gorilla because I thought he'd look best in the deliveryman outfit." Tyson nodded. "And why did you dress him up like a deliveryman?"

Kai blushed slightly, still fingering his necklace. "Two reasons I guess. I thought it would be a nice idea to commemorate my moving in, and because it was the only outfit that really suited him." Greg groaned. "Oh here we go with the fashion puns again!"

It was Lee who smacked Greg this time. "Oh be quiet. And sit up; let Kai join us on the couch. We had something to discuss with him, didn't we?"

Greg shuffled himself into a sitting position, leaving a space on the three-person couch between him and Lee. Hesitantly, Kai accepted the seat and looked around at his housemates. "Uh, is this something I should be concerned about?" Tyson cleared his throat. "No, no, not at all. It was just that Lee had an interesting idea, and I thought we'd pitch it to you and get your opinion on it."

Kai's body visibly relaxed. "So, what's the big question." Tyson looked to the younger Native kid. "It's your question, you ask it."

"You're in costume design, right?" Lee's face lit up as Kai slowly nodded. "It's just, I'm a big fan of Halloween. Every year since I was a kid, I always tried to make the best costumes that I could with my mom. It's something that we've always enjoyed doing. Anyways, there's this big Halloween party that the school throws every year, and I thought it would be awesome if you could make us all awesome costumes for the party!" Kai looked at the excited kid, stunned. "Well, uh, it's kind of short notice. I mean, what, Halloween is under two months away. That's a rather small amount of time to create five full costumes, and that's not even considering the costs of the materials, getting to know the local stores and their fabrics, and altering them for fit once they are completed."

Lee looked completely crestfallen. "So, that means you won't do it?" Kai shook his head. "No, that means I'm definitely going to do it. I love a challenge, and thankfully I don't have any commissions on my plate right now."

Tyson smiled. "Excellent! Thank you. We'll compensate you as much as we can for this!"

Kai shook his head. "No. You guys are my housemates. And besides, I'm doing this for my own pleasure. It'll be fun to do something creative without having to worry about what the buyer is going to think when it's done."

Lee's face was pure joy. "So, can we tell you our ideas for costumes?"

"Of course! Just let me know when you have them. The sooner, the better. That's assuming, of course, you all want me to make you a costume."

Kai surveyed the room, three of them nodding. The only on who looked hesitant was Sal. After a few moments, he sighed. "Sure, why the hell not? The worst thing that happens is that I have to wear an embarrassing costume for one day. And if it stops Lee from calling me a spoilsport for a while, it'll be worth it."

"Excellent, excellent!" Kai clapped his hands, still holding the plush in the crook of his arm. He stood, heading for the entrance to the living room. "I'm just going to go put my groceries away and get my stuff ready upstairs. I'm going to need to get measurements from you all to get started, so Sal, would you come and see me in my room in about ten minutes? It would be easiest if we do it one at a time."

Sal shrugged, and Kai walked out of the room. Everyone was quite until the sound of Kai's feet ascending the stairs passed over their heads.

Tyson smiled softly as he looked over at Lee, his face still glazed over with glee. "I told you he'd be willing to help, Lee."

Lee sighed as he let himself fall back into the couch, his attention once again reclaimed by the TV. "Yeah. You were right. This is going to be one heck of a Halloween."

September 28th

"And in continuing news, the whereabouts of the local delivery man who was reported missing a earlier this week remain unknown. His family continues to ask that if you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the police at 705 6-" "Hey, everyone, get down to the TV room!" Kai called out into the hallway as he flicked the television off, "I need your help with something, it's important!"

He stepped back into the room as he waited for his four housemates to file in. A good five minutes later, Sal arrived, standing beside his friends in the doorway. Placed in front of the couch was a large silver rack, with four opaque clothing bags hanging from it. "Kai," Sal grumbled, "Why did you have to go and wake me so early, and why in all that is good is there a clothing rack blocking the couch?"

Kai chucked. "Patience, patience, I'm getting to that. You guys did ask me to make costumes for you all, and I wanted to update you on how they were progressing." He began flipping the coin on his necklace as he talked. "So, Sal, since I woke you up, and I do apologize for that, how about we see your costume first?" Sal nodded hesitantly, and Kai stopped toying with his necklace to unzip the third bag on the rack. Slipping the hanger out of the bag, he stood to the side as he presented his work, although there wasn't much to see in terms of quantity. At the top of the hanger, two wide straps of leather hung down, connecting in a 'y' shape before looping around and connecting similarly on the back. The leather was embossed, weathered to look old and well worn. A large metal shoulder pad lined with fake fur of whites and greys attached to the right strap at the top, and a leather and fur bracer hung off the left side, attached simply by a white string. Hanging below on a white string was what looked to be a mass of white and grey fur, although glints of silver shone through. It was shaped into a roughly triangular form, attached to a similar, although far form identical shape in the back.

Kai smiled as he heard everyone gasp. "You said you wanted a warrior or barbarian look, I'm hoping this will do. It will definitely take some courage to wear this thing in front of everyone at the party, but the way you act you could definitely pull it off, man! A frozen warrior of the north!"

Sal blushed despite himself. "That's not a lot of clothes for the end of October. And . . . that's a rather skimpy bottom . . ."

"No, no, don't worry about it," Kai hastily worked to reassure him, although he began to nervously rub his necklace again. "There's still a lot of work to be done on it. A number more accessories, some leg guards, and some under-costume work so that you can seem as naked as such a warrior would be without actually being naked. You'd be amazed at what I can do with a needle and thread." "Well . . . if you're sure. Though, I'm kinda amazed now."

"Just hurry up and show us the rest of the costumes, we're dying over here!" It was Lee, excitable as ever, nearly bouncing on his feet. Tyson and Greg were eyeing him warily, worried that if Kai didn't move on soon the Asian kid would be flattened to the floor by the stampeding Native. "Fine, fine, don't let me gush over my work, I'll move on." He carefully replaced the barbarian costume into its garment bag and zipped it up, moving to the fourth and final bag on the rack. "Greg's up next, and I hope he likes what he sees."

Like Sal's hanger, there wasn't much on Greg's, and less so in terms of fabric. Hanging in individual plastic bags were what looked to be small pieces of latex matching Greg's skin tone. Behind them hung another mass of face fur, this time in dark brown. "You asked for a werewolf, Greg, but I haven't been able to put as much effort into this as I have into the others, yet. Yours takes a lot of time, and molding to make sure it all fits on you perfectly, so that nobody will be able to tell that you aren't some hulking brute in mid transformation."

Greg grinned. "Just do good work, and I'll be happy." Kai nodded. "I will, don't worry about it. We still have a month until Halloween, plenty of time for me to finish. Next up . . . how about Tyson?"

Tyson laughed as Lee's face sunk. "Bring it on, costume man, I gave you free reign on mine!" "Yes, yes you did, and hopefully you'll be impressed." Kai muttered, more to himself than to Tyson, as he pulled a long white outfit from the bag. On top seemed to be a long white overcoat. Square cut shoulders, a semi-fitted taper, and a flare into four points at the bottom. The entire outfit was trimmed in baby blue and black with a purple accent near the collar. Rather than a zipper or buttons, the entire jacket seemed to be closed as the chest with a large, jewel-like clasp. From the length, it look as if the points of the flare would reach just above Tyson's ankles, while the peaks between the points would lie at his knees.

"It's nowhere near finished. There's an undershirt, as well as a pair of pants to go with it, alongside the accessories. Sorry, I've wanted to make this costume for a while, and you have the facial structure for it. I will have to get you to wear a wig for full effect, but it's not that big of a deal."

Tyson shrugged. "Looks good to me. Like I said, you have free reign. Now . . . you'd better get to Lee, fast, before he tears your arms off for keeping him from his." Everyone laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Kai put the long coat away and finally moved to the second bag on the rack. I've worked on yours the most, Lee. It's almost done, although it will need some final adjustments in a few weeks, just to make sure it fits perfectly. Between then and now, I probably won't work on it much, just so that I can get everyone else's done, and-" "Just get to it man! Don't make me open it for you!" Kai waved his hands. "Okay, okay." He unzipped the bag and pulled out the costume. It was huge, how it had fit into the costume bag was anyone's guess. It was a fully body suit, covered in light brown fur. The costume pulled tight into itself, presenting a slim figure despite the mass of fake fur attacked to it. Long arms ended at the wrist, full hand gloves hanging from a pin holding them to the sleeve. Similarly, the legs ended at the ankle, a pair of slim boots attached in the same manner of the gloves. Both had individually partitioned fingers and toes, webbing between them, and small claws on the ends. Rougher patches of material could be seen on the inside of the palms and at the ends of the fingers. Finally, a long, flowing tail was attached to the back of the outfit.

Lee looked elated. "You actually did it?" Kai nodded. "You wanted a costume where people wouldn't recognize you. You didn't disapprove when I suggested it in the first place, so I went through with it. You didn't specify an animal, so, since you're a swimmer, I thought a costume reflecting that would be perfect." He reached beside the couch and pulled out a large object, also covered in fur, although much shorter fur. It was a head, somewhere between that of a realistic and a cartoon otter. Just enough cartoony features to make it welcoming, but not enough that it looked out of place in comparison to the semi-realistic body. Lee hurriedly snatched it and dropped it over his head. As he laughed to himself, the lower jaw of the head moved, in sync with the jaw of its wearer. "The jaw is hinged so that speaking is easier and seems more natural coming out of the mouth. The head will be a bit tight, I tried to keep everything more proportional than you often see, so you're actually seeing right out of the otter's eyes.

Lee laughed once more before taking off the head and handing it back to Kai. "That's amazing! I can't believe you made that in only three weeks!" Kai blushed slightly. "Yeah, well, you're definitely the Halloween kid around here, and I don't think these guys would let me live it down if I didn't make the best costume for you."

Carefully, he put the otter suit back into the bag, and zipped it back up. "That's it guys. You all seem rather pleased with your costumes so far, but they are far from complete. We still have a lot of work to go, and I'll likely need to see you all a few more times for some extra measurements and discussions about them."

Lee stopped hopping in circles and eyed Kai. "But where's your costume?"

"Now, dear Lee, that's a surprise. By Halloween, I'm sure you'll all have seen it. I assure you, it's already complete, and rather fantastic."

Shooing them away from the doorframe, Kai rolled the rack out into the hall, the otter head in his left hand. "Sal, would you mind helping me take this rack upstairs? Bring it down is a lot easier than taking it back up, and I need to talk to you about a few details for your costume. I think it's the one I'm going to try and finish next.

"Sure." Sal followed quickly behind the Asian student and hoisted the rack onto his shoulder at the staircase. "Anything to help you make the best costumes you can."

The three remaining roommate watched from the common room doorway as Kai followed Sal up the stairs, once again fingering the necklace. Pushing off the wall with a grunt, Greg dropped himself onto the couch. "Looks like I was right, he is a furry." Lee hopped down next to Greg. "So what? He's making us all awesome costumes, and mine is amazing!" "He's making you a damned fursuit!"

"So?"

"Nothing, I guess. Just didn't know you were into that kinda thing."

"I'm not," Lee pouted indignantly. "At least, I don't think I am. I'm pretty sure I'd know. But an awesome costume is as awesome costume. That looks way more detailed and realistic than those images online. Looks snug, too. Maybe you'll see some of me through all that fur!"

"Like we haven't seen enough of you in your speedos at the pool."

Tyson grabbed the remote and flicked the tv on, the news just ending as the channel switched over to a re-run of The Simpsons. "Personally, I think I could see more."

Greg sputtered as Lee burst into laughter. "What, you both know it. Not like I hide my eyes anymore. It's been a few years, after all. Now, who wants to play some Mario Kart after this is over?" "Aww, why can't we play now!?"

October 10th

---

** **"Hey, Tyson, can you grab my toast while you're up?"

Tyson nodded, closing the fridge as he stood up, carton of orange juice in hand. Grabbing Lee's toast as he moved past it, Tyson took his seat at the kitchen table, placing the orange juice in the center and passing the toast to its owner. He placed a piece of French toast on his own plate just as Kai joined them all at the table.

"So, ready for reading week, Kai?" Greg questioned, mouth stuffed with eggs. "Going anywhere special?

Kai shook his head as he began loading food onto his plate. "Not really. Don't have much family to go home to, and I have some commissioned works to get done, so I'll be staying here all week."

"That's too bad."

"Not really." He shrugged, looking around the table. "I've been focused on your costumes for the last little bit, and I've neglected my paid work for too long. I need to try and get as much of it done as possible so that I can finish your costumes off before Halloween."

The four of them sat in silence as they ate. With a loud sigh, Lee rocked back in his chair, pushing his empty plate forward on the table. "That was delicious, Greg! Thanks so much for breakfast. I should really get to swim practice before class." He stood, grabbing the small bag behind his chair. He paused next to the back door, a look of confusion on his face. "Has anyone seen Sal? He's not one to miss Greg's fantastic breakfasts, and I feel like I haven't seen him for a little while."

Kai began fiddling with his necklace. "Oh, I completely forgot to tell you. Last weekend, when you guys went to the movies, Sal told me that he was heading home a week early. Something about an extended family vacation."

Tyson nodded. "That sounds like something his parents would do. Thanks for holding out on us, man!"

"Sorry!" Kai held his hands up in mock protest, "I've just been so busy that I forgot to mention it. Anyways, Lee, you'd better get a move on or you'll be late for practice."

Lee jumped. "Crap! Thanks, gotta run, guys!"

Greg coughed, looking Tyson in the eye. "So . . . Mario Kart before class?"

Tyson glared back. "Mario Kart before class. Kai, do you want to come play with us?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm going to clean up in here, the get some work done before class. You guys enjoy yourself."

Tyson followed Greg, pausing at the living room door. "Thanks for cleaning up, Kai. See you after class." "Yeah, see you later."

October 31st

"Oh, this is just so cool!"

Greg was racing around the room, bits of fur on his arms and neck making the appearance of a man in mid change to a werewolf uncanny. The prosthetic work that Kai had done was absolutely perfect, and the last minute makeup job made it impossible to tell where Greg ended and where the costume began. Tyson sat back on the couch, watching the show. His almost fully white outfit was bright even in the fading light of sunset. Accompanying the costume was a new wig, almost as white as the costume itself, long enough to reach well past his waist, and tied with a blue band just before the end. "You look great, Greg. I can't wait to see how Lee looks in his . . . wow."

Tyson's mouth fell open as Lee walked into the room. Kai had been right, there was no way that anybody was going to recognize the kid in that costume. It looked far better than when he had first seen it over a month before. The longer brown fur had been trimmed short, though not as short as that on the head and brushed down, leaving a sleek shine to the body. The head looked almost identical, with a few minor adjustments to bring it in line with the slimmer body. The suit itself clung to the form underneath, the barest hint of the lean muscles that Tyson knew belonged to Lee. Lee coughed, the hinged jaw moving so well that the effect was uncanny. "How do I look, guys?"

It took a moment for Tyson to collect himself. "Damn, you look nice for some kind of otter-man. Tyson really pushed the boundaries for your costume."

"Right you are, Tyson, right you are." Kai rounded the corner, clapping a hand on the otter's shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse us for a few minutes, there are just some last minute touch-ups I want to do on Lee's costume." He began fingering his necklace. "Why don't you guys head out and we'll follow in costume."

Greg nodded. "You guys go do that, then. We'll meet up at the University. In front of the cafeteria, maybe?"

Lee nodded. "Yeah, we'll meet there in a few. Now get going." He turned to Kai, "And you, let's get upstairs so you can finish me up and we can join them at the party!"

As the footsteps on the stairs began to fade, Tyson pushed himself off the couch and clasped his arm around Greg's shoulders. "Come on, lets get out of here. I'm dying to see if anyone has costumes as awesome as ours."

Tyson stopped to slip on the white shows Kai had bought for the outfit and Greg pulled open the door. Looking around the entrance, he couldn't see them. "Crap, sorry Greg. Looks like I left the shoes up in my room. You get started walking, I'll be right there."

Turning from the door, he jugged up the stairs and through the hall to his room, throwing the door open. The shoes were right there, in their box, in the center of his bed. As he reached for him, there was a buzzing in his pocket. He pulled out his phone: an unknown number. "Seriously, this is the fifth time they've called today. I'm going to give them a piece of my mind!"

Tyson slammed the answer button, raising the phone to his ear. "What do you want, you've been calling all day!"

"Tyson?"

"Yes, and you are?"

"It's Julia. Sal's mom."

Tyson cursed inwardly. "Oh. I'm sorry for yelling. I didn't know this was your number."

"Oh, don't worry about it, dear. But I do have a question." She sounded worried. "How is Sal doing? He hasn't been answering his phone at all, and we're worried."

Tyson paused. "What do you mean? He's been with you. I thought you guys decided to go on a long vacation?"

"What? No! We were going to go on a short one when Tyson came home for reading week, but he never showed up. All we got was a text saying that a bunch of stuff had come up at school and he would have to stay there to finish it all. He said he knew he wouldn't be able to do it if he was on vacation."

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Tyson mumbled, trying to finish the conversation quickly. "I'll look around town, but I haven't seen him. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Thanks dear, I apprec . . . "

Tyson hung up, shoving the phone into his pocket. He paced across the hall and threw open Kai's door. "Kai, Sal's mom called. She hasn't seen him since before reading week, but you said he . . . "

He stopped dead just past the doorway as his mind registered what he was seeing. Laying on the bed was what looked like a plush version of Lee's costume. What before had been thick fur now looked like plain blown fabric, the seams on the limbs plainly visible. The illusion was shattered, however, but the head. The head remained as Tyson had last seen it, covered in fur, although the point at which it attached to the body was slowly receding as a needle slowly moved up the neck, stitches appear and the fur changing to fabric as it progressed. The still furred head was lolled back, and the jaw moved as Lee moaned, not in pain but in seeming pleasure. At the foot of the bed Kai stood, fiddling with his necklace.

Tyson turned to run from the room as Kai's head snapped up. "Stop." Tyson halted in his spot, halfway turned towards the door. Try as he might, he couldn't force himself to move. Tutting slightly, Kai moved past the frozen man and closed the door again, this time turning the lock. "That's what I get for thinking that you'd actually leave. I should have been more cautious than to trust that the effects would be infallible. I had only planned to turn one of you today, but I guess you'll have to go, too. It will be harder to get Greg to believe, but I'll just have to make do. After all, I can't expect you to just stay silent."

Tyson tried to yell out, but all that escaped his throat was an angry groan. "Oh, please don't try to talk. I'll let you have your say in a little bit. But first, I need to finish up with your friend here. Then, and only then, will I give you your turn."

Kai turned back towards the almost entirely plush otter and began turning the coin on his necklace again. The needle sprang to life, slowly working its way forwards as Lee's moans began again. The moans, however, quickly stopped as the costume's muzzle turned to fabric. The needle worked its way up to the ears, then descended down to finally work their magic on the eyes, which glossed over, leaving a plastic shine. Letting go of the coin, the needle fell to the side, lifeless. "Just a few more touches, and you'll be nearly complete." With a flourish, he pulled a pair of black speedos from his back pocket, followed by a pair of goggles. "I don't think you'll mind, but I stole these from your room earlier. After all, what's a good otter without some swimming hear?" He slipped the speedos up the plush's legs, and snapped the goggles into place on its forehead.

With a snap of his fingers, the human-sized, humanoid plush otter began to shrink. Within moments, Kai bent to pick the plush up, now only a foot from head to toe. "Just one final touch," He said, picking up a new needle in his other hand, already threaded with a brown that matched the colour of the otter. Moving to his desk, he rummaged through a bin and pulled out a small plastic feather. He deftly sewed it into the back of the plush otter's scruff. "There now, perfect. We can't go and forget your heritage, after all!"

He moved back to the bed, setting the otter next to a plush anthropomorphic fox. The fox was half again as big as the new otter, and a silver-grey in colour. Unlike the otter, the fox's body seemed to be made of very short fur, giving is a fluffy appearance. "Now, just stay there with your friend, while I deal with the intruder."

Tyson tried to talk again, although his mouth refused to respond. He glared at Kai. "Now, I said you'd get your say, I didn't say I'd let you talk just yet. Just one moment." Tyson watched as Kai left the room, to return a few minutes later. Once again, he locked the door behind him. He waved his hand. "I had to make sure we wouldn't be interrupted, and that you wouldn't be heard if you decided to yell. Greg is gone, so there's no point. You can talk now, but you won't be able to move."

"What the bloody hell are you!?"

"Now _that's_a good question!" Kai waved his hand. In an instant, the Asian man that they had known for two months vanished, and in his place stood an anthropomorphic ferret. What little of his fur could be seen past the clothing was coloured black and tan, with white ringing around the edges.

"Wha . . . what? How? Why!?"

"More good questions, you really ARE on a roll today." He paused, gesturing around the room to his collection. "I told you I had a large collection of plushies, and I told you the truth, though not all of it. Every piece in my collection is just like your friend, they used to be a living person. Now, they adorn my walls, my bed, and even collect dust in boxes.

"As for the how, I didn't lie to you, either. The collection, and even my powers, came from my sister, just like I told you. You see, magic isn't new to this world. It's been around for at least a century, maybe a bit less. But it IS rare, especially magic is powerful as hers. She started this collection, turning people who pissed her off or scorned her affections. But, she got sick. As she was dying, she made me promise to continue her work, and she passed her powers onto me. But I wasn't intended for her powers, and they changed me. It was only after the change that I found I could contain them using a focus, this little necklace. A shiny coin, doesn't it just fit a ferret?"

He chuckled quietly. "As for the why, well, that's a bit more complicated. My sister used her powers to change people that angered her. Not all ended up in stuffing. Some ended up with far worse fates. But me, I do this for a different reason. Not everyone should have been born human. Some people, well, some people just should have been born as beasts. Take that deliveryman, for instance. Yes, yes, you're just figuring out that he was that gorilla I brought home, aren't you? He really should have been born as such. He was so brutish, a real muscle head and not very intelligent. He hasn't shut up since I changed him, either."

Tyson startled. "Wait, does that mean?"

"Yes, Tyson, they are all very much alive. I don't kill them; I just make them as close to their true selves as I can. But, you see, if I just changed them into their true selves, they could get themselves hurt, or killed, for being wild animals. So I turn them into plush, and that way, they'll live forever."

"Forever trapped, you bastard." "Mild side effect of being what they always should have been." Kai shrugged. "Then again, that doesn't apply for everyone. Sometimes, I turn lovers that I never want to lose. Sometimes, like with the deliveryman, decide I just want to turn them because I think I like what they'll become before I know what that will be.

"And sometimes, like with you four, I do it for fun."

He paused, picking up the fox from the bed. "Sal didn't have something he should have been, so I took inspiration from what was around me. I turned him the night that I showed you guys your costumes. The fox was an inspired choice, I must say, and I took his fur colour from the fur I used in his warrior costume, not that he ever got the chance to wear it. Like I said, Lee was an otter, through and through. He wasn't hard at all, it's why I pitched him the otter suit in the first place. Just made the change progress all the faster. Greg will be like Sal, I didn't see anything from him. But you, oh you. I didn't want to check you until I changed you. You were going to be last. Well, best we get that over with now."

The ferret lifted the coin to his right eye, closing his left. "Well, well, well. What have we here? Now this is going to be fun." Dropping the coin, he grabbed it at the chain's full length and began to fiddle with it. "Now . . . strip."

Against his will, Tyson began to strip. "What? Why am I listening to you? How are you making me do this?"

"Magic empowered hypnosis. It's a little skill I developed to make the process easier and to help people forget what I had done. Why do you think you couldn't remember that Sal was missing? You never even noticed he was gone until Lee brought it up, and nobody thought it odd that he never came back.

"Now, since you're fully stripped, get on the bed." Kai followed the hypnotized Tyson as the man lay down on the bed, his legs left hanging to the floor. Kai picked up the needle from where it had fallen after completing the otter and bent down to Tyson's feet. "You, now you, I think I'm going to do myself. This won't hurt a bit. Actually, it might just feel really nice."

Tyson waited for the sharp pain of the needle, but found none. In his shock, it took him a few moments to notice the growing warmth in his left foot. He couldn't feel his big toe anymore, and it feel like the rest of his toes were thickening. The heat moved backwards, towards his heel, and it felt like his foot was getting longer and shifting position. Rather than continuing upwards, he felt the heat begin on the other foot. Then, the heat began to move upwards, getting stronger. He couldn't describe it. Although it felt as though his shin was shrinking, the heat stayed strong, never burning, only feeling like he was resting his leg in front of a fireplace. Calm, peaceful. Then the heat crossed over his knee, and Tyson could see the changes being wrought upon his body. Where his knee had been, there was now very short, fine black fur. It shone, almost having a reflective quality. Kai peaked his head above the bed, smiled, and ducked back down, the heat now continuing up his left foot once again. Tyson appraised his body. Where the fur met his skin, there was no seam. It seemed as though the fur was just an extension of him, as if his body had just decided from that point onwards to stop producing skin and instead produce fur. The changes in his knee brought the rest of the leg upwards, just enough for him to spy a four toed paw. The ferret peaked once again over the bed. As he dug the needle into the knee, Tyson could watch the change occur. Just as it had for Lee, he watched the fur slowly encroach over his skin, keeping pace with the needle. As it moved, a seam ran along the inside of his thigh, quickly covered by the fur so that it was barely visible. The change was slower than it had been for the otter. Tyson guessed that it had to do with the fact that the needle was converting flesh to plush, rather than from a costume, and the fact that the ferret was doing the change himself, rather than trust his magic. Every so often the ferret paused and sighed, looking over his work. Occasionally, he would undo a few stitches, and while Tyson didn't feel the heat recede, he did see the changes in his leg shift slightly as the needle works its way over the area once again.

And through it all, the fire in his legs kept building. He kept waiting for it to hurt. At first it had been odd, but as it grew, he couldn't describe it. He didn't want to describe it as pleasure, but he couldn't deny that it was akin to the sensation. He wouldn't admit it, he wouldn't give the ferret the satisfaction, even if he could feel his body reacting exactly how he didn't want it to. As the needle reached the top of his thighs, the ferret finally raised his muzzle once again, smiling at the sight. "Ah, now. Guess the pleasure is getting to you. Don't even try to deny it; I can hear you arguing with yourself in your mind. I could hear you mind as soon as I started changing your foot. You've always been pretty open with yourself, so let me be a bit open you and give you a little hand there."

He could feel the otter's furred hand grip his sex and he shuddered, the pleasure he had been feeling no longer ignorable. He growled through his clenched teeth. "Get your fucking hand off i. . . " His words were cut off by a wave of the ferret's free hand. "Silence. You'd better get used to it. You won't be talking for much longer anyways. I'm just trying to give you some pleasure first."

The ferret set the needle to the side, gripping Tyson's ball in one hand and running his other hand across Tyson's butt. Licking his lips, he slowly lowered his head over the human's penis, wrapping the tool in his long tongue. Tyson tried to arch into the ferret's maw, but couldn't move his body an inch, and settled for stuttered moans. The ferret was kneading his balls gently, pleasure coursing through his body. He could feel release coming quickly, but the otter stopped suddenly, removing both his hands and his mouth. "Oh. Oh! You've never had sex before, hand you? That just made this so much more interesting." He grabbed the needle, holding it tentatively over the sensitive organ. Sharply, he pricked the needle into Tyson's balls. Tyson gasped, not in pain, but form the sudden rush of pleasure that surged through him with every stitch of the needle. He could see the black fur as it curled around his balls. As the ferret began working the needle up his penis, he could see the black fur wrapping around it, attaching it to his stomach. But, not long up his shaft, the fur stopped, and his penis itself began to change. It began to taper, sharp spines forming, and the entire organ turned a bright pink. It looked to him like plastic, an assumption the ferret put to the test by squeezing it, sending waves of pleasure coursing through his body. "Semi-hard silicone. Kinda what you'd expect from a dildo, not that you'd have any experience with that. At least, not yet." The grin was almost devilish on the ferret as he looked downwards, towards his ass. The ferret stuck a finger on his left hand into his mouth, sucking on it for a minute. Pulling it out, it was slick with saliva. With another devilish smile, he placed it against Tyson's hole and pushed, sliding it slowly in to the knuckle. Tyson groaned at the intrusion, half in pleasure and pain. The pain was soon override by the pleasurable heat of the needle's work, as his ass began to change to fur, the glistening black now coating him from the hip down. The ferret removed his finger and gripped the now firm ass. "Mmm, I'm going to enjoy that later. You will too, I guarantee it."

Tyson wasn't expecting what happened next. Both his friends remained humanoid, despite their animal features, but when the ferret put his needle to work on Tyson's hips, his legs began to rise, angling over his stomach. While he could feel them hanging there, above him, he felt no strain at keeping them there. Here the ferret paused, looking down at his ass again. "Now, I almost forget. We can't have you missing that. What would a panther be without his tail?" This time, he felt the needle prick him as it pushed into his fur just below his ass. As the needle pulled out, he felt something pull with it. He watched as the needle seemed to stich into air, a long, cord-like black tail following it. The ferret stroked along the tail as it extended, and the pleasure ran through his body. The tail was slightly rigid, almost able to be posed, and the ferret wrapped it around to his side. The ferret worked quickly over his chest and back, molding it slim and muscled. His shoulders, however, the ferret seemed to pause at. He worked the needle delicately, holding Tyson's arms into the air as his did so. He could feel taught muscles holding his arms tight and as the fur pulled tight to them, work its way to his hands. Like his feet, he felt his fingers shorten and thicken, and his thump seemed to shift backwards, shortening as it did so. He could feel pads extend into his palms.

He was now on his back, both his arms and legs extended over his body. If he were turned over, he would be crouched, like the stalking predator his body now was, although made of plush. He felt the bed shift as the ferret crawled onto it and looked him in the eyes. "This is always my favourite part, changing the head. So many intricate details, so much beauty. Plus, I get to look you in the eye as I do so, and this time, there's already so much beauty, I just get to enhance it. I'm so glad you were supposed to be a panther. They are such beautiful creatures. And, from a beauty such as you, it's only a mild improvement."

Tyson wanted to hate him, wanted to hate him with all his heart, but he couldn't. He didn't know if it was due to the magic, or the hypnosis, or just the extreme amount of pleasure that he felt every time the needle changed more and more of him, but he couldn't bring himself to hate the ferret. Kai smiled as he waited. As Tyson exhaled a sigh of pleasure, Kai bent down and drew from him a kiss. "That's just the first of many, and the only one you'll get in this incomplete form. The next one, you'll be what you were always meant to be."

And Kai went back to work, bringing the needle to his neck. As the needle worked its way upwards, he felt his head tilting backwards so that he was no looking towards the wall rather than the ceiling. Before, his head had been the only thing he could slightly control, and only enough to watch what was happening to him. But, now, as the changes extended his neck, he felt it lock into place, and he could only look forward. No longer to see the changes as the happened. As his head finally settled, he felt Kai pick him up with some effort and turn him over, setting him on his feet, looking out into the room, his front paws settled on the edge of the bed. He could feel the needle work over the back of his head. For a moment, he could no longer feel his ears before he felt a pulling from the top of his head. Like with his tail, he felt his body expanding into nothingness, and then it was there. Solid. Real. The needle moved down, past his cheeks, and under his chin. As it worked back up once again to his nose, that unsettling sensation of expansion started. He watched as he saw his mouth expand outwards into a sold black muzzle, not even his new, plastic nose stopping the endless black. He could still feel a tongue, though he could no longer move it, as well as teeth. He had to guess that they were felt or plastic, but he no longer had a way to check. He couldn't see anything past his muzzle.

Stopping, the ferret crouched down in front of him, muzzle to muzzle. From the glint in his eye, he was smiling. "You're almost done. Just one more piece."

Tyson started freaking out mentally. Where before he could accept the changed, this time he could see the needle as it reached towards his eye. The ferret paused, unsure. "Please, calm down. This has to be done." He sighed. "This should help."

The ferret pushed his muzzle forward, kissing the now plush lips. As he did so, Tyson felt control return to his lips and tongue, and pleasure flooded his mind. Desperately, he kissed the ferret back as the needle struck his eye, glossing it over in plastic. The other eye quickly followed, and the fire began to fade as the ferret drew away, the stiffness of his new form returning to his mouth.

As the fire died, Tyson's full senses returned to him. He started to rage, trying to flex every muscle that he could feel in his new body. But none responded to him, and he saw the futility in the trying to change what had happened. And still, there was at least one spot on his body that was radiating pleasure, separate from the heat that had been diffusing across his body. As he was getting used to his new senses, a voice cracked in his head. "Yes, you still have that. Actually, you all do. But, unlike the others, I may even let you use yours, soon. Yours friends may get to use theirs one day, but you, you're special to me. I want to keep you as happy as I can."

Despite his words, the ferret approached Tyson with a piece of fur the same colour and texture as his new body, a smile on his face. He held the scrap of fabric onto his penis and began to stitch, and followed it up with a small piece over his exposed asshole. "To the world, you looks like any other plush in the room now, nice and child friendly. But you feel differently, don't you?"

And he did. It felt like he had a piece of soft fur pressed sensually against his dick, rubbing ever so slightly forwards and back, stimulating him. And his ass felt like it had when Kai had stuck his finger up it: not full, but something was there, providing a constant pressure. He moaned, although no sound escaped his head. "Yeah, that's what I expected. We'll see. If you behave, not that you have much choice, I may just give you some release tonight. After all, you are my prize."

As he turned from the tiger, he snapped his fingers again. He began to shrink, although not by much, halting when he was a meter from nose to the base of his tail. His legs softened slightly, allowing his body to fall onto the bed where it had been left. As the door shut behind the ferret, something snapped in his head, and noises began to flood in. Most were indistinct, almost background noise, but two stuck out. And both were shouting the same thing. "Tyson!"

It took him a moment to recognize the voices. "Sal? Lee?"

Lee responded. "Yeah, it's us. Seems like we can all talk mentally. Noone but the rest of the plushes and Kai can hear us, but we're definitely in here. And it's not like we can hear all each other's thoughts, either. We have to think_at each other for it to go through, although it seems like _he can listen in all he wants."

"Are you both alright?"

Lee sighed. "Sal is still coming to terms, trying to believe it is a dream. But, if what Kai said is true at all, he was born right, as a human. I think I've come to terms with being a stuffed otter, though it's not what I would have picked."

Tyson shrugged mentally. "Well, I think I'll get used to it. It's not exactly like I have a choice anyways. But, if there's anyone I would have to be a plush with, I'm glad its you guys. You do know I liked you, right, Lee? Before all this?"

"Yeah, I figured."

Kai shrugged on his coat to protect him from the winter chill. He didn't need it at all, not with his spell down and his fur out, but he had to put on some appearances. Greg wouldn't know what hit him, and he'd make sure that Greg didn't wonder why his roommates were late. Maybe food poisoning? Oh well, he'd think of something.

"Maybe I'll even let Greg last longer than I had planned. See how long it takes him to notice them missing. Might as well let him get as much out of his education as he can, it's not like he's going to get away once I have him.

"And besides," He pulled the collar of his jacket up against the wind, "I already have my real prize."