A Magical Meal (Goblin TG TF, Shortstack)

Edwin paced back and forth in frustration. Leave it to his ‘Ms Manager’ lady to ghost him and then leave him to fend for himself at this subpar. He had tons of other meetings that required a superstar chef like him. Yet here he was, standing outside the gates of Magia Park. As places went, it was alright. Not particularly awful, but not great in his book.

“Sorry about this.” a voice called out, bringing with it a tall busty woman. Cradled in a retro pale pink suit, a matching pencil skirt obscured her garter belt and what looked to be the start of her stockings. Leading right into a set of retro-inspired pumps, she looked as if she had been ripped right out of a 50s office girl pinup. Hair pulled back in a bun, this mystery woman had chosen to go for minimal makeup. Yet, it made her shine all the same. Perhaps once work was over, she and him could find a place and get some drinks. Yes, that would be nice. Sex was still on the table. Even if they refused, he could always use some persuasion. That always worked.

“Hello there. Are you by any chance, Ms Manager?” Edwin inquired and was met with a look from the woman. Followed by a head shake, that brought with it the arrival of Ms Manager. A spitting image of the first image, the only difference being the choice of crimson rather than a pale pink for the garment’s colors.

“Sorry about that. Had to tie up a loose end.” Ms Manager greeted and watched her guest split his attention between them. “I trust you are Edwin Harbor?”

Edwin nodded. As much as he wished to correct this woman, that could come when he got the bill. That was usually how it worked. This job was to be no different. Perhaps if he had been paying more attention, maybe he would have noticed the eyes on him at the moment. By no means malicious, he was very much seen as a suspicious entity. Kind of like the rest of his family.

“Correct. So you want me to check out these various restaurants and see what needs to be improved?” the chef announced and Ms Manager nodded. Watching Edwin’s expression shift, she held in the things that the tiefling wished to say. This was for the good of the park and that’s it. So what if his work history was clearly falsified and brought with it rumors that he had tied to one of the most awful families in all Neo Digia? That mattered little here at Magia Park. “At the moment, all our restaurants are located on Main Street. In the future, we wish to put some places on the right and left sides of Magia Park. As such, any suggestions you might have for stalls and/or restaurants are well appreciated.”

Edwin rolled his eyes and tuned Ms Manager out as he followed behind. While this additional wrinkle was annoying, he had a pretty good idea of what kind of bullshit answers he could give here to satisfy that requirement. That was just how the job worked. At least, according to dear old dad. Right before the incident that took his life.\

“Of course, of course.” Edwin announced as the Royal Fey Boutique came into view. Right beside it, was Yvette’s gazebo and the party rooms. Beyond that, the start of a concrete pad for a carousel had just been completed. Set in such a way to maintain sight lines, such an attraction was bound to be a hit with those who chose to venture to this side. Not that he would, even if a cure for the fuzz on the side was available. “Oh wonderful. The girly section of the park. I don’t know. A cotton candy stand, I guess?”

Mrs Manager and Sierra don’t respond. Instead, their attention was on what was ahead of them. Forcing his gaze in that direction, it brought with it Yvette. Dressed in her usual attire, her gaze was directly on Edwin.

“Good afternoon, Sierra, Ms Manager. How are you two doing?” Yvette greeted as she stopped. Kneeling down to get better eye contact, the dragoness was met with smiles. Then it’s over to Edwin. Instead of a smile, the chef had chosen to give her a look of indifference. “Is something the matter?”

Edwin shook his head. As much as he wanted to say the thing echoing in his mind, the chef chose to keep it to himself. So what if he was going to need to bend to the needs of an animatronic dragon? That was part of the job. Much like taking bribes from clowns and other circus people.

“Wonderful. Just wonderful.” Edwin muttered as he glared at Yvette. Muttering something under his breath, that was the fuzz’s cue to continue spreading. Now consuming his left leg, it brought with it a slight height increase. “Let me guess. You want an ice cream parlor, some kind of salad place and maybe a place that serves nothing but girly food?”

Yvette raised an eyebrow. While she very much agreed to this, a part of her wondered if Maya could’ve chosen someone who was less of an asshole.

“Uh… no. I was thinking more ‘Mediterranean’, French or even Ukrainian. Though, Greek food would be nice as well.” Yvette answered and watched Edwin’s eyes glaze over. Had she said something wrong? No, this was likely more a case of catching this supposed ‘superstar chef’ by complete surprise. Did he think she was an animatronic? Odd, considering the people the chef liked to hang around.

“Yeah. I can totally, hundred percent work with all of those.” Edwin answered and pushed his frustrations to the back of his mind. He could take them out later. Perhaps in a secluded part of the park where no one was bound to notice. A perfect plan.

Shoving that thought to the backburner for now, Edwin watched Yvette step off to the side. With that, Ms Manager and Sierra headed forth once more. Following right behind, he ignored the pain echoing across his body. Probably just something he ate before coming here. That stupid bitch of a clown no doubt undercooked that meat. The chef had even gone through the trouble of instructing her on the proper temperature. But no, that was asking far too much from the woman.

Shoving that thought away for now, he took care to close the distance. Even as his gaze lowered a couple inches. Somehow not fazing Edwin, his guides had very much noticed. Choosing to let sleeping dogs lie here, they reached the northeastern edge of Magia Park. There, the administrative and storage buildings stood. The former hadn’t seen much use as of late (mostly on account of all the restructuring), making the latter a hotspot for activity. At the moment, workers of all shapes and sizes were hard at work pulling artifacts out. The quicker they could get this stuff out

“Uh… do you think I could get a closer look at that stuff you’re pulling out?” Edwin inquired, promptly shut down by a head shake from Ms Manager. Figures. So much for funding should this whole cooking thing go south. Oh well. There was always a backup plan for Edwin Harbor. So what if a bunch of them were illegal, immoral or some mix of the two. That was just part of the charm.

“No. Nor does this side of the park need food… yet.” Sierra announced as they came upon the northern end of main street. Making the turn, the trio was met with a long line of stores and eateries.

“So where are we going first?” Edwin announced as he tried to take the lead. Cut off by women, he accepted staying behind them for now. Especially as Ms Manager and Sierra headed over to a quaint little BBQ joint. Done up with plain wood in the hopes of evoking, the words - ‘On the Lamb BBQ’ were proudly emblazoned above the door. Though, that didn’t explain the choice of darkened glass for the windows on both the front and the door proper. Why were they afraid of people actually looking in? While Edwin was normally not one to pay any mind to that, for some reason he could feel the anger bubbling to the surface. Taking in some air, he exhaled. It was not the end of the world. All that mattered was the food and nothing else. Yeah. A building’s appearance could be absolute garbage, but he would still go there if the food was amazing. Simple as that.

Shoving that thought away for now, Edwin followed his guides inside. Compared to the exterior, the interior was still not really something to write home about. White and black checkerboard tiles served as the floor, while the walls were covered in wooden planks. Tables with chairs served as the seating, while a counter being manned by a gray sheep girl waited patiently. Dressed in a black apron over a shirt and pants, it looked silly against her fluff.

“Hello Mandy, I do hope you or your mother don’t mind us bringing in a chef to taste your establishment’s food?” Ms Manager inquired and Mandy looked into the kitchen. Shouting something in that direction, she spun back around to meet her boss.

“Uh… that would be fine.” Mandy answered and shot Edwin a look. Rubbing a hoof in front of her eyes, she pulled her head back a second later. It was probably nothing. There was no way that the chef that Ms Manager had brought in had shrunk between entering the restaurant and walking up to the counter. While not enough to be noticeable to this guy, it was noticeable to everyone else. But she shoved that thought away. “Would you like a menu or do you want a little about everything?”

Ms Manager looked over to Edwin. Currently trying to maintain his persona of a douchebag, he hadn’t even noticed his loss of height. Instead, it was on the walls. While they worked for the purposes of this building, that didn’t change the fact that it left a lot to be desired. This could be so much more.

“Hmm… I’ll take one of each of your specials and a rack of ribs.” Edwin announced, the fuzz spreading up to his waist. Bringing with it a wood grain texture, that didn’t explain why it was turning green of all colors.

“Okay. It'll be a couple minutes. Do you want drinks with your meal?" Mandy continued, Edwin looking over to Ms Manager and Sierra here. While this was to be the first stop on the trip, having a refreshment on hand would go a long way. Getting a nod from the couple, his attention turned ahead.

"Yes. I'll take whatever lemon-lime soda you have on hand." Edwin announced, blissfully unaware of how his pants had fused together. Becoming a skirt, it took on a pretty shade of light brown. Reminiscent of leather, it felt nice on his legs. "How about you two?"

Sierra looked over to her girlfriend. Getting a shrug from the tiefling, her gaze swiveled back to Mandy.

"We're both good." Sierra explained and pulled out her wallet. Watching Mandy ring them up, the transaction that followed was quite easy. Once that was done, she shoved her wallet away and pulled her companions over to a nearby table.

"Uh… are you two in a relationship?" Edwin inquired as he sat down. Watching Ms Manager and Sierra do the same, the couple reached out under the table to hold hands.

"You could say that. Do you have a problem with that?" Ms Manager answered and Edwin looked away. Muttering something at the wall, a deep breath escaped his lips. What should he even say here? Disclose the fact that he was on the top of the list for entities that would love to kill anyone who didn't conform to their world view.

"Not at all." Edwin answered as the fuzz spread up his chest. Feeling a tingle of pain, Edwin paid little attention to the slight shrinking of his waist. Nor the retraction of his phallus in on itself to create the feminine equivalent.

“We’re happy to hear that.” Sierra remarked as Mandy arrived with the singular drink. Held within a generic cup, there was definitely room for improvement here.

“Have you thought about doing character-themed cups? Those are always a hit with the children.” Edwin suggested as the green wood grain spread up his body. Somehow managing to not notice it, his attention was instead on Ms Manager and Sierra. Currently more focused on each other than that of the chef they brought on board, they looked to be staring each other down.

“Could we even do that? Yvette is an obvious shoe-in, but would making merchandise of her likeness cause even more incidents? She is going to be the one in charge quite soon.” Ms Manager whispered, ignoring the look Edwin was giving her in favor of focusing on Sierra here.

“Considering we’ve had nothing happen with the plush prototypes, I believe we’re in the clear.” Sierra whispered back, thoughts of other characters they could have on cups. The chroma shift girls were a good call, maybe even Scylla. Beyond that, it was more of a logistical and copyright minefield. Something to think about once they got back to the office.

“We’ll think about it.” Ms Manager answered as she finally forced her attention back over to Edwin. Taking a moment to look him over, the tiefling held in her laughter. “Any other suggestions before the food comes out?”

Edwin nodded and looked around the room. Now that the comment about character cups had been thrown out, the walls were feeling even more bare than before. Nothing had changed about them, minus them seeming taller than before.

“The walls could use some decoration. Sell me on this place being a proper BBQ joint and you’ll have customers coming in droves.” Edwin explained, his voice taking on a feminine tone for just a moment. Of more importance was the tightening of the chef’s top by way of the new rack on their chest. Given enough time, their top would eventually change into something that would better accommodate that.

“Adding proper wall decorations is easy enough. We can do that.” Ms Manager answered as Mandy arrived with the specials. Taking the form of a rack of ribs, brisket and some chicken drumsticks on metal platters, they all looked tasty. Looks could be deceiving though. At the same time, it was probably a good idea to wait until the plates were set down to grab stuff off the platters. Unless this was somehow not one of those places that had plates for whatever reason. While that could work, BBQ joints were usually better when they provided the plates.

“Here you go.” Mandy announced and set an empty white plate down in front of Edwin. Looking over to Ms Manager and Sierra, she put plates in front of them as well. “Uh… enjoy your meal.”

With that, the sheep girl headed back to her spot. The perfect cue for Edwin to carefully pull off a couple ribs. Taking the utmost care to set it all down on his plate, the chef somehow ignored his continued shrinking. Now barely able to look over the table, that doesn’t stop them from chowing down on her ribs. While tasty, something felt missing. Racking their mind for what the answer might be, Edwin was at a loss. His first instincts were that of the sauce. Carefully dipping a green finger onto the rib, care was taken to prevent the sauce from slipping off. Raising it up to her fingers, Edwin took care to not bite it off by accident. Even with the ability to regenerate her whole body if necessary, it was generally a good idea to avoid doing that.

Bringing that finger back down, she did her best to savor the taste. Yeah. That was definitely it. While the spice rub worked, this was clearly a store bought BBQ sauce. While the average guest of Magia Park was not bound to notice the difference.

“Eh. Middle of the road. By any chance does this place have the ability to make their own barbeque sauce in quantities that they could keep up?”

While she couldn’t see Mandy, Edwin swore she caught the sound of her gulping. Turning back to Ms Manager and Sierra, the chef was treated to a nod. Though, Edwin had a feeling there was bound to be some pushback here. Something to deal with later. Right now, her attention shifted to finishing her portion of ribs and then moving onto the brisket. While slightly better than that of the ribs, it very much could use work in the sauce department as well. Which just left the drumsticks. Perhaps these would make up for the alright dishes she had so far. Taking care to reach out, Edwin was treated to a glimpse of her arm. More slender than it was when she had entered, the chef didn’t particularly mind. It just meant that her body was healing properly.

Shoving that thought to the back of her mind, Edwin took her first bite into the drumstick. Feelings of delight spread across her body, bringing the fuzz up to her neck. Rapidly spreading out to her shoulders and arms, the light sound of bones shifting about was all the clue one got that it was even happening in the first place. Drowned out by Edwin chewing her way through the drumstick, she set the bone down with those from her ribs.

“This is actually quite good.” Edwin announced as she looked over to her companion’s plates. All that remained was bones. While a part of her wanted to scold the couple for hoarding all the chicken bones to themselves, she decided against it. Best to not bite the hand who was writing your paychecks, after all. “Overall, this meal was quite good but the sauces used could very much be improved.”

Ms Manager nodded, shifting her focus over to Mandy. Watching her scoop the plates and trays up, she gave Edwin a nod.

“I’ll take the criticism to m- the chef. It’ll take some time, but we can do that.” Mandy explained as she took that stuff back to the kitchen. As for Edwin, her attention shifted back to Ms Manager and Sierra.

“Which eatery are we going to next?” Edwin inquired as the trio got up from their seats. Pushing the chairs in for good measure, Ms Manager and Sierra looked at each other. By this point, they could just let things play out and no one would be any the wiser. At the same time, it was probably best to keep an eye on their newest staff member. The outcome was still the same.

“That is up to you. All we ask of you Edelweiss is that you come back before the park closes and give your suggestions, okay?” Ms Manager explained and ‘Edelweiss’ perked up. She was hoping that her boss would say that. Wait no. Yvette was her boss. Ms Manager was working to smooth the transition over. It had been noted in the message sent out to the staff by her secretary. To go through such trouble for something so major, suggested quite a lot of proficiency and business know-how here. Shoving that thought away, the trio exited back into Magia Park proper.

“Okay. See you later!.” Edelweiss announced as her facial features softened. A pair of black stones took the place of their eyes, while it almost looked like someone had gone through the trouble of carving out lips and a nose. As for her ears, those looked to be fulfilled by pairs of branches coming together at the right angles to keep the illusion up. The finishing touch were the gingko leaves serving as her hair.

“See you later.” Sierra cooed as the couple watched Edelweiss headed for her next eatery. While joyful, a thought crossed the secretary’s mind. One that she probably wouldn’t have thought about up until she saw the full extent of the transformation. “Wait. We just fed meat to a plant. Uh… should we be worried?”

Maya sighed. While a part of her wished there was some way that the transformation could be controlled, it couldn’t be helped.

“Considering that she didn’t puke it up, I’m going to assume that we’re in the clear. At least, I hope we are.“ Maya muttered and felt Sierra reach out to her hand. Looking around, she didn’t need to look far for Yvette. The dragoness swiftly approached, her gaze split between the castle and that of her employers. “Sorry about wrapping you up in this.”

Yvette shook her head, pulling her gaze fully to Maya here.

“It’s alright. Better we use Edelweiss than let her walk around unchanged and create more trouble.” Yvette muttered and calmed herself. There wasn’t much use in dwelling on that. Especially in the face of the larger issue at hand.

“Any memories returning to you as of late or something similar?” Sierra inquired and Yvette nodded. Looking around to check if anyone was listening on

“I know who stopped me the first time.” Yvette answered and watched her audience take a step forward. “In retrospect, the answer was so obvious and yet, it didn’t occur to me until recently…”

.

Across town, Ariana Rolmes paced back and forth in front of a mirror. No matter how she hid it, the silver dragon scales slowly replacing her skin were proudly displayed.

“Is this how you’re trying to tell me something, Yvette?” she muttered, doing her best to remain composed. Getting mad would only serve to show that stupid dragoness that she had won. All the mother had to do was hold out a little longer. Perhaps then an opportunity would show itself.

‘You know you need to let go of these feelings for both of their sakes.’

Of course, her mind had to throw one more curveball her way. Leave it to it to decide against that. No matter. A decision didn’t need to be made right away. In the face of the cultist that was very much trying to spy on her here, she would hold off just a little bit longer.

“Didi, I know you’re here.” Ariana announced and shifted her gaze to the window. There, the infamous clown housewife awaited. Outfit unchanged from all the previous times, Didi had chosen to bring a comically small knife to this potential fight.

“Yet, you won’t act when I take away your beloved Yvette. Truly a shame. I do hope it doesn’t cost you in the end.” Didi taunted as she raised the knife up. Flashing it in such a way that Ariana could see it, the mother rolled her eyes.

“It won’t.” Ariana answered and attempted to calm her nerves. No matter what this stupid clown did or say, it would not affect her. No, she had to stay strong for both of her spouse’s sakes.