Trade I wrote up for ~TheShamefulStore of someone turning into Narinder. Thumbnail drawn by ninjasmudge on Tumblr.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MITCHELL!” cheered the office.

“Awww. Thank you guys.” Mitchell said as he walked into the breakroom to find his other coworkers setting up a small table with cake and some snacks. It twas indeed his birthday (his 28th in fact) and he was happy to see his fellow office workers cared enough about it to celebrate. The cake on the table was a chocolate frosted ice cream cake from a local bakery, and had “Happy 28th Birthday!” written on top in eloquent black frosting script.

Unexpectedly, Mitchell’s boss was also there. He was a balding aged man usually seen with a stern expression as he worked at his desk in his private office, but today he looked genuinely happy as he brought out the cake knife and began dividing the cake into equal segments. Amanda, his secretary, began grabbing paper plates and plastic forks from the cabinet and set them down next to the food. Mitchell walked up to grab the first slice along with some potato chips and piled them onto his plate, forming a veritable tower of food.

Mitchell sat down at one of the tables as his coworkers trickled in to grab their share of food and started to dig in. The ice cream was cookies and cream flavoured, which paired well with the almost overbearing amount of chocolate frosting. His coworkers began idle chatter with each other around the room as he continued to savor his afternoon snack. He was so caught up in eating that he hardly noticed when Amanda sat down across from him.

“Enjoying the cake?” Amanda asked, which snapped Mitchell out of his food paradise. He cleared his throat and wiped some frosting off of his face before answering.

“It’s very good. Frosting’s a bit much, but the ice cream more than makes up for it.” he said as he took a bite of another potato chip. “I assume you were the one who picked it out?”

“Guilty as charged.” Amanda said as she took a forkful of cake herself and horfed it down. Amanda had been a relatively recent addition to the office, having only been around for 3 months, but she was a beacon of joy that helped bring up the mood of everyone around her. She had all of the gossip, all of the favourites, and maybe even several secrets of the people around the office. She was THAT good at talking to people, a skill that Mitchell was fiercely jealous of. Working in HR for a major shipping company, he dreamed of having her people skills when it came to speaking with clients.

“Well I really appreciate it. I haven’t celebrated like this in a long time.” he said, a hint of sadness in his voice. Amanda raised an eyebrow and her expression softened. Her long blond hair paired with her thick black glasses and peachy skin wouldn’t be out of place on the cover of a Vogue magazine, but she often dressed in single coloured blouses paired with a belt, jeans, and sneakers. She looked dainty and almost haughty, but the people around the office knew she wasn’t afraid of menial labour or taking care of odd jobs every now and then. Maybe that’s why she had already earned the respect of so many of her coworkers despite her short stay here.

“How come?” she asked bluntly. Mitchell sighed as he absent mindedly poked at his food.

“Well, you’ve probably already heard, but I’m not married. I don’t have a girlfriend either. My parents live in another state with the rest of my family since I moved here for work, and visiting is expensive. Usually we do a group call or I go out with friends, but not really a party like this.” Mitchell explained as Amanda listened and nodded along.

“That really sucks. Do you have any pets at home?” she asked. Mitchell shook his head.

“No. Just me and my house. I considered getting a dog at one point, but with how much work I’ve been doing they’d be just as lonely as me.” Mitchell mused before sighing. “But yeah, that’s why I’m really happy about this.” he concluded, gesturing to his partying coworkers nearby.

“Well I’m glad.” Amanda said cheerfully, before a dark expression crossed her face. Mitchell recognized it and sighed internally. That creased forehead. That slightly downturned lip. He and his coworkers knew that expression all too well. The “Overtime” face.

“Unfortunately, I’ve got some bad news. Recently we scheduled for a delivery of office supplies to arrive today at 6, but because of some shipping troubles, it's now scheduled to arrive closer to Midnight. Normally it would be stored in the lobby until morning, but with the construction going on to renovate it, the boss is worried it’ll be vulnerable down there overnight.” Amanda explained. Mitchell could see his concern. They were in a relatively upscale area of the city, but there was a drug clinic nearby where addicts tend to hang out overnight. They had already caused trouble for Mitchell and his coworkers when they were arriving for early shifts, so it wouldn't be past some of the more aggressive ones to try something as drastic as thievery.

Still, Mitchell already understood what she was about to ask as Amanda cleared her throat.

“So, the boss was wondering if you’d be fine staying here until the delivery arrives. You don’t have to work the whole time. You can stop after normal time, but the boss will pay you overtime as long as you’re here. Once it arrives, just bring it in, lock up, and you can head straight home.” Amanda said. Mitchell thought about it. It was a very convincing offer. He only had a few more hours of work, then he’d be able to just goof off for the rest of the night. He didn’t have any other obligations to worry about, so he figured it would be worth it.

“Alright. I can handle it.” he said. Amanda smiled and clapped her hands together in response, like an excited seal.

“Perfect! Well now I’ve got some good news for you too. You won’t be doing it alone. Because…” she said as she reached down under her seat and pulled out a small gift box “...I got you a little someone for your desk!”

Mitchell was touched. Amanda passed the box over to him and he gently undid the bow before opening it up to look inside. Within its cardboard exterior was a small stone statue, which was obscured by white tissue paper. Mitchell raised an eyebrow as he reached in and crinkled the wrapping as he pulled the small statue out. It resembled a small robed figure, with his hands clasped together and a hood pulled back. However, his head was that of a cat, with a v-shaped mouth in a frown, two large triangular ears, and strangely, three closed eyes.

“What do you think? I picked it up at this old corner store and thought it would fit perfectly for your desk. You always seemed like a cat person.” she said cheerfully. Mitchell gently rubbed the statue and was surprised by its smoothness. It also had a faint warmth to it despite sitting in a dark box just before. Perhaps it had been left in a hot car?

“I think it's great. Thank you Amanda.” Mitchell said content. Amanda smiled and nodded as she got up to throw away her trash.

“Of course. Consider it a good luck charm for tonight. Just be careful to not break it. Despite its looks, it's very delicate.” she said with a hint of warning in her voice. It caught Mitchell off guard, but her cheerful demeanour soon returned as she walked away to the waste bin. Mitchell looked back down at the statuette and rolled it around in his palm. He saw some symbols carved into its base, which seemed to have been some old dead language. Where did this thing come from?

Soon enough, the party ended and everyone continued about with their workday as normal. As 9 O’Clock approached, more and more people began leaving the office and heading for home, but Mitchell kept working at his desk, soon exhausting his workflow entirely. As he began contemplating what to do now, the clock struck 9 and Mitchell saw his boss and Amanda heading for the exit.

“We’re off Mitchell. If you have an emergency, don’t hesitate to call 911 or us. We both live pretty close, so it shouldn't be any trouble.” his boss said. Mitchell nodded and shook his hand in response. “Thanks for doing this. I’ll be sure to put in a good word with upper management.” he said.

Mitchell was pleased as pudding as his boss left and Amanda waved goodbye. He waved back as the cat statue on his desk sat there unmoving, yet watching. Soon enough, Mitchell was alone in the office and decided to spend his time gaming on his work computer. As he logged into his Steam account and began browsing his options, the automatic lights in the office clicked off, so he turned on his desk lamp, casting an ominous shadow on the cat statue. He eventually decided on Elden Ring to pass the time and began making his way through the Gravesite Plains.

Time turned to sludge as Mitchell focused on his game. The office was eerily silent, save for the whir of his computer’s fan and the in-game sounds. The moonlit sky was cloudy and partially obscured the crescent moon high above, which faintly illuminated the outside city. The time struck 10 PM and Mitchell sighed as he realised he still had two whole hours until the package was supposed to arrive. So he kept playing.

And playing…

And playing…

And playing…

ZZZzzzzzz….

BEEP BEEP BEEP
Mitchell awoke in a flash and realised he had fallen asleep. His character sat idle in Belurat as his alarm he had set went off. He hit the Stop button on it as he yawned and stretched his arms. The package would be arriving soon, so he thought about washing up to save appearances when he meets the delivery guy. He turned off his game and got up from his seat, wincing at the creaks from the chair and his back from slouching the entire time, and soon enough the automatic lights clicked back on in response to his movement.

As Mitchell departed from his desk, the cat statue sat idle in the faint moonlight, until with a dull toll, its three eyes slowly slid open and glowed a deep red. A small wispy shadow emerged from the top of the statue, which grew in size until it was nearly 6 ft. tall. Three crimson orbs lit up along its head, which gazed at Mitchell and followed him as he walked obliviously to the bathroom. The shadow began following him, taking great care to avoid his gaze as he yawned once more and pushed the men’s bathroom door open.

Mitchell rubbed some sleep from his eyes as he walked up to the large mirror and splashed some water on his face. He made sure to clean the crud away from his eyelids and do his hair a little bit. Once he was finished, he turned the sink spigot off and flicked the excess water away from his hands before he looked up into the mirror.

The shadow was standing right behind him.

Mitchell didn’t even have time to scream as the shadow engulfed him, expanding and covering his entire body with a fine black mist. Mitchell swatted at its futility as it slowly dissipated across his body and the light of the three crimson orbs slowly faded away. Mitchell coughed involuntarily as if to expel the foul shadow, but nothing came out.

“What… was that?” he said, exasperated. “Am I still asleep? Or sleep walking? Did I just lose it?” he questioned. The empty bathroom gave no response as he sighed and supported his body using the counter. Mitchell felt hot, which must have been caused by the anxiety, and slowly began to sweat. The heat began rising by the second as Mitchell tugged at his shirt collar. Something feels off.

As he looked back down at his hands to get his bearings, he noticed something peculiar. Both his hands seemed to be getting darker as he felt a tingling along the back of them. Then, from the surface of his skin sprouted a multitude of hairs, each a dark grey and clustered together in a thick coat of fur. Mitchell was dumbfounded as the fur grew across the back of his hands and climbed over his fingers.

“Wh-what?” was all he could mutter out as he held up his changing right hand. His palm seemed to darken before suddenly bulging out, taking on a dull brown color as the normally hard skin softened in a supple and squishy pad. Mitchell winced as he felt his nails slowly crack and elongate, turning a dark black as they stretched out into what looked like claws.

“What’s going on? Am I still asleep? Please let me still be- ACCCKKK!” he suddenly yelped as he felt a sharp pain in his mouth. He opened it up and gazed within using the mirror, where he saw his gums bleeding. His flat teeth had begun to stretch out into fearsomely sharp canines, which had punctured his gums, but soon enough the wounds had already healed. That pain felt way too real to be a mere dream. Mitchell was beginning to panic now, and his panic intensified when he saw the fur had spread all across his body and was already beginning to cover his head.

He gasped for air as the fur covered his face and began to grow out into a thick coat. His brown hair soon shifted to the same dark grey and merged with the coat as he felt his ears tingle and begin to stretch upwards. They took on a triangular shape as the flesh within darkened and became coated in a thinner coat of fur. Soon, two massive cat ears sat atop his head as Mitchell struggled to remain focused. Then, a nasty cracking noise came from his jaw as he felt his mouth begin to stretch out.

“Ughhhhh…” was all he could get out as his mouth slowly formed into a short snout. His nose darkened and made way for his growing jaw as it formed into a semi-circular shape. A loud crack signalled that his new snout had finished growing, and Mitchell met his unfamiliar gaze in the mirror. His brown eyes darkened into a deep red shade as his face finished transforming. Mitchell began reaching up to feel his new face when his forehead bubbled. From his skin emerged a slit at its center, which opened up to reveal a black eye with a red slit as its pupil.

“WAAAAHHHH?!?!” he yelped, confused as he reached up to feel if the eye was real, but then he felt a peculiar sensation within the seat of his pants. He looked back and saw it was beginning to bulge out, creaking and stretching the black denim. Small rips filled the air as he felt something push past his underwear and struggle to break free from his pants. The denim slowly began to rip and Mitchell could make out grey fur poking through the holes, but soon enough it was too much to handle. With a loud popping noise, the seat of his pants tore open and out slithered a long cat’s tail. It flicked as if to savor its newfound freedom as Mitchell stared at it with a mix of horror and confusion.

“What’s going on? Is it because of that statue?” he asked desperately. He figured it should have been obvious. Cat statue with cryptic writing. The time being midnight. Him being alone. Amanda had gifted him a cursed object, and it looks like he had become the vessel for something ancient.

“I’ve gotta get to it. Maybe I can reverse the- Urgh!” he suddenly groaned as he felt a tightness on his chest, which soon began to spread across his body. Mitchell looked down and froze as he realised his chest looked like it was getting bigger. Dull cracks filled the tense air as Mitchell could feel his chest and stomach beginning to press against his blue shirt, putting strain on the cloth and buttons alike. The tightness reached his arms as he could feel then begin to elongate. His newfound claws and fingers began to crack and snap as they grew in size and length. It seems whatever spirit was inhabiting his body wasn’t done yet.

Mitchell felt a tightness in his legs as his pants began to lose their slackness. He could feel the ground getting further away as his pants rose up his legs in response to their increased height. However, the worst tightness began to gather in his black shoes, where he began to feel his toes push into the edges of his shoe. The black leather began to bulge out into four distinct lumps as Mitchell winced and did his best to maintain his balance. He began trying to move towards the bathroom door to reach his desk, but his shoes kept getting tighter and tighter as he could feel the leather begin to creak and bend. Mitchell took another step towards the door but soon nearly tripped and had to grab onto the air dryer to maintain his balance.

“Come on! Just let me… Urk!” he tried to sputter out some words as he took another step, but his shoes finally gave out. With a loud pop, the front of both tore open and out popped his white socks, which were barely managing to stay intact over his growing feet. Black claws had already torn through the fronts, but his toes continued to stretch out and soon began touching the cold bathroom floor. Mitchell breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived as he felt his body continue to grow. His sleeves began to rip at the seams as muscle grew deep within his new coat of fur, while he could feel his waist being constrained by his belt and pants’ button.

Mitchell tried to regain his balance and push off the air dryer, but his movements were unsteady and he had trouble standing on his still growing feet. The seams of his pants began to split as his calves and thighs pushed hard into them, and a gap emerged between the top of his pants and the bottom of his shirt as his stomach and chest grew further. He could see a six-pack beginning to form through the gap, but then a loud snap came from his waist and caught his attention. His belt has finally given up and popped open at the buckle, sending the metal pin straight to the cold bathroom floor. His pants’ button followed suit, snapping off with a loud ping and allowing his growing waist to fill in the newfound space.

RIIIIPPPP! His socks lost their battle and tore open at the front, revealing four large grey furred toes. His foot continued to stretch out beyond the edge of his shoe and he began to stand on the front of his sole. He could feel fleshy pads emerge on the bottom of his sole and toes and begin to squish against the tiled floor. Doing his best to remain upright, Mitchell finally reached the bathroom door as shreds of his clothing continued to peel off his body and push it open.

The automatic lights of the office clicked back on as he stepped out and almost tripped on the carpet. His clothes kept getting tighter by the second, but maybe if he reached the statue he could reverse this. He grabbed a desk separator to remain steady and winced as he felt his claws scratch into the wood with his still growing hand. A loud pop came from the top of his shirt as his collar button popped off and landed with a light thud against the carpet. His sleeves had ripped all the way up to his shoulders, while his pants were barely clinging on to his thighs and calves. His shoes clung stubbornly to his feet, but they were about to meet their demise.

Eventually, Mitchell finally managed to reach his desk and began reaching for the cat statue. He managed to grasp it in his massive hands and scrambled to see if there was some sort of clue or phrase along its surface that would reverse whatever was happening. The statue was the same as before, only now its eyes were open and the faint warmth was instead replaced with a dull cold. Mitchell was dumbfounded and began thinking on what to do next when he felt an ominous gurgle from within his body. Mitchell doubled over and groaned as he could feel his body quivering. He fell to his knees and ended up on all fours as his transformation began to reach its climax.

Mitchell let out a deep scream mixed with fear and anger as his body expanded outwards like a balloon. All of the buttons of his shirt popped off in sequence as his chest and stomach filled the now open space rapidly. He scrunched his toes together as the tops of his shoes tore open and released his feet, which expanded and easily tore away from the still remaining socks. His pants ripped loudly as his calves and thighs tore through the stubborn denim. Mitchell felt his body conclude its rapid changes and let out several panting breaths as he tried to regain his focus. He looked down at his massive clawed hands, easily twice their normal size, and held one up to examine it. He hadn’t noticed before, but along his wrists had formed lines of bare dark flesh, which were devoid of fur and resembled scars.

Mitchell slowly lifted himself up and was shocked by his newfound height. He was over 6 ft. tall and his ears easily added to his height. Along with layers of thick muscle, he was built like a demigod, yet he felt as light as a feather. His clothes were barely intact, with his shirt having been reduced to a sleeveless vest, and his pants had ripped up to his upper calves and more like shorts by this point. Mitchell felt great despite his growing pains, and he couldn’t help but admire his newfound physique. However, this all came crashing down when he heard the lock of the office door click and the door opened. Mitchell let out a yelp and turned around only to see Amanda standing there with a content expression.

“Mitchell! I’m so happy to see my gift worked.” she said cheerfully. Mitchell was confused now. Amanda looked much the same, but something felt different about her. Her demeanour was still cheerful, but behind her words he could feel an air of… regality? Boldness?

“Wait, you knew this would happen?” Mitchell asked, to which Amanda nodded. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her before locking it.

“I need to get you somewhere alone and at midnight with the statue so it would work, so I made up the delivery arrival.” Amanda explained as she took off her glasses. “It was important you were alone, so I could meet back up with you in private… my beloved.” she said with a hint of sadness.

Mitchell was confused now as Amanda folded up her glasses in her hands and held it close. Suddenly, the glasses seemed to melt into a dark, shadowy substance which whirled up and formed into a vague crown shape. Mitchell watched dumbfounded as Amanda lifted up the crown to the top of her head and placed it gently in her hair. Then, she held up her right hand and snapped her finger. The crown quivered a bit before a slit opened up on its center, revealing a blood red eye with a black slit pupil.

Amanda let out a groan as her hair began to shift from its blond to a pale white and began to become more fluffy. Across her hands, a thin patch of grey fur emerged and quickly grew to cover her arms and body. Her ring and middle finger began to merge together as her long nails shifted to inky black claws and slowly began to stretch out. Amanda looked up at Mitchell and he could see her eyes had shifted to a deep red color as her pupils stretched horizontally. Her mouth opened in a slight grin as her canines sharpened and her nose flattered as the lower half of her face stretched outwards into a snout.

From her bosom emerged a thick coat of wool, which caused her blouse to stretch out and a small gap to form between her jeans and shirt, revealing yet more wool. Her pants tightened against her legs while her shoes began to quiver. As if by reaction, she kicked them off as her socks began to stretch out. A loud pop emerged as a small white tail emerged from her lower back, which gently flicked in the open air. Then rips filled the air as her socks finally tore open, revealing hooves in place of her feet that quickly tore off the remaining socks, leaving her barefoot (or rather bare-hooved). Amanda (?) looked up and let out a sigh as her body finished changing, and she looked back at Mitchell with her glowing red eyes. Mitchell felt a recollection as he stared at her.. no… their face, and felt a name well up from old memories.

“Lambert?” he asked. They nodded in response and smiled.

“It’s been a long time, Narinder. Your body had begun to age during your long existence, so you asked me to employ the Ritual of Rejuvenation. Your soul was sealed away in that statue to give it time to grow and blossom once more, before it was left in this strange world. I assumed a guise to watch over it for a few months until the time was right, and to gift it to a worthy vessel.” Lambert explained. Mitchell was beginning to understand. Old memories and feelings that weren’t his. That belonged to Narinder. It was a strange feeling, but he didn’t mind it much.

“So what happens now?” he asked. “Isn’t there a Cult?” Lambert nodded in response and held out a hand for him to take. Narinder took it in his careful grasp and was happy to feel the familiar warmth from their hand. Lambert raised up an arm and the Red Crown seemed to glow with a crimson energy as a black gateway opened up beneath them. Narinder and Lambert were pulled into the inky darkness and soon reemerged in a familiar place. They were inside a large triangular building with a bright red stained glass window, which depicted Lambert with the Red Crown. Along the bottom of the floor was a black painted pentagram, which vibrated with an ancient magical energy.

Narinder looked down and was surprised to see his outfit had changed. He was wearing a long sleeved red shirt with a white triangular sigil painted on it, which had a black upside down cross at its bottom. He was wearing light black pants with lacing along his ankles, a black bead anklet on his right foot, and black leather bracers on his wrists. Around his neck was a bird skull necklace decorated with a red cross, and his left ring finger had a silver wedding ring on it.

He looked over to Lambert, who was wearing a white cloth shirt and black pants underneath a red and white fleece, with a black collar and a gold bell hanging on it. Around their left ring finger was a gold wedding ring, its design similar to his own. They smiled at him and gestured to the surroundings.

“Recognize this?” Lambert asked. Narinder nodded. He still bore the memories of Mitchell and his own feelings, but they had almost become inseparable from his own. It was as if they had become one and the same.

“I do indeed. Let us depart Lamb. We have duties to fulfil.” Narinder said as they held out their hand.

Lambert took it gladly and they walked towards the exit of the Chapel together.