Love in Flux

"W-wha...? The... mystery hole? A-also... that was just on fire. And you just... caught it," I sputtered, utterly baffled by the whole situation - just who the hell was this lady?

"Oh, don't worry; it's not that hot!" she assured me, as she slipped the rock into one of the pockets of her coat. I heard a little sizzle and saw the rock tumble to the floor, singeing the carpet as it landed. Mira frowned as she reached down and picked it up, then blew on it a couple times before she stuck it in the other pocket - thankfully, it didn't burn a hole through that one. "Shoot. I'll have to get another coat now." She let out a sigh and rolled her eye.

"S-sorry, but... who are you, exactly?" I asked.

PART TWENTY FIVE: THE DOCTOR, THE BAUBLE, AND THE BUSEINESS PROPOSITION

"Oh, right! I'm so sorry; where are my manners?" and extended a pale hand out for us to shake. "Mirabelle Meadows, M.D. You can just call me Mira, though. And who might you two be?"

"Um, I'm Jordan," I said, hesitating a moment before I shook her hand - it didn't look burned at all, or even red. When I finally shook it, it was actually pleasantly warm. I looked over at Cammie, who shook her hand a moment later.

"And I'm Camellia," my girlfriend replied. "Er, Cammie or Cam is fine."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you both! Welcome to my humble shop!"

"Your shop... the magic shop? Mira's Marvel's?" she asked, and Mira nodded vigorously as she shot us a thumbs-up.

"Yes, indeed! I sell all sorts of magical goods... potions and reagents, crystals and tomes... I can even concoct a variety of custom spells. Plus, I also provide a range of magical remedies and medical services at very reasonable rates - you don't even need insurance!" That seemed, uh... sketchy at best, but before I could say anything, Cam chimed in yet again:

"What happened to our bedroom? There was some kind of... earthquake or something, and then we ended up in your weird... doll room. If this is a shop, then why does it feel like we're in some crazy hotel?"

"Well, this is just the top floor - the shop's downstairs - this whole place is bigger on the inside, you see. But, erm, about your bedroom..." Mira said, running a pale white hand through her hair as she blushed. I saw a golden hoop earring with a black gemstone in the middle of it shine for just a moment before her hair fell back into place. "I think the energy fluctuations here are playing havoc with my warp engine, so I must have... kind of, sort of... accidentally landed in your cabin. That... doesn't usually happen... but, don't you worry! Once I head on my merry way, everything should be right back to the way it was before... er, probably." I was going to bring up the messy state her landing had left the bedroom in, but I thought better of it - her mention of a 'warp engine' had given me pause, anyway - I was insanely curious.

"Sorry, did you just say your warp engine?!" I asked, my voice incredulous.

"Yessir!" Mira chirped. "How else do you think this old place gets around?" She looked over toward the door, which was still completely ajar, and then snapped her fingers. We both gasped as the door that led to the strange void slammed shut.

"There we go, that's much better - it was getting a bit drafty in here. Now, why don't we all go downstairs for a chat in my sitting room? I can make you two some tea if you'd like, and then I'd be happy to answer any more questions - I've got a few of my own, actually." We both nodded, and then Mira led us down a few doors to a stairwell. We went downstairs only to find ourselves in a small room with a little coffee table and few chairs. There were a number of diplomas hung up on the wall, as well as some strange art pieces... and a photo of Mira seated at a table clinking margarita glasses with a blonde, a black haired woman, and two other men. We both sat down and Mira walked over to a door with three black dots on it. "Would either of you like some tea, then? I've got chamomile!"

"Um, sure," I said, and Cam nodded, too.

"Sugar?"

"No thanks," I replied, and Cam shook her head, too.

"Suit yourself," Mira shrugged and opened up the door and snapped her fingers once more. We heard the sound of water flowing from inside the small room for a few seconds just before an antique-looking teapot with steam pouring out of it came zooming out, along with three teacups sitting on saucers - a box of tea bags and a big bag of sugar wasn't far behind. They all flew over to the table and gently landed on its surface, and Mira dug out three tea bags and placed them into the cups before settling into an empty chair. I watched, wide-eyed, grabbed the steaming teapot without a second thought and poured hot water into each of the cups, then set it back down without so much as a grimace.

"You two might want to wait a bit once the tea finishes steeping - it's very hot." The next moment, she grabbed the bag of sugar and poured an absolute mountain of sugar into the cup, then absentmindedly swirled it around with her finger, before the pulled it out and popped it in her mouth. A dreamy smile appeared on her faced as she let out a little chirp of contentment.

"It didn't seem to faze you," I said, as I stared at the steam billowing out from the teacup in front of me. She popped her finger out of her mouth spoke up again.

"Oh, that's just the demon blood in me - heat doesn't really bother me all that much," Mira said, matter-of-factly.

"Wait, you're a... demon?"

"Half-demon!" she chirped. She raised her finger as if to accentuate the distinction, and then pressed it to her chin. "Well, it's sort of more like two-thirds nowadays. But you have nothing to worry about - I'm not evil, or anything. I swear, you humans always freak out when I mention that. We're not all bad!" Her lips curled down into a slight frown as she took a sip from her cup, and I felt a twinge of guilt as my cheeks grew hot.

"Erm, sorry," I said. "I meant no offense." Mira waved her hand dismissively.

"No worries, Jordan. It just gets a bit repetitive, is all." She took a large swig from her cup and let out a contented sigh. "Anywho! Let's get down to brass stacks, shall we? I have a question for you, my dear." Her steel-blue eye flicked over to Cam and she pointed at her - her fingernail was coated with black nail polish that contrasted harshly with her pale pointer, and now that I got a better look at it, it was rather pointy - it must have been another demon thing. "Now, Paige mentioned to me that you've got some sort of... powers? Is that right?"

"Wait, you can actually understand her?!" Cam exclaimed.

"Mhm," Mira said, with a hint of pride in her tone. "I'm fluent in bird, cat, and all sorts of other languages! But please, if you could answer my question, I'd very much appreciate it."

"I... do," Cam said, as her cheeks flushed with color. "I can shrink and grow my body, and, well... do this." Cam flicked her wrists, and her vines shot out again. Mira's uncovered eye widened, and she took another sip from her tea. Cam and I took our tea bags out, and Mira snapped them away with a couple flashes of light before addressing Cam's little demonstration.

"This is utterly fascinating," she said, with a bemused grin. "How long can they get, exactly?"

"I'm not sure, exactly - at least a few feet long, though. I can control them, too." To demonstrate, Cam wrapped her vine around her teacup and brought it to her lips, then took a dainty sip form it before setting it back down.

"Interesting. Have you noticed any other physiological changes? I assume your hair and eye color is another side effect?" Cam nodded, and pulled down her shirt a bit to show off a part of one of the blue swirls on her skin.

"My skin's extra soft, and I've got these blue swirls all over me, too." She put her shirt back and was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Um, I don't think my body agrees with food anymore. After, whatever happened... happened, I threw up my breakfast. I'm not felt hungry at all, but I've been really thirsty. I can absorb water, and... other liquids, too." She looked over at me and her cheeks darkened even further. "I think I'm... part plant, or something. Does it have something to do with these... flux flowers?" Mira nodded at that.

"I believe it does. Could you explain how exactly this all started for me?"

"There was this... meteor thing that came down a couple nights ago. It knocked me and Jordan out, and we woke up the next day to all these vines everywhere. The vines seemed to be interested in me for some reason, and they dragged me off to this... pod thing and trapped me inside it. When I came out of it a couple hours later, that's when I threw up, and my hair and eyes changed. Whenever I touch the vines, they'd bloom with all these blue flowers, and then my body started shrinking and growing after that."

"Well, I'd say we're definitely dealing with a fluxflower infestation - you seemed to have undergone a magical transmutation, too; I've been seeing a lot more of those lately." She looked up at us, and her smile faded. "Before you ask, I'm not able to reverse the effects, unfortunately - it's beyond the scope of my capabilities. Sorry." Cam just shrugged and reeled in her vines before she wagged her hand back and forth.

"Oh, no, that's fine! I've, er... gotten used to it by now. I'm getting a hang of my powers, and, honestly? They're pretty cool!" Mira just raised her eyebrow, looking a bit surprised.

"Yeah, they definitely came in handy. We got lost in the woods for a while, and I don't think we'd be here without them," I added. "The same goes for Paige." Mira nodded, after a moment.

"O-oh! Well, then, that's... good to hear. Usually, the first question I get is how I can fix these things. I hate to have to be the bearer of bad news so often, so... I'm glad to see you're both actually pleased."

"Wait, you said 'infestation' earlier - what was that about? And what exactly are these flux flowers? Are they some kind of... alien flower thing?" I asked. Mira's eye widened even further, and her smile returned once more.

"Aliens? Gods, no!" Mira piped up, with a chuckle. "They're extra-planar, not extraterrestrial. Unfortunately, no one's discovered exactly which plane they're from, though; the one thing the magical community has agreed on for certain, though, is that they're absolute menaces."

"How so?"

"Well, the flowers may be pretty, but the more common name for the plant is Fluxweed. I think you two can guess why."

"So, they're not flowers, but weeds? Sort of like dandelions?" I asked, shooting a glance over toward Cammie just before Mira spoke again.

"Exactly! They're troublesome, greedy little things that seem to show up in areas with a high concentration of magical energy. As you've seen, they spread by a pod, which appears seemingly out of nowhere and falls from the sky, knocking out anything in its wake before it spreads across the ecosystem and feeds off of any sources of magical energy there. Their untimely arrival causes all sorts of flummoxing phenomena - electromagnetic fluctuations, unpredictable weather patterns, not to mention all those handsy little flowering vines! The flowers can even affect wildlife, too, but this is the first I've heard of one causing a transmutation... or falling to Earth, for that matter."

"Well, that certainly checks all the boxes for the past couple days we've had," I said. "There was that crazy storm at the lake, the weirdness with your compass—"

"—don't forget about the giant bear and spider, too," Cam reminded me, though I really wish she hadn't. I lifted my cup of tea up and took a sip.

"Well, it sounds like you two have been through a lot - I'm glad you're both alright. But Cammie... you said the vines were only interested in you?"

"Yeah. When we first approached the vines, they tried to grab me, and then they dragged me away, but they didn't bother Jordan at all." Mira put her finger to her chin again.

"Hmmm. You said this is your cabin, correct?"

"Right. Well, it's my family's - we own the land," Cam replied.

"Ah. And do you come here often?"

"Yeah! I practically grew up in these woods. Nowadays, I try to make the trip once every few months or so, but since Jordan and I got together, this is the first time I've been able to make it up here, with work and such. It's been about a year or so, I think." She looked over at me. "This is Jordan's first time here." Mira smiled and nodded, then turned her attention toward me.

"You mentioned the lake earlier, too. Did you swim in it? Take a drink, perhaps?"

"We both swam in it," I said. "A couple times, actually. There's something about the lake isn't there? It's... special, or something?" Mira nodded.

"It's a magical nexus - they're places that absorb large amounts of magical energy, usually situated atop crossed ley lines. I'd wager that's the case here - these woods are buzzing with the radiant energy - no wonder the fluxflowers showed up here."

"Wait, how do you know about the lake, though?" I asked.

"My shop made an... unscheduled stop here a couple weeks ago - that's when Paige escaped and got lost in the woods. My friends and were able to use the lake water to help us get back. Well, that was the original, plan anyway; we actually ended up recharging the engine using some magical sex candles." My eyes widened at that last bit, but she didn't elaborate any further when she spoke again. "Anyway, yes. The lake is magical."

"Well, that explains why I reacted so strongly with it, then," Cam said.

"And if you've been coming to these woods over the years, playing around in that lake... then you've no doubt soaked up an abundance of magical energy yourself, dear. Flux flowers are drawn to magical sources, so it makes sense that the vines were drawn to you - the transmutation, too, now that I think about it."

"R-right. And this... transmutation thing. It's safe, right?"

"Well, you haven't started putting down roots or anything, so it seems like the changes might be done. Is there anything else you can think of that you've noticed?" I prayed Cam would keep the effects of her nectar to herself. Thankfully, she didn't mention it.

"Well, I can also produce that pollen stuff," Cam said. "It was mentioned the notes Paige showed us - you use it for your potions, right?" Mira gasped.

"Wait, really?!" she asked, as a huge smile spread across her face. "Fluxflower pollen is quite hard to come by; I have to shop around for suppliers, and even then, I have to pay an arm and a foot for it. Would you be willing to produce a sample for me?" Cam held her palm out and wiggled her fingers, and a small dusting of blue powder appeared in her palm. "Do you mind if I get a bit of a closer look? I want to test the magical potency." Cam nodded with a shrug, and Mira's face lit up as she snapped her fingers. A brass monocle-looking thing with a few different lenses appeared in the air next to her. She held it up to her eye and leaned in close to examine the blue dust, and the lenses telescoped out and then clicked into place. "This is... incredibly potent! I could make some incredibly strong batches of Juice with this." She leaned back and let go of the monocle, which hung in the air until she disappeared it with yet another snap of her fingers. That done, she dipped a pale finger into the pile, brought some of the pollen to her nose, and then sniffed it. Her face immediately scrunched up and then she sneezed, which caused her nose to grow with an explosive surge of growth, until it covered most of her face just like Cam's had back in the woods. Unlike Cam, though, Mira didn't seem to be bothered at all - she actually looked pleased at the development. "Yez, dis will do bery dicely," she said, her voice nasally from her newly-enlarged nose. "Ubbbb... agjully, can you reberse dis?" Cam nodded, then ran her fingers across Mira's nose, and it shrank back down to its normal size a second later. "Thanks. I always try to take a hands-on approach to testing out the less... volatile reagents - sometimes the results are quite... interesting, to say the least."

"R-right," Cam said, as she lifted her cup of tea to her lips again and drank. Suddenly, a little ding sounded in the room, and Mira looked down at a shiny brass watch on her wrist that I hadn't noticed before - at least, it looked like a watch; I couldn't see any numbers on it, though.

"Oh, wow! Looks like the amassed radiant energy here is charging up the warp engine extremely fast! I should be able to get out of your hair before too long - I really only came here to look for Paige, but you guys already found her for me. Thanks so much for that, by the way."

"Well, technically, she found us," I said. "But we're I'm glad we could help!"

"Oh, speaking of help, is there anything I can do for you two? Free of charge of course; you guys did me a huge favor, after all." Cam and I looked at each other for a moment and then shrugged. Cam's eyes lit up, and then she shoved her hand in her pocket and pulled out her phone and set it on the table.

"Do you think you'd be able to fix my phone, somehow? It got all gunked up while I was stuck in the pod." Mira looked down at it for a second, then back at us.

"Well, I'm not the best with technology, to be perfectly honest - I'm more old-school than most magicians... but, let's see what I can do..." She took a moment to deliberate before she spoke up. "Oh! I do have some extra-absorbent kitty litter! That should do the trick!"

"Sure, that would be great!" Cam said, with a grin.

"Wonderful!" Mira snapped her fingers again, and a half-empty white bag with a crudely-drawn picture of a cat appeared in a flash of light, as well as a gallon-sized plastic baggie. Mira grabbed the two items and carefully poured some of the litter into the baggie, then sent the bag back to wherever it had come from with another snap. Cam quickly disassembled her phone, and then Mira dropped the outer shell and SIM card into the baggie, then zipped it up and shook a bit to bury the components. She handed the bag over to Cam with a warm smile. "There you go! After a day or so, your phone should be good as new!"

"Thanks!" Cam said, as she took the bag from Mira.

"You're very welcome, but I know I can do better than a bag of kitty litter," she replied, with a grin. Mira's eye flicked over toward me, and she looked down at the teacup in sitting in front of me. "Once you've finished Why don't you two come take a look around the shop and see if you can find something else you'd like?"

"Oh, um... alright, sure," Cam said, and I quickly downed the rest of my tea and stood up - there was no use holding everyone else up. Cam and Mira followed suit, and we all walked out of the sitting room and headed into the store proper.

We came out of the back room to a storefront that was... surprisingly disheveled. Tables were set up around the shop, haphazardly displaying an assortment little knick-knacks, various bottles and other goods. A large bin of crystals was next to the counter, and there were some bookshelves and shelves of potions and ingredients against the wall. I heard a little meow and my eyes were drawn to the strangest cat I had ever seen; it was somehow two cats in one, with the front half of a black cat and a dappled, black and white one stuck to the back portion of a tabby cat.

"Crunchy, Wrapster... did you boys find that wigglewort I asked for in the back room?" Mira said to the strange two-headed beast, and the scruffy black and white cat let out a grumpy little meow. Mira's face soured, and she tapped her boot on the ground. "Oh, don't be like that, Wrapper. That's enough of a break. Get on back to it, you two." The cat(s) reluctantly slinked off the counter and landed gracefully on the ground below, and I tracked them as they padded across the room and slipped through the cat door built into the door at the far end of the back wall. I looked over at Mira, and she cast a knowing glance toward the door. "Crunch-Wrap's my familiar. He helps me out around the shop."