"You turned me into an old man?!" you shout, then pause at the unfamiliar sound. "My voice..what...?"
"Youthfulness may garner you too much unwanted attention," Lawson responds evenly, his thoughts obviously elsewhere as he searches through a pouch. "As for gender, that was simply for expedience. Ah, here, put these on." So saying, Lawson pulls old, ratty, and rather smelly clothes from his pouch and tosses them at you. In response to your wrinkled nose, he chastises, "If you're going to pass for someone offering themselves as a servant, you need to look the part for now. Once we are in a safer location I will give you proper clothes. Put this on as well." Lawson hands you a necklace made of copper with a strange rune in the center. After reluctantly putting on the clothes, you slide the necklace over your head as well. To your surprise, it immediately slides over the brand on your chest and covers it, almost as though it were magnetically drawn to that location. However, this does give you an oddly heady feeling, as though you were suddenly anemic.
"Good, it suppresses your magic aura completely," Lawson nods. In response to your worried look, he continues. "It is simply a necklace which mages use to bind human servants, so they can be located and not stolen by other mages and so on. However, I also enchanted yours to hide all evidence that you are a familiar, which means suppressing all of your magical ability. You cannot change form until I remove the chain. To almost anyone, you simply look like a poor old beggar." Although you are glad you can remain in human form for the moment, the words "poor old beggar" irritate you, but Lawson pays no heed. Being male is also discomfiting, your cheeks itching from a slight stubble and the grungy breeches chafing the insides of your legs, as well as your new addition. It was humiliating enough having to use the bathroom as an animal, but at least then you were female. The practical necessessities of a male are slowly pushing you past your point of tolerance.
After a short sleep and a few more admonitions and instructions from Lawson, as well as the embarrassment of your morning toilette, the two of you finally return to civilization, although the exit of the hidden path is just as secretive as its entrance. It drops the two of you relatively near a bustling little village just about midmorning. You still sport some hope that by some miracle you will find yourself back on earth, irrational as it seems, but your dreams are quickly dashed as the two of you enter the village. With all the insanity you personally experienced over the past few days, one would think you would be numb to such things, but you can't help but gawk at the sights around you. Walking around are numerous individuals in robes similar to that Lawson is wearing, but varying in color and design. Following behind each of these is some sort of retinue, some also wearing robes and apparently apprentices, others wearing different clothes and probably human servants like you are pretending to be.
However, what blows your mind completely are the other creatures. In just the first hundred yards you spot something which looks like a miniature dragon, an anthropomorphic cat sporting multiple tails, a mythological satyr, and something bug-like that you can't even begin to identify. Your mouth gaping, you follow Lawson, who moves through the streets with a purpose. However, as you reach a square, the sights are too much, and you pause for a moment to look around and come to your senses. Realizing you mustn't lose Lawson in the crowd, you quickly turn to run after him, but accidentally bump into a tall young woman in rather resplendent blue robes, elegant runes embroidered in various locations.
"Oh, I...sorry, I..." you stammer out in your wizened voice, spotting a large retinue behind the woman, nearly all of whom glare at you. You exhale with relief when you spot Lawson popping out of the crowd.
"Apprentice Broak...it would appear that this is yours?" the woman states precisely, a peacock which you assume is her familiar staring death at you.
"Yes, Mage Yorui, I apologize. He is a poor unfortunate I have decided to take as a servant, but he is not even registered yet," Lawson states with a respectful nod of the head, and you stare at his humility until you catch a sideways frown directed at you. Quickly, you bow to Mage Yorui as well.
"I see. Well, ensure that you train him properly," Mage Yorui says flippantly down her nose at Lawson, who silently nods in assent. However, as she and her followers leave, you hear the apprentices whispering to each other.
"Such trash, how sad to only be able to keep something like that as your servant."
"Like Mage, like Apprentice."
"Yes, she tended to pick up mangy strays too, didn't she?"
"Of course, just because a stray becomes an Apprentice, it does not mean he is worthy of becoming a Mage."
You realize Mage Yorui's followers are bad-mouthing Lawson, and feel angry at their words in spite of yourself. You are tempted to run after them and beat some sense into them, and look to Lawson for permission. However, not only does he not look at you, but he has an extremely serene look on his face, as though nothing had happened. You stare at him, confused at his lack of reaction as he turns to leave, and follow him down the street. It is only at that point that you notice his hand hanging at his side, halfway hidden by his robe's sleeve, is balled into a fist and shaking.
A few streets over, he suddenly stops in front of you, saying, "Now that we've been seen here, we can get down to business. We need to go to..."