Just then a young man walked into the bar, no more that sixteen with dirty blond hair and a fair build with an excited grin on his face. He was wearing a simple, white button down shirt and a pair of worn khaki slacks. He sat down at a stool a couple down from Jason.
"Hey, Nate. I'll be with you in a sec," said Tina. Clearly he was a regular as well. She turned her attention back to Jason.
"I'm going to need a minute. The choices are a bit overwhelming." Jason looked over the myriad of options, but his attention kept pulling to the kid who was clearly too young to be in here.
"Ok, I'll be back in a little bit." Tina turned her attention to Nate. "The usual?"
"Yep, one Full Moon Blaster, please." Nate pulled a crisp $5 bill out of his wallet and laid it on the bar. He watched as Tina began mixing his drink. He turned his attention to Jason. "Isn't this place great? I just randomly found it one day. Been coming here ever since."
"How often?" replied Jason.
"Three days a month," replied Nate. "You been here before?"
"First time, actually." Jason looked down at the menu again.
"Try something small, if you're feeling apprehensive. Most people seem to do that. I mean, I knew what I wanted the moment I walked through that door. But I'm not like most people," said Nate.
"Thanks." Jason watched as Tina set Nate's drink down in front of him. It was in a pint glass and was a glowing bluish white in color with a white mist floating off the top. "What is that one?"
"It's a Full Moon Blaster." Nate took a hearty sip of the drink. "It's something Tina created just for me."
Jason watched as grey and black hairs began to grow along the sides of Nate's face and neck as his ears began to grow to points. "My god..."
"Nate is what one would call a werewolf enthusiast. So, for the three nights of the full moon, I fix him a drink that turns him into a wolf man, you know to indulge his fantasy."
"It's just a bit of fun. It lets me grow the fur and the fangs and the claws. I have fun with it." Nate took another sip of his drink. "The question is what are you going to get?"
Jason looked at the menu again. There were a lot of options, but part of him just wanted to watch Nate change for the moment. It exhilarated him as he watched the fur grow in, his lips darken and his nose becoming more lupine. His forearms were getting hairier too and his fingernails were growing thicker and sharper into claws. He also noticed for the first time that Nate had come in barefoot, and his feet were becoming hairier as well. He watched the young patron take another sip of his drink. He watched the young man check himself out in the mirror in the bar, pretending to snarl. Nate then turned his attention back to Jason.
"You should try the Youthenizer. Turn back the clock a bit. People usually get a thrill over that. Or one of the muscle gain ones. Get really ridiculously ripped. " His voice was deeper now. Nate smiled, revealing his teeth were growing out into sharp fangs. Nate took another drink from his glass.
Jason was stunned and turned to Tina. "What is this place?"
Tina smiled, "Magic. Only people who can appreciate what I can do can find this place. Only people who want to experience a change come here. I feel like you're holding yourself back, newbie. So, what'll it be?"
"Give me a shot of Youthenizer. Enough to take a good ten years off and follow it with a Muscle building chaser!" announced Jason.
"That's the spirit!" replied Tina. They were they distracted by the sound of tearing fabric and both looked over to Nate as his transformation escalated as his back muscles reformed, ripping his shirt down the middle, exposing his back, covered in thick, silver and black fur. He turned and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry," he said in a low, almost growl. Sharp fangs protruded from his darkened lips. Each of his fingers had become tipped with inch and a half long claws. Nate caught Jason's glance. He held up a hand, showing his paw-pad like palms. "These claws look cool, but it's damn near impossible to do anything with them."
"You want me to take them back?" asked Tina with a bit of snark.
Nate let out a low growl. "Never! I love my claws!"
"Then show me some respect, Wolf boy!" Tina was smiling from ear to ear. Nate threw his head back and let out a long and joyful howl, attracting the attention of every patron in the bar. "That's more like it!"
"Simply amazing." Jason was genuinely impressed at what he had just witnessed.
"Your door is ready any time, Nate." Tina gestured to the door just off the bar.
"Thanks. Jason, have fun." Nate slid off his stool and walked towards the door on his now digitigrade paws. Jason watched as Nate opened a door, revealing a wooded landscape, a full moon appearing in the distance.
"What the..." muttered Jason.
"It takes him to a secluded wooded area for him to play in. Chase forest animals, hunt a deer. Let his animal side out to play. In the morning, he changes back and I let him back in and he goes to school." Tina set the drinks down in front of him. "You should enjoy these."
"Bottoms up." Jason picked up the Youthenizer shot and pounded it down.