"Oh so it didn't take you two years to look like that? And something magically decided that your look would make me want to change myself the most?" Jake asked calmly.
"Bingo." Markus said. "Sorry I lied, as you entered the system scans you and shows me an image it expects you to respond to, I normally have an order by now and am busy putting things together. So if not this, what do you want?"
Jake became thoughtful for a moment, "What I want is to freak out, I'm remaining really calm and well spoken, when I normally handle changes in plans poorly. This is changing my understanding of reality. So I'd like to better understand what you are doing to me. And additionally, I'm not sure that I want to change myself, though I do just want to be happy." Jake sat there calmly as Markus composed his response.
"You smell that lemon scent? It moderates your emotions. If you get to scared, excited, happy, nervous or anything, it will force you to calm down. You have steadily become less emotional as you've been here. It also acts as a truth serum, many cannot admit what they want even to themselves. As for not wanting something, the store wouldn't have let you in if you weren't going to buy something. perhaps it misread your preferences, or they are too nuanced?"
Jake pondered this, 'Emotional suppression, that's a powerful tool. it must be lowering my alertness levels because I'm starting to feel tired.'
"A much more detailed and accurate reading can be done with a simple prick of your finger." Markus gestured to what looked like a fingerprint reader. Jacob placed his finger and a needle shot out. Instinctively he put his injured finger in his mouth as Markus focused on the computer. A moment later he said, "Alright, loading profile." he placed his wrist in a cuff on the counter and lights flashed. "Integrating." Markus grew several inches taller and his shirt melted into his body, his hair darkened to a medium brown and his chinstrap thinned to a stubble beard. His excessive muscles shrunk to the point he looked like a kickboxer rather than a body builder. He looked slightly younger, and a lanyard appeared around his neck with the name David listed.
"David?" Jacob asked "What happened to Markus?"
"Oh, he must have been a previous personality. Well he failed so I was created to take over... Aw shit, you're an angsty teenager aren't you?" As he said this he reached down into his cargo shorts, pulled out a cigarette and lit up.
Dave peered at the computer for a long minute taking a couple heavy drags from his cigarette. "Yeah 20x normal libido, 20% normal ability to control fucking temper! What the fuck did you do to me kid? Which personality am I?"
"There was just Markus before you." Jacob said not feeling intimidated at all. "So you're the same person but don't remember your previous selves?"
"Close enough kid, hey, did the last guy tell you about the lemon scent?" Jacob nodded. "Did he tell you that if you're here too long it will suppress your reactions and eventually you will become fucking unresponsive. If you haven't chosen by then, I get to choose for you and then I throw you out the door. Is that what you want?"
Jake looked at the door and slowly swiveled back to the man smoking in front of him. He felt something, tired? Yeah. Jake was tired of dealing with this weird situation. He put his head down and sighed, "I don't really care, you've successfully stunted my emotions, I just want to be happy."
David looked at the computer for a few minutes."Happy, huh? I guess that rules out the hyperactive meat sausage I've got.. what can you afford?" David grabbed his crotch and shook it to illustrate his point and let out a low moan.
He walked around when Jacob didn't respond gently pulling his wallet from his back pocket. "$5, $10. $20. $40. This will buy you something."
As David turned to leave Jacobs hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. "Your smell..."
David looked confused, "Yeah, cologne sweat and cigarette smoke."
Jacob pulled David closer burying his face in David's chest and inhaling deeply. "It's NOT lemon."
Marcus wouldn't have cared but David, embodying the teenagers desire for unhampered expression, freedom, and lust, jumped back "Fuck kid, your turning me on. You went and made me a lustful pansexual with an addictive personality." David reached for another cigarette, his cargo shorts beginning to tent.
Jacob having regained his ability to care, temporarily, began rattling off things he wanted before he falls silent again. "Smelling like cologne all the time does sound nice, and I don't want anyone to notice anything weird is happening to me. I did like the idea of changing eye color. What can I get with the money you grabbed." Jacob realized his wallet was on the floor. He bent down to grab it smelling a blast of lemon. When he stood up he felt unsteady. he grabbed the counter to steady himself, sat down in time to feel the empty calm wash over him as David began talking.
"Well we have a special running for $29.99 for a 30 day, complete makeover. Its really a fantastic deal any changes you want, to any extent." He took a drag. "You also mentioned you wanted the world to not notice. some people want the world to notice their new muscles, but not you I guess?" David laughed to himself taking another drag. "Well that would be $4.99. Oh, and I can't forget the kick-shot. It will kick start the effects with a dose of the fast acting but temporary effects, and by the time they wear off, the permanent changes will be kicking into full effect. The permanent changes take time to get you from start to finish, the temporary effects use more magic than hormones, and rebalance you to the desired state within a day or so. Things like weight change and height take time to happen, but one use of the kick start would be to get someone into mid growth spurt as opposed to needing to wait to ramp up into one. The same is true for other changes too. Hair color and texture might be changed, but it still needs to grow out so a kick shot might include a temporary hair growth rate increase."
After a few seconds of Jacob not responding, David waved his hands obnoxiously in front of Jacobs face, "Fucking kid" he mumbled in exasperation. Angry, He took a deep drag and blew the smoke in Jacobs face, Jacob winced, pulling his face away and said, "Yeah" before his expression turned back to apathy.
"Yeah." David pantomimed before it clicked. "Yeah!? meaning you consent to it all? So wait, I know what you want to buy, and you said that you 'just want to be happy.' so I can complete the sale and get out of this fucked up body!"
Jacob listened from his prison of apathy. He was going to say, "Yeah, that's disgusting." but realized he can't undo the past, was in no position to make demands, and there are far more disgusting things. Ultimately it just wasn't worth the effort. So he stopped at "Yeah" and drifted deeper and deeper into apathetic oblivion. Jacob listened as David became more animated, taking his words out of context, and even then Jacob couldn't bring himself to care. He couldn't decide, so ultimately this is what was going to happen anyway, trying to fight it would just make the process take longer and end at the same result. So what does any of it matter?
Jacob heard some noise, with effort he turned his head, as his interest was being suppressed, he was beginning to feel drowsy. Jake knew it was a very short matter of time before he fell unconscious, and then what? He saw David had acquired a bowl from somewhere and he was mixing powders from jugs he was gathering from all over the store. How boring.
Jake drifted in and out of consciousness, his head had slumped over the cashiers counter-top. At some point his phone was placed in front of him in a failed effort to get him to engage. The lock screen was still lit up showing the time, 3:08. Jake closed his eyes.
"Hey kiddo! Come on! Drink this." Jake's face was being slapped. As his eyes slowly opened he realized he was laying on the floor with his head propped up in David's lap. The smell from the cigarette smoke was heavy but being within 2 feet of David's bare chest, the cologne smell was the strongest.
Jacob knew he should ask, after all, who in their right mind wouldn't ask before swallowing? As soon as his eyes opened a cold metallic tasting liquid was being poured into his mouth. Jacob couldn't help but gulp to keep from choking.
"That's a good little guzzler." David rubbed Jacobs belly and his hand lingered there for a second, begging to rub lower. With strained effort David pulled his hand back barely resisting the urge. Embarrassed, David moved into a crouching position and began pulling Jacob to a standing position.
As they both rose they ended up standing inches from one another, Jacob inhaled deeply, only able to say, "You smell good." Jacob felt something touch his leg and immediately knew what it was.
David barely restraining himself moved in closer. His body wanted to pounce, mustering all his restraint he whispered heavily, "You will too, soon"
Jacob smelled the cigarette on his breath, suddenly he realized the lust dripping off David and Jacob's brain registered the danger. Jacob felt, concerned and maybe a little awkward, but it was something.
David had turned away from Jacob and was beaconing him to the front of the store, as Jacob approached David grabbed his hand an placed a finger on a reader, similar to the one that, "Oww!" Jacob said as the device impaled his finger.
A glass tube fell from the ceiling and encased a vial of pills. "This device will teleport one pill into your stomach at 7am every morning until the container is empty. This way you won't forget, or take them at the wrong time, or loose them... its a $10 service free for purchases of $50 or more, or patrons we like, or suspect might not be the best about following directions."
"Wait, what did I just drink, and what will it do to me? What'll hap... pen... to... " Jacob realized that it was already done and beyond his control. He didn't fight then, why start now?
David sighed. "I think that's my cue to kick you out the door. Its been fun kid, hope you're happy." With that, David began leading Jacob to the door, with each step becoming smaller and slower than the last.
Jacob realized he was standing in front of a closed storefront, he pulled out his phone to read it was 3:10. The lights were off, the door was locked, the shelves were bare. His head felt like he was in a dream and his body felt like he drank too many energy drinks. Out of nowhere he belched and had a sudden strong taste of metal in his mouth. "Did I just?" Jacob's heart pounded in his chest as he stepped away from the boarded up building.
His dad would be by to pick him up in 50 minutes or so, so Jacob had some time to kill. Across the way, the magic store was missing too. "Did I imagine it?" Jacob smelled his shirt, the stench of cigarette smoke clung to him.