"Is... is it possible to make it happen to her slowly? Gradually? Over a long time?"
"Sure is." Ralph nodded decisively. "And it'll be better for both of you to take it slow."
"And more satisfying in the long run," Annie winked. "You'll really get to bond and grow together as she does. Imagine her getting bigger and bigger every day, becoming more feminine, more human, until she's a fully grown gecko woman. Imagine how pleasing that could be for both of you as you fall for each other. Mmm, so romantic!" Annie visibly fluttered.
"Wow." Max lit up, smiling. "That... that sounds amazing."
"Her intelligence will build up over time. Slowly. They always start with a simple mind. Then it becomes a child like mind. You can teach her and mentor her. By the time she starts to become a woman, and with your care, she'll be as smart and sharp as you."
"Or... you can make her... uhhh..." Ralph chuckled, "well, keep her a pet, if you get my vibe."
"Maybe you want to keep her a plaything or... a slave. Every interaction with her from the moment you give her the first drop of our concoction will forge who she becomes. And what she becomes. Your direction will shape her. Your influence can control her. She'll be incredibly suggestive to you and you alone until she reaches her final changes and pemenantly becomes what you've made her. If you desire an equal friend and lover, that's what you'll have. If you desire carnal satisfaction from a devoted pet, that too is what you can have. The choice is yours."
"You're... you're kind of freaking me out." Max gulped again, turning deeper red. "That's... exactly what I wanted."
"We know, little dude." Ralph laughed at the counter, slapping it. "We know."
* * *
Ralph enthusiastically headed into the back of the shop to get to work on an incredibly complex potion. Annie showed Max around the shop and indicated many strange and exotic devices and potions while they waited. He learned that she wasn't what she seemed to be.
"You're... not from the 60's, are you?"
The old lady laughed and shook her head gently. "Shy by a few hundred years," she said slyly. "No, I met Ralphie in the 60's and we fell in love. I taught him everything I know. I've been alive much longer than that."
"I-If I may ask... w-what are you?"
"Oh, I'm human, like you." She leaned against a shelf, crossing her arms. "I come from a long and storied line of witches, from the days of magic, dragons, and song."
"So... is... is this magic?"
"A precise science from a forgotten age. Some might call it magic, certainly."
"W-Were dragons real?" Max whispered, blinking in sudden wide eyed wonder.
"Very much so, young man." Annie winked gently. "Wise and powerful creatures who left this world behind a long time ago."
"Are you immortal?" Max whispered, not wanting to offend the old lady.
"Effectively, yes. I like to age. It feels wonderful." Annie smiled. "When I reach a certain point, I reset myself to a child and allow myself to progress naturally. When Ralph becomes old and feeble, he'll join me in the latest refreshing of my body and we'll grow up together."
Max smiled with excitement. "That's... so... so beautiful."
"Your lizard will be well cared for and she will live a satisfying and wondrous life. I can tell."
"Ohhh..." Max blushed. "I know I can do it."
"I know." Annie nodded slowly, patiently. She smiled broadly at last and patted the teen's head. "We usually say no to uplifting animals like this, but your consideration and sincerity was so genuine we couldn't say no. You'll both be fine."
At last, Ralph emerged from the back with a carefully corked frosted green wine bottle and a thick book under his arm.
"All right, my man." Ralph set the bottle on the counter and nodded gently, solemnly. "This is a very special and potent elixer for your very groovy needs."
"And the book, my darling, is a special manual we wrote together many years ago. It will tell you everything you will need to know to help your little lizard through her oh so slow transformation. What to look for, what to do, how it all works. Everything is in there."
"Even how to really turn her on to you." Ralph grinned cheekily. "Dig?"
"Wow." Max stared in awe as Ralph handed him to the book. "W-What do I owe you?"
Annie smiled warmly. "Come back to us when she's fully changed and show us how it went. If all goes well, the satisfaction of a job well done is all we need."
"Take care of the scaly girl, yeah? I hope she's everything you've ever dreamed of." Ralph nodded with equal warmth.
Max left the shop and gasped as it vanished from the street behind him. He turned in shock, saw nobody had even noticed, and he carefully tucked the book under his arm and put the precious bottle in his pack, cushioning it between his gym shorts and his other jacket.
Be looked down at the book curiously, and started the long walk home from the old part of the city.