After finding several prospective members for her skulk, and met one of the werehyenas, Renata was ready to ask Paige. Renata had little doubt that the best shoplifter in Stokerville would want in with their skulk, especially seeing how werefoxes are notorious thieves. "This is great," said Renata, "We've got 6 recruits for our skulk and Paige is going to be our lucky 7th."
Ruby looked ahead and frowned, "I don't think she's feeling lucky right now." A mall cop had Paige by the arm and was angrily snapping at her. Much of her loot had fallen out from under her coat, which just made her look even more guilty. "Looks like she pushed her luck too hard," said Ruby.
"She'll get sent to juvie again," said Renata, "We won't be able to recruit there, unless... Jezebel, you think you can work your charms on that mall cop?"
Jezebel scoffed and said, "Not even a challenge for me. Watch and learn." She sashayed over to the yelling mall cop before saying in a throaty purr, "Excuse me, officer, but is there a problem?"
The mall cop turned to snap at Jezebel, but his anger faded as soon as he looked at her. While she remained in human form, her succubus charm still radiated from her. A goofy smile appeared on the mall cop's face and he said, "I don't see any problem."
"Of course you don't," said Jezebel before saying in a low voice, "There's a woman at the other end of the mall just waiting for you."
"Uh, yeah," said the mall cop.
"You better hurry or you'll be late," said Jezebel.
"Uh, right, better go," said the mall cop before hurrying off, completely forgetting Paige.
Paige stared at Jezebel with open astonishment. "How the hell did you do that?" she asked.
Jezebel smiled and said, "It's one of my many talents."
"Could I learn to do that?" asked Paige.
"Probably not the way I do it," said Jezebel, "Becoming a succubus isn't easy for a mortal."
Paige raised an eyebrow and asked, "A succubus? Really?"
"Really," said Jezebel, allowing her features to briefly shift. Her skin became an alluring red before fading back to pink, goat horns grew from her head before sinking back in. Her eyes flashed gold and her pupils became slits before they changed back. Jezebel had enough shifts for right now and she didn't want to push their luck.
Paige jumped back a bit and asked, "Are you here to offer something for my soul?"
Jezebel laughed and asked, "What do I look like? A tax collector? But there are some friends of mine who would like to make you a proposition."
"Are they demons too?" asked Paige.
"Nope, werefoxes," said Renata as she and Ruby walked up.
"Werefoxes?" asked Paige, "Like werewolves?"
"There are many kinds of werebeasts, each with a different culture and mannerisms," said Ruby before quickly changing to her vixen form and back. "I think you'll be interested in what werefox culture is like."
"I'm listening," said Paige.
"We're nomadic by nature, we can never stay too long in one place," said Ruby, "We are the cleverest thieves and tricksters. We have the charisma to talk our way out of problems or talking others out of their pants."
"Huh, kinda sounds like gypsies," said Paige.
Ruby rubbed the back of her head. Renata noticed an unusual expression her face. Shame? No. More like chagrin. "Yeah...we're kinda the reason that the Roma got that reputation," said Ruby, "They have a pretty big grudge against us for that."
"Ruby, do you actually feel sorry about that?" asked Renata, a little surprised.
"Well...I wouldn't say 'sorry', but that's not a part of our history that I'm very proud of," said Ruby.
"Why aren't you sorry?" asked Paige.
"Because werefoxes are a very shameless race," said Renata, "They often leave broken hearts and hurt feelings behind them. It's one of the downsides of being a werefox, but there's a potion that curbs the impulses and makes you more in control of yourself."
"So you're wanting me to join you?" asked Paige.
"I'm building up my own skulk," said Renata, "It'll be a more sedentary and restrained skulk than others. We've already got a few who want to join."
"Oh, so do you have to bite them?" asked Paige.
"No, that's a myth," said Ruby, "Werebeasts require other means of changing humans, but we already have those."
"Well, it sounds worth a look," said Paige, "Especially if it'll make shoplifting easier."
"A word of advice," said Jezebel, "Don't get too greedy. Your luck can only hold for so long."
"Yeah, kinda overdid myself when I tried to take that guy's wallet," said Paige, nodding in the direction the mall cop went.
"You tried to pickpocket a mall cop?" asked Ruby, "That's pretty gutsy."
"Yeah, but you should stick with normal shoplifting until you're better at pickpocketing," said Renata.
"Yeah, might need that potion or I'll go on a thieving frenzy," said Paige. She scooped up her appropriated loot and headed off.
"Ok, I think that's enough for now," said Renata, "We've got plenty to initiate into the skulk."
"And there's still more to pick from," said Ruby, "Most of the guys around here will probably do anything to get with a bi girl."
"True, but let's be cautious," said Jezebel, "The werewolf pack may be scoping guys for the same reason and I don't think they'll tolerate werefoxes if they were going to set up permanent residence."
"Good point," said Renata, "You think we should try and form an alliance with the werehyenas?"
Ruby laughed and said, "Allying with werehyenas." Then she look at Renata and said, "Oh, you're serious."
"What's wrong with werehyenas?" asked Renata.
"More like what's wrong with us," said Ruby, "Werefoxes don't really hold their ground. We're more likely to leave people holding the bag and saying 'You're on your own'."
"Well, I intend for us to be a different kind of skulk," said Renata.
"Wow, such a revolutionary," said Ruby, "That makes you so sexy."
"Save it for later," said Jezebel, "My feet are killing me from all that shifting."