Travis clopped anxiously onto Merlin's spell circle. It was one thing to watch the wizard at work, but now he was the magician's sole focus.
"Just relax," Merlin grinned, holding up a glowing green hand, "I'll do all the work." He firmly placed his palm on Travis' chest, "Just tell me your truth."
His truth? Baah...! Travis could feel Merlin's magic ripple over his body like a wave of static cling. His truth...
Truth be told, he had gotten fucked by a pair of satyrs, and was more pent up that he had ever been in his entire life. He didn't just have an urge to have sex. He felt like he needed to... He felt like it was his duty to Pan to fill the world with more satyrs. If left to his own devices, he probably would have tried bringing the wizard into the fold in the next few minutes.
Merlin was right. There was no way he could just casually integrate into college life!
"I-" Travis started to tell Merlin to go ahead and turn his goat legs into pants. He stopped himself though. This spell could make him a fine upstanding satyr, right? What would that even be like?
"I'm a responsible satyr," Travis gave Merlin a sheepish grin.
The wizard nodded, "Good." He gave the satyr a strained smile, "Try to be a bit more convincing than that please."
"Right!" Travis felt himself start to wag. He could do this! His shoulders dropped a bit, and his muscles started to relax. Responsible satyr, responsible satyr... What was a responsible satyr like? "I've got some healthy outlets."
"Uh-huh..." Merlin nodded, focusing on keeping his glowing palm on Travis' chest.
The spell looked like it was taking a considerable amount of effort to pull off. Travis was going to have to thank Merlin later for all this. Did wizards like Starbucks gift cards? Wait a second. He had just thought about thanking someone and didn't mean it as a euphemism for fucking them into satyrhood! This was working! Oh man, and a good thing too. Merlin was liable to turn him into a goat if he tried anything. What had he been thinking earlier!?
"Go on..." Merlin pressed his hand a little firmer into his chest.
"Right! Healthy outlets!" He wagged a bit faster, "I go on nature hikes a lot." Yeah, that fit for a satyr. A few twigs and leaves started to appear in the fur around the base of his legs. "I tried getting my extra energy out at the gym, but you wouldn't believe the passes a sweaty satyr gets on the bench press." He grinned. That was a fun mental image. This was getting easier.
Merlin didn't give him the prodding comment this time. His whole focus seemed to be on the spell. Travis looked around the room for ideas. He glanced over at his friends and Gabe and- Ah, that would work. He couldn't help but notice the bundle of satyr fur in the soccer player's arms.
"I'm on the magic department's soccer team too." He hadn't known his school had a magic department, let alone their own intramural team. Still, he loved soccer. Team sports are great for satyrs. They've got that herd mentality thing and, right, he should be saying this out loud.
"Team sports are great for satyrs." He smiled, "We've got a herd mentality for this sort of thing, and it really helps to burn off some extra stress. I think I've got half the school's satyrs signed up at this point."
The words were spilling out of Travis effortlessly now. He could clearly picture a field full of practicing satyrs. No, he was remembering it. They all had names and positions, and he even recognized some of the plays in his head. Travis' sheath stirred a bit as he remembered Gabe's comments from before. There was something else he liked about their games.
"The post-match fuckings are always a good outlet too." He beamed.
Merlin glared at him, "I thought you said you were responsible." Travis may have had outlets, but he still had that mischievous look behind the eyes.
Travis threw up his hands, "I am!" Merlin's comment had nudged something loose in his mind, "You sound like my guidance counselor." He huffed. A new memory slotted effortlessly into Travis' head. Freshmen orientation had a special session dedicated to the topic of not fucking half the campus into satyrs before midterms. They had pamphlets and everything.
He put his hands on his hips, "Baah, I may be a responsible satyr, but I'm still a satyr. I just fuck around with other goatmen." That should be enough, right? He knew not to fool around with the humans on campus. They'd all gotten the lectures.
Which, come to think of it, mostly just let him know how much he reasonably could get away with. He tried to give Merlin a patronizing bow, but the man's hand was in the way. A head nod would need to do. "I only make one or two new satyrs a year, thank you very much."
"I suppose that beats one a week." Merlin watched Travis intently.
"Relax! I know how to control my urges." Travis did his best to sound convincing. He gestured over his shoulder, "Gabe's my current project."
The words left his lips so casually he hadn't even thought about them. Lots of satyrs allowed themselves the occasional indulgent night or lapse of judgement, but Travis preferred long term projects when it came to coaxing out a new satyr. In an instant, he could remember a semester's worth of flirty soccer practices with the young man. With... his good friend. Gabe wasn't just some tag-along tonight. The two had been seeing each other for a couple of months now.
Baah! The memories wouldn't stop flowing into his head. He'd been easing Gabe into the satyr lifestyle for almost a year now. Travis had long since integrated Gabe into his social circles. The striker had this fun exhibitionist streak that Travis liked to tease. After some amount of coaxing, he had finally talked Gabe into buying a pair of satyr pants from Merlin.
"You make it sound like you keep a folder on me," Gabe laughed. Travis loved seeing Gabe's infectious smile. He always joked it was stronger than satyr seed.
"I might." Travis flirted back, "I need to use all those college-ruled notebooks for something." He wagged eagerly.
Gabe blinked, "Are you serious?" He adjusted the grip on his satyr pants. Then something odd happened. In the blink of an eye, Gabe was also carrying his soccer ball. Then his loaner shirt started to change colors. It shifted from a generic university t-shirt into a bright green design that was awfully familiar to to the satyr. The shirt took on a lightweight sporty material, and Travis realized he was looking at Gabe's favorite practice outfit.
"Uh..." Travis stared, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. It looked like Peter had left his soccer practice in a hurry. He glanced over at Mark and Peter. Their appearances didn't seem to have changed any. Well, Mark fucked Peter into a scruffy goat of a man, but nothing had changed about them in the last minute or two.
Pan's sheath, he still couldn't believe how reckless Mark had been. Travis was going to have to talk to Gabe about who he mentioned The Second Skin to. Thankfully Peter had him here to show him the ropes-
The thought ran like lightening through Travis' head. He wasn't here because he got caught up in some satyr costume shenanigans. He was the responsible satyr friend they called in to help fix this mess. Mark had called Gabe while he was practicing, Gabe had called Travis after that, and they had all just met up here.
The memory was as clear as day in his head, and he was sure his phone would have the call logs to prove it. Travis tried to recall the pantry tryst he had with Mark and Peter at the frat house earlier. He could only seem to recall the vaguest outline of the memory. He was pretty sure they had a threesome, but the specifics of who was in which position escaped him. Every time he tried to think of the details, he just remembered a study session at his dorm getting interrupted by a call from Gabe. He was on page thirty seven of his potions textbook.
Travis could feel his new reality solidifying around him. It was a strange sensation. He wasn't making up things for the wizard anymore. He was just blurting out bits of his life as he remembered them.
"Hey, you can't say you've slept with every satyr on campus unless you take notes." Travis bleated playfully at Gabe.
Baah! Woah, hey! That was quite the detail to just casually add! Why had he said that!? Travis felt his sheath stir again. He hadn't actually... No, he had! Images of one night stands, broom closet make outs, and brief flings started to fill his head. Oh jeez, he was one promiscuous satyr! Not to mention gay. Did... did his old self sleep around this much? He tried to think back, but his mind was mostly dwelling on how Gabe was totally gong to want to see his sex notebook.
"Well, as long as it's just other satyrs you're fooling around with." Merlin grinned. The wizard was enjoying this.
Peter coughed into his hoof-hand gently, "Every satyr on campus?" He grinned, "I think you might have a new box to check off."
Mark laughed, "You better make him work for it Peter!"
"Baah, hey, come on." Travis bleated defensively, "I've got a reputation to keep!" He laughed along with the group, but then glanced down at Merlin, "Apparently...?"
"You did say you wanted to be a satyr." The shopkeeper grinned, "This is what they're like. Honestly, I think it suits you."
He started to ease his grip on Travis' chest. "One new satyr a semester is pretty on par. Maybe even a bit conservative." The glow on his hand started to fade, "I think we're finished here-" He started to pull his hand back, but was interrupted by Peter.
"Baah, I'm sure we'll fool around at some point." The new goat man raised an eyebrow, "I take it you have that name for a reason?"
"Name?" Merlin's hand snapped back to life. A bright green aura started to light the edges of Travis' figure as he pressed his palm firmly against the satyr's chest. "What name?" He smirked, "I'm sorry, we had quite a lot going on during our introductions earlier. Remind me who you are again?"
"Baah? I thought we were just establishing that." The satyr chuckled. He opened his mouth again, then closed it. He gave the wizard a confused look.
"Go on." Merlin grinned, "A name can tell you a lot about someone."
The satyr felt his pulse quicken. The fur on the back of his neck was standing up. His name. That should have been an easy one. Why was he hesitating like this?
"Baah, I'm Freetail," He gave the wizard a shy grin.
Merlin beamed, "Are you now?"
Freetail! Baah! That was a satyr name if he had ever heard one! What was wrong with his human name? He still... had a human name, right? Mhmm, there was nothing wrong with it. He just wanted to make a big splash when he came to campus.
"Like, you know..." Freetail curled his tail up into the air, "My tail's always free for a bit of fun." He shot the satyr a wink. Freetail felt himself calm down a bit, if only because he was falling into the rhythm of a well practiced line.
"No wonder you have so many friends." Merlin looked up at the satyr. He was still looking at a mischievous beast of a man, but at least one who had leaned how to manage his instincts. The wizard gave Freetail a soft nudge, sending the satyr clopping off his spell circle.
Freetail rubbed his head as he regained his balance. He racked his brain, trying to come up with his name. His real name. He could remember it starting with a T? Maybe? Yeah. Jeez, it felt like it occupied the same place in his head as his barely-remembered student ID number. He knew he had his name written down in his dorm room somewhere if he needed it, but he'd been Freetail for years now.
Baah? Oh wow. He'd been a satyr for years now...
"Baah, uh- Merlin? Are you sure about all this? I've got a pickup line for a name and I feel like I've been a satyr for... for..." Freetail stammered. He finally blinked, watching the wizard shake the glow of his hand. The aura around the satyr's body vanished, and he realized where he was standing.
Merlin was done, and this was him now.
"As long as you can remember?" Merlin smiled, giving Freetail a wink. "While you were, you know..." He cleared his throat, "...relaxing, I was getting Peter a translation spell and an illusion spell." The wizard walked back over to his desk, picking up the fresh blank horn cuff. He waved his hand over it, etching a different set of runes into place.
Freetail reached up, rubbing one of his horns. He was pretty good at illusion magic at this point, but it was always good to keep a backup around while on campus. His fingers found their mark, brushing up against a metal cuff with considerably more wear than the one Merlin was getting ready for Peter.
"Do you think you could take Peter by the magic department tomorrow and get him signed up for the beginner classes Free?" Merlin smiled, holding the new cuff out to Peter.
Freetail felt his fur bristle.
"Freetail," he corrected. "And sure." He nodded, finding himself slipping back into the flow of conversation. This wasn't his first time bringing a new satyr up to the dean's office. He knew the paperwork and everything. It was the first time the new satyr wasn't his doing however. Part of him wondered if the front office would believe him.
Peter took the new cuff from Merlin. He juggled it in his hands for a moment. Freetail realized he was trying to figure out which horn to put it on. Just like that, everyone had moved on. He couldn't help but wonder if anyone had even noticed Merlin's little show.
"Baah, I think it'll look nicer if you put both of them on one horn," He offered helpfully. "Give yourself a little artistic asymmetry."
"Baah? Yeah? Okay." Peter nodded self consciously, "Here goes nothing..." He slid the new horn cuff down his horn, slotting it in place over the first one. Almost immediately, Peter felt the warm of a spell wash over him once more.
"There we go!" Merlin clapped his hands together, "That spell should help keep you hidden from the public eye."
"Baah...?" Peter ran his fingers through his chest fur curiously, "But..."
"Nothing... happened?" Mark tilted his head.
"Well yeah," Merlin nodded. "You know magic is real now. These illusions only work on oblivious people." He grinned, "Trust me, the campus just got a whole lot more interesting for you two."
That was a really reductive explanation, but Freetail supposed it would do. Not everyone had a few semesters of illusion studies under their loin cloth. Belt. Whatever.
Wait a second... Huh. He really did have a new major now.
Merlin started looking over his desk, picking up a few knick knacks and a small portable spell book, "Now then, we should really be checking in on that frat house of yours."
Gabe leaned over, squeezing Freetail's hand, "Thanks for coming out tonight by the way Freetail."
Freetail nodded, "Any time." He leaned down, giving Gabe a quick peck on the nose. He... really liked the way his name sounded coming from Gabe. Maybe this new reality wouldn't take that much getting used to.
"Baah, I've got your number Peter. Want me to call you later?" Freetail bleated helpfully, "Or we could meet up for breakfast tomorrow?"
Mark and Peter were following after Merlin as he started to close up the back room. "Baah? Oh- Morning might work better?" Peter bleated, "TFU's doing a big Halloween party tonight. We need to make sure they haven't gotten into too much trouble."
Freetail blinked. Why was Peter explaining that to him? He was there earlier and... and... He was far too busy with soccer practice and sleeping around to rush a fraternity. He knew a lot of TFU's members from class, but he couldn't quite remember what their frat house looked like anymore.
"Right," Freetail nodded, rubbing one of his horns, "Have... fun?"
Gabe's face went flush, "I honestly thought Merlin rented non-magical costumes too...!" He laughed nervously, "Sorry about all this."
The three stood by the doorway, waiting for Gabe and Freetail to clear the room. Mark smiled, "It's fine, tonight's been a good story if nothing else." He paused, "Do you want to come along and help us out?"