The two badgers made their way out of Benjamin’s room. Where they would see one of the ladies preparing to make her way out of the estate. Zoe was in her medical gear and was in a rush to get to someone’s aid.
“Zoe, Is your shift starting?” her younger badger brother asked the vixen.
The fox nodded her head. “You are absolutely correct,” she answered. “There was a call coming in from one of those drive-in theatres they’re fond of over here.”
Asher then gulped, with a nervous look on his face, holding onto Benjamin for comfort. He had feared that the call was in regards to his uncle, perhaps all the changes had finally caught up to the old fellow
“Relax Asher, It has always been my proper duty to help people, if the patient is someone you know, rest assured I will make sure that they are well in a jiffy.” Zoe assured the badger. “Now, I have to get going.., she walks through the foyer and steps into her Mini Cooper, and drives out of the estate to the hospital she works at.
Benjamin then turned to Asher. “Could this have something to do with what Felix has been doing?” He inferred to his chap, knowing what he had previously told him.
Asher sighed his ears and whiskers lowered on his furry face. “I’m afraid that this may be so. He made all these changes to the neighborhood so quickly, who knows how many people he’s changed between that entourage of his, that VonBurger place, the Bowling Alley, and that drive-in he’s made. He lost the plot and now he has endangered himself, all because my changes weren’t his cuppa tea.”
Benjamin placed a paw on Asher's shoulder, trying to comfort him. “I was worried for you when you were all knackered in the pub earlier today, but this may as well be a serious time for you if it is true Zoe’s case does involve Felix. Perhaps we can visit Felix at the hospital if he’s there? It might help if we talked to him.”
Asher looked up at Benjamin, grateful for his friend's support. "Thank you, Benjamin. It's just that I feel responsible for all of this. I warped the neighborhood to my liking and now look what I’ve gotten him into."
"It's not your fault," Benjamin reassured him. "Felix is a grown badger boar, responsible for his own actions. And we'll figure out a way to make things right. We'll get to the bottom of this and fix it."
Asher nodded, feeling a bit better. "Thanks, Benjamin. I don't know what I'd do without you."
Benjamin smiled. "You don't have to worry about that, Asher. I'm here for you. And we'll get through this together." he said comforting Asher, stroking his cheek with his claw.
“You are a very thoughtful gentleman, Benjamin.” Asher answers, “We should check in with James and see how he is doing. I sure hope Lyon has behaved himself!”
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The two badgers went into the smoking room looking for James and Lyon, but they are nowhere to be seen, so they checked the many other rooms in the large posh estate, before heading up to the second floor, finding a “do not disturb” sign on the doorknob.
“Well,” Benjamin chuckles, “Guess our guest and butler have been enjoying themselves quite a bit!”
Asher chimed in with “Perhaps we can add more staff? Poor James does deserve a break once in a while.”
“Good Idea, but how would we find one on such short notice?” Benjamin pondered, his claw touching his dark lip.
Asher opened the curtain and pointed outside the window. As a disheveled young man was admiring the massive estate from the street.
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“Man, whoever lives there must have an insane amount of money,” Jordan remarked to himself. The twenty something had been down on his luck financially, having been laid off from his job and being forced to move back in with his parents. It didn't help that he lacked a lot of job skills and had barely graduated college with a subpar GPA either. Jordan would then see two anthropomorphic European Badgers emerge from the stately manor, dressed in dapper clothing, they would get closer to the edge of the estate, meeting the stunned human.
“Greetings my fellow!” Benjamin cheerfully welcomed Jordan.
“Hi there,” Jordan responded as he became more used to the sight of the badgers. “That's a very nice place you have there, it looks very majestic.”
“It’s a proper home for a proper family, I must say.” Benjamin spiffed, as Asher watched his moves carefully. “We are looking for someone who can help around the estate if you wish to join us.”
Jordan, with little thought, let the idea of a job, let alone one for a posh upper-class anthro family get to him, it was a job he couldn't refuse, he did need work after all. “I’ll be glad to!” he answered cheerfully.
“Wonderful!” Asher said sweetly as Benjamin looked over to him, as Benjamin would plot his move. Beginning to think about what species he would choose for Jordan, keeping his focus on the human, he searches through the many wonderful creatures the British isles had to offer, before locking in his choice in his mind. “Perfect!” he says as he leads the human into his estate, as a chestnut coat of fur began to cover Jordan’s body.
“So what’s your name, dear fellow?”
“Jordan, sir” the Human answered, vaguely noticing his voice start to shift, as a short muzzle began to form as his teeth sharpened within it.
“It’s great to see you’re joining us, Johnathan! I’m Benjamin!” Benjamin welcomed the changing man further into his estate.
“Asher, wonderful to meet you, Johnathan.” Benjamin’s boyfriend introduced himself, and he watched in interest as he saw his “honey badger” mold Jordan into a right and proper butler.
Johnathan kicked off his socks and shoes to reveal paws covered in the very chestnut fur growing on the rest of his body, with a cream-coloured fur growing from his muzzle down to his chest, his clothes morphed from jeans and a hoodie to something more proper for a butler: grey trousers, a white button up shirt, complete with a black jacket and a handsome red bowtie that fit his slimmed down body. His face was lined with whiskers that jetted out from the sides of his muzzle with a cute pink nose in the middle, and rounded ears at the top of his head. His hair was parted to the side, as the previously wavy hair straightened for a handsome look for the stoat butler. A reddish-brown tail, tipped in black, slipped through the hole in his trousers.
“Yes!” Asher whispered as he saw Benjamin successfully change someone on his own.
His previous human life began to disappear from his mind as memories of life across the pond began to replace them. His fur cycled from reddish brown to white every winter and changed back in the summer as was the case for other stoats like him and had fond memories of it switching growing up. Johnathan arrived in the United States from Birmingham looking for work, and he just so found a job working for Benjamin and his family, which provided him with a stable income and kept his family happy.
“How can I serve you two fine gentlemen?” The newly minted stoat butler asked in his Brummie accent. The two badgers looked each other in their faces with smiles along their muzzles...