Tori's rental car parked in front of Morgana's Services for the strange. She had nearly gotten lost, but Erzulie figured out that Morgana was trying to befuddle her and Tori. The Voodoo witch was able to easily counterspell that nonsense, helped by the fact that both she and Tori were naturally resistant to having their minds enchanted. After that, Tori swiftly found the correct route.
"That sneaky bitch!" Tori fumed.
"Oh, Morgana's not so bad," Erzulie laughed.
"Not normally, but that was a pretty shitty move," Tori grumbled. "It could mean she has something to hide."
"It could," Erzulie shrugged.
Tori turned to Fiona and Megan. "I'm leaving you guys in the car. I don't want Morgana to know you two are going to Japan. She might try to stop you."
"But coudnae th' witch awready ken?" asked Fiona.
"We thought of that," said Erzulie. "That's why I put a cloaking spell on you when we got here. It hides you from being sensed with magic."
"Good thinking," said Megan as she took out her phone. "You two go ahead. I'll take the opportunity to introduce Fiona to anime while to talk to Morgana." She opened the Crunchyroll app and held the phone in Fiona's face.
Tori and Erzulie got out of the car. They opened the door to the shop, ready to ask the proprietress some tough questions.
It was rare for Morgana Faye to be blindsided, but she was quite startled to see Victoria Vordenburg and Erzulie Lachouette walking into her shop this early. He befuddlement hex should have kept them lost for hours. "Wel-Welcome to... to Morgana's Services for the Strange," she said with less poise and dignity than she would have liked. "How... how may I help you?"
"As you know, I'm Tori Vordenburg," Tori began. "We've met before, after all. And I hope you remember my girlfriend Erzulie." She put her arm around the mocha-skinned Voodoo witch. "We're here to talk about my cousin Beck Hamilton. Perhaps you've seen them around town in the past? They're non-binary (assigned female at birth) and use they/them pronouns. They're a freckly kid with light brown hair in a fade cut with frosted platinum tips. They're tallish and pretty buff. They usually wear something in the ballpark of ripped jeans, a denim jacket with a midriff-baring spaghetti-strap top underneath, and converse shoes. Oh, and they've got their belly button pierced."
"I've seen them from time to time," Morgana said, choosing her words carefully. "What seems to be the problem with Beck?"
"Their mom, my Aunt Kim, is concerned about them," Tori answered. "Beck's been bulking up on muscle even more than normal, they've gotten weirdly hairy, and somebody jizzed all over Beck's mirror when they were alone in their room. Thing is, Beck doesn't have a dick. They were considered a girl until their freshman year of high school when they came out as non-binary. Worse, Aunt Kim swore that Beck had been furry for a split second when she opened the door. Let's get fucking real here. We both know that monsters are involved here, Morgana."
"Tori, 'monster' is a dirty word," Morgana said firmly. "They prefer to be called magicals. Anyway, have you spoken to Yomiel?"
"I have," Tori answered. "She said that she got Matriarch Carmilla von Karnstein to confess that something supernatural's going on. I'll have to talk to that leech later."
"'Leech' is also a dirty word," Morgana frowned. "As are 'bloodsucker' and 'fang', if you're asking. 'Vamp' is acceptable, but a bit dicey coming from the lips of a 'monster' hunter."
"After that, I spoke to Aunt Kim," said Tori. "She told me that Beck's in Japan for some sketchy-sounding 'student exchange program'. She also said that she caught werefoxes burglarizing her house like the parasitic thieves they are. She got them to confess that a member of their skulk is dating Renata, Beck's fraternal twin sister. Tell me, is Beck a werevixen now?"
Morgana considered her words carefully, trying to decide if Tori was more dangerous inside the loop or out of it. "I can promise you that Beck isn't a werefox, Tori. Beck is a werebeast now, but it's a different breed."
"Is it the werewolves?" asked Erzulie. "What about wereotters? There's some of those living a few hours from here."
"It's a new pack, actually," Morgana answered. "They're werehyenas."
"That explains the jizzing," Tori said. "Who leads this werehyena pack, Morgana? Where do the werehyenas meet? Why is Beck REALLY in Japan? Did you help create this pack?"
"Tori, I can't answer these questions without consulting the alpha first," Morgana said firmly. "It's only good manners."
"Morgana, this is my cousin we're talking about!" Tori pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion. "This is for FAMILY!"
"I need to speak with the alpha," Morgana insisted.
Tori frowned. "I hate to do this, but I need to help Beck. Erzulie, take a little look inside her head."
Erzulie nodded and took out a small voodoo doll of Morgana Faye. She opened the stitching in the back of the Morgana doll's head and slipped a chocolate-colored finger inside the stuffing, poking around as if she were looking for something.
Morgana suddenly felt a presence in her head, as if an invisbile head were sorting through her thoughts. She tried to hastily close off the most relevant thoughts from Erzulie, but magic was always sloppy when done in a panic.
"The alpha's a 17-year-old girl named Selena Lyall," Erzulie said. "Her father's the alpha of the werewolf pack, but she was born a wolfborn human. She felt alienated from her family, so she payed Morgana to turn her into a werehyena. I'm having trouble finding the exact method."
"Your dedication to the case is admirable," Morgana sighed, "but could you please get out of my head."
"I don't like doing this," Erzulie apologized, "but Beck's safety is on the line. If Selena kidnapped them and forced the change on them, we need to know."
"I have no reason at all to believe that this was non-consensual," Morgana insisted.
"Why's Beck in Japan, sweetie?" Tori asked Erzulie.
Erzulie scrunched her face as she wiggled her finger inside the voodoo doll's head. "I'm having trouble finding that. I guess Morgana was able to block it off in time."
"What about Renata?" asked Tori. "What's her deal with the werefoxes?"
Erzulie wiggled her finger some more. "The werefox Renata's dating is a vixen named Ruby Reynard. Ruby's skulk was passing through town and she met Renata while Renata was spending time away from the house to get away from the drama surrounding her sibling Beck. Hmmm... it seems that after Renata and Ruby got together, Renata bought a foxskin belt from this shop and turned herself into a werefox."
"WHAT?!!" Tori screamed. "And you fucking ALLOWED that, Morgana?!"
"It's my job to sell people magic that they ask me for," Morgana answered.
"But Renata's only 17!" Tori protested. "Shouldn't she have to be accompanied by an adult to buy shit like that?!"
"The magical world operates by different laws than the mundane world," Morgana said.
"But these are werefoxes we're talking about!" Tori shouted. "Their brains are fucked up! They're wired to steal, lie, prank, wander, and fuck with no regard for common sense! Renata was never the most responsible girl in the world, but she doesn't deserve to devolve unto some kind of furry hobo clown!"
"It isn't like that," Morgana countered. "I supply her with an Inhibitor Potion that keeps her mind normal."
"She's telling the truth," Erzulie nodded. "I've found the relevant memory. Oh, and Ruby's going to buy a fidelity potion to make sure she doesn't cheat on your cousin."
"No shit?" Tori gasped.
"Renata Hamilton must have made quite the impression on Ruby to inspire a natural-born werefox to want a fidelity potion!" Erzulie mused.
"Okay," Tori nodded. "I'll still have to investigate Renata further, but I'll keep those potions in mind. Erzulie, where's the werehyena pack based."
Erzulie kept wiggling her finger inside the doll. "They don't have territory of their own yet, but they meet up at Karnstein Manor a lot." SHe took her finger out of the doll's (and Morgana's) head.
Tori frowned, pensively running a hand through her spiky blonde hair. "Karnstein Manor, huh? I just knew those undead fuckers would be involved in this mess."
"Don't stake anyone," Morgana said firmly. "I promise you, none of this was Carmilla's idea. She just helps out a bit because Selena's close to her daughter Tatiana."
"You don't need to mother me, Morgana," Tori scoffed. "You know perfectly well that I haven't staked a von Karnstein since I've known you. I've WANTED to, but a monster hunter needs actual evidence before killing. Anybody who kills without it is a fucking traitor to the cause. If the von Karnsteins really do have their cold, dead hands clean, they've got nothing to worry about. I may hate them for what they did to my ancestor for recruiting my aunt into the clan, but I'm fair."
"That's good," Morgana said, cautious but hopeful. "Remember, respect Beck's and Renata's choices. I am confident that their changes were both consensual."
"We'll see," Tori said as she turned to the door. "Goodbye, Morgana."
"Wait!" Morgana suddenly said, making eye contact with Erzulie. "Erzulie, you're a witch like me."
"So the rumors say," Erzulie chuckled, playing with one of her dreadlocks.
"Well, there's an oni in town who wants to keep up her magical studies in America," Morgana explained. "I'm up to my neck in apprentices already, so having another witch around to train her would be terrific. Would you be willing?"
"I haven't met an oni since that jorogumo case back in 2015," Erzulie smiled. "I've certainly never taught one. It could be interesting."
"Thanks," Morgana smiled back. "You'd be a life-saver."
"Just send her to Stokerville's Motel 6 and tell her to ask for Erzulie Lachouette," Erzulie said. "Oh, and I'm sorry for poking around inside your head."
"It's all good so long as your girlfriend doesn't kill anyone," Morgana said. "Bye!"
Morgana let out a sigh as soon as the duo left. She hadn't been prepared for that at all. She'd forgotten that a fellow witch and a monster hunter trained to combat all things magical would be able to resist befuddlement hexes. She wouldn't even be able to place an anti-murder geis on Tori. Vordenburg descendants were famous among magicals for being immune to geises. And now Tori knew practically everything! Oh well, at least Tori Vordenburg never killed unless the target was proven guilty. Now to get back to serving actual customers.