Casper pondered all of these things and more, watching the green rubber kangaroos hop away with their cat girl and monkey boy children.
He sat on a nearby bench to think things through.
The old wizard had said that using the ring wouldn't bring him happiness, perhaps this is what he meant. However, he was happy that the ring actually worked, just not sure if he was happy with what the results were. Still, he was glad that there was some measure of cosmic justice, as the catgirl had not popped or been damaged at all when stepping on the piece of broken glass.
These thoughts occupied his mind, so fully that he did not realize that he had whiled away the afternoon, deep in thought. The clock tower tolled 6 PM, then 6:30 before he noticed the time.
Oh, crud, he thought, I have to meet Ashley!
He jumped up and started to make his way back across town. Dodging some light traffic and winding his way back to the mall, he saw one of the swim team members that he had transformed earlier this morning, the boy's shiny webbed otter paws padding along behind his still human parents. He thought to himself that he had been unintentionally cruel to the boy and his parents, and so he used the ring again, and the trio of rubber otters went about their mall business, unconsciously showing off their sleek, shiny bodies for all the world to see.
He rounded the corner in the mall, and approached the coffee shop where Ashley worked, unsure of what exactly what this date would entail.
As he stepped into the coffee shop he spotted the rubber lizard girl almost immediately, not that she was terribly difficult to find, with her bright green and yellow coloring. She still wore the apron of the shop, and nothing underneath. She turned to greet the new customer, and smiled when she saw him.
"Hi," she said warmly, "I should be done in a few minutes."
Casper smiled back, "Alright, no need to rush."
He watched Ashley go about her duties, sitting back in one of the armchairs the shop had for customers. He watched her interact with her workmate, a young man, behind the counter. He seemed to take no notice of the flamboyantly colored and obviously non-human nature of his coworker. With the way he acted towards her, and their overheard conversation, he gathered that she was well liked at the coffee shop.
Ashley brushed off her hands, untying and hanging up her apron, exposing the rest of her latex front, turning to wave to her coworker. He waved back without so much as batting an eye.
"There we go, all done. Thanks for waiting for me." she said with a smile.
"You are most welcome," Casper replied, "uhh...so, what would you like to do now?" he asked, unsure of what to do next.
Ashley giggled, "Well, are you hungry? We could grab a bite," she offered.
"Are you hungry?" He asked.
"Not really, but if you are, I don't mind" came the reply.
"Come on, I know a good place" she said, gently taking his arm and leading him through the mall. Casper noted to himself that he did rather like the feeling of walking with the latex lizard girl, even the soft squeaks her feet made on the ground sounding cute to him.
Shortly, they came upon a small restaurant. It was cozy and artfully lit, but not too dim. After a short wait, during which the pair of them saw the dalmatian and doberman sitting at a table holding hands, the two of them were ushered to a table and sat down to look over the menu. Casper began looking over the offerings, while Ashley accepted the menu and then respectfully set it aside. A waiter approached them, pouring two glasses of water, and asked if they wanted any drinks. Casper ordered a soft drink, and Ashley elected to have water. The waiter then asked politely if Ashley would like to view the "Synthetics menu" much to the surprise of Casper. She said that she would, and then looked to Casper and smiled.
The waiter brought Casper his soda, and handed a small piece of paper to the rubber lizard girl. The waiter said he would give them a few moments to look over the menu and faded into the crowd. Casper and Ashley made small talk, but inside Casper was burning with curiosity over what was on this "synthetics menu." He decided on a pasta dish, and Ashley stated that she didn't have much of an appetite. The waiter returned to take their order, again not seeming to blink an eye at the strange creature sitting across from Casper.
"You don't mind if I pass on the meal, do you? I don't have much of an appetite at the moment." she asked.
"Not at all," came his answer, "but I'm curious, may I look at your menu?"
"This?" she asked, holding the small paper, "Sure, though I don't think any of it will look appetizing to you."
She handed him the menu, and he flipped it over to read. The paper was indeed a menu, with items listed and arranged to approximate food, but the ingredients listed were all synthetic rubbers, latex and plastics.
As he looked on, Ashley asked him, "You've never met a Synthetic before have you?"
"To be honest, no, I haven't. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a...what did you say, a Synthetic? Uh, before today." he said.
"That's surprising," she said, "though, if that is the case, you don't seem to have any qualms about it."
"Well, I'd like to think that I'm a pretty accepting person."
"I thought so when I saw you this morning coming into the shop," she continued, "that's why I gave you my number." She blushed a bit saying this.
The food came then, and Casper ate, politely keeping up the conversation. Ashley was also polite, and seemed happy to answer his questions.
She had grown up in a suburb not too far away, to two human parents. She was adopted, obviously, but doesn't remember anything before her earliest memories of her parents. She's had her barcode for as long as she can remember, figuring its some sort of birthmark, though, she isn't sure how she came to be, 'born' or otherwise.
She never really had any problems growing up, aside from people being a bit off-put by her non-human-ness. She blushed and looked somewhat offended when Casper asked about the nozzle on her belly, but then seemed to remember that he had never dealt with her kind, so forgave him. Casper steered the conversation away from the nozzle. He talked a bit about himself, where he grew up, what his parents were like, that he was attending the local community college, as was she, he found out. They both marveled at the fact that they had never run into one another, but Ashley admitted that she had seen him in the halls a few times.
The meal was finished, and Casper moved to pick up the check. Ashley offered to help pay, but Casper declined, stating that she hadn't really eaten anything. He paid the bill and the two of them left and began to walk along the river, enjoying the night air.
Casper was enjoying the night thoroughly, and felt that there actually was something between him and Ashley. He almost regretted the decision he made then, but he decided that if he was to build any sort of functional relationship, he needed to tell her the truth.
"Ashley," he said, "I need to tell you something..."