The wizard had warned him, most male ring masters first told their girlfriend, likely after changing them, who them chewed them out over their experiments to see how the ring worked, and all the fun was normally subdued or over by then. But Casper did it anyway.
Casper was surprised that there was a special menu for Ashley's type since there were currently less than fifty of them‚ maybe it had to do with them all being in this city.
Ashley's back story was interesting, maybe it, and the story of her barcode among other things would change more as more of her type came into the universe.
Casper was also surprised Ashley could blush since she decidedly didn't have blood, but maybe her coloring just changed slightly to expression emotions like chameleons sometimes did.
Casper sighed and told Ashley everything, his two friends who had become the boyfriend who had become a cheerleader and the girlfriend who had become a football player, the shop, the wizard, the ring, and his actions today. She actually giggled when she explained the pig woman.
But ultimately what mostly out of her mouth was, "Wow. So . . . you're the whole reason that Synthetics exist at all?"
"You're not angry?" Casper was surprised.
"No . . . not really, if anything, I kinda feel like I'm meeting god."
"I'm not god."
"Maybe. But the whole reason I am what I am and not something else is because of you. So . . . thanks. Just one big question though, why?"
"Well," Casper shrugged, "I'm honestly not sure why, it was a need, a drive, an instinct almost, maybe I thought Synthetics could be a tiny bit more noble than humans maybe."
"Well, I don't know any of the Synthetics as being bad people, so, so far that's worked out. You said the ring responds to what you want, maybe it's making sure that happens."
"I haven't tested it yet, but maybe, I can give you the memories you had before you were changed?"
"No." She said flat, "I don't need them, I don't want them."
"What?" He was surprised to hear that.
"You said the ring changes reality right? That means those would be memories of things that never happened. So what's the point of remembering something like that? I'm happy with who I am and comfortable with who I am, that's all I need to know. I don't want 'em."
"Oh . . . I see." He looked around, thankfully no one else seemed to be listening, and he had done his best to whisper in hushed tones.
"Well . . . you going to create more Synthetics from humans?" She whisper.
"Well . . .
"Hey, you said you were doing this to improve people just a little right? I'd call myself improved. And you were basically given a 'change the universe' license right?"
"The wizard had me take a personality test before he gave me anything. He said the one thing I couldn't use the ring for was conquering the earth or make myself dictator of a country."
She leaned in closer, smiling. "Sounds like they wanted to make sure the person who got it wasn't it in it for greed. So you basically create Synthetics for creating Synthetics sake with a touch of fixing things up on the side?"
"Pretty much I guess."
"Works for me." Ashley said. Casper nearly balked at the excitement in her eyes. Then said calmly and seriously. "You've already started Casper. You already said ring doesn't come with an undo button. You shouldn't abandon something half way."
Casper nodded.
"Casper. Can you make it some I'm aware of each transformation you make?"
"The wizard implies that was possible. So maybe."
"Okay, and if possible, I want my memories to adjust for each change and dump the old ones."
"What?! Why?!"
"Part one I'm getting on the ground floor with the guy who is going to remake the world. Or at least a good chunk of it. I want to be able to enjoy the ride." She grinned. "Par two, until you decide to fix yourself up, you're going to need someone to keep you updated on how the world works."
Casper thought about it, if he did plan to turn tons of people into rubber animals, it would be hypocritical not to do so to himself. Ashley had pretty much declared her loyalty to her 'creator' and she deserved to have that loyalty returned.
"Maybe I'll do it tomorrow sometime after I change my friends, I meant to do it today, but I was so wrap up in THINKING about the ring, I wasted an entire afternoon."
"As long as I'm there to see it happen. I want to witness it," she smiled. Casper smiled at his new partner in crime.
Casper did as Ashley requested, and the ring glowed warm in his hands, and it felt like a link had been forged between himself and Ashley through the ring's magic that couldn't be broken. She was in for a penny and in for a pound.
"It's done."
"Let test it out. Can you fix him up?" She pointed at the waiter.
He nodded. A bit of will, a bit of magic, and the waiter began to transform.
Like other employees Casper had seen, the man kept his uniform and name tag, which was NOT a tuxedo, this was a good restaurant, but an overpriced fancy one, he wasn't exactly dressed for that. But anything that wasn't part of his uniform dissolved from existence.
His feet spread into shinny yellow web feet, and his belly widened slightly, his entire body becoming shinny and smooth. His body turned black except for his belly, and his eyebrows were bright yellow like his feet, becoming 'busy' and large above his eyes. He gained a tiny tail as his black body became streamline, and his face formed into a yellow beak, but was able to speak perfectly with it. His thumbs became opposable fillers and his fingers having "evolved" from a swimming creature.
He could have made him mono-color like most of the others, but a penguin didn't seem right without the black and white pattern. Fittingly, his barcode number on his rear was white rather than black, then again, it would be impossible to see otherwise.
Reptiles. Mammals. Marsupials. Birds were within the ring's list of creatures people could become as well.
"Wow." Ashley whispered. "Now I remember him being that way when we came in. And that he's been one of the Synthetics all along. This is cool!" Ashley whispered excitedly.
Casper yawned. "I don't know if you need to sleep, but I do. It's been a long day."
"Gotcha. Walk me home good sir?" She politely offered her rubbery hand.
"As you wish madam." Casper answered back.
As the pair walked home, Casper spotted another of the otter boys with their parents, leaving the movie theater, the lad looking tuckered out. Casper willed with his ring, and the now completely family of naked rubber otters got in their car and drove home.
"Wow. We're going to have a lot of otters in town aren't we?" Ashley asked.
"Something wrong with otters?"
"Nothing. Just variety is the spices of life."
"Don't worry, we've got plenty where that came from."
"Happy to hear," Ashley said as she leaned on him.