Back in the restaurant that the New Perths had recently left, the other patrons were enjoying their own meals, sometimes chatting away quietly as they did so. One table in particular, where a middle-aged couple were enjoying a roast beef based dinner, enjoying their time together.
“This has been a good night so far.” The man, Cid Wright complimented.
“That it has.” His wife, Clarence responded mid-chew. “Have to say, saw something odd though.”
“Oh?” He queried.
“That last couple, she didn’t look like she’d washed her feet.” She referred to the Perths. “And didn’t look as though she’d even heard of a bra.”
“Some people.” He scoffed at the thought as he took a long drink of the champagne, the slightest of itches unnoticed.
“I know.” Clarence approved of his opinion, the numbing feeling she was getting in her feet not yet registering to her.
Across the restaurant the many peoples enjoying their meals continued in pleasant environs and company, oblivious to the chaos that would unfold in a matter of moments. It began with one patron laughing at a joke, stifling his mouth so the slight neigh that escaped wasn’t really heard, as his dinner companion asked him:
“Honey? Did you remember to shave?” Asking in a hushed tone.
“Yes, why?”
“It looks like you didn’t.” She explained as he put a hand to his cheek to feel the tufts of what he thought was hair.
“Odd. I shaved this morning.” He wondered as a weird noise, almost like a whinny was heard. “The Hell is going on?” He asked perplexed as he turned to the source of the sound.
And received the shock of his life. Three tables away sat a lady whose very face was pushing out, nose becoming a part of the elongating upper jaw and the whinnying was her cries of shock and panic as she pushed against it, trying futilely to force it back. She was far from the only one though, as only right next to her the man she was with was staring at his hands, as they hardened and lengthened to form what had to be hooves. The older couple had started as well, her dress showing signs of being stretched while he was trying to contain a fast-growing bulge in his pants while his shoes were pushed away from him by hoofed feet.
“Honey?” She whispered on the brink of panic, since when he turned to face himself, several buttons on his dinner jacket and shirt were blowing away from him thanks to his own barrelling chest, thick brown hairs sprouting at an alarming rate.
“Theeer?” He tried to ask, his voice becoming distorted by his own changing face as his weight grew beyond the limits of his chair, which promptly cracked and splintered under the amplified stress to make him hit the ground.
That was enough to make her scream and back away, into the arms of one of the waiters who had entered to investigate the disturbance.
“What in the name of all that’s Holy…?” He began before the knock and scream startled him, others entering to either race back into the kitchens or stare in open-mouthed shock at the scene before them.
Since she, Nadia Taylor, hadn’t eaten any meals that contained meat in this restaurant, she was unaffected by the Perth’s wish, but most of the others were almost horses now, clear in the eyes of those who watched, and finally worked out what was happening, even if they couldn’t work out why.
By now, a few were trying to restore some kind of order, as the doors were locked up and those who had been spared were ushered out of the dining rooms and into the kitchens.
“So just who DO we call!?” One severely-rattled waitress demanded. “Police? Doctors? Vets? Animal Control!?”
“Better make it all of them!” The head chef yelled over the others, her powerful voice commanding the others’ attention. “And someone check the security footage, it’ll be needed if anyone’s to believe this!”
[+]
Not knowing the precise situation at where they’d been, but having a good guess as to it, the New Perth’s picked a good movie at the theatre to watch, adding some snacks and drinks to have with it as they picked a seat near the back. It wasn’t very full, perhaps only a third of the seats, and with a good distance between them and anyone else, could talk quietly to one another without bringing unwanted attention to themselves.
The question she was mentally asking herself was though, did she want to bring the issue up now? Or let it wait a little while longer?”