Jason tipped the bottle back for a mouthful of the Youthenizer. It tasted bold, yet sweet, with a faint hint of cinnamon. He brought the bottle down and shivered a bit.
"Not bad, I guess." He looked down at his reflection in the mirrored surface of the bar, waiting for, well, something. He then noticed the other patrons around him were watching him expectantly.
"Don't mind them." Tina was back, holding two bottles in one hand, and a third in the other. "It's your first drink from the bar, and they want to see your reaction."
"My reaction?" Jason glanced back into the mirror. He wasn't sure but he thought his face looked a little different. Smoother, somehow.
Tina merely smirked. Don't worry about it. Everybody's had a first drink."
Jason watched his reflection in astonishment as his face began to look less mature, more like he was in high school. His clothes began to feel loose as he started loosing height. The scruff on his chin became thin and wispy, then vanished altogether. He couldn't help but let out a curse as he watched his body shrink and youthen, much to the delight of his audience.
"How young am I going to get?" Jason sputtered as his voice cracked. He was certainly in his young teens, now.
Tina glanced at his partially drained bottle of Youthenizer. "Well, I'd say somewhere between 10 to 15 years. All the beverages effect everyone differently, so it's hard to tell. I did warn you."
Thankfully, the changes seemed to be slowing. He'd lost a good couple feet in height, and his clothes were now much too large for him. He looked like a kid just on the cusp of puberty, a tween. His brown hair seemed a bit longer, and stuck out in odd directions, and he looked like he was wearing his older brother's clothes.
There was a jingle as the front door opened and two men entered. One was a very large man, his stomach big and round and hanging over his belt. He had black hair with a beard and receding hairline, both speckled with grey. The other man was as thin as a rail and didn't seem much older than Jason, his bland hair buzzed on the sides and longer on top.
"Hey, Tina!" The larger man waved jovially at the bar.
Tina nodded at the big man. "Hey, Bradly." She then nodded at the thin man. "Hey, Mik. The usual?"
The big man grunted and nodded.
"Alright, I'll get with you in a second. I've got a couple of orders to take care of, yet."
"No hurry," said Mik, the thin man. "Take your time."
They both took seats next to Jason, who was trying to roll up his sleeves to match his new size.
Bradly looked down at Jason gave a friendly grin. "Hey, what's with the kid?"
"He's a newbie," said another patron. "He tried the Youthenizer."
Bradly apparently thought it was funny, because he let out a loud, boisterous laugh.
Mik chuckled as well. "The Youthenizer? Oh, I remember that stuff. Remember when we tried that, Bradly?"
Bradly nodded. "Yeah, yeah. It was fun at first, but it turns out there's not much you can do around town when you're fifteen years old."
Mik nudged Bradly. "You were fifteen. I was five. I gotta say, it made things pretty awkward."
Bradly turned his attention toward Jason. "So, what do you think, kid? How's the drink?"
"It's, uh... different." Jason wasn't quite used to just how juvenile his voice sounded.
Tina came back, expertly carrying two pint glasses filled past the brim with brew, but somehow not spilling a drop. She placed one in front of Bradly, "That is one Thinner Skinner, Hair-B-Gone, and Head O'Hare mix, with just a small dash of Youthenizer," she placed another in front of Mik, "and one Belly Buster, Fuzz Muster, Mount Baldy mix, with just a small dash of Older Ale."
Bradly took his drink and grinned. "Thanks, Tina. You're a peach."
Tina smirked. "Call me a peach again, and I'll poison your next drink."
Bradly laughed and looked down at Jason. "So, what's your name, kid?"
Jason found that he was started to resent being called a kid, though he didn't think Bradly meant anything by it. "Jason."
"Nice to meet'cha, Jason. I'm Bradly, and this is my partner, Mik. We come to Tina's at least once a week. We like to switch things up every so often."
Mik nodded. "So, once a week, we come here and sorta switch places."
"Here, we'll show ya." Bradly turned to his partner and they clinked glasses. "Down the hatch!"
The two tilted back and quickly downed their pints and a single go.
Jason nodded. "Impressive."
Bradly laughed again. "You think that's impressive, wait'll you see what's next."
Jason watched as Bradly's large stomach seemed to start melting away. His large stomach retracted to a large belly, then to a small belly, then to a paunch, then to a thin stomach, hidden by a much too large shirt. Bradly's face thinned out and his double chin also vanished as his beard thinned somewhat. The hair on his forearms also lightened and became less impressive. Jason watched as Bradly's hairline marched forward and his head hair thickened, as all the grey specks seemed to vanish from his hair. The subtle lines on his face seemed to vanish as well, until he looked to be a man in his late twenties.
While Bradly was changing, Mik was as well. His stomach surged forward. Luckily, Mik had the foresight to wear a button up shirt, which he quickly opened to give his new girth room. His rail thin body expanded until it reached Bradly's previous size. It was quickly covered in a layer of blonde hair. Blonde stubble alighted on Mik's new double chin and hair grew on his pudgy arms. The buzzed sides of his hair cut grew out a little as his hairline retreated back and a thin patch appeared on the back of his head. Subtle lines etched themselves on his round face and grey specks appeared in his blonde hair. He now appeared to be around Bradly's former age.
Jason realized he was staring, and quickly looked away. Bradly chuckled, his voice sounding smoother and somewhat lighter than before. "No worries, kid. It's not everyday you see, well, this."
Jason shrugged. "I'm just still getting used to it. I can't believe I never knew this place existed! You'd think it'd be famous or something."
Tina smirked. "Well, we're not. And I prefer it that way. Do you know what would happen if word of this got out? Nothing good, that's what. Everybody that comes here knows that, too. So they don't tell anybody except people they trust. There's also the fact nobody can find this place unless I want them to." She leaned in on the mirrored bar and looked down at the now adolescent Jason. "Okay, squirt. You had your drink, you can leave if you want. Or, you could stay and try out some other things. It's up to you. As far as I'm concerned you've met your new thing quota for the day."
Jason looked at the many mysterious labels. He could either leave Tina's Bar as a kid, or stay and see what else she had to offer. If he left, he would be back to normal by sunrise, according to Tina at least. But if he stayed...