Rani begins sorting through the pile of shoes. One after the other she examines them before tossing them aside.
"George," she says, turning a pair of high-cuffed hiking boots over in her hands. "Not to be rude, but I don't really know anything about any of these shoes. I mean, I can't tell what person any shoe would turn me into."
George frowns and shrugs. "I thought you just wanted to see what it was like to be a guy. I can assure you that they can all turn you into a guy."
Rani sighs, tossing the hiking boots aside. She stands back up, dusting her jeans off. "Well, yeah, but there's more to it than that. I want to see what it would be like for the main character's brother. I need to be someone similar to him if I really want to do this the right way."
George smiles and nods. "I think I get'cha. Tell you what, why don't you tell me about this character of yours and I'll see if I can find you a matching pair of shoes. I've tried them all on at least once. Most of them, anyway."
Rani glances at you and Colby, seated nearby. Colby nods. "Give it a go. Can't hurt. Just... be careful, alright?"
You chuckle and elbow him in the shoulder. "Calm down, Colby. They're just magic, body-changing shoes. She'll be fine."
Colby does not look reassured.
Rani stands by as George begins sorting through the mass of footwear. "Well, he's in his early-twenties, and going to an art college..."
George nods tossing several pairs aside. "Young guy, artsy... Go on."
"What else, what else... He's not the main character, so I never really gave him too much detail. He's kind, but determined to keep his sister safe. Oh! He hates cats."
George grimaces. "I may have a lot of shoes, Rani, but I don't think I can get that specific."
Rani nods. "Right, sorry."
George examines a pair of shoes. "Beard?"
Rani looks up thoughtfully. "Maybe? I never really thought about it."
"What about tattoos?"
She shrugs. "I never really considered that either. Probably not, if you can help it."
George holds up a pair of converse. "Glasses?"
Rani frowns and shakes her head. "Let's not. I would like to be able to see while in this body, and I doubt you happen to be carrying a proper prescription with you."
George concedes her point. "Fair 'nuff." He sorts through the remaining pairs before holding up a pair of grey running shoes. He turns and hands them to Rani. "Here. Try these."
She turns them over in her hands. "Alright. I, uh, guess I'll give these a go."
George hops in the seat next to Colby. The three of you watch as Rani picks up the magic socks and turns them over, as if admiring their green stitching. She then looks at the grey running shoes, which are now sitting at her feet.
Colby leans forward, concern deepening the creases on his face. "Is something wrong, Rani?"
She shakes her head. "No! No, it’s fine. It's just... The idea of completely changing your body and mind into that of somebody else... I don't see how you three do it."
George frowns, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Rani smiles. "Nothing. Never mind. Well, I better get this over with."
Without further hesitation, she sits in the seat across from the three of you, quickly removing her socks and shoes. She then pulls on the magic socks, and slips her feet into the grey running shoes.
George moves to say something but stops.
Rani looks up at him, a shadow of concern on her face. "What?"
George leans back in his seat. "Oh, nothing. I was going to say you should put on some baggier clothes, first. Too late, now."
The four of you sit in silence as you wait for Rani's changes to start. She nervously pats her legs as the three of you watch her intently.
Eventually she stands up. "You know, under most circumstances this would be extremely-" She stops in her tracks. She lifts a foot up and wiggles it about. "Huh. They fit."
As you watch, you begin to notice changes in Rani's figure. Her already modest chest flattens out and her shoulders broaden. Her body loses its feminine curves and she seems to grow several inches taller, her clothes beginning to look fairly small on her.
Colby hops up. "I got it." He dashes out of the room.
George cocks an eyebrow. "Where's he going?"
"To get some bigger clothes, I hope." Rani's voice is significantly deeper. She puts a hand to her throat, where an Adam's apple has developed. Her hands have lost their feminine daintiness and have become thicker and more masculine, though they still look refined, like artist's hands. Her hair shortens, the tie for her ponytail as the strands become too short to support such a style. You watch as her jaw widens and her chin becomes squarer. Under her tight clothes you can see her muscles have also become somewhat toned. She is by no means muscle-bound, but she looks like she has significantly more strength.
She examines her changing hands and arms, running a hand along the new muscle. She then frowns and puts a hand to her crotch. "Oh. Well, there's that." Rani's skin lightens several shades, from her normal dark brown, to a lighter tan. She looks less Indian and more Mediterranean. Her hair stays dark, but seems to take on a short but messy appearance. You see dark hairs begin to appear on her arms and on her stomach where her shirt has ridden up. As she lifts up her shirt to examine it, the new growth quickly thickens, generously coating her arms and stomach and spreading up her sleeves and shirts, as well as down her pants.
Wide-eyed, she rubs the new growth. "Jeez! Are all guys this hairy? Seriously, I don't think I've seen a single body from you guys that isn't really hairy." As she says this, a dark shadow covers her jaw as stubble grows in. The stubble grows out into a short beard that could do with a trim. She raises her thicker eyebrows as she rubs her hairy cheeks. "This... actually feels kind of nice. Is that weird?"
Colby returns holding one of George's sweat suits. He's just in time to see Rani's stomach soften under her tight clothing. She gains a small gut. It's nothing major, and certainly nothing compared to the rest of you. She looks like a college student who has gained a few pounds since starting school.
George nods. "Not bad. You wanted an artsy college guy, I got you an artsy college guy."
Indeed, Rani has taken on the form of a tan-skinned man in his early-twenties. She seems fairly hairy, though not as much as you. She has a beard that seems to have formed more from a general lack of shaving than from any deliberate attempt at style. Though the body has natural muscle, the previous owner had allowed himself to put on weight, giving Rani a subtle, rounded stomach.
Rani runs her nimble hands through her already tousled hair before taking the clothes from Colby. "Thanks. Wow, this is weird." She walks a slow circle around the room. "This is super weird. But the weirdest part is it feels so right. It's like I belong in this body."
Colby nods. "We know what you mean. But, uh, first thing's first. Why don't you put on those clothes I gave you? I don't know if you noticed, but those girl pants of yours aren't designed for your new equipment."
Rani stares blankly at him. "Oh?" She glances down at her newly masculine crotch. "Oh! Right. I'd better go change."
As she takes off with the sweat suit, George calls after her. "Hey, I've got some actual clothing you can borrow if you want. Maybe later the three of us can teach you all about being a man."
You frown and nudge George. "But we're all actually teenagers," you whisper. "We haven't actually done any man stuff since we got here."
He whispers back. "Well, yeah, but she doesn't have to know that."