The Magic Box, Saturday

[livingartifact]

Whatever force on the island had decided to . . . play had apparently passed Jenkins by, for which he was eternally grateful. He made a spectacularly unattractive woman. He hadn't noticed anything was amiss until he went out for a breakfast snack and found the staff at J,GOB arguing over who was doing a better job of dealing with having different parts.

So now Jenkins was back in his shop, a large box of donuts and muffins open on the counter, and a pile of various potentially gender reversing powders, potions, and spells set out in prominent positions throughout the store.

You know, just in case anyone came in for a magic solution.

All body-modification spells half off if you're willing to try them in the store!
We also have free donuts!

There. He was merely providing a public service. If it just so happened to help further his knowledge of the local magical effects, well. He couldn't be blamed for making the most of a strange situation.

[open!]

Comments

[livingartifact]

Too many things to list.

"Mostly how terrible humans can be to one another," Jenkins said. "Though occasionally how much they can survive, despite their fundamental fragility."

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot considered that, and then sighed.

"Maybe the rack isn't such a great idea, either, then."

Especially since she wasn't certain if it would even work the way she hoped it would. And given what it was intended for, she might have a more difficult time finding somebody to operate it than she had initially figured.

[livingartifact]

"No," Jenkins agreed, not unkindly. "You said you were made of . . . light?"

[era_two_triangle]

"Right," Peridot agreed. "My body is a hard-light projection created by my gem. It can adapt easily to most living conditions; a complete vaccuum, different levels of gravity, certain extremes of temperature or pressure. But the shape I have is the shape I've always been."

And would always be. Forever.

[livingartifact]

"I see," Jenkins said. "It's . . . hard-coded, as it were. Into your gem."

[era_two_triangle]

That seemed like the easiest way to put it, so Peridot nodded a little.

"I was made to be exactly what I am. Most other Gems do possess the ability to shapeshift, at least temporarily, but Era Two Peridots are... objectively inferior to the powerful Gems of Era One. We're given technological enhancements to compensate, but as I said, I don't have access to mine anymore."

[livingartifact]

Jenkins gave that due consideration. "How, do you think, would most other gems have reacted to finding themselves on this island?"

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot hesitated for a long moment before she sighed and said, "They probably would have started processing it for resources before it could do anything considered strange. A place with as much power as this island has could be a great asset to Homeworld."

[livingartifact]

"So not so much in the spirit of adaptation and interspecies cooperation, then." Jenkins tilted his head. "I'd rather say, in this case, that makes you objectively superior."

[era_two_triangle]

That... that was actually kind of flattering. It was also something that Peridot wasn't used to hearing, and it took her a few seconds to really wrap her head around it, but she did smile a little once she managed to.

"But still short," she said, finally.

[livingartifact]

"There is nothing wrong with short." Said the man who was very tall even by today's standards, much less when he'd actually been born. "Though being outside the societal norm does often make things much more difficult than they ought to be."

[era_two_triangle]

"It does," Peridot agreed. "Particularly when you're used to being a part of a society that doesn't have a physical norm."

[livingartifact]

"Indeed." Jenkins picked up two small bottles. "Unfortunately, most of our height enhancing potions require ingestion, but if I mix one into a relatively stable topical potion, we may be able to get an effect you'll enjoy. You don't mind potentially turning blue, do you?"

[era_two_triangle]

"Blue?"

Peridot blinked a little curiously.

"Like a Lapis Lazuli?"

... Actually, they tended to be a decent height for Earth-type things. Peridot could handle that.

[livingartifact]

"Well, considering your base tone, I suspect the results would be more aquamarine, perhaps turquoise."

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot looked down at her hands thoughtfully.

"That seems reasonable," she settled on. "If weird."

Said the green gem person.

[livingartifact]

"Excellent. I like a being with a sense of adventure." Jenkins took the bottles over to the counter and pulled out a small bowl. "Let's see what happens, shall we?"

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot followed along, looking up curiously to try to see what Jenkins was doing up there. And definitely looking forward to actually being able to see when she looked up at countertops from now on.

"Let's," she agreed. And then paused. "You are documenting the results, right?"

[livingartifact]

Jenkins paused as he opened the first bottle, and gave her a brief, withering look. "Please. I'm a professional."

[era_two_triangle]

Peridot just grinned in response to that look, really. It was such a relief to be around people who understood the importance of proper documentation, again.

"Great. Then let's get to it!"