There's magic in the air at Faux Pass Costumes. Every wizard needs their loyal companion, and Ben still has a costume to try on.

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Well that was quite the poof! Hopefully y'all enjoyed that setup! It's time for a proper costume transformation! If you haven't already, I highly recommend checking out the first half of this two parter. Things should get a bit more episodic from here on out.

Faux Pass has inherited a fair share of DNA from the Spells 'R' Us story universe. For old school TF fans out there, it'll come as no surprise that Wanderer's The Skin Game has influenced me heavily as a writer. It and Phaedrus' A Trickster’s Tale is basically why I’m like this. I'm probably hewing a bit too closely to the SRU source material with a wizard and werewolf pairing, but hopefully Faux Pass will be a fun pastiche instead of a rote imitation. Typically the customers have been the ones who are out of their element. It's been fun spreading that around to the folks behind the counter as well.

I hope y'all have been enjoying things so far! 👋

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Faux Pass - Werewolf

“What the hell just happened!?” Ben looked around Faux Pass Costumes with prolonged bewilderment.

With the snap of a finger, the store’s contents had suddenly moved on their own. Display shelves floated into the right spot, jackets hung themselves up, and shoes slipped into racks with gentle unseen assistance. It was all utterly impossible.

Standing right in the middle of it was an aged wizard with a faintly glowing blue hand.

“My boy, I have no idea-“ the Shopkeeper covered his chest with his pointy hat.

“Don’t ‘My Boy’ me! I- Oh my god.” Ben dropped his phone on the counter. He rushed over and got right in his friend’s face.

“Can I… help you?” the Shopkeeper said in a friendly but raspy tone.

“What happened to you!?” Ben started blatantly poking the Shopkeeper’s cheek. Ben ran a finger across his skin for a bit before reaching down and giving the white beard a firm tug.

“Oww! Would you knock that-“ The Shopkeeper reflexively reached up and ran his fingers along his beard.

Both of them stared at each other. He had clearly felt that, and the beard hadn’t moved an inch.

“Holy shit you’re an old man!” Ben said incredulously.

“What? That’s preposterous!” The Shopkeeper reached up to feel his face. He suddenly realized what Ben had been doing. When he pulled his hands back, his wrinkled fingers didn’t show a trace of the pale makeup he had applied earlier. “I- Excuse me!”

The Shopkeeper bolted across the store for the costume shop’s changing rooms. Well, it was more of a hasty shuffle really. Ben quickly followed up behind him without any pretense.

The Shopkeeper gazed deeply into the first mirror he could find. Staring back in the reflection was a stereotypical wizard. Any trace of makeup was no gone from his face. All the age lines were now his own. There were no straps holding his wiry beard in place. His sideburns suddenly really were that bushy. His hair had that permanent look of being blown back in surprise. It was clear that it was his hair as well. There was no way a wig could have such natural looking patchy spots.

His robe had shifted as well. It was previously just a classy riff on a standard bathrobe template he had found online. Now it appeared as if it had been tailored for his exact dimensions. The shoulders had some soft padding built into them, and a few leather elbow patches and straps supported the wear prone joints. A few pockets had appeared, including an inside chest pocket holding a sturdy looking stick.

“Good heavens…” He poked and prodded his face.

“Wha- What happened?” Ben stared from the doorway. “You look like a wizard!”

"I feel like a wizard," the Shopkeeper gave his bead another another soft tug. It didn't budge an inch. He rubbed his throat gently. Even his voice had changed. He wasn’t faking the accent anymore. "Did I really just cast a magic spell?"

“This is impossible! People don’t just-“ Ben started. "Magic's not real!"

"Clearly it is! Look at me, I'm the genuine article! I'm really-" He threw his hands out to gesture at himself. "Wait..."

"What...?" Ben gawked.

“I was faking it.” The Shopkeeper’s eyes went a little wide. He put his hat back on and took in his reflection. It was… perfect. The enigmatic wizard in his reflection was the platonic ideal of the mischievous shopkeeper he desperately wanted to be. “I- I think I made it.”

“That’s just a turn of phrase!” Ben said incredulously. “That’s not how-!”

“I’m serious!” The Shopkeeper let out a hearty laugh. “I’m a magic shop wizard!”

Ben stammered, “But-“

“Watch, I can prove it!” The Shopkeeper’s eyes were literally glowing with excitement. "I... I think I know how to use magic."

He reached into his robe's pocket and pulled out a genuine looking magic wand. The polished stick started to glow the same faint blue that his hand had earlier.

"Let's spruce up this place a bit, shall we?" The Shopkeeper beamed.

The wizard tapped the changing room’s mirror with glee. Ben honestly hadn’t spent too much time on these makeshift side rooms. They were a literal after thought. The rooms, such as they were, comprised solely of some unfinished pressboard, the cheapest unframed mirror the hardware store sold, a folding chair, and a repurposed shower curtain. It was held together by maybe a dozen screws.

All of that was changing. The mundane piece of reflective glass was shifting right before their eyes. It took on a pleasing oval shape and raised up to the proper height. An ornate bronze frame formed around the sides of the glass. The wall it was hanging on was no longer a simple piece of unfinished press board. The wood chip texture took on a more refined tone, becoming true stained wood paneling. Even the metal chair in the corner shifted into a nice plush ottoman.

“Holy crap holy crap holy crap…!” Ben slowly backpedaled out of the changing space.

“See!” The Shopkeeper held his arms out proudly.

“There… there was some mold in that chalk I tossed up.” Ben stammered. “Or the pipes here are rusty. Or uh- We’ve got to be hallucinating.“

“Or… Magic’s real,” the wizard said. He shot off a few blue sparks from his wand for emphasis.

“Or magic’s real,” Ben nodded. “Holy hell what are we going to do?”

“Well…” The Shopkeeper gestured out behind Ben’s shoulder to the rest of the store. “I do have a costume shop to run?”

“You can’t be serious!” Ben practically leapt into the air. “You turned into an old geezer and you want to just sit back and run a Halloween store!?”

“Hey!” The Shopkeeper’s protest was thoroughly in his wizardly tone of voice now. “I’m not a day over four hundred, thank you very much!”

That comment hung in the air for a moment.

“…you’re thirty five.” Ben stared. “Please tell me you don’t remember the invention of running water?”

“It was one of the bigger quality of life improvements,” the Shopkeeper said with a wry hint of amusement. “Right up there with electricity.”

He passed by Ben and into the main shop. His magic had done a good job setting everything up, but he was still going around reflexively adjusting things here and there. Sometimes just straightening an outfit. Sometimes magically transforming a rack Ben had built into something a bit more sturdy.

“Are you serious!? Come on, people don’t just turn into wizards!” Ben eventually chased after him. “We have to do something!”

The Shopkeeper finally stopped. He looked down at Ben and idly stroked his beard. “I didn’t just turn into a wizard. I turned into my costume.”

“Your costume…?” Ben stared at the man. He’d been trying to dress up like one of those aloof magic shop owning chaos agents. He had certainly had injected some chaos into Ben’s afternoon.

“Welcome to Faux Pass Costumes, I’m the Shopkeeper,” the wizard said with a small bow. “Is there anything I can help you with my good sir? October is a busy month and I have all sorts of shape shifting, fate changing, reality altering costumes to sell.”

“You’re serious about this,” Ben stated at- at the Shopkeeper. This magical enigma had been his theater friend a moment ago. Now he couldn’t even recall his name.

“As serious as I can be,” he gave another bow. He liked flipping his robe a bit as he did so. There was still a bit of a showman in him.

“Oh man,” Ben rubbed his neck. “Is it still you in there? I uh- It’s probably a bad sign that I can’t remember your name.”

“Mhmm, magic can have far too much sway over someone if you know their true name. You’ll find most people in my profession just adopt a title.” The Shopkeeper gave him a cryptic smile. Then he blinked. “I mean- My boy, of course it’s me.”

Ben just kept staring.

The Shopkeeper winced. “My goodness, I really do sound like an old timer. Yes, it’s still me. I’m just filtered through… all this.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Ben asked.

“This was my dream after all?” The wizard nodded. “Halloween will be here before we know it. After that… who knows? These sorts of shops have a habit of disappearing without a trace.”

“And their shopkeepers?” Ben gulped.

"Hmm..." The Shopkeeper scratched his beard, “They either turn back, or go on some sort of magical adventure I imagine.”

“…and you’re okay with that?” Ben blinked.

“You’re welcome to join me.” The Shopkeeper had been pacing around as they had talked. Ben hadn’t even noticed where he had stopped. They had circled over to the back counter. The Shopkeeper patted a large black pelt of fur, “Your costume’s all ready for you.”

His costume! Oh man. The werewolf costume was sitting there right where he left it. The shopkeeper slid it the bundle of black fur his direction before focusing on turning his attention on their checkout tablet. With a simple tap from his finger, he managed to shift the electronic pad into an old timey metal cash register.

“This costume has magic now too?” Ben finally asked. He hesitantly ran his fingers through the outfit’s dark fur.

“They all do,” the Shopkeeper smiled.

Ben stared at the costume. This thing could turn him into a werewolf! He was going to be a real werewolf. This was- There was no way- Was he really going to-

Wait.

“Didn’t you say your costumes usually left someone in an ironic fate?” Ben ran his fingers through the costume’s fur.

“Well sure,” the Shopkeeper smiled. “You remember the collar, right?”

Ben ran his hand up through the costume’s black fur. The outfit was originally from a Halloween play that leaned into the horror aspects. Its terrifying appearance was great for the show, but not something you’d really want prowling around your store all day. The two of them had worked to ease off the costume’s darker tone. Most of it was tailoring work done to soften up the mask’s snarl. But Ben also had the bright idea of going to the local pet store and buying the largest nylon collar he could find. It was hard to be spooked when the beast was ostensibly well trained. The bright blue synthetic strap and its plastic clasp were resting on top of the fur.

Ben had been proud of one last small detail. Dangling from the collar was a dog bone shaped metal tag. He had typed the message into the laser engraving machine himself.

Ben
Chief Guard Dog
Faux Pass Costumes

“You put that on and you’re going to be working for me all month,” the Shopkeeper said with a grin.

Working… as a guard dog? Ben could picture himself padding around the store looking for any shoplifters. It might even be kind of fun to growl away someone trying to sneak in after hours. The set designer was more of a carpenter at heart, but a scruffy security guard could be an interesting change of pace?

“And after that?” Ben ran his finger along the tag.

“Off to some new adventure I’m sure.” The old man that was previously his coworker gave a noncommittal shrug. “Or maybe you just stay as my loyal dog.”

“Gah!” Ben rubbed his neck. “I really should have picked a better engraving! This is crazy.”

“Take your time, there’s no rush,” the Shopkeeper smiled. He proceeded to spruce up the back counter and make a show of leaving Ben alone to think.

Ben took a deep breath. This was absurd. His friend had just turned into a wizard! And he had the chance to turn into a werewolf? A werewolf guard dog no less! This was crazy. He was crazy for even considering this.

And yet…

He could panic and fret all he wanted. Ben already knew he was going through with this. It was just too tempting. Plus, someone had to keep an eye on the Shopkeeper.

“Where should I go change?” Ben laughed nervously and eyed the changed changing rooms.

“Oh no,” the Shopkeeper grinned. “I want to watch this.”

They ended up finding a quiet space in the back without a ton of windows. The Shopkeeper summoned a pair of mirrors for Ben. (Again! Magic! Just like that!) After a bit of haranguing Ben finally started to undress.

“So… I don’t need any of that fancy eye-shadow makeup you were taking about last week?” Ben slowly pulled down the zipper on the front of the suit.

“Nope, believe it or not magic is handy for making things look more realistic,” the Shopkeeper laughed. “Just step inside.”

“Alright…” Ben gulped. “Here goes nothing?”

Ben’s pants and shirt had been tossed by the side. He stepped into the werewolf outfit expecting… something? His feet to shift into paws? His legs to feel a little funny? He felt like he had just… put some scruffy pants on.

“This still just feels like a costume,” Ben said nervously.

He pulled the outfit up over his waist. The fake tail dangled behind him. The outfit had some metal wire in the tail to keep it from drooping unrealistically, but it wasn’t exactly convincing.

Ben pulled the costume up over his shoulders and still just got the feeling that he was putting a costume on. The outfit’s paw gloves were a bit clumsy to work with.

“It is still just a costume,” the Shopkeeper laughed. “Need a hand?”

He flipped the costume’s mask up over Ben’s head. The entire world went dark for a moment as he tried to line up the eyeholes. The mask felt a little odd on his face. The werewolf’s muzzle was just a big empty cavity in front of his face.

“Uh… still just me,” Ben said. His voice echoed awkwardly in the hollow opening.

“It’s going to be just you before and after,” the wizard picked up his bright blue collar. “Your name tag says Ben.”

“Err, I mean it’s not magic,” Ben held up his scruffy arms. “At least it doesn’t feel like it?”

“Well first of all, your zipper’s still open,” he said. “Second of all… You’re not acting like a werewolf. Fake it till you make it, right?”

“Right…” Ben looked down. There was a large opening in the fur showing his bare chest. He reached down to try and seal it shut, but naturally the paw gloves weren’t a great fit for the small metal clasp. “Can you help me with the zipper?”

“Of course,” said the Shopkeeper.

He leaned down and grabbed onto the small metal tab. The wizard slowly pulled it up Ben’s chest and was careful not to get any fur stuck in the teeth. The metal strip almost disappeared underneath the black fur.

Ben could feel the costume tighten around his figure as the Shopkeeper clicked the zipper into place. It wasn’t a magical tightening though. The costume just fit a bit more snugly.

He looked up at his reflection in the mirror. Yup, that was the werewolf costume from a few years back. There weren’t a ton of scenes where this werewolf was very well lit. He was currently just some guy covered in black fur with a wolf’s head, big paws, and a tail.

Ben could see now why they had to use all that black paint around the wearer’s eyes. His two human eyes and a bit of pink skin were poking out of the eyeholes.

“Go on then,” the wizard smiled.

“Uh…” Ben mumbled through the fake muzzle. What was he supposed to be doing exactly? He tried to hunch over an adopt a more werewolf style stance. Act like a werewolf… Hmm…

Well, they were known for one thing.

“Awooooooooo!” Ben threw his head back and let out his best werewolf howl.

It sounded a lot better than he expected…! He lowered his head and looked back down into the mirror. He was clearly excited at the good job he did.

His tail was wagging.

“Whathff!” He tried to say something, but the mask around his face suddenly got tighter. His jaw ached. It felt like something was stretching out his nose and mouth. He tried to say something to the Shopkeeper, but nothing came out. He couldn’t breathe! He stared up at the mirror and waved his arms.

His eyes shifted into a deep wild amber. Black fur grew in around his eyes underneath the mask. A moment later, the fake fur blended seamlessly with the real scruff.

“Arf!” The mask's muzzle sprang open. A long pink tongue dangled out in front of Ben's face. The plastic black nose was suddenly gasping for the warehouse’s stale air.

It was happening! Ben stared in astonishment. The wolf head reflection was moving in perfect sync with his face muscles now. He could feel the saliva trickle off his tongue. The mask’s two large ears shot up in surprise.

Everywhere was changing now. The fake fur was rippling over his body as it became the real thing.

“That’s it!” The shopkeeper smiled. “You’re a natural.”

Ben kept staring at his reflection. This wolf man was him! He could hardly believe-

“Oh, let me help you with that pesky zipper.” The Shopkeeper beamed.

He leaned forward and put his arm on Ben’s back. The next thing Ben knew, the wizard was sliding his hand across the now-real fur on his chest. The Shopkeeper firmly grasped the clasp on the zipper of Ben’s costume. With one swift pull, the wizard managed to tug the entire strand of metal teeth clean off his chest. It dangled cleanly in the air as the magician held up his glistening silver trophy.

D-didn’t Ben need that!? His chest was just covered in fur now! There wasn’t any trace of a seam! How was he going to change back!?

“Oh, you haven’t even seen the best part yet,” the Shopkeeper teased. He gave Ben a hearty push on the back while he was distracted examining his chest.

Ben flailed. A startled canine yelp echoed throughout the warehouse. He felt himself falling to the floor. At the last second he managed to throw his arms out and catch himself.

He looked up at the mirror in front of him. He was about to ask the Shopkeeper what the big idea was when he noticed his body was still shifting.

His arms and legs ached. It felt like someone was giving them a deep forceful message. His feet stretched out until he was standing on the tips of his… hind paws? He tried to get back up, but his legs were bending in ways he wasn’t quite familiar with.

His arms were adjusting too! He could feel them physically lengthen. His upper arm thinned out a bit as his forearms reached out further and further towards the floor. His hands felt strange too. They- They were still hands right?

A shiver ran through his body as his proportions continued to shift. It was the strangest sensation. His back was parallel to the ground. Ben panted heavily as he tried to look up at his reflection. His sides were being squeezed and his chest was barreling out.

“W-oof!” He gasped for air. When his vision cleared, the creature in the mirror looked like a real wolf. There were a few signs of his human orgins, but they were hard to spot. Some bushy clumps of fur over his eyes that hinted at former eyebrows. A bit of his old hair part. The thumbs on his- his fore paws. His general overall size. But Ben was staring at a wolf.

He let out another startled canine yelp. He did his best to push off the ground and stand back up, but he just ended up tumbling back down on all fours.

“Easy Ben, you’re not done changing,” the Shopkeeper said softly. He uncliped the collar and held it out in front of him. “Now hold still.”

It felt strange letting someone reach so tightly around his neck. Ben had to resist the urge to snap at him. The primal instinct startled him almost as much as the tightness around his neck.

The Shopkeeper loudly clicked the collar into place. Ben felt another wave of changes wash over him.

They were more subtile than his initial shift. His fur thinned out a bit and became less dense in spots. His ears grew to a more defined point. The most wild aspects of his face softened.

Ben crawled forward towards the mirror. He could see himself shrink down in real time. He wasn’t domesticated by any means, but he wasn’t a pure wolf anymore either. The collar’s tag dangled underneath his neck.

Chief Guard Dog… Was he some sort of wolfdog now? Werewolfdog?

Ben pushed off the floor with his forepaws and did his best to scramble back to his hind paws. Err, his feet. His claws clicked on the floor like a distressed dog. Which is basically what he was. He caught himself on the mirror this time at least.

The push was enough to get him upright. He balanced awkwardly on his thighs for a moment before his hips readjusted. He slowly let go of the mirror and managed not to topple over. He was actually standing on his hind legs again!

The bipedal beast looking back at him still had the canine proportions from a moment ago. Gone was the theater stage werewolf he had first changed into. Rather than being fifty-fifty man and wolf, Ben looked like a wolf with only a smattering of human touches. His arms were long and narrow. His legs were still- What was the word for it? Digitigrade? His stance was a little awkward and hunched. It was as if the animal had wandered in from the forest and just decided to walk upright one day. Only he was that animal.

The Shopkeeper had turned him into some sort of uplifted wolf! This was- He was- This was perfect.

Ben’s tail wouldn’t stop wagging.

“So, do you think there was some magic in that costume now?” The Shopkeeper smiled.

Ben nodded his head. The thoroughness of the changes had startled him, but this was just what he wanted. He was an actual werewolf! He- Oh wow, he had to look up at the wizard now. He was a few inches shorter than before.

He ran his paws through his fur. He rubbed his ears, his muzzle, his everything! This was… this was incredible. When he looked into the mirror, Ben didn’t see just a costume come to life. It was like he was seeing a whole new side to himself. That wolf in the mirror was him! It was a hard feeling to put into words, but he did his best to anyways.

“Arf, ruff ruff, woof!” Ben said excitedly.

Wait. He blinked. Ben tilted his head in that classic canine fashion.

“Arf arf?” Ben tried speaking again.

A small canine whine escaped his muzzle. Any time he tried to talk, nothing but barks came out!

The Shopkeeper was grinning from ear to ear, “Come now Ben, you didn’t expect a wolf to be able to talk, did you?”

Arf! Oh man. There was the catch he had been waiting for.

“Thankfully I understand canine, but I can’t say as much for our customers.” The wizard laughed. “Come on Ben, heel. Time to officially open Faux Pass for business.”

Heel? Really? He let out a sarcastic bark.

“Yes really,” the Shopkeeper smiled.

Ben stared at the wizard for a moment. His friend has gotten transformed into pure magical id, and he was stuck as a barking guard dog for who knows how long. Yet despite everything, his tail wouldn’t stop wagging. This felt good. This felt right