"Be right back," Kara told her girlfriend as she headed for the out of the way bathroom on the fourth floor of the convention center. There was no line, which was a win, but the young woman felt a weird pressure once she was through the doorway. Out of nowhere, it felt like a killer headache was building.
She turned to ask the older woman at the sink next to her and found herself transfixed by the life-like horns on either side of her head. Had she not been at a convention, she might have noticed that others around her were also now sporting horns. As it was, Kara thought they were a very well-made accessory.
"Can I help you?" The woman asked, her yellow-eyed gaze turning to Kara.
"Oh, sorry, your costume was so good it took me by surprise. Uh, have any aspirin?"
She fished around in her leg pouch and pulled out a bottle before handing Kara two pills with red crosses on them. When Kara turned to pour water to swallow them, the young woman was shocked to see horns at her temples as well. Not believing what she was seeing, Kara tested her thumb against a point and then jumped as the bone drew blood.
"What is going on?" She asked herself as she started to glance around. The women in the bathroom all seemed to be growing, and Kara could feel her own clothes getting tighter. Sucking on the wound only seemed to accelerate what was happening to her and everyone else in the crowded bathroom.
A thick, meaty tail grew down her leg, filling in her skirt until it looked like she had a Victorian bustle. The mass of writhing muscle was covered in glistening scales and, before her eyes, rounded spines grew down its length. The woman next to her hiccuped, and a small burst of flame slipped between her lips.
There was a tickle under Kara’s shirt which became a pressure as something pushed out from her shoulder blades. Bat-like wings burst through the fabric, the thin membrane a translucent red. Her wingspan grew expansive in a matter of seconds, and as it did, so did the room.
The whole convention center morphed around her, the room's tile shifting as her fingers and toes twisted into talons. Soon the bathroom was tiered, built not for humans, but a race capable of flight. It reminded her of an aerie.
Her childhood memories swirled like space had around her had done. Learning to ride a bike became flying lessons. Her driving test became a spellcraft exam. Her prom was an intricate dance in the sky with her peers.
Kara's slate chimed as her girlfriend sent her a missive, and the last inkling of life before this faded as she read the message…(469)
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