Shapeslipping [Slu'Guis] [INVITE]

"Guardia? I REALLY don't know about this anymore..."

'Oh, man up you pansy! You're going to be fine!'

Chai sat on a log in the valleys of the lush forests of Mount Paozu. The goat eyed his sword partner wearily, doubting the thoughts that swarmed through his partner's mind. Guardia hopped about, holding his crossguards high. 'If I could shapeshift easy peasy as a demon, you can do it also! You're a zoanthrope!' Guardia proclaimed, circling his uncertain partner. Doubt never left Chai's eyes, despite Guardia's protests. 'Shapeshifting is your thing! Just imagine all the tricks you can pull in battle with it!' The sword reminiscned. When he was in his true form all those years ago, the demon was a master shapeshifter. It was always priceless to see an opponent's reaction to a sudden change of form. It was the most unexpected trick in the book of battle, and he knew Chai could make great use of the sacred ability. It was in his blood! 'Someone tries to attack you? SHWOOP, turn into a bug and creep around it, attacking them without any sign of suspicion!' The blade chimed, his eye sparkling like a night star. 'Or you can just-- just bellyflop and DESTROY someone as a whale! Or carry people around as a giant hawk! Or...!' Guardia trailed off, fantasizing himself as a mighty demon, alongside Chai, pulling off double shapeshifting attacks, each one spiffier than the next.

"Alright, alright!" Chai remarked, throwing his arms to the sides. Sighing, he nodded, looking down at his dear partner. "I'll try." Narrowing his eyes, Chai pointed a finger accusingly at Guardia. "But if something goes wrong, it's your fault." The otherworldly zoan proclaimed, narrowing his eyes. But Guardia was just too excited! The sword hopped over to his partner, sitting beside him! 'Good to hear, pal! Now, let's get started.' Guardia rubbed his crossguards together like hands before clearing his nonexistant throat.

'First things first, close your eyes.'

"Mm-hmmm..."

'Now channel your ki everywhere possible. Maybe just one limb to shift to start or something.'

"Got it."

'Now... just imagine what you want to be! Focus your magical energies, and the magic will work on it's own...'

"...That's it?"

'HEY! KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED!'

"Okay, Okay!"

Chai closed his eyes again, pushing aside thoughts regarding how insane Guardia was. What... thing... to shapeshift into? The possibilities were endless. Maybe a shark-- no, he'd probably suffocate without water nearby. Alternatively, he could just go full goat, or even mimic Guardia's appearance... A smirk creeped across Chai's face as ki began to envelop around his skin. Guardia's eye continued to twinkle in excitement... Reminiscing on his childhood, Chai remembered wanting to learn how to fly one day. Like a bird- he always envied them as a child...

Chai felt a sudden pang in his arm, causing the goat to recoil back. Eyes snapping open with hastened breath, Chai would let out a yelp when he caught eye of his arm... Or, well, wing now. In the place of Chai's right arm lied a long, white wing of a bird, rather than his furry goat arm. It felt weird and way too alien for Chai's comfort. Breathing heavily with newfound panic and fear, Guardia would just roll his eye in response. 'Oh, come on you pansy. Go big or go home! Full bird! Full bird!' The sword encouraged, disregarding Chai's terror.

As if on cue, another ripple of magic involuntarily coursed through Chai's body. His screams quickly devolved into the screeches and cries of a falcon, and with one more flash, his clothes would fall to the ground in a pile, something small squirming about underneath them. Guardia hopped over, raising up Chai's grabs and pushing them to the side, revealling a tiny and shaky white falcon in Chai's place. '...Oh my god.'

'You're ADORABLE!' Guardia chimed, picking up the bird off the ground with his telekinesis, leaving a disgruntled bird Chai to just screech more. 'Oh, hush. Reverting is easy... Can ya talk?' Chai opened his mouth, only for a few more bird calls to fly out of his mouth. 'Hmm... Well, you'll be fine. Stop panicking.' Guardia blatantly tired to reassure Chai, causing the bird to peck at his hilt angrily with another call. 'ACK! Bugger off!' The sword proclaimed, once again gripping the now much smaller Chai with his telekinesis. 'Look, try shapeshifting back whenever you're ready. Imma nap.' The sword spoke dropping Chai and slipping into his sheath. The falcon let out a few more terrified tweets, putting his talons on Guardia's hilt, wings flapping haphazardly. Nonetheless, Guardia knocked Chai back to the ground, slipping into his sheath and falling asleep within seconds...

<...Oh, crapbaskets.> Chai found himself mumbling in his new bird-speak. Turning around with a frustrated huff, the shifted zoan would eye the road nearby, his new, sensitive earholes quickly picking up on an odd whirring... Chai quickly trotted over to the side of the road, cocking his head to the side concerningly. He shook Guardia a little, but the sword refused to wake up... A brief screech of brakes echoed behind Chai, causing the goat-bird to jump, turning around in shock from the sudden sound. 

Turning around, he would take a few steps back at the sight of a white, windowless that had stopped near he and Guardia. An older human inside curiously eyed the bird before stepping out of the car... Tweeting and shaking Guardia more, Chai would barely notice the man's shadow cast over him, followed by a net being flung down on his form!

Chai tried to flare his ki to break free instinctively, but found his new bird body to be... limiting. "Huh." The man spoke, lowering the tangled bird to his eye level. "I thought your species died out years ago... And an albino, nonetheless...!" He spoke, observing his panicked prize. Chai could only tremble- this new, alien body had already began to cause problems.

Guardia began to stir, letting out a telepathic yawn... Why was Chai chirping so loudly now? The slamming of a door quickly caught Guardia's attention. Peering out of his sheath, he would gasp upon seeing his bird buddy in a cage sitting in the passenger seat of some mysterious van. 'WHAT!?' He questioned loudly to no one in particular, dashing out of his confines as the van began to take off, stirring up dust that flew into the blade's sensitive organic eye.

Guardia recoiled back, red veins slipping across his sclera. Vision now blurred as he fell to the ground, Guardia could only watch as the van took off with his partner in tow. No, no, no, nononono! This couldn't be happening! This was all his fault! Quickly getting off the ground when his eye started stinging, Guardia frantically glanced around, heavy, telepathic breaths echoing around the area... 'S-someone! Anyone! Help!!' The blade yelled out with his telepathy, hopping back onto the ground. He couldn't sense where his partner was taken... But some telltale tire tracks on the ground eased his mind a little.