"I'm sorry," I said, stroking her hair. "I forgot it burns a little."
"A little?" Shadowpaw was still gasping. "It felt like my brain was on fire!"
"I was going to say I was jealous," Licorice said, both hands still covering her mouth in shock at the other Neko's reaction. "But now I'm really not."
Tippy slid off me into the spare seat to my left. I turned to help her put her seatbelt on. "Thankyou," she croaked, slumping against the door.
"You're welcome." I gave her a headpat and turned back to Shadowpaw who was finally getting her breathing rhythm back. "Do you want a belly rub?"
"No." Then her eyes snapped open and she whipped her head towards me. "I mean, yes! Yes, but give me a minute… Just a minute…"
While she pulled herself together, I pulled up the Neko Management Workshop and checked her stats.
Sure enough, she'd gained Identity Modification as a spell. I guessed she'd be able to cast it on forms of ID and change them somehow. I'd need to sit with her and find out just how much it could change.
Then I saw she'd also gained a new skill. Forge Documents. It was a copper skill for now. This was different. There'd been no equivalent in Neyteria. Mostly because everything was on a crystal, but the crystal itself wasn't unique.
Earth, however, had a lot of forms of ID. I wondered just how far it could go. Driver Licences seemed the bare minimum. What about credit cards? Did they class as an ID? And, if so, how would the System deal with money?
Could she make a Fake ID with a credit card loaded up to millions?
The System was generous, but not that generous. So I doubted it would, but it was definitely worth exploring.
"Interesting," I murmured.
"I hope you mean that in a good way," Shadowpaw wheezed through her teeth. She pressed her palms to her temples. I knew how she felt. I'd been there before. More times than I could count. "I'd hate to think I went through this for something bad."
"I think it might turn out to be better than good," I told her. "Licorice, could you hand me Tippy's ID, please?"
I took the offered ID and held it out to Shadowpaw. "I want you to hold it the same way you held the pattern. This time, I want you think the words, Identity Modification and tell me what you see."
She took the ID hesitantly. "Hold it like this?"
"Yes." I gave her a headpat. "This will be your first spell, Shadowpaw. It's not going to hurt even a little bit. I promise. Spells don't work that way. Well. Most of them. Definitely not this one."
"Umm, if you say so…"
"Just concentrate on the ID and say the words."
"Okay…" She gripped the ID tighter, holding it up in front of her face. Then, firmly; "Identity Modification… Oh!"
A pale golden light surrounded the ID, lighting up the cabin. Skye slowed the car to a stop, looking over her shoulder. "I wanna see this!"
"There's words!"
I nodded. "What do they say?"
"Umm… It's some choices, I think. Actually, it mostly looks like a form. It's saying I can change the name, date of birth, picture, and the ID number."
"Huh." I leaned forward. "Let's change them all. Change the name to Skye Finch. And change the photo to look more like her. And change the ID number."
"Skye Finch?" Skye blinked. "Are we married now?"
"The moment you became a Neko, you became mine," I told her. "Well. The Nekos on Neyteria called it a Pride. We all share the same surname. It's easier for everyone."
"We need rings!" Licorice exclaimed.
"Shouldn't we have a ceremony?" Tippy asked lethargically, still sprawled in her seat. She didn't move.
"We will," I told them. "Later. I hadn't meant to talk about this right now, though. Shadowpaw is trying to use her first spell. Let's talk about our ceremonies later."
"I've changed the face," Shadowpaw said, grimacing as she kept working. "It was easier than I thought. I just need to change everything else."
"Don't forget the date of birth," Skye said, holding up a finger. "I'm only eighteen, okay?"
Licorice glanced at her. "You are?"
"I am."
"You know you won't be able to drink-"
"Happy birthday to me! I'm twenty-one now," she announced. "I'm also a Pisces, because I'm very sensitive. My favourite number is five, so maybe the fifth of March?"
"Wait wait," Shadowpaw said through her teeth. "It's hard to concentrate if you keep throwing things at me."
"Take a deep breath," I told her. "Deep breath and take it one step at a time. Don't rush yourself. The spell won't finish until you're done. There's no time limit. You can always change things as you go, too. The System will ask you at the end if you'd like to change anything."
It didn't take long.
She leaned back, still holding the glowing ID card. "I think it's done. It's asking if I want to change anything like you said. I don't think I need to. Do I just tell it yes? Is that all there is?"
"That's all," I confirmed.
"Okay," She cocked her head, speaking to the System. "Yes."
The ID card glowed brighter before a popping sound made everyone jump and the card dropped into Shadowpaw's lap.
I took it from her and held it out. "It looks good," I said. "It looks just like you, Skye. You did an awesome job, Shadowpaw. I'm so proud!"
"Proud enough to give me belly rubs?"
"Definitely."
"Let me see!" Skye snatched it out of my hand and grinned at it. "Hey, I don't look too bad."
"You look like a model," Licorice giggled.
"You're welcome," Tippy called, her voice still a little shaky. "That was my ID, remember?"
I patted her on the head. "I'm very grateful to you," I said. "I should have asked first. But, if Skye's going to be doing the driving, this might be safer. We'll all need to get our own soon."
"How are we going to do that?"
"I could steal some," Shadowpaw said. "Then change them?"
"Not a bad idea," I told her. "But you have another skill we need to try."
"I do?" Her wide grin almost lit up the car with beams of Neko sunshine. My heart melted at the sight of it. "I have so many skills! What is it?"
"Show off," Licorice muttered.
"It's called Forge Documents." I scratched at my chin while thinking. "I'm not honestly sure how that will work. I imagine it will need some ingredients, though. It sounds a lot like any other kind of crafting skill. They all need something to help trigger the crafting process. I'm guessing papers and inks mostly."
"And a laminating machine," Licorice offered. "Or a printer?"
"That's sounding more like it. I think we'll need to get as much as we can think of and then the System might help you by making a Crafting Station, which will let you enter a Workshop and craft new things," I told her, remembering how crafting worked in Neyteria. "Yeah, I'm betting that's what we'll have to do. The hard part is not knowing exactly what's required to trigger the Crafting Station."
"We'll figure it out," Shadowpaw said, squeezing her little hands into fists.
"Will I get to do something important, too?" Licorice asked.
I could tell she desperately wanted to feel useful. I thought back to what Syrup used to do for me and nodded. "Your skills will come from organising things," I told her. Leaning forward, I tried to ignore the sticky sound from under my pants. I really needed to clean up. Or get a new car. Yes, that would be better. "And you shouldn't think of yourself as separate or on your own for that. Like with just now. We know that Shadowpaw needs a crafting station, right?"
"Right."
"So, you could take the job of organising that. You'd need to plan what we need, by coordinating with everyone involved. In this case, with me and Shadowpaw. Then, you might work with Shadowpaw to acquire what she needs via Shoplifting. This will increase her rogue skills. Once you have the loot, Skye drives you to a convenient location with it. The System should recognise you as part of the process, then."
"That'll let me get more Transporter skills, too," Skye said, with a thumbs up.
"That's right."
"And me?" Tippy asked, sitting up a little straighter. "What do I do?"
"You're a mage," I said. "You'll have bigger jobs to do. First, you'll need to acquire a wand."
"Is that a crafting thing, too?"
"Sort of. But it's more personal. You don't need a crafting station. From memory, you'll need a length of wood, a precious item, and some binding materials."
"What kind of precious item?"
"Well, it's just like you think. It could be a phoenix feather. A dragon scale. Or, in this world, maybe a diamond or something. Something which has value to both yourself and the world around you."
"That sounds expensive."
"We have a rogue."
"Oh." She wriggled her fingers at Shadowpaw. "Hi, bestest buddy ever!"
Shadowpaw smiled back at her but seemed lost in her own thoughts.
"And that," I said, looking at Licorice. "Will also require coordination. After all, Shadowpaw is only one rogue. Priorities need to be made. You see? Yours is actually one of the most important jobs."
Instead of inspiring her, it made her eyes flicker nervously. "Umm. Are you sure I can do that?"
"Licorice!" I reached out and took her hands in mine, holding her frightened gaze. "My sweet Neko. You will be perfect. Trust me. You're the best Neko for the job!"
"He's right," Tippy said. "You were always great at making things happen. Who organised all the parties?"
"I did?"
"And you were great!"
"Was I really?" She looked down. "I don't remember them."
"Well, I do. And they were great!" Tippy clapped a hand over ours. "Besides, we're here to support you, Licorice."
"Aww…" Skye wiped at her eyes and reached out and slapped her hand down on top of Tippy's. "This is so wholesome I could cry all the way to Cali."
Shadowpaw shook her head but was smiling as she dropped her own hand on top. "All for one, I guess."
I nodded. "Nekos forever."
And four cute Neko voices quickly filled the cabin with a delighted cry; "Nekos forever!"
***
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