The store was unusually calm that day, the kind of calm that made everyone uneasy. Nyx was standing near the counter, fiddling with a strange-looking charm she had picked up from somewhere no one bothered to ask about. Vario was restocking shelves nearby, humming to himself, completely unaware of the danger he was in.
"Hey Vario," Nyx said casually, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hold still for a second."
Before he could respond, the charm flashed. There was a soft whoomp sound, like air being pushed through a tunnel, and Vario felt dizzy for a brief moment.
"Huh?" Vario blinked. "Why do I feel… weird?"
Bella looked up from the register and froze. "Nyx," she said slowly, "what did you just do?"
Nyx tilted her head, clearly pleased. "Oops."
Vario glanced down at himself, then back up, then down again. "Okay… something is definitely off." His clothes felt tighter in some places, looser in others. He shrugged it off and went back to work, completely missing the most obvious detail.
As he bent forward to grab a box, a small ping echoed across the floor. One of the buttons on his uniform popped off and rolled under a shelf.
Vario didn't notice. He straightened up and kept walking like nothing happened.
Bella's eyes widened. "Vario."
No response.
"Vario," she said louder, pointing.
Vario finally turned. "What?"
Bella sighed and gestured at his uniform. "Your button fell off."
Vario looked down. Silence.
"…Oh."
Nyx burst out laughing, nearly dropping to her knees. "I can't believe you didn't notice!"
Vario quickly covered the gap in his uniform, face turning red. "Why didn't anyone say anything sooner?!"
Bella crossed her arms. "Because I was trying to figure out how to explain that you got genderbent without panicking you."
Vario groaned. "This store is cursed. I swear."
Nyx wiped tears from her eyes. "Relax, it's temporary. Probably."
Vario stared at her. "Probably?"
The monkey squeaked from the shelf, clearly entertained, while Bella shook her head and handed Vario a spare jacket.
"Put this on," she said. "And next time Nyx says 'hold still,' just run."
Vario nodded seriously, buttonless, confused, and once again reminded that in this store, nothing ever stayed normal for long.