Emma, despite smiling brightly, was furious. Strapped on to the outer pocket of her friends backpack, the newly-made doll’s head bobbed slightly with each step Haley took as she made her way through the crowed airport. As if the waves of travelers wasn’t daunting enough regularly, Emma felt like she was in a sea of giants as her gaze saw the legs of people rushing by around her. Pressed up against her shoulder was Priya, smiling just as happily as she was, and she could assume her friend was enjoying herself just as much. Emma knew for sure she wasn’t though. ‘How the hell could I let her do this to me, I mean this is ridiculous!’ Emma thought reflecting on what had happened only a few minutes ago. For her, the whole thing was degrading; she was reduced down to a doll for hell’s sake! A plaything, which Haley now got to treat like luggage for the next few hours. Even just hanging there, her arms and legs hanging limply outside of her control, her big eyes looking straight ahead as her hair swayed in and out of her vision, she felt like a fool. As if just being a doll wasn’t enough, she could still feel her fox ears and tail as clearly as anything else. She felt more like a girl at a costume party than herself in her own skin. More than anything, Emma dreaded what was to come; the flight. ‘Ugh, flying is already boring, and that was when I could actually move,’ she thought with an internal groan. ‘I’m going to be strapped here for hours… I’m not even going to have someone to play with me!’ Instantly, her mind froze for a moment. ‘That…why did I think that?’ Before she could even think what had just happened over, she felt a jerk as she felt Haley stop moving all at once.
Haley had finally reached their terminal. The girl had never been the type to waste time waiting around, timing things so that by the time she got there the plane had already been boarding for some time, with most everyone on the flight already. Striding her way up to the desk against the wall of the terminal, Haley quickly handed the attendant her ticket. “Just one?” the girl asked, looking to Haley, the dolls on her bag catching her attention for a second. “Yes, I’m meeting some friends there,” Haley responded confidently. At that, the attendant shrugged slightly and cleared her ticket for her, handing her back the stub before the turned to help the next person. Making her way down the terminal, Haley was quick about boarding the plane, making her way through the cold air of the plane to her seat. After a moment, she found it, a window seat near the back corner of the plane where she plopped down her bag at her feet. Getting comfortable in her seat, she sighed as she stretched out, closing her eyes for a moment. Sitting back up, she looked to the empty seat by her side, and then down to the dolls on her bag below. Lifting up Em’s chin, whose gaze was cast off in some random direction, she spoke down quietly. “Hey, just be happy that I put you in a carry on and not my suitcase.” At that, she chuckled to herself, leaning back again as she did.
Emma, now simply sprawled out over Priya as the two were still strapped to her friend’s bag, sighed internally. ‘Maybe Haley’s right, this isn’t too terrible I suppose…Definitely a unique was to travel.’ She still wished she could have just taken the trip normally, but if it was what she had to do to get to the islands, then so be it. Above her, Haley was already ordering drinks, a rum and coke, wasting no time trying to enjoy her trip. ‘I just wish she’d give us some attention,’ Em thought, missing the warmth she’d felt when she was in Haley’s hands. But she was a doll for now, not really in any place to be making demands, so until then the two dolls would just have to remain on the bag.
Looking out into the hall of the plane, more and more people continued to board as things in the plane began to sound more and more reminiscent of the airport. Haley hardly cared, only ever looking up from her reclined position to take a sip of her drink admits the muffled sounds of plane engines and chatting of excited travelers. Despite it all, she felt herself focus as she felt movement next to her. Opening her eyes slightly, she could see someone was moving into the seat next to her; a girl, a young teen with a nervous expression on her face. Seeing that Haley had spotted her, she grinned timidly, giving her a small wave before shuffling into her seat. Haley smiled back before returning to her rest. At that, she could hear the door at the front of the plane compress shut as the engines began to warm up. Haley was no stranger to travel, she simply took these noises as a sign of progress, and didn’t even care to look out the window as the plane began to move its way down the tarmac to take off. Soon enough, the engines began to roar did just that, beginning its ascension over the airport. Haley was relaxed as ever, but Emma felt anxious as she laid there on the bag. With nothing to hold on to, let alone the ability to hold anything with her stuffed paws, all the dolls could really do was jostle around as the plane took off.
Soon enough though the plane was well into the air, climbing for some time before leveling off. The trip was finally on its way. Emma sighed as she felt the turbulence stop, feeling her anxiety ease back into boredom. Still staring up and out from her position on the bag, all she could really see was Haley and the girl beside her, who looked even more uneasy than before. The girl nervously pulled at her braid with one hand, forcefully gripping the arm rest of the seat with her other. As Haley went to take another sip of her drink, she noticed this too, looking over the girl for a second before speaking up. “Not a big fan of flying?” she asked the girl with a gentle tone, who turned to her and nodded slightly. “It’s never been my favorite, no. But I suppose I-“ she stopped short and gasped slightly as the plane bumped upwards slightly along the wind. Haley put her hand gently on her shoulder. “Honestly, you have nothing to worry about dear. Flying is as safe as anything; you just need to keep your mind off things.” The girl nodded in agreeance, but it was clear she wasn’t going to calm down anytime soon. Haley bit her lip gently, feeling sorry for the girl, but just then an idea crossed her mind. Shifting forward, Haley reached down to her bag, scooping up Emma and Priya in her hand. Under her breath, she mumbled “Looks like I found you girls some in flight entertainment.”
Sitting back up, she nudged the girls shoulder with one hand, laying the dolls on her lap with the other. The girl now looking to her, Haley spoke up. “Here, if you need to take your mind off things, you should give these a try.” She picked up one doll in either hand, holding them out to her. Nervously, the girl retracted for a second before slowly taking the girls in each hand. “The fox is named Emma and the pup is named Priya, they’re both good friends of mine, and I think they could help you keep your mind off things.” The girl now looked down at the dolls in her hands. She held up Emma to eye level, who gulped internally. ‘Handing us off to a stranger, what is Haley thinking?’ she shouted to herself, but a moment later she felt the girls grip tighten firmly around her. With the doll now looking back at the giant girl in front of her, she saw the girl smile at her. Emma felt herself melt slightly, relaxing all at once, feeling a strange security being in this strangers hands. ‘You know what? Maybe this isn’t the worst idea.’
Lowering Emma back down to her lap, the girl looked back to Haley with an eased smile on her face. “Thank you, they’re beautiful, really, but I haven’t played with dolls for years. And I wouldn’t want to intrude, I mean they’re yours, and-“ Haley lifted her hand slightly, stopping the girl short. “Don’t worry so much. For now, they’re yours. Just toy around with them and keep your mind off things, ok?” The girl paused for a moment, seeming like she was about to say something as the plane hit another bump of turbulence. Sitting straight up with a small yelp, gripping both dolls tightly in each hand, the girl looked back to Haley and nodded in agreeance. Haley just smiled warmly back at her, taking another sip of her drink before leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes.
After a few moments, it was clear Haley was asleep, and for the first time the girl felt like she was alone on the flight. With a nervous look settling back over her face, the girl then looked down to the dolls in her lap. Picking them up gingerly, she began to look over the two toys, lifting and posing them in each hand as she examined the girls. “You two really are beautifully made, you know that?” she said quietly to the dolls, looking over their stitched frame. Emma blushed a bit internally at that one as the girl set her down on her lap. Taking Priya, she rolled over the doll onto her stomach on her hand. With her limbs and hair dangling limply downwards, the girl glided her finger up the dolls back to her pullstring, giving it a slight tug before turning the doll back to face her. “Hi! I’m Priya!” rang out from the Indian doll she had in hand. The voice sounded just like Priya, in her typical light tone. A second later, Priya playfully let out some woofing sounds, making the girl chuckle slightly at the toy. Emma laughed internally as well. ‘Priya really does look ridiculous right now. I mean-‘ Emma stopped as she felt the girl lift her up by one arm and pull down on her own pullstring as well. “I’m Emma doll! Want to play with me?” she heard herself say in an equally happy and playful tone. In response, the girl smiled down at her, giggling slightly as she looked at the fox doll who was now dangling from one paw in her grip. Emma bashfully cringed for a second at the campiness of her own words, but soon enough she found herself looking up at the smiling girl in front of her. Suddenly, she didn’t care how silly she looked and sounded, that she was only a toy. Right then she was only happy she could make the girl smile. ‘You know, Owner really does have an adorable laugh,” she thought to herself, not even thinking twice about what she had just thought.
Over the next few hours of the flight, the girl slowly went from curiously looking over the two dolls to actually playing with them. With Haley dead asleep by her side and nestled in the back of the plane, the teen felt like she had some solitude on the plane, and definitely seemed a lot more playful with the two dolls for it. She nervously talked to them, trying to keep her mind off the infrequent jerking of the plane. Each time it would, the Emma felt the girl tighten her grip around her as she did the same to Priya. She loved the feeling, feeling the warmth of the girl’s hand move through her plush chest as she did. Over time the girl began picking up the dolls, posing them, propping them up into sitting positions on her lap. She even began having Priya “chase” Emma around, reenacting a hound chasing a fox, that would inevitably end with the toy dolls thrown into a pile, Priya finally tackling Emma to the ground. Even though Emma was just being treated like any other doll, she loved everything about the flight. Having the girl play with her, move her around as she saw fit, was oddly liberating. Emma found herself giggling to herself the whole time, her mind enjoying things without ever thinking she wasn’t really a doll. Inevitably, the girl finally seemed calm and happy on the flight, finding herself doze off as well. Pulling the two dolls to her chest with her forearm, the girl was just as out as Haley was, only with two smiling dolls looking out from over her arm.
From there, time seemed to fly as the flight made its way to their destination. Emma, still in a daze as she simply enjoying her owner’s warmth, didn’t even notice as the plane touched down. It was night time outside, the plane slowing down quickly as it stopped along the illuminated strip of the runway. As soon as the descent began, the girl woke up, hugging the dolls tightly as the plane made its way to the ground. Now pulled up to the terminal, people began to get up and make their way out of the plane. Sighing in relief, the girl looked to the hall where everyone was getting up before looking back to Haley, who was still dead asleep. At that, the girl looked down at her new dolls, running a hand down Emma’s fox tail as she sat her up on her palm. Looking back and forth between Haley and Emma, Priya laid sprawled out over her knees, the girl mumbled to herself, “Well she did give them to me, I’m sure she won’t mind if I just keep them.” At that the girl stood up hesitantly, putting her two new dolls into a small satchel she had with her under her seat, and began to make her way out of the plane.
Emma was, surprisingly enough, overjoyed with what had just happened. ‘Thank god Owner took us with her! I thought she was going to leave us there with Haley. She’d never play with us, probably just throw us on a shelf for decoration!’ By this point, Emma thought herself completely as a doll. I mean why wouldn’t she, she’d always been one, right? The doll giggled to herself, thinking how much fun it would be to finally go home with her owner, meet all of her other toys, to be propped up on her bed; she loved the thought of it all. Emma and Priya now were in a pile, Priya leaning back over Emma as the two shifted around in their owner’s bag as she made her way off the plane.
Now stepping out into the brightly lit airport, the girl mumbled to herself. “Ok, where to find Mom and Dad.” The girl’s parents were on the same flight, just in a different set of seats elsewhere on the plane. ‘They should be near by…’ she thought to herself. She felt a tap on her shoulder. Half expecting her parents, she turned around quickly to see Haley standing over her with one raised eyebrow. Haley spoke to the girl in a calm, unaccusing tone. “Hey, I think you might have something of mine?” she stated, putting a hand out in front of her. With a guilty expression on her face, the teen lifted her bag, presenting the two dolls out of it, putting Priya and Emma in her extended hand. “Sorry…I didn’t know if you wanted them back…I just really liked them.” Haley smiled at the girl. “It’s fine, honestly. It’s hard not to take a liking to these two. Maybe if were on the same flight back I’ll let you play with them again, ok?” At that the girl seemed to cheer up a bit, and thanked Haley before running off to find her parents. “Phew, that was close,” Haley said quietly down to the girl in her hand, and after a sigh of relief she threw the dolls back on her bag and began her way out of the airport.
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After grabbing their luggage and hailing a taxi, Haley was glad to finally be off the plane. Meanwhile, Emma was back to being angry. ‘Why did she have to take us back?? Haley’s never going to play with us, she doesn’t even like dolls!’ She was already missing her short-time owner, and proceeded to sulk the whole way to the hotel.
Finally arriving at the hotel, Haley was quick to check in and get to their room. It was well into the night by that point, and Haley was eager to get some rest in a real bed instead of an airplane chair. After reaching the room, Haley threw her suitcase in the corner before taking a moment to look out her window at the tropic setting she now found herself in. She smiled a bit to herself, but after a second she realized she was forgetting something. Reaching into her bag and blindly feeling around for her friends, she scooped the two out of the jumbled mess before holding them up in each hand. Fixing Priya’s hair for a second, she tossed the two onto the bed and presented her wand from her sleeve. Mumbling some words to herself, she flicked the wand at the girls who began to change at once. Instantly the two dolls began to grow in size, back to normal human lengths. Slowly, their stiches gave way to reveal their normal skin underneath, with their changes to their hair and animal parts reverting almost instantly as the magic shifted out of them. Now the two girls were completely human, laying there in a pile on the bed with Priya laying her head on Emma’s still limp form. It took a few seconds for Emma to blink, before closing her eyes all together and sitting up. Propping herself up with one arm and holding her head with the other, she looked down to Priya, who was still as limp and smiling. Giving her a slight nudge, the girl sprang back to life, rolling over on the bed as she stretched out. “Wow, that was fun!” Priya exclaimed, sitting up and stretching out her legs off the side of the bed. “Wow, that was…weird.” Emma groaned, thinking back to how much she changed mentally as she was a doll and how much she enjoyed it. Haley just chuckled at the two, holding her wand at her side with one hand as she covered her smile with the other.
Emma shifted to the end of the bed she was on, still thinking everything over. “See? Not bad at all. You got to experience a new take on life and now you’re in the beautiful Bahamas! Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!” She said, motioning to the window with a loud joking tone. Emma sighed to herself. “Yeah, I guess so. Things weren’t all that bad, just very…different. But hey, at least were here.” She replied, looking around the room. But as she did she noticed something. Despite the ocean view, the room she was in was fairly small, with only one bed… At that, she looked back to Haley. “Haley, you didn’t,” she asked in a pleading tone to her friend. Haley just laughed, as did Priya who was still sprawled out on the bed. “Come on Em, I just thought we could keep things nice and cozy! It’s not like we’re going to be spending too much time in the room anyway, so why spend money on all that extra room? As far as sleeping arrangements go…” she said, twirling her wand in her hand, “I think we can make some small adjustments and make it work.”
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After showering, Haley paraded out of the shower with a smile on her face, singing to herself quietly as she moved through the bathroom. She was happy, and why wouldn’t she be? She was in the islands with two of her best friends and she only had to pay for a fraction of it all. After drying off, she was slow to put on a black silk nighty she had left draped over the towel rack, a simple lacy dress that did little more than cover her up. Stepping out of the bathroom, where she quickly had used a spell to lay out all of her and her friends’ belongings, she looked down and felt her pajamas in one hand. “You know Pri, you make a great doll, but I think you make even better night clothes.” Just a half hour before she decided her friend would work best if she spent the night as a cover-up to help save on space. Prior to all this, she planned to simply share the bed with Priya, but this seemed to be the more efficient way to deal with the limited space. Priya wasn’t complaining either, not that she could; ever since she’d gotten to know Haley she always had loved being turned into various objects, even asking for it at times. Most of the trip had been her idea in that regard. Now she was just happy to be her friend’s nighty for the evening, but she was still a bit jealous of Emma, who was still in the other room.
As Haley pulled the corner into the bedroom, she smiled to see what was waiting for her. On her bed sat Emma, once again converted to a fox girl, only this time much more on the fox side of things. She sat there, an anthropomorphic fox, posed just as Haley had left her, with one leg bowed at the knee as the other laid arched out to the other side. Her arms were sprawled out on either side, palms up, with her head slightly titled and aimed towards a corner of the room, her fox like muzzle pointed down with her mouth slightly ajar as well. Atop her head her fox ears had returned, as did her tail with now snaked out from behind her and laid still on the bed. The girl was naked, or rather simply didn’t have any clothes on. In their stead Emma now donned the orange fur of a fox all over her body. She was inanimate once again, only this time more like a large, realistic stuffed animal than the simple doll she was before. Seeing all this, Haley smiled even wider: “You were right Priya, we may just have to keep her this was from now on,” she said, climbing onto the bed, inching her way near her new toy on her knees.
Meanwhile, Emma’s mind had already shifted once more. Though hesitant at first and understandably upset to have her mobility taken from her again so soon, all that had faded by the time Haley re-entered the room; she had returned to the mind of a toy. ‘Owner! Are you going to play with me now??’ Emma internally questioned excitedly as Haley now straddled the toy, using one hand to feel her plush side as she used her other to lift her chin, bringing the toy’s unmoving auburn gaze to look into Haley’s eyes. After a moment, Haley shifted to the side onto the rest of the bed, dragging Emma limply across the bed with her. Sitting against a few pillows, Haley settled her doll between her legs and wrapped her arms around her waist in a hug as the doll’s head and arms limped downwards once again. There, she looked over Emma, posing her gaze and limbs around herself, playing with her friend’s plush form for a moment. After a few seconds though, she let her fall limp in her arms once again. “Come on Emma, it’s going to be a busy day tomorrow, plenty of time for play later.” Haley laughed to herself, setting into bed with Emma hugged tightly to her chest. “Don’t worry, I want to play too, but looking how you are right now,” she said, running her hand down to her toy’s plush hips, “it may be a bit different kind of play than you expect.” She mumbled, dozing off as she threw a leg over the doll. Emma, in her mind, didn’t understand what she meant by that last part, but she didn’t care. She was going to be played with, and that was a good thing! For now, she just relaxed, feeling her owners embrace around her, with her gaze aimed towards the window and the shadowy waves of the ocean behind it. Even if the trip began a lot different than she expected, she didn’t care. Emma was happy.