Ori wasn't sure what to make of the new shop that had just opened in her usual mall. She wasn't even sure if it really had just opened. There were no grand opening signs or anything to indicate sales of any kind that were part and parcel of a grand opening. Nor were there any crowds; in fact, Ori couldn't spot anyone else paying attention to the shop. However, Ori was a regular at this mall and was convinced that the spot the store was occupying had been under renovation since she started visiting. So the store had to be new, right? Maybe the owner didn't go in for opening sales, or it was a niche store with a captive audience and didn't need them. But it didn't look like a niche store; there were mannequins in the window like any of the myriads of fashion stores Ori frequented, and the clothing wasn't fetishwear or anything.

Ori couldn't get a better look into the store as a wall set a couple of meters back from the entrance blocked her view from the nearby seating. She'd have to go in to satisfy her curiosity, but first, she wanted to figure out why she was so curious! It was just another store wasn't it? But why was nobody else even looking at the place? The fashion on display was meh, but the mannequins it was displayed on were probably the most realistic in the mall, which should turn some heads. But other shoppers were walking past the place like it was still the "under renovation" sign that it had been. What was bugging her most, though, was the name: Rent-A-Golem. What kind of a name for a shop was that? Did they rent out clay people with super-human strength? Ori doubted it. That would mean magic, and magic wasn't real. But this damn shop made her doubt her own doubt. It felt like she was the only person in the mall who could see it. And that name.

Really, she should just walk away. It's just another store; why should she care if it's a little weird? There are plenty of other stores to shop at, so why was she getting up from her seat and walking toward Rent-A-Golem? Whatever was behind that wall wasn't going to be magic; it was just a quirky fashion shop with a misleading name, that's all. Or maybe it rented mannequins to other stores, and the mall would soon see its displays upgraded with these lifelike figures. There was no reason to cross the threshold and go around the corner to see into the shop. And yet her traitorous feet had done just that, and Ori wondered even more about the strange place she'd just wandered into.

It seemed to Ori that the mannequins outside were dressed only for reasons of modesty. The 10 or so scattered around the shop were stark naked and, Ori noticed, anatomically correct, mostly. There was a female mannequin with eight breasts, getting smaller as they hung lower on her torso. A male figure had a plastic penis that seemed designed to fill two holes at once. And there were a couple of blank mannequins, abstract and faceless with no defining features. Okay, so not a mannequin rental service, for shops anyway, Ori thought. But the dummies weren't the only things around. A couple of marble statues occupied one corner of the shop, one male, one female, perfectly proportioned and posed in the first pose of the sun salutation. Nearby shelving held various anime figures, ball-jointed dolls, and children's fashion dolls. To Ori's surprise, the theme of human-shaped objects broke when she saw onaholes, fleshlights, and dildos, on another shelf behind the occupied counter.

"First time here?" The woman behind the counter chuckled a bit as she asked. "I can always tell a newcomer by how your eyes flit about to take everything in. Somehow I'm always in the last place people look."

"There's... certainly a lot to look at," Ori stammered.

"And you're only seeing part of it; I keep more in the back."

Ori took a quizzical look around and was about to say something before the shopkeeper cut her off. "In this case, it really is a magical back. It doesn't have everything a customer wants, but I keep it stocked and easy to sort through."

Hearing the word magical set-off something in Ori's brain. "Magical? You can't mean to tell me you're a witch, right? Magic and witches can't be real; magic would be too hard to hide with the internet existing!"

The shopkeeper gave Ori a crooked smile, "We have been finding it harder to hide these days, I admit, but people's ability to filter reality to fit their conceptions of it helps a lot. A little perception filter spell here, an illusion or two there, and magic can hide in plain sight. I've seen you walk by my store many times in the last couple of months, totally unaware of my existence."

Ignoring the barb, Ori pressed on, pulling out her phone, "And if I took a video of your shop and exposed magic to the world?" She opened her camera app, pointed it toward the store entrance, and noticed that her phone screen was black.

"We've thought of that, though feel free to tell your friends about me! I'm always happy to have new customers." The woman smiled, and to Ori's surprise, it felt genuine.

"If you want new customers, then why hide to begin with?"

The woman sighed, "Old habits die hard, and those in power in the magical world tend to be old. It's thanks to some new blood in magical politics that you're allowed to be standing in this shop. They're slowly breaking some cracks in the masquerade. Though I suppose I'm being unfair to the conservative oldies. Magic isn't all-powerful; dropping everything all at once will likely get us seen as a threat. There's not much most magic users can do against modern weaponry. So there's still reason to hide overall. But revealing ourselves in harmless ways enables us to slowly integrate and hopefully not scare people into thinking we must be culled."

The woman gave another genuine smile. However, Ori could tell this one was tinged with a bit of anticipation, "and one of those harmless ways is to let non-magical people into our economy. And if my perception filters failed on you, there's definitely something I can help you with."

Ori wanted to keep pushing but could tell the moment had passed, and so focused on the woman's last statement. "You're saying it's not an accident that I'm here?"

The woman laughed, "I do like an intelligent customer. Yes, that's precisely it. If I had to guess, you're lonely. I've seen you pass by my shop many times, always alone. You also must have hoped against hope that magic was real; my filters won't allow anyone in who won't accept my existence. Those two factors aren't quite enough on their own, though. Tell me, did something happen recently that made you wish for a friend?"

Ori decided to go with the flow. "Yeah, a friend of mine from my old city was supposed to visit, but her work ended up sending her on a project out of the country at the last minute, so that's been delayed for a few months."

"And you don't have many friends here?"

"My co-workers aren't very social, and neither am I if I'm being honest. I haven't put as much effort into making friends as I should since I moved here." Ori admitted.

"That's a problem I can help you solve. Oh! Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself! Please, call me Savi." Savi extended a hand, and for the first time, Ori took a good look at her. She was tall, probably about 185cm, and though she was behind the counter, Ori guessed that wasn't with assistance from high heels. Her blonde, bordering on white, hair was cut short in a pageboy style that complemented her, Ori guessed, nordic features. Taking Savi's hand, Ori sensed that though thin, Savi was strong and wondered if that was with supernatural assistance or just a good workout routine.

"Orianna, though I go by Ori."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ori. Now let's get down to business."

"You mean..." Ori hesitated before asking what she hadn't dared to hope for since seeing the shop's name, "making me a golem friend?"

"Or a golem fuck-buddy, or boyfriend, or girlfriend. Husband? Wife? I can do it all! Though they are meant to be temporary, so I don't often recommend those last two." Savi motioned around the shop, "Some of the objects you see here are inactive golems. Some are simply materials to use as a base for a new one. Would you like a golem-making-101 course before we get into what you'd like? Or-"

"Tell me everything, please!" Ori couldn't stop herself from cutting off Savi.

"Ah, an eager student. I should have guessed. I'm afraid I can't tell you everything. I'll give you enough information to help you decide what kind of golem you'd like." Savi walked over to a female mannequin of about Ori's height - 161cm and an average build, with, Ori guessed, B-cup breasts devoid of nipples. The figure had Asian features and a long, straight black wig of silky hair. Its pose wasn't anything special, except that it wasn't special. No store mannequin would be posed standing straight with its arms at its sides.

"Ori, this is Luna. A golem I made from a mannequin a few years ago. Look around the shop. Any mannequin you see wearing a wig is deactivated. Any without are materials waiting to be crafted into a golem."

A brief glance showed that the abstract mannequins and a couple of the sexless but realistic ones weren't wearing wigs. The double-penetrator and multi-breast figures were though. Savi must have noticed Ori observing this as she chimed in, saying, "If it's weird and wonderful, it's likely already a golem."

"So those two are fuck-buddy golems?"

"Kitty and Richard the Second are very niche sexual companions, yes. They're actually pretty simple golems because of that, though. They have one function, and they excel at it. They don't need to pass for human." Savi gestured to Luna, "Luna here does pass as human."

"One of the girlfriends you mentioned?"

"Sometimes, more often, she's rented by photographers or promoters for use as a model."

Ori gave Luna another look, "A model? She's good-looking, but I wouldn't expect to see her as a model."

"Ah, but Luna is a model. It's at the core of her being, having been awoken from a mannequin base. All mannequin golems have an affinity for fashion, even Kitty and Richard. The statues, Mable and Shale, are fitness buffs."

Ori thought about that for a moment, "What does that have to do with being made from a rock?"

"Good question, and the answer is nothing." Savi shrugged, "Statues are affected by how they're carved. Those two could be greek gods and were caved doing yoga, so it makes sense. I've got a sandstone fertility goddess in the back who started out as a rather crude idol. She's a fantastic midwife and is good with kids, but I find it's best to keep her away from couples. She can be... meddlesome."

Ori imagined a rotund clay woman trying to get couples to have sex and couldn't stifle a giggle. And then realized something. "Wait... you said Luna acts as a model. She's realistic but wouldn't pass as a human. When golems come to life, do they become flesh?"

"Another excellent question. Tell you what, why don't I just show you?" Savi turned to Luna before Ori could respond, "Luna, your services are needed, activate for your maker."

Ori watched, fascinated, as a change came over Luna. The pale, perfect plastic slowly faded into just as pale flesh, with mottled tones and tiny hairs. Nipples grew out of Luna's breasts as they succumbed to gravity. Ori noticed that they were rising and falling with Luna's breathing. Along with her nipples, other abstracted features gained more definition, like the trace of muscles on her arms and legs and a dimple on her face as she smiled at Savi.

Luna stretched. For a moment taking the same pose as Mable and Shale, "Hello, maker. And hello..?" The newly mobile golem tilted her head at Ori.

"Ori." Ori held out her hand, which Luna took. The hand felt like a person's, not a mannequin's.

"Nice to meet you, Ori. Are you renting me?" Luna looked to Savi.

"She... was not. I activated you as a demonstration, but now that you are active, I have an idea." Savi turned to Ori. "Ori, Luna is one of my most complex golems. She's served many roles when she's been rented out, and nobody has spotted her for what she is in a long time. I can think of no better golem in my stock to serve as a shopping buddy for you today, and it's been a while since Luna has had a relaxing assignment like this. I know I haven't let you choose, but you can take Luna here free of charge for the day in exchange."

"A shopping buddy? Sounds fun!" Luna jumped in before Ori could respond. "Let me grab an outfit from the back, and we can get going! I'll help you pick some killer outfits, Ori!" With that new newly animated mannequin rushed off through the door behind the counter.

"She seems... eager," Ori pondered, "You said she's complex... If you had woken up Kitty or Richard, would they behave the same way?"

"No." Savi replied, "They would stand by and wait for orders. They're good at following those and reacting to stimuli, but they need to be more active before they start to be creative. The more time a golem spends active, the more they develop their own personality beyond the base programming."

Ori thought about this. "So... They're like a magical AI?"

Savi smiled, "Pretty much. They learn faster than a computer AI, though, or at least mine do." Ori detected pride in that statement. "They're always affected by what they started as, and there are limitations on how long a golem can stay active at a time. The personality also develops around the base programming but never changes it, so Luna will -"

"Maker!" Luna called from the door to the back, where she'd returned from now wearing a pair of stylishly ripped black jeans, a red t-shirt with a designer logo, and white sneakers. She'd also tied her hair back into a high ponytail. She'd tailored her look to match Ori's own, though Ori thought Luna's breasts looked more like D-cups than the B they'd been. Luna continued, "If this is meant to be a relaxing assignment for me, how about not telling Ori here how to control me? I'll share it if I want to, but a good shopping buddy should have a mind of their own."

Savi chuckled, "You may have a point there, Luna. Very well, just the basics, then. Luna, you're allowed to leave the shop but not the mall. Ori is your renter, and you will follow her instructions. You're locked in base mode unless you tell Ori how to change it. Luna," Savi turned to her, "your rental period is until the mall closes at 9 pm. I'd appreciate it if you came back here with Luna when you're done, but it's not totally necessary."

Luna came around the counter, grabbed Ori's hand, and started pulling her toward the entrance to the mall. "Let's go, Ori! By the end of today, we'll have guys, girls, and golems all wanting a piece of you. And if you can't find someone you like, you can always rent Kitty or Richard." Luna winked.

Not sure how to process being pulled along by the enthusiastic Luna but happy that the mannequin girl seemed to like her, Ori stammered out a weak "Sure" as the pair entered the mall.