Unexpected results

Dahlia came back during the afternoon with a bag full of various ****. I had no idea how she got that, but it most likely involved some skinning and digging around, unless she already had shady connections to begin with.

"Alright, we'll start slow with a small dose to see how your body reacts." She said as she went to the kitchen and prepared something for me to drink.

She came back shortly after and handed me a glass with what looked like a cocktail, a very well-made one at that. "Drink it. I'll stay here to see how it affects you."

"You have bartending skills too? You're making me jealous." I joked as I grabbed the glass.

"I've never been a bartender, but I frequented bars enough to observe how it's done." Dahlia chuckled half-heartedly. "Depression made me great at preparing cocktails."

I stared at the glass for a brief instant, took a deep breath, and gulped it down. Dahlia and I stayed there for about twenty minutes before I started to feel more lightheaded. Not enough to make me lose all my faculties, but still noticeable. I had a harder time thinking and moving, my body felt sluggish and my breathing was slower.

I groaned, trying to speak. "I-It's... awful..."

"Focus. Use all your willpower to resist."

I tried as hard as I could, but I ended up losing consciousness after a while. When I woke up, Dahlia was still next to me. She had two big bottles of water on the table, and she handed me a glass.

"Well, it seems like this first try was a failure." She commented. "We'll try again tomorrow."

I had a throbbing headache and was still feeling groggy. "Okay..."

She helped me drink and gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, things rarely work on the first try. We're doing something probably unheard of among skinwalkers. Now, try to rest until dinner. Claire will join us to check on you. And drink a lot of water."

I nodded and did as she said. I tried to watch TV but it was too hard to focus on what was happening. I ended up falling asleep again.

"Ed... Ed... Wake up..." I heard a bit later, opening my eyes and seeing Claire looking at me.

The headache was still here, but I was feeling somewhat better. "H-hey..."

Dahlia walked in and stood next to Claire. "Finally awake? Dinner is almost ready."

"How are you feeling, Ed?" Claire asked as she helped me sit and joined me on the couch.

"Tired. I... asked Dahlia to give me a sleeping pill to nap..."

"A full one might have been too much." Dahlia said, taking the hint and helping me lie to Claire.

"Apart from that... I think I should be good to go home tomorrow..."

Claire smiled. "That's good."

"I've also been preparing the room you'll live in, Claire. I used it to store a lot of plants, but we can start moving some of your stuff inside starting next week, I think. Anyway, I need to get back to cooking, watch over him for me." Dahlia spoked as she returned to the kitchen.

"I completely forgot we agreed to move here..." I said, drinking more water.

"It'll be weird, huh? I was getting used to living with you in our current flat. But we'll soon be living with Dahlia..." She blushed slightly at the end.

"You have a thing for her, right?" I whispered, knowing that Dahlia's hearing was probably at least as good as mine.

She timidly nodded. "She's really pretty... and kind. When you left, she was very respectful, and also very enthusiastic. She's so different from how I pictured her when you first mentioned her..."

"Yeah... She's extremely different... I didn't expect her to be so kind and caring..." I turned to face Claire and patted her head. "Well, if you want to try, good luck."

My opinion on Dahlia changed a lot recently. While I was still a bit apprehensive due to Claire being human and Dahlia a skinwalker, there was no longer any doubt in my mind that Dahlia truly cared about us. I believed that she would treat Claire well should they get together. And Claire deserved some happiness too.

Claire leaned on my shoulder and smiled. "Thanks."

We ate dinner together, Dahlia and Claire seemingly getting along well despite Claire's innerent shyness.

Maybe an extrovert like Dahlia will be good for her.

After dinner, Claire went back to our flat and Dahlia approached me. It was time to apply the balm again, even if the worst cuts and bruises were already slowly starting to fade and the pain was lessening.

While she applied the balm, I spoke. "You know... If you're serious about Claire... You have my blessing..."

She dropped the tube and stared at me. "Huh?"

"I know I said in the past that I didn't want you to approach her, but... I trust you now..."

She smiled warmly at me. "Thank you. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that I have your trust. I promise that I won't betray it."

After finishing applying the balm, she sat next to me. "Even if I turned you into a skinwalker against your will, my goal has always been to be on good terms with you. I always hoped we could be friends."

"After what you did for me, I think we're already friends. You saved my life, after all." I chuckled.

She giggled, visibly more relaxed after hearing what I said. "I'd be a very irresponsible parent if I wasn't helping my child when he needs me. I told you that I would take care of you."

We played some games together, with her kicking my ass at Mario Kart quite a few times, and we went to sleep afterwards.

For a week and a half, Dahlia exposed me to small doses of the ****, alternating between various kinds while I did my best to resist their effects. In the meantime, she and Claire were getting closer, even if they weren't dating yet. Claire seemed happy, but she was still worried about me, as my state slowly worsened. My skin became more and more pale and sickly, and I was getting more intense dreams and nightmares every night. I promised Claire and Dahlia that I would wear someone during the weekend to satiate my skinwalker side, as it was getting hard to sleep.

On Friday, though, as I ingested the **** again, I felt something shift inside me. Newfound instincts awakened within me, something similar to what happened when I first became a skinwalker and learnt how to use my abilities. But this time, it was different. I felt as if my whole body changed from within. I saw images of me kissing someone, spitting in their drinks discretely, stabbing them with the spines, or even having sex with them... And all these images resulted in the person I was doing these things to falling asleep, being more relaxed, or acting as if they were **** themselves. I instinctively knew what happened. I didn't just become immune to ****, but I also apparently became able to produce substances replicating their effects within me...

"Did it work?" Dahlia asked, noticing that the effects from the **** she gave me suddenly wore off.

I freed the spines from my hand just above the glass I drank. I focused, willing the creation of a sleeping ****, and saw some liquid coming from them, slowly dripping into the glass. Dahlia narrowed her eyes as she observed what I was doing.

I stared at my hand, smiling. "It did... Even better than I expected..."

"What happened?"

"I... I am now immune to most types of ****... But not only that, I can also produce a liquid able to replicate them..."

Dahlia seemed impressed, and almost as happy as I was. "Oh, that's indeed pretty good! It should greatly help you when you'll get back to work. I'm glad our training paid off."

"Thank you, Dahlia." I said, smiling at her.

"You're welcome." She said, smiling back at me before looking more serious. "Now that we're done with this, why don't we start thinking about who you could wear? I know that one of my neighbours is a young man working at the city hall. And since you plan to visit the mayor, wearing him could help you get closer to your target. He's also interested in me, I could easily lure him here for you."