The store had descended into its usual chaos. Ramen cups rolled across the floor, soda towers teetered dangerously, and Seraphine's sparkling cider sparkled dangerously in puddles that reflected the fluorescent lights.
Meanwhile, Vario had found the one small corner of the store that felt private—the employee restroom. He leaned on the sink, staring at the mirror. His reflection looked… different. Somehow softer, slimmer, and undeniably unfamiliar.
"…What…?" he whispered, tilting his head. "Wait… why do I look… like this?"
He examined his features carefully. The apron-of-shame clung in all the wrong (or right?) places, and he couldn't quite reconcile the person in the mirror with the chaos magnet he knew himself to be.
He struck a heroic pose anyway, flexing and squinting at the reflection. "Even… like this… I am… objectively impressive."
The automatic door slid open, and chaos stumbled in. Arthos tripped over a box of instant noodles, Lunaria held her broom like a magical staff, Garruk tottered under his soda tower, and Seraphine floated, waving her sparkling cider like a holy relic.
Nyx peeked from behind the counter. "Oh no… he's still at it."
Bella sighed, arms crossed, knives at the ready. "Vario… again? Really?"
But the party members had already seen him.
Arthos froze mid-step. "Uh… is he… staring at himself?"
Lunaria whispered, broom trembling. "He… hasn't moved in… forever…"
Garruk tilted his head. "Do we… warn him?"
Seraphine hummed uncertainly. "I think… he's… meditating?"
Vario didn't notice any of them. He had moved from one pose to another, practicing heroic stances, tilting his head, and muttering under his breath.
"…Yes… perfect angle… I could defeat dragons like this…"
Kael muttered while scribbling in his notebook. "Probability of him surviving this sighting: 0.01%."
Drogan barked, Ilyra's ice patches spread slightly, and Morvane frowned at spilled soda. But all attention was on Vario, frozen in admiration of his genderbent reflection.
Bella finally stepped closer. "Vario. Look away. You've been staring at yourself for… how long?"
Vario blinked, startled, and his face turned red—not just from embarrassment, but from seeing himself so differently. "I… I was… uh… inspecting… tactical posture!"
Arthos stepped forward cautiously. "Tactical… what?"
Lunaria raised her broom. "Is this… a new magical technique?"
Garruk shrugged. "If it's heroic, we support it?"
Nyx couldn't contain herself. "Ohhhh, this is legendary! Genderbent Vario, the hero of vanity!" She was recording everything, tears of laughter streaming down her face.
The monkey squeaked, hopping onto the counter, clearly entertained.
Bella pinched her nose. "I've fought demons, curses, and world-ending threats… and this… THIS is my life now."
Vario finally tore his eyes from the mirror, stumbling back. "…I… I need a moment… alone…"
But of course, with the heroes, villains, and Nyx all witnessing, "alone" was impossible.
And so, amid spilled noodles, soda towers, and sparkling cider, Vario learned a hard truth: being genderbent in a chaotic store while staring at your reflection in front of everyone is a legendary form of embarrassment.