Last time on "The Lokian Way":

On Tuesday Mercy declared war on a group of bullies: the cheerleader squad. Her weapon of choice is changing panties so they have slogans that might be embarrassing if found out.

Wednesday Mercy (with Victoria in tow) visited the first group meeting of trickster mages. One of them stood out. Mavis is not only powerful but rumored to be centuries old. She reveals an interesting thought to Mercy. The common denominator of Mercy's spells might not be "clothing", but instead might be"body". Intrigued, Mercy accepts Mavis' proposal that she will be Mercy's new mentor.

And now the continuation of "The Lokian Way".

***** Thursday *****

"You are getting really good at this," Mercy remarked as Mitch handed her another sketch he made.

Today's pantie design wasn't lacy, but no less impressive. It looked like a series of ribbons interwoven into a checkerboard pattern. However, the width of the ribbons wasn't uniform and tapered as they moved downward.

"This also could be a great design for a bikini," Mercy added.

"Really?" Mitch asked baffled. "I haven't thought about that. A matching garter was next on my list to design," he admitted quietly.

"Well, panties for now," Mercy replied in an equally hushed tone. A moment later they wore matching panties again. Mercy couldn't help it. She liked his designs. Even if it meant that there was this weird result of them both wearing the same underwear.

"Thanks," Mitch said enthusiastically. "See you after school."

Mercy gave him a small wave as he walked off. With her early morning duty done she looked around for Victoria or Brian. However, a younger girl caught her eyes. Mercy didn't know her, but she recognized the look on her face. She was pissed off.

"What did you do to my brother?" the girl hissed as she came close to Mercy. Only stopping when she was uncomfortably close to her.

"Who?" Mercy asked confused.

"Mitch!" the girl half shouted and then looked around nervously if she had drawn the attention of others. When no one cared she turned back to Mercy. "I am his sister Melanie. Now, what did you do to him?"

"N-nothing," Mercy lied. She certainly wasn't telling that she had made her brother a closet crossdresser. One who had been found out. "Your father already accused me of the same. In front of the principal. Nothing came out of it."

"I guess," Melanie reluctantly agreed. But all too soon the fire in her eyes turned. "But why are you hanging out with him? Every morning and sometimes after school for a few moments. Something is up. He acts ... differently."

"You mean he isn't bullying anymore? Look," Mercy started. "All I can say is that, after your father accused me, we talked. Maybe because he can't do that with his father or you. If you want to know more talk to him. And just between us: isn't it better that he stopped the bullying?"

"Yes, but ..." Melanie looked pained for a moment. "I worry about him."

"Then talk to him," Mercy urged her again.

"What if he doesn't want to talk to me?" Melanie asked in a small voice.

"Then maybe you haven't earned his trust back. That is up to you."

"Thanks. I'll try," Melanie vowed. She was about to head away when she turned back around. "Sorry for ambushing you like that."

"It's okay. After all, it was because you care about your brother, right?"

Melanie nodded. With a wave, she left Mercy alone.

"What's with the interrogation?"

The sudden voice made Mercy jump. Turning around she saw Victoria smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"Can't tell," Mercy brushed her off. "Sorry, but I have a strict policy. Only one interrogation of me before the first class."

"Party pooper," Victoria accused her.

Mercy was about to answer when a shout got her attention.

"Hey, Sonja! On the prowl again?"

It was Stacy and her cheerleaders, who zeroed in on Sonja. A redhead Mercy knew from gym class. Sonja took a turn down a hallway and the cheerleaders followed like bloodhounds on a hunt.

"Sorry Victoria," Mercy said. "We talk at lunch. It seems I have to change some panties before class."

Victoria looked flabbergasted as Mercy stalked away. Those cheerleaders had no clue that they would go from being the hunters to being the prey.

"And she didn't even have time to change my plug," Victoria complained to the air.

*****

Mercy was first sitting in the classroom. This was unusual, as she dreaded the physics class with all her might. It wasn't that physics was in itself boring. It was Mister Hesbrow. He was a walking fossil and to say his teaching was boring was the understatement of the century.

It was time to mix things up. Play a prank. But Mercy drew either blank for pranks with her spells or they were just too much. She didn't want to be found out and most of her ideas involved putting him into embarrassing outfits.

Something else needed to be done. For this Mercy decided to go old school. Her 'evil' deed already done she waited for the other students and Mister Hesbrow to arrive. Thankfully a few other students arrived first and made it less obvious that Mercy was the prankster.

Mister Hesbrow walked in without a second glance around. Opening a textbook he prepared himself for the lesson. The bell rang and he stood up.

"If you did your reading assignment, then by now you understand that..."

Mister Hesbrow stopped dead in his monologue when he reached for the chalk and found a pink one. The schools usual white one gone. Frowning he walked to his desk and opened a drawer. As his frown deepened Mercy had to hide a grin. She knew what he had found. More pink chalk. She had switched out every last piece of white chalk for a pink one.

Mister Hesbrow look through the class and his gaze stopped on Mercy. She gave her best innocent but attentive look. Holding the eye contact Mister Hesbrow walked over to his leather satchel. Opening a flap he pulled out a pristine new box of white chalk.

Mercy had to do her best to not let her inner devastation show. She had been outsmarted. By a stuffy old teacher no less. Now he continued his monologue and wrote in his small writing on the board as nothing had been wrong.

It made her furious. Mercy couldn't just let him win. She had to do something. Her more extreme options of spell powered pranks ran through her mind. Then a sudden epiphany blossomed in her mind. If Mavis - her new mentor - was right she couldn't just change things someone wore, but anything close to one's body. Like the white piece of chalk in Mister Hesbrow's hand.

In a moment when Mister Hesbrow turned his back to his students, Mercy struck. She nearly jumped in triumph as her spell worked. Unknown to the students Mister Hesbrow held up a pink piece of chalk in his hands. He hesitated for a moment as if he tried to decide why he was holding up said chalk. Then he raised it and started to retrace a few chosen words. Highlighting them as especially important.

Soon he picked up a white piece of chalk again and wrote another sentence. Only to switch to pink again at the end and to highlight another two words. Mercy couldn't help but grin. Success. The battle won, despite setbacks.

She had changed Mister Hesbrow. It hadn't been her intention and it was only a little, but it made her proud nonetheless. She took the splash of color as a good sign. Maybe in time, she could help Mister Hesbrow become less stuffy and dry. Maybe she could...

Someone shaking her shoulder brought Mercy's attention back to the classroom. One where Mister Hesbrow had her in his gaze again.

"Is the Misses still daydreaming or are you ready to answer the question?" Mister Hesbrow asked sharply.

Mercy winced. "Could I hear the question again?" she asked in a small voice.

The war wasn't won. Turned out the battle wasn't yet either. Mercy vowed that it would be. With her the victor.

***** Friday *****

"I am not sure this is a good idea," Mercy said. Doubt coloring her voice.

She stood a little to the side of the school's entrance and held Mitch's sketchbook. His latest two drawings continued the new design direction he had shown her yesterday. Patterns of interwoven ribbons that accented the body's contours. His new drawings featured a matching garter belt and bra to the panties of yesterday.

"But...," Mitch started only to be cut off by Mercy.

"The garter belt: yes. But the bra? Mitch. That might be a lot more noticeable. Do you really want to risk it?"

"You are right," Mitch relented. "I was just so curious."

Mercy sighed. It all started with one small prank. Boxer shorts to ruby panties. The consequence had been that Mitch had developed a crossdressing addiction to panties. Mercy had failed to notice how the addiction had evolved. It now included garter belts and apparently, Mitch was eager for the next step: bras. All because of her one prank. It made her feel guilty and in turn she had helped Mitch with his cross-dressing. But were would it end?

"Tell you what," Mercy said as she caved to her guilt. "We can't do it here. Too risky. Let's meet Sunday at the park. At three?"

"I'll be there," Mitch said enthusiastically. "It's a date. Well. Not a date date. Thanks, Mercy."

"Sure," Mercy replied. "Anything else?"

"Well. The pantie and the garter? Please?"

"All right," Mercy agreed. Taking a moment to make the two sketches real for both of them. "See you when school is over."

Mercy stole herself away before someone else could bother her. She ducked into a restroom that was further away from the entrance. It was curiosity that steered her action. While she had worn garters and panties designed by Mitch before, she hadn't really seen them on herself.

Making sure no-one was there, she stripped out of her panties and studied her stocking clad legs. Framed by the garter and pantie.

"Looks really nice on you."

Mercy twirled around in shock, only to see Victoria who had snuck into the restroom. Mercy practically jumped into her slacks to cover herself up again.

"Awww," Victoria said with a pout. "It was such a nice view."

"I was just checking if there were any running lines," Mercy lied.

"You know you could do that with your spells, right?" Victoria teased.

"Is there a reason why you stalked after me?" Mercy asked a little grumpy.

"Of course there is!" Victoria exclaimed.

She pulled out a little case and opened it for Mercy to see. In it, Mercy could see two cat-eye contact lenses.

"I want to wear them and you to fuse them to me," Victoria explained.

"In other words, you want to abuse me for my spells again," Mercy concluded with a lopsided grin.

"Mercy! I am shocked you would think so low of me," Victoria said with vehemence, but the small twitch of the corners of her mouth betrayed her real feelings. "I'll have you know that this is to gauge the extent of your spells. In this case the fusion spell."

"Oh do tell professor Victoria. How will it help me?" Mercy mocked her.

"Do you remember last Saturday?"

"How could I forget?" Mercy asked in return. No way she could forget the sex marathon they both had. Mercy in a tight nurse uniform made of latex and Victoria a strange latexified version of a human-cat hybrid.

"Right. Now we noticed that the tail you gave my buttplug became animated. Both, the fur and the latex version. Now, this... " Victoria held up the contact lenses."... will tell us something more about that aspect. If I wear those contact lenses and you fuse them, will they just be stuck there? Or do they gain function?"

"You mean taking over the contraction of your pupils?"

"Exactly!" Victoria exclaimed. "You game?"

"Sure."

Victoria scrambled to put both lenses in. "I am ready," she said after a minute.

Mercy did her part and knew it had worked when Victoria gasped.

"For a moment the room was very bright," she let Mercy know. Then, Victoria looked into the mirror. "I think my cat pupils have slightly contracted. What do you think."

"Maybe," Mercy admitted. "Not sure."

With a grin, Victoria fished out a pen-light. "That's why I bought this little helper." She turned it on and flashed her eyes. Only to double over and start cursing like a sailor. "Damn it, that was bright!"

"What did you expect?" Mercy asked. "Give me the pen-light. I'll make sure to not blind you. Now, look at me."

Mercy took care to expose Victoria only partially to the light and whistled after what she saw. "They do contract. Victoria you have cat-eyes for real."

"This is so cool!" Victoria exclaimed. "Oh, look at the time. The class is starting soon!" Like a whirlwind, Victoria fished out the pen-light out of Mercy's hand and scooped up the contact lens case. A heartbeat later she had rushed out of the restroom.

"She does know that I can unfuse from a distance, right?" Mercy asked into the empty room. Sighing she shouldered her bag and headed to class.

*****

Mercy stomped out of the school building. Classes were over for the day. That was something to celebrate. Yet Mercy was in an angry mood. She had to change the panties of the cheerleaders. Again. When would they learn to not pick on her friends just because those might be lesbians?

"Mercy!"

The shout pulled Mercy back from her angry thoughts. It was Mitch who caught up with her.

"I would be grateful if you undo the change," he whispered to her slightly out of breath.

"Sorry," Mercy apologized. "My mind was somewhere else. Give me a moment. Okay. All done."

"Thanks," Mitch said with a grin. "See you Sunday at three."

"Yeah," Mercy said. "Till then."

"A date?"

The second time today Mercy twisted around to find a Victoria who had snuck up on her.

"Would you stop that!" Mercy hissed at her. "What is it with you and sneaking around? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Hey. To be fair, I am part cat right now," Victoria countered.

"Oh right. You want me to undo the eyes?"

"Nah. I wanna test them in the dark and at night. I'll text you when I had enough," Victoria waved her off. "Any plans for the weekend."

"Not really. Why? You plan to redo the last one?"

"Not while my parents are around. Raincheck?" Victoria asked

"S-sure," Mercy agreed a little hesitantly.

"So no plans," Victoria mused. "Not even a date with Mitch on Sunday."

"That's not a date!" Mercy exclaimed. Seeing the doubt in Victoria's eyes she added. "Just giving him some tutoring. Math, you know?"

"Sure," Victoria said. "Let's go with that."

"Victoria!" Annoyance colored Mercy's voice. "You are impossible."

"Yet here I stand before you. I'll give you a call tomorrow if something fun comes up. Don't worry. I'll keep your Sunday free for 'tutoring'."

Ignoring the continued ribbing of Victoria, Mercy said her goodbyes.

She hoped for a quiet weekend to reflect on some of the things she had learned of herself and about trickster mages in general. Those dreams were squashed when she saw the neon pink colored car on the driveway to her house.

"Oh shit," she exclaimed.

She rushed into the house and found her parents on the couch.

"Who told aunt Mary about me?" Mercy demanded to know.

Both her parents pointed at each other. It would have been funny if it wasn't for a loud voice that caught Mercy's attention.

"Mercy! Finally, we meet. You looked even more daring than I had imagined."

Suppressing a shudder, Mercy turned around. "Aunt Mary. Good to see you."

What walked down the stairs might be the worst nightmares of bikers, punks, and southern bells, all rolled up into one person. A bright grinning woman stepped down the stairs in glittery pink studded cowboy boots. She wore a neon pink dress that might have been modest if it hadn't been decorated with sewed on patches and studs. Over it, she wore an undersized leather jacked that might have been tan before it had gotten an uneven spotty dye job to pastel pink. Her face looked close to Mercy's mother, but sparkling piercings gave it quite a different look. To top it all off was a hairstyle that somehow arranged victory rolls into a fake mohawk. Apparently, it needed glittery hairspray to hold as Mercy saw plenty of it.

"Let me take a good look at you," Aunt Mary beamed. "Stunning. And so sweet. A real little sugarplum."

Mercy had to try her hardest not to grimace. "Weather the storm. Just weather the storm," she repeated over and over in her mind. "What brings you here?" she asked out loud.

"Oh, I was nearby and then I heard I have now a niece. I just had to take a peek. Sadly I can stay only the weekend."

"Oh," Mercy said and suppressed the relief that threatened to sneak into her voice. "Sorry to hear that," she lied.

"Don't worry. We'll be having plenty of fun," Aunt Mary beamed back. "Tomorrow we'll go shopping."

"But I don't need to buy clothes," Mercy protested.

"Ah, your spells," Aunt Mary exclaimed. "Sis told me all about it."

Mercy gave her mother a quick accusing look.

"But we go shopping nonetheless. You need to learn about fashion and make-up."

"I already know about those!" Mercy shot back.

"Really? Let's see. Time to give us a fashion show. And tomorrow the mall."

Mercy sighed. She had stepped into her aunt's trap. Quietly she said goodbye to her planned quiet weekend. Then she walked up to her room. To plan her fashion show. It would be a long and exhausting evening. She was sure of it.