The novice avian magic practitioner's various implements and jewelry jingled lightly as her foot talons clacked against the dusty wooden floor in a dance of muted glee. She stood poised over her… liberated spellbook, beady eyes scanning its mostly-intact pages with rapid flicks. That stupid adventurer didn't know what he'd done for her. This might be the edge she needed to finally shove her beak in under that haughty cat's patronage and stop subsisting off doing mundane tricks for bawdy peasants.
Naranya clucked in irritation as she chanced a glance out the window, noting the darkening sky. Said peasants would be expecting her soon, since the raven had built up a little fan club these last few months. She didn't have enough capital to simply ignore them yet, so she would have to perform for them once again tonight. And the later she showed up, the more inebriated they seemed to be.
With those thoughts dancing around her head like an impatient child waiting to play with their latest new toy, Naranya turned back toward her tome and idly scanned a few more pages. Maybe she could compromise by testing a new spell for this evening's show; something simple enough for street audiences that wouldn't tax her too much. Well, that would be the smart thing to do, but when the raven's eye caught an entry about lesser transformation, the edges of her beak curled up and anticipation tingled through her feathers.
"I could do that," Naranya murmured to herself. "It wouldn't even need much preparation if I simply use my own body as a reagent to transform into my feral cousin." Her smile intensified at the thought of flitting around as a small, unassuming bird instead of a tall, lanky humanoid form. It would make for a perfect entrance for her act.
With a surge of excitement and twitching tail feathers, the young witch dove into her spellbook, eagerly devouring and dissecting the incantation before going ahead and reciting it aloud. Concentrating furiously, Naranya followed along with carefully enunciated intonations, attempting to make sure each word fell from her beak perfectly. With only several hours remaining until sunset, there was no time to waste, so the raven siphoned mana from her trinkets to hasten the process. Each magical tool started to glow softly from residual power, the makeshift staff thrumming with energy in her clutch.
Excitement growing exponentially, Naranya raised her arms above her head and spread out her wings, taking a deep breath. She felt every feather stand on end as she called upon both nature's design and arcane sorcery, melting away from her current form, transforming into the smaller and sleeker body of her corvid kin. Her dark eyes widened in wonder as her body slowly shrank, flowing downwards and inward to her foot talons, now her only talons as her arms melded with her wings.
Naranya squawked involuntarily at the strange pulling sensation as her long torso shortened and pulled backward into the proper shape. It felt odd to see her formerly busty figure shrink away into nothingness, leaving behind nothing but the single tuft of plumes at the base of her neck. Yet, she found she couldn't help but feel pleased at how well she matched her intended appearance. She looked just like a common raven: small, delicate, and vaguely intimidating.
Hopping onto the windowsill of her rickety tower, of which it seemed somewhat appropriate to call a roost now, the feralized raven let out a happy caw as she examined her proportionally larger wingspan, giving it a quick preen. Indeed, she could probably fly now! Not that she couldn't before, she just… didn't have the time to practice.
Lifting a light wing, the diminutive avian took a step forward and gazed out at the town in the distance. A stray gust of wind made her flimsy body billow slightly in the breeze, and she immediately drew back in surprise. Of course, she was much lighter now than she was when in her natural form. Naranya squatted down and gave an experimental flap of her wings, then launched herself forward into the air. She flew hard and low, circling the outskirts of the village, feeling her sleek pinions drag through the air as she aimed for the ramshackle stage she had set up once she realized she would be busking here regularly.
A scattered few people milled around the square, drinking cheap ale or passing around a jug of some nameless moonshine concoction. Most of them were bleary-eyed and lolling about, but a few seemed like they already caught sight of her arrival. The raven slowly arced downward with clumsy, drawn-out flaps, betraying her inexperience. Upon reaching the ground, Naranya landed clumsily on the splintered boards of the wooden stage, barely managing to keep herself upright. Several amused laughs rang out around her as she awkwardly teetered about, balancing on two short legs after being accustomed to her full height.
She looked away and chirped awkwardly before releasing her transformation in what was akin to a magical exhale. Once again, her body twisted and wriggled as it flowed back into its natural shape, reverting to her original stature as she gestured with a magical flourish, igniting a few nearby torches and illuminating her figure in a soft, orange glow. The moment she was fully back in her proper form, the crowd erupted into raucous cheers and applause, quickly becoming rowdier as other townsfolk began to appear.
Unused to such adoration, Naranya faltered for a moment before realizing they must be enamored with her new spell. As a result, she had been given a boisterous reception of eager, drunken applause and shouting for her to continue. Still, something seemed off. When she lit those torches, she felt like something was missing. Right, her talon was bare of her magic rings! The raven witch looked down at… her naked breasts?
A few men whistled and pointed, grinning lasciviously as they shouted out crude remarks about her newest attire choice. Naranya blushed hotly as she hastily folded her wings around her suddenly naked body, trying to cover herself up as best she could while swallowing her indignity and mortification. Forcing herself not to look away from the throng of drunken animals who leered gleefully at her charms, she warred internally with herself over how she might salvage this situation.
It must have been the transformation. Her equipment wasn't carried with her into her feral form, and she simply didn't notice it slipping off during the transition. Now she had to figure out a way to escape with her dignity, or possibly find some clothes. She was an awful flier even when there wasn't a square full of rabble staring at her, and she didn't think she could cast the transformation again without at least a mana battery of some kind.
Naranya let out a humiliated croak, then decided to try asking for assistance. She cleared her throat loudly and waited for the drunkards to quiet down.
"H-Hello everyone," she said with a polite voice as she bowed her head, "is there any amongst you capable of providing me with some garments?"