In contrast to the wacky antics happening elsewhere in the hotel, the lounge bar was surprisingly sedate. Yesterday's cold weather had persisted into today, and a big roaring fire was already crackling, warming up the room. It was well guarded, which made sense given the surprising variety of plush toys that had crept into here since yesterday.

Erakir the blue and white moogle was on a chair much bigger than he was, and he was pretty impressed with the thoroughness of the decorations. Not just the tinsel and holly across the paintings on the wall, and not just the sparkly lights across the bar front, but so many small plushies that sat on tables, piled on chairs, gathered around the modest tree in the corner. Although it was mid-morning, not many people were here; certainly Erakir was seeing nobody he'd spoken to last night.

The moogle leaned forwards on his chair and looked around the room, then. The pom attached to his head dangled in front of his eyes and he moved it to one side with his little paws. All he saw were a few people he hadn't met yet; a small dozy green norn with black spots and elements of lion and lizard and a couple of small nubby horns by his ears, a tall brown and white rat with a pretty big ice cream sundae, and a grey wolf with a large collar who was stood on a table. He was scared, and carefully using a big stick to slowly nudge a cute spider plushie along the table, hopefully to push it out of sight and out of mind.

With just four of them in a room this big, there were more plushies than people! Many of the toys were set up on a giant blue and green dragon sofa; Erakir had seen that before, but now it seemed to be even bigger than before, littered with and surrounded by cute little plushies. He'd picked a couple up to join him on his table as he sipped morning coffee, being a grey and white cat and a bright poofy orange skunk who both looked really cute and soft. There didn't appear to be many staff around either, with just a single black and orange fruit bat serving behind the large bar, her tall ears twitching in the quiet. Still, with only four patrons she was doing just fine, loading up a tray with tea and coffee. Between the two jugs she set two of her own favourite plushies from the decoration - a very spiky and deliriously cheerful creature that looked a bit like a zigzaggy raccoon, and a small plump fox squirrel with blue plastic eyes and a grumpy face.

"That's right, Spider and Bamf, you sit there and help me with the drinks. Hey folks, uhh, anyone for tea and coffee?" she called out to the few people there. Azi the bat collected orders of carrot juice and big coffees with marshmallows, and busied herself with making the drinks.

Erakir was OK without a drink, standing up onto those small feet. Something had caught his eye, and he moved over to the tree to get a better look. At some point while he hadn't been paying attention, a massive box had appeared under the modest tree. It didn't really fit there, and it was taller than the moogle himself was. Wrapped in bright brown and tied with a green ribbon, it forced the lowest tree branches to curve up unnaturally. Mostly he approached because he was so curious as to what was actually in this box.

It was velvet soft to the touch, and moogle paws were quite surprised to find that the box itself was a plush! Quite unusual, to be sure. A tag hanging off it said, helpfully, "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL XMAS". Erakir grinned, and raised up on tiptoes to unfasten the bow and take a look. It was close enough to tomorrow, surely a little peek wouldn't be spoiling it, right?

The lid came open, and moogle eyes looked into the darkness, paws holding onto the rim of the box. Suddenly, big plushie mitts clung to both of his paws, and Erakir squeaked as something within the box pulled him inside! The whole thing happened just so quickly, the moogle had barely time to squeak as the lid closed itself up again with a soft whoomph.

-o-

Erakir awoke some time later, feeling quite strange and disoriented. The inside of the box was dimly lit, and he still appeared to be in one piece. He scrambled back up to his feet, which felt really quite soft now, and then he tried to climb out. A little voice in his thoughts stopped him though; no, he was in a plushie toybox, and as a good and helpful plushie he'd now have to wait until Xmas to be opened and let out.

"Mmh.. w-who said that, I'm not a-" He brought up those plush mittens which were his hands, and a long dangly pom on his head was now all fluffy and super soft as he clasped it. All these plushies around the hotel started to make more sense now! He felt a bit embarrassed, and tried again to wriggle his way out of the box, but whatever magic was at work simply wasn't letting him.

Rather, Erakir was feeling a number of confusing thoughts mixing up with his own, and he giggled, a slight swirl to his eyes. Hidden whispering told him exactly what he was, and what a nice moogle plushie he'd now become; from his cute puffy hands to those giant soft feet and nice snuggable body, he'd make a fun present tomorrow! But also, looking out of the box, he could still see people who weren't yet plushies! Oh no, however could this happen? Naturally, the helpful hero Erakir would rescue them from their current fate, and bring them happily into the glorious world of plush.

"Oooh yes yes, I can do that... how can I do that from in here?"

The new plush moogle fell deeper into the hypnotic spell, as the box continued to whisper more of its secrets.

-o-

Outside, back on his seat, Forest was feeling a bit lonely. He had been in here for quite a long time, and yet everyone seemed to be running off! He'd had that scare with the spider plushie a little while ago, but now there were so few people in here he was almost considering scooping it back up and giving it a good hug. Even if it was a spider, it probably wasn't going to bite him. Well, probably. He didn't take the chance, and instead finished off his jumbo coffee marshmallow surprise with a deep breath and a satisfied grin.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something flying through the air. It seemed to be a carrot. A plush carrot, tied to a string. It knocked into a chandelier, landed on the big plush dragon sofa, and bounced off onto the floor. Slowly, carefully, it slid back across the floor into a giant present box. Then, a few moments later, it came flying out again. Forest didn't really get what he was seeing at first.

Things made more sense when the carrot landed on the sleeping green norn, making a satisfying 'squeak' sound and then dropping to the floor. Disturbed from his nap, Green's ears perked and he sat up straight, eyes squinting a little bit. Twitch twitch! Huh, what was that just now? Quietly he sniffed and looked around for something or someone which might have woke him up. It wasn't late enough that they were closing the lounge, it wasn't even the afternoon yet. So then... what?

Down he leaned to scrutinise the plush carrot, which wiggled and bounced around from side to side. It was soft and orange and had a happy face on one side. It smelled like plushie, but looked like carrot, and that was enough for the carrot-loving Green to hop down and try and grab it. It eluded his grasp and continued to bounce from side to side, aided by the string.

Forest was amused, and the wolf watched from a distance - not wanting to disturb the silly sight.

Green took hold of the carrot in his paws and sniffed it a bit more. Then, always willing to indulge a bit of curiosity, he tried to nibble on it. No, it was definitely plush, and it didn't contain carrot juice, although there was a very faint smell of something that Green thought might have been carrot. But, before he could really parse this very much, the toy was being reeled in, and Green slid softly along the plush carpet along with it. Wheee! Paws tried to turn himself to be right side up, and he dangled somewhere between silly enjoyment and outright surprise. Forest watched, the bat Azi watched too, and the rat called Rufus also found the sight quite curious, to see the norn be wiggled across the floor as though caught with a fishing line. From that far away Green already looked like a plushie, really.

Rufus hopped up and moved a little closer, to get a better view. This took him to the table where Forest was sat, and the two exchanged glances.
"Oh, hey Forest, do you know what's with all the plush around here? It's pretty good as a theme, but I think there's more theme than people right now..."

"It's great! I love it, it's really fun. You seen this though? That green plush and the carrot, it's like a cartoon."

Green wasn't a plushie, though! At least not yet, anyway. He took the carrot into his paws and pulled a bit, and the carrot pulled back, and the two forces went back and forth before Green just let it go, and it flew back into the box and caused a squeaky yelp before all went quiet again. The norn grinned, this was quite some silliness. Was he still asleep? The carrot came out again and this time he pounced it, and clung on, and he was naturally reeled into the box - where the lid closed, and all went quiet once more.

-o-

A few minutes passed before Rufus just couldn't sit and wait any longer, standing up and heading over to explore the box himself. Just the urge to know how it worked, really; he couldn't quite resist tiptoeing over towards it as Forest watched, curious but feeling a bit more prudent and watching from back here. It wasn't lost on the two of them that now they were the only ones in here, even the batgirl seemed to have vanished - but not before decorating the bar with hundreds of cutely coloured stripy possats. Just Rufus and Forest remained, and now the rat was up by the box. It was about half his height, and he looked at the tag.

"Don't open until Xmas, huh. Well if it's just a day, I guess I can wait."
"No you can't," squeaked the box in a high squeaky voice, and Rufus jumped up and stared at it.
"Wait, what?"
"Just take a look. A quick peek? Then you'll know, hee hee."

Rufus took a step back, and shook his head. "No, that's okay- I think I'll pass."

The box seemed to change a bit, as the rat moved one foot after the other, backing away with his tail twitched behind him. Browns changed to whites, a white box with a blue ribbon, and a large pom that poked out of the bow at the very top. The box developed a pair of curious eyes, and some plushie teeth, and then to top it off it began to shuffle towards Rufus, lid flapping as the plushie moogle present box spoke!
"Heehee, I don't think so! Come here, just for a moment, it'll be fun! I promise..."

So Forest got to see the sight of Rufus tearing across the room, closely followed by a bouncing present box.
"Come back here! I'm gonna eat you all up~"
"Eeek, stop! I didn't sign up for this!"

It was at about this time that some of the other plushies started to move as well. What had once been a quiet and empty room was suddenly alive with squeaks and chitters, and unexpected movement as everything came awake. The possats behind the bar began to dance around, cleaning glasses and filling drinks and doing their level best to keep the bar running. Plushie foxes and peacocks and gulls sprawled out on seats, some made words and some made squeaks and some didn't make any sounds at all.
Forest was on his feet when the plushie spider crept up his leg, big eyes and many legs, little guy just wanted a hug! Forest screamed and kicked with all his might, which sent the spider sailing across the room. It crashed into the crowd of toys atop the blue and green dragon beanbag sofa, scattering them in all directions.

And Rufus the rat was so surprised that he tripped over, and the box came down on top of him, and everything was plush and warm. Inside there were just a couple of plush toys; one girafarig with a moogle's pom who had provided the squeaky voice of the box, and another quieter green norn. Both of them were eager to sprawl on the ratty's lap, rather soft and very huggable indeed.

Merely being in the toybox was enough to start off the changes, with that ratty tail puffing and swelling as it seemed to fill with warm, thick stuffing that slid from tip down towards his body. The big box was upside down, and for the first time the giant blue and green dragon moved his giant body, paws reaching out to pick up the box and set it right side up, placing the lid back on top. Rufus tumbled and squeaked and fell against the soft plush interior, his own legs and rear now feeling quite soft and snuggly too. It was as though he was being wrapped in lovely softness, distracting and inviting such that he couldn't move, his ears swelling and rounding into thin flappy felt, as his paws grew and swelled out; all the better to petpet over the nice two plushies he was sharing his box with.

Forest briefly considered the box, calling out. "Hey, Rufus, what's going on! You okay in there?"
Rufus peeked his head out, his ratty face was all plushed and made of a warm grey fuzz, with eyes that were quite still and dark and shiny plastic. He was now most of the way towards becoming a giant plushie rat!
"Ooh yes! Never better, you have to come see in here, it's really cosy..."
The lid sunk back down as Rufus shrank, the changes continuing to claim and take him over, and Forest took that as his cue to make himself scarce. Now he was the only non-plushie left in the room, and he didn't like those odds at all!

He dashed across the room, racing toward the closed doors that led into the lobby, having to weave and dodge around the cheerful plush toys as they played. There had to be someone else left unchanged in this hotel, it couldn't just be him! Or could it...?

-o-