by Willow
Tenth retrieved the focus before only seconds before Hyena stormed in. "I want answers, Tenth."
"Don't we all," answered he mage.
"Very funny." She jabbed a finger at his elvin nose. "You've been playing me along!"
"If I have..." Tenth said coolly. "What are you going to do about it?" He raised an eyebrow. "You may be one of the most powerful human sorcerers in the world, but I am one of the most powerful elvin mages in the world. You know the power line that divides our races."
Hyena's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I know that, but you're missing a far more arbitrary line."
"And what pray tell is that?" asked Tenth. Hyena smiled, in that creepy dangerous way that made grown men want to hide under their covers.
"I'm a woman."
"I'm not impressed." Suddenly magic tingled through the air and they both stopped, surprised at the level of magic displayed.
(the shopping scenes should be read to "I enjoy being a girl" or "I'm just a Girl")
Jace was being dragged through ladies stores, and was not very happy. Luse was apparently enjoying him/herself. Satins, silks, laces and leathers danced before his eyes.
"Uh... Malachite?" he said to the woman that was Luse. She stopped and turned and looked at him, smiling faintly.
"What?" she said.
"You aren't seriously going to buy that shirt, are you?"
"This one?" Em looked down at the gray sleep shirt that said "Rape is a Male Phallacy". "Yeah. Why not?" Jace paused and no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't come up with a really good reason."
"Well, you aren't gonna be a girl forever you realize," he hissed. Em grinned at the tall now auburn haired elf.
"All the more reason to have fun now!" Jace groaned and submitted to carrying her shopping bags.
"Uh....." Jace said jaw almost to the floor "Do you seriously want my opinion?" Em preened in front of the mirror, twisting her thick (if a bit stringy, but a good conditioner would take care of that) hair, admiring the bright colors that covered the dancer-muscled frame she inhabited. Hot pink pants out of some sort of shiny fake leather, a bright green silk shirt open and flapping, and a bright purple halter top out of the same material as the pants. She turned and saw the look on his face. "Hmmm....."
"Do you?" Jace said.
"I guess I should stick to more sedate colors huh?"
"Yeah."
"WHAT IS SHE DOING!??" bellowed Luse.
"Calm down. She's shopping," Partachin said, staring at the blank wall on which images danced.
"I can't be seen in public in that!"
"You won't be... just her."
"It's on my body!"
Par looked at what Em was going for next and decided to try and distract Luse.
"Uh... yeah, but when you think about it, it's not really your body because ...ACK!"
"NOT RIGHT NOW!" Luse growled shaking Par by the neck.
"Let... go.... or... I can't..... help....."
"Alight, is this any better?" Jace's eyes bugged out.
"Uh... can you uh..... finish shopping without me?"
"What's the matter?" Em demanded, furious. "Everything's covered!" It was made out of red velvet. Bands about two inches wide went across her breasts. There was a neat bottom, almost modest and a stiff black collar. She was wearing the thigh boots again. (Think Vampirella -Willow)
"I can't take this...."
"Fine, wimp... I'll meet up with you tonight. But I'm buying this!"
"Just one question. Where are your knives?"
"Mostly tucked into these," Em said smoothing the leather covering her legs. Jace's jaw dropped and he obediently waited till she'd purchased it, then carried the bags she'd already filled back to the inn they'd gotten rooms at.
Tenth and Hyena both turned, in the midst of their argument, to see a glowing green ball of light form. Flame like profusions of gold flickered over it. Then suddenly it expanded, and disappeared. In its place was a woman. She had two long locks of hair that curled up away from her face, starting at the center of her forehead. A natural thing that happened with hair, called "witch locks". The rest of her shimmering golden hair was pulled back into a smile pony tail, tied with a deep green ribbon at the base of her neck. She wore a suit coat of the same color, trimmed in gold, that reached her knees, and a white blouse under a darker green long vest. Around her throat was a golden scarf, tied just so to accent her, tanned face and praticly glowing emerald eyes. At second glance, there was a child, pale, and white faced, with one purple eye and one green, face framed in shimmering silver hair, clutching to her coat on her left side. He wore a deep purple coat similar to hers, trimmed in silver and pale green, and his shirt was that of a harlequins, in purple and green.
"Hello," the woman said. And then she paused, and sniggered to herself. "Tenth. I am Reality Bytes."
"You've got to be kidding me," Tenth said.
"And who is she!?" demanded Hyena. "Your watch dog?" Reality raised an eyebrow.
"Shut up," she said, and gestured a large ruby ring glinted on her finger. Hyena found herself dealing with a gag. "Now then, Tenth, I think we need to have a little chat."
Tenth's mind was busy jumping from point a to point b.
"Reality Bytes was the name of a powerful sorcerer. And you-" He paused. "Ma'am, are a woman, a powerful sorceress, I'll wager, judging by how easily you gagged Hyena, but certainly not a man."
"Well you see that's what I wanted to talk to you about," she smiled, displaying fine, white teeth, with sharp incisors. "I am a woman now. But, since you know who I am, you know what I've done." She flicked black nails together and smiled. "And recently you not only turned an unwilling man into a female, you also integrated a female mind into his." She paused, and frowned. "You are in such deep shit, Tenth...."
"So for once, you have no clue to what's going on either?" Luse said, leaning against a wall facing Parintachin.
"Not a clue," admitted the undead clown. "And don't think that's easy for me to say."
"So what are we going to do!?"
"Well, since she went through that wall because she really didn't want to be here, all you've got to do," Par said, pointing at the movie screen like wall, that showed what was happening to Luse's female changed body, "is come up with a strong enough emotion to get through that wall yourself."
Luse charged the wall and bounced off.
"I guess frustration isn't strong enough."
Em had her arms full of bags and was heading back to the inn. She was wearing on of Luse's shirts and the chain mail, swords belted on over it, with a great coat and looking very male. Suddenly she heard a strange voice.
"NYAR! COULD IT BE?"
Em glanced over her shoulder and moved her bags to one arm. It was that Purple Freak. Did he follow her or something?
"WHAT HO!" said the purple G-stringed one. "ONCE AGAIN I HAVE FOUND THEE, THE DARK ELVISH ONE WITH GOOD HAIR!!!" Em closed her eyes and willed this not to be happening.
"YOU CANNOT FACE THE TRUTH I SEE, THE TRUTH WHICH IS I!" continued the freak. "NYAR!" Emerald turned, setting her shopping bags on the alley floor. "NY---" The sight of her, pushing the great coat back to reveal sword and dagger stopped the Purple Marauder in Mid-Nyar, but not for worry of pain inflicted onto his person.
"WHAT IS THIS?" demanded the purple one. "COULD IT BE THAT YOU HAVE SUCCUMBED SO TOTALLY YOU HAVE BECOME... IT IS UNSPEAKABLE!"
"Oh shut up!" Em snarled, and Luse's sword slipped from it's sheath with an elegant hiss, like silk over leather.
Luse saw what was going on with his body.
"Damned if I'm sitting out a chance to beat on that purple fruitcake," Luse snarled and without warning dove through the wall that showed what Em was doing with his body. To his and Parintachin's surprise, it worked. Emerald landed with a thump on the floor of Lusiphur's subconscious, and on screen, a psychotic, strange grin took over Luse's female face. Luse leapt at the Purple Marauder with blood in his eye. The PM, unused to females fighting back, and even more unused to the concept of his elfish nemesis suddenly sporting lung hammers, didn't get out of the way in time. He landed hard on his back with Luse on top of him.
"You're going down, freak." With a shriek the Purple Marauder threw his legs up and managed (barely) to toss Luse off.
"I WILL CLEANSE YOU OF THIS EVIL!!" called the purple freak.
"And I'll cleanse the world of you," growled Luse, leaping with his/her knives in hand.
"LATER!" The Purple Marauder leapt away with a final "NYAR" and Luse stared after him. The dark elf sheathed his/her weapons, and picked up the bags, hell he'd paid for them, maybe he could give them to Lirlith or something, and headed back to the inn.
Jace was confused. He was also upset. But somehow, he had the feeling that Luse was going to be more upset. He saw the dark elf enter with an armload of shopping bags.
"Luse!" he called automatically.
"What?" growled the dark haired elf. "All I want is to get drunk and go to sleep, is that too much to ask? What is it!?"
Jace was taken aback, this sounded more like the Luse he had originally gotten to know. "Uh... there is a problem with that..."
"What!?!"
"Uh... they kind of only had one room to rent."
"WHAT?"
You better believe it's gonna be continued....
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four