{"id":720,"date":"2017-10-14T11:30:25","date_gmt":"2017-10-14T19:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/?p=720"},"modified":"2018-07-28T18:56:30","modified_gmt":"2018-07-29T02:56:30","slug":"swap-pt-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/2017\/10\/swap-pt-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Swap, pt. 4"},"content":{"rendered":"
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First<\/a>
Previous<\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

He had been doing really well, right up to the point where he passed out. Sor liked to think it was her magic\u2019s guidance that had been doing all the work \u2014 the idea that Zebra could be good at something, something she was good at, something she took pride in, that would be too much for her to bear.<\/p>\n

\u201cZebra!\u201d she shouted into his face, taking his shoulders and giving them a good shake. \u201cZebra! Are you in there?!\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t respond, so she slapped him. It was satisfying, loud and violent, even though she was slapping her own face. But he still didn\u2019t respond, and she was starting to get worried. He was still alive, but if he was in a coma or something, there was no way to get to the magic inside him. And that meant there was no way to switch back.<\/p>\n

And that was unacceptable. She might have been able to handle being trapped in the wrong body for the rest of her life, but Zebra\u2019s? No. A thousand times no.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, he groaned and tried to sit up, jerking to his elbows before collapsing back to the stone floor. Sor resisted the sudden and strong urge to throw her arms around him, to hug him in her relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cZebra!\u201d she repeated, and he groaned again, pain painting his stolen face. There was a pink spot blooming over his cheek, through Sor\u2019s false scales and equally false mouth, but he seemed to have other things to worry about just then. \u201cCan you hear me?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

He nodded, his head wobbling drunkenly, and he tried sitting up again. This time, he succeeded.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo,\u201d she said. \u201cWe may need to revise our previous deadline to \u2018lunch\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat,\u201d he managed. \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a backfire. You tried to cast a magic but it couldn\u2019t get out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was\u2014\u201d He tried to stand, but slipped and fell back to his ass. \u201cIt was,\u201d he repeated, fishing for words.<\/p>\n

It was weird to see him at a loss, but Sor could get used to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know. Backfires are intense, even when you\u2019re working small. It can be traumatic. Don\u2019t try to stand up, yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

He ignored her, struggling to his feet. \u201cIntense,\u201d he said, trying the word out. \u201cYes. Intense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously, you should give yourself a minute, at least.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wobbled, but didn\u2019t fall down, steadying himself with his arms held out away from his sides. \u201cIt was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAside from the part where it hurt like, like hell. Aside from that part. That was a rush! It was great!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, jesus,\u201d she muttered. \u201cOkay, you\u2019re fried. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019ll pass, eventually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, it wasn\u2019t him who was worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s got to be a way \u2014 it couldn\u2019t get out? There\u2019s got to be a way to get it out. Maybe we can, we can brute force it, somehow, crash through whatever barrier is keeping it inside. Maybe that could work.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wide eyes and excited half-grin were an unsettling sight on Sor\u2019s own face, her pseudo-ket features giving the expression a predatory air.<\/p>\n

She stood and put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him down to his usual level. \u201cNo,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut how are we going to fix this if we don\u2019t fix this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will think of something. Your judgement, right now, is worthless, so we\u2019re not going to listen to anything you have to say. Not that I was super inclined to that, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

He threw her hand off his shoulder. \u201cBut if we could just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cZebra!\u201d she snapped. \u201cThe barrier you want to crash through? The barrier keeping the magic inside? That\u2019s you<\/i>. You are the barrier, and if you break it, you might die.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I might not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, like I said, your judgement right now is even less sound than it usually is. We\u2019re not listening to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh,\u201d he said, clearly not listening to her, either. Listening to something else, maybe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d She snapped her fingers in his face and he blinked, falling back a step. \u201cThat\u2019s my magic in there with you, you know,\u201d she said. \u201cI know how it works, and I know what it\u2019s telling you, and I know what I have to say about all of it: No.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you can stop me.\u201d He sneered. \u201cCan you do anything without magic? Be honest. Have you ever done anything without magic?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to ignore that super cheap attempt to turn this into a fight \u2014 seriously, that was weak sauce \u2014 because I need you to listen, because I am very serious right now. Okay? Listen, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

He rolled his eyes. But he didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just that I know that magic \u2014 that magic knows me. I am all that magic has ever known, because that\u2019s how that works. It knows my limits, it knows when trying again will kill me. And what will kill me is way past what will kill you, because I\u2019ve been in a magic-user\u2019s body for twenty-eight years, and you\u2019ve been in one for three hours. Are you following me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that was why we were starting small.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but it turns out, see, that \u2018small\u2019 is still too big for you, because it turns out you\u2019ve still got the mind of a plebian. Look \u2014 you want to be a big, bad magic-user? The most important lesson you can learn is when not to do magic. You have to know how to resist temptation, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

She knew it was a stretch as soon as it was out of her mouth. Zebra, resist temptation? She didn\u2019t think he could resist mundane temptations, let alone the sweet whispers of a magic in his ear. Or her ear. Their ear. God damn but they needed to get this sorted out.<\/p>\n

Zebra looked down at himself, spreading his arms like he\u2019d just realised he was covered in sewage. When he looked back up, his expression was full of disgust and fury. \u201cI don\u2019t \u2014 I never \u2014 I don\u2019t want to be a big, bad magic-user<\/i>,\u201d he spat. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be a magic-user at all. I just think this is the best tool we can be using to solve our problem \u2014 our problem!\u201d He pointed a claw at her. \u201cWhich, need I remind you, you caused!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can debate whose fault this is later. But you\u2019re actually wrong on both counts. The best tool we have right now is finding someone else with better tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

His accusatory finger wilted. \u201cSomeone,\u201d he echoed. \u201cYou mean, get help?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean, tell someone about this embarrassment?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t really have any other choice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we do,\u201d he huffed. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know why you\u2019re being so stubborn. I really think I can get this if you let us try again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUs?\u201d<\/p>\n

He hesitated. \u201cI\u2019d need your help, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-huh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne more go. If it backfires again, we can reconsider calling in some kind of assistance. But I\u2019m sure I\u2019ve got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She clapped her hands on his shoulders and he leaned away from her, discomfort curdling his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a moron,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd you don\u2019t listen. So, you know what? Fine. Go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

She let him go. \u201cReally,\u201d she said, walking back to her workbench. \u201cYou go ahead and try to kill yourself, and while you\u2019re doing that, I\u2019ll see if I don\u2019t have a phone number or something for someone who can help us. Have fun. Maybe it\u2019ll hurt enough that you\u2019ll start actually listening to me when I tell you to stop sticking the fork in the toaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat!\u201d he said, his voice pitched up into Sor\u2019s usual range. \u201cOkay.\u201d His voice faltered a little, dipping back into his chest before settling somewhere in between. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to \u2014 I\u2019m doing it alone, then, this time? Okay. I think we can \u2014 I think I\u2019ve got this.\u201d<\/p>\n

She left him to his thinking and muttering. The marks she\u2019d made around the circle had burned away, which meant that whatever magic he could manage wouldn\u2019t necessarily be contained. She didn\u2019t think he\u2019d manage much, though. Another backfire, if anything, and then maybe he\u2019d be fried enough that he\u2019d stop fighting her.<\/p>\n

She had a lot of notes left loose on the table, and she started going through them. Behind her, Zebra paced.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not fire,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

She tried to ignore him. She wasn\u2019t worried. He would absolutely not manage anything catastrophic before she found the contact information of someone who could help them. So she wasn\u2019t worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe something less violent,\u201d he continued. She had to turn at that, raising one of his thin eyebrows as she stared at him. Those weren\u2019t the words of a fried magic-user.<\/p>\n

But that didn\u2019t matter. Back to the task at hand.<\/p>\n

Wick and Wax might have been able to help, but last she had heard, they were in hiding after an alleged arson attempt. Maybe Zebra was right, maybe fire wasn\u2019t the way to go.<\/p>\n

Ferberite was probably a no-go, too. This wasn\u2019t really his wheelhouse. Nor would Jackalope be helpful, nor Gadget Gadget, nor Ashley, nor anyone else she could think of.<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t just need a magic-user, was the problem. They needed a savant. A prodigy. They needed her, or someone as good as her.<\/p>\n

They needed Drift.<\/p>\n

\u201cHell,\u201d she muttered.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Zebra danced with himself \u2014 or, her self. Or, her magic. Someone, but no one, all at once.<\/p>\n

Sor didn\u2019t get a chance to watch dance magic in action very often. It wasn\u2019t a common speciality, and the limits it imposed on her meant that she used it less and less, herself. But it still brought her joy, even seeing a novice stumble through it.<\/p>\n

It was hard to tell what sort of dance he was doing. Something social, with allemandes and changing partners. It was clear this was not the sort of dance he was used to, and he was having trouble keeping a steady rhythm. His feet scuffed beneath him as they tried to keep up with the new things his brain was telling them to do.<\/p>\n

There was a lot of turning and twirling. Her skirt floated around his legs as he spun.<\/p>\n

Sor missed her magic. Her chest felt so empty without it.<\/p>\n

Zebra was taking a while. She had no way of knowing how much magical energy was building inside him, but it had to have been a lot, and she started to worry that he was getting ready to cast something much larger than he could be prepared to handle.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He collapsed again, his eyes rolling back as he dropped to the floor. Sor stepped toward him, and was knocked forward by something that felt like wind, the papers on her workbench flying up and joining Zebra.<\/p>\n

And what the hell was that? Sor righted herself and stood back, away from the unconscious pseudo-magic-user. It couldn\u2019t have been a spell, because Zebra couldn\u2019t cast spells, because Zebra\u2019s brain was in the way. But it sure looked like one, like a release of energy that changed something in the real world.<\/p>\n

Unconscious again, Zebra wouldn\u2019t know what had happened. That anything had happened.<\/p>\n

So she wouldn\u2019t tell him.<\/p>\n

Telling him he might have been right would only make him even more stubborn, and then he\u2019d insist on trying to fix things alone, and probably kill himself. And they didn\u2019t have time for that \u2014 Sor was getting a serious itch to get back into her own body, and she was sure Zebra would agree if he\u2019d put his god damn pride aside for two seconds.<\/p>\n

She was used to changing herself, to being in new and unusual forms, but this was ridiculous. And Zebra \u2014 well, he might have some analogous experience in the field, but Sor would eat her hat if he was happy about it.<\/p>\n

So she\u2019d lie to him. For his own good. It\u2019s what he would have wanted her to do.<\/p>\n

Oh, right \u2014 unconscious snob on her floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cZebra!\u201d She didn\u2019t rush to his side this time, though she did get there eventually, and her tone was more one of irritation than worry. She had, after all, told him this would happen, and he didn\u2019t listen, and then he went and got himself hurt. She had kind of been at fault for the first one, but her hands were clean this time and her only concern was that she did still need him alive.<\/p>\n

He was breathing, which was a good sign.<\/p>\n

She nudged his side with his shoe. \u201cGet up, you lazy ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drift might still be able to do something with him if he was comatose. Hell, Drift would be able to wake him up if they needed him conscious \u2014 benefits to having your magic inside of you instead of in some useless dillweed. But she didn\u2019t want to drag her own body around the city, even if it was early enough that she\u2019d probably get away with it. She was, normally, a good half-foot taller than Zebra and she was positive her new body had no real stamina to speak of.<\/p>\n

She kicked him again, harder this time. \u201cZebra!\u201d<\/p>\n

He groaned and turned away from her, curling around his stomach. Sor squatted next to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you learned your lesson?\u201d<\/p>\n

He groaned again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Next<\/a><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FirstPrevious   He had been doing really well, right up to the point where he passed out. Sor liked to think it was her magic\u2019s guidance that had been doing all the work \u2014 the idea that Zebra could be good at something, something she was good at, something she \u2026 Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3N0as-bC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":980,"url":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/2018\/07\/where-shell-never-be-found-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":720,"position":0},"title":"Where She’ll Never Be Found – II","date":"20180722","format":false,"excerpt":"First \u00a0 Sor\u2019s shop was closed, and locked, and there wasn\u2019t a bell. Zebra did knock, but that only made the glass door rattle in a way that he knew would not carry well through the rest of the building \u2014 though, even a wooden door would have trouble announcing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Prose"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1050,"url":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/2018\/08\/where-shell-never-be-found-iv\/","url_meta":{"origin":720,"position":1},"title":"Where She’ll Never Be Found – IV","date":"20180812","format":false,"excerpt":"FirstPrevious \u00a0 A familiar face ran into him as he left the bar: Harry Wilhelm, on his way in. \u201cMr. Rollins!\u201d he said, too happy to see Zebra. His grin cut across his narrow face like an open wound, and the fangs his enthusiasm put on display combined with his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Prose"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1067,"url":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/2018\/08\/black-and-white-and-red-all-over\/","url_meta":{"origin":720,"position":2},"title":"Black and White and Red All Over","date":"20180818","format":false,"excerpt":"Content warnings: Torture, blood, sadomasochism, graphic violence, sexual themes, dubcon. Can't read it? \u00a0 BLACK AND WHITE AND RED ALL OVER or: NARCISSUS BECOMES THE MARIGOLD or: PUPPY-LOVE AND DOG-EAT-DOG or: ZEBRA\u2019S MANY MISTAKES, THEIR COSTS, AND THE PAYMENTS THEREOF or: HOW I STOPPED WORRYING AND LEARNED TO LOVE THE\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mature"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1026,"url":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/2018\/08\/where-shell-never-be-found-iii\/","url_meta":{"origin":720,"position":3},"title":"Where She’ll Never Be Found – III","date":"20180804","format":false,"excerpt":"FirstPrevious \u00a0 He was sure she had been there, but there weren\u2019t any other people on the street aside from him, and there weren\u2019t any doors nearby she could have slipped into. A brick wall stretched away from him in both directions, spotted with dark windows and unmarred by either\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Prose"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":556,"url":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/2016\/07\/swap-pt-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":720,"position":4},"title":"Swap, pt 1","date":"20160709","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Sor broke into the pie-shop in the middle of the night. She had to use up a vial to do it \u2014 one of the cork-stoppered containers, filled with someone else\u2019s magic, that she kept on her person at all times \u2014 but there was no avoiding it. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Prose"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":969,"url":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/2018\/07\/where-shell-never-be-found-i\/","url_meta":{"origin":720,"position":5},"title":"Where She’ll Never Be Found – I","date":"20180714","format":false,"excerpt":"It took Zebra a week to notice Katters was missing. Well, no. He noticed immediately, or near enough. It was odd, that she didn\u2019t come home that first night, that her bed remained empty clear through to the following morning. Odd that she skipped work the next day, and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Prose"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=720"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":993,"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720\/revisions\/993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roastrabbit.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}