012: Not Much With the Damseling [Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

It had been an hour since DG had woken up in Buffy's body and it still felt strange. She knew that her own body hadn't been perfect, but it had been hers. She missed her battered leather jacket. She missed her unruly hair. She definitely missed her magic. This was just another ridiculous hamster game and she couldn't wait for it to be over.

She'd dressed herself in an outfit from Buffy's wardrobe and sat, cross legged, on her - Buffy's - bed to address the tablet.

"Buffy? It's DG. I ... have something that belongs to you. Please tell me you're the one in my body?"

There were a lot of people in Taxon, good and bad, and she didn't want to think about who else might have ended up with it. At least if it Buffy had her body, she'd know that it would be looked after and that her powers wouldn't be abused.

"Glitch? Cain?" Her face might have been unfamiliar, but her pout was unmistakable. "Are you guys ok? Are you still you?"

It was difficult to decide what would be worse. Cain and Glitch swapping places with each other or Cain and Glitch swapping places with someone else.

Comments

[ Visual ]

[onetolight.livejournal.com]

For Tony, it had been about two hours since he'd woken up and realized he was not in his body anymore. Yeah, it felt strange, because hello, he's a guy, and this body? Definitely not a guy's. But at the same time, he'd been stuck in that body of his, with all its... Problems, for lack of a better word for who knows how long, so this was a really nice change.

But when he saw DG (who now was someone called Buffy, apparently. Tony couldn't remember if he'd met her or not) show up on the tablet, he figured he needed to tell her that he was the one with her body. "Hey, DG. It's Tony."

He was about to say, "Guess who's got your body?" But that sounded wrong, especially since DG looked really worried. Surprisingly, Tony knew when not to be a jerk. "I don't think Buffy's the one in your body."

[Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"Tony?"

For what felt like a very long time, she stared at the body on the screen in mute astonishment. Her body. She'd tried to prepare herself, of course, but it hadn't been enough. Talking to herself - talking to herself and knowing that someone else was inside - would always be surreal.

Eventually, she broke the silence with a sudden burst of laughter. She clamped her hand over her mouth to try and keep it hidden, but she just couldn't help it. This was so ridiculous that she couldn't even feel embarrassed.

[Visual]

[onetolight.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. Hey, don't worry, I won't do anything weird while I'm in your body." Might as well get that out of the way first.

He joined in her laughter for a few minutes before asking, "Whose did you end up in?"

[Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"I wasn't worried."

She'd been shocked, yes, but she'd also known that Buffy would take care of the body she'd found herself in. Discovering that Tony had found herself in her body had been a bit of surprise, yes, but it could have been a lot worse.

"Her name's Buffy Summers," she added, "I thought she'd be the one to end up in mine."

[ voice ]

[exvampire.livejournal.com]

[Well, Spike's glad it's not some creepy bearded man in Buffy's body, but this is still weird. What do you say to your girlfriend's body when someone else is driving it?]

Take care of that body.

[Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"I will."

Her reply was both a promise and a statement. It hadn't occurred to her to do otherwise. She didn't know Buffy as well as she would have liked, but she was a good friend to both Glitch and Tara. And even if she hadn't been, DG wasn't the sort of person to take advantage of a situation like this. They were imprisoned together and that meant that they had to work together.

"... who is this?"

[Visual]

[exvampire.livejournal.com]

Spike switched to visual to show Wesley's face.

"It's Spike. Not really looking myself right now, though."

[Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"None of us are," DG pointed out, with a slight smile. She'd been lucky, but couldn't help but worry about the people who might have been less fortunate. Where was Glitch? And Cain was finding it hard enough to cope with life in Taxon. What would he do if he woke up and found himself in the body of someone else.

"I'm DG. And this is a really weird way to meet someone for the first time."

[Visual]

[exvampire.livejournal.com]

Spike nods. "That it is. Though, uh, you've seen the real me fairly recently. Bit more of the real me than I generally show people the first time I meet them, really."

[visual] [locked]

[morethan2hours.livejournal.com]

You know Glitch? My name is -

[He sucks in a horrified breath. He can't remember his full name! This is an unspeakable shame. He goes pale. His name is Aximili… something. It is the utmost dishonor to forget his other two names.]

Aximili. My name is Aximili. My body transfer seems to have gone wrong somehow. Not all of my memories from my original body have transferred.

[Visual / Private]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"Yes, he's my ..." Boyfriend? No, Aximili was flustered enough as it was. She didn't want to make him feel even worse. "... friend. And I don't think that's a problem with the transfer. If you've got Glitch's body, you might have his memory problems."

Which was a polite way of referring to the headcasing. She didn't know Aximili or how much he already knew about Glitch, so she'd tread carefully and make sure that his body was safe.

[visual] [locked] Feel free to have DG track Ax down and kick him. He'll be in the woods.

[morethan2hours.livejournal.com]

"Memory problems?" Aximili is aghast. But then, it makes sense now that he considers it. It hasn't just been memories from his own body that have been affected; he's had trouble forming new memories.

He's been trapped in the body of a vecol. A brain-damaged vecol.

It's always harder to control his emotional reactions as a human, but now it's even more difficult, because when he's in morph, his Andalite brain is in Zero-space, directing his human brain. He has no Andalite brain now - Kara does. As such, he can't prevent his mouth from dropping and his body from shaking a little. "I am a vecol," he says, with a mix of horror and disgust. "I - I must go away. Seclude myself." That is what his life must be, as a vecol.

The feed cuts out.

[Location: the Woods] You asked for it!

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

The word 'vecol' was unfamiliar, but the tone was immediately recognisable. DG had heard it before - directed at her in Kansas and directed at Glitch in the O.Z - and her fists clenched in poorly concealed fury. He could have been saying 'headcase'.

Before she could reply, however, Aximili had shut off the feed. DG cursed quietly under her breath and, without a second thought, jumped to her feet. In simpler circumstances, she'd have let the insult pass - admittedly unwilling and with every intention of talking to him at a later date - but these weren't simple circumstances. He had Glitch's body and he sounded so disgusted that she couldn't be sure he'd look after it.

It wasn't difficult to find his location on the map. He'd headed straight for the forest. She started to run as soon as she stepped out of the castle and, thanks to Buffy's prenatural abilities, covered the distance in what felt like no time at all.

She could get used to powers like that.

"Aximili?" she called out as she drew nearer, "It's DG. I know you're here."

[Location: Osten Forest]

[morethan2hours.livejournal.com]

DG has a point, surely enough. Aximili is wearing far less clothing than Glitch would, even though it's a bit chilly for it - just a plain long-sleeved shirt, pants, and shoes without socks. He's lying on his back in a pile of autumn leaves. Quite a few have gotten stuck in his hair. The sound of DG's - well, not DG's, but still, her voice makes him start.

"I wish to be alone," Aximili says, forlornly.

[ visual ]

[unsubduable.livejournal.com]

"Problems?"

Damon looks as smug as ever, as if he were still Damon. He's not, but this is what the Salvatore brothers do: Carry on as if nothing's wrong. It helps that they can mime one another at the drop of a hat, save this time it's for practical use instead of trolling the crap out of eachother.

[Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

Although DG didn't recognise the face on the screen, she elected to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he could be anyone and she'd have a lot of explaining to do if he was a friend of Buffy's.

"One or two," she replied. "There's been another citywide glitch."

[Visual]

[unsubduable.livejournal.com]

"Glitch," Stefan echos. Oh, he knows. Given that he isn't who he's playing up to being, he knows. "I thought that was like this place's version of the boogieman: be good or a glitch will get you."

[Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"Then you haven't been here long," said DG, who had been trapped in the city for over a year. Over the past twelve months, she'd fallen victim to a number of glitches and she'd witnessed even more. "The glitches are very real."

[Visual]

[unsubduable.livejournal.com]

"Only a month, give or take a few days," he answers and offers, "Damon Salvatore."

...of course, this isn't the real Damon, just the little brother stuck in his body who knows him far too well. Details, details.

[visual]

[justaddsunshine.livejournal.com]

"Oh, you're Buffy!"

...yeah, the change in physiology has done nothing to improve Glitch's sense of priorities.

[Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"No, I'm DG in Buffy's body."

Her face might have changed, but the look she gave Glitch - the distinctly unimpressed look - was very familiar.

"Who are you?"

[Visual]

[justaddsunshine.livejournal.com]

And the sheepish grin she got in return (despite coming from a blue eyed blonde-haired teenage girl who appeared to be standing beside a crater) should have rung a few bells as well.

"Right, I caught that part too. I'm-" Okay there was a full brain there and his thoughts were zipping along all unhindered but he was definitely not Ambrose. "I'm Glitch."

He reached up to tug at a curl that wasn't there and ended up tucking a lock of hair behind his ear. "Sort of. Hi."

[Visual]

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"And a teenager."

The grin was the only answer DG had needed. She found herself smiling in return, as relieved as she was amused. He was safe. Female - which was, admittedly, weird - but safe.

Except for the crater, anyway.

"What happened?" she asked, gesturing towards the crater next to him.

[hasaheart]

It was safe to say he'd recognize those puppy dog eyes anywhere. ...even if it weren't the pair of eyes he expected.

"I was me last I checked." He looked vaguely alarmed - certainly not nearly as alarmed as he felt.

"Is this some sort of sick prank? 'Cause I'm not laughing."

[hamsterbait.livejournal.com]

"Cain!" Her voice - and the bright smile that crossed Buffy's face - was filled with equal measures of relief and delight. "I'm so glad you're still you!"

But her joy didn't last long. Cain was still Cain, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't struggle with the fact that she and Glitch were both in the wrong bodies.

"It's me, Cain," she assured him, "This isn't a joke. I just woke up like this. Glitch has changed too."