Age Switch

[nobler_things]

It was a peculiar place, this Tabula RasaMother had always stressed a thorough education, including all the classics, all of which they'd read together, in the parlor, in the dim light of the fire and gas-fueled table lamps. He had a rudimentary knowledge of Greek and Latin, as every proper, well-bred young man should, and he found it charming that

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[justsookie]

No matter how careful Jason Stackhouse tried to be this weekend, it seemed like Sookie just couldn't stay in one place for long. And why would she want to? Jason told her that mama and daddy were safe, that they were probably off somewhere doing grown-up stuff (which meant that Jason and Sookie definitely weren't supposed to interrupt), and that the two of them should just do their best to enjoy time on the island. And yeah, Sookie definitely wanted that. But then Jason tried to keep her all shut in and never wanted to let go of her hand, which was just ridiculous, so Sookie just tried her best to find some time to do girl stuff, and finally she snuck away, wanting nothing more than to meet some of the other people who were on vacation in the island

[nobler_things]

In theory, William quite liked little children. The represented the perfect, unsullied innocence that few managed to hold onto through adulthood. Goodness and uncorrupted morality, all the things he'd been taught to hold most dear.

Though, in truth, he'd spent very little time with children. He had no little brothers or sisters of his own, no nieces or nephews, and certainly no children, and in polite English society, young children were filtered away when their parents were entertaining guests.

But she was a tiny, perfect angel just the same, and he found himself immediately charmed. "Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream," he answered, turning to the title page so that the little girl could see the woodcut illustration of a lush, enchanted forest. "Perhaps not the most artfully written of his comedies, but it's always been one of my favorites. It's about fairies, you see."

[justsookie]

Some adults had a tendency of turning Sookie away, especially those at school. Ever since Sookie had started going to class, it was like people thought that she knew too much, like she was able to read their minds, some people said, and obviously people didn't like that. Sookie wasn't really sure why people thought that she could hear them any better than anyone else. After all, she only knew what they kept on saying to her. She definitely never went looking for secrets

[nobler_things]

"The story is set during a royal wedding, of sorts, though it's not strictly a fairy tale. More of a comedy of errors. The arrogant, mischievous fairies meddling in the lives of silly mortals," William said, a gleam in his eye at being able to educate such a fresh, young mind on the wonders of one of his very favorite works.

He did wonder if the narrative might be a bit complicated for one so young, but he could remember finding much enjoyment in hearing his mother read to him, long before he truly understood what the stories meant.

"Shall we start at the beginning?"

[chose]

Buffy stares.

That she has somehow managed to escape unscathed from this particular brand of island torture is not a gift horse that Buffy intends to look in the mouth, as it were. Relieved to both look and feel herself, she's spent most of the day walking around and trying to help those who've not been so fortunate. Unsurprisingly, Tabula Rasans are as adorable as children as they are beautiful as adults, although it seems kind of strange to think as much; it's a trail of thought she soon abandons. This proves easy enough when she catches a glimpse of someone remarkably similar to Spike, yet very unlike Billy Idol

[nobler_things]

The women of this place dressed so strangely, an odd mix of tawdry and masculine, a shocking amount of bare skin and tight trousers. Their hairstyles were unfamiliar, their makeup strange, and the directness of their speech continued to startle him.

When he was spoken to, his eyes leaped from the page, widening a bit behind his spectacles when they fell upon one of the loveliest women he'd ever seen, no matter how harshly she might have presented herself.

Clearing his throat, visibly flustered, he said, "Yes. You certainly can't go wrong with Shakespeare."

[chose]

That is an opinion Buffy herself does not happen to share, but she thinks better of voicing her objection, still too shocked to speak without filter. It occurs to her that there is a chance this isn't Spike at all, but someone new who looks like Spike, or a female turned male in his body, or a kid grown-up to resemble him. The possibilities are unfortunately endless, so she thinks it best to settle that mystery first and foremost.

Taking the nearest seat, she leans forward curiously and asks, "What's your name?"

[nobler_things]

Marking his page, he politely closed his book and set it aside, turning all his attention to the young woman.

"William, my lady. And might I ask yours?"

[pylean_cow]

This is weird.

No, this is beyond weird.

This goes beyond stench demons and Durslar beasts and into new weird territory.

Not that Fred hasn't wondered on more than one occasion what it might be like to be the opposite sex- she's sure that just about everybody probably does at some point- but that doesn't mean she's ever really wanted to try it out, even just for experimental reasons. She's never wanted to have to worry about aiming and...

...and as okay as it might be, now that she's physically a male, going topless on the beach is never going to feel okay.

She's gone into the rec room, hoping for something somewhat normal today, and what she doesn't expect to see is--

"Spike?" Fred asks, blinking a few times as she spots what she's kinda sure is him in the rec room. Of course, there are all kinds of doppelgangers on the island, and with the way things work, there's no guarantee that Spike doesn't suddenly have a Shakespeare-loving one. Who wears little glasses.

[nobler_things]

There was a man staring at him, as if he'd seen a ghost. Poor chap, he'd probably only just arrived, as well, and he clearly wasn't handling the shock.

Blinking behind wire-rimmed glasses, a bit startled at being addressed so oddly, William said, "My apologies. I believe you might be mistaken."

[pylean_cow]

Maybe she is mistaken. But the probability of Spike having turned into an amnesiac and adorably English version of himself is just as high as him suddenly having a double. And everything seems to have gone all wonky today, so Fred's not about to count out her theory just yet.

She leans in to get a closer look at him, one hand on each arm of the armchair he's sitting in.

"I'm not so sure," she replies, "You look an awful lot like him."

[nobler_things]

Drawing back from the man, a bit of alarm registering on his face, he said, "No, I have no doubt we have never met. And I believe I would know if my name were Spike, which it is not. It is William. Of this I'm quite certain."