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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[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."

[pylean_cow]

"How long have you been on the island?" Fred asks, and even though impostor-Spike draws back, she doesn't budge just yet. If it's been anything less than about twenty-four hours, then Fred will almost be certain that this actually is Spike, under some kind of island spell.

[nobler_things]

"Only since this morning. I awoke in the strangest little cottage, out in the jungle. I had a dreadful time finding my way here," he admitted, frowning more deeply at the man's continued close proximity.

[pylean_cow]

Definitely Spike, then.

Fred finally takes a step back, convinced that she's at least figured this out a little bit.

"I think you might be suffering from some form of magical amnesia," she says.

[nobler_things]

"What makes you say that?" William asked with a worried frown. It wouldn't help anyone to panic, but magical amnesia?

That sounded, not only insane, but quite serious.