WAR: Cousins: Post-Traumatic Switch Disorder (1/1)
By Cousin Tserisa (headpigeons@hotmail.com)
Location: The Raven
Time: Saturday, July 7th
      [Early morning, pre-dawn, late in the party.
      Closely following "Screed, indeed, or Lacroix, so wha'?"]

All used with permission.

* * * * * * *

Cousins Tserisa and Tok watched from near the Raven's bar as LaCroix stalked
away from a small huddle of UFers.  A Cousin nearby was murmuring to
another, "Did you see LaCroix's sudden change of mood?  Do you think he has
bipolar disorder or something?"

//Great Dragon, I hope not,// Tser thought.  //I don't know if lithium works
for vampires.  Though suddenly conversing in Screedspeak seems a little more
complicated than a bout of mania.//

"Sudden mood change?" Tok murmured under her breath to Tser.  "Oh, what
now!"  Tok seemed to be looking around desperately for another drink.  The
Cousinly Receptionist, Jess, seeming to sense the leader's immediate crisis,
placed a martini in her hand and watched the General with them.  Tser did
only a distracted double-take, wondering who was manning CERK's front desk.

LaCroix spotted them and walked over purposefully.  "Cerberus," he said,
eyes focusing on the two heads present.  "I have just had a most...
distasteful experience."

"Yes, Sir?" Tok said, and nearly swallowed the martini in one gulp.  She
then let out a sputtering cough, spitting the olive back into the glass.

"I found myself trapped in that repulsive carouche's body.  Although at
first I was disoriented, I had full control of my mental capabilities, yet
had been transplanted into a foreign and poorly groomed host.  It was...
unpleasant... to say the least."  LaCroix's eyes simmered with barely
surpressed anger, and he stood rigidly, as if to distance himself from the
party going on around him.  Or perhaps he caught a whiff of the odeur de rat
emanating from his clothing.  "I want you to find out what caused this, and
put an end to it."  He paused and his lips curled into a grimace.
"Immediately."

Jessi looked thoughtful.  Tser looked from her and back to LaCroix hoping
that the thoughtful look was "Ah ha, I have a realistic idea of what's going
on," and not "Maybe LaCroix fell into the Spring of Drowned Screed."

"Of course, Sir," Tserisa said, trying to sound more confident than she
felt.  LaCroix found himself in Screed's body?  Most likely that meant that
LaCroix acting like Screed really *had* been Screed -- a full trading of
places.  The best answer to the conundrum she could give was this switch was
caused by a rift in the space/time continuum (or portal, wormhole, anomaly,
rupture, fold, Tardis backfire... something along those lines).
Unfortunately, that was pretty much her answer for everything.  She'd
established through intense research of Science Fiction that anything weird
was usually explainable by tachyon particles and/or spacial/temporal rifts.

She wasn't about to voice this particular theory, however.  She wasn't sure
LaCroix was aware of Screed's stint in the General's body, and she didn't
want to be the one to bring it up.

"Tell me what happened while I was gone," LaCroix said.

//Figures,// Tser thought.

"You... er, Screed, er... we noticed something was strange during your
broadcast," Tok said meekly.  "We were startled by your... that is, Screed's
use of... colorful language."

"Screed was in my body," LaCroix stated, eyes flashing.  "I had surmised as
much."  He looked over to where he had left the UFers and their dog.

"We tried to run things as close to normal as possible," Tser said.
"Considering the War.  W-we didn't know that he wasn't you."

"I find it appalling that you could not deduce the difference between myself
and that lowly rat-sucker," LaCroix growled.

Tser squeaked.  "The damage done to CERK is negligible, Sir.  I'm sure
you'll find your booth and penthouse in good order."

"He was in my penthouse?"

Tser shrunk into herself.  "Well...."

"There's some good news too," Tok interupted, attempting to sound cheerful.
"We no longer have a glowing pink rat problem!"

The Cousinly Leaders nearly melted under the General's glare.  "I am going
back to CERK now, before the sun rises," the vampire said lowly.  "I wish to
rest and freshen up.  I feel... somewhat unclean."  He started to stride
purposefully away, then turned back to the Cousins at the bar suddenly.
"Find out the cause of this and resolve it," he snarled, then disappeared
out into the early morning darkness.

Tser looked after him helplessly.  Maybe they *should* splash him with cold
water and see what happens.

###

--
Cousin Tserisa & the Cousinly Critters
- headpigeons@hotmail.com -
Cousin, Ratpacker 8:>X and CaddyWhack
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