A female job-seeker

"Oh, yeah. My name is Jane, I graduated college two years ago now with a degree in art history, and the job market is, well..."

Emilia tilted her head slightly, crossing her arms in her lap. "I can imagine there's not exactly a high demand right now. And debts are rather outrageous for a college degree, from what I understand."

It was strange to listen to a woman like Emilia King talk about monetary troubles, while you sat in her mansion surrounded by objects that individually could fetch a small fortune. She even has an original Rembrandt hanging in the hallway... you nodded in agreement. "Yeah, really crazy. When I can get shifts at the restaurant or at the mall, I'm just barely able to keep my head above water."

The red-headed woman across from you nodded, contemplating something, her eyes sizing you up. But, she stayed quiet for some time.

"If you don't mind, Ms. King... can I ask, is this a job interview or something?"

"In a sense. Consider it an experiment in human behavior faced with unusual circumstances, at least at first. But, as a result of what I'd like to share with you today, you may find your job prospects will grow in new ways. Tell me, Jane, if you suddenly could do one thing better, maybe even be among the best at it, but it cost some sort of side effect to achieve it, would you accept the chance even if the side effect wasn't known?"

That was an odd question, and it gave you pause. "You mean, like sacrifice to reach a certain level of achievement? Doesn't all achievement come with sacrifice normally, because the work to reach a certain level of talent affects the time you can devote to friends and family and even yourself?"

Emilia smiled. "In this scenario, it's a little different. You would instantly have some amount of talent of your choosing. But periodically, you would change so drastically that you would be unrecognizable." Emilia reached into the strange box next to her, producing a little pouch. She unties it, and lets a small coin spill onto the table, of significant age.

You knew the stories about Emilia and her unusual occult magic collection. Many of them, you believed, because otherwise how would this woman be sitting before you today? Whenever she was photographed for the tabloids, she had a new bandage somewhere on her. It had to be some sort of magic that kept her alive, so she must be some sort of practitioner of magic. But, could you trust a sorceress?

"...is this a magic coin?"

"Very perceptive," Emilia said. She watched you for a moment, surprised that you didn't reach for it to examine it. "Your restraint interests me. Most everyone else has reached for the coin for a closer look, and I have to stop them before they bind themselves to the magic too quickly."

You shifted in your seat, brushing your hair back over your ear. "I am not the type of person to take my chances, Ms. King. I'm almost always the one to play it safe, and that includes ancient coins. So you mentioned this thing could increase my talent in something... but there's a catch. What's the catch?"

Emilia tapped her fingers on the book in her lap, you could see she was pondering something--telling you the truth, perhaps? You could think of a few talents that you would possibly endure one or two side effect for if it meant you could be world-class at them. Some would be silly, some serious. But still, you waited for Emilia's answer.

"When the coin is flipped, your skill level increases in your chosen field. But, there is a fifty-fifty chance that you change completely into someone different. Someone male. Of course, there's a chance that you don't change at all, or a later flip could change you back. But, the law of averages would say that you would spend at least some time as a man."

You furrowed your brow, scrunching your nose at the question. You quite liked you, just as you were, and didn't really think about being different before. At least, beyond the fleeting what-ifs that sometimes popped into one's mind, you hadn't really considered such a scenario at length. And had Emilia refused to share this information, you likewise would have refused to touch the coin. But with a few moments to let the consequence sink in, you thought you could swallow your pride and endure an alternative to you if the talent thing was true.

You leaned forward to pick up the coin, and Emilia's eyes lit up in anticipation.

"Say what talent you would want to bind to the coin, and make your first toss. It can be anything, including a talent you do not currently possess. But beware, as if you neglect to flip the coin, you will lose any and all talent in that ability until you begin to flip again. If you understand, then go right ahead."