He chooses temporary peace of mind

“I’d rather forget.”

Just as you hoped. No risk of Toby following you home and threatening you with an axe with this one. But just to be sure.

“Would you rather not try to find any loopholes in the last command or punch yourself in the nuts until I tell you to stop?”

“I won’t look for loopholes.” Toby says with a grimace that tells you he had been hoping to do just that.

And with that handled you depart, to do some research.

You are shivering with excitement as you check your watch.

00:03

Toby is running late.

You have been hard at work preparing the meeting-spot since sometime around eight in the evening. Like having a little chat with campus security to make sure you wouldn’t be disturbed. Not that any of them would remember doing anything but their regular duties tonight.

Which was roughly the point where it hit you that you were acting like a supervillain.

One of the really hammy ones.

Because lets face it: You had been gifted with incredible powers that defied the laws of science, and half a day later here you were: mind-controlling half a dozen people in a convoluted scheme to take revenge on some guy who had been mean to your sister.

Like a guy inventing a personal jetpack that could be built from common kitchen appliances and using it to rob banks instead of making millions revolutionizing the transport industry.

But screw being reasonable! It has been a really shitty year so far in a life that has been mediocre at best. You deserve to ham it up tonight.

And all that is left now is to await your victim so your dastardly plan can begin.

And there he is! His already bewildered expression getting even more confused as Toby sees the assorted trash covering the spot this afternoon has been replaced by your best shot at a ritual site complete with candles and stones painted with mystic looking runes. Because grass is a poor canvas you have been going for a more shamanistic look instead of the usual intricately drawn summoning circle and it looks pretty impressive if you dare say so yourself.

“What the hell am I doing here?” Toby mutters as he sits down on a nearby bench.

“You are starting a new chapter of your life.” Toby flinches as you step into the candlelight.

“You don’t remember but you and I had a little talk about my sister this afternoon right in this spot. And afterwards I had a long talk with my sister about you. A part of her still wants you, even after all the shit that happened. And each time she runs into you on campus that wound reopens. So it is pretty obvious that for Kate to be happy you need to disappear.” Your grin widens as you see Toby pale. He must have realized by now that for some reason he is unable to leave.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. Instead we are going to ply a little game. The same games you played with my sisters heart. ” you chuckle “But in the spirit of fairness I have to admit that I stacked the deck.”

“And since you put horns on my sister I think it is only fair I do the same to you. Would you rather grow a pair of horns that look nice over the span of five seconds or rather grow horns that make you look like a freak?”

“I’d rather have nice ones I guess.” As soon as the words had left his mouth Tobys hands fly to his forehead as he lets out a small groan of discomfort. You can’t help but laugh at Tobys face as two bony nubs push through the skin of his forehead and expand into small goathorns that make him look like a satyr.

You give Toby a minute to process this development, and to go over your plan one last time.

“This was just to make sure you understand the consequences of the choices you are about to make.” And seeing how you had Tobys undivided attention as soon as you started talking he definitely has.

“Because when you leave here you will be a girl and very much in love with me.

Do you know Freuds Madonna-Whore complex? It is about men wanting women to be two mutually exclusive things: one the one hand they long for a pure, nurturing virgin to protect and be a dutiful wife and one the other hand they covet the elusive and worldly seductress who is fun inside and outside the bedroom.

Of course that is an extremely simplified version of a very nuanced topic and the whole theory is not without its critics anyway. But it serves to illustrate the point that even if you start building her from scratch you will never find such a thing as a perfect girlfriend. After all, dating someone you are always in agreement with sounds great, but you can hardly be changed for the better by someone who never forces you to confront your foibles.

So really there is no harm in letting you choose what kind of love-interest you should be by the time the sun rises.

Now before we get this show on the road, let me add a few relevant details:.”

God, gloating is fun! You will never roll your eyes again, when some villain spills their entire plan to the helpless hero.

“ When the sun rises you will still remember your old life and your personality will stay mostly the same. So keep in mind that you will get to live with whatever choice you make, for the foreseeable future.

When this is done you won’t be able to be around me without a part of you desperately wanting to jump my bones. That is not the same as turning into my sex-slave. Or even my girlfriend, really. Because I am quite fine with letting you stew in the same pit of misery and heartache Kate ended in, if you just aren’t girlfriend material.

For that reason the choices are geared towards making this interesting first and sexy second. I had a few archetypes of fictional potential love-interests in mind when putting the list together and each comes with a unique set of advantages and drawbacks.

You won’t be remembering this conversation. You will just wake up tomorrow to find you have somehow become a girl and are aching to bone your Exes brother.

And with that out of the way“ you rub your hands in glee “ I will give you a softball to keep you from being distracted by your new anatomy: Would you rather have your choices tonight not come into effect until I say the word ‘Aardvark’ or not notice any difference until I say ‘Aardvark’ ? “