Hitch a ride to Spiral City

You knocked on Leo's hotel room door, having gathered up what few things you had left in your own room a few blocks away and hurried over. Every moment you spent on the sidewalk filled you with paranoia, looking over your shoulder for signs of that bearded menace named Mike. Nowhere felt safe, if he could just appear out of nowhere and stick some ancient magic-nullifying bracelet on your wrist. You and Tori didn't even need to manifest individual voices in your head to talk through things at this point, you just simply acted on instinct, both minds shared in the need to get to safety and figure out how to get off this Countercurse Bracelet!

Leo opened the door, a toothbrush hanging from his mouth. "Hey, if it isn't Tori! Where's our buddy Pete?"

"You're looking at him. Or, her." You winced a little at your own words, slipping into the hotel room after making sure you hadn't been followed, before you scurried to the edge of the bed and sat down. This wasn't how you expected your first channeling with each other to go. One of you had only known about this talent for a short while, but the other had pondered for years what you two would be like when sharing a body. Tori had thought about this day being a special opportunity to grow your friendship and possibly develop a more intimate, maybe even romantic, relationship.

You tried to not make the body feel bad about the situation, and you felt at the very least that Tori understood that there's a difference between trying on your best friend's body for a bit and possibly being locked into it until the end of time. After all, you're in a beautiful woman's body with your best friend on call in your mind at any time you want! You were still capable of taking on the world together, just with half as many hands to use. The frustration really wasn't with the situation--it was squarely that Mike made a decision for both you and Tori, taking away any opportunity to even think about this outcome.

Leo blinked, and then smiled wide, "Wow, guys, you two look amazing together! That bracelet though, kind of a weird touch. You look like one of them superhero types walking around with your power band or something." He finished his brushing quickly and came back out. "Still, I'm happy for you two. I had a great time feeling everything Tori had to offer. That sounds weird, doesn't it? Anyway, that'll be better for the ride to Midvale in the car."

"You're going all the way to Spiral City today though, right?" You looked at Leo, who furrowed his brow at the question. "This wristband wasn't my idea. It wasn't Tori's, either. Her ex-boyfriend Mike showed up out of the blue and put it on! It blocks Tori's magic, and that means I can't get out of her while I wear it. Worse, it's got some sort of lock on it!" You tug at the bracelet again, turning the dials a few times to some new random sequence, but nothing happens.

Frowning, Leo steps over to inspect the device. You scrunched your toes idly, shifting slightly in your chair as he touched your arm. It felt strange to feel touch through someone else's body, almost like it was the first time you'd felt it. Leo tapped the bracelet with a finger, turning a dial a few times, and then he tugged on the mechanism to unclasp. "Maybe a locksmith could do it? I watch videos from this guy online, he gets these weird padlocks from old European companies and cracks into 'em in like no time!"

You shook your head. "Something tells me a wristband meant to suppress magic is going to be tougher to break into than a padlock for a fence."

"So what's in Spiral City then?" Leo asked.

You rest your arm in your lap again as Leo stops looking at the mechanism on the bracelet. You shifted your feet a little, every little sensation from Tori's body reminding you how different her limbs are, though it was her voice resonating in your mouth and head that almost startled you each time you spoke. "Mike said this bracelet came from Emilia King's collection."

Leo almost choked on the ginger ale he'd sipped on. "Wait, the billionaire who never leaves her mansion no more?! That one? You don't just walk up to her front door and knock, I hope you know that, right? I mean, sure, it makes sense that the Witch of Spiral City isn't just called that because she looks kinda spooky sometimes when she is on one of them historical documentaries about Egyptian artifacts, but she's probably got some waiting list to schedule."

You didn't know much about Emilia King, but Tori had done extensive research, considering her to be a potential resource in understanding the channeling curse. Tori had read snippets of details of the curse from one ancient textbook, and it stood to reason that a collection of supernatural artifacts as diverse as Emilia's could possibly have the second book that discusses the means to dispel curses like hers. But Tori never knew how to even get a hold of someone like Ms. King! How was it that Mike could ask for something and just get it from her? Was he really that well connected? Or maybe he somehow tricked her into sending it?

You shook your head, rubbing your arms. "I have to try though! I want to be able to channel with Tori when we agree to it on our own terms. But, like... Tori and I have two very different jobs that keep us both busy. I could keep doing my remote work for a while, but eventually someone from the city planners will want to talk face-to-face, or at least over a call, and they'll be expecting a very different voice! And that's going to intrude on Tori's vet work too, if we have to juggle animal emergencies and other deadlines. Plus family, friends..."

"Hey." Leo pat your shoulder, sitting down next to you. "I'm not saying don't try, just that rich ladies like her aren't so easy to get a hold of. Her mansion's doing tours of her collection something like every Thursday through Saturday, so maybe someone working there could help you out. I'm happy to take you there, but you're gonna have to live with bein' such a cutie for a couple days if you're riding back with me."

You smiled a little, and gave Leo a hug. "Thanks Leo."

"You got it, pal. You ready to get a move on? It's seven hours if we take the highway and skip the Midvale detour. I already dropped off a couple things for a client here so I'm ready to get out of town." You nodded, and Leo gathered up his last few things to head down to the desk and check out. Back in the seat of his car, you took a deep breath. You could deal with a few days. You wanted this to be a positive experience with Tori. Spiral City would be your opportunity to explore the potential you and Tori had together in one body, especially given how good you looked in your enhanced shape.

You've sure been quiet, you thought in your mind to Tori. Are you doing alright?

Oh, I'm fine. I'm just imagining all the different kinds of magic curses I would want to bestow upon Mike. If I could make him allergic to steaks and IPAs for the rest of his life, I'd be satisfied. Don't worry, you're doing great. If I didn't like your plan, I'd have interrupted.

You smiled a little. As Leo turned on his car and pulled out, his radio station announced more local news of the day. "Oh yeah, did you hear about all that?" Leo asked, drowning out the headlines with his voice. "Naomi the SeaPark orca is missing somehow. Some people on the news earlier are saying that she turned into some were-orca and escaped from SeaPark and terrorized the pier. Like, she's roaming around down there as a fifteen-foot tall woman with the head of an orca, stealing fish from the sailing boats. Crazy, right?"

You didn't bother trying to correct Leo. This was one rumor that seemed better to let spin wildly out of control. You glanced out your rolled-down window and brushed some longer strands of hair behind your ear, happy that you had good company, both in your head and one seat over, for such a long drive to set things right.