The channeling ends

Holding out her hand, Leo closed her eyes, and in a few brief moments, a purple light flowed out of her, and in no time at all, the real Leo was standing in front of you, as Tori returned to her normal self. Your friend glanced around, unaware of where she was for a moment, tugging the tucked-in Sharks shirt out of her jeans so it dangled looser on her frame, in a more casual way. "...uhh, hey guys. Did I miss something? What day is it?"

Leo turns to her. "Still today, but you and Pete here are real pals, you know that? I had a great time today! Been so long since I'd just gone out with friends and had a good time, even if my appearance was far lovelier and not nearly as rotund..."

"We went and saw the Sharks game," you said. "Sorry you missed it, Tori."

With a shrug, Tori wandered over to the window. "Yeah, I don't have any memories, but I have the residual feelings. I felt happy, so Leo must have been happy. Sometimes that raw emotion is reward enough! Wow, it's been so long since I'd been in Seatown, it's really pretty from up here..."

While Leo tinkered with his phone for a bit, you stepped over by Tori. "Leo said he'd drive us back, if you want to go home. But, if I know you..."

"Can we stay for a while?" Tori asked, turning to you with pleading eyes, hands gripping your arms. "There's that place near the SeaPark aquarium that makes an amazing patty melt, if that's still there then I have to take you! I'll pitch in for a room if we stay too late, it'll be fun! I don't have to do an unwilling channeling until after the next time I sleep, so you've got me--and just me--all night. Like old times, just wandering to new places!"

You laughed and nodded. "Yeah, that's fine with me. Leo?"

"Works for me too, I drive back tomorrow anyway so I'll be passing through Midvale then, if you still need a ride. I've got a favor to ask of you anyway, Pete, so tomorrow might be best for that, if it's all the same to you." Leo grinned at you two as you walked Tori to the door. "Keep an eye on this one, Tori, he's a good kisser. And as proof..." Leo held out his phone, playing a SportsNet video on loop, where a very eager short-haired Tori practically leapt onto you while 'Kiss Cam' flashed on the screen!

Tori's face burned red, as she looked at the footage of her acting so boldly. "Wuh... wow, you two really did have a good time, huh?" She adjusted her glasses, mouth curled up into an awkward half smile. Something told you that she wished she had a little more than a vague feeling about the day's activities now...

You waved to Leo on the way out. Tori had immediately forgotten about the video, instead squealing in joy as you two headed out of the hotel and onto a bustling city street. "C'mon Pete! tasty dinners await! Maybe I can buy a better shirt, this one's a little big. Oh, maybe we can look at the boats!"

Tori had enough energy for the both of you, which in a way made sense to you. When channeling had the potential to eat up half her waking days on the planet in the worst case, she needed to double up her energy to make up the difference when she was free. You almost had to jog after her at times, Tori was in and out of shop after shop. As promised, she bought a new shirt that better suited her shape, though it was pretty goofy, with a little stick figure person riding a dolphin with text that said I came to Seatown on porpoise! Given that she didn't have a lot of stuff of her own in those boxes, particularly decorations, she seemed eager to buy a bunch of little trinkets to liven up the guest bedroom with her own personal flair. A little scrap-metal bird on driftwood, a brass sextant replica, a ceramic dragon holding a glass orb that show up in every import shop, she was unstoppable!

It turned out the place with her favorite patty melts still existed, so you and Tori had dinner on the deck overlooking the harbor as the sun sat over the horizon, ready to dip behind clouds off the coast. She was all smiles all day, sighing in content as she glanced at the ocean, and then back to you. "This kind of stuff is exactly why I need a good friend like you watching out for me, Pete. Each channeling has the potential to take me far afield, and if I don't take advantage of where I end up, then what's the point? Mike would've just taken me home by now, and I'd have missed out on all this fun."

You shook your head a little. "That guy sounds like a real piece of work, honestly."

"Yeah, kind of," Tori said, stirring her iced tea mindlessly. "Early on, things were great with him, like how I heard you and Andrea are when everything's going smoothly. He just... hated when I wasn't myself. Or the burden I placed on him when things didn't go as planned, which I fully understand, I'm potentially a handful when I'm barely myself. At first I thought he would get used to it, but just he would go to great lengths to undo whatever hardships he'd been a part of. Then, uh... one time I channeled him. I think that was the beginning of the end, honestly, he did not like being in control of a girl's body, like it robbed him of his masculinity somehow. Anyway, he got obsessed with finding a way to end my curse, which was weird, y'know? I wanted to end it too, but I'd found ways to live with it, even enjoy the aftermath--hence..."

"Who ordered the patty melt?" your server asked, holding two plates. Tori raised her hand, almost salivating at the sight of her incredibly messy, greasy meal. A plate of pot roast and potatoes was set in front of you, and the server wandered off.

Tori grinned. "Hence, patty melt." Tori took a few bites, as did you, eating in silence for a moment. "Hey, uh. Question. If I were to channel you sometime, would you be okay with it? Like, not for any real reason, just so you could get a better understanding of channeling."

You set down your fork, pondering. "I mean, yeah, I think I would be up for it. It wouldn't bother you that I'd be inside you, making you dance around in your underwear or something?"

"I'm almost counting on it! Though in this case I'd be sharing control so I'll help choose the dances," Tori said with a giggle, before she calms down. "That's... a relief. Pete, I'll be honest, there are times where I might just need that. As in, I need normal days like this one, or close to normal. If I lose too many days to someone else's control and I can't even remember, I'll regret missing out on so much of my life later. But I can channel with somebody indefinitely if I do it willfully, and it blocks the other versions, so it just feels like I don't have to be in hiding if you can help me there. Doesn't have to be all the time, you already are doing a lot just sticking by me in this. And of course, if that means you want to shake my butt all around, it's yours to shake."

After probably the strangest conversation you'd had with Tori so far, you'd finished your meal and headed to one of the nearby hotels for an overnight stay, hurrying before the rains came in from offshore. You'd opted for two beds, though you didn't know what the night would bring. You'd only ever kissed Tori or seen her topless during or after channeling, so you thought maybe it would be safer than sharing a bed. Besides, a good night's sleep would mean more city exploration in the morning, which you knew Tori would be thrilled to do, so long as it was early enough to reduce the potential for wayward channeling...