Amy

“I can’t believe you wouldn’t let me pick a quest,” I grumbled, as we made our way back towards our house.

“You said that already,” Bridgette remarked. “Twenty minutes ago. And twenty twenty minutes before that. And twenty minutes before that.”

“Well, I can’t help being incredulous, now can I?” I demanded. “We sat through all of Ginny’s talk, and got signed up, and then you just… demanded we go home!”

“Because we have class tomorrow!” Bridgette reminded me. “Hunting monsters is a weekend thing. Unless you want to show up to your classes tired, bruised, and hurt?”

“We could try to group up with a healer,” I pointed out. “It is the healing guild as well, is it not?”

“Yeah, but the real good healers go to the actual dedicated healers guild for the most part,” Bridgette explained. “We mostly get those who can heal a few bruises, or maybe even just their own wounds.”

“That still sounds better than going without. We might want to recruit a gatherer, too, come to think of it - seeing as how the two of us are more focused on the hunt.”

“Assuming we can find anyone who’d agree to us keeping the beast core. We’re sort of trying to keep the most valuable part of the missions to ourselves, in case you forgot.”

“Right… I suppose that might pose an issue with attracting talent…” I murmured. “We could let them have everything else we find on missions, though, couldn’t we? It’s not as if we need money, so long as I remain at the academy…”

“That might work,” Bridgette said - though she sounded uncertain to my ears. “The core’s really the most valuable part, though. You can use it as a self-enhancer, or integrate it with weapons or shields to buff them, sometimes, depending on the monster. Not to mention their obvious use in mana potions.”

“Well, I suppose we’ll be asking the guild for help in that regard. Something I’d have loved to do before we left, if you hadn’t rushed me out the door.”

“Okay, so maybe I was a bit too quick on that,” Bridgette conceded, “but I saw you eyeing the wall of quests! I don’t think you’d have let me drag you out of there if I let you settle on something!”

“That’s… fair,” I conceded in turn. “But I’m still annoyed. We’ll likely have to go back after classes tomorrow, if we want to ask for help getting in contact with appropriate party members.”

“Unless we want to try recruiting from within the school?” Bridgette suggested. “I bet Pauline would be willing to help patch you up, for starters!”

“There’s no way I could drag Pauline into this,” I protested. “She’s undergone quite enough trouble for my sake - being forced to help teach me by the teacher, and all.”

“I dunno,” Bridgette replied. “Sure, Pauline’s the helpful sort, and yeah she can be kind of a pushover when it comes to helping people in need, but…” she trailed off. “Okay, so maybe I go talk to her on my own.”

“Don’t. Please. I don’t want to pressure her into spending extra time around me, when my appearance surely causes her pain…”

“Oh come on,” Bridgette said, rolling her eyes, “it’s not like Amelia traumatized her that badly.”

“She almost died from Amelia’s poisons, did she not?”

“And probably would have if she didn’t have a spell ready to burn out poisons!” Bridgette replied. “But none of that stopped her from healing you, back when we weren’t even sure if you were Amelia or not.”

“And now she’s stuck dealing with me, as a result of her own good actions,” I said. “Not that I’m anything but grateful, of course, but… well, I think it’s best I show that gratitude by trying to stay away from her where possible…”

“If you say so,” Bridgette replied, shaking her head. “I still say you should try to recruit a gatherer from the school, though. Maybe one of the students who’ve actually bothered to sign up for alchemy classes? The school usually has enough supplies for most potions, but I’ve heard of this one girl who’s constantly hounding the staff for oddball ingredients.”

“It’s a place to start at least,” I admitted. “And one that doesn’t involve going to the guild again before we’re ready for a mission…”

“Definitely a plus in my book!” Bridgette confirmed.

“For now, though, I think it’s time to get some rest…”

“Food first, then rest,” Bridgette replied. “Though I’m pretty sure Clara said we’re going to run out of food soon? And then you’ll actually be forced into the cafeteria. Unless we wanna use the king’s stipend for that, I guess?”

“I hardly see the problem in eating amongst my peers,” I replied, shaking my head. “Best to save our stipend for times of need, I think.”

“They’re not exactly your peers, though,” Bridgette pointed out. “I mean, not to sound pretentious or anything, but I’m not sure you have peers at this point. You’re not an aristocrat anymore, but I wouldn’t call you a common peasant either considering who you’re engaged to…”

“Yes, well, be that as it may, as long as nobody tries to cause me trouble while I dine I think it’ll be fine. For now, though, let’s get a meal and head to bed.”

Bridgette mere;ly grunted in affirmation.

***

???

***

I knew it was a dream. Not in the very first moments, perhaps - in fact, at first I found myself panicking at the fact that I couldn’t control my body, even to shift my gaze or turn my head. I was stuck following the knights, into the familiar principal’s office, to where the king resided.

That was when I knew it was a dream. For I knew there was no reason for me to be standing before the king again, in a body not my own.

The king spoke, and I listened. Then my body spoke, and I listened. Listened to it say that I wasn’t Amelia.

Then I listened to the king - listened to his approval, to his pleasure at not being faced with that horrible bitch. Heard him suggest that we put everything to right. That I be inherited by the duke.

That was when I realized it wasn’t a dream, but a nightmare. I wanted to scream. I wanted to stomp my feet. Some part of me even wanted to cry, I think. Most of all, though, I wanted to protest.

Yet my lips wouldn’t move. They weren’t mine. Not anymore. I couldn’t use them, couldn’t speak through them, couldn’t spit upon the idea of being reconnected to a treacherous man who’d only ever sought to control me. To use me.

I was going to be bound to him, again. Even in this dream - this nightmare - I knew full well I couldn’t escape.

So imagine my surprise when at last my lips opened - and refused him.

***

I sat upright in bed, a hand over my heart, breathing hard. There was a dampness on my sheets, I realized after a moment, and for an instant I feared that perhaps I’d done something uncomely, such as drool upon them… until I felt the wetness on my cheeks.

I’d been crying.

“Well, well, well, someone was certainly having a nightmare,” a familiar voice drawled. 

I threw a pillow in their direction. “Shut up. I dreamt I was back there. In my own form.”

“An odd dream, then, wasn’t it?” the demon mused, batting my pillow out of the air. “Perhaps because you miss home?”

“Miss home?” I asked, wanting nothing more than to spit at the mere idea of it - but to do so felt as if I’d be letting loose my last bits of femininity, and giving into this horrible masculine shell I was stuck to. Not that spitting was inherently masculine, I suppose, but it certainly wasn’t the work of a Lady. “The only thing I miss about that place is my form - nothing more, and nothing less.”

“Is that so?” the demon asked. “You know, even if you manage to use this world’s medicine to change your body, you won’t go back to how you looked before. Not without a lot of plastic surgery.”

“And I suppose you have an alternate answer?” I asked, arching an eyebrow. I was curious as to what they meant about ‘plastic surgery’ but I didn’t want to appear too intrigued or ignorant of anything in the midst of a negotiation.

“Magic, of course,” the demon replied. “Preferably applied to those little pills they like to give mortals in this world. Something to boost them, more or less - the changes would be slow enough to pass for a normal transition, but the end result would be significantly closer to your original appearance than what this world’s medicine could normally achieve.”

“Closer?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Not perfect, then?”

“What in life is?” the demon asked. “The medicine of this world cannot help with certain… anatomical features, shall we say? Not without surgery, at least. And to skip that surgery with magic would mean to have no documentation of it.”

“Do I need documentation to change such a part?” I asked, frowning. “Why is it anyone’s business whether my anatomy perfectly matches what they think it should?”

“I suppose it isn’t,” the demon admitted, “but it’ll raise quite a few questions if it’s ever discovered, I assure you…”

“More than medicine magically changing me from this into what I used to be?”

“Quite a bit more,” the demon confirmed. “Many a mortal already considers those pills to be borderline magic in how they work, after all. Even your face structure’s reshaping can be explained as makeup or a trick of the light, to most. Especially if you cut off what few ties the former of this body had.”

“I’ve already cut off ties, I’d say. Seeing as how I haven’t answered a single one of the missives sent to him.” I glanced to the side as I spoke, to the rectangular device I knew to be a ‘phone.’ I had learned the basics of how to turn it on, and while many of its functions still baffled me I was fairly certain I could at least manage to send a rudimentary message or two if I wished… but what use did I have for this man’s former friends and family?

“You’d be surprised how long some people cling to the idea of friendship,” the demon said, shaking their head. “I’m sure you could rebuild bridges if you wanted - but feel free to burn them, if you wish. The one you swapped with certainly seems to have little to no attachment to this world, after all, so they can’t have been that important to her.”

I made a small noise - not a grunt, for all that it sounded suspiciously like one coming from this body. Ladies didn’t grunt though, anymore than they spat. It was simply a-a noise of affirmation.

“Why are you even bothering to tempt me with all this?” I asked, after a moment. “Our old deal is still active, is it not? Seeing as how you’ve yet to make me happy.”

“True enough,” the demon confirmed. “But what’s the problem with a second contract, if we finish it quick? Especially if it leads closer to that happiness you seek.”

“If it leads to happiness, you should just do it,” I argued. “It’s your responsibility to fulfill your end of the deal, isn’t it?”

The demon didn’t respond, outside of a smug smile.

“I hate you,” I muttered, unable - unwilling - to contain the sentiment. “What could I even trade with you, anyway? You already own my soul.”

“Souls might be a universal currency, but they’re hardly the only thing of worth on the market,” the demon replied. “Did you know that there are places where people will sell their souls for a five pound bag of pure, refined sugar?”

“Are you… are you implying I didn’t have to offer my soul for your services?”

“It’s not my fault you lacked the imagination to offer anything else of value,” the demon replied, with that smug smile still in place. “Now go get dressed while I get you an uber - we’re going shopping.”

~~~Author's Notes

I've been planning for this dream for a While, but wanted to wait until the day ended in-story. I've also been planning that bit about the sugar for a while - though I didn't initially expect the two plans to collide like this. It works, though! I think?

Dealing with a pretty bad depression day, to be honest, but writing makes me feel productive and it's either that or fall asleep until game time, so... Yeah.

Next up is... maybe a chapter of Double Trouble? We'll see how long it takes....

Also, it's a bit early to make another public post of MOV, I think, so I guess we're getting a six chapter buffer for now? It might go back down to five tomorrow, when I post though. (Unless I write another chapter or two tomorrow, in which case it'll stay at 6 and... I dunno, maybe we'll inch our way towards 10...? Or maybe I'll hold it in reserve for when we eventually hit a period where I don't feel up to writing.... We'll see. I kinda don't feel like I need to have that big a buffer with the prices of my tiers, but at the same time I do like sharing what I've written, and I'm in a Productive State somehow so... Yeah.