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ax_mainTwinswap Plot, Day 2 Vax goes to find Percy and finds Gilmore instead. It's not the easiest explanation, but Gilmore does help with a bear of a problem.
One day in and Vax had yet to master the art of the bra, so he’d gone with an ace bandage instead to keep Vex’s breasts from being overly obvious under his skull and crossbones t-shirt. And while the shirt fit just fine, his leather pants filled out in places he didn’t expect, and the boots were a little too big.
Percy was right, though. Being back in his own clothes and tying Vex’s hair back in a ponytail felt more like home. He just had to ignore the looks he got as he headed down to Percy’s workshop. Once there, he knocked hopefully. “Hey gorgeous, you in there?”
"Come on in!" came Gilmore's resonant voice from within. Production had halted today in favor of a little spring cleaning, it seemed. When the door opened, Gilmore was revealed to be wrestling the futon's cushion back in to its freshly-laundered cover, with the pillow covers Gilmore had made waiting patiently to be re-fit onto their fillers. The inventor himself was dressed in loose gym shorts and an old t-shirt from, apparently, a high school production of Into The Woods, with his usually glorious hair pulled back into a tail to keep it out of his face. He paused, and grinned brightly when Vex came through the door.
"Well! Hello yourself, beautiful. This..." Gilmore made a swirling gesture with one hand, indicating Vex's outfit, "... is a whole look. You on your way to kick someone's ass?"
Vax came to a slow stop at the sight of Gilmore. And yeah, although he should have immediately corrected him, he instead cocked his sister's head at Gilmore's attire. "Speaking of looks... are you trying something new?"
Gilmore set the re-covered futon down and turned, cocking one hip, twirling a hand up as if he were a hostess on a TV game show, then did a slow turn in place to show off his... 'outfit.' "I call it Clean Up Your Own Mess Chic. What, doesn't it suit my figure?" he teased, with a broad white grin and a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
Vax shook his head slowly, a smile pulling at the edges of his sister's lips. "Shaun, somehow even in a t-shirt and gym shorts, you manage to look sexy."
That brought about a pleased grin, and Gilmore dropped the pose. "Somehow? Please, I know exactly how. That's why I had to clean the futon," he intimated with a quick waggle of dark brows. Clearly, his relationship with Vex was just as playfully flirtatious as with her brother. "If you're looking for Percival, my dear, I'm afraid that he's mysteriously never to be found when menial labor is the order of the day."
"Well that's just not true; I've touched those biceps," Vax snorted as he closed the door and crossed toward Gilmore. "How can I help?"
“Oh, Percy works,” Gilmore agreed readily. “The key word is menial.” His smile grew a bit confused; did Vex touch Percy frequently? It seemed odd, but not enough to comment on. Instead, he looked to Vex hopefully.
“Could you be an absolute dear and help me get the corners stuffed before I zip up?”
Vax smiled at the wording and nodded, reaching out to help Gilmore with the corners. "There's something I should tell you. I suppose I should tell everyone, but it's...awkward."
Working in tandem with one person to hold the cover and one to push the cushion into place made everything worlds easier. Gilmore smoothed the stuffing into place, quite fastidious and particular about leaving no extra space or wrinkles. He glanced up as Vex spoke, his brows lifting with that fond smile he so often bestowed on his friends. "Vex'ahlia. There is nothing you could tell me that would make me adore you any less. You can tell me anything."
"Well, that's just the thing," Vax sighed, lowering himself to sit on the edge of the futon. He glanced up at Gilmore sheepishly, giving him a sort of half-smile. "I'm not Vex'halia."
With a concerned tilt to his brows, Gilmore sat down on the futon beside her, turning his focus from the cleaning to his friend. Vex always seemed so self-assured; was she really going through a crisis of identity? Maybe re-evaluating her gender identity? Gilmore tried to push any preconceptions from his mind. "Okay. Tell me what's going on," he prompted, gentle as ever.
Vax quirked an appreciative smile at his friend. Gilmore, so supportive. It was nice to know that he was as loving with his sister as he was with himself and Percy - even if Vax wasn't actually Vex at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he sighed. "Yesterday, Vex'ahlia was working on a charm - a magic item to teleport her to - to her brother. But something got mixed up in the process. The spell went...awry."
"Awry?" Gilmore looked concerned, nearly reaching out for Vex's hand, but stopping himself. She said she wasn't Vex, even though that didn't seem possible. Then again, Gilmore didn't know anything about magic. "Are you... uh, is Vex all right? Is Vax all right?"
Vax grimaced, but then found himself laughing softly, He shook his head, then reached out for Gilmore's hand, threading his fingers through his friend's. "Yeah, Shaun. Yeah, I'm alright. So is Vex. As much as we can be."
At first, Gilmore didn't really understand, but the way Vex fit her hand into his felt very familiar. There was something about the cadence of voice and the breath of a laugh that wasn't Vex at all. No... no, it was Vax. Shaun's eyes widened as that familiarity clicked into place with the words Vex was saying. "... what? Are you saying... you're... Vax right now?!"
Vax quirked Vex's lips in apology. "Yeah. Sorry to spring this on you. It's kind of fucked up."
Shaun stared silently for a long moment, then squeezed Vex's hand tightly. "It's... hard... to believe? Except, I believe you. What the hell happened? Are you sure you're all right?"
"Define alright?" Vax sighed. "Vex was trying to create a teleport charm, like I said. She used a bit of my hair and...well, teleported to me. Except it didn't work exactly like she wanted, right? Now she has my powers and I have hers, and I have no fucking clue how to reverse it."
"Vex's magic is beyond me, too," said Gilmore somewhat grimly. Now that he was listening, he could hear Vax in Vex's voice, catch his expressions and mannerisms in her face. It still didn't make any sense, though. "Have you talked to the other magic kids? What about Caleb?"
“Vex and the old guy are talking to him today,” Vax assured him, squeezing Gilmore’s hand.
Shaun placed his other hand atop their clasped fingers warmly. "I'm sure this is weirder for you, certainly, but right now I just can't seem to get the idea out of my head that Vex'ahlia suddenly knows what I looks like naked. It's disconcerting."
Vax actually found himself smiling at that. Grinning even. "We didn't swap brains, Shaun. I think Nolan, Percival and I are the only ones lucky enough to have the pleasure of that memory."
"Just do your best to keep hold of it when you make your way back into your own very sexy body," Gilmore suggested with a crooked little smile. He watched Vax's grin on Vex's face for a moment, before adding, "You seem to be in awfully good spirits, considering the circumstances."
Vax let out a soft, maybe somewhat hysterical laugh. "Fuck that. I was practically crying into my pillow last night. But Percival is being... well, himself. Overly supportive and full of wise words, and my darling sister doesn't seem at all phased, so I'm attempting to smile through it. At least it seems like it's working."
Shaun moved easily from clasped hands to curling his arms warmly around his friend's shoulders, offering one of his comfy and welcoming hugs. "Hey, now. If you need to fall apart for a minute, you know I won't tell anyone."
"I don't fall apart, Shaun, you should know better," Vax smiled at him, but gave him a hug nonetheless. "Brood a bit, maybe...but it's hard to even do that when Vex is going through the same thing and she's handling it like a breeze."
"Vex'ahlia has an adventurous spirit. Besides, why shouldn't she be excited? She gets to be you." Of course, Shaun loved Vex as a member of his chosen extended family, but Vax was different. Vax was special to him. He always would be, and Shaun would always favor Vax just a little. Thinking on it, Shaun arched a brow delicately. "In fact... I'm surprised you're not more concerned about what she's out there doing with your body."
"Like using the bathroom and shit? I'm trying not to think too hard about that," Vax grimaced. No doubt, he and Vex would know a whole lot more about each other when this was over.
Sure. Like using the bathroom. Gilmore hadn't been thinking of that, but he scolded himself silently. Vex wouldn't do anything weird or concerning with Vax's body, surely. "Well... what can I do to take your mind off things?" he offered. "Something fun? Have you, by any chance, tried using Vex's powers?"
"Sure - which is why we haven't switched back yet. I can't seem to undo what she did," Vax sighed, then reached up to touch the bear necklace around his neck. "I was thinking of trying to get Trinket out today. Maybe start slow."
Shaun gestured to the work room at large. "I have a bunch of materials and scrap lying around. Why don't we take an armful outside and see what you can come up with? Practice makes perfect, after all," he intoned, before adding with a little swirling gesture at himself, "... unless you're naturally perfect already."
Vax smirked at him. "You'll always be perfect, you glorious bastard. Now, instead of scrap, maybe you can explain to me what...what you think about when you're starting to make something?"
Always ready to talk about his creative process, Shaun pulled his feet up onto the futon and turned to face Vex/Vax, sitting Indian-style. "Hm. Well, I suppose first I think about the kind of feeling or sensation I want to evoke. What do I want someone to think or feel when they see or use it? It all about the feeling, really. From there, I usually work out if that feeling is best brought on by sight or touch or scent. Sometimes I'll start gathering jewelry supplies and figure out I really want to mix up a candle, so, I'm not always right the first time," he admitted with a small, but enthusiastic, smile.
Vax’s (Vex’s) eyebrows went up. “Well, fuck. That’s a lot.”
Gilmore shook his head briefly. "It's really no different than setting your intention and keeping that in your mind. One idea, one feeling. Make it your... North Star." He crooked an almost sheepish grin. "It sounds dramatic, but it works."
"North Star," Vax repeated thoughtfully. Kicking off his boots, he mimicked Gilmore, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged on the futon. Vex had always been his north star - his guide. But a feeling? Yeah, he understood that. He'd said as much to Vex when she was asking about his own power. He'd tried to convey the idea that he'd reached for that...darkness inside him. The anger and sadness and...everything that often built up inside of him. That, that was where he could feel his connection to the shadows. But Vex must reach for something different. Maybe something that drove her to keep moving, keep surviving?
He closed his eyes, then reached up to touch the necklace at his throat, and he tried to think like her. He tried to think of all the things she'd say to him in their time of crisis. She was always practical, always loving. She knew the right way out of a situation without trying. So he tried to reach for that...that practical side of himself. It wasn't really something he thought about often. He knew it, everyone knew it. He thought with his heart. But practically, he knew that Vex had no trouble calling Trinket forth from the necklace, and he never had trouble with Simon, right? So it should be the same thing...
And on the next breath, he suddenly had a very large bear cub sitting in his lap and blinking.
"Trinket," Gilmore practically cooed, reaching out to give the bear an affectionate pat. "Who's a big tough boy who's not going to maul us today, hmmm?"
His dark brown eyes nearly sparkled as he smiled at Vex. Vax. Ugh, so confusing. "You see? I knew you could do it."
Trinket rumbled at Gilmore's cooing, though not as much at the pat. But then Vax found the bear looking up at him and he grimaced. "Right. How to explain this cluster to a bear..."
"Mama's safe and fine, she's just a little different right now," Gilmore suggested, in a sing-song sort of voice one might use to speak to a very small child. "Please don't bite her. Or me."
"That's one way of putting it," Vax muttered, but then hugged Trinket to his sister's chest. "But Trinket won't hurt us, will you, buddy?"
The bear cub just grumbled a little, but allowed himself to be squeezed and hugged with no sign of trying to lash out at either of them.
Trinket was adorable, and though Gilmore was used to Vex's affection for fuzzy creatures, knowing that it was Vax behind that snuggle brought a smile to Gilmore's lips. "He doesn't seem any more preturbed than usual. I'd say you were wildly successful in your first attempt."
"That was actually more like my fiftieth attempt but...thanks," Vax told him fondly. "That was an immense help."
"Anything I can do to help get you and your pretty face reunited," Gilmore answered with a grin.
"I will never tell her you think I'm prettier," Vax found himself grinning.
Gilmore winked and put a finger to his lips. "Our little secret. And Trinket's not about to tell."
One day in and Vax had yet to master the art of the bra, so he’d gone with an ace bandage instead to keep Vex’s breasts from being overly obvious under his skull and crossbones t-shirt. And while the shirt fit just fine, his leather pants filled out in places he didn’t expect, and the boots were a little too big.
Percy was right, though. Being back in his own clothes and tying Vex’s hair back in a ponytail felt more like home. He just had to ignore the looks he got as he headed down to Percy’s workshop. Once there, he knocked hopefully. “Hey gorgeous, you in there?”
"Come on in!" came Gilmore's resonant voice from within. Production had halted today in favor of a little spring cleaning, it seemed. When the door opened, Gilmore was revealed to be wrestling the futon's cushion back in to its freshly-laundered cover, with the pillow covers Gilmore had made waiting patiently to be re-fit onto their fillers. The inventor himself was dressed in loose gym shorts and an old t-shirt from, apparently, a high school production of Into The Woods, with his usually glorious hair pulled back into a tail to keep it out of his face. He paused, and grinned brightly when Vex came through the door.
"Well! Hello yourself, beautiful. This..." Gilmore made a swirling gesture with one hand, indicating Vex's outfit, "... is a whole look. You on your way to kick someone's ass?"
Vax came to a slow stop at the sight of Gilmore. And yeah, although he should have immediately corrected him, he instead cocked his sister's head at Gilmore's attire. "Speaking of looks... are you trying something new?"
Gilmore set the re-covered futon down and turned, cocking one hip, twirling a hand up as if he were a hostess on a TV game show, then did a slow turn in place to show off his... 'outfit.' "I call it Clean Up Your Own Mess Chic. What, doesn't it suit my figure?" he teased, with a broad white grin and a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
Vax shook his head slowly, a smile pulling at the edges of his sister's lips. "Shaun, somehow even in a t-shirt and gym shorts, you manage to look sexy."
That brought about a pleased grin, and Gilmore dropped the pose. "Somehow? Please, I know exactly how. That's why I had to clean the futon," he intimated with a quick waggle of dark brows. Clearly, his relationship with Vex was just as playfully flirtatious as with her brother. "If you're looking for Percival, my dear, I'm afraid that he's mysteriously never to be found when menial labor is the order of the day."
"Well that's just not true; I've touched those biceps," Vax snorted as he closed the door and crossed toward Gilmore. "How can I help?"
“Oh, Percy works,” Gilmore agreed readily. “The key word is menial.” His smile grew a bit confused; did Vex touch Percy frequently? It seemed odd, but not enough to comment on. Instead, he looked to Vex hopefully.
“Could you be an absolute dear and help me get the corners stuffed before I zip up?”
Vax smiled at the wording and nodded, reaching out to help Gilmore with the corners. "There's something I should tell you. I suppose I should tell everyone, but it's...awkward."
Working in tandem with one person to hold the cover and one to push the cushion into place made everything worlds easier. Gilmore smoothed the stuffing into place, quite fastidious and particular about leaving no extra space or wrinkles. He glanced up as Vex spoke, his brows lifting with that fond smile he so often bestowed on his friends. "Vex'ahlia. There is nothing you could tell me that would make me adore you any less. You can tell me anything."
"Well, that's just the thing," Vax sighed, lowering himself to sit on the edge of the futon. He glanced up at Gilmore sheepishly, giving him a sort of half-smile. "I'm not Vex'halia."
With a concerned tilt to his brows, Gilmore sat down on the futon beside her, turning his focus from the cleaning to his friend. Vex always seemed so self-assured; was she really going through a crisis of identity? Maybe re-evaluating her gender identity? Gilmore tried to push any preconceptions from his mind. "Okay. Tell me what's going on," he prompted, gentle as ever.
Vax quirked an appreciative smile at his friend. Gilmore, so supportive. It was nice to know that he was as loving with his sister as he was with himself and Percy - even if Vax wasn't actually Vex at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he sighed. "Yesterday, Vex'ahlia was working on a charm - a magic item to teleport her to - to her brother. But something got mixed up in the process. The spell went...awry."
"Awry?" Gilmore looked concerned, nearly reaching out for Vex's hand, but stopping himself. She said she wasn't Vex, even though that didn't seem possible. Then again, Gilmore didn't know anything about magic. "Are you... uh, is Vex all right? Is Vax all right?"
Vax grimaced, but then found himself laughing softly, He shook his head, then reached out for Gilmore's hand, threading his fingers through his friend's. "Yeah, Shaun. Yeah, I'm alright. So is Vex. As much as we can be."
At first, Gilmore didn't really understand, but the way Vex fit her hand into his felt very familiar. There was something about the cadence of voice and the breath of a laugh that wasn't Vex at all. No... no, it was Vax. Shaun's eyes widened as that familiarity clicked into place with the words Vex was saying. "... what? Are you saying... you're... Vax right now?!"
Vax quirked Vex's lips in apology. "Yeah. Sorry to spring this on you. It's kind of fucked up."
Shaun stared silently for a long moment, then squeezed Vex's hand tightly. "It's... hard... to believe? Except, I believe you. What the hell happened? Are you sure you're all right?"
"Define alright?" Vax sighed. "Vex was trying to create a teleport charm, like I said. She used a bit of my hair and...well, teleported to me. Except it didn't work exactly like she wanted, right? Now she has my powers and I have hers, and I have no fucking clue how to reverse it."
"Vex's magic is beyond me, too," said Gilmore somewhat grimly. Now that he was listening, he could hear Vax in Vex's voice, catch his expressions and mannerisms in her face. It still didn't make any sense, though. "Have you talked to the other magic kids? What about Caleb?"
“Vex and the old guy are talking to him today,” Vax assured him, squeezing Gilmore’s hand.
Shaun placed his other hand atop their clasped fingers warmly. "I'm sure this is weirder for you, certainly, but right now I just can't seem to get the idea out of my head that Vex'ahlia suddenly knows what I looks like naked. It's disconcerting."
Vax actually found himself smiling at that. Grinning even. "We didn't swap brains, Shaun. I think Nolan, Percival and I are the only ones lucky enough to have the pleasure of that memory."
"Just do your best to keep hold of it when you make your way back into your own very sexy body," Gilmore suggested with a crooked little smile. He watched Vax's grin on Vex's face for a moment, before adding, "You seem to be in awfully good spirits, considering the circumstances."
Vax let out a soft, maybe somewhat hysterical laugh. "Fuck that. I was practically crying into my pillow last night. But Percival is being... well, himself. Overly supportive and full of wise words, and my darling sister doesn't seem at all phased, so I'm attempting to smile through it. At least it seems like it's working."
Shaun moved easily from clasped hands to curling his arms warmly around his friend's shoulders, offering one of his comfy and welcoming hugs. "Hey, now. If you need to fall apart for a minute, you know I won't tell anyone."
"I don't fall apart, Shaun, you should know better," Vax smiled at him, but gave him a hug nonetheless. "Brood a bit, maybe...but it's hard to even do that when Vex is going through the same thing and she's handling it like a breeze."
"Vex'ahlia has an adventurous spirit. Besides, why shouldn't she be excited? She gets to be you." Of course, Shaun loved Vex as a member of his chosen extended family, but Vax was different. Vax was special to him. He always would be, and Shaun would always favor Vax just a little. Thinking on it, Shaun arched a brow delicately. "In fact... I'm surprised you're not more concerned about what she's out there doing with your body."
"Like using the bathroom and shit? I'm trying not to think too hard about that," Vax grimaced. No doubt, he and Vex would know a whole lot more about each other when this was over.
Sure. Like using the bathroom. Gilmore hadn't been thinking of that, but he scolded himself silently. Vex wouldn't do anything weird or concerning with Vax's body, surely. "Well... what can I do to take your mind off things?" he offered. "Something fun? Have you, by any chance, tried using Vex's powers?"
"Sure - which is why we haven't switched back yet. I can't seem to undo what she did," Vax sighed, then reached up to touch the bear necklace around his neck. "I was thinking of trying to get Trinket out today. Maybe start slow."
Shaun gestured to the work room at large. "I have a bunch of materials and scrap lying around. Why don't we take an armful outside and see what you can come up with? Practice makes perfect, after all," he intoned, before adding with a little swirling gesture at himself, "... unless you're naturally perfect already."
Vax smirked at him. "You'll always be perfect, you glorious bastard. Now, instead of scrap, maybe you can explain to me what...what you think about when you're starting to make something?"
Always ready to talk about his creative process, Shaun pulled his feet up onto the futon and turned to face Vex/Vax, sitting Indian-style. "Hm. Well, I suppose first I think about the kind of feeling or sensation I want to evoke. What do I want someone to think or feel when they see or use it? It all about the feeling, really. From there, I usually work out if that feeling is best brought on by sight or touch or scent. Sometimes I'll start gathering jewelry supplies and figure out I really want to mix up a candle, so, I'm not always right the first time," he admitted with a small, but enthusiastic, smile.
Vax’s (Vex’s) eyebrows went up. “Well, fuck. That’s a lot.”
Gilmore shook his head briefly. "It's really no different than setting your intention and keeping that in your mind. One idea, one feeling. Make it your... North Star." He crooked an almost sheepish grin. "It sounds dramatic, but it works."
"North Star," Vax repeated thoughtfully. Kicking off his boots, he mimicked Gilmore, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged on the futon. Vex had always been his north star - his guide. But a feeling? Yeah, he understood that. He'd said as much to Vex when she was asking about his own power. He'd tried to convey the idea that he'd reached for that...darkness inside him. The anger and sadness and...everything that often built up inside of him. That, that was where he could feel his connection to the shadows. But Vex must reach for something different. Maybe something that drove her to keep moving, keep surviving?
He closed his eyes, then reached up to touch the necklace at his throat, and he tried to think like her. He tried to think of all the things she'd say to him in their time of crisis. She was always practical, always loving. She knew the right way out of a situation without trying. So he tried to reach for that...that practical side of himself. It wasn't really something he thought about often. He knew it, everyone knew it. He thought with his heart. But practically, he knew that Vex had no trouble calling Trinket forth from the necklace, and he never had trouble with Simon, right? So it should be the same thing...
And on the next breath, he suddenly had a very large bear cub sitting in his lap and blinking.
"Trinket," Gilmore practically cooed, reaching out to give the bear an affectionate pat. "Who's a big tough boy who's not going to maul us today, hmmm?"
His dark brown eyes nearly sparkled as he smiled at Vex. Vax. Ugh, so confusing. "You see? I knew you could do it."
Trinket rumbled at Gilmore's cooing, though not as much at the pat. But then Vax found the bear looking up at him and he grimaced. "Right. How to explain this cluster to a bear..."
"Mama's safe and fine, she's just a little different right now," Gilmore suggested, in a sing-song sort of voice one might use to speak to a very small child. "Please don't bite her. Or me."
"That's one way of putting it," Vax muttered, but then hugged Trinket to his sister's chest. "But Trinket won't hurt us, will you, buddy?"
The bear cub just grumbled a little, but allowed himself to be squeezed and hugged with no sign of trying to lash out at either of them.
Trinket was adorable, and though Gilmore was used to Vex's affection for fuzzy creatures, knowing that it was Vax behind that snuggle brought a smile to Gilmore's lips. "He doesn't seem any more preturbed than usual. I'd say you were wildly successful in your first attempt."
"That was actually more like my fiftieth attempt but...thanks," Vax told him fondly. "That was an immense help."
"Anything I can do to help get you and your pretty face reunited," Gilmore answered with a grin.
"I will never tell her you think I'm prettier," Vax found himself grinning.
Gilmore winked and put a finger to his lips. "Our little secret. And Trinket's not about to tell."
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