Trouble at the workplace. (Sanquin / Sarpedon)

[Sanquin]

Chris wouldn't have minded if Leroy took his time. He could have easily texted 'I'll be there around 12' or something similar, and she would have accepted that as well. But he would come as soon as he could wake up apparently...oh well, that was up to him. The woman shrugged and finished her breakfast after reading the text. After that Chris went to her laptop to do some pre-work for the next day. Work was coming again after all. She continued working until someone rang the bell, then got up to open the door. A peek through the peephole in the door revealed it was indeed Leroy, so she opened it. Chris was about to say something when her nose caught the scent of...something. She raised a brow, looking Leroy over with interest for a moment. It was definitely him, and actually kind of...pleasant? She quickly shook her head and stepped aside. "Ugh...and it's even all your fault..." She muttered under her breath, motioning for him to come in. Great start of the day...he probably didn't even know what she was irritated about right now. Was this maybe what the whole 'men don't get women' thing came from? Either way, there were more important matters.

"Anyway, I found a photo, and it looks like the right guy. Also, I've found some more information on how we might be able to deal with the guy that got your soul and me into this...mess." She spoke as she closed the door behind it, still oblivious to her current attire. Her mind was preoccupied with other things at the moment. And the top was actually pretty comfortable. "A certain book apparently tells of a ritual that could annul demonic contracts. I'm not sure if it works for this kind of contract, but it's at least something to check out. Problem is that we have to go to Massachusetts for it. Some old lady there has a large collection of the occult. She posted she has the book. But it's not exactly next-door..." As she was talking Chris made her way over to her laptop, so she could actually show him the photo as well. She could talk and type at the same time anyway.

[Sarpedon]

Leroy noticed Chris looking him over when she opened the door. He raised an eyebrow right back, wondering why she was being so weird all of a sudden, he thought she had disliked him? But then she mumbled something, and he felt better. He didn't know what it was, but she was probably bad-mouthing him because she still hated him, which meant she had not been being weird. He didn't care either way, though, they were working together, and if she couldn't do that, she could go do her own thing, and he would track down his soul on his own. He walked in, hoping his rival wasn't going to flip on him. They were on her turf now, and somewhere in this turf was a handgun. If she went ballistic on him, it would probably be in a quite literal sense. He almost chuckled at that thought, but the look on Chris' face crushed that impulse, it was pretty clear that her next freak out would not be pleasant.

But there was no time to focus on that, it was time to get back to business. She had found a photo of the guy they were looking for, as well as someone who can help them. As Leroy was processing this information, he actually gave thought to what Chris was wearing. He had been preoccupied with her being weird earlier, so he hadn't noticed, but now that he did, he liked it. The tank-top was a nice touch. Wait, why is she dressed like that? he wondered as he made his way to the couch to sit down. He was now confused. She disliked him, or something to that effect, she had said that, so why dress like this? He disliked her too, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate a nice rack when he saw one. He decided that caring about how she felt about him and what her designs on him might be was too much work, and instead focused on the things she was bringing up to show him on her laptop. But he had a moment to wait, and the salesman couldn't stop his mind or his eyes from wandering, though he had enough sense to not be caught.

She is pretty damn hot like this, and the whole 'being a woman' thing aside, she does seem easier to deal with... Tits do that for you, I guess... If she'd stop being so bitchy, I could like her... Leroy knew that Chris was still Chris the guy somewhere under all that, but from what he could tell, it was more than just appearances that had changed since his deal with the devil. And that meant the Chris he was talking to, wasn't technically the Chris he hated. So that meant he was allowed to like this person. Leroy didn't know what to think now, so he shut off his thinking and focused on work. He needed to go to Massachusetts? Fuck... That's a bit more than a day trip... Wait, I've got like a week's worth of sick days and paid vacation days left... he thought, and wondered. "Do we need anything else from abroad?" he asked, figuring he could make it a proper outing and go touring for a bit. Then when he got back they could undo the deal he had made...

[Sanquin]

Chris pulled up the forum and showed Leroy the picture as well. It was indeed the same guy, only in this picture he was wearing a business suit and was accompanied by what looked to be some kind of thug bodyguard. It was a picture of this city, even if it was hard to tell as it was pretty close-up. But at least they knew this guy probably lived in Florida, and most likely in Jacksonville too. Next she pulled up the e-mail she had received from the old lady. It had an image attached of the book in question at what looked to be some kind of library. Chris could only think of the Harvard one that could have such an obscure book, if it was the real deal of course. Smaller libraries generally only had popular books as to not lose too many customers. But Harvard would have books just for the sake of having them. Then Leroy spoke up again, asking a rather odd question. Need anything from abroad...? "What...abroad? Well...I guess if we're going to Massachusetts we might as well get some other things done, but..." The woman thought for a little bit, not sure about what to do in another country and not even realizing that going together with Leroy pretty much meant they would be going on vacation together.

"Oh! The Hardvard museum of natural history. I always wanted to go there some time. And they have a beautiful aquarium there." Maybe Leroy wasn't into that kind of thing. Found it boring or something. But she didn't expect him to take her on a date or anything. Far from it. And he could do...whatever he wanted when she was doing her thing, after all. "I still have about one and a half weeks I can collect for a vaca--" Then Chris realized...this would be a vacation wouldn't it? She turned to Leroy, frowning a little bit. "Let me make myself clear, we're not going on vacation together. We're just travelling together to fix our problem!"

The woman sighed and got up, heading for the kitchen. "Anyway, want anything to drink?" She asked as she did, figuring she could at least give him the same courtesy as he had done with all the beer he had let her drink for free. Once one glass was filled with water, and the other with whatever Leroy wanted, Chris came back. Only she had one more thing with her. About one-third of a chocolate bar, which she bit a piece off of as she handed him his glass. "See this?" She muttered, looking him straight in the eyes. "This is your fault too. If I get fat because of this I'm making you pay for the fitness center once I'm back to normal." Not that they were expensive at all. But she wanted him to pay, literally and figuratively, for any gained weight because of what her female body did to her eating habits and tastes.

[Sarpedon]

The picture was of the right guy, that was a good thing, and it seemed like he was local too, which should make finding him easier, right? Then she showed him a picture of the book, and he nodded, he knew what he was looking for now, time to get things done. He needed to go to Massachusetts and find that book, then he needed to come back and fix the situation. But having mentioned travelling, his partner was now planning a vacation or something, like this was going to be a fun trip. "Do whatever, I suppose... As long as you're around when I find the guy who took my soul, you should be able to switch back. I only have like five paid sick days and vacation days though, so if you're planning some big trip, I'll be disappearing partway through..." Leroy also planned to be taking the book with him, so that he could try and figure this shit out. She was more hate-able as a guy, now it's kind of sad... he thought, his dislike for her fading a little.

Then she came back on topic and thought about the fact that it would be like a vacation if they went off together. She had to 'make herself clear.' which kind of pissed the salesman off, and he gave her his most scathing 'What the fuck is your problem?' look. Of course they weren't going on vacation, just because she had tits didn't make her likable, especially not like this, and since they didn't like each other, even with Leroy's mixed feelings, why would it be a vacation? And then, just like that, she was done, and getting up to get a drink. Fucking women, man... he thought, More reasons to be single... he shook his head and muttered something to himself, before answering his hostess' question, "Water's fine." he told her, and when she brought it back he just put it down and ignored it.

Then she waved chocolate in his face and blamed it on him, as if it were him forcing it down her throat. He wasn't putting up with shit like that, and he certainly didn't have the money to pay for a gym membership. He went right back to not liking Chris and made that clear. "Look, it's not my fault you have no self control. I'm not paying for shit if you get fat. If you get fat it's because you have no self control, and that's not my problem, I didn't do that to you. You have enough time and willpower to go to the goddamn gym, how about you spend some of that on not stuffing crap down your throat?" Leroy was being hostile now, he knew that, but he couldn't help it. It was part of the reason he didn't sell as many cars as Chris, and it was most of the reason he was single. When people got in his face, he would get in their face right back. Even when it might not be warranted, when they weren't actually being hostile. He did his best to not take shit from anyone, but that meant he often ended up dishing it out in meaningless defense of himself. Women, children, customers, none of them were safe from his refusal to be bullied. He would admit that it didn't serve him very well most of the time, but someday he would find a use for it. Until then, he just had to hope he didn't piss off the wrong people and get shot or stabbed...

[Sanquin]

Chris didn't really notice Leroy's angry looks as she was paying attention to her computer screen. Probably a good thing as otherwise they might have gotten into a fight. And even though it was probably Chris' fault if they did, she would have not seen it that way. The two couldn't use that kind of bad blood between them right now. They had to fix their problem, and needed each other to do so.

When Leroy snapped back at her after blaming him for her new found cravings she wanted to snap right back at him at first. But for some reason his words hurt her a lot more than she expected. Or rather, the seeming implications that went with them. Even if Leroy didn't mean it that way, she still thought of his words like that. Her mouth opened and she took an audible breath, but then stopped and closed it again, looking down. Shit, now she was feeling not just angry, but also sad? Was this what estrogen did to you or something? Was this what women dealt with all the time? No wonder they always seemed to sensitive to certain topics. "Whatever...just go. We're done here for now since we'll have to file a request for vacation first anyway." She spoke in a tone that sounded like 'you hurt my feelings' or something similar, even if she didn't say it out loud. Sure, Chris shouldn't have said what she did to his face like that, pinning all the blame on him. But for him to react in such a harsh manner in return was a bit over the top. Maybe because he still thought of her as talking to male Chris. And she herself saw herself that way as well. But her subconscious mind and body seemed to have other idea's about that.

(Meh, short...but I can't post much more until I know Leroy's reaction. ^^; )

[Sarpedon]

Leroy couldn't believe this. Chris had the nerve to angrily blame all of her problems on him, and then couldn't take it when he retorted angrily. She was doing the typical woman thing and blowing him off. Fucking women, man... he thought again, shaking his head. He took a deep breath and then sighed. He shook his head again, Just do it man, get it over with... he told himself, and then, taking another breath, he put his hand on Chris' shoulder, "Hey. That wasn't cool of me, that got out of hand. I'm sorry..." the salesman said, looking serious. This was probably the most honest apology that Chris was ever going to get from him. Given the situation, even he would admit to his reaction being over the top. That, and he really needed the help of his person in order to get his soul back. That meant apologizing, and since Chris was a woman, it had to be legit or she'd do something crazy like claw his eyes out.

Now that that was taken care of, Leroy got up, hoping that it was actually taken care of. Most people he hung around with, when he hung around with people, liked to fight things out, then the next day they shook hands and went back to being friends. Women, unfortunately, didn't work like that. He sighed as headed for the door. There were too many people dishing out shit they couldn't take, and Leroy had had more than enough. He should moderate the things he said better, but he was convinced that everyone else should change instead. He was moving slowly in case Chris decided there was something else to say, but he didn't dawdle, figuring she didn't want him around any more. He also didn't want to be there, since he didn't like apologizing, and he had just done so. He had things to do, so he focused on those instead, he had to go to the bank, and then home, and then to the store. Bank, home, store. he thought hard, trying to ignore the fact that he had just been forced to try and take back something he meant with all of his being. Hating people you need is really hard... he thought, sighing again, and trying once more to put that out of his mind...

[Sanquin]

Before Leroy left he did something she had not expected of him ever. Even at work he only ever apologized to the manager, as otherwise he might lose his job. To other people and even customers he never did that. Not as far as she had seen at least. She was lost for words for a few moments as he started to make his way to the door. Then quickly the woman turned around. "Leroy wait. I'm sorry too. Wasn't cool of me either to blame you for the chocolate thing." Even so Leroy was still leaving. She didn't blame him. The situation had become quite awkward between them now, neither liking apologizing to the other. Once the man was out of the door Chris sighed, shutting down her computer and moving to the couch. She flipped on the TV and decided to just sit there watching whatever might be on. There wasn't much else to do anyway for the moment. Just a quick online check to see her savings account's balance. She should have around 2000 dollars on it, which was an emergency and vacation fund. More emergency than vacation. 750 of that could at least go to this road trip, since a last minute flight would cost around 200 dollars if she remembered right.

After dinner Chris was bored...really bored. She sighed, only being able to think of one thing she could do to at least kill a bit of time. Something she did on a regular basis as a guy. The woman gulped, glancing down to her pelvis. If she was going to be stuck like this...would she be going through all that without any kind of 'release'? Hell no...that would kill her. Well...not literally of course, but still! One hand slid down as she sat behind her laptop. Might as well try it...see how it went. If it was too awkward or anything like that she could always stop. However the moment she touched just the right place between her legs she let out a soft gasp. Damn...a woman was definitely more sensitive than a man! Chris didn't know it just yet, but this new sensation and discovery of her own body would keep her busy for the rest of the evening. Then finally at 10 pm she decided to take a shower to clean up a little. Time had really flown by rather...quickly. But at least she hadn't been bored for the evening. And this was definitely something to do more often. Did other women do this often as well? If so, she couldn't blame them!

[Sarpedon]

Leroy didn't stay, mostly because he didn't want to dwell on his apology. When Chris apologized he felt a bit better, but it almost made his situation worse, with everyone apologizing he was getting angry again. But he had to go to the bank, then home, and then to the store, so he focused on that instead of Chris and how annoying she could be. I wonder how much a plane ticket costs... he thought, not wanting to have to spend all his money right away. He was going to have to sleep somewhere, after all, considering that it was a bit more than a day trip to wherever they were going, probably Boston, based on what he had heard. Where the fuck am I going to sleep? Fuck... he thought, maybe he could split a room with Chris. They seemed to be okay now, so he supposed that was an option. He still didn't know how he felt about her though. He didn't like her, but at the same time, she was hot, and it was better than Chris the guy. If she stayed her, he'd have to give it some thought, but for now he would pretend she was a dude and then when she turned back he wouldn't have to worry about it too much. She didn't like him either, so it wasn't like she was a viable partner anyway. Speaking of Chris, she wanted to go to some museum and some aquarium. Leroy didn't have the kind of disposable cash she had, and he also didn't have the same amount of time off, so he was going to get the book, and then he was going to come back and try to track down the man who had taken his soul.

He was mostly calm when he arrived at the bank, and he only screamed at the ATM a little bit when it gave him the run-around. Apparently, all of the bank machines hated him, every single one. Even before he was a soulless husk, they hated him, his account was often lost or hidden, and he rarely managed to pull cash out of the machine. Thankfully, this time he eventually managed to get his money out, and the salesman moved on. He didn't like paying in anything but cash. After selling people cars for horrifying amounts of money all day, the idea of paying in credit was scary, and the amount of debt he could rack up was mind-blowing, so he stuck to cash. He could count every penny he spent, and he knew when he was broke. That meant his credit score was zip, and that he didn't have a whole lot compared to other people, but he got by, and he felt secure. He didn't have to worry about debt, just his other bills. Now that he had all of his cash in hand, Leroy headed home. He needed to do an inventory so that he could go shopping and pick up what he needed, probably mostly food, but he wanted to be sure.

Getting home, he relaxed. He was home now, and wouldn't have to be held up to public standards any more. That meant he changed into nothing more than a pair of sweat pants before he started packing. Part way through he called his boss, just to let the man know that he would be using up what he had left for vacation and sick days this week, and if he didn't like it, he could suck it. Leroy didn't actually say that his boss could suck it, because he didn't have to, his boss accepted the fact that his second best salesperson would not be showing up, and then hung up. "That was really fucking easy... Too bad, almost wish he would have said no so that I could quit..." he muttered to himself. He didn't think he would be going back to work at the car place when this was over. He didn't like it there, and Chris was an asshole. He'd find some other job, do something other than trick people into buying shit for extortionate prices. Thinking about all this got him distracted, and Leroy somehow ended up napping on the couch instead of packing. Eventually he woke up, and then made himself something to eat before going to bed. He would finish packing and head out tomorrow after a quick stop by the store...

[Sanquin]

After her shower Chris relaxed for a while longer. Long hair took ages to dry apparently, which made her think of buying a cheap hair dryer the next day just for the time that she was like this. As, as far as she knew she would stay a woman for weeks, months maybe even. After another two hours, at 12 am Chris finally headed to bed. She wasn't too tired yet, but getting up early was a necessity as she still had to pack for going the road trip. Since Leroy only had 5 days to spend she wouldn't have to pack too much though.

The next morning Chris was awake at 9 am. Quite late for her, but she wanted to be well rested for the flight to Massachusetts. She had called her boss at 7 am, telling him that she would be taking leave for a few days. The man voiced his surprise at the 'coincidence' of her doing it just as Leroy took some leave as well. She kept it at that. That it was a coincidence. As explaining to the man that they were going together would only give problems one way or another. Once she was awake Chris got into the same clothes as the day before, then started packing. Three full pairs of clothes, toothbrush, shampoo, camera, laptop, things like that. However when she was in the bathroom the woman noticed something new once again. "I have make-up...?" She muttered, staring in disbelief at her bathroom cabinets. Her first thought was to forget about it, but then she got to think. "Make-up, huh... Well...as long as I'm like this I could at least keep up my appearance..." She had done so as a guy as well, but never make-up. Just keeping 'his' face shaven and hair properly combed and such. She sighed and grabbed what looked to be the most used lipstick. It took her a good 10 minutes just to apply that properly. Eyeliner...it looked very used as well. Great... Another 15 minutes later and she was done. "Finally..." The woman groaned, quickly putting both of them in her suitcase as well. "And now I need to go to the stores..." Chris then told herself, trying to hurry a little to make up for lost time.

Another hour later and the woman was done. Her suitcase was packed, she had had breakfast, and she was ready to go. So now Chris sent Leroy a text, wondering if he was done as well. It was almost 12 pm now after all. "I'm ready to go. Just tell me when to book our flight." She texted him, then headed to the couch to watch some TV for a while, while trying to find any hotels that they could go to in Boston for three nights. Problem was, that they were all rather expensive. Around 100 dollars a night for anything half-decent. Though there was another option...sharing a hotel room maybe? They had no interest in each other anyway...so yea, it would be just like two guys sharing a hotel room or something. And those were around 130 a night at the same hotel, meaning they would save 35 dollars each if they did that. She'd call Leroy about it in a bit...

[Sarpedon]

Leroy woke up early the next morning, having gone to bed early the night before. He finished packing his bag frantically, while scarfing down breakfast. He stuffed clothes into a duffel bag while devouring some toast, and once he had his stuff, obviously minus what he had not purchased, he grabbed a box of granola bars and headed for his car. He jumped down the stairs, taking a flight at a time, and then dashed madly to his car, not bothering to close the door so the person going in would have to buzz in. Then, he unlocked his door, his shaking hands making it take several tries. Once he was in his car, his bag and granola bars in the passenger's seat, he tore out of the parking lot and raced to the shopping centre. He very nearly got pulled over by the police on his way, but a combination of luck and a skillful tap of the brakes put him just below the speed limit by the time the cop got his radar gun on target.

Then, once around the corner, the salesman returned to hauling ass, and he was pretty sure he now held the record for getting to the shopping centre fastest. Once he parked, apologetically taking a hanidcapped spot, he rushed inside. He only needed a couple of things, so he figured he would be okay. He sprinted through the store grabbing some 'travel-sized' items as well as some more food before heading to the checkout. He didn't even glance at the cashier, just waved cash at them and snatched his change. Politeness went out the window when he was in such a rush. Once everything was paid for he grabbed it and sprinted off again, back to his car. There were not enough people around for anyone to care that he was in a handicapped spot, so he got off scot-free there. Now, after stuffing his stuff into his bag, he was off to the airport.

"Fuck!" he shouted, looking down at his watch. He had thought it was earlier, but apparently it was almost twelve. Then his phone buzzed and the salesman pulled over violently to check it. Emily was texting him now, wanting to know when to book their flight? "What?" he muttered, texting her back, "Il b chillin @ airport. gimme shout wen ur heer." he replied. Leroy hadn't thought it all the way through, but he figured he'd go to each company and see who had the soonest, cheapest flight to Boston. Then he would negotiate the price as low as they would go, and get a ticket there. Then he would rush through security and hop on the plane. In theory, it would be simple, but if his last trip was anything to go by, he might end up in a screaming match...