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Post by cypsiman2 on Nov 21, 2012 14:29:02 GMT -5
"Chiyoko Kaiba speaking." Seto Kaiba said, leaning back in his chair and unconcerned with appearances.
"Seto." Isis Ishtar's stern voice had his full attention. "Ahit Chalthoum had recently left the country, and while she took several flights, her last known destination was Domino City. She is there, and I will be there shortly. Inform Yuugi and his friends right away so they may be prepared for my arrival."
Seto heard her hung up the phone. He looked down at himself. He felt at his breasts; something seemed different about them, but he couldn't pin down exactly what. It didn't matter though; he'd gotten what use he could out of this body and its associated identity. He would call Mokuba and let him know that they would be back to normal before long.
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Post by Scribbler on Nov 21, 2012 16:57:14 GMT -5
When he came to the telephone, Mokuba sounded slightly manic. Seto narrowed his eyes, wondering what was going on in the mansion other than the obvious stress over unwanted body-parts.
“Big Bro … uh, sis… uh, hi!” Mokuba stumbled through a greeting and snorted a little at the end.
“Mokuba,” Seto said warningly. “What is going on? You sound strange.”
“You’re seriously asking me that?”
Seto conceded the point. “Stranger even than that.”
“I think … I think I might have had too much sugar. I feel funny.”
Seto sighed. “I have just spoken with Isis Ishtar.”
“You have?” Mokuba sounded interested. Another voice sounded in the background. “He said he’s talked to Isis Ishtar.” More talking. “She’s someone who can help. It’s complicated. I’ll tell you in a minute when I’m off the phone.”
“Mokuba, what’s there with you?” suspicion laced Seto’s voice.
“Dinosaur Ryuzaki,” Mokuba replied without missing a beat.
“What?” Seto sat up straighter in his chair. “That deadbeat wannabe?”
“Seto, he’s like us. He had no place else to go to find out what happened to him.”
“This curse has spread that far?” Seto frowned in thought. What on earth was the common thread binding together those who had been affected? And who else had suffered an unwanted gender change they weren’t yet aware of.
“Hello?” Mokuba said, drawing him back to the present. “Are you still there?”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Nov 21, 2012 18:27:01 GMT -5
"Isis!" Isis had just finished preparations for her departure to Domino City when a high, shrill, panicked voice erupted from outside her office. "Get your hands off me, I need to see Isis!" Isis did not recognize the voice, and given circumstances she did not have the time or inclination to deal with an over-familiar stranger. Thus, she intended to just walk past, but upon opening the door and seeing the source of the commotion, she gasped in shock.
"Malik?" It was her brother; no matter what happened to him, even this, she would always recognize him.
"Isis!" A pair of security guards held him back by his arms. "Call them off, please!"
"Unhand her." Isis said. The guards looked at her a moment, but deferred, the authority of her station over them and the respect she'd personally engineered more than sufficient to overcome their doubts. "Leave us." They did so. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." Malik caught his breath. His now female form matched Isis's closely, only a little less curvy. "There were some close-calls here and there, but Rishid and I got through okay."
"Rishid? Where is he?"
"He said he was going to follow a lead, and he was going to call back..." Malik's cell phone rang. He answered. "Rishid?" He nodded. "He says he's got her."
Isis's eyes widened. "Ahit Chalthoum?" Isis's eyes widened; her sources had been clear that she'd left the country.
Evidently Rishid heard her. Malik listened "No, one of her followers, he's going to question her now."
....
"That's right, I'll call you again as soon as I've found out what I can from her." Rishid turned off his phone. He looked at the woman now confined to her room; she was around his age, a lithe woman with a gleam in her eyes. As for himself, while there was some loss of muscle mass, Rishid still remained a tall and powerfully built individual and thus had been able to overpower her guards at the opportune moment when no one was watching or listening. "Talk. Why did you turn me and Malik into woman?"
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Post by Scribbler on Nov 23, 2012 19:22:52 GMT -5
She didn’t respond; only glared at him. He folded his muscular arms, shifting a little at the unaccustomed weight in the way of what was usually a very intimidating action. She continued to glare until he dropped his arms and advanced on her. She scrambled backwards, feet poking out from beneath her long dust-coloured robes. She looked like someone out of her time, yet the savagery in her gaze was modern and calculating.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” she warned.
Rishid stopped. “I was not going to touch you.”
“Of course not,” she sneered. “You get all difficult people to cooperate with sweet treats and kind words.”
“You have information I need.”
“I have nothing for you.”
“Why have I and my brother been changed in this way? Your sect is responsible. And please, do not insult us both by claiming you know nothing of Hathor’s Vengeance.”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Nov 25, 2012 18:31:22 GMT -5
The woman reacted, her eyes widened. "You...how do you know...wait...that's right, you're with the Tomb Keepers. You would know about other secret organizations."
"It's a long story, but I was enough of a Tomb Keeper to have access to history and documents that the outside world has forgotten about, including your sect's history. Now answer my question, why have my brother and I been changed? What is the point of this beyond irritating us and by extension Isis Ishtar?"
"You think this is about you?" The woman smiled at him savagely, like she might start tearing into him. "You're just collateral, a necessary side-effect of the true objective."
"And that is?"
"And my reason for telling you that would be?"
Rishid found himself at an impasse. Raw force and threats of violence would not work here, no more than they would have against him in a similar situation.
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Post by Scribbler on Nov 26, 2012 19:47:51 GMT -5
He decided to approach this logically and decode what she had already told him for clues. First off, neither he nor Malik were the reason they had cast this magic. That was both good and bad, as it allowed them the freedom to investigate but disallowed them full understanding of what was happening on an intuitive level. You could use guesswork when you didn’t have all the facts, or even half of them. Secondly; the sect’s true objective would have to be someone connected with the Tomb Keepers for them to be affected this way at all. Added to Isis’s information, he could think of only one group that fit the bill.
“Why have you altered Yuugi Mutou of Domino City?”
The woman’s eyes flickered with hesitation and just a hint of fear. In that instant Rishid knew he had deduced correctly and connected her wholly with this current crisis and its international slant.
“What do you hope to gain from doing this to him?”
“It’s not us who will gain,” the woman spat. “It’s the whole world!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Don’t you understand?” She laughed mirthlessly. “Of course you don’t. You Tomb Keepers are always so obsessed with damn KINGS, after all.”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Nov 26, 2012 21:13:15 GMT -5
Rishid's eyes widened with realization. "I see. Your frustration does have logic; despite the fact that the position of Pharaoh is inherited through the mother, the majority of Pharaoh's in Ancient Egypt's history were male. Indeed, despite the fact that under Ma'at men and women were considered equal, there were many factors where this was not true. By altering the nature of the Nameless Pharaoh, the most powerful member of his line, you would correct what you regard as a terrible injustice. Am I accurate?"
"What I regard...perhaps we are being a bit extreme, but the fact of the matter is that countless elements of society throughout every culture's history owe their creation to women, yet their accomplishments are erased and overlooked in the larger culture, such that only those who go out of their way to learn the truth will find it. Hathor is supposed to be hailed as a great and renowned goddess, yet those she is patron over are dismissed the world over. If we of Hathor's Vengeance are going far, that is only because we have been pushed so far."
"So that's how it is." Rishid looked the woman in the eye. "Your name?"
"...Ankhta."
Rishid could tell that was the last he was going to get out of Ankhta. He took out his phone and called up Malik once more.
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Post by Scribbler on Nov 30, 2012 5:51:56 GMT -5
“Yes?” Malik was short and didn’t bother with inane greetings or asking who it was.
“I have information,” Rishid said softly.
“What kind – good or bad?”
“Not positive.”
“Damn it.” He heard his little brother talking to someone in the background and presumed it was Isis. “What do you know?” Malik asked darkly when he returned to the mouthpiece.
Rishid took a breath. “I believe this was a concerted and pre-planned attack or either the pharaoh, his vessel or both. We and his brethren are merely collateral damage.”
“Collateral damage?” Malik’s voice rose in pitch. “This is collateral damage?”
“Overspill from magic aimed at them,” Rishid clarified.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Nov 30, 2012 13:55:27 GMT -5
"Wonderful." Malik said. "Just wonderful." There was the sound of pacing. "I would have accepted if someone had wanted revenge on me, I would have understood that, but this...get over here as soon as you can Rishid, we're going back to Domino City as soon as possible."
"Yes Brother." Rishid turned off the phone, then looked back at Ankhta. "Get up." She did not. "I obviously am not going to let you go free to warn your fellow cultists, and I have no desire to carry you. Get up."
"I will cooperate on the condition that I have a female guard watching me."
"I am certain that Isis will be able to come up with something."
"Very well then." Anktha rose up, her posture projecting power. Rishid found himself studying that pose, certain he would likely make use of it himself before long. "Well?"
"Let's go." They left.
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Post by Scribbler on Dec 5, 2012 9:24:51 GMT -5
Anzu was getting worried. No, scratch that, she was past worried and well into ‘This Is Unbelievably Bad’ territory. Maybe even crossing the border into ‘Oh Crap We’re Totally Screwed’ country.
She cleared her throat and asked carefully, “Otogi?”
“Hmm? Yes, darling?”
She winced. His flutey voice was melodic and sweet and completely terrifying. “Why are you braiding Yuugi’s hair?”
“Isn’t it fabulous?” Otogi flashed brilliant white teeth that contrasted sharply with his black lipstick. She was almost certain he hadn’t been wearing lipstick that shade before. Neither had Jounouchi been wearing Satin Red, Honda wearing Come Hither Claret, or Yuugi some kind shimmery pink lipgloss that made his lips look constantly wet. “Such a thick, vibrant mane of hair deserves special treatment.”
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Post by cypsiman2 on Dec 5, 2012 13:18:26 GMT -5
"Besides Anzu." Yuugi said. "It's not like we have much we can do until we hear back from Seto."
"I suppose." Anzu kept her eyes focused on Yuugi's face, for even though the increasing makeup was distressing, the second undone button on Yuugi's blouse meant that much more cleavage was exposed, and looking at Yuugi's cleavage was not something that Anzu was prepared for. "But, maybe there's something else we could do while we wait. Like a game!" Anzu didn't know why she hadn't thought of it sooner; no matter what else had changed about Yuugi, nothing could shake the part where he was just crazy.
"A game?" Yuugi sounded intrigued. This was a good sign. "What kind of game?"
Anzu was about to think of one, when Jounouchi beat her to the punch. "How about Strip Poker?" He said with a curious gleam in her eyes.
"That sounds great!" Yuugi replied with a cheer, causing Anzu's heart to sink.
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Post by Scribbler on Dec 5, 2012 16:51:38 GMT -5
“Um, m-maybe not STRIP poker, but the regular kind?” she asked.
“But where’s the fun in that?” Otogi tossed back his head and wiggled his chest coquettishly. “What’s the point in having a hot bod like this if you don’t flaunt it a little?”
Anzu couldn’t stand it. “Have you heard yourself? Not too long ago you were complaining about that body!”
Otogi blinked at her, apparently nonplussed. “I was? Now why on earth would I do something like that?”
Anzu could barely believe her ears. She looked at the others, who were wearing equal expressions. Even Yuugi blinked his huge, heavily made up eyes in confusion.
“Yuugi?” Anzu tried.
“I … I don’t remember anything like that, Anzu,” he said hesitantly, not like he was having trouble remembering, but like he was afraid of offending her.
“What?” She whirled to Jounouchi and Honda. “You two remember, don’t you?”
“Remember what?” Jounouchi adjusted the hem of his top. “I remember something about strip poker. C’mon, guys! I’m feeling lucky!”
Anzu stared in horror and disorientation as they sat cross-legged around the low coffee table and Otogi produced a pack of cards from his cleavage like he did it all the time. “What’s going on here?” she murmured. Could it be that their minds were turning female along with their bodies now?
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Post by cypsiman2 on Dec 5, 2012 17:44:34 GMT -5
The nameless Pharaoh felt it. He was long past the point where he would bother about the technical impossibility of how an intangible spirit could feel anything. He'd felt it, the change happening in Yuugi, and the feeling that drove it. That recovery of that sense of bond threw everything back into sharp relief, even in the darkness. "Enough." The spirit called out as he grabbed at the webs all around him, tore them apart. "Show yourself; whatever you are doing, you are doing for your own selfish purposes, and I will not let you get away with this."
"I will admit." The woman's voice had a sibilant quality to it. "I had not anticipated needing to go so far, but I can't allow my work to be interrupted before its completion is had." A fine fog filled the air, the vapors soaking through his being. "You have also proven strong, but that is the point after all; you are a strong being, and when they understand what a strong woman you will be, the world will be set on the right course."
"Damn you." The nameless Pharaoh could feel his mind shutting down once more, and he knew that once he did, he would not be able to awaken again on his own.
So deep, deep within himself, he took all his memories, all his thoughts of his form, and stored them away beyond the woman's ability to touch. There they would remain secure until the time came that his friends would find and help him, just like they always did.
....
"All right!" Jounouchi called out as he laid out his full house. "Lady luck is with me as always, so off with that shirt Yuugi."
"Heh heh, all right." Yuugi blushed as he unbuttoned the rest of the buttons of his blouse. Anzu blushed and looked away.
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Post by Scribbler on Dec 9, 2012 4:01:12 GMT -5
“Too insane, too insane, too insane, too insane,” she muttered. Abruptly she got to her feet and marched, stiff-limbed, out of the room.
“Anzu?” Yuugi’s fingers stilled. “Where are you going?”
“Bathroom!” she said in a strangled high-pitch.
“Third floor, fourth door on your left,” Otogi said airily. “Or second floor, twelfth room on the right. Or fourth floor, seven room on the–”
“Thank you!” She escaped as fast as she could without actually running.
“What’s her deal?” Jounouchi asked, tugging at his bangs. “Hey, anyone got a hairbrush?”
….
Anzu hurried up the stairs and along the corridor. Second door on the right, right? Or was it left? Her mind whirled until she just started opening random doors. She didn’t actually need the bathroom, just a place to think in quiet for a while, so when she found what looked like a walk-in wardrobe full of stored winter clothes, she shoved herself between the coats and hunkered down to rest her head on her knees.
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Post by cypsiman2 on Dec 9, 2012 14:18:19 GMT -5
"Okay." Anzu said to herself, imagining a second self in her head for her to talk to. "Whatever's happened to everyone, it's gotten a whole lot worse in a big hurry."
"Right, they're all acting completely comfortable being woman, almost like they think they've always been women."
"And Yuugi has somehow gotten really, disturbingly cute."
"Extremely disturbingly cute."
"And that's not all."
"Of course it wouldn't be all."
"Right. Hathor was supposed to be the Goddess of women and motherhood."
"We've seen a lot of the former, not so much of the latter."
"But with the way things have been going..."
"Hey, let's not lose hope just yet."
"Right, one thing at a time."
"Like being able to be in the same room as them, and Yuugi."
"Right."
Anzu banished the image and breathed in and out, in and out, in and out.
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