Liane had hid her amused expression when Samantha called James Jane behind her glass. “Never seen anyone frown like that,” her smirk as she lowered her drink was teasing but she spoke with warmth. “Sounds a little weird rolling off the tongue, but guess it hit close enough to hurt?” James looked at his friend and even as he tried to avoid eye-contact did incline his chin slightly. Reaching out, Liane cupped James’ hands that strummed against the table in hers. She slowly brushed one of the slender and red-nailed finger with her thumb, letting him gather himself. Not that much of [i]him[/i] remained and more kept crumbling.
“Never felt this certain in my entire life. On anything.” James leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair, the strands were a little longer and a little fuller than when he had entered. He stared into the ceiling and fixated on what looked like a stain who he had no idea had even gotten there. Didn’t exactly take his mind off things. “Just not sure what about all of this is me and what is Liz’s.”
“Can take a while to sort out, did for me anyway, but it’s all you. I promise.” As she replied Liane rose from her seat. She took a few steps to the other side so she could embrace her friend. James took a while but eventually threw his arms around her. He had to stretch to reach. Was Liane taller? Or had he become shorter? “Move your fat butt so I can sit down.” With the atmosphere clearing a little, James moved further in and allowed Liane slide into the vacated spot. “Talking helps. Figured out a name yet? Jane obviously wasn’t it.”
The question crystallized James’ thoughts. “June. Is that how it works?” After snickering to how close Samantha’s guess actually had been, she simply shrugged. Liane had no greater insight than June about how all of this magic worked other than that it just did. June returned to her glass and raised it in honor of her newly found name and identity. Then they drank. Nothing changed. It was more anticipating building and bubbling in her stomach. Like a bad case of mentos and coke.
June let her head dunk into the table and groaned. Wasn’t accepting herself supposed to help? She could feel a clap on her back. Part of her appreciated the gesture, the part that felt that blockage in her stomach try to push up her throat didn’t. “Wow. You’ve got it bad, huh.” June ground her face back-and-forth against the wood. “Never heard of Liz killing anyone. Sooo... of the women here, whose outfit do you like best?”
She already had someone in mind. The goth girl. Never really dared to wear anything like those cut and worn down jeans ever in her life. And the crop top was a little boring, and wanted to add something to match the accessories and leather straps on her pants. It felt more natural to think of them as something she could wear and to make her own, something she’d never have done as James. Just clicked that way. While June talked her jeans slimmed down to the point they were nearly painted onto her lithe legs, while the sucking feeling around her torso was the hem of her shirt migrating upward across the flat expanse of her stomach. Chains connected to the choker around his throat with an ankh as its centerpiece, framed her chest. Talking did help with her gaseous issue too, dispersing with her changing clothes, and June was gesticulating wildly and unconcerned when she noticed her nails were black. Then the rest.
Liane rolled her eyes while June looked like she wanted to crawl up and die somewhere. Her entire life had been going with the flow and not standing out. Now she did, in a big way. “God, you’re hopeless. No wonder I kept beating you in fighting games if it took you this long to notice. Besides, you’re rocking those clothes with that body.” Hearing that last part coming from a cute girl sent butterflies fluttering through June.
“On the house. I wanted to check on the pair of you. Glad you’re adjusting. The enchantments can be fickle.” The new voice came from the proprietor herself. She sat down another pair of drinks. June felt a little dumbstruck, unsure of what to actually say to witch about everything that happened since stepping inside. Thank you, maybe? Instead, Lez filled the silence. “Lexi sent a message that she left. You have her key apparently, said you’d know what it’d mean.”
Liane flashed a thumbs up as Lez left them alone. The red-head had barely turned toward June when she noticed the raven-haired girl trying to drown herself in the glass. “Not drunk enough for this by far.” Was all she said in response to the raised eyebrow.
“Neither am I. Since I was stood up by my girlfriend, you’re paying for the next round. Fair?”
“Fair. And really want to hear the story about what you did to get the key to her apartment.”
“Probably what Sam and Cynthia is doing.” Liane caught sight of June’s dreamy expression as she imagined exactly what that would entail.