"I... I don't..." Jess stammered, staring at the newspaper in shock. Somehow, she knew. Her boss knew, and that fact sent Jess's mind into a tailspin. How? How did she know? They were completely unrecognizable as pigs, bearing barely any resemblance to their human selves in that form.
"Jessica, relax. Breathe. It's okay," Mercedes reassured her, standing up and walking around the desk until she was behind Jess. Gently, she placed her hands on Jess's shoulders, and almost immediately, Jess calmed down. She felt... better, at this woman's touch and she didn't know why.
"You want to know how I figured it out," Mercedes said, remaining where she was.
"Y... yeah, yeah I do..."
"I could feel your aura this morning as you walked in."
"My... my aura?" Jess asked, confused. But she found she couldn't panic. Mercedes's touch was soothing, calming. She felt good, at ease.
"Your aura. It's the mystical energy all beings give off. Yeah, I'm a sorceress. Not the most powerful around, mind you, but I've been in training for several years now."
"So, then... my aura..."
"Your aura is that of a pig. You are a pig, after all."
"But I'm... no I'm not, not now..." Jess glanced down at her hands. They were hands. Not hooves. She was as thin as she ever was. No tail, no pig ears. She was a human being, wasn't she?
"Oh, no honey, no... make no mistake about it, you are a pig. No matter what you look like now."
"But I don't... I don't understand..." Jess frowned slightly.
"I'm just telling you how I read it. You may appear to be human, but you are a pig. Close your eyes, Jessica."
Jess did as she was told, taking a deep breath.
"Now think of the perfect guy. A guy you would jump into bed with immediately. Tell me what you see?"
"Oh, God... I..." Jess hesitated.
"Jessica... tell me what you see."
"I see the most handsome boar... he's... he's huge, very well endowed..."
"You see? You see what I mean?" Mercedes leaned down a bit, and smiled. "You can open your eyes now, Jess."
She did so, and looked over to her boss.
"But... if I'm a pig... why... why do I look human?"
"That... that is a good question. Unfortunately, I don't know what made you into a pig, so I can't tell you how it works." Mercedes kept her hands where they were, and Jess was grateful for it. She wanted Mercedes to never let go.
"It was a box of potions... my friend Mary had it... she called me over to her house and we tried it..."
"Potions. Ah. Outside of my area of expertise, I'm afraid. There are others within my order who know a bit more about potions than I do. They may be able to help us figure this out, so we know what to expect."
"Expect? Couldn't... couldn't this be reversed?"
"Reversed? Honey, you had sex. As a pig. With a pig. There's no going back from that."
"Oh... but... but I don't want to... I don't want to be a Christmas ham, Sunday morning bacon..."
"And you won't be," Mercedes answered, massaging Jess's shoulders lightly. "My order, we are very fond of pigs. We take care of many pigs, some pigs just like you."
"Like... me?"
"Like you. Used to be human. They're content in their lives now, just like you will be one day."
"I... I don't know what to think about all this."
"That's because you're trying to think on an empty stomach," Mercedes said with a smile. "Would you like something to eat?"