Jon stumbles back as his world reels. His kitten heels, rise higher and become chunky heeled boots, designed to look like red leather work boots, with a feminine touch. Jon tumbles into a standing table, and only just manages to catch himself. The sound is the first thing that stands out to him, as his eyes are still lost in the change. Voices talking, shouting, laughing too loudly. The clink of glasses, and silverware. TV's blaring a dozen different channels, most of them giving off the overly loud call of sports announcers. He looks around and realizes he's in a restaurant. It's a sports bar only loosely inspired by the aesthetic of an old hunting lodge. Mostly male patrons shout, and laugh, and grumble, while beautiful young ladies in nothing but khaki short shorts, gaudy belts with oversized buckles, and a black and red plaid top, skimpier than a bikini scurry about tending to their wants. The neck line of the uniform top, if it can be called that, plunges so deep only the nipple is still hidden, while long tails cup the breasts, and are tied in the center so a rustic bow hangs below their cleavage.
As Jon looks down at his body, he realizes that HE'S wearing that same skimpy uniform.
"I'm surprised they let waitresses as old as you work here." Leo chuckles.
"What did you do to me?!" Jon practically shouts over the blaring sounds of the bar.
"I gave you a choice. You turned me down, so I put you in a position where you're more suited to help me."
"Are you crazy?"
"No, actually, I'm hungry." He points to the menu. "I think I'll just go with the burger combo for now and... Hmm... You know I haven't had a beer before. I'll go with whatever's on tap."
"I can't serve a minor alcohol, sweet heart." Jon states, almost instinctively.
Leo's eyes go wide. "You're going to turn me down AGAIN?" He pulls out the tablet.
"N-no! That just came out. I'll serve you, just change it back."
"Hmmm... Nope. You can get me the burger combo, and whatever's on tap, just like I asked."
Jon starts to argue, but not knowing what else to do, he clomps off in his heels, places the ticket for the cooks, and pours Leo a local pilsner As he does, the realities of his new life creep up on him. Tod wasn't happy about it, and Karen was embarrassed over her mother, but she didn't have a degree, and the Black family needed money. She was lucky to a get a job like this that payed such good tips... But she wasn't proud of what she had to do to convince the owner to hire her. She was older, and he wouldn't give her the job at first. He required convincing. She HAD to... For Karen's future. "Please..." Jon stammered as he placed the beer on Leo's table. "You can't do this to me... You've got to give me back my... Give Mrs.Black back her life. She doesn't deserve this."
Leonard takes a sip of the beer, and wretches. "Damn... This is what people are so crazy about? It's so bitter."
"Leonard did you hear me?" Jon pleads.
"I heard you." He quips. "But apparently you haven't been hearing me. You ARE Mrs.Black, and you definitely deserve this. First, for trying to sabotage my invention, my life's work, and now for refusing my peace offering."
"Samy!" one of the other girls calls out to Jon, clearly a manager by her black collared polo. She's at least a decade younger than Jon, but Jon had promised the owner he wouldn't give her any trouble when she was hired. "You've got other customers."
Jon gapes at Leo, who merely smirks, and shrugs. "You've got other customers, better get to it."
Still confounded at the turn of events Jon begins to walk away, and tend to the other patrons. He finds himself flirting and tittering quite naturally, and all the men, especially the older ones, love the attention. He touches an older gentleman's shoulder, and gives him a squeeze as he asks if he's ready to order. He leans over enough to give a younger group of guys a good view of her full drooping (still non-existent) cleavage as he serves their beers. He plays ditzy, and pretends to be confounded by the numbers spouted by two arguing investors in the corner, and makes sure they know how clever they are for understanding all that "stock market stuff." Everyone seems to take a jab at her age in some way or another, but no one seems bothered by it.The older man called her Stacy's mom, while the young guys joked about getting 'the milf waitress'. A painfully long 20 minutes pass before Leo's order is up. Flustered, and annoyed, Jon drops the plate on his table with a clatter, but Leo simply smiles, unprovoked.
"I think it's time to roll out person placer 2.0." He starts munching on a fry. "It's a working name, but I think you'll like the effect." He punches a button, and Jon suddenly feels light headed. "See, after reviewing the data, I've better identified where the person ends, and the memories begin. With this, you'll be 100% more Jon, but still have all of Samy's, " He airquotes Mrs.Blacks work nick name. "Life, skills and experiences."
Jon looks down at himself, suddenly recognizing the body as his own. He looks ridiculous, a shaved, gussied up, teenaged crossdresser in the middle of a sports bar... Yet no one else seems to think any differently of him.
Leo slips a dollar bill behind the bow of his uniform top. "Now be a doll and get me some chocolate milk."
Cheeks on fire, and mincing nervously, but skillfully in his heels, Jon scurries off to the kitchen to fulfill the order.
