Karyn smiled as she ladeled soup from the large pot in front of her and into the paper bowl in her hand. Reaching across the table, she placed it into the hands of the man in front of her, who took it gratefully.
She felt good. For the first time since she'd left Jon--no, since her cuddling session with the woman on the couch, actually--she felt content. She didn't want to jump this time... not yet. She had jumped into the black clothing and white collar of a Catholic priest. The priest--Father McAuley--had been working at a shelter run by St. Sebastian Catholic Church. Karyn wasn't Catholic; but she had enjoyed her last few minutes as Father McAuley. She had seen a lot of chaos in her last few hours of hopping all over the city... there were people displaced all over the city. The church was doing a good thing here, providing food, shelter, and counseling for the many people who were suffering becuase of the swaps, and Karyn was glad to have an opportunity to help out, even if it was only for a few minutes. And besides, helping out here had given Karyn a chance to take her mind off the turmoil her discoveries about her own sexuality had caused her.
Karyn did have to wonder how people here (even Father McAuley himself) would feel toward Karyn if they knew that she was--it was hard for her to admit it, but it was true--a lesbian. They didn't even know she was a girl; Karyn had been pretending to be Father McAuley, as she had pretended to be everyone she had jumped into since she had jumped away from Jon's house. With such brief swaps, it was just easier that way. Perhaps her sexuality wouldn't matter to them; after all, in the wake of these swaps, what was sexuality? What was gender? What was gay and straight when everyone looked like someone else and half the town had changed gender? Karyn wondered what long-term effects these swaps would have on the town, on the world, when the dust settled.
It was an odd group that was manning the shelter. Apparently everyone at the shelter had swapped already, something the staff told everyone who came into the shelter; a couple of people had been turned away in the few minutes Karyn had been here because they hadn't been swapped yet and the staff didn't want to make anyone swap who hadn't already been swapped. Several members of the clergy were working at the shelter, along with a few lay people. Among the staff, Karyn had seen a man dressed in a nun's outfit, a woman in a surprisingly well-fitting priest's outfit, a priest in goth clothing, and a couple of children who were clearly adults on the inside. However odd their appearance, though, Karyn had to admit that she respected these people deeply for what they were doing. If her chain-swapping ever stopped, Karyn wanted to return to this shelter to help out. For now, she decided to enjoy herself in the short time she had before she jumped away.
Soon, however, just as she had expected, the flash of light came--as it always did--and stole her away.
As the light faded, Karyn found herself biting bare, perfumed flesh, while her hands roamed over soft, naked skin.
Pulling back, startled, Karyn saw that she was lying over the nearly-naked body of another woman. The woman's eyes were closed, her face contorted as though by ecstasy. The bed they were in together was covered with silky red sheets, and the room was dimly lit. The air smelled strongly of incense. Looking at her own body briefly, Karyn saw that she was completely naked. The other woman was wearing scant crotchless panties, and though her lacy bra still hung off one arm and dangled over her long, bare belly, her very ample breasts were exposed. The woman's long, dark hair was splayed over the pillows of the bed, and her face was heavily made up. Everything about this woman screamed sex, from the makeup to the rich perfume she wore to the expression on her face to the full lips to the soft, full curves of her body to the provocative lingerie that trailed off her body. It was a rather trashy look, but an effective one; Karyn felt her body stirring in unfamiliar ways. Her eyes caught one last telling detail--a handful of green bills lying on the bedside table--and Karyn suddenly realized that this woman must have been a prostitute.
The woman's large eyes opened and looked up at Karyn. "Something wrong, baby?" she purred softly. "If you want, I--"
But Karyn didn't let her finish. She leaned in and kissed the woman deeply and passionately on the lips. Placing her hands on the woman's breasts and fondling them, she began to work her lips down the woman's body. The woman relented at first... but then suddenly she shouted, "Karyn?!" and pushed Karyn away from her.
Karyn looked at the woman in surprise for a moment... but then a surge of passion pushed her forward and she leaned down again and tried to
kiss the woman on the lips. The woman clenched her lips shut tight and shoved Karyn off of her, yelling, "Karyn, what are you doing? What's gotten into you?"
Karyn rolled onto her back and caught sight of her reflection in a mirror hanging over the bed. Next to the prostitute's refletion, she saw the image of a naked middle-aged man, penis fully erect. He was sweaty and unkempt, and there was a wildness and a raging lust in his face. Karyn shut her eyes; she couldn't look at herself.
She lay still and silent for a long, terrible moment. Her heart raced and her mouth felt dry. She burned hot with equal parts passion and embarassment; but the brutal humiliation won out. Not like this. She hadn't wanted it to go like this.
At last she said, with a small voice, "Jon?"
"Yeah," the woman said.
Silence.
"Karyn..." Jon began, and then she... he... no, she... stopped. Sighing, Jon pushed herself up to a sitting position... then pulled a sheet over herself to cover her bare breasts. Karyn winced... did Jon feel that uncomfortable right now, that she felt the need cover herself in front of Karyn? That she'd even thought about covering herself in the first place? Jon was normally a guy... it shouldn't have even occured to her to cover herself. But Jon's expression was clearly confused and a little uneasy. What was she thinking? Karyn had never had much trouble reading Jon's mind, but right now she didn't have a clue.
Jon ran a hand through her hair--a lovely hand through her gorgeous hair--then turned to Karyn. "Karyn," she said, softly, "what just happened?
Karyn pushed herself up and sat next to Jon. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Jon... we need to talk."
