Danny scoffed as he stepped past the Entity and into the narrow corridor. “Let me go grab some stuff and then we can pop down to the shopping complex to get some munch.” Danny tenderly stepped forwards, careful not to trip on the haphazardly stacked hodge-podge of buckets and painting supplies that had accumulated beside the house’s guest room doorframe. He heard Ginko gag in disgust as one of her stiletto heels tangled in a sticky pool on the carpeted floor. “What a f*cking pigsty,” he heard her mumble. Danny chuckled. “What, afraid of a little pa-“
Danny turned around to see the Entity had ducked out of site. Danny backtracked and watched as a flash of tangerine darted into the room his aunt now occupied. He peeked his head round and glimpsed Ginko standing in the room shock-still with her body facing the room wall. Danny followed her line of sight and noticed his Aunt Susan standing to the side, hips cocked and eyes locked onto her latest piece of ‘art’. He looked closer at the wall and his eyes nearly bulged out as he looked at the...well,interesting mural she’d emblazoned on the plaster. To give his Aunt some props the image was actually vibrantly coloured and surprisingly detailed for an artist of her calibre. The problem was that the wall was now vibrantly coloured and the picture had a little too much detail.
“Is that Mum and Kevin having sex?!”
Susan rolled her eyes. “Ugh, you people just don’t understand art these days,” she lamented as she flicked her paint-speckled blonde hair out from her face and stroked her chin with her trimmed nails like a real Renaissance painter. “You’re not supposed to focus on the subjects- you need to look at the subtext underneath! Come on Danny, it’s obviously a metaphor for-“
“For the beautiful hypocrisy of procreation- the equal blend of innocence and lust that combine together to form the perfect natural composition: life itself.” Susan and Danny both turned to the Entity, their mouths agape as the Japanese girl admired the work. “Y-yes, I mean of course I was aiming for the... y’know, what you said,” Susan stammered nervously. Though Susan was awed that someone finally appreciated something that she’d created, Danny was pleasantly surprised at this new revelation. “Never would’ve pegged you as one of those ‘art-expo’ wankers,” he chuckled half-serious.
A sly smile spread across the Entity’s face. “You don’t live as long as I have without developing a taste for the fine arts,” Ginko said proudly, “Art is all about documenting the culture of the times. Inspirations for the arts are always deeply rooted in the society they’re constructed within.” Susan playfully jabbed Danny in the ribs. ‘Why can’t all your friends be as wise as her?’ she whispered. Danny shrugged awkwardly. He had to get the Entity out of here fast before she and his Aunt became painting pals or something else that would be as equally embarrassing. “Let’s get out of here,” Danny hissed as he grabbed the Entity’s slender arm and pulled her behind him.
“...But I haven’t even started to critique her brushwork yet!” Ginko struggled but in her new form she was simply overpowered. Seeing her discomfort made Susan riled up and she moved to pull her out of Danny’s firm grasp. “That’s no way to treat a lady,” she said angrily as she latched onto the Entity’s trailing hand. As soon as their skin brushed, a current of power seemed to pass from Ginko’s body and into Susan’s, making the blonde revulse momentarily before stumbling backwards into a pile of paintbrushes strewn onto the ground. “Aunt Susan!” Danny cried out before running to her side. The Entity meanwhile was scratching his head about the sudden wave of energy he’d just felt.
“Aunt Susan?”
Danny jumped back as his aunt shot upwards like the Undertaker after he’d looked TKO’d. His breathing was ragged as he observed her, her now stormy-grey eyes roaming her body like a ravenous wolf. Despite his prior experiences with body stealing, it still shocked him when he watched his Aunt’s hands jerk upwards and cup her buxom D-cups in her paint splattered digits. “ Howee, looks like ah gawt me one smokin' lookin' body raahyt here,” his aunt said in a sultry Texan variation of her voice. Susan Bronson was a self-proclaimed ‘master impressionist’ but there was something about the accent that made Danny question whether it was truly authentic or not. “Aunt Susan, are you okay?”
Danny had reached out his hand to help her up but her aunt’s dainty hands slapped it away. He watched as the figure stood up by themselves and standing confidently in the centre of the room with their fingers tucked deftly in the back pockets of her jeans. “ Let’s git sumthin' strayaahyt raahyt now lil’ button, ah ain’t your damn Aunt Susan.” The figure giggled mischievously before plucking out a pack of cigarettes from his Aunt’s bra and lighting one with a match that’d spontaneously appeared out of thin air. The figure choked and sputtered, spitting out the fresh fag and stomping it’s butt into the ground. “F*ckin' lowlifes, takin' all thuh fuckin' tabacker out thuh damn cigarettes...”
“So who are you and why’re you in my Aunt’s body?”
Fake-Susan threw an uncharacteristic sly wink at Danny, sending a repulsed shiver down his spine. “Ah, you must be his newest charge. Ask your mentor lil’ button, ya know, thuh one quakin' behahnd yer back.” Danny swivelled round to see the Entity standing squeamishly in the corner of the room. The light makeup that’d somehow been put onto her face was now clouding from the matter sweat trickling down her face. Ginko cleared her throat as she stepped forwards. “What’re you doing here, Darla? This isn’t your time period.”
The woman smiled, Susan’s pearly whites flashing menacingly like those of a humanoid Cheshire Cat. “Ya thought a lil’ taahm diestortion would stop me, ole man? Sh*t, ah done thought ya would’ve expected mo-wr from one’ve yer own students. No matter though: after ah git what ah want you’ll nary 'ave ta hear from me again.”
“You told me that the last time we met in Texas, ‘69. Why don’t I believe you’ll make good on your offer yet again?”
Darla chuckled heartily. She crossed the room and placed her hands seductively on the Entity’s bust. “Anyone ever told ya that you’ve allers looked cute whe-yn you’re sceptical, that’s what ah love about ya.” Danny shifted uncomfortably as he watched his aunt’s body press itself closer onto Ginko’s busty frame. What made it worse was that he could tell the Entity was getting slightly turned on by it. He coughed brusquely and watched as Ginko pushed Darla away. “No, not again Darla,” Ginko finally uttered, “Just state your terms so you can leave.” Darla sent Danny a menacing glare for the interruption.
“Y’ain’t no fun no more.” Darla batted her eyes innocently before saying,”Is it a craahm for me t' visit maah ex-husband?”
“Ex-husband?!” Danny unconsciously blurted out. The Entity, unfazed, implored Darla to continue. She sighed, dropping the doting wife shtick and said, “Fine: ah need saynctuary. Ownlee for jus' a lil’ bit! Ah done sumthin' real beef-headed an now, now the Trait Thieves ahr gunnin' for me!” Ginko kissed her teeth in frustration- this obviously wasn’t her first rodeo where this’d happen and Danny felt pity for the cold denial the Entity was going to give her.
“Fine.” Danny’s jaw dropped. “But you owe me big for this one, Darla. Remember this for the next time I ask for your help.” Danny looked on in shocked silence as he watched the Entity reach out her hand for a handshake. A mischievous smile spread across the woman’s face.
“Allers a puh-leasyhaw doin' business with ya, Sebastian darlin’.”
“It’s Ginko now. And drop the accent: you’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”
Darla roller her eyes sarcastically. “Whatever you say, babe,” she giggled in Susan’s voice. She blew Danny a kiss and nuzzled the Entity’s neck before sashaying out of the room (and though he didn’t want to admit it due to his conflicted feelings about it, Danny could feel himself getting a boner over the prospect of someone stealing his aunt’s body).
“W-what the hell just happened!” he finally blurted out after getting his leacherous eyes off of his Aunt’s backside. Ginko sighed, replying, “Just an old acquaintance. Nothing much to talk about.”
“Seems like there’s A LOT to talk about! Like how your ‘ex-WIFE’ just happens to show up on the same day that YOU want to re-introduce yourself! Or what about the fact that there’s another f*cking Trait Thief in my house and she’s currently inhabiting my f*cking Aunt’s body?! W-What the hell were you thinking? Just giving her body away like she’s some kinda bottle of Coke or something?!”
Ginko snorted. “If anything she’d be a bottle of piss on the side of the road...” Danny glared at her. “Kidding. Geez Daniel, c’mon, you gotta learn how to take a joke. Relax, ok? Darla’s an...‘old friend’,a remnant from just one of the many lives I’ve led over and the past couple centuries. Sure, she’s a tad unstable and will f*ck anything or anyone in her line of sight, but apart from that she’s alright! Trust me, your Aunt’s in relatively decent hands (theoretically).”
“But-“
“C’mon, this’ll all blow over soon and she’ll leave as quickly as she came (thank God for that)! It’ll be like she’s not even here!” Danny groaned as the Entity pushed him back outside into the corridor. In Danny’s mind he knew he actually had no say in the matter- the Entity would do what they wanted either way because of the terms Danny had naively agreed to beforehand. She’s gonna leave as soon as she came, Danny reassured himself.