Lisa walked in looking very perturbed.
     “Did it go that badly?” Sunny asked her.
      “I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone reach
such frequencies when they weren’t trying to break
glass,” Lisa told her.
      “Katrinka was pretty mad, hmmm?” Nicole asked.
      “Oh yeah. But on the bright side, she did give
us permission to go have Nick fitted for a new
surcoat. In fact, she insisted on it. She said she’d
make up some story about a new outfit that he and the
other Knighties would believe,” Lisa informed them.
     “Nick?”  Sunny squealed.
     Nicole and Lisa looked at her.
     “Sunny- there is a little something you might
want to consider here,” Nicole began.
     “Nick!!” Sunny repeated happily.
     “Sunny, he may not quite be… himself,” Lisa
suggested.
     “You think she hears us?” Nicole asked Lisa.
     Sunny appeared to be lost in dreamland. Planning
on what she’d wear, what she’d say, the thought of
actually getting to see him…
     “Well, we need to get over there this afternoon,”
Lisa said.
 

    “Okay, I’m all ready,” Nicole said slipping on her
sandals.
    “Me, too” Lisa added. “We’re just waiting for
Sunny, now. How long before she’s ready do you think?”
     Nicole laughed. “She’s already changed her
hairstyle twice. I don’t know- maybe twenty minutes?”
    “You know, I was thinking about all these
switches, and I’m not entirely sure I mind all that
much.” Nicole said.
    Lisa smiled. “Probably because it hasn’t affected
us all that much yet.”
    “No- it has, I mean we’ve lost our leader for a
time, been in way over our heads in otherwise
restricted areas, found our way out of some very
sticky situations, and yet we’ve managed to stick
together,” Nicole mused
   “You know- you’re right. It’s made for a very
interesting, if not exhausting time,” Lisa added.
    “And as far as our favorite people switching
bodies, I think it’s cool. Shakes things up a bit.”
Nicole said.
    “Come to think of it… I totally agree! I say we
support the switches.”
    “Of course, we still aren’t any closer to coming
up with anything on what is causing them. So, things
could go back to normal at any time.”
    “Well, in the meantime, what do you say we form a
little society (fraction faction is such an ugly word)
called the Kotc? Knights of the confusion.  We’ll be
the only supporters of these crazy switches,” Lisa
suggested.
    “I love it!! Count me in!” Nicole said
enthusiastically.
    “I’m ready,” Sunny announced, turning all around
so her friends could see her outfit.
    “He’s gonna love it,” Lisa assured her.
    “Are you sure, because I can switch back into the
red..”
    “No!” both girls said.
    “I mean- that one is the best! Let’s go!” Nicole
told her.
     And getting into Lisa’s car, they drove off
towards the cottage.
 

   They stood there. Watching. Nick was playing
twister with the Knighties. Then they dog piled on
him. The switching had obviously not affected him. Or
had it?
    “Lisa- have you noticed, that when he’s not
actually involved in one of those games, he’s awfully
stiff looking. I mean- look at the way he’s sitting
there. And notice how his expression changes every now
and then- for just a fleeting moment? Like when that
girl mentioned another round of Twister, I could swear
he grimaced for just a moment.”
    “I noticed that,” Lisa agreed. “You don’t think
he’s….”
    Nicole nodded.
    “Will you two be quiet? I can’t hear what he’s
saying,” Sunny complained.

Later, when the Knighties finally relinquish Nick for
a moment:

   “Okay, Nick. Now we just need your inseam
measurement.” Lisa smiled.
    “For a coat?” Nickbody inquired.
     “All right, that does it for sure. LaCroix?”
Nicole inquired.
     “I am Nick,” he responded.
     “We don’t believe you,” Lisa said.
      “You know for a certainty that I am actually
LaCroix?” Nickbody asked.
    They nodded.
     “And you don’t seem to be disturbed by this turn
of events?”
     “Nope. Actually, we like it,” Nicole said.
     “And what is your affiliation once more?”
Nickbody inquired.
     “We are a secret society. A faction within a
faction,” Lisa whispered.
     “I see.”
     “Our first loyalties are to our main faction, our
legitimate faction- the Cousins of the Knight.” Lisa
told him.
  But we recently formed a little society called the
Knights of the confusion,” Nicole added.
     “Knights? Wouldn’t that imply your gender as
being male?” he inquired.
     “Confused?” Lisa smiled.
     “Clever,” he conceded. “And so your mission in
all this?”
     “We were team players initially. Just as
disturbed over these switches as anyone else, at
first. But after losing our leader, ending up in
situations that never really happened, and having a
general breakdown in communication, our motivations
changed.” Nicole filled him in.
    “And your motivations now?” he asked.
    “We like the confusion. It adds a lot to
otherwise, predictable plotlines.” Lisa told him.
    “Then perhaps you would find this enjoyable…,”
Nick body began to tell the two of his current plans.
 

    “I’m not always convincing? In what am I lacking?”
Nickbody asked.
    “Well, for one thing, you haven’t had a flashback
for the longest time.” Nicole said         “We’ve been
here for almost a half hour now and…”
    “Nicholas has them quite frequently, doesn’t he…”
    “Yes. So every now and then- just zone out and
pretend like you can’t hear what anyone is saying.”
Lisa suggested.
    “And second- and this is a very crucial part for
you to pull this off- you need to angst over things.
Lament your lack of mortality, brood, fall into a
pattern of self-destructiveness for a time…. We don’t
need to be telling *you* this. You know very well.”
    “Ahem…” Lisa cleared her throat, interrupting
Nicole.
    “Oh  yeah.  There’s also the small matter of
Natalie…” she added.
    That was when Sunny returned with the bottle for
Nick, which he drank, but not very enthusiastically,
she noticed.
    “Thank you,” he said.
    “I guess you never quite got used to it.” Sunny
said.
    “No, I’m afraid cow will never be my favorite
vintage,” he smiled.
    “You’re not Nick, are you,” she stated.
    “I appear to be worse at this than I thought.”
Nickbody sighed looking down sadly.
    “Excellent!” Lisa cheered.
    “Bravo! Way to brood!” Nicole added.
    “Thank you,” he replied with a little hand
flourish.
    Katrinka entered the room. “Does it really take
the better part of an hour to measure someone for a
new coat?”
    “We’ll be going now,” Nicole told her.
    “And we will let you know when the coat is ready,”
Sunny told her.

Back in the car:

    “Wow, that was weird. So now LaCroix has switched
with Nick. I probably didn’t even need to do this,
then.” Sunny pulled a black silk pajama top out of her
purse. “He probably would have just given this to me.”
    “Souvenir?” Nicole laughed.
    “Absolutely.” Sunny smiled. “He has about ten
others just like this one. I don’t think he’s going to
miss it.”
    “Sunny, we have a little something to tell you,”
Lisa began. “How would you like to join the Knights of
the confusion…?”