Sir Wrongalot was stumbling through a town that looked like someone spilled a crayon box all over the place. His mismatched armor clinked and clattered as he walked. The helmet on his head was tilted so far to the side it looked like it was actively trying to escape. His pool noodle hung from his belt like it had an honorary position in his life. And his stomach? It was practically starting a revolution if he didn't eat something soon.
He wasn't sure where he was going but the important thing was that he was getting away from whatever nonsense he'd been involved in last. It was starting to blur together. Who was he fighting again? A giant rat who wanted to join a rock band? Probably. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing to happen today.
As he shuffled through the town he spotted a crowd of people gathered in the town square. His curiosity, which was always one bad decision away from chaos, pulled him in. If nothing else maybe they had food. Or at least someone who could explain why pigeons were trying to wear tiny hats in the background.
As he made his way to the front of the crowd he saw... a girl? She was standing there on one foot staring dramatically into the distance like she was auditioning for a role in a play that didn't exist. Sir Wrongalot blinked confused. What was she doing? Was she balancing? Dancing? Waiting for the wind to blow her to the next dimension?
Before he could even begin to figure it out, she transformed. Like poof, now she was a dude.
"Woah," Sir Wrongalot said, his brain short-circuiting for a second. "Did you just—"
"Yeah, I did," the guy—who was now a dude but still had the same face—said with a smug grin. "I'm Brother Zhi. No big deal. I'm just... magical y'know?"
Sir Wrongalot stared. "Wait, wait, wait, hold up. You were a girl two seconds ago, now you're a guy? What... how... what is this? Is this a magic thing? Some kind of... curse? Is this how witches work now?"
"Nah, I just get to switch between Mia and Brother Zhi whenever I feel like it," Brother Zhi said, flicking his hair like he was in a shampoo commercial. "No biggie. It's like picking a different outfit, but with way more confusion."
Sir Wrongalot, who was already questioning his life choices, rubbed his forehead. "Okay, so you're both Mia and Brother Zhi? But at the same time? Or... what's going on?"
"Nah, man. It's like... I'm the same person just... you know a bit more versatile," Brother Zhi said with a shrug. "Mia's my girl side. Brother Zhi's the boy side. It's like I'm two characters in one body but no big deal."
Sir Wrongalot gaped at him. "Wait, so you're like... a shape-shifter? But for genders?"
"Exactly," Brother Zhi said, now looking pretty proud of himself. "I'm like the Swiss Army knife of people. I can go from Mia to Brother Zhi whenever I want. You want to see me switch back?"
Before Sir Wrongalot could respond, Brother Zhi twirled around in the most unnecessary dramatic fashion. He was spinning like he was auditioning for Dancing with the Stars—on a bad day.
"See?" he said with a flourish, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"That was... unnecessary," Sir Wrongalot said flatly. "Do you do that every time you switch?"
"Of course!" Brother Zhi said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Do you know how hard it is to be both a guy and a girl in one body? You've got to make a show out of it. Gotta spice it up a little. It's a whole thing."
Sir Wrongalot shook his head, trying not to look like his brain had officially broken. "Right, right. Yeah, I get it. Spice. Because that's what the world needs. More spice."
Before Brother Zhi could answer, Mia—who, apparently, was now Mia again—jumped into the conversation. She was spinning around like a wind-up toy on fast forward, her arms outstretched like she was preparing for takeoff.
"What is happening?!" Sir Wrongalot asked, eyes wide. "Are we going to dance now?"
"No, no," Mia giggled, stopping mid-spin like it was the most normal thing in the world. "But I did want to let you know that I'm totally doing this for dramatic effect. You know to give the whole 'transformation' process a little extra oomph."
Sir Wrongalot rubbed his temples, feeling his sanity fraying a little more with each word. "I think you're just making this up as you go along, aren't you?"
Mia paused dramatically, then nodded like she'd just solved a riddle. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I? You can't just be a magical person like me and not have a little fun with it, right?"
"Right," Sir Wrongalot said, still not sure if he was awake or just stuck in some very strange dream. He sighed realizing the only thing that made sense anymore was that nothing made sense. "Look Mia, Brother Zhi, whatever your name is, do you have food? Because my stomach's about to start a protest, and I'm not sure I can handle another revolution."
"Oh, you want food? Follow me!" Mia said, now in full-on I'm in charge mode. She turned, like the head of an army leading its troops into battle, and started walking away.
Sir Wrongalot blinked, still processing, and followed her. He was pretty sure this was going to end in disaster, but at least it was a new kind of disaster.
As they walked through the town, Sir Wrongalot couldn't help but wonder... Was it even possible to have a conversation without it spiraling into total chaos when you were around Mia/Brother Zhi?
"Oh, and by the way," Mia called over her shoulder, "you're paying for the food. I'm way too rich for this."
"Rich?!" Sir Wrongalot yelled back, horrified. "You're making me buy food now? You're the one who's spinning around for no reason!"
"Yeah, yeah," Mia said nonchalantly. "It's a thing. You don't get it."
Sir Wrongalot just groaned. He was officially trapped in a world where nothing made sense, and all he could do was try to follow along.