Chapter Text
I groaned, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my palms. I rolled over, squinting at the wall. Why was the wall black? Why wasn't it the bright scarlet red it normally was?
What was going on?
I sat up, rubbing my eyes a little more furiously. I looked around, frowning. Everything was wrong. It was too big, too modern, and so not me. I checked the bed, and the cover was the same modern black and grey as the rest of the room.
I froze, staring at my hands. They were scarred, way too scarred to be mine. Why were they so large?
What the Void was going on?
I swung my legs over the bed, and I sat there, staring at them. These weren't my legs. My legs were way skinnier, and not absolutely covered in scars. The skin tone was so off, I'm paler than a ghost. These legs were tan, almost like...
I stood up, way too fast, which made my head swim. I tried to use my wings to help me balance, but I couldn't move them. My blood ran cold as I glanced over my shoulder.
Where are my wings?!
I stumbled into what I could only assume was a bathroom. Thank goodness it was. Except for the fact it revealed who's body my consciousness was residing in.
"SCAR?!" Scar's voice cried, and I almost collapsed. I gripped the counter trying to clear my head. I was Scar? SCAR?! THE Scar? Like, the sweet, comedic, chaotic, cool guy I go for coffee with everyday? WHAT?!?!
I stared at myself. Himself? The boyish face, the constant smirk, the scars, the strong jaw, and the eyes. Oh the eyes. Emerald green, bright and vibrant. I've always loved his eyes. Now, they just look scared and confused.
Wait...wasn't Scar an elf? A TAILED elf?!
My knees buckled at the sight of the pointed ears, my shaking hands reaching up to touch the tip. My, his, ear flicked on impulse, and I almost screamed. I turned my head around, almost dreading what I saw. A smooth slim fuzzy tail, with a little plume of fur on the end. I focused on flicking it, like Scar(me?) did. After a moment, it whipped around, and I almost leaped out of my skin.
Breathe. You just need to breathe. They aren't foreign, they belong. I just don't belong in this body.
I took a step back to lean against the wall, and suddenly it moved, which actually made me scream. Well, Scar did. This was getting confusing. I fell back onto my back, which hit something spiky and hard.
I groaned, wincing as I pulled out what I fell on. What...? Why was Hotguy's bow in a secret compartment in Scar's bathroom? I glanced up, and my jaw dropped. The entire Hotguy getup was hung up with every weapon, tool, and gadget the hero used.
"Scar is Hotguy?" I groaned, to absolutely no one. I changed into the suit and looked in the mirror. I groaned again.
How was I so blind? It's so obvious, how did I not see it? The scar's matched perfectly, the hair, and even the body build. I groaned again, slamming my head into the door frame. I winced, but did it again for good measure.
A phone started to ring, and I scrambled into the other room to answer it. I checked the called ID, and almost dropped the phone. Grian was calling me? I'M GRIAN!
I picked up, and hesitantly said hello. It was silent. There was nothing but dead static for a long while.
"Hello there," Grian's voice, my voice. My heart pounded, that was how Scar always answered.
"Scar?" I whispered.
"Yeah...does that make you Grian?" I answered, he answered...Grian answered. I don't even know anymore.
"Yeah," I replied, taking the Hotguy glasses off to rub the bridge of my nose. "Any idea how this happened, or how we trade back?"
"Want to get out of my body that urgently then?" The smirk in his voice was clear. My voice?
"Yes!" I exclaimed, flopping onto my back. I winced, realising I was sitting on the tail, my tail, Scar's tail. I adjusted, and it automatically curled around my calf. Huh. "It's weird to not be me, and when I talk I don't hear my voice, and when I look in the mirror I don't see me. I don't even know how to refer to myself. Am I you, am I me, am I Grian, am I Scar? I don't know!"
"Yeah, I've been trying to figure that out too," he chuckled. With my chuckle.
"So?" I ask, sitting up. "Any ideas?" The line was silent, before he spoke.
"I have no idea," his voice was quiet. Low. Unsure. Confused. Worst of all, small.
"Ok," I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Let's meet up, see if we can figure out how to change back, or something."
"Coffee in half an hour?" Scar asked. Me? Grian? Scar?
Agh! I give up.
"Yeah," I answered. We hung up, and I looked down at what I was wearing. I cursed, running to change into normal clothes.
I carefully returned all of Hotguy's gear to their respective places. Then I looked over Scar's closet, trying to figure out his style while still keeping my comfort. Cargo pants sounded ok. Maybe with a chain? Now where did he keep his accessories...
After 20 minutes of searching, trying stuff, and criticising everything I put on, I was somewhat happy. I did end up going with cargos, with a simple chain. I chose a red button up, just because I missed the colour, and undid two buttons.
I still have to act like Scar, so I thought showing a little chest might help. I put on a couple silver chains around my neck, tied my hair(his hair?) back into a messy half up bun...thing. I don't normally have this long of hair! I'm working on it!
I checked the time, and practically ran out the door when I double checked the bus schedule. I barely made it to the bus, and I sat near the front, trying to catch my breath. Oh, how I missed wings!
Finally the bus reached the station, and I almost ran over several people to get into the coffee shop. Scar(as me aka Grian) was already there at our table, like he normally was. He smirked, handing me a coffee.
"Still late," he ignored my glare. "Even switching bodies can't make you punctual."
"Say it louder, it's not like we're keeping this a secret," was my sarcastic retort. "Shouldn't we at least try and pretend like I'm Scar and you're Grian?" I grumbled, taking a seat, making sure I didn't squash my new tail(his tail?) in the process. I took a sip of the coffee, and choked. "What is this? It tastes like pure sugar!"
"It is," Scar grinned, taking a sip of his own coffee. He winced, his face(my face) puckering up like he had swallowed a gallon of lemon juice. "That's my order, I have yours."
I snickered as he took another sip. Again, his face scrunched up like he was dealing with something way too sour.
"Switch?" I offered, wanting my blacker than black coffee back. He nodded, his face still tense and tight. I chuckled, and sighed as the sharp, black taste of my coffee soothed my throat. Scar made a similar noise as he drank his creamed sugar in a cup.
"Switched, just like us," he said quietly, sending me a glance, but then quickly busied himself in his coffee. I raised an eyebrow, quietly noticed how much easier it was with Scar's expressive face, and leaned closer to Scar(in my body).
"I'm Cuteguy," I whispered, watching him closely. He froze, then slowly locked eyes with me. "And I know your Hotguy."
"You found my closet?" He leaned closer to me, his soft voice urgent. I nodded. Scar leaned back, running a hand over my face. "So Grian is Cuteguy, and Scar is Hotguy."
"Yeah," I rubbed the back of my neck, the weight that I had been carrying since I became a vigilante finally lifting. "Thought you'd figure it out sooner or later, and since I figured out your secret, I thought you should know mine." My cheeks started to heat up, for no reason at all. Maybe it was because of the way Grian was smiling at me. No wait, Scar was smiling at me. I need to figure this out.
"Ok," Scar put a hand on the table, a little louder than I would have preferred. "We need to figure out our names and stuff. I'm having issues."
"I was just about to say that," I grinned, leaning back.
"Can I just be Scar and you just be Grian?" he asked. "But then around other people you're Scar and I'm Grian?"
"Yeah that works," I shrugged, taking another sip of my coffee.
"Uummmm...how do wings work?" Scar asked, bringing his wings closer to him. I chuckled.
"You'll have to get used to it. I'll teach you basic wing maintenance, and how to actually fly," I grinned, wondering what it would be like to preen my wings as Scar. "As long as you help me figure out how not to squash this tail of yours."
"How are you lovebirds doing?" A British voice called out, making both of us jump. My face went red at the word 'lovebirds,' and I could see Scar's face do the same.
"Well, hello there Joel," I grinned, slipping into my best 'Scar Persona'. I've done many joking impressions of the man, and now they finally are being used for something useful. Let's just hope it's as good as everyone else says. "How are you doing on this fine day?"
"We're not lovebirds!" Scar sputtered, doing an excellent job of playing me. Honestly, I think his face is redder than mine would be if I was still me(that makes sense right?...totally yep). His wings were puffed up, and he snuck a scowl at them, clearly having issues trying to depuff them. I snickered. "Just friends."
"Uh huh," Joel eyed him, suspicious teasing dripping from his voice. "I'm fine, Scar, but you didn't answer my question."
"I'm great! I'm fantastic!" I waved my hands around for dramatic effect.
"I'm good," Scar smiled shyly, giving a little wave. His face was still bright red, and it was cute-COOL, COOL IT WAS COOL!
"Same order as always?" the brunette asked, eyeing our coffees.
"Your wife made them, why don't you ask her?" Scar grumbled, pouting. Man, he was playing me better than I do! And I'm me!
"Well, then why does Grian's look like Scar's order of sugary cream?" he squinted his eyes at our drinks. Me and Scar shared a glance. An idea came to my mind quickly. Was it because I had Scar's quick wittiness or the combination of both? So many unknowns.
"I was trying his coffee," I answered, grinning. I took a sip, and fake gagged. "Not good."
I pushed the cup away, doing grabby hands for Scar's cup. He sighed, handing the cup over to me. I grinned foolishly, and brought the coffee up to my nose. I took a sip, and hid my wince with a happy sigh. Joel was watching us closely, eyeing us with a weird look on his face.
"Are you sure you two aren't dating?" he asked, lowering his voice. Me and Scar shared a look, an idea forming in our minds at the exact same time. We shared a secret smirk.
"Yeah," I said, reaching for his hand. He took it, and I squeezed it gently, smiling. He blushed, and gave a shy smile. "We're dating."
"WHAT?!" Joel screamed, which made other customers glance at our corner table. He leaned closer, speaking quietly. "Do you have any idea how much money I could get if you two aren't pulling my leg?"
"Welp, guess you're not getting that money," I smirked, leaning back in my chair. Scar took his hand back, snickering.
Joel's. Face. Was. PRICELESS!
"Y-you!" he growled, storming off. You could hear his grumbling and muttering even as he entered the back room to help Lizzie with the shop.
Me and Scar shared another look, before we burst out laughing.
"That went so well!" I giggled, reaching over to take my coffee back.
"I know!" Scar grinned, wiping his eyes. "I'm crying! I'm actually crying!" That only made us laugh harder.
"Ok, ok, breathe Scar, breathe," I stood up, and patted him on the back, as he started choking on his own chortles.
"Can't breathe," he wheezed. "Guess I'm gone." He falls onto the back of the chair, wings splayed out dramatically, tongue out, eyes closed. He even made the bblluueeeehhh noises you make when you pretend to die.
"Scar!" I laughed, trying to keep my voice down. I ended up on my knees, my head and hands resting on the edge of the table to keep me up. Scar was still pretending to be dead through snickers.
"Want to head to my place?" Scar asked, when we had both composed ourselves.
"Grian's place or Scar's place?" I asked, tilting my head. He paused for a moment, before responding.
"Scar's. It's government funded so it's very secure," he replied.
"It also means there's probably hidden recording tools," I frowned slightly, praying that no one was watching during the fiasco this morning.
"I've checked a million times, and I trust Cu-" he paused and winced, before continuing. "You need to know him anyway. I trust Cub, he does all of my tech stuff."
"OK," I nodded, making sure I would remember Cub's name when the time came.
"Ready to head out?" He asked, standing up. I nodded, grabbing his empty cup. Scar always took care of the cups, so it was my job until we switched back.
If we switched back.
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We took the bus back to his place, and together we did another sweep of the house. Luckily, we found nothing, otherwise, Scar would've had issues. He trusted his Agency after all.
"Guess I should tell you all the things you need to know about being Scar and Hotguy," Scar said, sitting against the side of his bed. I sat across from him on his desk chair, my tail wrapped around my waist. He took a moment to get his wings situated, a couple of grumbles accompanying the struggle. I watched, trying to hide giggles as he eventually just gave up and spread them out of the ground beside him.
"Still having issues with my wings?" I smirked, leaning my elbows on my knees.
"YES!" Scar gave an exasperated huff, scowling at the wings. I chuckled, my chest full of mirth. Chuckling with Scars voice was weird. His voice is so much deeper than mine!
"Ok, think of them as an extension of your body, not some foreign mutation," I gave him a pointed look. He looked guilty, so I'm guessing that's how he'd been thinking of them. "Now just imagine them folding against your back, like you would fold your arms together."
His face turned focused, and he squeezed his eyes shut. His nose wrinkled, which was absolutely adorable. Now I see why he always teases me for being cute. Just then, the wings folded against his back, a little shaky, but he did it.
"Did I do it?" Scar asked, his eyes still shut.
"Yeah! You did great. Now just relax, but just like how you keep your arms folded, they should just stay folded," I said. He visibly relaxed, glanced over his shoulder, and let out a breath, seemingly proud about his accomplishment.
"Now we just have to tell each other corporate secrets," Scar grinned, leaning against the bed.
"Crap, I'll have to tell you about Tinker!" I slapped my forehead. Tinker was my tech person, also known as Mumbo of the Jumbo variety.
"Yeah..." Scar winced. We shared a look.
"You're first!" We screamed at each other, pointing at the other. We laughed, realising we both had the same thought.
"Ok but seriously," I said, leaning back in the chair. "I guess I'll go first. Tinker, aka Mumbo, does all my weapons, gear and tech. He's amazing at red stone, and is literally a genius. He gives me intel on patrol and during missions. He's my own personal HQ."
"How do you act around him?" Scar asked.
"Kinda how I act around you," I answered, shrugging. "I tease him a lot, obviously not as flirty, and we have a couple jokes in the running. If he says anything you don't really understand, tackle him, repeat what he said in a similar voice, and/or scream 'STOP!' at him. Maybe add an, 'I can't cope with this!' For special effects."
"Oookkkkaaayyyyy," Scar looked confused, but didn't push. "Guess I should give you a run down of all the heroes and the staff at HQ."
"That's like, so many heroes!" I groaned, moving to flop onto the bed.
"You'll be fine," he chuckled.
"No I won't," I pouted.
"There's Cub, he does all my tech, full name is Cubucations," Scar began, ignoring my pouting. "You should know most of the other heroes. Fallen Angel, Strike, and Sunshine Canary are the ones you'll go on big missions with. Diana's our healer, but everyone calls her Di. Angel and Strike are secretly dating, but don't even bring it up.
"Not all of them are open with their identities, like Diana, and Sunshine. Angel is actually Skizz and Strike is Impulse, and they know that you're Hotguy."
"The dads are also superheroes?!" I stared at him, slapping my forehead. "It's so obvious!"
Impulse and Skizz are two of our close friends that we hang out with. They're dating and are like dads even with no kids, because we have adopted them as our fathers. They used to argue that they're not our dads, but now they've given up and just roll with it now.
"I know!" Scar laughed. "Anyways, Cubs real name is Cub, but since he doesn't go on missions it doesn't matter. Oh! The head of HQ is called X, wait you know that President X is in charge. Never mind that. He's a void walker, and always has a helmet on."
"A void walker? They still exist?" I tilted my head at him. He nodded.
"Yeah. He's always sick though, and spends most of his time in the End. The air here is too thick, his lungs have a hard time breathing," Scar said. "Or something like that, I don't actually know."
"Or pay attention too," I hummed, making mental notes.
"I almost forgot!" Scar slapped his forehead, missing my jab completely. "The vigilantes, Red King and his Hand, their identity is known but only within the government. Ren Dog and Martyn Littlewood. If you see them in the street, don't react. They don't know any of the hero's identities.
"They gave up their secret in order to live with minimal contact with the government. If you see them in costume, DON'T ENGAGE!" Scar stared me dead in the eyes, leaning closer to me. It was weird to stare into my onyx black eyes, they really were just fathomless pits. "We gave them the deal that if they stick to lower level crime, and only in the lower sections of the city where the heroes can't get to quickly, we'll keep their secret and give them a pardon."
"Got it," I nodded, my eyes moving to Scar's lips against my will. I snapped them back to his eyes, which happened to be looking at my lips...
"That should be everyone!" Scar jumped away, chuckling nervously. He was turned away, rubbing the back of his neck. I felt my face burning, but I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Would it be weird if I kissed the guy I like while he was in my body?
"Great! When's your next shift?" I asked, trying to veer away from the flustered awkwardness that had entered the room.
"Tonight, we'll meet at the same time, same place," Scar answered, turning back to me, now composed.
"Scar...we have to fight," I said slowly, a realisation dawning on me. "As each other. I don't even know how to shoot a bow!" I started to pace, biting my lip.
"G, it'll be fine," Scar replied gently. He stood up, grabbing my hands to stop my pacing. "Muscle memory. It'll come naturally. Like it normally does." I raised a brow at him, hoping it hides my blush.
"Ok," I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.
I brought him into a tight hug, an adorable squawk of surprise escaping him. He hugged back, snuggling his head into the crook of my neck. I liked hugging him when he's shorter than me, as I can rest my head on his. Which is what I did. His only response was to hug me tighter. His wings shifted to wrap around me, and my tail snaked around his waist against my will. Just like we normally hugged.
We stood there, just holding each other, way longer than was necessary. One of our phones rang, and we leaped apart. My face was on fire, and Scar was scrambling for his phone.
"Not mine," Scar said.
"Oh Void!" I grabbed my phone from the bed, answering it. "Hello?"
"We need you now," a male voice snapped at me. I winced, putting it on speaker. "We have a Mad Warlock, Hellborn, and Bloodmoon sighting. The park on 22nd ave east, get there as soon as possible. Sunshine, Angel and Strike are on their way as well."
"What do I say?" I mouthed.
"Copy Cub," he whispered, leaning close to me.
"Copy that," I said. "I'll be there in ten."
"Make it five," Cub warned before hanging up.
"I gotta go!" I ran into the bathroom, and opened the closet. I began throwing it on, praying I didn't forget anything or something was out of place.
"I'll head back and change into Cuteguy," Scar said, yelling through the bathroom door. "Where's your stuff?"
"Pink suitcase under the bed!" I yelled back, before realising. "Wait, Scar! You don't know how to fly yet!" I ran out, in full Hotguy, everything I needed in place. Scar stared at me, his freckled cheeks dusted red. I grabbed his shoulders, giving him a light shake. "SCAR!"
"I'll figure it out," he shook his head, pulling away. "You need to go."
"Just...be careful, alright?" I pleaded, giving him a quick hug. He held on for a second longer than needed. Before I was able to pull away completely, he undid one of the straps on my gloves, redoing it with practised efficiency. He nodded, and pushed me towards the window.
I opened the window, and grappled into the city. Scar was right, it really did come naturally. I hope flying is the same for him. I double checked my ear piece, turning it on, and praying I set it up right.
"Where you at, HG?" Angel's, Skizz's, voice modified Arizonan accent came through the comms.
"Just entering the park," I leaped off the roof, landing in a tree. After hopping closer to the fighting, I noticed the state of the park.
Craters, fire, broken trees, debris everywhere, blood, and stuff broken or scattered. I carefully, through the trees, got closer to where the fight was happening. In the process, I almost got hit by a fireball.
"Why won't you stay still!" An angry voice screamed as Strike's, Impulse's, lighting flashed. It was the Mad Warlock, a villain with magical abilities to cause explosions and cast spells.
"Oh sorry? Was I supposed to let you blast me with red magic dust?" Strike replied, more lighting striking.
I finally made it to a good vantage point, and quietly unstrung my bow from my back. Taking an arrow, I notched it, somehow knowing not to draw prematurely. I sighted, inhaled, drew, aimed, exhaled, and released. Smooth, efficient, easy, and quick. All in all, three seconds.
The shot landed right where I aimed, in the middle of the Warlocks thigh. We aim to wound and capture, never kill. He hissed, whatever incantation he was saying puttering out.
"Thanks Hotguy!" Strike said over the comms, pouncing on the villain. They struggled, but eventually Strike got the upper hand, knocking the Warlock out cold.
"Hotguy? Who's that?" I joked over the comms, shooting a couple shots at Hellborn, a fiery haired blaze hybrid.
"Took you long enough!" Fallen Angel snapped. I turned and shot a net. It deployed just before it reached the hybrid, trapping him. "Thanks for that."
"It's what I'm here for, and don't give my location away," I replied, glancing to the sky for Scar, praying that he was able to not hurt himself as Cuteguy.
"Obviously, we're not amateurs," Sunshine Canary pipped in, suddenly appearing. He slashed at Bloodmoon, who was in hot pursuit. The she-villain hissed, turning into a large wolf.
"Watch out!" I heard Scar yell, a flash of pink and black suddenly dive bombing Bloodmoon. I held back a gasp, using the scope on my bow to see if he was alright.
"Get off me you blasted bird!" The she-wolf howled, back in her human form. The avian was wrestling with her, but didn't look injured. I let out a breath, thankful Cuteguy was ok.
Suddenly, a huge smoke bomb covered the entire park. We all coughed, trying to clear the smoke. Once it did clear, everyone was looking around. All the villains were gone, besides Warlock, who was still unconscious on the ground.
"The Family was here, but they're gone," Sunshine reported, landing next to the other hero's. I leaped out of the tree, and ran to Cuteguy.
"Are you alright?" I asked in a low voice, glancing up and down, looking for anything.
"I'm fine," he rolled his eyes, hands on his hips. He was wearing the standard white and pink heeled boots, black ombré leggings, with the puffiest jester shorts ever, also pink.
A black crop top, with an open back for his wings. It had a similar style of chest opening to Hotguy's triangle, only it was a heart.
He had finger-less gloves, reaching his biceps and had the same ombré effect as his wings. How he worked my magic, I'll probably never know. Pink heart shaped glasses, with tons of pink glittery makeup on top of a black painted face mask underneath, covered his face.
Standard Cuteguy. For his first change, and a quick one at that, he did pretty good.
"HG, get away from the vigilante," Angel said, already in a fighting stance. His eyes were hard, never leaving Cuteguy. Strike sidled up beside him, his fists clenched. Sunshine stood awkwardly, not sure who to side with. CG narrowed his eyes, a flicker of hurt flashing behind the glasses. These were his friends, now they're his enemies.
"He just saved Sunny! Let it go!" I threw my hands up in the air, giving Angel an annoyed look. Angel didn't move.
"I can tell when I'm not wanted," Cuteguy said, turning and launching himself into the sky. I watched him go, keeping an eye out for anything that would indicate he was uncomfortable or unsure with his wings. There was nothing, and I let out an internal sigh of relief. Scar was ok.
"What the heck was that?! Who's side are you on?" Angel grabs me, looking about ready to throw hands.
"I'm on whatever side keeps this city safe," I pull away from him, trying to keep my words as Scar as possible. "He's not the villain here. He's just doing what he can to keep everyone safe, just like we do. The only reason vigilantism is banned is because X doesn't want people who aren't strong enough to think they can handle dealing with criminals like the Family. He is strong enough, and extremely capable."
"That still doesn't excuse you openly taking his side," Angel argued. "Vigilantism is illegal, which makes Cuteguy a criminal. We arrest criminals. We're heroes, but you don't seem to be acting like one."
There was something else in the air, and we both could feel it. He was being hypocritical. Red King and His Hand were vigilantes, and the government had a deal with them to allow them to do it. We don't arrest them, and they drop the petty criminals on their doorstep, because they were too busy protecting the rich, upper end of the city to worry about the lower end.
This was part of the reason I was a vigilante, not a hero.
Angel gave me one final glare, before helping Sunshine grab the still unconscious Warlock. Strike gave me an apologetic look, before moving to help them.
From what I know of HQ protocol, after a big fight like that, the Inner Circle meets with X and gives a full report. I don't know what I'm doing, and I'll probably mess something up. Pulling out the communicator I have with Scar, I messaged him.
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🏹🔥: Scar, I need help.
🎀🪽: what's up?
🏹🔥: Do I need to go to HQ? I know that after a fight the Inner Circle goes and talks with X. Also, I had a fight with Angel.
🎀🪽: yeah you should go especially since you caught a villain
🎀🪽: why did you fight with angle?
🎀🪽: angel
🏹🔥: He got upset over how I defended you and I kinda blew up at him. Some of these hero's get so stuck in their heads of who's following the law and who's not that they don't even see the work getting done.
🎀🪽: I've had fights like that with him too it's best just to let him cool down he won't apologise and you don't have to but he doesn't dwell on these arguments
🏹🔥: Alright, good to know. Thanks! Did you make it home safe?
🎀🪽: yeah no problems with the wings or anybody
🎀🪽: now stop texting me and get to that meeting! X hates when people are late
🏹🔥: I'm going, I'm going! 🏃🏻💨
🎀🪽: 🙄😊
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I tucked the phone away, and headed to the hero's headquarters. Hopefully I can fool the President of the city that I'm someone I'm not, even if I look like him. If not, well, I'm pretty much screwed.