12/6 Instance: Shifting Pronouns

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Scumfish
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Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:47 pm
Title: SCP-3068
Nightscrawlearth Character: :selene :mayhem :icarus :warren :sabretooth
Location: SCP Foundation

12/6 Instance: Shifting Pronouns

Post by Scumfish »

<Elizabeth> Elizabeth was shaking with anger as she stood in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil, shaking with fear and anger right now. Her lip was split and she was clutching a dressing gown around her stripping outfit from work, which she'd left in rather a hurry.

<@Claudine> Claudine was trying out a male form for once, trying to stay in it for more than a couple of hours. People set a lot of stock by what gender you were, and as yet, it'd been unable to find a body it was comfortable with. Something about the way the genetics had gone together...

<@Claudine> Huffing quietly to itself, Claudine headed into the kitchen, a tall, black-haired and relatively young-looking guy with dark eyes. If anyone who'd seen him had been around, they'd be forgiven for thinking a younger Essex had just walked in.

<Elizabeth> Dabbing a piece of tissue against her lip she frowned before sticking her hand down her top and pulling out another twenty and examining it, no payment for tonight obviously... just the tips. Looking up she froze a little see the new man walk in, he looked like her first boyfriend. "Er hi new person..."

<Elizabeth> She didn't want to have to deal with another guy right now not after work ending the way it did and how she ended it.

<@Claudine> Claudine stopped at the voice, blinking at the other person, snapping out of his thoughts - and into hers. Oh. Male wasnt appreciated. Oh dear...definitely not. A moment's concentration was all it took, features changing to that of a smaller girl in baggy, too-big clothes. "Not that new." She smiled. "Hi, Elizabeth."

<Elizabeth> Elizabeth stared at Claudine in surprise and gratefulness for the change, despite knowing she could kill people with her powers it wasn't making her feel more comfortable around men right now. "Oh fuck hi Claudine.... how are you?"

<Elizabeth> Scratching her nose she poured out two cups of tea automatically - after all anyone in here at this time of night was only in here for one reason.

<@Claudine> "Confused, but that's normal. I'm not even going to ask how you are." The fridge door opened apparently on its own, the milk taken out and put on the side for the other telepath. "I get the feeling it might be met with expletives. So...who's mind do I need to wipe?" She smiled, and once again it was hard to work out if it was a joke or not.

<Elizabeth> Elizabeth smiled awkwardly and nodded in thanks, making the tea and reading enough to know how Claudine liked her tea but no deeper. "Yes it would, work didn't go well. And you don't need to wipe anyone's mind, I dealt with the problem." Huffing and finishing off the tea to pass one to Claudine.

<Elizabeth> "Why are you confused?"

<@Claudine> "So long as you're sure." She boosted herself up to sit on the side, small hands wrapping around the cup. It'd been weird to feel Elizabeth's gentle touch on her mind, but she'd ignored it. "This...gender thing. So many people seem to be bothered that there's people who don't fit into the binaries of male and female."

<@Claudine> "It's..." She searched for the words. "...Strange."

<Elizabeth> "People need to be able to put other people in boxes so they know how to treat them and talk to them. If you're a shifter then people don't know which box to put you in." Sitting herself on the edge of the table and swinging her now bare feet, for once the girls skin on show outside of work.

<Elizabeth> As much as she wore skin tight outfits she rarely wore clothes revealing too much skin. "It helps them deal with things I've noticed."

<@Claudine> "That's just it though." Claudine sipped her drink. "I've...known other shifters." 'Known', hah. Father's reports were extensive and detailed. "They were always one or the other, still a gender up here-" she tapped the side of her head, "-even if their physical bodies were different." She chewed her lip.

<@Claudine> "...I...don't feel right no matter what shape I pick, besides my default ones, and one of those is an amorphous silver blob."

<Elizabeth> "So from the way your putting it... if you don't feel like either gender at all then maybe you're just asexual.. just in the gender sense rather then sexuality?" Rubbing the side of her face she sipped her tea again watching the the 'girl'.

<@Claudine> "You mean genderfluid or...agendered?" Claudine chewed her lip. "Or...genderless...I don't know. That's why I'm confused. I try to be a set gender, but within a couple of hours I'll shift to the opposite or to neutral without realising. It's irritating, especially when I do it in public."

<Elizabeth> "Yeah that, why be one when you can just be comfortable and sit in the middle, knew a stripper once back in England - big blond tattoo'd guy. Well, cisguy, but he dressed up as whatever gender he felt like that day. We just used different pronouns so he didn't get offended."

<@Claudine> "Different pronouns?" Claudine frowned at her over her cup. "I'm just used to people using whichever ones are applicable to the shape I'm in."

<Elizabeth> "Well cause he changed who he was mood depending, he went on the internet and did a bit of research, after that he said to use 'xe' rather then he or she." Sipping at the hot liquid and wincing as it stung her lip.

<@Claudine> "Xe..." Claudine tried it out, frowning. "And...xer. I've heard the terms before...sounds better than 'it' at any rate." Xe scratched xer cheek, considering for a long moment before xer face brightened up. "I like them. Thank you. Can...can you use those for me?"

<Elizabeth> "I don't see why not, when I'm not using your name." Thinking about it and finding that thinking of *her* as a Xer just seemed to fit better anyway. "Much better then it." Smiling alittle then before starting to open the cupboards with her mind which meant the door were swinging open quite fast.

<@Claudine> Claudine smiled back, before shifting into a more comfortable, genderless shape. Better. Much better. For the first time xe felt more...comfortable in xerself. "'It' makes me feel too much like I'm back at home, anyway." Xe admitted quietly, watching the doors with interest. "What're you looking for?"

<Elizabeth> Elizabeth raised an eyebrow then, unsure if she should ask as well she couldn't be the only one with mutant hating parents. "Something easy to make and eat, I haven't eaten all day." She twitched a little then as she thought for a moment the whispers were coming back.

<@Claudine> "You hear whispers too?" The interested look switched to Elizabeth. As one of the doors opened, a packet of noodles were pulled out and put on the side and a tin of vegetables. "There. Two minutes with a kettle and a microwave."

<Elizabeth> Elizabeth's head swung round as she stared at Claudine. "Stay out of my head.... and I doubt what I hear is the same as what you hear." Voice dropped then to a dangerous level, as what she could hear in her mind was one hell of a sensitive subject for her.

<@Claudine> Xe blinked at the look and the tone of voice, honest confusion going across xer features. "Um...sorry? I just - I mean it's easier to read people, I know what to expect from them then. I didn't mean any harm." Xe half-hid behind the cup of tea then, feeling oddly defensive all of a sudden.

<Elizabeth> "Look, just because you can open up someone's head and read the contents doesn't mean you should. You don't go round breaking into peoples houses and root through their stuff so do do it in their heads. If I feel like sharing then I share ok? Same with everyone else."

<Elizabeth> Shifting uncomfortably as she pulled her mental shields up. "All I do is look deep enough to find people's favourite drinks while I'm on a bar or making tea, never any more unless they say it's ok. "

<@Claudine> "But...why not?" The look Elizabeth was getting was honest confusion. "That's like saying just because you have wings you shouldn't fly. I-I don't mean to...you know, steal secrets or mess people up with it, but it makes - made - my life a lot easier to know what and who I was dealing with and the best way to get things."

<@Claudine> Xe took a sip of xer tea for a moment. "I don't...understand a lot of things." The feeling of the shields going up added to the confusion, a slightly hurt look going across xer face before it went. "So it's just...easier for me to pick things up that way or hide my mistakes so people don't witch-hunt me, you know?"

<Elizabeth> "Before now that was fine. You were lost and you were just trying to find somewhere safe to live and hide, but here well dealing with people is safer then just rooting round in peoples heads. For a start off it's just plain invasive and rude."

<Elizabeth> Shifting a bit she realised she wasn't the best person to explain all this. "If you don't understand anything just ask one of us rather then going through peoples heads, because if someone realises you're doing it - like me for example - you'll get the witch hunt times ten."

<@Claudine> There was a moment of silence, the shifter honestly - and openly - confused by this. They were xer powers, xe was designed to use them and now...well...it did make sense. Sort of. "This is complicated." Xe said finally, a huff accompanying it. "It was alright to do it then but it's not now when I'm still trying to work things out? How does that work?"

<@Claudine> Xe wriggled a little on the counter top, frowning in thought and pressing the cup to xer lips. "It's not like I make it obvious..."

<Elizabeth> "And yet you mention the fact you could hear the whispers in my head. Look, before you were homeless and in danger of getting beaten up as a mutant or living on the streets. Now you're safe so work things out the long way or you'll never understand them."

<Elizabeth> Sighing she scrubbed her face. "Just getting whatever you need out of someone's head isn't going to help you learn how to do it, it'll just give you answers and you'll still be confused. I find it very obvious and I hate it - it makes my skin crawl in the most horrible way."

<@Claudine> "Honestly, I haven't been homeless because of using my abilities." Xe admitted quietly, almost a little ashamed of it now. "I-I sometimes shifted to look like my father or Uncle Seb when I knew that would get me what I wanted...or I'd shift into what the other person would find more sympathetic..."

<@Claudine> "I'm sorry." Xe murmured in a small voice, eyes going down. "I didn't mean to upset you. I-I haven't been dealing with the world all that long."

<Elizabeth> "Look... just don't do it again. People don't like other people in their heads, it's what gives mutants a fear factor as it where. Trust me, we can all tell you haven't been dealing with people that long, but it's not right to just mess with people's minds for you own sake unless it's an emergency."

<Elizabeth> Getting off the side she paced around a bit before she gave in and started making the noodles. "When I first came here and the teachers knew what I could do, they said the best way to go about being a psychic is to practice with people you trust and only use your powers when it will benefit the most people and not just yourself."

<@Claudine> Xe blushed. Was it that obvious? Well...not in that sense. Hopefully. "I don't really have anyone I can do that with though." Xe said in a small voice. "Maybe I'll find one...but..." Claudine looked down into her cup. "...Thank you, I'll try and remember. I-I might slip up a few times though. Promise you won't be angry if I do?"

<Elizabeth> "I won't be angry at you, you're still learning. Just try to remember if you wouldn't go through someone's stuff, you don't go through their heads. Psychic mutants are feared by a lot of people and if you keep fucking with people's minds you can't build up trust between them and us."

<Elizabeth> Getting the hot water on she dropped the noodles in. "Look, when we get to know each other a bit better you can practice with me, or ask one of the teachers - they are willing to help too."

<@Claudine> Claudine shuffled a little and nodded. "Alright. I'll try." Xe smiled. "Thank you so much for all your help...I was afraid that even here I'd be alone, you know? Though...I...found this place through reading minds, I'll be honest..." Gah! So much xe still had to learn about everything...why hadn't Essex seen fit to program this into her?

<@Claudine> ...Oh yes. 'For science' indeed. See how the little experiment fares when introduced into the wider conditions. Ugh.

<Elizabeth> "See that's fine, that's getting you a home. I've done it when lost in this new city a few times but that's literally all I looked at - just directions. Though sometimes I hear things by accident because I'm not very good at this." Grabbing a spoon from the pot she started stirring.

<Elizabeth> "I think the point of this place is not to be alone. ... But you're welcome."

<@Claudine> Xe kept quiet about the fact xe was fascinated with the ability to see into people's lives and all their little secrets. Finishing xer tea, the cup went into the sink. "Seems like it...and it teaches more than basic subjects too." Xe smiled. For all his brilliance, Essex had never understood Xavier's...maybe xe would. For science, of course.

<@Claudine> Always for science.
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