Jake and Amanda: Sometime last week.
Feb. 16th, 2004 01:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsMost recent in a series of 'help Jake get his normal shape back" sessions. There's brutal character analysis, bad Ewan McGregor accents, jokes about frog obsessions, and cookies.
Balancing a plate of Lorna's chocolate-chip cookies on top of several large books, Amanda awkwardly tapped on Jake's door. These sessions, she found, went so much more smoothly if she brought food.
"Oh food!" Jake exclaimed when he'd opened the door, and grabbed the plate before he returned to his bed, happily munching cookies.
"Yer about the only one in this place who eats more 'n me," she said with an amused chuckle. "An' I've got the homeless excuse. What's yours?" She curled up in one of the armchairs, books balanced on her lap.
"Kick ass metabolism," Jake grinned. "And, you know, I tend to do weird things to my cells a lot more often than most people do. Need the energy." He wolfed down another cookie. "So what have you been reading now? Anything useful? Unlike, say, the butterfly swirly thingy whatever the hell it was?"
She pulled a face at him. "Nah, I managed t' get hold of some stuff on transformation spells from Romany. She was sort of reluctant t' give 'em to me, until I explained it was for you." She opened the top volume. "I think I've worked out why the frog thing worked."
Jake straightened, putting down the half eaten cookie in his hand. "Yeah?"
Amanda rubbed her nose. "Well, the way your power works, it's like you tell your cells what to do, right?"
Jake nodded. "Yeah, more or less."
"Well, the way I work it out, the spell did that for you. Suggested a shape an' yer body did it." Amanda pulled a cookie of her own out of her pocket - she'd gotten used to Jake hogging the food as well. "'S why it worked at all - most people have a much stronger sense of 'emselves, who they are. You, on the other hand, don't."
He eyed her, contemplating denying the statement for a moment, then shrugged. It'd be pointless, really. "So I'm mental? Or harbouring dreams of being Freddie the Frog?"
Amanda snickered - she couldn't help herself. "Not unless you've been readin' too many fairy tales," she said. "What I mean is..." She paused, trying to figure out how to say it. "Well, you're a shapeshifter. Spend yer life lookin' like other people, right?"
"Yeeeah.." Jake was giving her his by now patented 'I am being very, very patient here. see me being patient. very patient' and munching cookies. He was starting to suspect he was developing some sort of biscuit addiction.
She rolled her eyes at his 'patient' face - she'd seen it far too often on social workers. "What I'm gettin' at, is yer sense of who you are... well, it's different, ain't it? You can be anyone, so you don't tend t' know who you are. Explains yer current problem, don't it?"
Jake waved a hand at her to keep her silent while he swallowed. "No, not right," he said finally, coughing. "I mean, it is, in a way. But every shape I have come with a profile and a background, you know? So in a way I _always_ know who I am. You see?"
"I think so. But who comes up with the profile? You or someone else?"
"Usually someone in research." Jake paused, then nodded. "In other words, not me."
"'S exactly what I'm gettin' at." A smug smile crossed Amanda's face. "The frog spell - it was like one of yer profiles. An' it worked because that's what yer used to, havin' someone else tell you what shape to take."
He thought that over, then gave her a look of respect. "That actually makes sense."
"Not just a pretty face, me," she told him. "So, the way I see it, you need t' try an' convince yourself of what yer true shape actually is, an' then it will stick."
"...I need to profile myself?" His eyebrows rose at the idea. Well. He'd done most of the other things she'd suggested. Even the weird bit with the eyeballs, which he wasn't going to think about again, ever.
"Well, you could always let me do it for you..." she said with a smirk. "I could come up with somethin' nice, I'm sure."
"Uh-huh." Jake was skeptical to that idea. "It'd involve green skin or something, wouldn't it?"
"What is it with you an' the frog obsession?" she said, shaking her head at him. "I was thinkin' somethin' more along the lines of Ewan McGregor, meself." She grinned at him wickedly.
Jake contemplated it, then shook his head. "No, cannae do the accent, see." He grinned. "Besides, then I'd have to fight off teenies everywhere I went. Could get tiresome in the end."
Amanda pouted at him, and then laughed. "Spoilsport. It's not like I'd actually share you with anyone."
"Vixen," Jake grinned. He pushed the plate of cookies away to pose fashion model style on the bed though. "I _am_ incredibly gorgeous, though, aren't I? It's the wonderful personality, you know. It shines through."
The effect was spoiled by the cookie that hit him squarely on the nose, thrown by a laughing Amanda. "Pete'd kill you. An' send me t' a convent. An' then kill you again." She made a point of ogling him. "Pity, tho', such a waste..."
Jake grabbed the cookie, relaxing out of the pose and grinning. "Nah, he loves me. I can tell by the way he bitches about my airquote system airquote whenever he's by the office."
"Ah, but he's scared of Rom more. An' she'd... well, I reckon she probably wouldn't give a shit if I fucked a teacher, but she an' Pete are tryin' to be responsible adults or some shite. It's fun t' watch." She grinned at Jake again, biting into another cookie from her stash in her packet.
"I bet." Jake looked mournfully from his empty plate to Amanda, eyes wide and sad. "I have no food."
"Lorna's went mad with the bakin'," Amanda suggested. "We could go raid the kitchen."
Jake brightened immediately, jumping off the bed. "Well, then, what are you waiting for? Food, girl. It's more important that those old books, you know. Also, drinks," he added as he opened the door, Amanda at his heels. "Mustn't forget the drinks."
"Never," she agreed.
Balancing a plate of Lorna's chocolate-chip cookies on top of several large books, Amanda awkwardly tapped on Jake's door. These sessions, she found, went so much more smoothly if she brought food.
"Oh food!" Jake exclaimed when he'd opened the door, and grabbed the plate before he returned to his bed, happily munching cookies.
"Yer about the only one in this place who eats more 'n me," she said with an amused chuckle. "An' I've got the homeless excuse. What's yours?" She curled up in one of the armchairs, books balanced on her lap.
"Kick ass metabolism," Jake grinned. "And, you know, I tend to do weird things to my cells a lot more often than most people do. Need the energy." He wolfed down another cookie. "So what have you been reading now? Anything useful? Unlike, say, the butterfly swirly thingy whatever the hell it was?"
She pulled a face at him. "Nah, I managed t' get hold of some stuff on transformation spells from Romany. She was sort of reluctant t' give 'em to me, until I explained it was for you." She opened the top volume. "I think I've worked out why the frog thing worked."
Jake straightened, putting down the half eaten cookie in his hand. "Yeah?"
Amanda rubbed her nose. "Well, the way your power works, it's like you tell your cells what to do, right?"
Jake nodded. "Yeah, more or less."
"Well, the way I work it out, the spell did that for you. Suggested a shape an' yer body did it." Amanda pulled a cookie of her own out of her pocket - she'd gotten used to Jake hogging the food as well. "'S why it worked at all - most people have a much stronger sense of 'emselves, who they are. You, on the other hand, don't."
He eyed her, contemplating denying the statement for a moment, then shrugged. It'd be pointless, really. "So I'm mental? Or harbouring dreams of being Freddie the Frog?"
Amanda snickered - she couldn't help herself. "Not unless you've been readin' too many fairy tales," she said. "What I mean is..." She paused, trying to figure out how to say it. "Well, you're a shapeshifter. Spend yer life lookin' like other people, right?"
"Yeeeah.." Jake was giving her his by now patented 'I am being very, very patient here. see me being patient. very patient' and munching cookies. He was starting to suspect he was developing some sort of biscuit addiction.
She rolled her eyes at his 'patient' face - she'd seen it far too often on social workers. "What I'm gettin' at, is yer sense of who you are... well, it's different, ain't it? You can be anyone, so you don't tend t' know who you are. Explains yer current problem, don't it?"
Jake waved a hand at her to keep her silent while he swallowed. "No, not right," he said finally, coughing. "I mean, it is, in a way. But every shape I have come with a profile and a background, you know? So in a way I _always_ know who I am. You see?"
"I think so. But who comes up with the profile? You or someone else?"
"Usually someone in research." Jake paused, then nodded. "In other words, not me."
"'S exactly what I'm gettin' at." A smug smile crossed Amanda's face. "The frog spell - it was like one of yer profiles. An' it worked because that's what yer used to, havin' someone else tell you what shape to take."
He thought that over, then gave her a look of respect. "That actually makes sense."
"Not just a pretty face, me," she told him. "So, the way I see it, you need t' try an' convince yourself of what yer true shape actually is, an' then it will stick."
"...I need to profile myself?" His eyebrows rose at the idea. Well. He'd done most of the other things she'd suggested. Even the weird bit with the eyeballs, which he wasn't going to think about again, ever.
"Well, you could always let me do it for you..." she said with a smirk. "I could come up with somethin' nice, I'm sure."
"Uh-huh." Jake was skeptical to that idea. "It'd involve green skin or something, wouldn't it?"
"What is it with you an' the frog obsession?" she said, shaking her head at him. "I was thinkin' somethin' more along the lines of Ewan McGregor, meself." She grinned at him wickedly.
Jake contemplated it, then shook his head. "No, cannae do the accent, see." He grinned. "Besides, then I'd have to fight off teenies everywhere I went. Could get tiresome in the end."
Amanda pouted at him, and then laughed. "Spoilsport. It's not like I'd actually share you with anyone."
"Vixen," Jake grinned. He pushed the plate of cookies away to pose fashion model style on the bed though. "I _am_ incredibly gorgeous, though, aren't I? It's the wonderful personality, you know. It shines through."
The effect was spoiled by the cookie that hit him squarely on the nose, thrown by a laughing Amanda. "Pete'd kill you. An' send me t' a convent. An' then kill you again." She made a point of ogling him. "Pity, tho', such a waste..."
Jake grabbed the cookie, relaxing out of the pose and grinning. "Nah, he loves me. I can tell by the way he bitches about my airquote system airquote whenever he's by the office."
"Ah, but he's scared of Rom more. An' she'd... well, I reckon she probably wouldn't give a shit if I fucked a teacher, but she an' Pete are tryin' to be responsible adults or some shite. It's fun t' watch." She grinned at Jake again, biting into another cookie from her stash in her packet.
"I bet." Jake looked mournfully from his empty plate to Amanda, eyes wide and sad. "I have no food."
"Lorna's went mad with the bakin'," Amanda suggested. "We could go raid the kitchen."
Jake brightened immediately, jumping off the bed. "Well, then, what are you waiting for? Food, girl. It's more important that those old books, you know. Also, drinks," he added as he opened the door, Amanda at his heels. "Mustn't forget the drinks."
"Never," she agreed.
