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xp_logs2010-03-13 04:00 pm
x-squirrel.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2010-03-13 04:00 pm
Dori & Yvette
Doreen practices the fine art of avoidence. Yvette doesn't fall for it.
With March, the air was starting to warm up. Coming out of how cold the New England winter had been, even the little bit of the temperature turning had been more than welcome. Especially given how much time she spent outside. It meant she didn’t need to fight with a heavy coat anymore while climbing. Just stubborn trees that were impossible to get a decent hold on, even with her nails the way they were.
Dori gave the birch tree a dirty look as she sat down on one of the lower branches, “Let’s do a different one.”
"Having the trouble?" came a voice from higher up. The accent itself was enough of a giveaway and after a moment Yvette appeared on a neighbouring birch, swinging down from her perch close to the top. She smiled at the younger girl - with their shared love of tree climbing, it wasn't unusual for them to see each other.
Dori and Monkey Joe both looked up and Doreen smiled. It was impossible for the squirrel to do so, but he showed happiness in other ways that were impossible for most people to tell. But he squeaked happily. She smiled, “Yeah, a bit. How’d you get all the way up there?”
Yvette's eyes glowed brighter and she waved a long-fingered hand at Dori. "With these, of course!" she replied with a giggle. "I find I have to be careful not to be hurting the tree too much, but it is helpful to be digging in on the slippery bark."
Monkey Joe squeaked something and Dori rolled her eyes, not at Yvette, but at her other friend, who was just being weird, “Yeah but the bark is so… yeah. I guess I need longer finger nails.”
"But, you have the longer 'nails', yes?" Yvette replied, blinking at the pair. "You have the claws in your hands and feet, yes?"
“Yeah, but the bark really isn’t good for them,” she said, not even thinking about the spikes in her knuckles, the ones longer than a couple of inches. Just because she wore the scars didn’t mean she had to use them for anything.
Yvette shook her head. "No, I do not mean your fingernails. I mean the claws that were coming out of your hands and feet, yes? The ones you have been training to be using?"
“Oh, not my feet,” she said, “But I do have the ones in my knuckles, but I guess I’m reallynotquitetrainingwiththemyouknow?” The last was a jumble of words.
Yvette swung down and settled herself on a branch, gripping it with her long toes and tilting her head at the younger girl. "But why not?" she asked, curiously. "It is part of your mutation, yes? So why not do the training?"
“Because, there’s blood and it’s gross and I don’t want stitches all the time and it hurts and Mr. Logan’s a jerk,” all of these were valid reasons. Monkey Joe got shot a dirty look for laughing. He wouldn’t think it was so funny if she left him alone with Mr. Logan. Who’d be squeaking then? Not him.
"Oh, I did not realise that it was bleeding every time. I thought it was perhaps like having the pierced ears, yes? Since it is part of the mutation?" Yvette apologised. "But Mr. Logan is not the jerk, not all of the time. I am training with him very often and he is nice to me."
“Well, I guess I don’t know for SURE that it bleeds everytime. But I bet it does,” Doreen said, standing up with perfect balance, “And he is to me. And he smells weird, but that isn’t his fault.” It really wasn’t, after all, he didn’t go and put the metal in his own bones, after all.
"You have not tried to make them come out again?" Yvette was surprised. "But then, how do you know they will not come out when you do not want them to again?" She'd touch on the Logan issue in a moment - a kernel of an idea was beginning.
“No, but I…” Doreen bit her lip, “I mean, it really hurts and… Uh… Hey, want to go over there?” she asked suddenly, pointing to a different tree entirely.
"Dori, you are, how they say, avoiding?" Yvette said with a small smile to soften her words. "And if you do not practice, you will not know how to control them, yes? It is like with my skin - I am learning all that I can about it so that I do not hurt anyone."
“I’m not avoiding, I just think that tree looks really awesome, don’t you?” Doreen said. Avoiding the avoidance issue, albeit a bit more nervously than usual.
"It is the very nice tree. But we were talking about something else, yes?" Yvette persisted. "Perhaps if you had the person to practice with that you were not so scared of, that might help with the pain? Things are hurting more when we are tense, yes?"
Dori fidgeted, “I guess? I don’t know, I mean, I don’t even want the stupid things,” she flopped down on the branch. Of course, at first she hadn’t wanted the tail or anything else either, but that hadn’t been all bad. She had yet to think of one possible use for her those boney knuckle whatever they were. Unless they were supposed to be like nature’s brass knuckles or something.
"I think we all have something we are not wanting from our powers," Yvette replied, soothingly. "But if we practice and we learn, they become part of us, yes?" She tilted her head at the younger girl. "Would it be easier to practice if I was there with you and Mr. Logan? We do much training together and I am sure he would not mind and it might be making things easier for you?" She paused, then added with a slight grin. "And he is on the better behaviour when I am with him."
“I guess. …He’s he really not mean with you?” Dori asked, not quite believing it.
"Cross my heart," Yvette replied solemnly, drawing one long finger over her heart - but not touching her shirt since her hands were bare and she liked this shirt. "And if he is being mean while I am there, I will be smacking him, yes?"
“Okay… I guess,” honestly, Doreen had a hard time believing that Mr. Logan could be anything but mean and scary.
"I will talk to him then, about us both helping you." Yvette beamed, happy to have potentially helped. "Now, shall we go look at this other tree? I bet I can climb it faster than you, yes?"
“I’ll totally win,” Doreen said, getting up, “I bet I can beat you over there.” This was a better thing for her to do. Something she liked and it was always best when you could share this stuff with your friends.
With March, the air was starting to warm up. Coming out of how cold the New England winter had been, even the little bit of the temperature turning had been more than welcome. Especially given how much time she spent outside. It meant she didn’t need to fight with a heavy coat anymore while climbing. Just stubborn trees that were impossible to get a decent hold on, even with her nails the way they were.
Dori gave the birch tree a dirty look as she sat down on one of the lower branches, “Let’s do a different one.”
"Having the trouble?" came a voice from higher up. The accent itself was enough of a giveaway and after a moment Yvette appeared on a neighbouring birch, swinging down from her perch close to the top. She smiled at the younger girl - with their shared love of tree climbing, it wasn't unusual for them to see each other.
Dori and Monkey Joe both looked up and Doreen smiled. It was impossible for the squirrel to do so, but he showed happiness in other ways that were impossible for most people to tell. But he squeaked happily. She smiled, “Yeah, a bit. How’d you get all the way up there?”
Yvette's eyes glowed brighter and she waved a long-fingered hand at Dori. "With these, of course!" she replied with a giggle. "I find I have to be careful not to be hurting the tree too much, but it is helpful to be digging in on the slippery bark."
Monkey Joe squeaked something and Dori rolled her eyes, not at Yvette, but at her other friend, who was just being weird, “Yeah but the bark is so… yeah. I guess I need longer finger nails.”
"But, you have the longer 'nails', yes?" Yvette replied, blinking at the pair. "You have the claws in your hands and feet, yes?"
“Yeah, but the bark really isn’t good for them,” she said, not even thinking about the spikes in her knuckles, the ones longer than a couple of inches. Just because she wore the scars didn’t mean she had to use them for anything.
Yvette shook her head. "No, I do not mean your fingernails. I mean the claws that were coming out of your hands and feet, yes? The ones you have been training to be using?"
“Oh, not my feet,” she said, “But I do have the ones in my knuckles, but I guess I’m reallynotquitetrainingwiththemyouknow?” The last was a jumble of words.
Yvette swung down and settled herself on a branch, gripping it with her long toes and tilting her head at the younger girl. "But why not?" she asked, curiously. "It is part of your mutation, yes? So why not do the training?"
“Because, there’s blood and it’s gross and I don’t want stitches all the time and it hurts and Mr. Logan’s a jerk,” all of these were valid reasons. Monkey Joe got shot a dirty look for laughing. He wouldn’t think it was so funny if she left him alone with Mr. Logan. Who’d be squeaking then? Not him.
"Oh, I did not realise that it was bleeding every time. I thought it was perhaps like having the pierced ears, yes? Since it is part of the mutation?" Yvette apologised. "But Mr. Logan is not the jerk, not all of the time. I am training with him very often and he is nice to me."
“Well, I guess I don’t know for SURE that it bleeds everytime. But I bet it does,” Doreen said, standing up with perfect balance, “And he is to me. And he smells weird, but that isn’t his fault.” It really wasn’t, after all, he didn’t go and put the metal in his own bones, after all.
"You have not tried to make them come out again?" Yvette was surprised. "But then, how do you know they will not come out when you do not want them to again?" She'd touch on the Logan issue in a moment - a kernel of an idea was beginning.
“No, but I…” Doreen bit her lip, “I mean, it really hurts and… Uh… Hey, want to go over there?” she asked suddenly, pointing to a different tree entirely.
"Dori, you are, how they say, avoiding?" Yvette said with a small smile to soften her words. "And if you do not practice, you will not know how to control them, yes? It is like with my skin - I am learning all that I can about it so that I do not hurt anyone."
“I’m not avoiding, I just think that tree looks really awesome, don’t you?” Doreen said. Avoiding the avoidance issue, albeit a bit more nervously than usual.
"It is the very nice tree. But we were talking about something else, yes?" Yvette persisted. "Perhaps if you had the person to practice with that you were not so scared of, that might help with the pain? Things are hurting more when we are tense, yes?"
Dori fidgeted, “I guess? I don’t know, I mean, I don’t even want the stupid things,” she flopped down on the branch. Of course, at first she hadn’t wanted the tail or anything else either, but that hadn’t been all bad. She had yet to think of one possible use for her those boney knuckle whatever they were. Unless they were supposed to be like nature’s brass knuckles or something.
"I think we all have something we are not wanting from our powers," Yvette replied, soothingly. "But if we practice and we learn, they become part of us, yes?" She tilted her head at the younger girl. "Would it be easier to practice if I was there with you and Mr. Logan? We do much training together and I am sure he would not mind and it might be making things easier for you?" She paused, then added with a slight grin. "And he is on the better behaviour when I am with him."
“I guess. …He’s he really not mean with you?” Dori asked, not quite believing it.
"Cross my heart," Yvette replied solemnly, drawing one long finger over her heart - but not touching her shirt since her hands were bare and she liked this shirt. "And if he is being mean while I am there, I will be smacking him, yes?"
“Okay… I guess,” honestly, Doreen had a hard time believing that Mr. Logan could be anything but mean and scary.
"I will talk to him then, about us both helping you." Yvette beamed, happy to have potentially helped. "Now, shall we go look at this other tree? I bet I can climb it faster than you, yes?"
“I’ll totally win,” Doreen said, getting up, “I bet I can beat you over there.” This was a better thing for her to do. Something she liked and it was always best when you could share this stuff with your friends.