(no subject)
Aug. 14th, 2023 02:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_madin posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsKeen to meet the last purple mutant, Catseye finally hunts down Madin.
The one she sought was doing deadlifts. And, conveniently, they were doing so alone. The weight room was empty; the perfect place for an ambush.
As with all her targets, Sharon observed before engaging. She studied the other mutant in their exercise. Bend down, grip bar. Drop hips, push chest. Flex knees, straighten spine, lift. Lower barbell to floor, pause, repeat.
Observation complete, Sharon crept forward until she was approximately six feet away and posed her question.
"I have a theory. Do you sunburn?"
Sharon's approach had been muffled by the ambient noise of the gym - the clatter of the weights, the hum of the air conditioner. Madin dropped the barbell and blinked at the ... naked purple person in front of them. "I"m sorry, what?"
Sharon's tail twitched lazily. "You are the second furless purple mutant I have met. Purple is not a color found in mammals, so perhaps in us it is advantageous. Purple pigmentation blocks ultraviolet light, maybe. Do you sunburn?"
It was not the weirdest question Madin had ever been asked or even the weirdest one they'd been asked by someone who wasn't wearing any clothes. "Yeah, a bit. I mean... everyone does, right?"
"Not Clarice. But you do. Hm. Hypothesis incorrect, maybe. Disappointing." Sharon froze, her attention on something not visible to the naked eye -- or possibly nonexistent -- suddenly followed by two quick snaps at the air. The teeth exposed by this action were notably sharp.
Madin's background had left them largely unimpressed by physical mutations. They ignored the tooth snap and asked "Do you burn?"
Sharon gave her head a quick shake, whatever invisible irritant she had been following apparently gone. "Unknown. When given a choice I am nocturnal. Furred also. Another question: Clarice referred to you as 'they'. Are you nonbinary? Intersex? Would not like to give unintentional offense when I can simply ask." She added, cheerfully, "Insult should only be given intentionally."
"You know, you're the first person here that's actually asked that." Sure, Madin had headed off the questions before they'd started and then, well, avoided people most of the time but no-one had actually asked. "Nonbinary. And your pronouns are?" The second question - why are you naked - stayed silent. Not Madin's business at all.
Sharon's tail lashed in affirmation. "Have no strong feelings one way or another, but she/her will do for convenience. Clarification is appreciated. I have never been around other mutants before. Still learning etiquette. What is your name?"
Madin dropped to a crouch beside her. "Thanks. The name's Madin." This - mutants without much experience in other mutants - was something they were familiar with. They had only ever been able to do the work they did because they were able to relate to new mutants and nodded. "Yeah, that's not unusual. There's not a lot of us and it's easy to never meet another mutant, since half of them hide it. But hey, you can start to see how it feels to be in a mutant community. Not everyone here is going to -- to get it, to know what it's like to be visible but at least there's some community."
It was the polite way to put it all. Madin still wasn't comfortable here and the vibes were just a bit off, with everyone so keen on assimilation but that wasn't something they were going to talk to Catseye about.
The cat dipped her head in agreement. "Came through District X. Do not pass, so presented myself at the community center to plead my case. Very simple process." She leaned towards Madin to get a better sense of their scent, pleased the other mutant had been willing to come down to her level. "My name is Sharon. Or Catseye. Still unclear on name policy."
"Whichever name makes you haaaap...." Madin trailed off. "Are you sniffing me?"
"Have a good sense of smell. Not an indictment of personal hygiene, only how I get to know people." Sharon rolled onto her side so she could regard Madin from a position of comfort. "Behaviors seem to put some people off," she conceded, "but I am not built like a human. Why should I act like one?"
"I don't give a shit if you act like a human. Just ask first before smelling people."
Sharon's ear flicked at the edge in Madin's voice. It was a wholly feline gesture that nonetheless managed to convey the impression of a raised eyebrow.
Madin laughed. "You got a point there, I guess." They sobered and said, carefully, "So... you got an agenda here or do you just want to see another purple mutant?"
The cat made a low, satisfied noise. "Want to see another purple mutant. I have never been around other mutants. Only agenda is to meet them. And to eat on a regular basis, also."
Madin stood and was silent for a long moment, two responses to Catseye's comment on their tongue. Oh, they'd been there, they'd done that. They'd been everyone's first fucking visible mutant since they were 13. Or at least, Catseye's second in this case, after Clarice but, whatever. The only difference between this - today - and this situation in the past was the location. It wasn't a mutual aid station in a petrol station car park where you gave what assistance you could to the newbies and helped them find their feet and didn't scare them off by getting pissy. This was, allegedly, their home for whatever that ended up actually meaning. Of course the questions persisted here where most of the mutants passed.
"I'm not a pokemon. You don't get to just collect us all because you want to see all the mutants who don't pass."
Sharon's ear flicked at the edge in Madin's voice. It was a wholly feline gesture that nonetheless managed to convey the impression of a raised eyebrow.
"I wanted to meet others like me," she replied. "But I am finding there are no others like me -- or if so, very few. Suppose I must accept this. So I am excited when I meet those who do not fit. Mutants who also do not look 'normal'. Have never known anyone else who could not hide." She glanced away. "Lonely, maybe."
Madin sighed. "Sorry. I uh. I get a bit over it sometimes, you know? It's like every time we go out there's some fucken flatscans doing their thing and then here... Yeah, sorry."
"Does that mean you chose not to go out or you weren't allowed to go out?" Madin asked carefully.
For the first time in the conversation the cat hesitated.
"Both," Sharon said at last. "Mother was fearful. Went out anyway when she wasn't looking, of course. Police called once when I was not careful. Very unflattering photo on Nextdoor. Luck was better with neighborhood strays. They did not throw things at me."
Madin nodded. There wasn't much they could say. It was possible to read between the lines of what Catseye didn't say. "Yeah. They much for talking, though?"
"Not at all. But that is what the internet is for." Sharon rolled onto her back and stretched her hands over her head. "No video chat, though. Could not pay me enough to admit to being a real cat girl on the internet."
"I dunno. There's some fucked up people out there and you'd probably make decent money."
"Decline to take responsibility for anyone else's orgasm. Should they wish to masturbate to their fetish they can simply commission a furry artist like everyone else."
Madin laughed at that. "Fair."
The one she sought was doing deadlifts. And, conveniently, they were doing so alone. The weight room was empty; the perfect place for an ambush.
As with all her targets, Sharon observed before engaging. She studied the other mutant in their exercise. Bend down, grip bar. Drop hips, push chest. Flex knees, straighten spine, lift. Lower barbell to floor, pause, repeat.
Observation complete, Sharon crept forward until she was approximately six feet away and posed her question.
"I have a theory. Do you sunburn?"
Sharon's approach had been muffled by the ambient noise of the gym - the clatter of the weights, the hum of the air conditioner. Madin dropped the barbell and blinked at the ... naked purple person in front of them. "I"m sorry, what?"
Sharon's tail twitched lazily. "You are the second furless purple mutant I have met. Purple is not a color found in mammals, so perhaps in us it is advantageous. Purple pigmentation blocks ultraviolet light, maybe. Do you sunburn?"
It was not the weirdest question Madin had ever been asked or even the weirdest one they'd been asked by someone who wasn't wearing any clothes. "Yeah, a bit. I mean... everyone does, right?"
"Not Clarice. But you do. Hm. Hypothesis incorrect, maybe. Disappointing." Sharon froze, her attention on something not visible to the naked eye -- or possibly nonexistent -- suddenly followed by two quick snaps at the air. The teeth exposed by this action were notably sharp.
Madin's background had left them largely unimpressed by physical mutations. They ignored the tooth snap and asked "Do you burn?"
Sharon gave her head a quick shake, whatever invisible irritant she had been following apparently gone. "Unknown. When given a choice I am nocturnal. Furred also. Another question: Clarice referred to you as 'they'. Are you nonbinary? Intersex? Would not like to give unintentional offense when I can simply ask." She added, cheerfully, "Insult should only be given intentionally."
"You know, you're the first person here that's actually asked that." Sure, Madin had headed off the questions before they'd started and then, well, avoided people most of the time but no-one had actually asked. "Nonbinary. And your pronouns are?" The second question - why are you naked - stayed silent. Not Madin's business at all.
Sharon's tail lashed in affirmation. "Have no strong feelings one way or another, but she/her will do for convenience. Clarification is appreciated. I have never been around other mutants before. Still learning etiquette. What is your name?"
Madin dropped to a crouch beside her. "Thanks. The name's Madin." This - mutants without much experience in other mutants - was something they were familiar with. They had only ever been able to do the work they did because they were able to relate to new mutants and nodded. "Yeah, that's not unusual. There's not a lot of us and it's easy to never meet another mutant, since half of them hide it. But hey, you can start to see how it feels to be in a mutant community. Not everyone here is going to -- to get it, to know what it's like to be visible but at least there's some community."
It was the polite way to put it all. Madin still wasn't comfortable here and the vibes were just a bit off, with everyone so keen on assimilation but that wasn't something they were going to talk to Catseye about.
The cat dipped her head in agreement. "Came through District X. Do not pass, so presented myself at the community center to plead my case. Very simple process." She leaned towards Madin to get a better sense of their scent, pleased the other mutant had been willing to come down to her level. "My name is Sharon. Or Catseye. Still unclear on name policy."
"Whichever name makes you haaaap...." Madin trailed off. "Are you sniffing me?"
"Have a good sense of smell. Not an indictment of personal hygiene, only how I get to know people." Sharon rolled onto her side so she could regard Madin from a position of comfort. "Behaviors seem to put some people off," she conceded, "but I am not built like a human. Why should I act like one?"
"I don't give a shit if you act like a human. Just ask first before smelling people."
Sharon's ear flicked at the edge in Madin's voice. It was a wholly feline gesture that nonetheless managed to convey the impression of a raised eyebrow.
Madin laughed. "You got a point there, I guess." They sobered and said, carefully, "So... you got an agenda here or do you just want to see another purple mutant?"
The cat made a low, satisfied noise. "Want to see another purple mutant. I have never been around other mutants. Only agenda is to meet them. And to eat on a regular basis, also."
Madin stood and was silent for a long moment, two responses to Catseye's comment on their tongue. Oh, they'd been there, they'd done that. They'd been everyone's first fucking visible mutant since they were 13. Or at least, Catseye's second in this case, after Clarice but, whatever. The only difference between this - today - and this situation in the past was the location. It wasn't a mutual aid station in a petrol station car park where you gave what assistance you could to the newbies and helped them find their feet and didn't scare them off by getting pissy. This was, allegedly, their home for whatever that ended up actually meaning. Of course the questions persisted here where most of the mutants passed.
"I'm not a pokemon. You don't get to just collect us all because you want to see all the mutants who don't pass."
Sharon's ear flicked at the edge in Madin's voice. It was a wholly feline gesture that nonetheless managed to convey the impression of a raised eyebrow.
"I wanted to meet others like me," she replied. "But I am finding there are no others like me -- or if so, very few. Suppose I must accept this. So I am excited when I meet those who do not fit. Mutants who also do not look 'normal'. Have never known anyone else who could not hide." She glanced away. "Lonely, maybe."
Madin sighed. "Sorry. I uh. I get a bit over it sometimes, you know? It's like every time we go out there's some fucken flatscans doing their thing and then here... Yeah, sorry."
"Does that mean you chose not to go out or you weren't allowed to go out?" Madin asked carefully.
For the first time in the conversation the cat hesitated.
"Both," Sharon said at last. "Mother was fearful. Went out anyway when she wasn't looking, of course. Police called once when I was not careful. Very unflattering photo on Nextdoor. Luck was better with neighborhood strays. They did not throw things at me."
Madin nodded. There wasn't much they could say. It was possible to read between the lines of what Catseye didn't say. "Yeah. They much for talking, though?"
"Not at all. But that is what the internet is for." Sharon rolled onto her back and stretched her hands over her head. "No video chat, though. Could not pay me enough to admit to being a real cat girl on the internet."
"I dunno. There's some fucked up people out there and you'd probably make decent money."
"Decline to take responsibility for anyone else's orgasm. Should they wish to masturbate to their fetish they can simply commission a furry artist like everyone else."
Madin laughed at that. "Fair."
