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xp_logsSharon comes across Pixie, learns everything there is to know about her wings and accepts Pixie's offer of a manicure.
On a warm summer day, the lush grounds of the mansion spread out beneath a bright blue sky. Pixie had claimed her own little patch of sunshine, sitting in a deck chair with her legs dangling off the side. She leisurely filed her fingernails, her iridescent wings shimmering in the sunlight as she slowly fanned them, basking in the warmth. An array of nail polish bottles, each one a different color of the rainbow, was scattered around her. Choosing the right color, or perhaps multiple coordinated colors, was the only important decision of the day. But first she had to carefully prepare the canvas. A gentle breeze stirred her pink hair and she paused, brushing the strands away with the back of her hand.
"These are pretty."
The voice came from only a few feet to her left. A great purple cat had appeared soundlessly beside the deck chair, its yellow eyes fixed on the wings gently fanning against the summer air. The movement seemed to captivate it.
"Oh!" Pixie looked up, her obsidian eyes shifting focus to the curious purple stranger (mutant? fae?) who had appeared out of nowhere. "Hi, there. Are you a new friend around here?" She set down the nail file and adjusted her position in the chair, her wings throwing scattered reflections of light onto the ground.
"Friend to some," the cat intoned, "enemy to others." Her eyes wandered to the splashes of light, her tail twitching intently. She lowered her body against the pavement like a lion sinking into the tall grass and gave a little wiggle.
"I'll be your friend, if you wish. I'm Megan, though most people know me as Pixie." She leaned forward slightly, intrigued, while maintaining a respectful distance.
The change in position sent the lights scattering in different directions. The cat pounced.
"I am Sharon, though the internet knows and fears me as Catseye," she said, scrabbling with humanoid hands as she chased a splash of light across the concrete. Her tail lashed the air playfully. "We shall be friends. Enjoy meeting other heteromorphic mutants. New experience for me."
"Wonderful." Pixie's gaze drifted to Sharon's hands on the pavement, noting the worn state of her nails. "If you'd like, I could help you with a manicure. It's a small thing, but it can be a relaxing experience."
With Pixie's wings now stilled Sharon had no more lights to chase. Now she sat to regard the other girl, the lashing of her tail now concentrated to slow flicks of the very tip.
"I have experienced before," Sharon allowed, feigning casual disinterest. "But first, have some questions."
Pixie smiled at the hint of a shared experience. "Of course." Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "What do you want to know?"
Excitedly, the cat hopped forward a few paces. "Your wings," she said, craning her neck for a better view of Pixie's back. "Have met mutant with avian wings, but not insectile. Fascinated. You do not have an exoskeleton to which muscles can attach and deform torso, so means of propulsion must be direct flight, with thoracic muscle attaching directly to wing bases. Like dragonflies. Venation seems also roughly equivalent. Wings stroke out of phase also. Omnidimensional movement then? Up, down, forward, back, left, right?"
Pixie looked over her left shoulder to glance at a wing. "I don't really think about the underlying mechanics, but I can fly in all directions. And hover, which is really quite nice." She hesitated. "Do you mind if I ask where you came from? I've met a faerie cat, but I've never met a mutant with such interesting cat qualities before."
Sharon preened. "Not so exotic as faerie cat. Only a homeschool-weirdo from Manhattan. But I am very interesting." She circled the deck chair to get a full 360 view of the other girl, sniffing delicately. Sharon came to a halt beside Pixie and sat on her haunches, one clawed hand raised.
"I can touch?" she asked, eyes on the glossy membrane of the nearest wing.
Pixie eyed Sharon's clawed humanoid hands. "Yes, careful touching is fine." Despite their rough condition they looked gentle enough, and her wings were tougher than they looked. "Fascinating, to be an internet sensation and yet, a frightening enigma to others."
"Reddit trembles before me," Sharon replied gravely. Gently, flexing her fingers so her claws wouldn't scratch the gleaming membranes, Sharon ran a hand across Pixie's wing.
"Seem to be very many fold-lines, like a fan, maybe," she said. "Unusual for this sort of structure. Only familiar with basic claval and jugal folds, but my entomology is not so strong. See jugum, though, which suggests you can beat fore and hind-wings as one if necessary. Do you have sensation? Suppose some form of proprioception is necessary for flight, but curious if sensitivity differs from skin."
"It does differ. I feel temperature strongly, and pressure, but not with the same nuance as skin," Pixie explained. "Is your tail very sensitive? Might you be willing to share a bit about your abilities? Besides ruling Reddit and the internet, I mean."
"I am generous. I shall share." Sharon withdrew her hand and snaked her tail over her shoulder, twisting it into a loose spiral. "Tail is very sensitive, and prehensile. More like that of a spider monkey than a cat. Suspect a large concentration of mechanoreceptors involved, maybe. Not strong enough to manage brachiation, but I can grasp objects. Most useful for balance, especially if I must be on two legs."
"A prehensile tail, remarkable. The diversity of mutants, it's beautiful and endlessly inspiring." She paused, contemplative. "Do you ever, ah, wear clothes? I only ask because I enjoy creating clothing for people with physical mutations, who can find regular clothes shopping difficult."
"I have fur, I am already fully dressed. However, shall commit this to memory if the need arises." Sharon stretched luxuriously, kneading her chipped claws against the concrete as she did. "My questions have been answered," she said. "I shall allow touch now."
"Alright, let me see your claws..." Pixie extended her hand. "Ooh, we're going to want to massage your cuticles with coconut oil. It's an all around good moisturizer, and it's edible too." With her other hand, she reached for the jar of coconut oil. "This isn't the jar I use for cooking, because I stick my hands in it, but it's the same thing," she explained as she began to gently massage the coconut oil into Sharon's hands and cuticles.
"Will help my coat and skin too, maybe. Very damaged from poor nutrition and street. But do not fear, I no longer have fleas." Sharon half-closed her eyes and purred at Pixie's ministrations, which sounded like a minor landslide was happening in her chest. "Do your wings have extensive grooming regimen, or is this only Warren? His wings are feathered, and also I am finding Warren in general is not a reliable metric."
Pixie raised a pink eyebrow at the word "fleas" but urged herself to shift her thoughts onward. "It's probably not on the same level as Warren, but I run a boar bristle brush over my wings every day. My wings repel water, so just showering isn't really enough to get the dust off." She paused and indicated a small bowl of water. "Let's soak the fingertips on this hand for a couple minutes. Anyway, coconut oil is a great thing to add to your grooming regimen."
"Boar bristle? Interesting. Was not expected, but admit that trading grooming habits with other mutants has been an unexpected bonus to moving here." Obediently, Sharon dipped her hand in the bowl and offered Pixie the other. She gave the rainbow array of bottles the woman had set out a curious glance. "We will do colors?" she asked.
"Of course, that's the best part! Think about it while we get these nails into shape," said Pixie, setting to work on the other hand. "I have everything from 'Phlox Fluorescence' to '3 A.M. Regrets'. You could match your eyes, or pick any color that suits your fancy..." She smiled. The lazy summer afternoon had turned out to be the most magical kind.
The cat studied the bottles. Based on the other woman's personality it was likely the hues covered the entire spectrum of visible light, though a good deal of them read as shades of brown and yellow to her. She went with something she was reasonably confident she could see accurately.
"Shall do green," Sharon decided. "The glitter one. Subtlety is for cowards."
On a warm summer day, the lush grounds of the mansion spread out beneath a bright blue sky. Pixie had claimed her own little patch of sunshine, sitting in a deck chair with her legs dangling off the side. She leisurely filed her fingernails, her iridescent wings shimmering in the sunlight as she slowly fanned them, basking in the warmth. An array of nail polish bottles, each one a different color of the rainbow, was scattered around her. Choosing the right color, or perhaps multiple coordinated colors, was the only important decision of the day. But first she had to carefully prepare the canvas. A gentle breeze stirred her pink hair and she paused, brushing the strands away with the back of her hand.
"These are pretty."
The voice came from only a few feet to her left. A great purple cat had appeared soundlessly beside the deck chair, its yellow eyes fixed on the wings gently fanning against the summer air. The movement seemed to captivate it.
"Oh!" Pixie looked up, her obsidian eyes shifting focus to the curious purple stranger (mutant? fae?) who had appeared out of nowhere. "Hi, there. Are you a new friend around here?" She set down the nail file and adjusted her position in the chair, her wings throwing scattered reflections of light onto the ground.
"Friend to some," the cat intoned, "enemy to others." Her eyes wandered to the splashes of light, her tail twitching intently. She lowered her body against the pavement like a lion sinking into the tall grass and gave a little wiggle.
"I'll be your friend, if you wish. I'm Megan, though most people know me as Pixie." She leaned forward slightly, intrigued, while maintaining a respectful distance.
The change in position sent the lights scattering in different directions. The cat pounced.
"I am Sharon, though the internet knows and fears me as Catseye," she said, scrabbling with humanoid hands as she chased a splash of light across the concrete. Her tail lashed the air playfully. "We shall be friends. Enjoy meeting other heteromorphic mutants. New experience for me."
"Wonderful." Pixie's gaze drifted to Sharon's hands on the pavement, noting the worn state of her nails. "If you'd like, I could help you with a manicure. It's a small thing, but it can be a relaxing experience."
With Pixie's wings now stilled Sharon had no more lights to chase. Now she sat to regard the other girl, the lashing of her tail now concentrated to slow flicks of the very tip.
"I have experienced before," Sharon allowed, feigning casual disinterest. "But first, have some questions."
Pixie smiled at the hint of a shared experience. "Of course." Tilting her head slightly, she asked, "What do you want to know?"
Excitedly, the cat hopped forward a few paces. "Your wings," she said, craning her neck for a better view of Pixie's back. "Have met mutant with avian wings, but not insectile. Fascinated. You do not have an exoskeleton to which muscles can attach and deform torso, so means of propulsion must be direct flight, with thoracic muscle attaching directly to wing bases. Like dragonflies. Venation seems also roughly equivalent. Wings stroke out of phase also. Omnidimensional movement then? Up, down, forward, back, left, right?"
Pixie looked over her left shoulder to glance at a wing. "I don't really think about the underlying mechanics, but I can fly in all directions. And hover, which is really quite nice." She hesitated. "Do you mind if I ask where you came from? I've met a faerie cat, but I've never met a mutant with such interesting cat qualities before."
Sharon preened. "Not so exotic as faerie cat. Only a homeschool-weirdo from Manhattan. But I am very interesting." She circled the deck chair to get a full 360 view of the other girl, sniffing delicately. Sharon came to a halt beside Pixie and sat on her haunches, one clawed hand raised.
"I can touch?" she asked, eyes on the glossy membrane of the nearest wing.
Pixie eyed Sharon's clawed humanoid hands. "Yes, careful touching is fine." Despite their rough condition they looked gentle enough, and her wings were tougher than they looked. "Fascinating, to be an internet sensation and yet, a frightening enigma to others."
"Reddit trembles before me," Sharon replied gravely. Gently, flexing her fingers so her claws wouldn't scratch the gleaming membranes, Sharon ran a hand across Pixie's wing.
"Seem to be very many fold-lines, like a fan, maybe," she said. "Unusual for this sort of structure. Only familiar with basic claval and jugal folds, but my entomology is not so strong. See jugum, though, which suggests you can beat fore and hind-wings as one if necessary. Do you have sensation? Suppose some form of proprioception is necessary for flight, but curious if sensitivity differs from skin."
"It does differ. I feel temperature strongly, and pressure, but not with the same nuance as skin," Pixie explained. "Is your tail very sensitive? Might you be willing to share a bit about your abilities? Besides ruling Reddit and the internet, I mean."
"I am generous. I shall share." Sharon withdrew her hand and snaked her tail over her shoulder, twisting it into a loose spiral. "Tail is very sensitive, and prehensile. More like that of a spider monkey than a cat. Suspect a large concentration of mechanoreceptors involved, maybe. Not strong enough to manage brachiation, but I can grasp objects. Most useful for balance, especially if I must be on two legs."
"A prehensile tail, remarkable. The diversity of mutants, it's beautiful and endlessly inspiring." She paused, contemplative. "Do you ever, ah, wear clothes? I only ask because I enjoy creating clothing for people with physical mutations, who can find regular clothes shopping difficult."
"I have fur, I am already fully dressed. However, shall commit this to memory if the need arises." Sharon stretched luxuriously, kneading her chipped claws against the concrete as she did. "My questions have been answered," she said. "I shall allow touch now."
"Alright, let me see your claws..." Pixie extended her hand. "Ooh, we're going to want to massage your cuticles with coconut oil. It's an all around good moisturizer, and it's edible too." With her other hand, she reached for the jar of coconut oil. "This isn't the jar I use for cooking, because I stick my hands in it, but it's the same thing," she explained as she began to gently massage the coconut oil into Sharon's hands and cuticles.
"Will help my coat and skin too, maybe. Very damaged from poor nutrition and street. But do not fear, I no longer have fleas." Sharon half-closed her eyes and purred at Pixie's ministrations, which sounded like a minor landslide was happening in her chest. "Do your wings have extensive grooming regimen, or is this only Warren? His wings are feathered, and also I am finding Warren in general is not a reliable metric."
Pixie raised a pink eyebrow at the word "fleas" but urged herself to shift her thoughts onward. "It's probably not on the same level as Warren, but I run a boar bristle brush over my wings every day. My wings repel water, so just showering isn't really enough to get the dust off." She paused and indicated a small bowl of water. "Let's soak the fingertips on this hand for a couple minutes. Anyway, coconut oil is a great thing to add to your grooming regimen."
"Boar bristle? Interesting. Was not expected, but admit that trading grooming habits with other mutants has been an unexpected bonus to moving here." Obediently, Sharon dipped her hand in the bowl and offered Pixie the other. She gave the rainbow array of bottles the woman had set out a curious glance. "We will do colors?" she asked.
"Of course, that's the best part! Think about it while we get these nails into shape," said Pixie, setting to work on the other hand. "I have everything from 'Phlox Fluorescence' to '3 A.M. Regrets'. You could match your eyes, or pick any color that suits your fancy..." She smiled. The lazy summer afternoon had turned out to be the most magical kind.
The cat studied the bottles. Based on the other woman's personality it was likely the hues covered the entire spectrum of visible light, though a good deal of them read as shades of brown and yellow to her. She went with something she was reasonably confident she could see accurately.
"Shall do green," Sharon decided. "The glitter one. Subtlety is for cowards."
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Date: 2023-08-30 03:02 pm (UTC)