whyvette:
If she had magic the magic to alter perception, would she use it as make-up? Even as the scars vanished under her fingers, she could–with great concentration–detect some as patches of slightly silkier scar tissue.
Yvette, who had received a number of startling questions about her appearance in her life, could understand the idea of hiding something to avoid giving answers. Even when they got those answers, sometimes people could not be satisfied with what they’d been given–they had to know why, to understand each piece of her face, why it was and where it had come from. Yvette cringed, wondering if she had crossed a line that had been crossed against her many times before.
“Sorry,” Yvette said, releasing Tiger’s hand. “I … I get it. I mean, I do, I just …”
It’s so amazing. Why hide it? Why …
She bit her lip. “Should we … I … I’ve asked you a lot of questions already and I … I don’t know, should I–should we … I don’t know what to do next. I won’t … I promise I won’t take any more of the elixirs. I should have–I knew they would be dangerous, and I did it anyway. I … I got carried away by it all. It’s just so … much.”
Yvette sunk. She put her hands on her coffee mug, fiddling with the handle. “Do you still want to–um–keep trying … ? I’m not–I’m not seeing any one else, really.”
When Yvette apologized and pulled away, Tiger felt concern wash over her again. She didn’t mean to make Yvette feel bad about her curiosity, she was simply being as honest as possible. Letting her fingers drum lightly against the table, she gave a small reassuring smile. “If I didn’t want to answer you, I wouldn’t have. I’m not particularly known for doing anything that I don’t want to do.”
Trying to find a good way to explain herself, Tiger started slowly, “I’m sure you know that just as you are curious and thoughtful... many people are the opposite. People can be very... hateful... when someone is different to them. I am proud of who I am and how I look, but I want freedom more than anything. Freedom to not be monitoring constantly, to not be tested on or caged or feared.”
Reaching across the space to let her fingers gently curl around Yvette’s where they were fiddling with the handle of her mug, she gave the woman a thoughtful look. “I don’t know what happens next. I suppose, whatever we want to happen. If you wanted a reason to walk away, I believe you now have several. If you want to stay...”
Her eyes flicked between Yvette’s hands and her lips and she cocked one brow, the corner of her mouth turning up. “...well, I certainly would enjoy it.” Gesturing lightly between the two of them, Tiger admitted, “Although, if there are rules to this, you’ll have to make yourself explicitly clear. Not that I would mind that at all, just that... I don’t know what it is you want or how you would like to have it.”
