♕ |[101]| She turns and looks a moment in the glass

[had_not_lived]

[ VOICE ]

[A familiar tone, a rather less familiar voice. Unless you remember the last time this happened. Or you knew him before his voice changed. But that's unfair. He never sounded quite this girly. Mostly.]

You know, I'm not sure I've ever seen this happen by itself-- the curse, I mean. I've seen it on the weekends when we have mixed curses-- I've been cursed before, even-- but being this widespread... I can't recall.

[Siiiigh.]

It's not terrible, it's just... uncomfortable, not being myself.


[ooc; open to action at the bookshop if you like. Replies from girls_at_welton <3]

Comments

[thermonuclear_birdbrain]

[Utsuho is reluctantly coming to the bookstore to look for a really basic reading primer. She doesn't know how to read the title, even, but she has the characters on a card and was told it hand it to a store employee.

Normally she's about 5'8", sturdy for a woman, and clearly female, but right now she's a really tall guy, muscled and fit, with shaggy black-brown hair, huge black wings folded into a heavy mound on her back, and burning red eyes. Actually, the sort of person who would freak the hell out of people if she looked aggressive.

Right now, though, Utsuho just looks confused. She holds the card out to Neil.]

Ah...hey. Do you have this in stock?

[girls_at_welton]

[Well, she-- or he, as far as Neil can tell at the moment-- is certainly enough to give him pause... but Neil's been in the City long enough not to (if you'll pardon the pun) judge a book by its cover.

He straightens up from his slouch against the counter, tugging at the edge of his ill-fitting shirt, and takes the card.]

The title doesn't sound familiar... [He frowns lightly, glancing up.] Do you know what it's about?

[shes_mumbling]

[Close to the end of the day, a certain lovely "lady" trudges into the bookstore and slumps at the edge of the counter.]

I can't decide if it's more or less awkward having so many people affected.

[girls_at_welton]

I don't know.

[Neil is hunched over a bit, arms folded on the counter. It makes... things... a bit less obvious.

Things.]

I feel a little less ridiculous but a lot more... confused. About who's who.

[shes_mumbling]

Mmm.

[Todd leans forward, poking the spine of a book that's sitting there, and sighs.]

That's when it helps if you have practice avoiding human contact.

[Yeah. He's smirking up at Neil, chin resting on a dainty wrist.]

[girls_at_welton]

[He'd be mad if that wasn't an obvious joke. As it is, he just smiles a bit. Actually that's rather a rare expression on this face.

It's just uncomfortable, really. He can get over most of the embarrassment, but he's pretty sure that much is a fact of life.]

How much longer til midnight?

[he asks, with a hint of a sheepish laugh.]

[shes_mumbling]

Too long.

[And with a little sigh.]

You think it'll be over then?

[girls_at_welton]

[Neil huffs a rather dramatic sigh, the force of it blowing a long lock of hair out of place. It's ridiculous, and he looks mildly offended at it.

But really, he is so glad he's not a girl most of the time.]

I... don't know, [he confesses, frowning. He's leaning in, but less so than he would if they were themselves. It's possibly the only time their conversation has actually looked innocent.] I mean, the curses have been a little strange lately...

[shes_mumbling]

[Todd would laugh at that if he weren't so uncomfortable himself. Instead, there's a small, commiserating smile before his expression shifts back to quiet discomfort.]

I don't like it. I mean-- the curses, everything being so... weird.

[girls_at_welton]

[But there's never a bad time to laugh at Neil!]

I know. Well-- [He shrugs, only slightly since his too-narrow shoulders are already pretty hunched up.] If it wasn't weird, it wouldn't be the City, right?

[Not that he's trying to convince himself it's all going to turn out all right, but...]

[shes_mumbling]

It definitely wouldn't.

[He looks down at the counter again, finding any stray piece of paper he can focus on.]

It's kind of odd how many things we can just... accept here, but I don't think I'll ever get used to this. To... not being me.

[Or, especially, to being a girl.]

[girls_at_welton]

[Neil smiles-- a pretty smile that's not quite his own, but it's close-- and tilts his head a bit to look at Todd, trying to be objective. It's impossible. Todd is still Todd; he can't quite separate that knowledge from the image of the girl he isn't (but, for the moment, is).

But really, he never looks at anyone anymore, except Todd. And of course Todd would have been a lovely girl, because, well.

None of this will ever be said. These aren't the sorts of things one talks about. And frankly, he doesn't disagree; this is one of the least comfortable curses he's ever experienced. And it's much harder to feel secure in his masculinity.]

I'm trying to look at it as a new perspective,

[he mutters, but from the tone it's clear it's not working all that well, really.]

[shes_mumbling]

[There's a little muffled laugh there, somewhere, as Todd lowers his head toward the countertop, too-long strands of blond brushing it as he does. His hair's gotten a little shaggy here, without all the propriety and appearances to worry about, but certainly nothing like this.

He glances back up with a little smirk.]

A perspective that's a few inches lower and a lot less comfortable.

[And there's a little shake of his head.]

That's not exactly right - what I said. We're us, I know we are, just... only inside. It's kind of strange that this is almost more uncomfortable than when the City actually changes who we are. Maybe because we can detach ourselves from it, sometimes...

[The idle wonderings of the young poet. He'll start writing about this, eventually.]

[girls_at_welton]

It must be less uncomfortable if you're used to it...

[At least he assumes so. Is it that uncomfortable for women to become men, he wonders? (He tries not to wonder too specifically; it seems prurient.)]

[shes_mumbling]

To be...

[A girl.]

Yeah. It's just... it's the being different, suddenly.

[girls_at_welton]

Yeah.

[And what more is there to say? Nothing, really. He straightens up a bit behind the counter.]

Should we get going, I guess?