Headed to Tu Shanshu - now with a proper face!

[goodnightdearlisteners]

Now, isn't this better?

Do you feel more confident now? Great! You just have to get used to writing my copy. I know, I know - my voice is distinct. But hey - you're going to do great.

Maybe I'll even get to start a new radio show! Wouldn't that just be sooooo GREAT?

[He pauses - his eyes wander off to one side. All three of them.]

If only I could share it with dear, dear Carlos. Do you think he might follow me there? For science, maybe?

Comments

[scaredforthem]

[She recognizes that patter, sort of. But she can't quite place why.]

Stranger things have been done in the name of science than following someone.

oughaoghaoeh man I thought about doing a genderbend Cecil account!

[goodnightdearlisteners]

[He blinks, all three of his eyes, and stares a little bit.

Her hair is FANTASTIC.]

Yes - yes they have! Or so I'm told.

I actually have a whole list of genderflipped names for Carla's version of things

[scaredforthem]

[The staring: also familiar, but she hasn't quite made the connection yet. So here, have a smile and a hand offered to shake]

Carla, and I can assure you that you've been told correctly.

Ooh! My genderbend name for Cec is Cecilia, kind of a no-brainer.

[goodnightdearlisteners]

[Cecil shakes the hand, all three eyes giving a pointed blink. Wait. Waaaaaait.]

...Carla. Carl- no WAY!

[How EXCITING! Did he miss a memo somewhere?]

Cecil! Cecil Baldwin. And I'm happy to hear it!

Yep! Most of them are easy to flip.

[scaredforthem]

[Aaaaand the light bulb goes on.]

Are you? That's ... [Blinking, fishing for a pen] That's absolutely fascinating.

Simple names!

[goodnightdearlisteners]

I am!

[He's excited now - a little flushed.]

Do you know ME as a woman? Is that how this works?

Precisely!

[scaredforthem]

I do. And this is the first time I've had an experience like this, but popular media would suggest that it is.

[Yep, already found a pen and a clipboard from somewhere.] Besides the obvious differences, her third eye is symbolic, and yours seems to be literal, which is equally fascinating. Though her hair has a habit of changing color, at first I thought it was a predictor of mood, and it can be, but it isn't, precisely.

Re: Precisely!

[goodnightdearlisteners]

That's FASCINATING! Yeah, my third eye...I really should have listened to...the people who told me not to listen to the noisy sunsets. OH WELL!

[He rolls up his sleeves, showing off his shifting, roiling tattoos.]

Does she have these? My hair doesn't change color, but I DO have these!

[scaredforthem]

[She's totally going to do some science on those. Which is to say poking them gently with the back of the pen.]

She does, actually, different location, though, I think because they're shy. Which isn't something I usually say about tattoos.

[goodnightdearlisteners]

[Poke away! But they do move away from the pen as if backing away.]

Mine aren't shy, but they don't like to be touched very much! At least, not by objects. You can touch with your fingers - they won't be as scared.

[scaredforthem]

[So the pen gets tucked behind her ear so that she can repeat the process with fingertips. First two fingers only, the way students get taught to touch lab animals.]

Interesting.

[Because while she is fascinated, she's already used 'fascinating', and she tries not to repeat herself too often.]

[goodnightdearlisteners]

[The tattoos are interested now instead of scared, writhing around like cats wanting to get pet under the touch. Cecil just smiles, wondering at how different, but alike the touch is from Carlos.]

See? They like you!

[scaredforthem]

[She grins, petting again before realizing what she's doing and drawing her hand away.]

I can see that. Most people's tattoos don't have opinions on people.

[And she's already taking notes again.]

[goodnightdearlisteners]

[He looks a little sheepish, maybe, rolling his sleeves back down.]

Don't they? Maybe they just can't express it!

It's sad, actually. Tattoos should be given to expression equally!

[scaredforthem]

That is a very good point, maybe they do and we just don't know because no one's thought to ask.

[It doesn't even register that she's talking about this like interviewing people's tattoos is sane and-slash-normal. She hasn't gone completely native, but she's on her way.]

[goodnightdearlisteners]

See? That's what I'm saying!

[Well, that'll happen. Just don't go native like the Apache Tracker, please! He's...kind of a jerk.]

[scaredforthem]

[No, no definitely not that kind of 'native'.]

This is going to call for all sorts of further testing. I'm not even sure where to start.

[goodnightdearlisteners]

[Good.]

Well, I'm ready and willing to further whatever science you need! It's all just sooooooo INTERESTING!

[scaredforthem]

[And another smile, because that excited-eager-helpful combo is also familiar.]

Like I said, I wouldn't know where to start. Focus groups and control groups and different sorts of tattoos, I think. I mean, that makes the most sense, that's how this kind of research is usually done.

[breakablegirl]

[Um.

Okay. Wut.]

For science?

[goodnightdearlisteners]

Of course! For Science! My Carlos is a SCIENTIST, you see.

[He smiles a big, goofy smile.]

[breakablegirl]

...Yeah. I see.

[What is happening.]

So you have.. An eye. [Brief gesture to her own forehead.] Is that because of science, or?

[goodnightdearlisteners]

O-oh - that?

[He reaches up to rub his third eye - it blinks normally, like any other eye would.]

Sort of. Listened to a noisy sunset! Following a story, you know. These things happen. Science, arcane rituals.....

[makeahowl]

[Christina just stares at him, headtilted - and she smiles.]

For science, for art, for a world apart. [her hair is worth noting. Her hair is stark white.] are you trying to get the guy killed?

[goodnightdearlisteners]

[Ooh! White hair. Well, that's nice. Otherwise, why not? But he doesn't like what she's saying.]

Of course not - Carlos can handle himself just fine! Why would you think - HOW could you think I would want to kill my perfect, perfect Carlos?

[makeahowl]

I don't think that.

[she stares at him. It's a stare he might recognize]

That just happens.

[goodnightdearlisteners]

[Of course he does, but that doesn't mean he likes it.]

...Of course, death happens. I'd...rather it not happen to him, though.

[idontlikeguns]

[Eliot shifts uncomfortably] For science huh?

[goodnightdearlisteners]

For Science! My Carlos is a scientist!