I can't help it Internutter, I gotta see! Mr. Sunshine introduces Jay to his one, and only, true friend outside the Pax Humanis organization, Ms. Lilicoon. Her hands have healed quite a lot now and she keeps in regular contact with Sunshine and even has permission to visit his home on occasion, of course she always makes sure to ask first in case he's busy. Now that he's got a new student, and to show him that there's hope for even ones like them, he decides to invite her to lunch and have her meet the young man currently under his wing.
@internutter/challenge-02975-h052-a-jay-of-sunshine
The other story to this is "Challenge #02612-G055: Befriending Sunshine
internutter (69)in #fiction • last year Where she had lunch with sunshine. But it's giving me the "Error Akimet has flagged your posting as SPAM" again each time I try to do a steamit link -- DaniAndShali
[AN: The other story referenced here is this one so you don't have to go trawling for them]
Needlework was good practice, the therapists said. Fine motor control training was dull unless there was something to achieve, and motivation to achieve it, but Lilicoon had goals in mind. Such as her current cross-stitch project - a portrait of Mr Sunshine as the conquering hero. He had painted her as a glorious queen, so turnabout was fair play. The shining armour mirroring the pattern of his ubiquitous sweatervest was, she thought, a cute touch. His mighty sword was a paintbrush, of course. She still had a lot of surface area to fill in, but it was starting to come together.
Mr Sunshine had a friend with him as he entered the teahouse. Younger, certainly. This new person had that gangly look of a Human who had yet to grow into their hands and feet. This fellow was a little less neat than Mr Sunshine. Rolled-up shirtsleeves and practical slacks held up with both belt and braces. Yet, still wearing the same warning colours as Mr Sunshine. Pax Humanis had a new trainee.
Lilicoon felt safe, of course. Mr Sunshine liked cats and refused to see them come to harm. The guarded teen in his shadow would not hurt her. He did boggle at Lilicoon for a second before darting his gaze towards every potential threat vector in the room. She put her work away in its carry-bag and wriggled her fingers proudly for Mr Sunshine.
His warm greeting was rehearsed and carefully regulated. The security team making sure he didn't activate had blended into the scenery, but Lili knew how to spot them. Etiquette said to pretend they were not there. Lili did add a cheek rub because Mr Sunshine was her favourite Human. "It is so good to see you," she said, careful of her smile. "Who is your new ally?" Were it any other Human, she may have asked who his friend was.
"This is Jay, my apprentice. He hasn't been properly socialised, and I thought it best to begin with a fellow predator. Jay... meet Miss Lilicoon, a former Uplift liberated from the Nufurria tragedy."
Lili offered her new hand, which Jay took cautiously.
He said, "You have fingernails."
"Now I do," she said, "I was born with claws and the inability to grip or manipulate many things. The surgeries to fix that have been... complicated, painful, and entirely worth it. It's much easier to be independent with proper hands." To demonstrate, she poured the tea. "Alongside the adjustments for intelligence, and posture, I was also gifted with the ability to digest anything a Human could... and yes, before you ask, catnip still works for me. I sort of get a bit drunk, but without the hangover."
Jay sidled into a seat that had a wall at his back, glaring at one of the security team as if daring them to try something. "I guess that's a common question for you."
"I do get it a lot," she added a gentle tap to his hand to turn his attention back to the table. "Please don't worry about them, they're also here to keep everyone safe."
"Reminds me too much of Pops," Jay mumbled.
Ah. That explained a lot. Jay was, according to the information on Pax Humanis Enforcers, an abuse-motivated justice seeker. Possibly a Deregger expatriate. A great many of the abuse-motivated members of Pax Humanis were ex-Dereggers. Lili had done her homework between visits with Mr Sunshine. The ins and outs of human psychology and the pathology of some of it. The statistical outliers who were members of Pax Humanis were endlessly fascinating studies.
As a student therapist, she had an interest in these outliers. Some of them just outright didn't like their fellow human beings and having someone like her around might help them at least interact with another cogniscent being without murder and slaughter being a consequence. Other Uplifts of different origins were working on the same plan. After all, some Enforcers got along better with dogs, and some preferred lizards.
There was plenty of work for Nufurria escapees, and most of them were therapeutic in nature. Not just for the Humans, either, but also for every cogniscent in the Alliance.
Jay, by the looks of things, could use a lot of therapy. Lili decided to try some of her elementary calming strategies.
"Your Pops is not here. Further, I do believe you made sure he would never hurt anybody."
"Yeah," agreed Jay. "It's others like him I'm watching for."
"Thank you," said Lili. She offered some refreshments. Light finger food, easily consumed whilst watching over a shoulder. "Do you prefer savoury or sweet?"
He looked flabberghasted. "That's real fruit. You're just giving me real fruit?"
At least he was distracted from the guards. "Yes. There's plenty for everyone in the Alliance spaces."
"Less need for combat," added Mr Sunshine. He was obviously sitting with his back to an open space, and not giving a fig about anyone surrounding them. It was his reassurance that finally allowed Jay to relax a little.
Even slow progress was good progress.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / Elenathewise]
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