Poor Jay develops a crush on Lilicoon and asks if she would be ok to date her.
@internutter/challenge-03030-h107-tea-and-socialisation -- Anon Guest
Uplifts were literally made to be attractive. It wasn't their fault. On planets and in polities where they weren't outlawed yet, a certain type could have an Uplift made to order. Some called them Anthros, some called them Beastfolk... but the important part to remember was that they were victims.
Jay and Lilicoon had that starting point in common. They could talk with her about the most horrible abuses and for the both of them, that had been normal life.
Sad, even horrifying for others. For Lilicoon, it was the background radiation of her life before the CRC liberated her and showed her a better way. She had been there. Maybe not the exact same 'there', but a similar one for certain. In that, she was Jay's first true ally.
She was also proof that they could love.
Jay knew that she was made to someone else's order. Pristine white fur, clear blue eyes, grace and poise woven into her genes. That wasn't what attracted him to her. She was soft-spoken and smart and creative and so very, very brave.
Lilicoon had been a victim once, and would never be a victim again. Once her new hands were up to specifications, she turned them into weapons. She learned every method of defense from de-escalation to curb-stomping a flakker until the [WASTE VENT] stopped trying to get up[1].
She was magnificent. Just like him, she would never be helpless again. And, at least in Jay's mind, she was all the stronger for stopping before the bad guys died.
They lacked that self-control. Once an abuser was identified, the red mist obscured Jay's vision and rationality until there was little left but a red mist. There was a reason why Pax Humanis chose enforcers like Jay for the kinds of job that left a message.
There was a reason why Pax Humanis was always on a short leash.
Jay bought flowers for Miss Lilicoon, and dressed up a little better. There was nothing like having a true friend to make a person choose aesthetic improvement.
There was nothing like a crush to cause fretting over one's appearance.
Jay liked the way her pointy teeth showed when she smiled at the flowers. All her favourite scents and colours and none of her allergens. Jay had checked obsessively.
"Just me this week," said Jay, offering her the flowers. "Mr Sunshine is out on a contract. Maybe... you'd like to go somewhere a little more... companionable? With me?"
"Like... a date?"
Burning mortification threatened to turn Jay's face into nothing but char and ash. They coughed and added, "It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want one. Just... friend stuff if you want friend stuff." Jay remembered what their therapist said. Honesty, but not brutal honesty. Clarity, but not over-explaining. "I like you and that's a big deal for me. I've never liked anyone like I like you and... can we explore that?"
Lilicoon blinked her big blue eyes as she clutched the bouquet. Jay tried not to read too much into the way she tensed at that announcement.
Therapists. They both had therapists. Jay repeated one of Lilicoon's mantras for her. "It's okay to say 'no'. It's all right to set limits. I only get mad at the very bad people."
It was a tense moment for the both of them, and they had to side-step into a conversation alcove and out of the flow of spaceport foot traffic. Lilicoon buried her face in the flowers as Jay oscillated nervously two SDU's[2] away from her.
Jay kept their hands behind their back and fought not to do the whole Subjugation Pose as once enforced by Pops. Never before in their life had Jay felt so afraid in the presence of a victim.
Lillicoon took several deep breaths of the flowers. "I was once used... without permission. So... thank you for asking. You have been a special friend to me, and it is important to me that you see me as a person." More deep breaths. "I cannot date. Not yet. This is causing... some panic."
Jay took another half-step away from her. "I get it. Enjoy the flowers. We can still picnic in the park as friends. Right?"
She was trembling as she nodded. "Yes. We can work up to other things. Very slowly."
Two broken people, seeking to be mended, had to find some walls the hard way. At least they both understood they were in labyrinths of their own making, and that some invisible walls were a surprise.
[1] The Galactic Alliance holds a dim view on murder. They can't learn anything once they die.
[2] SDU - Standard Distance Unit, roughly equivalent to a meter.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / cookelma]
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