Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Feb 9, 2022 9:49:12 GMT
Gidget paused for a moment. This was the part she knew she was no good at... In her mind, she fancied herself a detective, perceptive and wise, with a quick wit. Well, in actuality, she was most of those things... just not in the ways that were needed for something like P.I. work. She was incredibly intelligent and witty, able to keep up with banter with general ease, but when it came to outright lying... That was something she struggled with. She always felt like one lie would directly lead to the next, and that one to the next, down an endless chain until she lost some small detail along the way.
It sounded exhausting.
Then again, admitting to anybody in the real world that she was the infamous Gears, the "security specialist" that had taken the dark net by force? That was as dangerous as it was stupid. Gidget liked her anonymity. She liked hiding behind the fact that she was some nameless, faceless person on the internet, that nobody was going to stop her on the street saying they knew her.
She reached up and began to lightly rub the back of her neck. "I don't know the first damn thing about plants," she admitted. "I think my mother might have tried her hand at gardening, but where I'm from, nothing much grows except weeds and trouble." That much was true, at least. New Jersey wasn't exactly known for its flourishing hillsides. She looked around, still awkwardly holding the can in one hand, until her gaze settled on Faythe again.
"I guess I honestly just came to see what all of the hype is about."
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Faythe Lyveaf
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Feb 9, 2022 11:59:14 GMT
“Hype?” Faythe raised a brow and placed fingers on her lips. “Oh I don’t know if there is any hype about this place. I’m in a simple word, an herbalist. I’ve got a couple of certificates that allow me to create pharmaceutical quality products that are all natural and use plants.”
Her hands went to her lap and she smoothed her poncho. “These range from cosmetic products to health and wellness. My remedies might, for example, lessen the need of big brand medications. Not get rid of in many cases but instead of taking an aspirin regularly which causes ample problems later we could try herbs in a tea, a smoke, or an oil which might help and be better to digest. All of it is grown by myself and made in shop.”
She looked back at her tablet but then realized she might be looking a bit rude and snapped back. Her smile was sheepish. “Apologies… I’ve been expecting someone, but I’m good to continue answering your questions.
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Feb 10, 2022 3:52:28 GMT
Gidget couldn't help the soft, almost inaudible scoff of contrition. The thought that plants could cure something like her migraines bordered on laughable. How could something natural come anywhere near the effects of a lab-created formula that targeted a specific problem? At the end of the day, while her faith in people was shattered, her faith in science was as strong as ever. If plants really worked like this woman was suggesting, then why were drugs like Aspirin created in the first place?
That thought gave her pause for a moment. She remembered some random thread from some crackpot conspiracy theorist that she had skimmed, albeit briefly, on some weird forum she frequented... He was spouting off nonsense about how "big name pharmaceuticals" were trying to keep "the masses" under their thumbs, but that was about all she could recall. She rarely ever bothered to read the conspiracies, finding most of them absolutely bogus. In that moment, she almost wished she had read what he had to say.
Almost.
Luckily, Faythe distracted her before she could pursue that particular line of thought. She gave a little shake of her head, as if trying to shake the curiosity and the doubt away, and turned to look at her with those wide, brilliantly violet eyes. "Who are you expecting?" she asked with a very slight tilt to her head.
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Faythe Lyveaf
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But I did not fall, I hope something good is coming.
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Feb 10, 2022 4:55:54 GMT
Faythe paused a bit and gave it some thought. “I’m not entirely sure… or even if they are coming at all.”
She took a breath. “Some of my plants are incredibly hard and tedious to acquire in one way or another not to mention expensive and delicate to transport. But… I was lucky enough to have found someone who got me a couple of my rarer herbs at a rather steep price but I in truth it’s a one time purchase and I’m hoping in time I’ll be able to make up the difference.”
“So I happen to be mentioning that I could use a website to maybe help people get my products delivered to their homes maybe in a further distance than just this corner of the city and I was given an email of someone who could help. I messaged them but I was told they’d be severely secretive.” She chuckled. “So I’ve been searching every face to see if maybe they’d come by or maybe email me back. But I have no idea who they are.”
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Faythe Lyveaf
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But I did not fall, I hope something good is coming.
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Feb 10, 2022 4:56:34 GMT
Faythe paused a bit and gave it some thought. “I’m not entirely sure… or even if they are coming at all.”
She took a breath. “Some of my plants are incredibly hard and tedious to acquire in one way or another not to mention expensive and delicate to transport. But… I was lucky enough to have found someone who got me a couple of my rarer herbs at a rather steep price but I in truth it’s a one time purchase and I’m hoping in time I’ll be able to make up the difference.”
“So I happen to be mentioning that I could use a website to maybe help people get my products delivered to their homes maybe in a further distance than just this corner of the city and I was given an email of someone who could help. I messaged them but I was told they’d be severely secretive.” She chuckled. “So I’ve been searching every face to see if maybe they’d come by or maybe email me back. But I have no idea who they are.”
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Feb 10, 2022 8:46:54 GMT
Gidget stood there, holding the can back to her teeth as she listened to Faythe's tale of woe. She, of course, knew absolutely nothing about that. Oh no. Some weirdo on the internet who didn't want their name or face exposed, even to potential clients? Psh. Who would be so paranoid, so untrusting? Her eyes gave a little flash but otherwise, she didn't give much of anything away. Resting her teeth on her can, she felt her nerves kicking in, but nerves were easier to deal with than the chemical imbalance in her brain trying to tell her that she was dying.
"That sounds fishy as fuck," Gidget said, muttering around the lip of the can.
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Faythe Lyveaf
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But I did not fall, I hope something good is coming.
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Feb 10, 2022 9:00:44 GMT
“For the quality of Ashwagandha I got, I didn’t ask any questions.” She waved her hands in dismissal. “You can get some here but it’s sensitive. When a plant is malnourished so are it’s benefits. A few of my remedies came up unfruitful.”
Her sigh of dismay made her slump into a propped up hand on the arm of her chair. “Going these routes frighten me endlessly but it’s a one time purchase and they took my money so it’s over. I have my plant and I can care for it and even grow more as it wills me it’s yield.”
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Feb 12, 2022 3:41:11 GMT
"Ah-shhh-wah... what?" She stopped for a moment as she tried to figure that word out. Faythe had said it so naturally, so quickly, that it was almost as if she had been saying it her entire life... Like it was something simple, like "mom" or "dad." Gidget took a solid few seconds, trying to sound it out slowly, carefully, and even went as far as trying to get her mouth to form it. Ashwagandha. How did you even SPELL that? Was that even an actual word, or was she just crazy and making shit up at this point? She paused for less than a second as she suddenly remembered the one advantage she had over everyone else. Well, one of them, anyway. She accessed her chip with veritable ease, and at lightning speed, she was able to access the Internet, to Google as much of the word as she could figure out, and allow Google to adjust her spelling and suggest a plethora of images and pages and even shopping options. To her, the page popped up like an almost see-through, floating screen just idly hovering directly in front of her. To Faythe, it would look as if she was staring into space. But, the closer one looked, the more obvious they became... the tiny, little red lines that appeared seemingly in the color of her eyes. They broke through the violet coloring and seemed to move as she searched, like tiny lines of code being scrolled through. They appeared the moment her chip activated and would remain the entire time it was active, a surefire giveaway to when she was utilizing her technology. Not that anybody would have any idea what the red lines meant, of course. Primary Ability:
Brain Chip: Gidget has an implanted chip in her brain that allows her to access the internet in her own mind. She can Google information, access and monitor her bodily functions with a fit-bit setting, track signals, and send messages to people's phones or emails. If something has a signal, she can connect to it, thus pinning her Intelligence score, multiplied by a d6 roll, against it in order to hack into enemy programs, robots, AI, or security.
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Faythe Lyveaf
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But I did not fall, I hope something good is coming.
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Feb 12, 2022 9:19:05 GMT
Faythe just watched and waited she sure had a lot of strange people coming by her humble shop these days.
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Feb 13, 2022 3:42:48 GMT
The silence stretched on for a moment, Gidget completely oblivious to the woman watching her and waiting, patiently. All in all, it only took a couple of heartbeats, but it felt like so much longer as the infinite wisdom of the internet stretched out before her. It was a little overwhelming to realize just how much real power she had... all at the blink of an eye. She was just about to deactivate the chip, to go back to "normal" as she understood it, when the pain started. Her surgery scar, hidden by tufts of grey hair, felt like it caught on fire, and the pain spread through her head with just as much speed as intensity. Her breath caught in her chest and she reached out for the first stable surface she could find to try to catch herself.
Hopefully, this stranger would just think this was all some kind of stupid attack, like... asthma or something... but the paranoia that haunted the tiny girl whispered that maybe, just maybe, she would somehow figure it out... that this simple, gentle waif would piece together that a malnourished, too-pale, sickly looking child wasn't just a simple gamer geek/hacker, oh no. She was actually a CIA experiment. Or, at least, her brain was.
She could almost feel the outline of the implant pulsing with agony, sending waves of malcontent through her entire body. She hissed in a breath and tried to calm her shaking, barely aware of the can she clung to like an anchor.
"I...Could I... s-s-sit down?" she whispered, unsure if Faythe could hear.
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Faythe Lyveaf
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Feb 14, 2022 3:39:33 GMT
Faythe bolted up when the girl began to sway and tried to fall. Without thinking she grabbed the girls shoulders with frail hands and guided her to a chair. She wasn’t sure she quite heard her ask but Faythe was there to aid her.
“Just park yourself right there…” she said softly as she urged Gidget into the table chair. She made sure she was stable before letting go Faythe got a bag roughly the size of a foot ball and pulled from it a stethoscope and a small light. “Stay still a moment.” Her tone was harsh but not demanding or venomous.
If Gidget let her continue Faythe would be starting to check her vitals.
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Feb 26, 2022 5:27:36 GMT
The pain had a strange way of subduing the rage fueled beast that somehow existed within the confines of her tiny imp body. Not only did Gidget not yank away from Faythe's touch, or even hiss out a snarky remark... she allowed the older woman to lead her to a seat and guide her down into it. It was a rare sight indeed that the midget wasn't fighting against any sort of guidance, well-meaning or not, just for the sake of being obstinate.
Her gaze was unfocused, irises both a slightly different size, as the pain washed over her in waves. She could tell, but only by a distant, unattached observation, that the waves were swelling smaller and smaller, that the pain was - very, torturously, slowly - ebbing. She recognized that she would eventually be okay, but that recognition did little to actively comfort her in the moment. Instead, she melted into the back of the chair. In an effort to move her body, to remind herself that she even had a body to move in the first place, she weakly tossed one arm over her waist... and just let it lie there, dead weight, with her hand dangling at an almost unnerving angle. Her head lolled back, the searing agony lessening ever so slightly with the application of pressure against her surgery scar.
The CIA had told her that there would be random attacks like that. They tried to explain it away as just her body and neurological wavelengths adjusting to the signal that the chip gave off.... but she understood computers a lot better than they seemed to grasp. She was very well aware that, until she had "adjusted," the pain would serve as a sort of smoke screen.. They were retrieving the data she had collected and stored, probably pulling some sort of log of how and when she had used the chip. It was all very conspiracy theory.... something she was known for starting or playing into: ridiculous accusations against the national government. Those made up some of her absolute favorite "crock pots," or theories.
Each thought she tried to focus on came slowly, exaggerated, and there were still a few different times when she wasn't able to quite make sense of whatever she was thinking.
As Faythe inspected her, she would see that her already pale skin had become almost washed out, as if even her own blood was desperate to put some sort of distance between itself and the thing causing her so much strife. Her eyes remained unfocused and she let her head loll back and forth, the muscles in her neck almost unnaturally loose, especially given the way she was feeling... and responding to what she was feeling.
Gidget was extremely underweight, and that would be most evident as Faythe grabbed her wrists. Her bones felt brittle under the woman's fingers, and her skin clung desperately to her tiny chicken-wing of an arm. She wasn't just malnourished... there was basically nothing to her. Looking at her, it was easy to write off her skinniness, especially when combined with all of her other physical characteristics... and all of them PUT TOGETHER were not even 1/10th as noticeable as her attitude. But touching Gidget... that was an unnerving thing, when somebody realized just how fragile she would be even if she were healthy... and just how unhealthy she was.
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Faythe Lyveaf
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Feb 27, 2022 10:29:16 GMT
After seeing the girl over and her expression turned further serious. She patted the girls hand and felt it’s frailty. It was a kin to her own.
“Don’t move.” She rose up and darted to her fridge from the side of it she grabbed a plastic tiny cup and opened one door pumping twice on a rather large gallon of dark green liquid. She grabbed a small pint of clearer liquid and came back. “Toss this back like you are taking cough medicine or a shot of vodka…”
If Gidget took that then she’d twist and cracked the seal on the pint of pedialyte. And sat that on the table for them.
“People like us need to take extra care of themselves… it’s not easy but our condition doesn’t allow for too much leeway. I’d like you to drink all of this bottle to get done hydration in you and I hope you’ll take some advice to eat better and drink more water to start… maybe get a good nights rest. Correct me if I’m wrong… do you not have a form of albinism itself or another type of melanin deficiency?” She was looking at many details on Gidget‘s face and body trying to be clear about making the right decision medically.
She wasn’t a doctor however, she didn’t get that much schooling in. Being a pharmacist and that kind of education hardly takes the amount of studying like an actual physician. Still she didn’t see anything inherently wrong with Gidget just maybe assuming they might be birds of a feather with similar disabilities. Faythe amass assuming maybe the girl used a Nen ability and exerted herself in doing so. Faythe can’t used her powers much or else she does the same. She felt she really had one or two chances to use an ability before she would collapse.
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Mar 1, 2022 17:21:51 GMT
Mindlessly, Gidget followed the instructions she was given. She reached out to take the shot, wondering how, exactly, somebody shot back cough medicine or vodka. She couldn't remember ever having had both. Her gaze remained unfocused, her shoulders swaying slightly side to side as she stared at the tiny cup. Vodka... Alcohol... A webpage popped up in her vision with random information, as if she had just Googled "alcohol." Her eyes almost went cross-eyed for a second, and in response, she tossed the cup back. Making a slight face, she almost missed the beginning of what Faythe said, distracted by the taste.
"Bleck!!"
She stuck her tongue out and started swiping at it, as if that could somehow get rid of the taste of... What the fuck had this stranger given her? Paranoia gripped her almost immediately, snapping her out of the pain-induced haze. Had she just been poisoned?? Was she going to die??? She jerked slightly before realizing that she was sitting in a chair. Hadn't she just been standing up? Over there?? Her gaze darted to the spot she remembered being in, but the quick motion sent a sharp pain through her shoulders. "Oww...." she whispered, reaching up to rub at her neck, at the surgery scar.
She cringed slightly, both eyes closing tight, and only opened one to try to bring Faythe into focus. What was she saying? Something about food, sleep, blah blah blah... Wait. What was that?
"Albinism?" she asked, closing the one eye and continuing to rub at her neck. "No, I'm not an albino. My hair's grey, not white... What would even make you think that?" The melanin deficiency though... "Mela... whatever. That's the stuff that, like.... protects you from the sun, right?"
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Faythe Lyveaf
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But I did not fall, I hope something good is coming.
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Mar 2, 2022 14:36:34 GMT
“You just drank Wheat Grass it’s very good detox and full of nutrients.” Faythe nodded as well and decided to continue answering. “Yes it’s what gives you skin color it’s glands in your skin that hold this. People without it or if theirs don’t work obviously don’t do well in day light and it’s less protective against infections and disease.”
“If you are alright I would like to start getting answers for my one questions… What just happened to you?” Frankly there was a lot of near interrogating questions coming from the girl before her, she had made Faythe talk a lot about herself and while she didn’t mind answering any questions one might the was becoming a bit serious. Especially after this near seizure like incident Faythe was beginning to think there was a deeper connection needing to be made.
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Mar 4, 2022 3:58:07 GMT
Gidget continued to make very obviously unhappy noises, sticking her tongue out as far as it would go as if that would somehow keep the taste at bay. Violet eyes nearly crossed with disgust, though at that point, it was all in her head... and knowing that did little to abate it. She was still seated in the chair, and for a moment... she was grateful. With how badly her body was shaking, it was probably the only thing that kept her off the ground. She stared at Faythe, eyes filled with distrust.
"A migraine," she snapped out, each syllable emphasized dramatically, pointed and harsh. It was the kind of tone that a poorly tempered individual would probably take as almost... condescending. It wouldn't matter that her gaze was still unfocused, or that every move she made was slower, less intentional, or that the tiny girl probably couldn't stab a hole in a piece of paper with a knife. Oh no. That tone was one that would, could, and HAD gotten her into many sticky situations.
"Haven't you ever seen one before? Or is that not part of the melatonin.... fuck!" The second she realized she had used the wrong word, the stinging remark seemed to lose most of its heat, and she winced, holding a hand up to her head. "Mela... mela....... Mela-what again?"
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Faythe Lyveaf
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But I did not fall, I hope something good is coming.
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Mar 4, 2022 4:52:10 GMT
“Melanin…” Faythe narrowed her eyes and frowned. She knew the girl was lying but supposedly she’d decide to not force the matter. Faythe had her comfort zones and she was willing to respect another’s when shown the lines to not cross.
“Drink the pint it should wash out some of the green. It’s flavored sweetly.” She went up and brought down a few used items and sat them on the table be the two of them. She began setting up a couple of things like a bowl and a candle. She had a bottle of oil and arranged the items in a stand dropping a bit of the oil on top and lighting the candle under it. In a moment there would be a cool earthy scent fill the air. Primarily of mint which was common to relieve headaches and clear the sinuses the rest of the scents might be herbal and some were to make it smell like a rainy forest.
“Another question then… Why have you decided to visit my shop today?”
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Mar 4, 2022 5:03:26 GMT
When was the last time she had willingly had anything to drink that didn't promise to give her hours of artificial energy or contain the word "EXTREME" in big, bold letters on the packaging? She stared at the pint with the sort of obvious distrust that most children had in regards to spinach. She looked petulant, like she just might refuse Faythe's request... What was in the pint, what flavored it sweetly, how did she know that she could trust it? She was completely absorbed in her almost feline like inspection of the liquid, moving her head this way and that as if she could somehow figure out the answers to all of her questions just by looking at it in enough different directions.
The smell was the first thing to distract her. She jerked her head slightly, those wild, violet eyes darting over to the source, which did nothing to fight against the feline comparison from before. Hell, if she had ears, they'd be twitching... She flared her nostrils for a second, and then breathed in deeply, even parting her lips. Mint... She liked the smell of mint.
Her gaze darted to Faythe before returning to the little temple-slash-crack-spoon that the woman had created, and she scooted forward, her attempt to be subtle destroyed by the scratching sound of the chair. Instead, she leaned forward slightly, deciding to close the distance that way... and braced her hands down between her thighs to brace herself, support her torso.
"Didn't exactly decide. Your place just happened to be the closest place when--" Admitting to flaws was a bad idea, she reminded herself... and if a phobia wasn't a flaw, then what was? "When I decided I didn't want to be outside anymore." Smooth.
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Faythe Lyveaf
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Post by Faythe Lyveaf on Mar 4, 2022 17:25:52 GMT
Faythe’s shoulders visibly dropped and a smile grew on her face with the gentleness returning to her eyes. A panic attack was believable, she would buy that lie without question.
“I understand, it’s nothing to be ashamed about, but I know it’s difficult to handle.“ she nodded. “Stay as long as you need but drink that before you do. It’s hydrating, you are shaking right now from the pain that you endured but also you are dehydrated. You might use your Nen better if you didn’t put your body through so much stress.”
“I don’t know what happened just now but I know it looked like you found answers in the air? The only guessing I could conclude from that is Nen… unless it is something else I apologize for making an assumption. But this is the reason I’m treating you the way I am. You might feel your sinuses open up a bit wider allowing more oxygen to your brain to ease your headache. Their are a couple of herb oils mixed with the mint to create a calming reaction to lower your blood pressure and relax your nerves.” She knew it was not out of the realm of possibility for it to be technology or Nen. She wasn’t asking about the ability specifically but she wanted to lay out what was going on watching where Gidget’s curious eyes fell and why she used this method.
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Gidget
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Post by Gidget on Mar 7, 2022 1:56:23 GMT
Nen... How had she gone this long without hearing that word? It always stirred a bit of bitterness inside her, made her tense... It used to be that nobody had special anything, everybody went about their normal routines... She almost remembered those days. But as Nen began to creep into their lives, it was suddenly everywhere. It was more common to have some kind of ability, something that made you special, than it was to not. Sure, some people rose up against it, and motions were even made to try to control it... but within what felt like no time at all, it became so much a part of people's day to day lives that they stopped paying attention to it.
Even her siblings, in all their perfect glory, had developed their own unique little quirks and traits, things that just made them that much better at their already perfect jobs, things that made their already perfect lives that much more perfect. And then.... there was little Gidget. The youngest, the unwanted, the late-in-life accident, who easily overtook her entire family in intelligence... Even the lawyer had to admit that they couldn't hold a candle next to the baby. She remembered being young and dumb in school and excited to see what special ability she might have at her disposal... The other kids started developing theirs, or at least coming out about them. She wasn't totally sure how it worked - her family never discussed things like that. Least of all with her.
She meshed her teeth tightly together, remembering the isolation... It was like being picked last for the dodgeball team, but it never stopped. It happened over and over again. The waiting. The hoping. She didn't see just how rare Nen was outside of her little subdivision... Nor did she see through the deceit and the lies of the people trying to be something. Not until much later. She continued to just wait out her teenage years, but just like the voluptuous breasts that her genetics promised her, Nen abilities never came. She was left empty handed, in more ways than one.
Since moving to Telluride, she had witnessed the other side of things, the way Nen users seemed drawn to hot spot areas, where they would gather in droves.... and leave miles and miles of land between their little hive and the next Nen-user. She was absolutely positive that it wasn't intentional, that they weren't even aware of it. But she was still quite early in her research... She didn't exactly have much concrete evidence of her theories, after all.
"I don't have Nen," she practically spat out, her knuckles paling to a sick, paper white color as she fought off the urge to throw something... anything... just to see something break that wasn't her. "I'm just a visual person. I sit here and look at shit and draw numbers in the air. It makes it make more sense to me then just trying to think." That excuse, at least, was one that lived in a sea of half-truths. She was visual, preferring to write things down where she could obsessively review it... but that usually meant a piece of paper, or her computer, or more recently... the documents she could pull up via the literal government chip in her brain.
She shifted slightly in her seat, refusing to look Faythe in the eye as she thought about all of the years of bullying she received... only to later find out that those claims to fame were all as fake as their personalities. She hated them, all of them.... sons and daughters to senators and politicians, to the rich and the famous, rubbing elbows and staring down at the poorer, as if they had done something themselves to rise up... They were all just riding on the coattails of their parents, thinking that it would make them somebody.
FUCK, she hated them. She hated all of them.
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