(no subject)
No- no one shoot me, okay? This was SO HARD. I did the best I could.
Also, I stole Iambic's OC. She's good for making Sarah defensive.
“Sarah?” Jamal called, looking about for the new employee, “tea’s ready!”
“Coming!” came a voice from somewhere in the maze of bookshelves. Sarah stumbled to the front of the store, covered in dust, clutching a book the size of an encyclopedia.
“What’re you reading?” Rex asked, eyeing the tome skeptically.
“An analysis of tRNA errors in the fifteenth chromosome.” She took the mug of tea and took a sip. Then she looked up at hir. Rex’s face was blank as a slate.
“In OCA2?” Sarah tried. No response. “Halting the production of melanin? Look, Rex,” she said slowly, “what do you know about genetics?”
Ze blinked. “Virtually nothing. I never took it in college.”
She heaved an exasperated sigh, and explained, “I was reading about human albinism.”
“Oh,” ze said. “Cool. What causes that?”
“Multiple factors.” She took a sip of her tea, as if fortifying herself. “The one I was reading about is on the fifteenth chromosome. There’s a break in the chain of amino acids- amino acids are translated nucleotides- that halts the production of melanin, resulting in a loss of pigmentation.”
Rex stared at her.
She looked up at hir and stared back.
“Sarah,” said ze carefully, “What?”
“Isn’t that clear?” She pushed back several strands of unruly brown frizz from her forehead. Awkward silence ensued, and for a few long moments, no one spoke. Then the bell on the door chimed and Jamal shooed Rex off to deal with the customer.
“Sarah,” Jamal intervened quietly while Rex was busy, “maybe you ought to teach Rex some of the basics of biology first.”
“That could take forever. Why would I do that?” she asked, wrapping her arms about herself and looking away from him. He recognized the defensive posture, and knew Rex had gotten through to her, albeit accidentally, and that she was afraid.
“Because,” he said warmly, seizing the opportunity to crack her shell open more, “that’s what friends do. And Rex considers you a friend.”
“A… friend,” she spoke hesitantly, like this was a new concept. She met Jamal’s eyes again. “But what’s the point?”
“That,” said Jamal knowingly, remembering Lindsey fondly, “depends on the friendship.”
They both, together, looked over at Rex. Ze was dealing with the girl from the other day, the one with a crush on him, and it didn’t look like ze was fending her off very successfully. Sarah looked down at her tea sadly. She glanced back over to Rex, then at her tea again, her pale eyes pained.
“Trust hir,” Jamal urged. She looked conflicted.
“Sarah!” Rex chose that moment to call for help, “can you come show Kathleen the sewing section while I, uh-“
Jamal commented under his breath to her, “Ze trusts you.”
She hesitated- then, “Of course!” she called back to hir. No way was she letting this bitch anywhere near hir. After all, ze had biology to learn.
Sarah made her way over to Kathleen just as ze practically sprinted back to his tea, Rex murmuring “Thank you,” as ze passed by.
“Hi, I’m Sarah,” she said only slightly icily, which was, considering, a remarkable show of restraint. “Follow me, please.” She followed her without question. That was NOT the tone of voice one argues with.
“Sarah, you have just the most stunning eyes!” exclaimed Kathleen cheerfully -fakely- before continuing, “So, have you known Rex long?”
Sarah didn’t deign to answer.
Jamal smiled at the scene, and turned to Rex, regarding hir contemplatively. He let hir finish the dregs of hir tea before saying seriously,
“If you ever hurt her, we will have issues.”
Rex responded in kind.
“If I ever hurt her, she’ll hurt me back first.”
Jamal laughed, and poured more tea.
Also, I stole Iambic's OC. She's good for making Sarah defensive.
“Sarah?” Jamal called, looking about for the new employee, “tea’s ready!”
“Coming!” came a voice from somewhere in the maze of bookshelves. Sarah stumbled to the front of the store, covered in dust, clutching a book the size of an encyclopedia.
“What’re you reading?” Rex asked, eyeing the tome skeptically.
“An analysis of tRNA errors in the fifteenth chromosome.” She took the mug of tea and took a sip. Then she looked up at hir. Rex’s face was blank as a slate.
“In OCA2?” Sarah tried. No response. “Halting the production of melanin? Look, Rex,” she said slowly, “what do you know about genetics?”
Ze blinked. “Virtually nothing. I never took it in college.”
She heaved an exasperated sigh, and explained, “I was reading about human albinism.”
“Oh,” ze said. “Cool. What causes that?”
“Multiple factors.” She took a sip of her tea, as if fortifying herself. “The one I was reading about is on the fifteenth chromosome. There’s a break in the chain of amino acids- amino acids are translated nucleotides- that halts the production of melanin, resulting in a loss of pigmentation.”
Rex stared at her.
She looked up at hir and stared back.
“Sarah,” said ze carefully, “What?”
“Isn’t that clear?” She pushed back several strands of unruly brown frizz from her forehead. Awkward silence ensued, and for a few long moments, no one spoke. Then the bell on the door chimed and Jamal shooed Rex off to deal with the customer.
“Sarah,” Jamal intervened quietly while Rex was busy, “maybe you ought to teach Rex some of the basics of biology first.”
“That could take forever. Why would I do that?” she asked, wrapping her arms about herself and looking away from him. He recognized the defensive posture, and knew Rex had gotten through to her, albeit accidentally, and that she was afraid.
“Because,” he said warmly, seizing the opportunity to crack her shell open more, “that’s what friends do. And Rex considers you a friend.”
“A… friend,” she spoke hesitantly, like this was a new concept. She met Jamal’s eyes again. “But what’s the point?”
“That,” said Jamal knowingly, remembering Lindsey fondly, “depends on the friendship.”
They both, together, looked over at Rex. Ze was dealing with the girl from the other day, the one with a crush on him, and it didn’t look like ze was fending her off very successfully. Sarah looked down at her tea sadly. She glanced back over to Rex, then at her tea again, her pale eyes pained.
“Trust hir,” Jamal urged. She looked conflicted.
“Sarah!” Rex chose that moment to call for help, “can you come show Kathleen the sewing section while I, uh-“
Jamal commented under his breath to her, “Ze trusts you.”
She hesitated- then, “Of course!” she called back to hir. No way was she letting this bitch anywhere near hir. After all, ze had biology to learn.
Sarah made her way over to Kathleen just as ze practically sprinted back to his tea, Rex murmuring “Thank you,” as ze passed by.
“Hi, I’m Sarah,” she said only slightly icily, which was, considering, a remarkable show of restraint. “Follow me, please.” She followed her without question. That was NOT the tone of voice one argues with.
“Sarah, you have just the most stunning eyes!” exclaimed Kathleen cheerfully -fakely- before continuing, “So, have you known Rex long?”
Sarah didn’t deign to answer.
Jamal smiled at the scene, and turned to Rex, regarding hir contemplatively. He let hir finish the dregs of hir tea before saying seriously,
“If you ever hurt her, we will have issues.”
Rex responded in kind.
“If I ever hurt her, she’ll hurt me back first.”
Jamal laughed, and poured more tea.