OOM: Cubefall 2010
Cal has summoned the vidscreen back up and been quietly asking a few questions; now he's contemplating it in silence when Sam approaches. He takes in Cal and the vidscreen - and a room key on the Bar - and looks at Cal inquiringly, the better to let him start this particular conversation.
"She says I can get a delay on the transformation," Cal tells him, "and wait till we're upstairs. And the time limit's almost up, so it wouldn't have to be for very long." He sighs. "I'd still have to come back down to activate the screen before I can change back, though." That would seem to be non-negotiable.
Sam nods, studying Cal's face for signs of nervousness running too deep to be comfortable with. "It's your choice," he says. "I won't hold it against you if you don't want to do it. Honestly, I'm surprised you're even considering it."
Cal laughs a little at that. "Yeah, me too." He's surprised the idea stayed in his mind at all after his initial oh god no reaction. He's never liked the transformations in Milliways.
But what he's liked right from the start about Cubefall (aside from the Legos) is that the transformations are voluntary. People get to choose what to be, and they get to choose whether or not to be it at all. That makes a difference. It makes a big difference, bigger than Cal had expected it to make once he started thinking about the possibility of saying yes.
And Sam has done the female transformation before, and that was fun. And seriously, when you get right down to it, who hasn't wondered what sex is like on the other side?
Cal looks back down at the vidscreen for a long moment, tapping his fingers on the Bar. Then he takes a breath and picks up the room key.
"Not until we're inside the room, right?"
Right, says the answering napkin. Cal glances at Sam.
"Okay," he says, and touches the screen. It vanishes. Cal swallows and says to Sam,
"Let's go."
Sam smiles and reaches out to take Cal's hand, and they head for the stairs.
"She says I can get a delay on the transformation," Cal tells him, "and wait till we're upstairs. And the time limit's almost up, so it wouldn't have to be for very long." He sighs. "I'd still have to come back down to activate the screen before I can change back, though." That would seem to be non-negotiable.
Sam nods, studying Cal's face for signs of nervousness running too deep to be comfortable with. "It's your choice," he says. "I won't hold it against you if you don't want to do it. Honestly, I'm surprised you're even considering it."
Cal laughs a little at that. "Yeah, me too." He's surprised the idea stayed in his mind at all after his initial oh god no reaction. He's never liked the transformations in Milliways.
But what he's liked right from the start about Cubefall (aside from the Legos) is that the transformations are voluntary. People get to choose what to be, and they get to choose whether or not to be it at all. That makes a difference. It makes a big difference, bigger than Cal had expected it to make once he started thinking about the possibility of saying yes.
And Sam has done the female transformation before, and that was fun. And seriously, when you get right down to it, who hasn't wondered what sex is like on the other side?
Cal looks back down at the vidscreen for a long moment, tapping his fingers on the Bar. Then he takes a breath and picks up the room key.
"Not until we're inside the room, right?"
Right, says the answering napkin. Cal glances at Sam.
"Okay," he says, and touches the screen. It vanishes. Cal swallows and says to Sam,
"Let's go."
Sam smiles and reaches out to take Cal's hand, and they head for the stairs.