Inconspicuous

Hyper · May 10, 2015

==> #59467896871

Formalities were Coral's main talents. If one could call it that. And according to these formalities, it was important to personally appear to the admissions office. Coral, who had been used to an unhealthy school environment was only surprised when she had stepped into the office. The staff were more than accommodating and they were actually communicating with her like she was a human being. It was a new world for being in school.

But what more she wasn't used to were the looks she got from people. It didn't quite make sense. She ran into some students that didn't look any "normal" like before she got her modification but what was with all the looks? This was unfair. This never happened back in the biodome. There was at least five of them with wings, some ten others that look like fishes and then some other mutants and it was the most normal thing to be.

There was injustice here. And Coral had been hoping she would be a little more inconspicuous when most of the students here were all magical. Maybe she had expected too much.

Fish · May 10, 2015

If someone were to ask her why she hung around the admissions office so much, she probably wouldn't be able to articulate a reason. She got a few strange stares, but it was quiet, and she liked to watch new people come in. It was almost if she got to collect them, in her memory. Faces, feelings, but never names, she could barely remember the names of her professors, let alone everyone in the halls.

The girl with the feathers looked so nice. More specifically, she looked soft. Ann knew better than to just go over and touch her, but she could imagine. The satin of her little cloth book slipped between her fingers.

She couldn't say hello, but she also couldn't stop staring. All she could hope was that she didn't look like a complete jackass.

Hyper · May 11, 2015

The looks Coral got made her really conscious. Her wings would ruffle once or twice and her wings would twitch as she walked down the hall. Cautiously looking around, she saw one particular girl who just kept staring. She didn't even look away, nor did she have any other company to whisper to. She was just... there.

Coral considered her options. Was she really that weirded out by her? Did she want something? Coral stood there weighing her options. Should she? Maybe she was staring at something else and not her? Coral knew she wasn't going anywhere without taking action. Taking a deep breath, she gathered all her strength to walk up to the red-head.

"Excuse me but do you want something? I couldn't help but notice you were looking towards my direction."

Fish · May 11, 2015

Amaranth flushed red. Yup, she came off as a total creep. All she could do now was backpedal.

"I'm so sorry..." She muttered, looking away. "It's just--" she couldn't just say, "I want to pet your wings."

Except that she did, because no filter is one of the wonderful gifts of autism. She flushed harder and rubbed the satin between her fingers.

Okay now Ann, be articulate. Deep breath, gather your thoughts...

"Sorry! That just slipped out. I mean, I wouldn't touch them without your permission of course, but they look so soft." She pulled her hand out of her pocket and showed Coral her satin square. "I really like feeling soft things. It's just some sensory weirdness with me. I'm really sorry for staring."

Well, that was still pretty creepy, but maybe less creepy? Good job, she thought to herself.

Hyper · May 11, 2015

Coral's feathers ruffled slightly at the girl's response. Pet her wings? Coral blinked a couple of times as she analyzed the girls words. No one has really pet her wings. Of course, the inspection was a different thing. Did she actually look like someone to pet? Coral was about to speak but Ann cut her off before any sound even escaped her mouth.

Coral stared at the satin square Ann held in front of her. A couple of blinks, "Sensory?" Sensory peculiarities weren't a new thing for Coral but she's never really understood them before. Liking to touch something because they looked soft was one thing, but to a point of carrying around a piece of cloth around was a think of curiosity.

Coral's wings twitched, "Um... I don't really mind if you want to... pet them," she said. Her voice sounded a little more hesitant than she intended, "Uh, yeah, you can. I don't think there's any harm in it."

Fish · May 11, 2015

Yep, you definitely creeped her out. Good job.

She rubbed the satin anxiously before cutting herself off. There was no need to make herself out to be even stranger that she already seemed. Making friends was so difficult.

"Seriously, if I'm making you uncomfortable, I won't. I just have a hard time acting normal." Ann's hands itched with the urge to touch her feathers, but the last thing she wanted was to scare this poor girl even more.

"Let me try this again..." Ann tucked her satin back in her pocket and held out her hand. "I'm Amaranth Carter. Call me Ann. I'm autistic. That's why I didn't say hello into earlier. I just kinda--froze. Sorry if I creeped you out."

Hyper · May 11, 2015

Coral laughed softly, but a little awkward. Acting normal was a thing Coral couldn't seem to grasp at a time like this. She could if she could find another MOD like her around anytime soon. Her dearest friend was out of sight at the moment and she doubted there would be any other MOD like them walking around the school grounds.

"I-it's no..problem! I suppose I'm not used to this kind of school environment so I'm actually feeling out of place myself." she explained. Coral noticed she was fidgeting with the cloth in her hands. Coral didn't look away until Ann took the satin out of sight.

"Um, you can just call me Coral," she said, staring at Ann's extended hand. Coral took a moment to hesitate before gently returning the gesture and shaking her hand. Coral quickly withdrew her rough talon-like hands. "Sorry, I've got... weird hands." she said as she kept thinking about what Ann had said. "Autistic" was a word she only read in books and she never thought what it was really about. Giving into her curiosity, she asked, "What does... being autistic feel like? Uh-- I'm just really curious. Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want to..."

Fish · May 11, 2015

"It's nice to meet you, Coral!"

What was being autistic like? It was hard to condense, and gathering her thoughts was already a little difficult. She raised up her hand a little, to ask her to wait a moment. Maybe it was best to just explain it flat out? Give a medical definition? Something in the middle?

Yeah, that could work.

"It's hard to explain, since my brain is the only one I've ever had, you know? Autism is a developmental difference in the brain, what doctors call a different neurotype. It means that our brains are put together differently. They work differently too. Autism comes out in a lot of different ways, but we all have some things in common. We, uh, all like to stim," she brought her satin back out to explain, "like my satin. Sometimes we rock back and forth, sometimes we spin around, sometimes we fiddle with something or move our legs. Sometimes we do it to make ourselves more comfortable, or to concentrate, or maybe even for fun."

"We also all have sensory processing issues. Some people are over sensitive, like me, and some people are under sensitive. Sometimes people are both for different senses. We all like alone time, and we often get very particular about the things we like."

"Really," she wrapped up, "It just means that our brains are built different, so we interact with the world different."

Hyper · May 15, 2015

Coral cracked a small smile, "It's nice too meet you too, Ann." It took Amaranth a little while before she responded. It was a little awkward for Coral, even though it shouldn't have taken long, Coral's anxiousness made it feel like forever. But when Amarath finally talked again, Coral literally just stared as the girl spoke. She couldn't completely wrap her head around the idea of being autistic. It made sense but it was hard to completely grasp.

"That sounds... really interesting!" Coral said, choosing her words carefully. Was it fascinating? Curious? Weird? She couldn't say. It was an interesting thought. People who're wired differently. Coral had always thought people here on the surface were different but this sounded even more different than she remembered.

But that was all Coral could say aloud. She was suddenly worried knowing that she could offend the girl all too easily. "So...um... are you new here too? I mean, well yeah, you're also from the admissions office... right?"

Fish · May 15, 2015

"Really, I just interact with the world differently. I see all this stuff on the tv about how awful autism is, but it's nowhere near as bad as they say. It's certainly a challenge, but I also get to see the world in brilliant and unique ways."

She was proud of who she was, even if it was hard to communicate with people sometimes. Amaranth was pretty happy here; she had interesting classes, and the school was fairly understanding.

"Oh, me? I just like hanging around here. Watching the new kids and stuff. It's also really quiet here. I've actually been going here since I was a kid. The school has been my home for as long as I can remember, so if you need help getting around, I'd be happy to help."

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Inconspicuous

Hyper

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Fish

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Hyper

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Fish

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Hyper

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Fish

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Hyper

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Fish

Well-Known Member

Hyper

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Fish

Well-Known Member