ArchivedLogs:Misunderstanding 101

Misunderstanding 101
Dramatis Personae Mai and Paige
In Absentia	2016-12-30 "Our physical mutations aren't a conversation piece."
Location <NYC> Busboys and Poets - East Harlem
A quiet, artsy spot nestled away on a side street in East Harlem, Busboys and Poets combines cafe and bookstore in a way a Starbucks tacked on to a Barnes & Noble could never achieve. The food is a solid, multi-national cuisine menu that caters to all kinds of dietary choices, and its fair-trade tea menu is extensive. Its weekend brunch tends to draw a large crowd, but there is ample enough seating both at tables and on its many comfortable armchairs and couches that at other times of the week there is never a wait. The walls are adorned with the work of local artists, and tucked in among and alongside the couches are rows upon rows of books, with a definite slant towards the political and the bohemian. It's later in the afternoon as Paige waits at a table inside Busboys and Poets, looking a bit nervous. The establishment isn't a place she has gone to before and it's located in a part of the city she doesn't often frequent. Her outfit has not changed - it still remains the same jeans and the same sweatshirt. At the moment, her attention seems drawn towards the books nearer the couches, ears giving idle flicks every now and then. Mai hasn't really gone to this part of town much either, but she loves exploring new places so is not nearly as nervous about it, even though it did take her a bit to find the place. Pushing open the door to get inside, looking around some, the first impression is already positive as she likes both books and cafes, and this place merges both! However she isn't here just to explore, as she is meeting her friend, looking around some before spotting her, as Paige is pretty easy to notice, smiling as she gives a wave to her while walking across the shop to her. "Hey!" "Oh, hey!" comes Paige's response to Mai's greeting as she stands up from her seat to turn, swaying only a -little- bit as she does so. When the other girl is closer, she asks, "How's it, uh, going? I, um, well, I spoke to Taylor last night. After, you know, the whole thing at Evolve. We didn't meet up or anything like that; I don't even have his contact information. Just happened upon him when I was meeting with a friend." The expression displayed on her face is a mixture of concern and anxiety. "I think maybe we should talk." Mai gives a smile as she watches Paige standing up. "Hey, your getting better on those hooves I think." she observes. Though when Taylor is mentioned she gets more serious. "Uh-huh? And what did he say? That guy seemed to have some serious self-esteem issues. I have never seen anyone that sensitive about critique before. But sure, I am always happy to talk, I guess we should buy something first and find a table." she notes with a glance towards the menu. "Thanks," Paige replies with a slight blush, the praise gratefully accepted. "And yeah, sure." She also turns her attention to the menu, ears giving a flick. While she peruses the items, she does slide a glance to Mai with a quirked brow. "Critique? I thought you two had been talking about his, you know, tentacles." Though it seems she was about to say more, she holds her tongue, eyes returning to the menu. "What looks good here?" Mai gives a nod to what Paige asks. "Yes, he first started reading my thoughts or something and replying to them, and then started showing off with those, and I told him that tentacles aren't really my thing, and then he took that all personal and started raging and calling me mutant hater and stuff." she explains, then focuses on the menu more. "Hmm... well I was thinking about just some tea." "I can understand the first part. Telepathy can be unsettling; I'm not a big fan of it myself, but it's something I'm going to have to get used to. I'm a...mutant. Other mutants are different. Not everyone gets to have the horns and hooves, you know?" Paige takes a deep breath before letting out a long sigh. "But what if he wasn't showing off? What if he doesn't have a choice, like he can't -turn off- his telepathy? And, from what I heard --" Here Paige's eyes scan Mai's face. "From what I heard, you called his tentacles gross." Mai buys a cup of tea from the counter, adding a generous amount of honey to it and starts to stir it with a spoon as she looks for a table to sit down to while waiting for Paige to get... well whatever she is taking. Arching a brow some at that last part. "Yes, I said they were cool but gross, which is just a way of saying that they aren't my thing. And I think that he was only showing them to me because he thought I would like them, and just got pissed because I didn't. I can't imagine it being the first time someone doesn't like them either, so he should be used to it. Like for example, I grew up as a member of a minority, if I would have got tilted every single time someone made some kind of ethnical joke or quip in school I would have been in detention all the time." Paige ends up ordering a simple food item, a breakfast sandwich on a bagel; it's probably the cheapest choice on the menu that she can understand. As she follows Mai back to the table to wait for her order, she narrows her eyes, jaw tightening slightly. "-Used- to it? You mean like -I- should be used to people making jokes and harassing me because of my horns? Should I be -used to- being afraid of leaving the Commons in case I get attacked? It's great luck when I've had a friend with me to prevent that." Another deep breath, another sigh. Paige doesn't sound so much angry as she does tired, pleading. "People -kill- mutants, Mai. They kill them. They kill -us-. Especially ones like me and especially ones like Taylor. You should...you should know this." Her ears press down as she broaches what she considers a sensitive topic. "Didn't you say you lost your parents in an anti-mutant attack? You got stuck in the awful cross fire, Mai. Being a mutant isn't like ethnicity. I mean, I can't even pretend to know what being an ethnic minority is like, but being a mutant can tear families apart." "We go to Evolve to get away from people complaining, pointing out, or making fun of our physical mutations. It's like a safe haven, you know? Look, I'm not saying that what happened was your fault or anyone's fault. I had no idea he was a telepath before this and I've seen him use those tentacles to perform tasks. I don't think he's asking for anyone to -like- them; he doesn't have a choice in having them, you know?" Mai takes a seat at the table, holding her mug with both hands as she brings it up to her lips to take a sip, wincing a bit as its still rather hot, so she sets it down to stir some more while focusing her attention back to Paige. "No, but he should put things in context, like just because someone doesn't find their particular mutation super amazing, doesn't mean that they are neseccarily going to be hostile towards them or harass them, there is a difference between some guy charging you with a baseball bat and someone just making a comment as part of a conversation. Like I just went there to get some lunch, I didn't even ask him anything about his powers, and when he started showing them I just said that it wasn't my thing. Then he got all riled up. I am a mutant also, remember? I just don't make a huge number out of it." she explains, pausing to take a breath, before adding. "It was all just a misunderstanding, my choice of words might not have been the best, but I didn't mean anything bad with it, my intent was just to tell him that I am not a fan of tentacles. The thing just got blown way out of proportion, I even tried to explain to him what I meant but that just pissed him off more." "Yeah. I mean I figured it was a misunderstanding. It's just," Paige gestures with a hand, but is interrupted as she is informed her food is ready. "I'll be right back," she tells Mai as she pushes herself out of her seat, this time staggering once. This doesn't seem to faze the blonde girl, however, as she just rolls her eyes at the misstep and carriers on her way. It's only half a minute before she's back at the table, a sad frown being offered to the bagel sandwich as it is currently to hot to eat. Ears flick. "Right, anyways, as I was saying. Misunderstanding. It's just...hard to see to one's friends get hurt by a misunderstanding. It really upset you. You were expecting to just get some food and sit down and relax and it turned into something completely different -- I get that and I'm sorry." Paige leans back in her seat and tilts her head back with closed eyes, fingers pinching at the bridge of her nose as she waits for her food to cool. "I'm also...I'm sorry that Taylor got hurt too, you know? I -know- you're not hostile." Her eyes open again and she lifts her head to peer at Mai, hand falling to the side. "You're super nice, super friendly, and you haven't once been rude to me, you know?" A small smile is offered. "I think maybe both you and Taylor's intentions and feelings were kind of...misinterpreted, yeah?" Mai blows some to her tea to make it cool faster, lifting it back up to her lips to take a sip then, this time its much better temperature. "Yeah, I don't suppose you know Shane? Maybe you could explain things to him and talk him into lifting that ban thing. As it is kind of awkward to not be allowed in the you know main hangout for our kind in the city. I really don't have anything against this Taylor guy either, and I was really confused when he got so up in arms over just few words, like he works in a customer service job, would think that if anything would make one grow a thick skin and not take personal what customers are saying, I can tell too from working in a store that there are often less than pleasant customers, but I just smile to them and don't take it personal." A gentle, curious, innocent touch is offered in tribute to the bagel sandwich, but as Paige's finger draws back, it would seem that the entity is still angry. "Shane. Yes, I know Shane. Blue, sharp teeth, gills." Shoulders slump at Mai's request, though. "I've been trying to stay on his good side. You know, I really upset him the first time I met him. I was...I was scared. Like, really scared, of him. He gave me a, uh, stern talking to after that, but also told me about the support group I attend." She pauses, biting at her lip again. "I'm not sure it's really my place to talk to him about that. I think you should try to work things out with Taylor first." "And, come on, Mai, when you say you don't like or think someone's mutation is gross, how can they -not- take it personally? Like, okay," here her hands gesture in a vertical chopping motion. "You don't have to like -tentacles-, but he didn't just grow them for fun. Those tentacles are part of his body; they're a part of who he is. It's, like, okay, what if a customer at the store said your face was gross? And not just because it's a face, but because it's a minority's face?" Mai gives a sigh at that. "Well, how do you expect me to be able to do that when I can't even go there? Like I have never seen this person before and don't really know anything about him, so would definetily need some help with the whole working things out part. Like, even if I somehow managed to send message to him, I doubt he would respond." She explains, then sighs at the last part. "I really don't understand why people get so hung up about that word? Its just a way of saying that you aren't a fan of whatever it is you call gross. Tentacles just are like that, it doesn't matter who or what they are attached to, I just don't like them. And last I checked we aren't in north Korea, so everyone should have right for their own opinions. And if a customer would say that I would not reply anything, I would just offer a smile and continue on with my duties. Because I would be doing a job there, and if I am in a customer service job I am getting paid for serving the customers regardless of what their opinions about me might be." At long last! It appears the bagel sandwich must be safe to eat as Paige starts eating as she listens to Mai. Her ears twitch, though not doing too much to relay her reactions while the younger girl speaks. Eventually she sets it down, now mostly eaten, and wipes her hands on a napkin. "It's not that...you are entitled to your opinions and your feelings matter, but why should..." Paige is clearly struggling to find the right words. "You know he was trying to leave before you accused him of being unfriendly and stuff? He doesn't actually have to stand there and be told that his differences are ugly or gross, and he certainly doesn't have to smile at it. And HE IS A PERSON. No one's asking you to like tentacles. -He- wasn't asking you to like tentacles. But you don't have to -say- you don't like them. Our physical mutations aren't a conversation piece." Grumpily, the horned girl finishes her sandwich quickly, only to sigh when she's done swallowing as her expression softens. "Look, let's work this out together, alright? You, me, Taylor, maybe some other friends, okay? We'll all get together and just...try to talk this out. I think both of you feel hurt after what happened. Just...it might take some time to arrange this. I don't have his contact information and I'm not going to ask him to come only to have it blow up in his face or something, alright?" Mai sips her tea slowly as she listens to what Paige is saying. "Well, taking in that whole telepath thing, I am not sure if it would have made any difference even if I didn't say it out loud, as he was replying to things I was thinking before that too." she points out, looking up to Paige. "Because he called you a freak, which is a word I find lot more offensive than 'gross', and I while I don't care too much about what people say about me, I don't take kindly to people insulting my friends. So I wanted to explain to him more what I meant and that he just misunderstood, but then he took offense on that too. But sure, that sounds good to me, if you can arrange it, that would be cool." she admits with a smile. Head tilting, Paige furrows her brows and her ears press down and back as she reaches an arm to rub the back of her neck. "He said that? About me? He didn't seem to...He didn't -know- you were talking about me. But that doesn't really excuse that. I mean, I call myself a 'freak' sometimes and I think us, mutants as a group, are trying to reclaim it, you know? Still, that does seem a bit...odd. I guess I'll have to ask him about that sometime; he didn't mention it last night." A smile and a slightly sheepish look are offered to Mai. "Thank you for, uh, standing up for me. Hopefully it was just...another thing lost in misinterpretation, but thank you. So, uh, what are you doing otherwise? Are you still in school and such? I mean, I think the semester's out..." Mai gives a somewhat puzzled look at that. "Why would you want to call yourself that? Isn't that basically what all the anti-mutant jerks call mutants as?" she questions, taking a sip from her tea again before shrugging. "No, I am not, there is no way I could afford that now when I am living on my own. I am working two jobs to pay the bills, one at a really cool bookstore owned by my old neighbours, you seem to know everyone so maybe you know Tag? She is part of that family. And I also have part-time job at evenings at a convenience store." Paige cringes at Mai's question. "It's...hard to explain. Yeah, that's what they call us. But they call it us in, you know, a rude, de-humanizing way, right? Well, when you use a word like that in a different context -- in a positive manner, a positive context -- it kind of takes away the power the word has when others say it meanly. It's, yeah, hard to explain. And, no! I don't know everyone. I barely know anybody!" This part is said with a laugh. "In other words, no, I don't know anyone named Tag, but it's awesome that you have that connection for a job. My grandparents own a grocery store and my dad runs it. I used to work there like ever summer. Also when he needed the extra help. How old are you, again? If you don't mind me asking." Mai chuckles a bit at that explanation from Paige. "Thats pretty much what I was talking about too with the whole gross thing, I didn't say it in like 'oh my god I am going to throw up' type manner, but like cool but not for me type way." she elaborates, giving a slight shrug at the last part. "Well, that would depend on who is asking and in what situation, of course! Like say if I would be in a nightclub and someone asked it would definetily be however much is needed to be allowed in there, but the id says sixteen." she offers half-jokingly. "Oh!" Paige's expression brightens slightly at Mai's explanation. "Oh, I didn't know that and I have a feeling that Taylor didn't either. But still...just...don't go around commenting on peoples' physical mutations. I'm not say that that's what you -did-, but...Anyways!" Topic change, yes. "Doesn't the law kind of require you to be in high school and such...?" Trailing off again, the horned girls ears press downwards. "I, um, I miss school. It wasn't bad; I actually kind of liked it. I wish I didn't...I wish I wasn't so stupid to just up and leave it behind, but I couldn't let people know about..." A hand gestures to the horns. Mai gives a slight shrug at those words. "Uh... not as far as I know? I would imagine there is plenty of people who haven't gone to high school. And like I said, there is no way I could afford it now." she explains, then gives a look at those gestured horns. "Well, I am sure that both of us will find some way to manage. I think that there is like a high school specifically for mutants around here somewhere, I recall reading something about that from the news at some point. Though I doubt that one would be free either." Paige still looks rather down regarding the matter of school. "I, uh...It's called Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. I know a few people who go there and some who have graduated. It's something you could look into, for sure, and it's a boarding school, from what I understand. I'm not sure there's a price, but you could probably look that stuff up online or call them or something, right? As for me, I can't go there. I already finished high school and was having a lovely time in college. I'm just waiting for my registration update to come through and then I'm going to be getting myself a job one way or another. I mean, I -have- to. I don't want to live off charity for-fucking-ever." Mai listens to that explanation from Paige with curiosity, considering it some. "Hmmm, boarding school eh? Well I don't know, I think I might be a bit old for starting at a boarding school too. And its kind of intimidating in a way to think of like going to a totally new community like that without knowing like anyone from there." she ponders. Then nods to the last part. "Well I guess that can't take too long to get processed right? Personally I still think the whole registration thing is total bullshit. But at least I don't need to worry about that for a few more years, maybe by then they have like gotten rid of that system." Mai mmhhmms at that explanation from Paige, that doesn't really sound like she even believes in it herself. "I am sure thats what they say as the official reason. But I bet its more just so they can control us. Besides, I am pretty sure that none of the actual 'terrorists' as they call them registers anyway, since like, they are wanted anyway whether they do or not." "Well, I mean, terrorists have to get jobs too?" It's a weak attempt at justifying everything. "And I don't really feel controlled." A glance at the cafe's shop causes a stir in Paige. "Oh. I should--I should get going. Thanks for meeting me here, Mai. We'll...figure something out with all this, okay? And thanks for being my friend. We'll talk later, alright?" With that, the hooved girl stands up, staggering slightly. "I'll keep in touch." Mai lifts her mug in a sort of salute to her companion when Paige excuses herself. "Okay, see you around, let me know if you get any progress with the issue." she offers to the older girl, while herself staying seated for now, got to finish this tea after all.