Melissa and Eames, backdated to 3/15

[om_shade]

The resident shapeshifters catch up.



Though both shifters, Melissa and Eames didn't always have their training sessions together. It had been realised quite early on that although their powers were similar on paper, in practice they seemed to be very different and needed different training. Still, they liked to check in with each other occasionally. For Melissa, at least, it was nice to chat to someone who really 'got' what it was like to change the way they could. Eames was a decent bloke too so the fact that they got along quite well was a bonus in itself.

Today Melissa was feeling particularly pleased with herself having managed for the first time to alter her appearance in a way different from the usual male to female and back again change. For months her classes had been focusing on figuring out how she changed and how she could control it more accurately. She had finally mastered changing her hair and had even given herself pierced ears just to see if she could. Instead of cropped and short, her hair was grown out to her shoulders and all in braids that she'd seen her cousins wear over the years. Not huge changes like Eames could make but she was pleased with herself regardless.

Eames learned early on that Curtis, and Melissa, were still a bit skittish when it came to compliments, but Eames couldn't help but smile as she mastered the new alteration to her appearance. This would be why he prefaced his next comment as, "Take this as artistic critique, but you really are beautiful," Eames told her. "Also, great eye for the detail."

"Uh, thanks." She smiled at him not too awkwardly since she was starting to get used to it. Between Eames and Pietro she could pretty much deal with compliments (sort of) so long as she wasn't in the midst of a panic attack like she had been on Valentines Day. "You have no idea how many hours of sitting in front of a mirror and glaring when I didn't manage anything this all took."

She grinned a little and held out one of the cans of coke she'd grabbed when passing through the kitchen. "So, what's new with you?"

Eames laughed warmly. "Oh, I know that frustration." Though at this point Eames was usually trying something extreme at the time. He took the soda with a quick, "Thanks." and settled down as he popped it open. "Hmm. New at this point... No great plots of evil or entertainment, nothing wild to write home about. Hm. I should probably rectify that before someone calls me stuffy and boring."

"You disappoint me, Eames! But, nah, while I'm around you got no chance of being called boring, mate. I'm 'anti-social' don't ya know?" Melissa chuckled before adding "And that was coming from Summers. The elder one, ain't met the younger one."

"Scott called you anti-social? Okay, the hot girlfriend has gone completely to his head. That crazy boy."

"Hot girlfriend?" Mel repeated, quickly scanning past conversations with Scott for reference to a girlfriend. She was pretty sure he hadn't mentioned anyone.

"Lil," Eames clarified. He'd been sworn to secrecy about their bedroom antics, but they'd gone to the valentines dance together, and said nothing about relationship status secrecy. "The gorgeous giantess? They make an interesting pair. I'm hoping she changes him into a real boy instead of a robot."

"He's not a robot, he's an alright guy actually when he's not trying to tell people how they should be dealing with their traumas." Mel shrugged and sipped her coke before continuing "She's the Canadian girl, yeah? Know her by sight but nothing else. Pretty hot though, you're right."

"Could snap Scott like a twig.... in all the best ways possible," Eames said dreamily. With a crooked grin, he added, "I haven't really gotten to know, Scott, I admit. Better acquaintances with his roommate."

"I haven't met him either." She admitted, which was true of most the school. Which made the 'anti-social' label make more sense really, didn't it? "Scott said he was alright enough. Like, not overly sketchy or nothing." Because that's all Curtis had really asked at the time, it had been enough to catch Scott's curiosity.

"Remy would likely flirt with you in the heartbeat, but he's a good guy. You tell him to stand down, and he'll respect that. Charm is pretty much his state of being."

"Well, so long as he respects that we'll be cool. If he's anything like da Costa he'll probably get decked too." Melissa said seriously before adding quite hastily "You know, it's not a guy thing. I mean, I'm not being all like ridiculous and 'no homo' about guys hitting on me. I ain't that sorta person." Because the last thing she wanted was a friend thinking she was prejudiced when really she was just screwed up from the shit that had gone down back home.

"Oh, honey, I know. Anyone comes on too strong, they need to learn to take a 'no thank you'." Eames raised a brow. "And what did Bobby do? Other than forget his shirt."

"He definitely had all his clothes on when I met him. First week here we uh, shall we say 'exchanged words'." Melissa shrugged more self-consciously this time. Da Costa really had pissed her off at the time but now she felt stupid explaining it. "He kept checking me out in the gym and when I got annoyed about it, he said something like that I should take it as a compliment and was I always so moody. I dunno, it was stupid but we both ended up yelling a bit."

She shook her head and added "Probably should have just shifted and freaked him out that he'd been hitting on a guy..."

"Or kicked him in the balls and pointed out that a compliment involves respect, not oggling."

"I did go punch him but he moved too fast. Wasn't as used to this body, being shorter. " Melissa admitted with a nod "Anyway him aside, most the guys I've met here are alright." Not that she'd actually met many even in Curtis form.

"You meet Damon yet?" Eames asked curiously.

"Uh, no don't think so?" Melissa shook her head. She still didn't know all the names and faces just yet.

"Okay, well that one I'll warn you about. He's sweet as pie to me, but he can be a dick. If he gives you a hard time at any point tell him to shove off, and if that doesn't work tell him to come see me." He doubted that Damon would care what he had to say, but it was worth offering. Eames liked Damon, but it didn't take very much common sense to see that Damon loved poking everyone's sore spots. He made it a regular sport of the journal system.

"Guys keep offering to sort shit out for me when I'm in this form, do I give of an extreme damsel in distress vibe or something?" Melissa asked a little thrown though she had absorbed the information. Watch out for Damon, gotcha. "At this point I have more championss than I know what to do with."


"As if. When he gives you a hard time in your other form, you tell him to sod off also. He just likes poking people when he's bored. Doesn't matter your shape. He'll probably be nicer to you as a lady, honestly."



"Sounds like a piece of work." Melissa agreed, brushing a few braids behind her ear. "Though if I've escaped his attention so far..."


"Ai, we have many eccentric folk, all with varying shades of cranky. I am dying for the day we get a student that turns into a unicorn and radiates rainbows."


"You mean you haven't tried yet? Disappointed in you, mate. Disappointed." She grinned and shook her head teasingly.

Eames snorted. "I could probably do the horn, but I'd never be able to be a unicorn. I mean, I'd cancel myself out."


"And the horn on its own would just look plain stupid." Mel agreed before asking "What do you mean 'cancel yourself out'?"

"Well, I'd never be able to touch myself!"


She laugh loudly at that, shifting to a more comfortable position. "And what a tragedy that would be."

"Some things are quite sacred," Eames said with mock seriousness.


"I've heard the way people talk about you, I'm sure you'd have then lining up to get you off if you ever lost the ability." She laughed only noticing afterwards that she was phrasing it a lot more delicately than she would have as Curtis. Which was sorta interesting to notice, yeah.

"Aw. So glad to hear I fuel the locker room banter. Always good to know people are chatting about you. When it's positive."

"True," Melissa chuckled at that before asking, "Do, do people ever ask you about correct gender pronouns to use?" Because she'd been getting it so much lately and was just curious if they were standard shifter questions. If it was something they all got asked.

"All the time. Sometimes I don't care which is used, and sometimes I'd simply prefer to be referred to by the body I'm in. People have a hard time with it for sure."

Melissa nodded "I hear ya. Funny, never thought about it before I could do this but gender is such a huge deal, isn't it? Personally I couldn't give a monkey's what they call me so long as it ain't an insult but if we're out in public it makes things easier if they use the right one for whatever body I'm in. Just makes life easier." Since they both seemed happy chatting for a while, she lead the way to sit down. Might as well be comfy.

Having longer hair was weird, not a bad weird but she certainly wasn't used to braids against her neck or falling across her eyes like that. She was reluctant to get rid of them though, just in case she couldn't get them back again.

"It really does. Sometimes I also just prefer people take me at face value. It makes things easier."

"Because of the way my powers are different to yours, I think people tend to think of me as, like, transgendered or something." She told him shifting a little to get comfortable. Sitting in a 'ladylike way' didn't exact come to her naturally so she didn't even try. "Not that I mind much 'cept I'm not, you know? Eh, gender is just all so overly complicated."


She was grinning though, it didn't bother her let at all. She was finally starting to feel happier in herself again, for the most part, and that was what mattered. So far most of the students had been supportive like crazy anyway. So supportive she hasn't really known how to react.

"Ain't seen you around much lately, you know, what you been up to?" She asked since she didn't want to seem like she only wanted to hang for the shifter talk, which of course she didn't.

"Not to much," Eames admitted. "Starting to put together new ideas for bodies for the spring. Being a lazy sod. All those joys. Pietro is being really enthusiastic about this school play thing, so that's going to be interesting."

"New bodies? And here's me being pleased about a new hair style." She chuckled good naturedly before adding "He told me about the show too, didn't know he'd cast you. I'm not in it, I mean it's Victorian right? Only Black roles would be servants anyway and no thank you on that." She rolled her eyes and pulled a somewhat exaggerated face of disgust at the idea.

"Pfft, our leading man is an adorable lizard. Welcome to mutant school, we challenge all time period casting." Eames grinned. "You act at all?"

Melissa's eyebrows rose at that. She'd only recently started spending time with Victor, he seemed like a good kid despite his current heartbreak situation, but hadn't known about the casting. "Never." She admitted "Only ever had time for one hobby back in the day."

"Running, wasn't it?" Eames asked.

She nodded. "Other athletics events too but running was my main passion."

"See, a useful skill. Do you keep up while you're here?"

Her grinned broadened, unable to contain her excitement. "Actually, I just got permission to start competing again. Just school stuff and whatever but its something."

"That's great," Eames said with a smile. "Not exactly like they have a reason to hide you around here. And you're not a speedster, so it's all you, no extra cheating."

"Exactly, and I've been training with a new body so it's not like I'm really an Olympic level athlete going into school meets. Racing in this body is different." She nodded enthusiastically "But I'm 18 soon so need to start thinking about life after this place. If I make enough progress with the mutant training stuff."

"When's your birthday?"

"July so I got time and the headmasters say there's no rush but I'm feeling so ready to compete again so why wait, right?" She finished her soda and leant forward to dump it on a nearby table. "I'm not changing at random anymore."

"Hey, yeah. Weather's getting nice. You should get back out there."

Flicking her hair out of her eyes again, she confirmed "Already sorting it. What about you? Up to much?"

Eames glanced up at the clock. "Actually, now that you mention if I should probably get going. I promised someone I'd run lines with them. Really good catching up with you, Mel."


"Ditching me so soon, I'm heartbroken Eames!" Mel chuckled, hand clapped to her heart.

"Our resident cyclops has no idea what he's on about," Eames said with a grin. "Shy? Antisocial? Not a chance." He gave Mel a wink as he moved to go.


"Catch ya later, mate."