Anything But [Open]

The weather was perfect for a walk outside, and Quinn decided to seize the moment and go outside after studying. They invited their younger brother but he was too busy trying to beat some boss in a video game. There wasn't much to do on Penecia Island, especially since they had been there their entire life. The Carnival was fun to go to once in awhile, but it also grew to be very boring over time. Though it was still fun to go there once in awhile, it wasn't an everyday feeling they had at all. Even so, they knew that eventually, they might want to work under the tent for a while. The circus always made them interested, from the way people could keep an entire crowd entertained, to how strange things could get but they'd never be weird. Their walk was moving around town, not really knowing where to go at this point, but they didn't care. Feeling more masculine today, they wore pants instead of the usual skirt, but still used the parasol to hide from the sun.

Jack felt.... Adventurous today! After he got off work he decided to explore Penecia. For some reason he never really tryed just... walking around and seeing what was going on. For that mater he never really strayed from his normal to and from work rout. But today... something was making him feel the need to go out and try something new. Jack sighed and looked up at the sky as he walked, unknowingly letting a tear fall from his eye. That's right,... he knew exactly why he wanted to try something new... He was living for two now."I wonder if you're watching me..."

Unfortunately.... lost in his quiet reflection, he forgot the simple rule of watching where you go when you walk and bumped into a rather small ...Person... and stumbled back landing flat on his ass "O-Oh! Sorry I wasn't watching where I was goin! Heh Sorry friend."

They seemed to be lost in their own thought as well, not even noticing the person even after they fell. They would've continued to walk if not for him talking, apologizing for his prior actions. That snapped Quinn right back into reality, looking towards the man with a curious look, how did he get on the ground in the first place? Thinking about it for a second, they might have been the reason he fell in the first place. No matter, they would use one hand to hold the parasol in it's place, guiding the other to the air in-between the two. "It's probably my fault, don't worry about it!" They'd smile, awaiting for the boy to stand before holding the parasol with two hands. "I'm pretty clumsy when it comes to things like this. You're not hurt are you?"

Huh, what a nice gu-.... gir.... oh come on not again! Is Jack just bad at this whole gender thing? Cus this has got to be like the... what, third time he's been unsure? That is WAY to many times to just be coincidences. Maybe he was just not good at telling peoples genders. Ether way this was a nice person. Jack nodded and offered his biggest cheesyest grin to the... human... and happily accepted the hand up.

"I think I'm fine. My only concern is how did you knock me down? No offence but I''m a bit taller then you. Heh," Jack laughed and scratched his cheek as he looked down at the young homosapian," Oh where are my manners, The name's Jack, nice to meet you,"

That was pretty strange, they were shorter than the boy, so how on earth did they knock him over? It was a truly good question to ask, but it didn't really matter that much since it probably happened because they were both distracted at the moment. "It's probably because of the shock, you might have over exaggerated it." They laughed, only for a second before getting a bit lost in thought a bit. Their mother said dinner would be in two hours, how long ago was that? More importantly, how long ago did Quinn venture out of the house? "What I mean is, it wasn't that bad but the shock of hitting me might have made you think I was strong enough to knock you down." They'd smile a bit, gripping onto the parasol with both hands again. "Anyways, my names Quinn. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"... You wouldn't happen to be related to any Tea shop owners now would you?" In spite of himself, Jack couldn't help but notice the similarities, and despite how hard he tried, this whole situation reminded him of Oki. This caused a light blush to form on his cheeks when looked at the small... Humanoid?... GAH he needs a gender to refer to this person with! His brain just dose not work with ambiguity! Ok ok ok.... Jacks done this before with pretty good results soo.... Yeah! He can do it again.... Hmmmm OK! Putten it all on black! He's a BOY!

"And if you are, Oki never told me she had a brother heh." come on come on come on come on come on come on!

The guy seemed nice enough, certainly not the most person polite they had met, but he was nice. Though the minute he had asked about relatives, Quinn was about to answer but was stopped by his next sentence. Gender norms weren't something they wanted in their life, and they certainly didn't like being put into a box and judged, but of course they weren't gonna blow up in the guys face. "Ah you must be mistaken, I'm no one's brother." Smiling a bit, they tried to hide the tiny tiny bit of anger they had. "But I'm no one's sister either, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't categorize my." The anger seemed to fade away once that was said, it was pretty easy for them to calm themself down without having to resort to anything that could go against their morals. "Why would I be one gender that someone gave me when I can be whatever I want?"

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Welcome Back, Jack.

OK! So he was not expecting that one.... He was expecting to be slapped and told that Quinn was in fact a lady... But uh.... nope! Instead he was slapped with gender fluidity... Ya see, Jacks mind is very cut and dry. There isn't much in the way of gray areas in Jack's brain. So to be told flat out that this person chose to reside in one made him... kinda short out. This worried him slightly. Could it be that he was.... Closed Minded? Him? The Red Ranger? The savior of the people! The Crimson Red Chariot! Closed Minded?.... NO! This would not stand! He was a paragon of justice! Not a Bigot! Oh Nilo would be so ashamed...

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know you uh... S-Sorry!" Jack claps his hands infront of himself and bowed slightly,"Please accept my apology!"

Some people didn't understand how annoying gender norms were, and they understood that very well, but even so they couldn't let someone get away with gender specifying them. Of course they didn't fee any anger towards the man anymore, and at least he had realized he was wrong in this situation and didn't try to be a jerk who goes on about changing gender identity. After his apologies though, Quinn smiled, laughing a bit. "Oh brother... You're fine. What, does it look like I'm going to beat you up and take your lunch money or something?" They'd smile a bit wider; this person seemed like a nice enough person to converse with, and it had been awhile since they talked to anyone outside the family. "Well my name's Quinn, what's yours?"

Hmm... Was Jack's Mind also slipping? He could have sworn they had already introduced themselves. Great! Not only was he a bigot but he was losing his memory to! How deceitful! Truly this must have been the work of some dastardly vileness out to corrupt the mind of our young hero! Alas! The plan seemed to be working, for Jack's mind was surely fading "I go by many names, The Crimson Chariot... The Red Warrior... the Savior of the people! That One Guy Over There Ya Know The One With The Face. But you may call me... Jack.... Because Jack is my name". Jack chuckled at his own flamboyance.

"I still feel pretty bad about the whole assumption thing... And no amount of telling me it's all right will sway me. So at least let me buy you a coffee or something to make up for it. Please, it will at least make me feel better." Jack smiled warmly to Quinn. He hoped uh...Hmmmm Shim?.... yeah that will work for now. He hoped shim would accept his offer, in for nothing else but to alleviate his guilty conscience.

The situation wasn't the worst one they had been in, because of course it wasn't as bad as him making fun of them for the gender-less life they lived. If he had started to talk like that, they would've resorted to smacking him and walking off with the confidence they always had. Laughing at his introduction as they nodded at it. "Well I may not go by many names, but mine is Quinn... At least that's what my parent's named me." They'd pull out a cellphone, looking directly at the time, it was almost time for dinner. Their mother was making Quinn's favorite so it'd be good to not miss out on it for once, though the boy would ask them out to coffee, which made them smile. "While I do love coffee..." They'd look down at the ground, hiding their face a bit. "I guess I really don't forgive you because I don't accept." Trying as hard as they could to keep up the joke, but with no prevail, they would start laughing. "Nah I'm just kidding. Though I can't go at the moment. Maybe some other time?" They'd look around, ripping the end of a piece of paper off something on a nearby table, writing their number down and handing it to the boy. "Just cause you owe me coffee."

Wait... Did Jack just get some digits?... Huh... Well alright then. Jack would smile and gladly take the paper"Right, Just for the coffee. heh" Jack couldn't help but smile and chuckle a little to himself. Quinn seemed like a nice person, and in spite of the fact that they had just met, Jack felt himself really looking forward to meeting Quinn again. Maybe next time he could do so without falling flat on his ass... he has a weird tendency to do that now that he thought about it.

"I'll text ya later! Well I'll be seeing you then!" Jack happily waved as he walked off. Maybe trying something new every now and then paid off.

(exit)

They didn't mean anything by giving the boy their number, mostly because they really just liked coffee and it was better when it was free. Gripping the parasol with both hands again, they would watch the boy off, smiling the entire time. It seemed like recently they had been meeting nicer people, which made it easier to make friends as well. Plus if the guy was willing to adjust the way he thought of gender norms, even for a second, Quinn thought he was a pretty cool guy. "Bye then!" Turning, they would start walking back towards their house, which wasn't that far from where the collision had happened. Their mother making their favorite thing in the whole world for dinner was motivation enough to get there as quickly as possible without falling down along the way.

[Exit - End]