Peace and Quiet [Shafi]

It had been a few days since Jack had started to stay at their house, and while they did enjoy hanging out with him in the house, they really needed some distance for at least a day. Plus he had some ranger business to deal with; that gave them the chance to leave the house and just walk around a bit. They choose to wear the skit since it was warm enough to walk around without pants on, but the parasol kept them from getting too hot. Their destination was a small tea shop that was a few block away from their house, but of course it was still a far walk to attempt in the first place. The streets weren't the crowded at all, which made it easier to walk without being pushed around or having no where to run when someone started creeping on them.

There was that feeling, like someone was watching them, and the feeling grew stronger the more they walked down the street. Looking around, they would try to see what was causing this feeling in the first place, but no one really stood out as far as they could tell. An older man passed by them, giving them a weird look before he continued on, that wasn't it at all. Looking ahead, they spotted a man who seemed to have a strangely colored skin. He was the one looking at them in the first place? He didn't look that creepy, even his skin tone wasn't that creepy. It was just the way he kept his eye on them. Passing him, they'd stop and think for a moment, mostly about if they should confront him in the first place. Once Quinn was sure it was even worth it to ask, they'd turn around to face him, trying not to seem rude as they spoke. "Is there any reason you're staring at me?"

Well they felt a bit rude no matter how hard they tried not to be. Shaking their head a bit, they would start to laugh awkwardly. "My apologies. Usually when people stare they are trying to pick me up, which is never fun. Must've gotten paranoid." They'd scratch the back of their neck, trying not to seem like the paranoid person they already were. It was true that at least one guy tried to size them up every time they left the house, but maybe they let it get to their head a bit. Being afraid of every guy trying to pick them up was pretty silly and made them seem like a jerk right now, but the guy didn't really seem to care at all. "And it's always the right time to wear skirts, it's just warm enough now that it doesn't absolutely suck wearing them."

Quinn felt themself laugh a bit, more in a sarcastic way than anything. Sure sometimes people were just trying to compliment them, but it got to be too much once it started happening every time they stepped out the front door. Their mom didn’t even tell them they were that cute, but then again she saw them every day, so it might not be necessary. “I think you’d look rad in a skirt, since gender norms are pretty lame.” They’d hold the parasol in a position to where it could block the sun from touching their skin. “Oh dang, I almost forgot. My name’s Quinn.” It wasn’t unlike them to start talking to someone off the street, since they always thought of themself as outgoing in a way. The only strange thing was only a second ago they were accusing him of being a total pre-vert and now they were practically talking to him like nothing had happened at all.

They did understand the logic behind that all too well, especially when they grew up with most of those things thrown in their face ever since they were little. As they’d speak next, they’d use a very deep voice, speaking like a rich white man would. “Well, being a man is different than being a woman. Women aren’t looked down upon for trying to be mainly because it makes them tough and powerful; but a man being shameful enough to dress like a girl is not acceptable, who in their right mind would want to throw away their manhood?” After they finished, they would start coughing and laughing at the same time. The amount of effort that took was a bit too much. “Yeah, but ‘manhood’ is a ‘sacred thing that shouldn’t be tampered with.’” They’d slowly start to sit against the same wall as him, closing the parasol and placing it in their lap. “That is such a cool name; I wish mine was that cool.”

It was about the whole power that men thought they held over women, that's the only reason men couldn't dress the way they wanted without being made fun of; only being told to follow the social educate. "It's just like the colors pink and blue, they don't have a sex assigned the them at all, but men get mocked for wearing pink. Though if a woman wears blue it's socially acceptable." They'd laugh slightly, shaking their head a bit as well. "Thing number one-hundred and sixty-two of 'Things I Hate About Society.'" They'd sit with one leg extended out, the other one was upright as they would lean their chin on it, crossing their arms to cover anything under their lip. "And that totally isn't true, I've met a Quinn before, have you met another Sharaku in your life?"

Did they have any preferences in the situation? Well yeah, of course they did. These ‘situations,’ were their entire life and most of the things they had gone through. “Well, being Non-binary, these things are usually the things I deal with on a daily basis.” They’d smile a bit, pushing the hair out of their face. “Right! Non-binary is like when you have no gender, mentally you are neither a boy nor a girl.” Whether he knew that or not, they would have still explained it, mostly because it was a subtle way to state their gender preference. “I can’t give up on society because I live in it, and some of the societal norms actually make sense.” They’d laugh a bit less this time, trying not to annoy the man they had just sat down to talk with. “That’s mostly about showering; showering is a good societal norm to follow.” Thinking a bit on his next question, they really had to wonder how many strange meetings they had over the years. A little bit over ten, maybe even more. “Yeah, I have a knack for speaking to strangers. The setting doesn’t matter really, it just kind of happens, though I usually end up annoying the person I’ve been speaking with by now.”

"Yeah, there's this one guy I actually think I like and stuffs, but I don't think he'll ever look at me the same if he figured out what I was born as. Most people should get the idea that only two sexes exist out of their head, because I'm pretty sure the world is changing for the better for once." Some people were annoying at times, like when they had first met Jack. But look at the two now, they were on the road to becoming really good... friends. Because again, that was probably all they'd be ever. "Well, while people are always annoying, I always find it best to give them a shot." They'd laugh a bit. "Like how I just gave you a shot and look at this, I finally get to talk to someone about the crap societal norms have put most people through."