The X-Project

Back from Hungary, Yvette comes across Marius' sister trying to enjoy the 'warm' weather and introduces herself. Culture clash doesn't even begin to describe it.

OOC: Ignore the fact that in RL New York, it was actually rainy today?



Monet was sprawled on one of the benches in the garden, enjoying the mid afternoon sun. Years in America aside, she wasn't prepared to believe what anyone said about "spring" until the daily minimum started with a 1 and was followed by at least a 6 and the daily maximum started with at least a 2. In Celsius. She'd made some concessions to the slightly less cold weather by switching to a lighter overcoat and only one pair of gloves and one hat. Besides, it was sunny and that was about the only reason she could see to voluntarily spend time outside right now. Unless there were attractive semi-naked people around and yet, there was a regrettable lack of those right now.

For her part, Yvette was slowly getting back into spending time out of doors. The unfortunate field trip to the Conservatory had made her a bit reluctant, fearing something would jump out at her at every rustle, but she was slowly weaning herself into going out again. Hungary had helped. Today after class had been time spent in the treehouse, reading Yeats. Slowly, because the claws and the gloves made page-turning difficult, but it had been a good afternoon in all. Now, as she made her way back to the house, she was amused to see the older girl, all bundled up despite the sun. Marius' sister, she remembered, and that was enough to make her break her usual shyness and approach the older girl. "Hello?"

"Hey, hon." Monet sat up and smiled. She'd seen Yvette a couple of times and the kid had been almost like a shadow since they'd all come back from their camping trip. "I'm Monet. Marius' sister. Well, kind of." Monet shook her head. The Marius thing was still weird. "I don't think we've met yet, outside the journals, have we?"

"No, we are not." Yvette was reassured by the smile - Marius' sister had seemed somewhat... odd on the journals. But then again, Marius was rather odd too. "I am sorry to be interrupting you. Marius is being my friend, and I am thinking to be saying hello to his sister. I am Yvette."

"Nah, you're not interrupting me. I was trying to convince the universe that it should stop being so cold but it just wasn't working. Really inconsiderate of it." Monet reached out to shake Yvette's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Yvette. How are you?"

Reluctantly, Yvette pulled her hand from behind her back - she tended to automatically place them behind her when meeting new people - hoping Monet wouldn't flinch back at the sight of the gloved talons. After the dinosaurs, they were almost as long as they had been when she'd arrived. "Please to be careful to be touching me - my skin, it is very sharp and I am not wanting to be hurting you."

Monet blinked slightly but didn't react otherwise at the sight of Yvette's hands. "I'll be careful. I'm invulnerable and I can even touch Angel when she's all fired up. You know Angel, don't you? Hey, if you're all worried about shaking hands, that's cool. I won't, okay? I don't think that really makes sense." She shook her head.

"Angel is to be shielding to me, so I can not hurt her," Yvette observed, her eyes glowing a little more brightly with amusement at the older girl. "I am pleased to be meeting you, Miss Monet," she continued, solemnly taking the other girl's hand and shaking it. "Please, are you being not well? You are being wearing lots of clothings for such a nice day."

Oooh, Yvette had prickly hands. "It's just Monet, okay? Miss Monet makes me sound like I'm your Maths teacher or something. All, 'miiiiss, Toby's poking me again. Miiiisss!" Monet smiled at Yvette. "And it is not a nice day. Nice implies warm and this is colder than the darkest depths of winter. Even if it is sunny. I'm," and Monet drew a tragic pose, "a delicate tropical flower."

Yvette giggled a little at the dramatics. "You are from Australia, yes?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. "Where there are being the kangaroos and the koala bears and there are being the beaches?"

"Where there are kangaroos." Monet smiled to take the sting out of the correction. "Yeah, there are kangaroos and beaches and they're so cute and tasty."

Yvette's eyes widened. "You are eating the kangaroos?" she said in a slightly horrified tone. "But... they are being like the toy animals!"

Monet laughed. "They're also very tasty. We've got a lot of them, too many of them, so you might as well eat them. But yeah, people have trouble with them. There was these English girls, three of them, I knew back home? All three of them looked like they'd been eating babies when they found out about the 'roos. And you just wouldn't eat babies. There's not enough meat on them."

Eating babies? Yvette blinked, resisting the urge to step back. Marius' sister was as strange as he was. Maybe all Australians were? "That is being... very interesting..." she quavered, trying to figure out a way to politely excuse herself and flee.

Shit. "Not real babies. Don't worry. It's a thing! Expression of speech that maybe doesn't translate so well? We don't eat babies, really." What had she done wrong to make Yvette suddenly go so skittish?

"I am thinking this is being a... how you say? Clash of the cultures?" Yvette suggested, responding to Monet's hasty correction and concern. "My English, he is not so good sometimes."

Monet nodded. "Yeah. Uh, it's an 'it', not a 'he'. English doesn't have a gender. S'all good, though." She smiled at Yvette - the girl seemed really sweet, in a sort of skittish way.

"Oh. I will be remembering that," Yvette replied, thoughtfully. English didn't have a gender. How strange. Most European languages did. "Thank you, Monet." She glanced at the house. "I must to be going now - I am having the homework to be finishing, and then I am to be seeing my friend Tommy. It is being good to be meeting you." She paused, and her eyes glowed briefly with surpressed humour. "Even if you are to be eating the kangaroos."


Monet nodded. "Cool. It was good to meet you. Have a good day, okay? One of these days, I'll see about getting Lorna to cook 'roo for us, 'kay? I'm sure there's a gourmet place around here that sells it for all the lonely, homesick expats." She waved to Yvette and smiled again.

Yvette lifted her own hand in a small wave. "If you are to be having Lorna cooking the kangaroo, maybe I am to be eating it. To be having the good day, Monet. It was being good to be meeting you."