"There's been some sort of misunderstanding."
Wanderer was sitting at her computer desk, naked. She had bright red skin, lavender hair, and deep, mauve eyes that did that reflective thing you see with animals that have excellent night vision. Wanderer was the shortest member of the group, coming in at a mere five feet nothing and maybe weighing in at ninety pounds soaking wet. She was a fairly lithe figure with a slender build, maybe a B-cup, but with rather wide hips. This wasn't an abnormality.
Her hips were wide because her race had a tail. It was a rather long and whip like affair. It was the first time Adam, or Jack for that matter, had seen it. Apparently she normally kept it concealed under her clothes. Also, with her hair loose and unkempt, it became apparent she had short, stubby horns coming out of the top of her head.
Adam blinked and rubbed the side of his head, "Huh? Oh. Yeah. I guess there was." He turned and looked around, "How'd I get into your room?"
~ADAM! SNAP OUT OF IT! SHE JUST FUCKED WITH YOUR MEMORIES OR SOME SHIT!~
Adam quirked his head to the side, "What? Wait." His eyes grew wide and he slowly turned around to stare at Wanderer out of the corner of his eye which suddenly flared a deep blue like a fiery star, "Did you just fuck with my head?"
Wanderer had tried to pull on some of her clothes while Adam's back was turned. She had only got a shirt on as he turned to face her. Her face went from red to a light pink as all the color drained away, "Uh... no. Why would I do that?"
Adam blinked as suddenly he saw himself and Wanderer both wearing clothes. The computer was turned off and everything seemed fairly normal. He looked around, "What the..."
~I think she's doing something to you. Some sort of mental illusion or something. Everything is looking wonky on my end.~
Adam snapped his head around to look at Wanderer and stalked up to her. His hand shot out to grab her by the throat, "I. HATE. BEING. MIND CONTROLLED." He pushed her backwards against the computer desk she was standing in front of and started to squeeze, "STOP IT."
Wanderer blinked and struggled with grip and tried to pry his fingers open. She was far weaker than Adam imagined, and far more delicate. He had gotten used to the many women he'd encountered, of every size and shape being far stronger than they looked. She appeared to be just as strong as a ninety pound five foot tall woman would be. Her face started to turn redder than normal as she nodded and there was a ripple through the room. The illusion dropped away and they were both back to normal with the footage frozen on the nearby screen.
Adam let go abruptly and she slid to the floor, coughing and holding her throat.
"You're done." Adam turned to head for the exit.
~Well, wait a minute, Adam. We gotta do this carefully. Like it or not, psionic support is hard to come by. If we-~
Adam stopped in mid step to turn his head to the side, "I don't fuckin' CARE! I'm telling everyone what she did and getting her kicked out!" He paused as he realized he was talking to Jack, "I Mean, what YOU did." He looked at Wanderer briefly then turned to leave.
Wanderer practically crawled across the floor after him, "WAIT! Wait! you can't! I don't have anywhere else to go! I'm-" She grabbed his leg at the ankle, "STOP! PLEASE!"
~Oh, C'mon Adam. We gather up the evidence and hold it as blackmail! Just in case we ever need a favor or-~
Adam kicked Wanderer off, "No. I'm not going to-"
Wanderer looked confused, "Who is that?"
Adam paused, "Who's what?"
Wanderer got a look of hope upon her face as she started grasping for straws, "You always have this running commentary in your head, like you are having a conversation with someone else. A bunch of you humans do that, but this... this is different, isn't it?"
~Oh shit.~
Wanderer echoed Jack's thoughts, "Oh Shit...?"
Adam lifted his chin, "I don't know what you are talking about."
Wanderer pulled herself up enough to get on her knees, "Please! Please hear me out. Please?" She put her hands together, "I got a problem. I know I got a problem. Just... you try to help everyone else. Help me?"
Adam scowled the rage building in his voice, "You tried to cover it up by fucking with my mind! How many others have you done that to?"
Jack's thoughts took on a wary tone, ~Dude, I hate to be the voice of reason here, but she is right. What's up with you? Would it hurt to get the full story? And I would like to point out you teleported NAKED into her room. We're on shaky ground right now.~
Wanderer answered empathetically, "Nobody else! I swear! You-" She cut herself off as if she was listening, "Are you mind linked to someone else? They keep cutting in and- Wait... Is there...?"
Adam suddenly grabbed her by the horn with one hand and pulled his other back into a fist to punch her in the face when Jack started yelling in his head, ~STOP! WHAT THE FUCK, ADAM? THINK THIS THROUGH!~
Wanderer let out a cry of agony as Adam twisted one of her horns. He discovered they were not horns in the traditional fashion, as they were soft and flexible. It might be more akin to being some sort of antenna, in spite of its appearance. As it turned out, they were the means by which her race channeled its mental powers, and were extremely sensitive. Her hands went up to grab Adam's and try to hold him still as tears started to form in her eyes. She couldn't look more pathetic as she whimpered in pain, "s-s-stop... please..."
Adam stood there, remaining still, but eventually, slowly, he let go, "I don't know... I just..."
~Hold it. Adam... are you... racist?~
Adam looked to the side while he pointed at Wanderer, "She looks like a FUCKIN' demon!"
~Jesus... I think that's the first time I heard you swear.~
Wanderer held her Antenna with both hands and curled up on the floor as she whimpered, "I know! We can't help it. We just look that way. it's why we try to cover it up so people don't get upset with us. The Skin Color is Bad Enough! It's just a coincidence! I swear! We've been like this for thousands of years! It's because of the light of our sun! You have people on your planet who have the same coloration as well!"
She started babbling out of terror, "Humans went white migrating north, then you went above the Arctic circle and turned red because of the sunlight reflecting off the snow! We have a very cold planet with a dim sun compared to yours!" She kept talking like she was trying to stall but was in too much pain to hold a coherent train of thought.
Adam just stood there trembling. In anger, in fear, in outrage, he couldn't quite tell. Abruptly he went into her bathroom, grabbed a towel, then wrapped it around his waist and came back to her. He lifted her up and carried her over to her couch and laid her down. He stared at her for a few more moments, before sitting down next to her. She curled up in a ball, holding her horn with both hands and snuffling as she tried not to just flat out burst into tears.
Adam reached over to touch her head. She flinched at his approach. He halted before speaking softly, the tone of anger having left his voice, "Its okay." She stopped pulling away long enough for him to gently touch her antenna. There was a brief flare as he flash healed whatever damage he caused. Wanderer blinked as the pain left. She slowly sat up, still rubbing the little upturned 'horn' that Adam had manhandled. She sat there in silence as she waited for the other shoe to drop.
Adam glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "Well? I don't have much stomach for making women cry. You want me to listen? I'm listening."
Wanderer looked surprised at this turn of events, "My species is... very... arrogant." She avoided looking at Adam, "We have a sort of... I don't how to put it. We have a specific word for it in our mental language. It basically means 'The obligation of the superior to be an example to the inferior without polluting yourself'. At least that is the loose translation." She reached up to touch her horn again, "Part of that word means don't... mix."
Adam squinted at her, "Mix?"
~She means fuck other species.~
Wanderer touched her horn in response to Jack's comment, "On the probe." She lowered her hand, "You see, when we... mate there is... well... it's a complicated and ritualistic process with many rules and traditions and... When we consumate there is a certain component to it that is... regulated. That's the best word to use."
Adam narrowed his eyes, "What's that got to do with the invisible cameras in everyone's bedroom?"
She looked up at Adam, "You know how you say you're the oldest one here? You aren't. I'm sixty eight. Young by my species' standards, but older than you." She paused, "Do you know what bestiality is?"
Adam got an odd look in his eye, "Yeah..."
Wanderer shrugged, "Well, if someone from my species wants to have sex with someone like... a human... that's basically a combination of bestiality and pedophilia, as far as my species is concerned." She looked at him, "Because you are like primitive animals to us, as well as far too young."
Adam just stared at her.
She seemed to fall in on herself, "It's hard to keep thoughts about that sort of thing private and... my husband found out." She hung her head, "He divorced me. My family disowned me. I had to flee somewhere and..."
Adam finished the sentence, "And you went to a planet where you could fulfill your perverted desires."
She looked up, "WHAT? NO! I never! I just... thought about it. Earth is such a backwater world nobody knows my reputation here." She looked back at the floor, "I've tried very very hard to keep 'IT' in check, but..." She looked back up, "You guys keep FUCKING!" She clenched her fists and trembled all over, "I'm psychic! Do you have any idea how HARD it is to ignore?" She pointed at her computer, "I set up the cameras so I could at least watch what you all were bombarding me with!"
She paused then hung her head again, "I shouldn't have. I couldn't help it. It's... you have no idea." She looked up at Adam, "And you're the worst, what with your psionics leaking everywhere."
Adam blinked, "I... don't have any psionic powers."
She snorted and glanced at Adam, "What you talking about? You have that low level empathy field that you never shut off. You keep reading people and trying to make them happy." She paused and looked away, "Must be part of the reason you hate me so much. I hate myself. You're just echoing me."
Adam looked at the floor, then around the room, then back at Wanderer, "You sure about that?"
She glanced at Adam, "The field? Yeah. If you were on my world, you'd be... what would be... Ah." She held up a finger, "Ever go swimming and a kid is in the pool right next to you, then suddenly it gets warm for no reason?"
Adam blinked, "Wait... I'm the psychic equivalent to the kid who pee's in the pool?"
Wanderer scrunched her nose and nodded, "For most psychics, it'd slide right past them, but for my species? Kinda hard to miss, yeah."
Adam nodded, "I see..." He was quiet a bit, "And so this... low level empathy thing I got going on. I'm using to try and make people happy?"
She shrugged, "I dunno. It just seems that way. I don't want to tell you what your motivations are, but you do seem drawn to the psychically traumatized. It's why I've been trying to avoid you." She rubbed her eyes, "I'm the fatherload of trauma."
Adam kept nodding, "Is... that why...?"
Jack interrupted, ~Dude... Okay. You know what? I like watching, but if this is going where I think it is going, I'm gonna bow out here. I don't think you should do this, but I'm not one to talk about making positive life choices.~
Wanderer looked quizzically at Adam, "Something... about bowing out?"
Adam suddenly blushed, "Uh... I have... Janus syndrome." He tapped the side of his head, "There's someone else up here. I'd like it if you kept that just between us." He sighed, "And if you get rid of all the cameras and delete the footage, we can keep the rest of this quiet."
Wanderer looked shocked, "I... Thank you. I-I will. Immediately. I-" She paused, then abruptly turned purple, "OH."
Adam looked at her sideways, "What?"
Wanderer swallowed, "How? I mean... what?"
Adam started to sweat, "How what?"
Wanderer peered at him, "Nobody on your planet, thanks to the Anti-Christ, finds demons attractive. Or rather, only perverts do. I think that type of porn is banned from your internet because it corrupts the children." She tilted her head to the side, "You are from another world. Is that why you are attracted to me?"
Adam's face turned red, "Uhh..."
Wanderer looked away, "You know... short, flat chested women don't get laid on this planet and I don't really have enough money to pay for a prostitute. That's not an addiction I can afford."
Jack sighed mentally, ~Adam... I'm not in any position to judge. I just got a feeling this one is going to bite you in the ass, and not in a fun way. Wake me when you're done.~
Adam felt Jack retreat to the recesses of their mind.
He was alone with Wanderer.
"There's been some sort of misunderstanding."
Wanderer was sitting at her computer desk, naked. She had bright red skin, lavender hair, and deep, mauve eyes that did that reflective thing you see with animals that have excellent night vision. Wanderer was the shortest member of the group, coming in at a mere five feet nothing and maybe weighing in at ninety pounds soaking wet. She was a fairly lithe figure with a slender build, maybe a B-cup, but with rather wide hips. This wasn't an abnormality.
Her hips were wide because her race had a tail. It was a rather long and whip like affair. It was the first time Adam, or Jack for that matter, had seen it. Apparently she normally kept it concealed under her clothes. Also, with her hair loose and unkempt, it became apparent she had short, stubby horns coming out of the top of her head.
Adam blinked and rubbed the side of his head, "Huh? Oh. Yeah. I guess there was." He turned and looked around, "How'd I get into your room?"
~ADAM! SNAP OUT OF IT! SHE JUST FUCKED WITH YOUR MEMORIES OR SOME SHIT!~
Adam quirked his head to the side, "What? Wait." His eyes grew wide and he slowly turned around to stare at Wanderer out of the corner of his eye which suddenly flared a deep blue like a fiery star, "Did you just fuck with my head?"
Wanderer had tried to pull on some of her clothes while Adam's back was turned. She had only got a shirt on as he turned to face her. Her face went from red to a light pink as all the color drained away, "Uh... no. Why would I do that?"
Adam blinked as suddenly he saw himself and Wanderer both wearing clothes. The computer was turned off and everything seemed fairly normal. He looked around, "What the..."
~I think she's doing something to you. Some sort of mental illusion or something. Everything is looking wonky on my end.~
Adam snapped his head around to look at Wanderer and stalked up to her. His hand shot out to grab her by the throat, "I. HATE. BEING. MIND CONTROLLED." He pushed her backwards against the computer desk she was standing in front of and started to squeeze, "STOP IT."
Wanderer blinked and struggled with grip and tried to pry his fingers open. She was far weaker than Adam imagined, and far more delicate. He had gotten used to the many women he'd encountered, of every size and shape being far stronger than they looked. She appeared to be just as strong as a ninety pound five foot tall woman would be. Her face started to turn redder than normal as she nodded and there was a ripple through the room. The illusion dropped away and they were both back to normal with the footage frozen on the nearby screen.
Adam let go abruptly and she slid to the floor, coughing and holding her throat.
"You're done." Adam turned to head for the exit.
~Well, wait a minute, Adam. We gotta do this carefully. Like it or not, psionic support is hard to come by. If we-~
Adam stopped in mid step to turn his head to the side, "I don't fuckin' CARE! I'm telling everyone what she did and getting her kicked out!" He paused as he realized he was talking to Jack, "I Mean, what YOU did." He looked at Wanderer briefly then turned to leave.
Wanderer practically crawled across the floor after him, "WAIT! Wait! you can't! I don't have anywhere else to go! I'm-" She grabbed his leg at the ankle, "STOP! PLEASE!"
~Oh, C'mon Adam. We gather up the evidence and hold it as blackmail! Just in case we ever need a favor or-~
Adam kicked Wanderer off, "No. I'm not going to-"
Wanderer looked confused, "Who is that?"
Adam paused, "Who's what?"
Wanderer got a look of hope upon her face as she started grasping for straws, "You always have this running commentary in your head, like you are having a conversation with someone else. A bunch of you humans do that, but this... this is different, isn't it?"
~Oh shit.~
Wanderer echoed Jack's thoughts, "Oh Shit...?"
Adam lifted his chin, "I don't know what you are talking about."
Wanderer pulled herself up enough to get on her knees, "Please! Please hear me out. Please?" She put her hands together, "I got a problem. I know I got a problem. Just... you try to help everyone else. Help me?"
Adam scowled the rage building in his voice, "You tried to cover it up by fucking with my mind! How many others have you done that to?"
Jack's thoughts took on a wary tone, ~Dude, I hate to be the voice of reason here, but she is right. What's up with you? Would it hurt to get the full story? And I would like to point out you teleported NAKED into her room. We're on shaky ground right now.~
Wanderer answered empathetically, "Nobody else! I swear! You-" She cut herself off as if she was listening, "Are you mind linked to someone else? They keep cutting in and- Wait... Is there...?"
Adam suddenly grabbed her by the horn with one hand and pulled his other back into a fist to punch her in the face when Jack started yelling in his head, ~STOP! WHAT THE FUCK, ADAM? THINK THIS THROUGH!~
Wanderer let out a cry of agony as Adam twisted one of her horns. He discovered they were not horns in the traditional fashion, as they were soft and flexible. It might be more akin to being some sort of antenna, in spite of its appearance. As it turned out, they were the means by which her race channeled its mental powers, and were extremely sensitive. Her hands went up to grab Adam's and try to hold him still as tears started to form in her eyes. She couldn't look more pathetic as she whimpered in pain, "s-s-stop... please..."
Adam stood there, remaining still, but eventually, slowly, he let go, "I don't know... I just..."
~Hold it. Adam... are you... racist?~
Adam looked to the side while he pointed at Wanderer, "She looks like a FUCKIN' demon!"
~Jesus... I think that's the first time I heard you swear.~
Wanderer held her Antenna with both hands and curled up on the floor as she whimpered, "I know! We can't help it. We just look that way. it's why we try to cover it up so people don't get upset with us. The Skin Color is Bad Enough! It's just a coincidence! I swear! We've been like this for thousands of years! It's because of the light of our sun! You have people on your planet who have the same coloration as well!"
She started babbling out of terror, "Humans went white migrating north, then you went above the Arctic circle and turned red because of the sunlight reflecting off the snow! We have a very cold planet with a dim sun compared to yours!" She kept talking like she was trying to stall but was in too much pain to hold a coherent train of thought.
Adam just stood there trembling. In anger, in fear, in outrage, he couldn't quite tell. Abruptly he went into her bathroom, grabbed a towel, then wrapped it around his waist and came back to her. He lifted her up and carried her over to her couch and laid her down. He stared at her for a few more moments, before sitting down next to her. She curled up in a ball, holding her horn with both hands and snuffling as she tried not to just flat out burst into tears.
Adam reached over to touch her head. She flinched at his approach. He halted before speaking softly, the tone of anger having left his voice, "Its okay." She stopped pulling away long enough for him to gently touch her antenna. There was a brief flare as he flash healed whatever damage he caused. Wanderer blinked as the pain left. She slowly sat up, still rubbing the little upturned 'horn' that Adam had manhandled. She sat there in silence as she waited for the other shoe to drop.
Adam glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "Well? I don't have much stomach for making women cry. You want me to listen? I'm listening."
Wanderer looked surprised at this turn of events, "My species is... very... arrogant." She avoided looking at Adam, "We have a sort of... I don't how to put it. We have a specific word for it in our mental language. It basically means 'The obligation of the superior to be an example to the inferior without polluting yourself'. At least that is the loose translation." She reached up to touch her horn again, "Part of that word means don't... mix."
Adam squinted at her, "Mix?"
~She means fuck other species.~
Wanderer touched her horn in response to Jack's comment, "On the probe." She lowered her hand, "You see, when we... mate there is... well... it's a complicated and ritualistic process with many rules and traditions and... When we consumate there is a certain component to it that is... regulated. That's the best word to use."
Adam narrowed his eyes, "What's that got to do with the invisible cameras in everyone's bedroom?"
She looked up at Adam, "You know how you say you're the oldest one here? You aren't. I'm sixty eight. Young by my species' standards, but older than you." She paused, "Do you know what bestiality is?"
Adam got an odd look in his eye, "Yeah..."
Wanderer shrugged, "Well, if someone from my species wants to have sex with someone like... a human... that's basically a combination of bestiality and pedophilia, as far as my species is concerned." She looked at him, "Because you are like primitive animals to us, as well as far too young."
Adam just stared at her.
She seemed to fall in on herself, "It's hard to keep thoughts about that sort of thing private and... my husband found out." She hung her head, "He divorced me. My family disowned me. I had to flee somewhere and..."
Adam finished the sentence, "And you went to a planet where you could fulfill your perverted desires."
She looked up, "WHAT? NO! I never! I just... thought about it. Earth is such a backwater world nobody knows my reputation here." She looked back at the floor, "I've tried very very hard to keep 'IT' in check, but..." She looked back up, "You guys keep FUCKING!" She clenched her fists and trembled all over, "I'm psychic! Do you have any idea how HARD it is to ignore?" She pointed at her computer, "I set up the cameras so I could at least watch what you all were bombarding me with!"
She paused then hung her head again, "I shouldn't have. I couldn't help it. It's... you have no idea." She looked up at Adam, "And you're the worst, what with your psionics leaking everywhere."
Adam blinked, "I... don't have any psionic powers."
She snorted and glanced at Adam, "What you talking about? You have that low level empathy field that you never shut off. You keep reading people and trying to make them happy." She paused and looked away, "Must be part of the reason you hate me so much. I hate myself. You're just echoing me."
Adam looked at the floor, then around the room, then back at Wanderer, "You sure about that?"
She glanced at Adam, "The field? Yeah. If you were on my world, you'd be... what would be... Ah." She held up a finger, "Ever go swimming and a kid is in the pool right next to you, then suddenly it gets warm for no reason?"
Adam blinked, "Wait... I'm the psychic equivalent to the kid who pee's in the pool?"
Wanderer scrunched her nose and nodded, "For most psychics, it'd slide right past them, but for my species? Kinda hard to miss, yeah."
Adam nodded, "I see..." He was quiet a bit, "And so this... low level empathy thing I got going on. I'm using to try and make people happy?"
She shrugged, "I dunno. It just seems that way. I don't want to tell you what your motivations are, but you do seem drawn to the psychically traumatized. It's why I've been trying to avoid you." She rubbed her eyes, "I'm the fatherload of trauma."
Adam kept nodding, "Is... that why...?"
Jack interrupted, ~Dude... Okay. You know what? I like watching, but if this is going where I think it is going, I'm gonna bow out here. I don't think you should do this, but I'm not one to talk about making positive life choices.~
Wanderer looked quizzically at Adam, "Something... about bowing out?"
Adam suddenly blushed, "Uh... I have... Janus syndrome." He tapped the side of his head, "There's someone else up here. I'd like it if you kept that just between us." He sighed, "And if you get rid of all the cameras and delete the footage, we can keep the rest of this quiet."
Wanderer looked shocked, "I... Thank you. I-I will. Immediately. I-" She paused, then abruptly turned purple, "OH."
Adam looked at her sideways, "What?"
Wanderer swallowed, "How? I mean... what?"
Adam started to sweat, "How what?"
Wanderer peered at him, "Nobody on your planet, thanks to the Anti-Christ, finds demons attractive. Or rather, only perverts do. I think that type of porn is banned from your internet because it corrupts the children." She tilted her head to the side, "You are from another world. Is that why you are attracted to me?"
Adam's face turned red, "Uhh..."
Wanderer looked away, "You know... short, flat chested women don't get laid on this planet and I don't really have enough money to pay for a prostitute. That's not an addiction I can afford."
Jack sighed mentally, ~Adam... I'm not in any position to judge. I just got a feeling this one is going to bite you in the ass, and not in a fun way. Wake me when you're done.~
Adam felt Jack retreat to the recesses of their mind.
He was alone with Wanderer.
