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Post by Catseye on Nov 21, 2005 2:14:29 GMT -5
Had she not been completely amazed by the zipper, she probably would have noticed that Sean and Betsy both seemed a little off. But as it was, the noise that the zipper made and the way that it moved were her primary concerns. Until she remembered that she was supposed to try to walk. Soon, they were helping her up, holding her almost in the air. Looking down, she swallowed. She never had a fear of heights before, but her balance was way off, and she was sure that she would fall any second.
She looked down at her legs for a few seconds, pondering exactly how they were supposed to work. Tightening a muscle, she felt it react in a different spot than that same muscle was when she was a cat. But it still seemed to do the same thing. Slowly, she lifted one of her legs, pushing it forward a little bit and losing her balance. Lucky Sean and Betsy were there, or she would have ended up face down on the floor. She closed her eyes and lifter her foot up again, this time planting it on the ground in front of her and losing balance when she tried to shift her weight to the foot that had just been moved. Looking over at Betsy, she frowned. How on earth did she walk around? It just didn't seem possible. She gave it a couple more tries before shaking her head and looking at Betsy. <No.>
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Post by Psylocke on Nov 21, 2005 15:53:01 GMT -5
As Sharon struggled to stay on her feet, Betsy looked over at Sean. What did they think they were doing? This was definitely more Jean's area of expertise and the only reason Betsy hadn't called on her best friend was that she was dealing with her own personal crisis. She didn't know the first thing about having a teenager any closer to them then the students. And Sharon most definitely was closer then just another student. This was their cat, for Pete's sake! Betsy didn't know the first thing about teaching Sharon all the things she needed to be taught. By the time they received students at the Institute, the kids were old enough to walk, talk, eat, take care of their personal needs, etc. This was just bloody insane!
When Sharon looked at her and shook her head then added, <No,> Betsy helped the young girl to the floor again. She really didn't know what to do next. Sitting on the floor with Sharon, Betsy pulled her knees up and rubbed her temples. Talking. Maybe they could work on talking. Or asking if Sharon was hungry. What odd thoughts these were. Looking at the girl who just an hour ago was a mischievous cat, Betsy let out a sigh and said, “Very well. Walking takes a long time to learn. How about talking? Can you talk outside of my head, Sharon? With words like I am doing?”
The girl had great telepathic speech, yet something else Betsy noted for the child's powers, but had she paid enough attention to try it outside her mind? It would be interesting to find out.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 21, 2005 19:38:56 GMT -5
Sean was at a complete loss as for what to do. He didn't know how to help Sharon, his only experience with children at all was with kids that weren't his. And here he wanted to have children of his own. But at least with that, he'd have a better chance to learn along the way, instead of by the seat of his arse. He helped Sharon sit back down, and looked over at Betsy, a wry grin on his face.
“Very well. Walking takes a long time to learn. How about talking? Can you talk outside of my head, Sharon? With words like I am doing?” Sean wondered about that as well. Could their “daughter” speak, or did she need to be taught that? How would they begin to teach her everything she needed to know?
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Post by Catseye on Nov 22, 2005 11:05:48 GMT -5
“Very well. Walking takes a long time to learn. How about talking? Can you talk outside of my head, Sharon? With words like I am doing?” She looked over at Betsy, glad that she'd decided to sit down with her. Swallowing a few times, she moved her mouth, trying to do what Betsy did. Nothing came out. Looking down again, she played with the zipper a bit more. Maybe that would help. Probably not. Looking at Betsy again, she frowned. < How? >
She moved her mouth, trying once more. Nothing came out. Fiddling with the zipper again, she coughed. And it made a noise. She furrowed her brow, trying to figure out how to make that noise again. Soon, she was humming. And opening her mouth while humming. And sticking her tongue out while still humming. And playing with the zipper. Humming was fun.
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Post by Psylocke on Nov 23, 2005 22:08:04 GMT -5
As Sharon continued to play with the zipper on her jeans, not terribly surprising since she did like to try and grab it if they laid a pair of pants out where the cat could get to them, she tried making sounds with her mouth. Problem was, she was using her mouth and not her throat. Finally she coughed and that seemed to startle her. Not enough to morph back into a cat, though.
A few minutes later, she had mastered the art of humming. Not just humming, though. Humming with her mouth closed, her mouth open, her tongue sticking out. All the while playing with her zipper. While humming was all well and good, Betsy was actually looking for words. Even baby talk would be something at this point although humming was a great start. She really didn't know of any cats who could hum.
Linking minds with Sharon once more, she dragged Sean in on the link so that he could also see what was happening in Sharon's mind, and she “showed” Sharon how to use her throat, her vocal cords, to make sounds. <It starts here, much like your humming does but by the time it reaches your mouth, you can move it to make different sounds. Depending on where your tongue or lips are located, you will make a different sound. How about an easy word. Try Sean,> Betsy coaxed.
While she was talking to Sharon, she showed Sean Sharon's mindscape. It was cluttered, all things focused on what a cat would be interested in, but it was very much human. There was no way Betsy could have found this inside the mind of a “real” cat. Betsy had absolutely no doubt at this point that Sharon was a mutant, not a cat.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 23, 2005 23:29:27 GMT -5
Sean was taken a bit off guard by Betsy dragging him unceremoniously into Sharon's mind. He was well used to being on the astral plain, having a lover that was a telepath was an advantage in many ways. But now was not the time to think those thoughts, especially since they were in the mind of a teenage girl. Who'd been a present to his girlfriend. He smiled as Betsy tried to get Sharon to say his name. Then he had an idea, and he spoke to Betsy first.
“Why don't we start her off with somethin a little easier?” Sean turned to Sharon,
“Sharon, can ye say Mum? Or Da?” At the word 'Mum', he pointed to Betsy, and himself at the word 'Da'. He started thinking about names, Sharon would need a last name. He decided that could wait, at least until later. He and Betsy could discuss it. Right now, maybe Sharon could talk. They could plan for the future later.
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Post by Catseye on Nov 24, 2005 14:14:03 GMT -5
She looked over at Betsy as the woman tried to explain. <It starts here, much like your humming does but by the time it reaches your mouth, you can move it to make different sounds. Depending on where your tongue or lips are located, you will make a different sound. How about an easy word. Try Sean.> She thought about what Betsy had said, and what she'd "shown" her. Closing her eyes, she started to try doing a "s" sound, but couldn't quite get it to work.
“Why don't we start her off with somethin a little easier?” She looked at Orange Luv, slightly confused. Didn't Purple say that "Sean" was easy? “Sharon, can ye say Mum? Or Da?” Mum? Da? Why did he point to them when he said that? She shook her head, pointing at Betsy. Not Mum. Luv. "Llllubv" She grinned. She'd said it. Pointing at Sean, she nodded. "Lubv"
Not Mum, not Da. Luv. Both of them, Luv. She'd never heard them calling each other Mum or Da before. So that wasn't their names. They were Luv.
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Post by Psylocke on Nov 24, 2005 22:33:14 GMT -5
Sean wasn't comfortable in Sharon's mind and Betsy knew that but she had to prove to someone that she wasn't just going bloody insane. It wasn't everyday that your adorable little house cat suddenly morphed not only into a purple panther but a purple haired teenage girl as well. Betsy had half a mind to have her head checked out by Jean. Then again, Jean would probably see a few things in there that Betsy had no desire for her to see.
“Why don't we start her off with somethin a little easier?” Sean suggested.
Betsy turned to him as they left Sharon's mind and raised her eyebrow. What could be easier to say then his first name? He had been trying to teach it to Nathan before.....No, her thoughts were not going there, especially not until they found out what was happening upstairs. “Sharon, can ye say Mum? Or Da?” Sean asked Sharon as he pointed to Betsy for Mum and himself for Da.
Betsy's curious look turned to one of shock then she narrowed her dark brown eyes. <This is a teenager, Sean, not a baby. I am not going to have a teenager call me “Mum” just because she's supposed to be my cat!> she practically yelled at him.
Thankfully, Sharon seemed even more confused by that suggestion and instead blurted out "Llllubv" with a smile. Betsy wasn't entirely sure what the girl was trying to say until she repeated herself. "Lubv" Sharon repeated, gaining confidence in the word.
She couldn't help herself. Betsy burst out in laughter at the term that her and Sean used quite often for each other. They should have known what Sharon would call them and Betsy couldn't help but feel it was absolutely perfect. Reaching out, she took Sharon's new hands in hers and said, “That was brilliant, Sharon. You may call us Luv if you want. It makes more sense then what he was trying to get you to say.”
Dropping Sharon's hands in her lap, Betsy contemplated what to do next. Now that Sharon sort of knew how to produce a sound, Betsy had no doubt she'd be talking soon. And even if she couldn't speak verbally, the girl knew how to speak telepathically. “Sharon, are you hungry? Would you like to eat something?” Betsy asked her.
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Post by Banshee on Nov 25, 2005 12:03:21 GMT -5
<This is a teenager, Sean, not a baby. I am not going to have a teenager call me “Mum” just because she's supposed to be my cat!> Sean winced as Betsy almost shouted in his head. He was spared trying to make a reply by Sharon speaking, a bit indistinctly. Then the word became apparent, she was calling them luv. That made Betsy laugh, and he grinned even wider than before..
“That was brilliant, Sharon. You may call us Luv if you want. It makes more sense then what he was trying to get you to say.” Ouch. Sean knew he was in the doghouse. All he could do was give Betsy an innocent look, as if to say 'What?!' Not that it would work, but he had to try. Then Betsy brought up food, that was a good idea. “Aye, we could go upstairs, and get ye somethin ta eat.”
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Post by Catseye on Nov 27, 2005 21:34:48 GMT -5
She cocked her head slightly as Purple Luv started to laugh. It was always loud and strange sounding when she was a cat, but as a human, it almost made sense. “That was brilliant, Sharon. You may call us Luv if you want. It makes more sense then what he was trying to get you to say.”
She smiled. Good. She did it. And Sean was happy, too. Smiling even wider, she muttered "Luv" a few times quietly, finally getting it pretty close to the way it sounded when Betsy said it. “Sharon, are you hungry? Would you like to eat something?” She looked up at Betsy again, then at Sean as he agreed. "Eeet ss..suh...thh. Sutheng." She nodded. Eat something sounded good. She could eat something. Maybe fish. She smiled at them, nodding again and echoing what Sean had said before, < Aye. >
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Post by Psylocke on Nov 28, 2005 11:37:42 GMT -5
Sean tried to give her an innocent look as if he had said nothing out of the ordinary and Betsy just sighed. She knew how much he wanted children of his own but it wasn't like she'd ever made a secret out of the fact he wasn't getting them from her. He would have to find someone else if it was that important to him and during some of their more heated arguments, she'd told him that much. They didn't fight too often but when they did, the entire mansion knew about it. He projected too much for the telepaths not to pick up and since she refused to talk about what they were fighting about, she was usually the one at fault in the others eyes. Not that she really cared what anyone else thought.
“Aye, we could go upstairs, and get ye somethin ta eat,” Sean replied, happy to be out of trouble for the immediate future. It must have slipped his mind that as a telepath, she never forgot a thing. Just wait until later when they were alone.
Sharon seemed to think this was a good idea as the girl smile widely and “said”, "Eeet ss..suh...thh. Sutheng." This was after she had said “Luv” a few more times. Then, after practicing with her voice, Sharon added telepathically, <Aye>
It took all of Betsy's strength not to moan. There was no way she was going to let the girl learn to talk using Sean's thick Irish accent. “No, Sharon. It is not 'Aye', it is 'yes'. Can you say 'yes'?”
To Sean, she said, “If we are going upstairs, you will have to carry her. Otherwise, we can bring something for her to eat down here.”
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Post by Banshee on Nov 28, 2005 20:27:50 GMT -5
Sean knew he was still in for it later when Betsy sighed. Most of the rows they had gotten into involved his wanting children and her not wanting them. He vividly recalled the first time she'd told him angrily,
“If you want kids that badly, then maybe you should find someone who'll do that for you!” He'd felt like he'd been slapped in the face. That had been their first big fight, and he'd actually stormed off for a while to brood on the roof. They'd made up, but the memory was still fairly vivid. He pushed his mind back to the present. He knew how to get forgiveness, because he knew she wouldn't forget. Not bloody likely. He took a deep breath, and started. He knew Betsy would pick up on his thoughts, since they were so connected.
'I'm sorry, luv.' Then he gave her what she called his 'puppy dog eyes', as he pictured himself, on his knees, in front of her. He was kissing her feet, as he begged for forgiveness. He let her think on that for a bit, while he turned his attention to Sharon.
"Eeet ss..suh...thh. Sutheng." Sean was thrilled that Sharon was trying to speak. It was garbled, but it was there. Then Sharon further endeared herself to him by saying the word <Aye> in their heads. Betsy had heard it too, and rushed to correct her.
“No, Sharon. It is not 'Aye', it is 'yes'. Can you say 'yes'?” Sean fought not to roll his eyes at this, and thought to her,
'I thought ye liked me accent, ye said it was sexy?' Then Betsy brought up the logistics of grabbing some food. Sean realized that the chances of them actually having their date got slimmer by the hour and this would be a good chance to hopefully get her alone for a few moments. He smiled at Sharon, as he replied,
“Why don't we go upstairs and grab some food, luv?” Maybe Betsy would take the hint. She was a first rate telepath, after all and was mentally connected to him.
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Post by Catseye on Nov 29, 2005 0:07:20 GMT -5
“No, Sharon. It is not 'Aye', it is 'yes'. Can you say 'yes'?” She looked at Betsy for a moment, before trying. "Yyyeee..." How did she make that essy sound again? "Sss." She frowned. That was a pain to say. "Aye." That was easy. "Aye. Aye." She was going to say aye.
“If we are going upstairs, you will have to carry her. Otherwise, we can bring something for her to eat down here.” She looked at Sean, waiting for his answer. Food was good either way. She yawned. She was getting tired, too. Food and a nap. They always went well together. “Why don't we go upstairs and grab some food, luv?” She looked over at Betsy, now waiting for her answer. "Ffffuh...ood. Fhod, lubv." She nodded. Food. "Aye."
Yawning again, she closed her eyes, opening them with a hiccup. The hiccups just kept on coming, and she had no idea why. As they did, though, she got more and more scared, slipping back into panther form without realizing it, until she discovered that she was sitting rather uncomfortably on her back, and her senses had sharpened again. Looking over at the Luvs, she cocked her head. < Why? >
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Post by Psylocke on Nov 29, 2005 8:18:07 GMT -5
<I'm sorry, luv,> Sean began. Then he gave her an image of giving her the royal treatment, foot kissing and all. It was all Betsy could do not to laugh. No matter how hard she tried at staying mad at him, he would always go and pull a stunt like this and make her smile again. <Perhaps later you can show me how that's done outside of our heads,> she teased him back, relaxing a bit.
As Sharon practiced saying “yes”, Sean thought to her again, <I thought ye liked me accent, ye said it was sexy?
Glancing over at him, she replied, <Sexy on you, yes. However, if I am going to teach a young girl how to speak, it will be properly like how I was taught.> It was no secret that she had gone to elite private schools as a child and was more or less raised with a silver spoon in her mouth. If they were going to be expected to raise this little mutant, she was going to get the same benefits that Betsy had.
"Yyyeee...Sss,” Sharon continued to struggle with the word. Finally, the girl gave up and repeated “Aye” over and over again a few times.
Betsy could detect Sean's pride a mile away. She sighed, granting him this little victory. Once Sharon had a better grasp of the English language, Betsy would drive home the finer points of speaking. Then Sharon developed the hiccups and got a frightened look on her face. Without warning, she morphed back into panther mode and Betsy cringed as her clothes ripped on Sharon's new form. Sharon was definitely going to need a new wardrobe all of her own, preferably with material that would shift with her body. Scott would probably know where to find something like that.
<Why?> the poor frightened girl asked them.
Reaching out and putting her hand on the panther's face, Betsy said, “The hiccups? They just happen but they will not harm you. As for why you went back into being a cat, I think it is because you are more comfortable that way. It is how you feel the best and when you are scared, you want to be comforted. It will take time, Sharon, but all of us together will work on this and before you know it, you will be comfortable as a cat, a panther or a human girl.”
Giving the panther one last scratch behind the ears, Betsy stood up and looked at Sean. “Well, let's go get her something to eat.”
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Post by Banshee on Nov 29, 2005 8:33:10 GMT -5
<Perhaps later you can show me how that's done outside of our heads,> Sean breathed a sigh of relief, crisis averted. At least temporarily. He'd learned early on in the relationship that the key to being forgiven was making Betsy laugh. Then Sharon, deciding that Aye was easier to say than yes, kept repeating aye. Sean couldn't stop grinning, she was going to have at least a bit of his accent. He let Betsy deal with the hiccuping, and patted Sharon's now panther head.
“Well, let's go get her something to eat." Sean took Betsy's hand and they headed upstairs for some food.
((Exit Banshee and Psylocke to kitchen))
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