second helix ♥ VIDEO;

[alcheregis]

[ Haen's wearing the employee uniform of the Lucky Cat Cafe, and she looked like she couldn't be happier about it. She wiggles her fingers at the screen in a happy greeting. ]

Today I have an announcement, so listen close! If you haven't visited the Lucky Cat Cafe, you're really missing out, so I'm here to tell you why you should stop by. It's got a delicious menu of drinks, meals and treats! This is my favourite lunch, the almond chicken salad, doesn't it look simply amazing? And here's some of the fantastically clever coffee art that gets made here!

[ She leans forward a little bit, imparting a sheepish admission. ]

Not by me, I'm afraid, that's not where my talents lie. Although if you wanted a nice skin colouration that matches the coffee art, that much I could do. And I'm very new here, so who knows what I might learn in the next few weeks. I'm always happy to learn new things, it's like going on an adventure, and who doesn't like adventures?

[ Then she sits back from the screen, and decides she can't resist a little promotion of her own. ]

Speaking of adventures in colouration, I'm doing a special discount on all genework in autumn hues, dears! Any genework that's done in shades of red, orange, yellow, brown and neutral, half price off.

Comments

[lifeatsteak]

[He leans in, curious and cautious.] 'Gene work'? The hell's that?

[alcheregis]

That's where a genessi does work on your genes! Little nudges here and there, it makes all the difference in the world. Or, in the body, I suppose, that's more accurate.

[lifeatsteak]

Okay, yeah, sure, but what the fuck're genes?

[alcheregis]

They're part of your DNA, the building blocks of everything alive. Your eye colour is a gene, and your height is another gene, everything about you is in your genes.

[lifeatsteak]

[Edgar narrows his eyes, thinking about this for a second, two, and then-] Nah, you're having a laugh.

[alcheregis]

[ Haen smiles brightly at him. ]

Oh, I have laughs about a good many things, dear, but this isn't one of them!

[lifeatsteak]

[He stares at her for a bit, trying to decide if she's serious.] So- so how's that work, then. Where are they? [Where are the genes?]

[alcheregis]

Where are-- oh! Your genes? They're in your body, dear. In your cells. Do you know much about biology?

[ She'd venture not, given his reactions so far, but she'd be rude to assume. ]

Let me put it another way, to see if it helps. Do you look like either of your parents?

[lifeatsteak]

[The shrug Edgar gives her is enormous.] Dunno.

[alcheregis]

[ Haen purses her lips briefly, but decides perhaps its better not to pursue that line. ]

Well, for example, my father had red hair like mine, and my having it, that's in my genes. Does that make sense?

[lifeatsteak]

[GOOD CHOICE, HAEN.]

And those're in cells, yeah, which are in, what, the prison block? [What a terrible fucking joke.]

[alcheregis]

[ SHE MIGHT HAVE DODGED A BULLET THERE. ]

Not those kind of cells, you silly cytostine~ but that's all right, you don't need to know the whole breakdown of it. Would a demonstration help you better?

[lifeatsteak]

What'd you call me? [He seems more amused than offended.] Yeah, demonstrate. I wanna see this. [He leans forward again, his chin resting on his hands. He's trying to seem calm, but really only managing to hide his curiosity behind the thinnest of veils.]

[alcheregis]

A silly cytostine!

[ Nope, not even bothering to elaborate. But it's pretty obvious from her tone that it's more along the lines of "silly goose" than "dumbass". Haen turns so that he can see the side of her head, and runs her Tracerie along the ridge of her ear. Almost immediately, from behind her ear sprouts an arch flexible quills in a rainbow of colours, almost like a fan or gill. ]

And there we go! These look much better when my hair's up, but you'll get the idea.

[lifeatsteak]

[Edgar's been called both, and has little interest differentiating. Skin doesn't get much thicker than his, but that's nurture, not nature. On the subject of nature, Edgar has precious little experience.]

Fuck! [Edgar shifts back, surprised, but that quickly becomes curiosity. He studies the... whatever that is.] How'd you do that? Your... genes, or whatever. That your power, to transform yourself?

[alcheregis]

To transform anyone! See, if you recode your DNA to include other aspects, your body will follow suit.