"That's what I said."

"I wonder if you could make, like, corner covers," Viv muses. "Out of leather or something. Ooh, or crochet her a book cozy? Both, maybe, I think corners could still poke through yarn."

Well, it's just that if someone hugs me and gets poked with my corners, I don't really have any way to stop that from happening, even though I want to!

"I'll suggest it."

Viv suggests leather corner covers, or crochet you a cozy

also even if you did poke people with your corners, like, people poking each other with sharp bits of their bodies is pretty common even when we have limbs and especially common in group hugs

i'm sorry i don't mean to minimise your feelings, i understand it must feel bad to want to hug people and be unable to, but i really really want you to be reassured that you are very huggable and no one would ever have reason to regret hugging you

That makes sense. I think I have complicated feelings about this because of the reasons why I am a notebook. I really appreciate your support, though, and I'm glad you find me huggable! ♡

the reasons why you're a notebook? do you wanna talk about that? i don't want to feel you to feel that you're the only one offering support here in this relationship, i'll listen and try to help with anything you might want

...that was very quick, getting attached to the notebook like that.

"We're not going back to class today, are we," Felicia muses. "Should we just go somewhere else, this place is starting to smell of boy."

"My cologne smells nice," Marcus protests.

"The sound booth has smelled worse," Vivian assures her. "But yeah, we could go to the park or something."

Aww! ♡

I am pretty comfortable with my decisions around what kind of being to be and why, but I don't mind explaining if you want to understand where I'm coming from! I just need to think about what to say...

it seems like people have decided we should go somewhere else less cramped since we're not going back to class today anyway 

i'd love to read whatever you have to say and i do want to know where you're coming from, but i don't want to like pressure you into it or anything, we've just met today after all

but if you wanna talk about it i'm game!

"Earth to Peter, come on get up we're going."

"Yeah, yeah," he says, hopping to his feet.

I do want to talk about it! Maybe I can think about how to explain while you go somewhere.

okay! back in a bit then

He shuts the notebook, puts it in his backpack, and slings it over his shoulder.

"Still kind of want to look at the list of powers."

"Oh, right. Uh, maybe don't peek too much at the pages after the list of powers because I'm not sure she wants that bit to be read?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Do we have to, like, worry about getting caught or something...?"

Vivian pats Gabe gently on the head. "No. No, we do not."

She leads them to the auditorium's fire exit, which obligingly opens and lets them out into the back parking lot, from which they can make their merry way to the nearest park.

"I have no idea what you'd look like as 'an ideal of feminine beauty'," Marcus admits, looking over the powers.

"...oh, I think I know how I'd do that."

"What, how you'd change my face to be girly?"

"Give me two hours and my makeup kit."

"You know, that might be a good test run. Mom's gonna freak out, though."