It was interesting getting the perspective of someone in Shay’s position. So many people who dealt with social anxiety had some component of self-image insecurity. With Shay, unless they were dealing with some kind of identity issue, that was just not it. They could look however they liked, so if they wanted to have a set appearance to identify with, they probably could.

Evidently, dysphoria was not the only reason someone would avoid being social. Maybe they just were not that kind of person. Interesting job to take, though. ”You must love cosplaying and showing off enough to deal with the crowds,” she poked playfully. ”Just looking to anonymously have nerds fawn over you without asking you to talk to them.”

It was nice of Shay to empathize with Vanessa’s feelings, though, because they realized the benefits of their own position. Shay had their own struggles, but Nessa was glad they never had a serious struggle with dysphoria or imposter syndrome. ”Supportive parents, eh? That’s where I went wrong; bad RNG got me closed-minded jerks,” she joked, before she recognized how that came across. ”Sorry. As you know, I like coping with self-deprecating humor.” It came up often enough in her videos that Shay should not be too off-put.

Vanessa felt genuinely bad, or she would have, if what came next was not genuinely really funny. The blushing cosplayer was caught by surprise when Nessa implied Shay might have had a fan-crush on her. It was just a tease, but the stammering reply and the lost stock suggested Nessa hit the mark. ”It’s okay, I’m just teasing,” she promised, seeking distance from Floofloon’s spawn point. ”It really is a thing, I think. I ended up dating Pixelbecky, for better or worse. Creators are fans too, and I’m just as likely to be smitten with a ViewTuber as I would be with a movie actress.” Everyone had harmless crushes; Nessa felt comfortable enough with that fact to talk with Gina about the celebs or internet stars that made her swoon.

Shay had of course always thought about gender in a different way to most of their peers, and as it had turned out they'd probably be considered gender fluid, but Shay never really paid that much attention to it truth be told. Most people they'd found discussing these things online didn't literally have total autonomy over their physical characteristics.

In some ways you could argue that those people just couldn't understand Shay's views on it, because they didn't view the world through the same lense.

Shay nodded quickly at the playful poking, trying to force some more speech out. She looked down a, the glances were making it harder to do the words. "I do love it. I like doing it online a lot too, the social distance makes things much less difficult. And It's nice to get compliments on how you look." She admitted, unashamed.

It was nice to agree with comments that your rear was looking glorious when you posted some shoot pics.

Shay's lips twisted a little, risking another glance over at Nessa with still slightly burning cheeks. "I get it." Shay used that sort of humour sometimes, to explain or move past the social awkwardness.

"I-I know." God, it was so embarrassingly obvious. Shay nodded and quietly added. "All kinds of people are beautiful." the floofloon play was definitely improving somewhat.

It had been a while since Nessa felt self-conscious about her body. Sure, coming out as trans made her nervous, but she had gained confidence over the years when she accepted that people were not assuming there was something wrong about her. Her late teens and early twenties were rough, but she kept blossoming and would argue she was one of the hottest women she knew. (Of course, she knew a ton of hot women, so this only meant she was not feeling constantly inferior around her friends.)

"Definitely nice. I mean, some online compliments are creepy but some are just affirming." It was a conflicted moment when Nessa saw one of the first creepy come-ons in her comments, because on the one hand, she was elated people thought she was sexy, and on the other, weirdos who wanted to see her feet should be sent to a gulag somewhere.

Evidently, Shay was getting more comfortable gaming with Nessa, because the tone of the game had shifted. Nessa's princess suffered a quick death at the hands of a puffball. "Okay, that was definitely a lucky--" And then a follow-up combo Nessa could do nothing about. "You're actually too good at this game. I picked the wrong opponent. Do I need to take my shirt off? I feel like I need to play dirty."

Now that they were getting into the thick of it, and Shay's nerves had settled a bit she was starting to feel a little more comfortable in general. this really wasn't that scary, Nessa wasn't going to judge Shay for feeling awkward. And playing games with people was something Shay had done for the longest time anyway, particularly competitively.

Shay might not have had the sense to bait, or the psychological component of fighting games down, but they definitely could handle mechanics. Combos were something you could practice on your own, and labing tech on stream was something that Shadyshay's audience had taken quite well to.

And so a slight grin bloomed on Shay's lips, as they interrupted Vanessa's comment with a stylish combo into a rest, taking the lead in stocks. It felt good, Shay loved playing silly characters like floofloon, especially considering people constantly underestimated them.

The grin wavered for a moment before Shay moved back a little to gain space and then turned in real life and smiled. "If you've seen my channel or gram, you know what I've dressed up like, topless doesn't bother me~" as if to punctuate the unusually confident retort, floofloon landed a solid blow.

It was easy to see the benefits of having a friend like Shay. The way they saw gender as such a nonfactor was reassuring to someone who spent her whole life wrapped up in anxieties relating to her gender and appearance. They were awkward and easy to fluster, yet they had no hang-ups about appearance or sexuality. "You know, I should have DMed you way before this. I could have used a friend like you years ago," she joked. Also, it did not hurt having a friend who was always finding new ways to be attractive. Sure, this had no real benefit for Nessa, but having a friend who was nice to look at? She certainly would not complain about that.

There would be no underhanded cheating on Nessa's part, for many reasons, but mostly because she believed Shay could back up their claims. And the last hit of Floofloon's assault knocked her off the screen, leaving her no chance at reclaiming the stage. "Dammit! Well, I suppose it's fair enough; my girlfriend's pretty cool, but she might at least question why I felt the need to run around topless at a gaming convention without her."

The explosion of her character leaving the field prompted a victory screen and Nessa slumped back in her chair. "Well, looks like you're the victor here. I might have to join you on stream sometime so you can train me to suck less," she suggested, liking the idea of a colab as an opportunity to make better friends with Shay. "But it sounds like you'll be going into the quarter-finals of our silly little tourney. Until they're ready for you, wanna go for a walk? There should be some time." They would take a low-key walk and Nessa would try to avoid crowds who might seek her out for autographs so they could actually chat.

Shay blushed pretty deeply, that was the sort of comment or compliment that really got to them. "I think that about people all the time, I've kind of been a-afraid of messaging pow block party and asking about doing a colab or something forever..." She admitted, determined to not actually glance over at her new friend.

Shay chuckled a little. The notion of a significant other was really interesting to Shay, she'd often wondered what it would be like to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. It was odd, Shay found all sorts of people attractive, and while they tended to lean on girls being more aesthetically pleasing, they wondered if being in a relationship was a different ballgame all together. How would a partner feel if they saw the sorts of cosplay Shay adopted, and even wore in public, at conventions? "I can't imagine that situation."

Shay blushed again at the direct social contact and averted her gaze. "I'm r-really not that good, you could totally find someone better at teaching you. Fighters aren't really my forte." She murmured sheepishly.

Walking sounded good. Slightly less onlookers maybe? "Uh-erm-" Shay glanced around, up at the ceiling, down at the floor and then the thoughts formed actual words. "Sure."

Clicking through the victory screen and setting her controller down next to the gaming system, Nessa considered what it would be like in Shay's position. "I guess I got the same feeling before I joined. I ended up fumbling my way into a game with Dave and Vin and they hijacked my stream, blowing it up. I was so anxious that guys who were such a big deal were shining their spotlight on me." Of course, back then, Nessa was still anxious about a lot of things. She was focused on protecting herself in her little bubble, but two people she saw as a very big deal pulled her out of it. "And it's so funny now because those two are such f*ckfaces and I definitely intimidate them more than the other way around."

The two gamers got up from the setup and walked over to let Dori know who won and who lost. He laughed at the report. "Way to go, Ness, you just barely too longer than Dave to get your ass kicked."

"For one, f*ck off, Shay's just really good, and for two, I'll count beating Dave as a win." She could disregard that David was one of the weaker players in the company.

Walking out of the room and into the open convention hall, Nessa pulled her hair back and stayed toward the edges in an effort to avoid attention. "So you cna't imagine the situation. No significant other, male, female, or otherwise waiting for you somewhere in the hall? Or are you just dating someone who wouldn't be phased by you doing an impromptu strip show at a packed gaming con? Because if so, kudos." Not that she would want to, but she was curious how Gina would handle that.

Shay nodded slowly, watching Nessa curiously as she explained what her experience joining had been like. It made sense, things were more often than not the most intimidating while they were inside your head. "I-I guess I kinda got lucky." Shay murmured quietly "I sort of cheated in through the team." Pros were encouraged to stream, and Shay had bounced around a few games already so quickly built up a following. As they had grown in confidence it became very obvious that people were interested in Shay, not so much the brand. Luckily, having good Coaches and Captains made things easier, they pointed out the obvious social cues that Shay was missing. Shay might have gotten into streaming through a team, but they definitely built their own brand. Definitely a market for an awkward shape shifter that was genuinely good at stuff.

"I'm not that good..." Cheeks were burning once again as they slowly made their way out of the room.

Shay was glad for the change of topic, shaking her head quickly. "I-er-no. I mean-I don't... I'm not-" Shay cleared her throat. "I'm single." The words came out quieter than intended, but definitely still came out of her lips regardless. Baby steps.

Vanessa was not as invested in the pro-gaming scene, knowing streamers and ViewTubers more than anything. She was a content creator at heart, not a competitive gamer. She tended to look at Shay as a streamer rather than a pro on a team. It definitely helped them transition into a great secondary occupation that she was sure made them just as successful, if not more so than their main team. "Does your organization ever have issues with your mutation? Or more importantly, your... spicy cosplay habits?" That was a good way to say lewd content.

It was clearly important for Shay to keep their private life private, so Nessa would not have been surprised if there was a significant other somewhere in the background. She was actually more surprised the shapeshifter was single. "Really? A sweetheart who can shape-shift however you want, and you're not out making the most of that?" Nessa smirked, shaking her head. "There's a gaming bar in town, The Bonus Level. We'll go out for drinks some time and I can be your wing-woman." Wherever Winnie was globe-trotting off to these days, she would be proud Nessa was still going to be that friend to someone.

As they walked, Nessa did notice some eyes drift over their way. Some were definitely checking out the amazing cosplay of her friend, but she was pretty sure some people were recognizing her as an internet celebrity. They really should have used the back halls to walk around. "Ugh, it's a shame you can't do your shape-shifty tricks on me."

Shay rubbed the back of her head unconciously. It was odd, she didn't talk about this stuff online all that much. "They've been pretty supportive actually, I think me still having some branding around strengthens their brand maybe?" Shay did have more viewers than any individual streamer under the banner, and it was a fairly decent margain. She kind of brought something unique to the table. More blushing. "Sp-spicy?" That was... one way to describe it.

Were Shay's photoshoots really out there? Really lewd? Were they?

Dear lord, why had Shay responded like that? They should have dodged the question, they did it on stream all the time. Her chat spent a huge amount of time prodding her to get blushes out of her (and normally succeeded) "I-you-g-" Shay's cheeks were hitting crimson, a person or two noticed and pointed at the clearly flustered cute cosplayer walking with a known streaming personality.

"I-er-um-" So many ums. "Get that a-a lot."

Shay was not the most risque cosplayer out there that Nessa had ever seen, and boy had she seen some. Sought a few out. Made out with one at a ViewCon. It was just interesting interacting with this sweet, easily flustered person and knowing they had no problem doing a lingerie cosplay photoshoot. Not being tied down to an appearance must make it a lot easier to do with that appearance whatever you felt like, though there were obviously some limits they had held to so far.

It was still impressive that those photoshoots did not all contain crimson red cheeks, because getting Shay to blush was both fun and comically easy. "I'm mostly teasing," she assured her new friend. "But really, we should hang out sometime. And if we just happen to get you talking to a cutie, would that be so bad? Well. A cutie that isn't me." It was comforting to know she had earned some confidence over the years; it made handling herself in the public eye so much easier.

Unfortunately, it was quite public and Nessa could see people approaching her. Oh joy, exactly what she was hoping for. Sighing, she took a turn down another hall and saw a bathroom door. "Would you mind if I duck into the bathroom a bit? I feel like I'm playing a stealth game and need the heat to die down," she joked. "Then we can just have a relaxed walk back, I can watch you beat all my friends at video games, and we can maybe get ready together for the party tonight? How does that all sound?"

Dwelling on it, Shay could clearly see how some of their shoots had been seen as so lewd, at the time they were doing them it wasn't really the intention to inspire lust. Okay, maybe a little bit. Shay had never viewed it in that sort of way though, Shay loved attractive bodies, and liked to share them. They really appreciated photography. IT wasn't like they'd ever gone R rated or anything, they kept it relatively tasteful.. right?

"A-ah." Shay nodded. Teasing. Duh. "I-Er-yea-" Clearing their throat for the millionth time Shay squeezed out a reply. "I would love to spend more time with you." Nessa was really just so nice, the confidence was awesome. She was beautiful too, which helped.

Shay nodded slowly. "Sure, that's no problem." She smiled gently. "See, part of why I don't go with my standard bodies when I'm at cons." They'd made that mistake only once, never again. Party? Shay twiddled her thumbs a little and looked at the ground. "Uhm. Okay. That sounds okay." Party sounded like a whole load of social activity, hopefully the rest of this day could remain stress free so Shay wasn't too wound up come time for the event.

With one last smile of appreciation and a squeeze of Shay’s shoulder, Nessa dipped into the bathroom. It was not her intent to stay in very long. She just needed to lay low for a minute, she decided, which was enough time to touch up her makeup. It was less of a point of anxiety than it used to be for the young trans woman, but it did give her peace of mind to be at peak presentability, even in a convention setting notorious for run-down appearances by day’s end.

Not her, though; her makeup would be on point. She claimed a spot in front of the mirror and pulled a small circular container from her purse.

“You’re the telepath, right?”

On instinct, Nessa winced when her power was mentioned, but she did not turn to look at the voice. She saw a figure in a hoodie walking behind her in the direction of the exit, her hair covering most of her face. ”Yep. Is that a problem?” She had reached this point; she could own her identity now and no rando in the bathroom would stop her.

“On the contrary,” she said in an unsettling tone. “Quite the gift; it’s a shame you waited so long to be the symbol you could have been.”

Well, that was a take. Not an uncommon one from some mutants, but most people understood why she was hesitant to come out as a telepath. Quickly putting away her makeup, Nessa prepared to turn and leave the situation. ”Well, it’s in the past now. Anyway, I should--”

Nessa’s eyes went wide as she felt the sharp needle poking into her neck. As things started getting blurry, she did catch the eyes of her attacker and the thoughts within. I beg to differ, young lady.



Ugh, how hard did she sleep? Nessa felt awful. Did she let Winnie convince her to go out against her better judgment? She had to go into the bank today. Her shift started early, didn’t it?

Groggily, the world started to fade into existence for the nineteen-year-old Vanessa and she finally noticed why she was so uncomfortable. This was not her bed. She was sleeping on something hard. Tiled? Where was she… and how the hell did she get here? Slowly, she started to come to and open her eyes to gather herself and understand what the fuck was going on here.

Shay stood awkwardly near the bathroom, basically twiddling her thumbs waiting for Nessa to return. Frequently thinking thoughts like "Why am I here?" and "You're gonna say the wrong thing, just leave." whilst feeling a steadily building stream of anxiety while out in the open, waiting for her new friend. It was strange, they'd felt completely okay and not overwhelmed earlier while they were incognito, but now that Nessa knew who Shay was everything was much more... real.

A minute or two passed and Shay nearly got ran into by a hooded figure tumbling out of the bathroom and nearly jumped out of her skin, taking a minute or two to calm down before realising Nessa hadn't come out, and recalling the haste with which that figure had left the bathroom, Shay pushed their way inside and gasped, seeing Vanessa down on the tiles.

Shay ran right over "Nessa! Nessa!" Shay gently placed an arm on the woman's shoulder "Are you okay, can you hear me?" panic strained Shay's voice.

What could have happened? The thought of Winnie had vaguely floated through her head initially, but now that she realized she was somewhere else… did she go out last night? Did they get in over their heads? It would not be the first time, but if she woke up in the wrong place with Winnie, at worst it would be on her couch or maybe her bed that one time. (Strictly for body heat, obviously.)

This tiled floor was unfamiliar. She forced her eyes open, taking in the world around her. The scents hit her; a bathroom. Nessa felt a sinking in her stomach. Did she get dragged here or something? Was this some cruel joke?

Still in a daze, a voice called out as a woman in full cosplay ran up to her in a panic. Where the everloving fuck was she? And who was this? The noticeably younger Vanessa did her best to be mindful of her voice, especially when she just woke up. She sounded soft, trying to speak a few notes higher than her normal speaking voice to be careful. ”I’m.. I don’t know how I got here. I’m sorry, Miss? Where… where are we? Who are you?” She hated asking that last question because this woman knew who she was somehow. Was she tied to this sensation of lost time?