etrayalogs | ( closed ) snikt snikt don't stab the robot baby

[Laura is mostly quiet as they enter their new 'home', though her silence as usual is simply a sign of her hyperfocus as she studies every inch of the available space — no concerning smells, no suspicious sounds, and no signs of danger that she can feel in any way. Not yet, anyway, and she makes it a point to be prepared for it at a moment's notice. After all, she had been trying to sleep at the foot of Charles' bed when the Munsons were attacked. One moment a lovely house, and the next a very large, terrible coffin. The idea of it happening here unnerves her.

But for now, she hopes to enjoy this weird semblance of 'normal' again.

Walking into one of the back rooms ahead of her assigned mother and father, she gives them some time to settle in and talk amongst each other — for a few minutes, anyway. When she shows back up in the hallway, she does so holding up a baby. A very realistic looking baby, with a touch of something not quite alive in its eyes as it scans the room.]

What is this doing here?

I do not like it.

[Despite the fact that she can smell its not a living thing, it sure does start to cry like the real deal; it's unhappy yells fill the living space the moment Laura's mouth shuts, and her eyes proceed to bug out in quiet, confused panic.]

[ The whole thing is a brand of strange in and unto itself. Jean finds the space between her shoulders tense even as the crowd from their bubble makes their way down the streets, splitting off in clumps as people recognize the streets and houses they were assigned to until it's dwindling further and further down. Until it's the three of them. And they're approaching a small one last charming house, in soft summer (not quite pastel) shades, with an ample porch, perfectly manicured lawn, surrounded by a white picket fence like someone picked it right out of someone's idyllic seashore or middle America dream.

The inside is just as quaint and picturesquely 'normal.' Jean is in the middle of saying something about locating the calendar to at least find out what they've all been assigned—aside from each other—when Laura appears again—holding what is very obvious a baby. One with no more mental presence than scent, or she would have sensed it elsewhere. Jean steps toward Laura, using her telekinesis to unbow a pink silky ribbon, gentle and loose, around the baby's wrist and flip it up in the air with a move of her fingers until she can read the words on the tag knotted to the ribbon aloud. ]

'Hello. Give me a name and raise me, please.'

They can't be— [ Jean had looked over to Logan starting those words, only for them to falter with a wince at the all too shrill cry of sudden displeasure the baby gave in Laura's grasp. ]

Edited 2024-07-23 00:05 (UTC)

[ everything about this assignment is bizarre and insane, set to make logan all kinds of uncomfortable. never mind the very complex relationship he has with jean (his jean? not-quite-his jean?) and still trying to wrap around what it is to have her alive again, along with the very confusing connection he seems to have with laura with never having met her but her having a collection of memories with another him in it; now, he's set to be in this house with both of them at once, having to make sense of their crossed timelines and universes, all while living under the pretense of a normal family.

as if any of them have ever gotten a grasp of what normal is.

one step at a time though, as they enter the house and logan immediately tries to scout the place to get a read on just how safe it actually is. yet the most disturbing part is when laura steps out with a baby in hand, one that definitely looks like a baby, but — sure doesn't smell alive, not really. ]

What the f—? [ before logan can get the word out, just as jean is speaking, it starts to cry, his own wince even more puzzled and uncomfortable, this absolutely not being his area. unlike jean, he keeps his own distance. ] Kid, put that thing down. It ain't right.

[Put that thing down? Well, if Logan says so. Laura is too baffled and alarmed by its existence to worry about any ramifications, so it's going to be entirely up to poor Jean to catch the doll with telepathy as Laura proceeds to toss the baby at the wall like it's a weapon set to blow them up.

Please do not let the fake baby hit the wall on their first few minutes in this home.

As soon as her hands are empty, Laura's got her claws out, her lips nearly pulling into a snarl by second nature; she thinks better of it a second before it happens, and instead furrows her brow.]

What is it for?

[ Her eyes had gone wide as Laura's panic manifested itself into an instinctual response to obey Logan, and Jean'd hardly had time to open her mouth to shout Wait! before there was suddenly an airborne baby. Thankfully Jean has some experience with things like this—falling babies (not spy-bot babies). Which means a little less than two feet from where Laura launched it, the baby now hovers in midair, encased in a bubble of telekinetic energy, firey golden-orange licking the sphere's edge in starlight.

The baby alarmed further by briefly becoming a small missile only howls louder. Too many old, familiar memories crowd her with the urge to pull the unhappy baby into her arms, but none of this is safe—and that is not Nathan Christopher. (It has red hair for one thing.) The last soft, innocent objects they were handed turned their minds and emotions before turning into monsters themselves. Jean lowers the ball of energy slowly, pulling it closer to them again, even as she tries again to reach for a mind, for emotions in it to soothe. ]

Our first challenge, apparently.

[ when logan says to put it down, he doesn't expect laura to merely just launch it, which has his own impulses jumpstarting like his feet might just move to catch it despite his own warnings. blame it on how real it looks, even as logan can tell something about it remains entirely artificial — or the red hair on its head that reminds him too much of the woman beside him.

it's jean, though, whose capabilities prove themselves quickest as she catches the baby with her power, ]

Doubt they'd just leave an actual normal baby just lying around in here. Jean, you getting any read on it?

[ in its head mostly, since there's only so far his own sense of smell and hearing can unravel. ]

And, kid, try to give it a softer landing next time. Don't know if that thing's got some sort of quick reaction trigger set on it.

[ because apparently the bomb theory is still an option here. ]

[Laura does nothing by halves.

That includes baby-chucking, which no one told her to do.

She's not too concerned now, though, looking over the hovering doll with interest. It does look 'real'. She's seen a few babies over the years, albeit in limited doses with how Transigen tended to divide up the children into their appropriate categories. They definitely smelled alive in the labs compared to this strange, crying creation. Maybe it's the animalistic quality of her powers that simply gives her that added sense of wrongness.

And maybe she should not be that way. After all, Connor does not smell human, either.

Her gaze snaps to Logan, brows furrowed.]

¿Qué quieres decir? A trigger for what?

[Give her a reason to throw all thought out and snikt it.]

[ The bubble settles spherical and steady around the child, glimmering, even as Laura's mind edges toward the potential for more and worse—a ready option that will never surprise her from either of them, but maybe it's six of one, and half a dozen of another when the bubble strengthens its edges—keeping the small, seemingly innocent child, safe from harm. Keeping them all safe from it, should it decide to detonate suddenly.

After what they've seen and the missions before she got here,
she can't swear someone wouldn't consider it.

There's a shake of her head, looking from it to Logan. ]

Nothing. It's as empty and blank as any sentinel might be.

[ Jean checks the chart every morning while making lunches for her & Laura before they head off to the school. This morning, the newest one for her declared it Mom & Daughter Day! Remember to stop by the Beauty Parlor for your haircut & mani-pedi! She'd told Laura they'd do it right after school, given the early curfew, and relayed to Logan he was on his own with Felicia until they got back. (Plus, that Sharon was right next door if he needed help with her; she & Sharon had already commiserated, if in not a lot of words, over the white picket fence about raising not-real-babies that reminded too much of the actual babies they'd raised.)

At the end of the school day, Jean is waiting outside the school, a purse hanging from her shoulder, checking her watch as she waits for Laura to appear after the last bell of the day rings and the first dramatic, wild flood of children comes flinging themselves helter-skelter out. The girl isn't late by any means; Jean is simply very aware of the time and the coming night. ]

[Laura is tentative about the idea of a 'Beauty Parlor'; the idea of someone brandishing scissors at her or touching her hands and feet (which are practically glorified switchblades) makes her a little antsy. But she also knows she wants to try all of the normal things that little girls do, especially with their moms, and so she's determined to try her best to not cause a scene and actually enjoy the moment.

Enjoying the moments, that is very crucial.

School is not so bad, either, so it paints her hopes for the day. At first she had her doubts about the idea of adults bossing her around, but that was quickly remedied by all of the learning she had been doing. Figuring out names and histories for things she'd only seen in passing since her escape... was nice. As was learning about the general facts about her universe (or, well, probably her universe; earth seemed to have some common themes across them).

As she walks out, she doesn't look annoyed or defensive. A plus!

Instead, she offers a small wave to Jean as she adjusts her raggedy green backpack.]

We are going?

We won't have to give up a thing
We'll stay who we are
[ It's the first night Jean comes home from her 'new' job at the schools as nurse, which ended up being busier through the day than the mansion had ever produced. She hadn't expected there to be more tasks that would pop up during the same day, but there it is—Jean G. & Logan H., dishes, 7:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. (along with one for Laura to do homework during the same half hour). There's no dishwasher, so the whole task is theirs from beginning to end. ]

Do you want to dry, and I'll wash?

Give you a bit of a break from whatever it's given you today.

( closed ) snikt snikt don't stab the robot baby

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Week 1 — Mom & Daughter Day

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Week 1 — Domestic Chores