Video; un: ilikehorses

[shoplifter]

[Laura's been trying to adjust. Part of her wonders if coming here wasn't a grave mistake — she'd come thinking there are more like her, people who would accept her more willingly, and in a way, that's true. However... There are a few... annoyances. Grievances. Her rather overworked case worker Linda has been making sure she goes to school. Today isn't the best day for school, though. She's quiet and 'weird' and the other children usually aren't fond of her and her quiet but present danger.

And for Laura, well. She doesn't do well with anyone 'teaching' her. She's had too much of 'teaching' the last eleven years of her... eleven years.

She may or may not have punched another kid in the eye.

She may or may not have ditched school.

And now she sits on the top of a rather tall and dangerous brick-ish wall in the city, her feet hanging precariously off the edge. Close by, the shadow of a tram wooshes by, and somewhere out there, Linda the Case Worker is having a heart attack. Laura, however, seems more puzzled and annoyed than anything. She sits with a potentially stolen bag of mini-donuts, her favorite glasses pressed up on her forehead and her lovely albeit mildly damaged unicorn shirt clear and vibrant.]


Why do children have to go to classes? 

I can learn outside of school.


[There are mean children that exist. She's never ran into children who are so exclusionary; after all, mutants had to stick together.

And teachers aren't bad, but something about the set-up bothers her, in ways she's not sure how to explain.

Maybe it's harder to blend in than you'd think. Not that she had gone into this with any high hopes.] 

Comments

[shoplifter]

[Good question. Give her a moment to consider.]

...

I don't know what elves or wizards are.

[spellslots]

[That's okay, he loves talking about himself.]

Elves are a race, like humans, but we live a lot longer and have these cool ears. [There's more to it than that, but still.] Wizards are folks who can do magic. Like this - [meaning the fire, which he extinguishes by closing his hand.] Or this. [with a quick flick of his wrist, a mongoose appears on his shoulder, and quickly hides itself under Taako's hair.]

[shoplifter]

[She looks on with some interest. That's a cool trick there, buddy.

She's still trying to figure out the weird hairy beast.]

...

Tomás could make fire. With his hands.

... I don't know anyone who can make small animals, though.

[I want the mongoose. I don't know what it is, but I want it.]

[spellslots]

That a friend of yours?

[Taako reaches up to pluck the mongoose off his shoulder, letting it cling to his hand as he holds it closer to the camera.]

Wizards can do a lotta stuff, but most of it's like, for combat, you know? Kinda hard to demonstrate when I don't wanna blow up my living room.

[shoplifter]

[Laura nods; yeah, you shouldn't blow up your living room.

You need that for living, and whatnot.]

He is. [A pause, and she motions to the screen with a donut.] Is he your Friend? Your amigo?

[spellslots]

He's my familiar, he's kinda made of magic, so he's not like a normal pet. But I can see through his eyes, or ask him to do shit for me.

[Like carrying small things, or spying on people. The usual.]

[shoplifter]

A familiar...

[She's not sure she completely gets it still, but.]

Does he feel real? What is he?

[spellslots]

He feels real, yeah, and he's a mongoose, they're in the same kinda category as cats and they're known for fighting cobras, cause they've got specialized acetylcholine receptors that make them immune to the toxins.

[He has a lot of feelings about that.]

[shoplifter]

A mon-goose.

[Oh, that sounds cool. Uh.]

I've never met a cat. I've seen pictures.

Cobras are... snakes...?

[Mongooses sound like they're mutants, that's baller.]

[spellslots]

Cobras are snakes, yup! The ones with the hood looking thing around their heads.

[But! More importantly! Taako is a show off!

Which is why he adjusts the camera, carefully sets the mongoose onto the back of the chair, and then... disappears, briefly. What comes back onto the screen, as it climbs onto the back of the chair, is a very posh looking ragdoll.

Taako-cat meows at Laura, then moves a paw in a pseduo-wave.

(The mongoose clearly isn't sure how to feel about this.)]

[shoplifter]

[!!!!

She stares, her nose practically to the video.]

¡El gato!

[Is she... supposed to wave back? She hesitantly does so. Hey, Taako-cat.]

[spellslots]

[The cats meows again, bleps, and then leaps back down to the seat of the chair.

Taako appears back in view, adjusting one of his earrings.]

Not quite the same as seeing one in person, I know, but a little better than pictures.

[shoplifter]

[She is truly puzzled that you're not a mutant, Taako.

You're so relaxed about all this, but...!]

... Do people get scared?

When you do those things.

[spellslots]

Sometimes people here get kinda weird about it, but magic is normal where I'm from. I know more people who can use magic than people who can't. I could count those on like, one hand.

[Or at least, out of the people he likes. He doesn't know every dipshit at the Bureau.]

[shoplifter]

[Huh.]

I don't think it exists. Where I'm from.

... Not like that.

[spellslots]

That's pretty usual for Earth. You're from there, right?

[Based on what she's said so far.]

[shoplifter]

[She nods.]

... There are people with powers. There aren't many left, though.

[That's why it was a big deal, that Transgien had made them.

Charles seemed to think so, anyway; Laura couldn't really comprehend it at first, but now that she's here and is thinking of home... it is something important, isn't it? To keep their kind from dying out.]

[spellslots]

There's a couple people here from an Earth like that, sometimes they call them metahumans, not mutants.

[If there's a difference (there is), Taako isn't aware of it.

And he almost doesn't ask the next question, but his curiosity wins out:]

Is that what you are, bubbale?

1/2

[shoplifter]

[... well shoot i dun gave up that one]

[shoplifter]

[But... oh well. Laura figures if she's going to try to work with this place... it'll be harder to 'hide' what she is, like Gabriela had tried to get her to do. She supposes it didn't stick well at home, and it sure won't here.]

...

Maybe.

[spellslots]

Kinda thought so. Is it a secret?

[He wants to check, since so far his experience with Earth + powers involves people keeping secrets, and as much as he doesn't care about showing off his own magic, he's not gonna give up anyone else's information.]

[shoplifter]

.... I don't know.

At home, it was supposed to be.

[She disobeyed and revealed those claws sometimes. Rebel, this one.]

Here is... different.

[spellslots]

No one here's gonna come at you cause you're different, we're from all sorts of worlds and they don't give a shit if you're a human or mutant or whatever else.

[It's still her decision, obviously, but if that's what she's worried about it's unnecessary.]

[shoplifter]

...

I wouldn't say 'no one'.

There's always someone.

[spellslots]

[He makes a bit of a face at her, like yes okay you're right but there's no need to be nitpicky]

It's not like a thing, though, you know? There's always gonna be assholes, but overall people are chill.