riverview | Voice with possible action. (kinda forward-dated a little maybe?) username: ilikehorses

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Voice with possible action. (kinda forward-dated a little maybe?) username: ilikehorses

[Well, look. Whenever she gets invited to Alphonse's future birthday, she's got a lot to think about.

She must consider this: there will be cake, that is a certainty. Cake sitting on a table, like in Transigen... in front of a deceptive cartoon painting on the wall; ways to trick outsiders into thinking the place is kind to its patients... She's learned at that facility that cake is a staple of birthdays, or rather, from the nurses. Birthdays involve singing, and they all learned the words for Delilah. All for Delilah. But they weren't allowed to have those parties, not after the first and last time; she never bothered asking about them again, because... she knew there would be nothing beyond the question. It wasn't difficult to tell what blowing out the candles and leading them away meant.

She had whispered happy birthday to Delilah on the way out, though.

Really, she's not sure just how normal those birthday choices even were. Outside of the walls of Transigen, what is a birthday like? Is there still cake? Still the concept of presents, or singing? Did the nurses want to try and do something nice but ultimately fantasy? Like Logan had said, ice-cream for bedwetters. She's curious to learn, though. So again, she uses the network for her own gain: this time, birthday information, instead of school.

(I'm sensing a pattern.)

Her voice is casual, but interested. She's not about to ruin the surprise, but she does need to know what she's getting herself into, here.]

What sort of presents are you supposed to give people, for their birthday?

... Toys, no?

[What the hell do adults like to get, for presents? A long pause, and she's not terribly sure of herself.]

Are there fireworks at birthday parties, too?

[Another thoughtful pause, yet again.]

... How do you tell what day you were born? Is it on a special paper?

[Okay, okay, last question there. She bites back more questions. Easy, Laura, easy.]

[ ADDITIONAL ACTION.]

[If you would like to find her out and about, she is wandering the shops for things that might be nice to give to the birthday boy, especially the department stores. Laura also puts on a cool hat and goes to leave without paying for it, of course, so she can be found getting approached by a very unhappy security guard there who is calling out something about a shoplifter. Look ma, it's my username!

... What? Just because she's getting better at being in the real world doesn't mean she's learned the virtue of paying for things.

Her dad stole cigars. She totally saw him do it. Cigars and a phone charger.

Or maybe you'll find her violently shaking one of those coin-eating candy machines. Stupid thieving machine - she tried to be nice about this and use real money, and see where it got her? Never fear, she pops claws from her knuckles, long and adamantium-silver, and she slices the top of the candy machine clean off, so she can reach inside and take handfuls for her pocket. Man, living the dream over here. ~~Don't bother asking where Linda is, we all know there's a repeating pattern of juking her.~~]

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[ Opening the candy bar he'd appropriated, Will took a bite and chewed contentedly, eyebrows arching at her ques ... no at her statement.

His lips twitched in a half, sardonic sort of smile and he shrugged while peeling back more of the wrapped. ]

I suppose there's some 'adult code of conduct' somewhere that would insist I should be expressing stern disapproval and be lecturing you on the wrongness of breaking the law.

[ He glanced over at her. ]

Shall we just agree that I've done so, and would you be willing to share those gobstopper like items?

[She gives a nod, before looking at some of the candy from her pocket.]

Gob-stopper?

[It's certainly a strange word in her mouth; English will always be a messy and odd language.]

[ The question caused him to arch his eyebrows, if only because he thought that gobstoppers were pretty universal candy langauge. ]

They're those, little shiny round hard candies. They're designed that you suck on them and they dissolve layer by layer until you hit a packed powder center.

[ He had never had to describe a gobstopper. Something to check off the bucket list? ]

They're also called jawbreakers, because if you try to bite on them too early you could end up with cracked tooth.

[Now she really wants to try and bite a jawbreaker.

But she does look at the candy again, this time applying the name to it.]

I'm not familiar with candies... I knew they were sweet.

I know some now, though. Like - peanut butter cups.

[ It is always tempting. Will tried it -of course he tried it- and ended up with a sore jaw for his troubles. But then he was you average baseline human; no power over a jawbreaker! ]

They are meant to be a treat, indulged in moderation. [ He said in a carefully neutral tone. Because in his experience there could be any number of reasons why a child was not familiar with candy and none of those reasons were pleasant. ]

The sugar can harm your teeth, there is no genuine nutritional value and so the calories are empty and whoops, there I went being an adult. [ He poked fun at himself. ]

But the sugar can also give our brains little bursts of feeling good. And you can never go wrong with peanut butter cups, especially in ice cream.

[Oho, an information bomb dropped.]

People put candy in ice cream?

[This is the most important thing you've said so far, sir.]

[ Of course it is the most important thing he's said. ]

Usually chocolate candies. [ He clarified, as he has yet to find skittles ice cream ] Also caramel, brownies, and while it's not one of my favorites, cookie dough is also very popular.

[Oh my god, you're shooting off so much information. It's lucky she has such an intense memory.]

What are brownies? And caramel?

[Also cookie dough. Is it related directly to cookies???

Will, buddy, this whole thread will be questions at this point.]

[ That, earned her a couple of blinks, before Will gave a shake of his head and started looking around. ]

Alright, come on. We're going to go find a proper bakery.

[ Because that was the responsible adult thing to do right? Take the child, who just knocked over a vending machine full of candy, out to pursue an even greater sugar rush. ]

[What's a bak-- you know what, just show me, or we'll be here forever.

She cocks her head, surprised by the offer... but you know, most definitely interested, so she gives a nod.

... Especially if this involves food. Bad food. She's in.]

[ At her nod of agreement, Will returned the gesture before turning and getting his bearings and then motioning for her to follow him.

Hopefully she didn't mind that he wouldn't be much of a conversationalist on the walk. Though at some point, just as they started to approach a shopfront from which delicious smells were emanating, he did pause and turn towards her. ]

I'm Will, by the way. Probably should have mentioned that before I led you to a den of sugar and carbs. Sorry.

... I'm Laura.

[Surprise, Will, she's not a conversationalist either!

In fact, she just looks around in muted curiosity, most of the walk.]

It's okay; sugar and carbs don't hurt me.

[As in, her body processes them differently than humans, but. Well. Vague commentary.]

Nice to meet you, Laura. [ Will said with a nod of his head but he didn't attempt to hold our his hand or anything beyond that bit of introductory pleasantries. ]

Carbs and sugar in moderation never hurt anyone. [ He remarked, reaching for the door and pulling it open for her.

The inside of the shop smelled even better than the outside and it was manned by an agreeable looking woman who appeared to be one of the bakers. There was two display cases, one holding homemade chocolates and hard candies, the other various baked goods.

Since Laura had taken care of the chocolate and hard candy portion of bad nutrition, Will focused on the baked goods.

A brownie, a blondie, a slice of caramel pie, cookies were deemed too pedestrian, you could get those at the store. A fruit pie was chosen, based on Laura's preference and Will asked for a piece of coconut cream pie.

A couple slices of cake and finally two eclairs. Because what is life without cream stuffed pastry?

Carrying their treats and a couple of drinks out to the patio, Will set down the buffet of sugar and motioned for Laura to start where she wished. ]

[Laura sits there with a slightly awed expression. She's confident she can put this all away on her own, because she's skilled at eating to a humanly unhealthy degree, but she wonders if this guy is as capable of inhaling treats as she is. She looks around the tray, unsure where to start, or where he would like to.

A glance up. You want to pick first, bud?]

[ Will shook his head, and deliberately sat back with the cup of coffee he'd ordered for himself. ]

These are your treats. You go first.

[Oh, don't you worry -- the moment he tells her as much, she starts scarfing sweets down. She's really bad with table manners, it seems; foregoes a fork to just pick up the pie. You'd think she was a half-starved dog, she seems so determined to disappear it before someone else does.]

[ If Will had designs of maybe getting in a couple of bites of coconut creme pie, he set those aside and kept his hands securely on his cup of coffee and away from the table. ]

[THE MOST INTENSE EATING YOU'LL EVER LAY EYES ON, WILL.

........................

.............................................................

.......................................................................................

After a pause and blinking his direction, she carefully nudges an untouched piece of coconut cream pie toward him.]

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