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

[shoplifter]

[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.]

Comments

[inebriety]

[He doesn't want to be stabbed so he does take a step back when she doesn't retract her claws.]

Tony Stark.

[He's found that telling kids to do as they say just because they're adults doesn't work so he's willing to answer her questions if it'll get them to leave.]

You done yet?

[shoplifter]

[Her brow wrinkles, and no, she's not quite done. Her claws are still out at her sides.]

Tony Stark is a different person.

[Explain, man, because there's another Tony with a doofy robot arm named DUM-E.

... The dorky little beard matches, though.]

[inebriety]

I'm a twin. [He's not actually lying and it'll take too long to be able to properly explain how there's multiple versions of him running around.]

Can we go now before someone gets upset about this mess?

[shoplifter]

[... Oh, right.

She glances back sparingly at the broken machine, and then her claws finally slide back into her flesh. She tucks her hands into her pockets, but she keeps her distance from him just in case; sure, okay, she nods, ready to avoid upset people. She's not sure it's warranted, because the machine ate her money, so. You know. It was deserved.

Lead the way.

But she'll be determined to get some answers.]

How do you know Wolverine?

[inebriety]

[Success at last, he starts walking away at a brisk pace determined to avoid getting blamed for something he doesn't want to deal with.]

I've worked with him a couple of times on X-Men related business. [Before he was horribly murdered, but let's not mention that regardless of how used to violence she seems to be.

There's a short pause before he adds:]

Oh, and before you get the wrong idea, I'm not a mutant myself. Genetically altered yes, but no X-gene.

[shoplifter]

You talked like there are other Wolverines.

[Her stare is intense; this is crucial information he's offering. Familiar.

And familiar here can be hard to come by.]

What did you mean?

[inebriety]

[He doesn't stop walking, but he looks at her as he considers how much detail is appropriate for her level. He has no intention of lying, but it'd be pointless if she didn't understand.]

I'm going to make a guess and say Logan's your father. Well, surprise you're not an only child. You have an older brother, Jimmy Hudson.

[shoplifter]

[She considers that for a moment, unsure. Did he...?

A normal son, that he had before? Did he not want her to know?]

I only knew him for a week. He did not mention... siblings.

[inebriety]

[Normal is stretching it.]

Well it was only a week. Probably thinking about how to bring it up. Adults do that, overthink things until it's too late.

[shoplifter]

... Maybe.

[As in, she's not sure how much to trust this familiar stranger. But she's hardly discarding the information; really, it would be nice, wouldn't it? To not be the only one left of her... family. She glances at him, thoughtful, assessing.]

The X-Men do not exist anymore.

[inebriety]

[He makes a noise to say he doesn't quite agree. He doesn't even know if they're from the same world, but there was no harm giving her a bit of hope.]

Officially yes, unofficially... that's a different story.

[shoplifter]

[She shakes her head.]

You don't understand.

They are all gone.

[inebriety]

There's definitely a few still kicking around even if the school is long gone. Although Kitty is the only name I can remember at the moment.

[shoplifter]

[She glares at him outright, annoyed. He's just saying these things, putting false thoughts in her head; there's a reason Charles and Logan were on the border, both half-dead from the trials of their lives. Especially the last decade. Mutants have been withering -- what proof does this Tony have?]

How do you know? Who is alive?