Video/Potentional Action. Abandoned amusement parks are dope.

[shoplifter]

[Some of you might get worried calls from Linda, Laura's tormented case worker.

The general questioning is: "HAVE YOU SEEN LAURA I HAVEN'T FOUND HER IN HOURS I'VE LOOKED EVERYWHERE."

But then, a Laura entry pops up sometime later in the day:

Her, looking curious, with the telltale signs of vegetation outside of city limits behind her.

She points the camera at the setting of the abandoned amusement park, some disappointment soon to be prevalent in her tone; she'd sneaked out and headed off to the Abandoned City or whatever people call it, mostly to get away from society and sort of marinate in her own thoughts. It's one of those months. Or many of those months. As much as she's tried adapting and appreciates her freedom, sometimes you just need to step away from it all and have your own time.

... In places Linda tells you not to ever sneak off to, of course.

Sue her, she never listens to her authority figures. She's not scared of monsters, anyway; she's already killed two getting here. It's why she's got some tar-colored blood on her sleeves and knuckles.]

We should repair this. I don't know what it is, but it looks like -- a fun place. Some of these have... strange wheels... and cars on railroads. ¿Para qué sirve? Do people who move trains practice here?

[She wanders around, her footfalls echoing in the isolated place. There's a rotted up old booth where you 'shoot' guns for prizes, but the signs are pretty overgrown with vines. She picks up a fake rifle and aims it at the blank target board beyond her, smacking on some bubblegum thoughtfully.]

Is it a place for soldiers to practice, too? It is very colorful for a soldier, but we had some color, too. They liked to put cartoons on the walls. Maybe there are cartoons on walls here, too... Maybe there are lights that make it bright. Like Vegas.

[..... Aha.

She points the camera up, up, up, toward the highest point of the ferris wheel.]

I think you see everything if you climb to the top.

[... I'mma climb to the top.]

[Feel free to have any ACTION threads as well; she's just wandering around, really, enjoying the quiet.]

Comments

[winscenario]

[ Turning the autopilot on leaves Jim with a little more freedom, and since now they're pretty much just orbiting the moon it's not like he needs to be paying as much attention. He unfastens his own seatbelt and gets to his feet, stepping closer to the window and standing next to Laura. ]

No, I don't. [ But if they're keeping kids locked away in cells, then he can already tell it's not the kind of place he'd like. ] Will you tell me about it?

[shoplifter]

[She considers the stars for a moment, reflecting on her life the last eleven years.]

It was supposed to be a company that performed 'pediatric cancer studies'. [She's heard it said so many times, especially by nurses who felt mortified by what they'd walked themselves into.] ... but they lied. They were making babies and raising them there. Like me.

[She glances at him.]

They hoped they could make mutants that could be trained into weapons.

Things they could sale later.

[winscenario]

[ He can't even claim to be surprised at how horrible all that sounds. He still is surprised by the details— well, 'shocked' is probably a more fitting word. He tries not to react to it much, but his eyebrows knit together, eyes widening as he stares down at Laura. ]

They were doing what?

[ That's barbaric. More than barbaric— it's unthinkable. That any sentient species would be capable of that is completely beyond him. Knowing that it was humans doing it no less makes it even worse somehow. ]

You're not— you're not there anymore, are you? Back in your world?

[shoplifter]

[She shakes her head, not looking at him.]

No, we ran. They were shutting the 'program' down.

So they were going to shut us down, too; the nurses helped us escape. [She holds up her hands, looking at them thoughtfully. He seems so mortified on her behalf — but it leaves her to wonder...] It does not bother you, that I am this? A weapon project. I could be a danger to your ship.

[winscenario]

[ Well, he is mortified. He's even more mortified when she tells him how they were just going to kill a bunch of kids because the program was being shut down. ]

You're not a weapon. You're just a girl.

[ He touches her shoulder carefully. He's not being condescending; he is well aware that she likely could wreck the whole shuttle if she wanted to. But she won't, he's sure of that. ]

But no, it doesn't bother me. [ He smiles down at her. ] Being good isn't about what you are. It's about what you do.

[shoplifter]

[She stares at him for a moment. Months ago, she would have thrown him facefirst into a panel for that hand on her shoulder. She knows now. Not all touch is to hurt. Not all strangers are the same as those who put these metal blades in her arms.]

What if you've done things that aren't good?

[She looks unsure; she's killed men before. Gotten people killed by accident, just from the fact that they've helped her at the expense of their lives. And the Munsons, they hadn't asked for any of that. She'd...]

[winscenario]

[ Well, that's good because Jim really likes his face and he'd rather it didn't get smashed into a panel.

Besides, he drops his hand soon after. Not everyone's as open to touch and proximity as he is, and he's conscious enough to respect that and keep that in mind. ]

We've all done things that aren't good. Some people have done really bad things, but... [ He shrugs. ] Everyone deserves a second chance.

[ Well, barring a few cases, but he doesn't think that's the case with her. ] I'll bet you've done some good things too.

[shoplifter]

[She thinks for a moment — good things? — before a helpless expression settles across her face.

Her face is small and uncertain, as if perhaps there's something tremendously wrong with her:]

I don't — know if I have.

[winscenario]

Never helped anyone out? Saved someone who was in danger, or... made someone smile or laugh?

[ It's a stretch. She hasn't had much of a life outside those facilities she told him about, he can guess that much. Maybe she just hasn't gotten a lot of opportunities to be good yet.

He lowers himself so he's crouching next to her. ]

But— even if you've never done anything like that, it's alright. It's never too late to start doing good things, you know? If that's what you want to do. Life's full of opportunities to change.

[shoplifter]

[... It is hard to think of things she's done. Good things, anyway. She helped a man who was about to get beat up once... She's given a friend some ice cream. Another some candy. It doesn't feel like much when there's a river of blood in her wake before. Good people, bad people, 'it's all the same'. She fidgets with her sleeve, not quite looking him in the eye.]

I just don't want to be a monster.

[winscenario]

[ Jim is a little too idealistic at times, granted— and he knows it, too. But this time around he thinks he can be forgiven that. She's just a kid, and he's hardly going to tell her she's bad, no matter what she's done. Especially when it's obvious she already blames herself more than enough for those things. ]

You're not. Being a monster means you do bad things because you like doing them. That you hurt people just because you like to see them suffer. Is that what you do?

[ He pauses, settling his weight on his knees, and gesturing his hands between them. ] Would you hurt me right now, just because you can?

1/2

[shoplifter]

.....

[She shakes her head.]

I would not.

[shoplifter]

[And then, after a moment, her lips twitch, teasing.]

Maybe punch you if you did something very mean.

[winscenario]

[ Jim grins and chuckes at that. Funny thing is there probably was a time in his life when she’d have wanted to punch him, and rightfully so. ]

And I’d have deserved it. Mean people are totally asking for it. That and when you’re defending yourself and other people, still doesn’t make you a bad person.

[shoplifter]

[She's appeased by the answer, at least. Even if she's uncertain in her path, in what people make of her or what she is in general, this sort of thing is admittedly something that sets her more at ease. But she should probably clear the air about one thing, in case it happens and he's caught off-guard.]

... I do have claws.

I like to use them on candy machines most of all, not on people.

[winscenario]

[ He purses his lips and cants his head slightly. ]

Well, those candy machines can be really annoying when they don't give you your candy, so I don't blame you.

[ Looking down at her hands curiously, ] I can't see them. Are they— [ Would she even know the word 'retractable'? ] —hidden, is that it?

[shoplifter]

[Ah, well. In that case...

She draws her claws out, and they burst from the skin between her knuckles — two blades on each fisted hand, blinding and sitting a foot or so from where Kirk stand in observance. She doesn't seem to wear the expression of someone who finds the act of it particularly concerning.]

Sì, hidden.

[winscenario]

[ Jim startles slightly, even though that's about what he was expecting. Seeing claws pushing out through a kid's knuckles isn't exactly something he sees every day, though, so she'll have to excuse the initial shock.

He manages not to react too poorly at least, though he can't help himself from muttering under his breath. ]

Jesus Christ, Laura. [ He reaches out unthinkingly, taking hold of her hands with care, making sure not to get in the way of her claws. They do look very sharp. ] Doesn't that hurt?

[shoplifter]

[Her hands twitch away from his and she takes a step back, a trained reaction. But she seems okay with the whole situation; Jim doesn't seem afraid, and he was supportive enough to ease her into honesty. She looks from him to her claws, glinting harshly in the ship lighting.]]

... It does, but I have been trained to keep a high pain tolerance.

So - it is nothing I can't handle.

[winscenario]

[ Jim withdraws his hands instantly. The last thing he wants is to overstep any boundaries, or make her feel uncomfortable. He's not afraid, though, even if he is well aware those claws are extremely sharp, and that a single touch could cut open his skin. ]

Put them away... please. I don't want you to be in pain. [ Even if she can tolerate that pain better than most— that's not the point. ]

[shoplifter]

[It feels a little too late, to ask that sort of thing, or to worry about pain. But she listens, pulling the blades back down into her forearms. They settle, and only smears of blood are left of the motion; the wounds are completely healed in a manner of moments.]

My claws were not always metal; they made them more efficient.

[winscenario]

[ He can't even imagine how anyone would be capable of doing all this to a kid. The thought of it alone makes him feel sick to his stomach. Laura's just a little girl. It's beyond him why anyone would cut her up and experiment on her, make her suffer so much, no matter the purpose.

He realizes it's a little too late to say he doesn't want her suffering. But she's probably suffered more than enough throughout her whole life. Even if he does appreciate her sharing this and showing it to him, he doesn't want her drawing her claws unless she absolutely has to. ]

I'm sorry, Laura. You didn't deserve that.

[shoplifter]

[She thins her lips, looking back toward the window of the ship.

A soft breath.]

That is the first time anyone's ever told me that.

[She's sure that Logan, Charles, Gabriela... that they all thought it. She's sure of it.

But it's... nice to hear.]

[winscenario]

That's too bad. It's important that you hear it.

[ And that she understands it's the truth, so she won't think of herself as a monster. ]

Anyway— want me to fly you back to the Quarantine?