Poppy (to Nathaniel & Victor): Good morning, sweeties. Interested in some breakfast? I was contemplating omelets.
Victor (to Poppy): Yes! That sounds outstanding. Thanks, Mom!
Nathaniel (to Poppy): Hmmm? Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I didn't get much sleep. I, uh, I was given a message for you last night.
Poppy (to Victor): Well after that excited response omelets it is, honey. (to Nathaniel) A message for me?
Nathaniel (to Poppy): Yeah. Last night after work, some girl ran into me, like literally ran into me. I took her to get something to eat, cause she fainted. I thought she was high. She wasn't making any sense when she talked. She kept babbling like she was in a spy movie. But, she knew who Emma was, and knew you were my aunt, somehow... She said to tell you she's keeping her promise and that "they" were looking for hoppers, skippers, something... Like I said, she wasn't making a whole lot of sense.
Poppy (to Nathaniel): Honey, did you get her name? What did she look like?
Nathaniel (to Poppy): She looked damned familiar and had crazy Siouxsie Sioux makeup on. What the fuck was her name? It was something weird...
Victor (to Nathaniel): Was it Hiiri?
Nathaniel (to Victor & Poppy): Yeah. That might have been it. ... What? What's going on?
Poppy (to Nathaniel & Victor): Where did you leave her, honey? Did she say anything else? Damn. She was supposed to go hide somewhere.
Nathaniel (to Poppy & Victor): I--I don't know. She kept just kind of babbling. I wasn't really paying attention. I left her at the 24 hour diner in town. She was looking for someplace to sleep for a couple of hours. She, uh, she kind of creeped me out with the whole knowing you were my aunt thing, & the stuff she said...
Poppy (to Nathaniel): She didn't hurt you or anything, did she?
Nathaniel (to Poppy): What? No! Of course not. She was actually really polite to me. Except for when I slapped her to bring her around. Besides, she wasn't really in any shape. I had to help her stand up and walk to the diner. She said she hadn't eaten. She said she'd been running. She told me to run too. Get out of town, I mean.
Victor (to Nathaniel): You SLAPPED Hiiri? Holy shit!
Poppy (to Victor): Victor Harrison!
Victor (to Poppy): Sorry! I'm sorry, Mom. But he slapped, Hiiri. HIIRI. I'll bet Mars would have loved to see that.
Poppy (to Victor): Yes, honey. I'm sure it was a sight to behold, but show a little decorum... I want you to go with Nate & see if you can find her & bring her back here, if you can. I need to know what exactly she meant by her message.
Victor (to Poppy): Yes, ma'am. Sorry.
Nathaniel (to Poppy & Victor): Um, what the fuck is going on?
Poppy (to Victor): It's alright, honey. I'm sorry I snapped at you. (to Nathaniel) Sorry, honey. I forget that you haven't been with us for very long. We've got a lot of history with Hiiri, most of it bad. She's been trying to be a better person or at least, that's what she claims. So, in giving her the benefit of the doubt, I feel like we may need to bring her here and find out what or who is chasing her.
Victor (to Poppy): It's OK. (to Nathaniel) I'll explain it to you on the way. Uh, mostly.
Poppy (to Nathaniel & Victor): Be careful. The first sign of trouble you get back here fast, okay?
Victor (to Poppy): We will be. Don't worry. We'll be safe as houses. (to Nathaniel) I'm just going to grab some stuff & we can go. We'll take the long way to the diner. I should be able to find Hiiri from there, especially if she opened a portal not too long ago.
Nathaniel (to Victor): What are you... You have a closet full of weapons. You have a fucking closet full of fucking weapons. We're *rednecks* and we don't have that much firepower in our house. What the hell is all this shit? Do you even know how to use that?
Victor (to Nathaniel): YES. And it's not *that* much. You should see the weapons locker on the ship. I don't think Hiiri will hurt us, but... Whoever is chasing her on the other hand. I'll explain it while we walk.
A short time later:
Victor (to Nathaniel): OK, I think Hiiri's in here. Or at least she was a little while ago.
Nathaniel (to Victor): If you say so. How can you tell. You a psychic as well as being a reality jumping weirdo?
Victor (to Nathaniel): No! It's... It's hard to explain. Everyone who can walk through the portals has this kind of, I don't know, weird energy. And everyone's energy is a little different. If I've got any experience with it, I can pick it up pretty easily.
Nathaniel (to Victor): Ah. So just a garden variety weirdo. Got it.
Victor (to Nathaniel): I'm no weirder than anyone else in this family. Come on. (to Hiiri) Hello, Hiiri. You look like hell.
Hiiri (to Victor): You say the sweetest things... What are you doing here?
Victor (to Hiiri): Yeah. I'm a real charmer. I'm here for the same reasons you are, I'm guessing. Director Carver has taken a personal interest. My mom has asked me to convince you to hide out with us for a little bit. She has some questions about what you said to Nate.
Hiiri (to Victor): Well, I don't have enough juice to leave, so clearly I don't have much of a choice now do I?
Victor (to Hiiri): You've got other options just no good ones. It seems like none of us do right now. At least there's safety in numbers, right?
Hiiri (to Victor): Alright, lead the way. (to Nathaniel) Nice to see you again, Nate. Cat got your tongue?
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): I think a huge epic pile of insanity has my tongue at the moment. What the fuck am I supposed to add to this tête-à-tête?
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): So, everything is about normal, huh?
Victor (to Nathaniel & Hiiri): Do you guys want to take the short way? Are you up to that, Hiiri?
Hiiri (to Victor): As long as I don't have to open it, I should be okay.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): I'm starting to suspect that, yes, this is "business as normal." Christ... (to Victor) What do you mean "the short way"?
Victor (to Nathaniel & Hiiri): You'll see. OK, everyone grab hold.
Hiiri (to Victor & Nathaniel): This should be fun.
Victor (to Hiiri): Hush! (to Nathaniel) Nate, concentrate on my parent's kitchen. The crossings have been weird lately. One... Two...
A few minutes later, at Poppy & Vincent's apartment, West Piedmont:
Victor (to Nathaniel): Oh... Oh Jesus!
Nathaniel (to Victor & Hiiri): Ouch! What the fuck?! That didn't feel like that when I did it with your mom. What did you do?
Hiiri (to Victor): Victor, are you okay? Do you need anything?
Victor (to Hiiri): I--I think so. That--that was SO much harder than it should have been. We weren't even... Shit! I should--I should sit down.
Hiiri (to Vincent): Oh, hello Vincent, you can put down the sword. I'm not here to do anyone any harm. I think your son is a little worse for wear. The turbulence has gotten a bit worse than it was yesterday.
Vincent (to Hiiri): Jesus CHRIST! Hiiri! Please, please do not DO that. I have had nightmares that start that way... Thanks for letting me know, hun. I'll go check on him.
Hiiri (to Vincent): I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking.
Vincent (to Hiiri): It's alright. I know this is strange uncharted territory for us all.
Hiiri (to Vincent): You can say that again (to Nathaniel) How are you feeling, Nate? (to Victor & Nathaniel) The pathways have been a little rough recently.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): I don't know. I feel like I'm about to get the grand daddy of all headaches, but I'm OK.
Hiiri (to Victor): Have you been using other people for the navigation points for very long or is that a new thing? (to Nathaniel & Victor) I know this may sound weird, but if you drink some orange juice, I find that it helps stop the headache.
Victor (to Hiiri): New. This is only the second time I've done it. The first time I was opening a portal through a dampening field.
Hiiri (to Victor): Hmmm, it's an interesting technique, but you should be careful when using another skipper. It makes you shine like a beacon.
Victor (to Hiiri): It makes me what?
Vincent (to Hiiri, Nathaniel & Victor): Here you go, kids. OJ all around it is. (to Victor) How are you doing, Little Man?
Victor (to Vincent): Dad! Don't call me that.
Hiiri (to Vincent): Thank you for the juice. (to Victor) It amps up your energy signature. You're practically shining a big neon sign that says 'here I am'.
Vincent (to Victor): Heh. Oh. Of course, my mistake. (to Hiiri) To whom, hun? As far as I knew, the energy signatures of portal skippers was untraceable.
Hiiri (to Vincent): Not anymore, there's now a device to do just that. Maladori has figured out a way to track us. I'm not sure how, but she can find us when we use the portals. She's given it to CLANNG. And, Carver has been using it to round up skippers... He's got something planned, but I haven't been able to figure it out, yet. I've been running too long. I didn't mean to cross over here, but I was exhausted and not thinking straight. Part of me just wanted to go home so, this is where I went.
Vincent (to Hiiri): That's understandable, hun. Can he track you once you cross realities?
Hiiri (to Vincent): No, I don't think so. Thankfully, I got to the crossover point in time to disrupt it, so he won't be crossing over here anytime soon & it's going to take them time to find another point or for the old one to restabilize.
Vincent (to Hiiri): That buys us some time. Thank you, Hiiri.
Hiiri (to Vincent): Oh. You're welcome.
Victor (to Vincent): Dad? Dad where's Mom?
Vincent (to Hiiri): I know you may not be comfortable doing so, but you're welcome to stay until you're feeling a bit stronger. Under the circumstances, I think we can forget about the past a bit & all be trusted not to slaughter each other in our sleep. (to Victor) She's alright, kiddo. Come on. Up you go. I think that crossing took more out of you than you wanted to admit. You should lie down.
Hiiri (to Vincent): Oh, I never liked to slaughter people in their sleep. Where would be the fun in that? ...Heh. I'm just kidding. Sorry. If I could stay for a few days, I would appreciate it. I haven't had much sleep & traveling alone has been a bit rough.
Vincent (to Hiiri): Of course. That would be fine. And really, hun, it's *me* you should be worried about, isn't it?
Hiiri (to Vincent): Heh. I suppose you're right.
Vincent (to Hiiri): I'm kidding. You'll be as safe as we are while you're here. (to Hiiri & Nathaniel) I'm going to go force my boy to lie down. Drink some more juice, and help yourself to something to eat. There's chili on the stove.
Hiiri (to Vincent): Thank you, little bro-- I mean, Vincent.
Vincent (to Hiiri): You're welcome.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): Wait. Is HE the little brother of yours that stabbed you?
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): Yes... But, clearly I got over it.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): Jesus! Just when I think I've got a handle on things...
Several hours later:
Vincent (to Nathaniel): Hey, kiddo. Where is everyone?
Nathaniel (to Vincent): Victor's still sleeping, Hiiri passed out on the couch, and you and I are here in the kitchen.
Vincent (to Nathaniel): So I see.
Poppy (to Nathaniel & Vincent): Hello, sweeties. What's with the face?
Vincent (to Poppy): Hello, lover! Come here. It's been a bit of a long day for everyone involved, I'm afraid.
Poppy (to Vincent): You're telling me, honey. I had to go talk to Eep & your sister about Hiiri. Trust me that was not fun in the slightest.
Vincent (to Poppy): Oh God. I can only imagine. Our darling nephew here is currently in a bit of a snit. Not that I can blame him. It's never fun to learn an evil organization wants to round you up for nefarious reasons.
Nathaniel (to Vincent & Poppy): I am not in a snit!
Poppy (to Nathaniel): Clearly, honey.
Nathaniel (to Vincent & Poppy): I'm sorry that I'm having a little trouble processing that some creepy group wants to Auschwitz me, & that the girl on the sofa is some kinda clone, & my uncle fucking stabbed someone.
Vincent (to Nathaniel): Did Hiiri tell you I stabbed her?
Nathaniel (to Vincent): Yeah.
Vincent (to Nathaniel): Really? Huh. Well, that's certainly unexpected. I didn't stab her, kiddo. I slit her throat.
Poppy (to Vincent): Honey, do you really think that's helping?
Vincent (to Poppy): Good heavens, no. Not in the slightest. (to Nathaniel) I wish you didn't have to know about all this, Nate. I really do. I wish none of you had to deal with any of this... But, we don't have the luxury of pretending things are better or more decent than they actually are. I killed, well not THAT Hiiri, but a version of her. It's not something I'm proud of, and it messed me up for YEARS. To be fair, she was... She was a horror. And she was trying to make me crack. She did. Just not in the way she wanted.
Nathaniel (to Vincent): Why are you telling me this?
Vincent (to Nathaniel): Because I know what you're thinking, kiddo. We can't possibly know how upsetting this all is to you or what kind of horrors you've gone through already. We do. We understand, Nate. More than you can know. So, I want you to understand, when we say, this situation scares the shit out of us, just how terrifying it is. That said, don't worry. It's going to be fine
Nathaniel (to Vincent): Wait... WHAT? You... You just said...
Poppy (to Nathaniel & Vincent): Yes. And, on the plus side, if we need to we can give Hiiri over to CLANNG to buy our safety... What? I'm just kidding.
Vincent (to Nathaniel & Poppy): Of course she's kidding. CLANNG would never honor that kind of deal.
Poppy (to Vincent & Nathaniel): Heh. On that note, I'm going to fix myself a drink & then take a bath.
Nathaniel (to Vincent & Poppy): But... you... I... What the FUCK is wrong with you people?!?
Poppy (to Nathaniel): Honey, we have to make jokes and light of the situation or we'd never be able to carry on.
Vincent (to Poppy): Take your bath, hun. I'll take care of Nate. Hopefully, I'll be in to join you soon. :-P (to Nathaniel) Sit down. Here... Drink this.
Poppy (to Vincent): Will do, lover.
Nathaniel (to Vincent): I'm not supposed to drink on my...
Vincent (to Nathaniel): Please tell me you're not still taking those anti-psychotics, hun.
Nathaniel (to Vincent): Um, no. I stopped. I, uh, I'm not supposed to... Fuck it. I had a problem for a while. I shouldn't.
Vincent (to Nathaniel): Fair enough. I know I'm asking a lot of you, Nate. I really do. But, I wouldn't have told you everything that's going on, that's REALLY going on, if I didn't think you could handle it. I have faith in you, Frowny Face. You're just going to have to learn to deal with that.
A short time later:
Vincent (to Mouse): Hey, sweet sister of mine. How are you holding up? Are you alright?
Mouse (to Vincent): Yes. No. Maybe... I'm just worried about Mars and well, Eep. I can't believe you've got her in your house.
Vincent (to Mouse): Good heavens, tell me about it. She startled me when came into the living room to tell me Victor was doing poorly and my heart nearly stopped. Honestly, hun, I don't know what else to do with her. She may not have sold us out to CLANNG, but I still don't exactly trust her, even if this Hiiri is ENTIRELY different. I want her someplace I can keep an eye on her, Are Mars and Eep not taking it well?
Mouse (to Vincent): They're handling it like they handle everything... Smoking & swearing. Yoyo's got Mars watching a movie in her room & Eep is currently on the porch smoking. He's been very quiet.
Vincent (to Mouse): Good heavens. Those two are peas in a pod, aren't they? Angry, smoking peas. God... I'm so sorry about all this, hun.
Mouse (to Vincent): It's not your fault. It was going to happen sooner or later, little brother.
Vincent (to Mouse): I think I traumatized the hell out of poor Nate. He is currently also cursing and smoking quite a bit. Are we sure we're not biologically related? :-P
Mouse (to Vincent): Poor kid. He'll adjust, eventually. Once he gets over the initial shock... Again.
Vincent (to Mouse): I know. He's tougher than he thinks he is. I just wish he would have had the option of easing out of running away, and easing into the insanity that is our existence. God. I wonder what normal people do with all their time?
Mouse (to Vincent): Macramé or stamp collecting, mostly.
Vincent (to Mouse): Oh. Well that sounds absolutely dreadful. No wonder I never became regular... Is there anything I can do for you, sweetie?
Mouse (to Vincent): No, I'll be fine. I've sadly dealt with worse. I'm feeling quite pragmatic about the whole thing, presently… I just want to make sure that Eep & Mars are okay.
Vincent (to Mouse): OK, hun. If you start feeling less pragmatic and more angry and hysterical, or if anyone does, let me know. I love you, hun.
Mouse (to Vincent): I love you too!
