Poppy (to Hiiri): Good morning, Hiiri. Would you like some breakfast? You look like you could use some.
Hiiri (to Poppy): Oh yes, that would be nice. Thank you.
Poppy (to Hiiri): You know, your clothes look a fright. If you want to do some laundry, the washer & dryer are in the room across from the bathroom.
Hiiri (to Poppy): Oh... I don't have any other clothes. I had to leave them somewhere. I can't quite remember where.
Poppy (to Hiiri): Well, honey, there's a box of old clothes in the hall closet. Feel free to go through it and grab what you like. And then, we can try and do something with what you're wearing. Like I don't know, burn them.
Hiiri (to Poppy): Oh okay... Thank you again for the breakfast and well, everything I suppose.
Poppy (to Hiiri): You're welcome, honey.
A short time later:
Nathaniel (to Victor): Morning, sunshine. Jesus. You look like hell. I don't think I've ever seen you out of a three piece suit.
Victor (to Nathaniel): I don't always wear suits. Like when my head feels like this. God... How are you holding up?
Nathaniel (to Victor): Do you honestly care?
Victor (to Nathaniel): I don't have the energy for this. Yes, I'm honestly concerned. I can only imagine how difficult this is to take in. I grew up in this shit. I can't imagine what it's like to be suddenly thrust into it.
Nathaniel (to Victor): Oh. Uh, I'm coping, I guess.
Hiiri (to Victor & Nathaniel): Hello there. You both look a bit like crap. What's wrong with you?
Victor (to Hiiri): I've still got a headache. Nate just looks like that, I think.
Hiiri (to Victor): Did you drink the orange juice like I told you to? If not, go get another glass. I know it sounds weird, but it'll help. Your body needs to replenish the energy you used in crossing over and with the disruptions occurring it makes it worse. I think it has something to do with the tracking device. Ever since CLANNG started using it, the portals have been behaving oddly.
Victor (to Hiiri): Thank you. No, I probably didn't drink enough. Usually, opening a portal on the same plane, someplace I've been before isn't all that difficult. Heh. And I thought that having two other jumpers with me would make it easier. I suppose not.
Hiiri (to Victor): So, Nate is a skipper? You wouldn't know it to look at him. His energy signature is a bit dim. He doesn't do it much, huh?
Nathaniel (to Victor & Hiiri): No, no. Please continue to talk about me as if I'm not here. It's charming. (to Hiiri) And to answer your question, no. I think I've done it a grand total of 3 times. I only recently found out I wasn't a nutter.
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): If you insist. I would say any of this to your face... Your ability is like a muscle, if you don't use it, it atrophies. You've got the ability of a 98 pound weakling, at the moment. Which honestly, makes you safer than the rest of us.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): Yeah. Whatever. So what? I'm like Poindexter and you two are the captains of the football team?
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): Hmmm, actually that's not a bad analogy.
Victor (to Nathaniel): Heh, heh. Don't worry. You can work your way up to cheerleader if you practice. (to Hiiri) So the more pronounced your energy signature and the more you use your ability, the easier you are to track? Great. I may as well hang a sign around my neck that reads "Hello CLANNG. I welcome your horrible experiments."
Hiiri (to Victor): It's been a bit of Catch-22 for me. I run to not get caught, but by running I could be potentially make it easier for them to track me. I tried going to a very unpopulated area, but that was like putting a lighthouse in the desert. What seems to work best are places with large populations. All the static energy seems to make it a little trickier for them to track and the device doesn't seem to be precise, so it can only tune in on an area & then it requires footwork. I've also learned how to plant false readings, but it takes a lot out of me, so I don't do it very often.
Victor (to Hiiri): Really? That's damned impressive. It explains why you have to recoup for a few days. Speaking of which... I should try to eat something.
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): So, are you going to throw a temper tantrum or something? You look ready to burst.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): Yes. I'm going to hold my breath until the world makes sense again. Somehow, I don't think that will work.
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): Well, I'm glad you realize that. So, what's your story? I'm sure you know all about me, everyone here is a bit of a gossip. Is it a tale of woe or the allure of the weird that brought you here?
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): Yeah. I noticed that. I'm Vincent's nephew. Paul's kid. I kinda showed up here because I didn't have better options. This is the first time I've met the extended family.
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): Welcome to the club, then. Your t-shirt, ID card and subscription to 'Fucked Up Life' monthly will be arriving shortly.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): Heh. Yeah. Seems to be a lot of that floating around, isn't there? Course the rest of the kids seemed to makeout alright.
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): Oh, they did? I wouldn't really know about normal. I've only been alive for a few months & I have a whole lifetime of memories in my head that aren't mine. I probably wouldn't know normal if it jumped up and bit me. So, your siblings turned out "normal"? I have to say I'm kind of envious. It must be nice to live with no questions & know exactly what the day has in store for you. Of course, it's also incredibly dull and repetitious.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): Ha ha ha! Sorry. I don't think anything about this family is "normal." I've got an older brother whose the saving grace of the family. I guess he's normal. I wouldn't know. We don't get along. I've always been a profound embarrassment to him. It's one of the reasons I got thrown in a nut house. They were worried having me in the house would be a bad influence on him. Well, that and the other things.
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): So, are you a bad influence? You look pretty harmless to me.
Nathaniel (to Hiiri): I think it depends on your definition of "bad influence."
Hiiri (to Nathaniel): Heh. Fair enough...
Several hours later, at Eep & Mouse's house, West Piedmont:
Marlena (to Eep): Dad! Dad!?! Have you seen my fucking tube of titanium white?
Eep (to Marlena): I have not seen fucking anything. You know you can borrow mine. Here. How are you holding up?
Marlena (to Eep): Thanks... I think I'm okay. I don't think I'm going to welcome Hiiri with open arms or anything but, I don't feel like I want to hit her with a very large hammer, either... Who knows? Ask me after I actually have to see her face to face. How are you doing? Mom said you practically wore a groove in the front porch with your pacing.
Eep (to Marlena): Well, yeah. Last time we dealt with Hiiri wasn't exactly a picnic. But, you, your mom, and your uncle seem to be coping alright. I was half expecting him to freak. But he's not. Doesn't mean I like it.
Marlena (to Eep): Do you really think Mom is handling it alright? I mean, I know she says she is, but you know her better than anyone. Is she going to freak out, if we run into Hiiri?
Eep (to Marlena): I think right now she's concentrating on us, cause that's the easiest way for her to deal. It's been a long time. I know it seems like a stupid, shitty cop-out, but it makes a difference. No matter what that other Hiiri did, we survived. Made a life here with you. We moved on. It helps. Time doesn't heal everything, but it certainly fucking helps.
Marlena (to Eep): Heh. When you say shit like that, it almost makes me feel like I should thank her... Almost.
Eep (to Marlena): Yeah, yeah. Don't get carried away. Your mom and I coped cause we had to. 'Sides, you kept us busy enough, you know. You sure you're OK? I know I'd be losing my fucking shit if I were trying to cope with this at your age. Shit. I DID lose my fucking shit, and all I was stressing about was bullshit teenaged heartbreak.
Marlena (to Eep): Dad, come on. I grew up in another world with a clockwork version of my mother, who put me in cold storage as leverage to hurt my mom. My aunt's a spy, my uncle is a pirate, my best friends are all from that world, mostly. I think I'm doing as well as can be expected. If I'm a little shaky about it, I think it's normal. I just remember what happened when we saw her in the shed.
Eep (to Marlena): Alright. Alright. I'll back the fuck off. I worry about you. Sue me. What happened in the shed? You didn't talk about it. At least not to me.
Marlena (to Eep): Mom just kinda scared me... It's crazy. Forget I said it. I was probably just scared when I realized it was Hiiri in there. So, everything seemed heightened. Just an over active imagination.
Eep (to Marlena): Sell it someplace else, sister. Why did Mom scare you?
Marlena (to Eep): She just seemed detached & emotionless when she was dealing with Hiiri. For a very brief second, Mom reminded me of her... See, it was stupid. I was probably just imagining it. I mean, I've never seen Mom like that before, not even when she's been really mad.
Eep (to Marlena): Oh. Yeah. That doesn't surprise me. ... Look, I know your mom and I don't talk a lot about what happened with... Well, with ALL this shit. But, it was a long, hard, & severely fucked up road We both just wanted to put it all behind us. Before Hiiri, there was this nightmare of a person named Smythe. I'm sure your cousin has given you some details about him
Marlena (to Eep): Yeah, he said a little about him.
Eep (to Marlena): Yeah, well, whatever he told you isn't nearly as nasty as the reality. He built Hiiri. The first Hiiri. Everything about her that was a fucked up, twisted ass version of your mom was made by him. She was with him for four months before your uncle and I found her. ... It was--it was ugly, Monkey.
Marlena (to Eep): So, what are you saying, Dad?
Eep (to Marlena): I can't tell you exactly how she managed to survive and cope with all that. I wasn't there for her. But, I can tell you when I was faced with more shit than I could cope with, I shut down. I kept as much of my brain as I needed to function, & shut everything else down. It's not exactly healthy, but it works.
Marlena (to Eep): And, you think Mom acting all cold & distant was like some sort of defense mechanism?
Eep (to Marlena): Yeah. I do. After we found her, and she was trying to cope, she used to hurt herself. And I know when I was young and self-injuring, that's what I did.
Marlena (to Eep): God damn it, Dad. Why are you telling me this stuff now? I mean, I always wondered about your scars growing up but you always gave me some goofy or vague answer.
Eep (to Marlena): We were trying to protect you. Was it the right thing to do? Probably not, but we worried you had enough to deal with. I'm sorry, Marlena. We only ever did what we were hoping was the best for you.
Marlena (to Eep): It's okay, Dad. I'm kinda glad you didn't tell me until now. And, I know I give you & mom a hard time, but I do appreciate that you wanted to let me & Goo have a vaguely normal life. I love you both so much.
Eep (to Marlena): I know you do. I love you too. You and your brother are the most important things in the world to your mom and me. I know I'm not the "sharing & caring" type, but if you have any questions, or if you wanna talk, I'm here for you, you know.
Marlena (to Eep): I will. Thanks, Dad.
