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 Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2017 6:44 pm
The note would arrive the day after almost everyone grew up again. A request for her presence, a time, and an infirmary room, all signed neatly with an H. She'd hear the voices down the hall, well before reaching the room.
"Indeed, we went on several dinner dates," a male voice, bemused if matter o'fact.
"Nice ones?"
"Well, they were quite expensive. You did make it clear that there was to be nothing more than a dinner."
"We didn't even make out?" America sounded a little exasperated.
"You were very firm about it."
"I know how to stick to my guns, no matter how fancy a dinner."
"Truly."
"Damn right," she seemed a bit mollified, that at least adult her had been A Boss even when turning older guys down. She was still feeling out the edges that the woman had left behind, in people and work. Maybe it was lucky that it seemed as if she'd been away lot and a bit distant. Outside of Dawson and Mimsy and Miss Caro, nobody had visited to check up on her. Nobody had come to mourn or inspect or see if there was any fix. When she thought about it, and she did, even if she shut the subject down or got fighty over it, but when she thought about it, America wondered if maybe the hole had been there for awhile. If maybe that was why she'd stayed this way. It'd be nice, after all, if she was the one to fill the space, instead of creating it. But that was during the nicer moments, and America didn't have many, when it came to taking another's place in the world.
When Caroline stepped in, she'd find America, still fourteen, sitting on an exam table in a hospital gown, hair up in an unflattering cap. She looked paler than usual like this, her long limbs turned thin and scrawny instead of just coltish. A trick of hospital lighting, of course, always making folks look smaller and frailer than any would ever care to imagine for themselves. Across the room sat the doctor, going over two folders, on fairly thick, the other slim and much newer looking.
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 1:30 am
Had the request from him arrived at any other time, Caroline would have ignored it. Burned it, if it was a particularly boring day. But the timing couldn't have been a coincidence - not when it came so soon after she'd successfully done her best to ensure the safety and care of an entire island of teenagers (and Mark) - so she resigned herself to attending. The sound of a man's voice that spilled out into the hall was unfamiliar, but the girl's wasn't. She listened between her footsteps before stopping all together to eavesdrop; after catching a more complete portion of the exchange, it didn't take her long to determine the other voice's origin. Her nose wrinkled, and she focused on the ray of hope that was America's infinite level of badass. It was a fortunate thing that the one skill that she had trained and honed to perfection throughout the entirety of her life was the ability to expertly hide how utterly disgusted she was with a man. She strolled into the infirmary room with an air of complete pleasantry, and gave a wide smile to America first. "Look at you, all dolled up." This required a boop on the nose, which she provided to her. "Think this counts for when people say you'd look good in anything you wear--even a plain ol' sack." The room's other occupant was an afterthought she'd rather ignore, but she didn't make it seem that way, offering a friendly grin in greeting. "You're H, then." She extended her hand for a cordial handshake. "Mimsy's got so much to say about you. Admires you to no end. I've heard so much about you from her--it's like I've already had the chance to be acquainted. Almost forgot we hadn't really met." She hadn't forgotten, and had in fact remained very vigilant to avoid him.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 9:51 pm
America preened under the attention. "People'd go out an buy sacks for themselves thinkin' they'd look just as cute," she agreed. The doctor's grip was firm but not challenging. "Mimsy's grown extremely in her time here and has become something a pillar of our island," he replied with a smile, "all without losing her own unique perspectives and perceptions." The moment could have been lifted from nearly any teacher-parent conference back on the mainland. "Most people don't seek me out until they have need of me." The smile remained as his eyes skimmed the length of her with clear appreciation, then slid to the girl on the table. With a slight sigh, he went on, "Many of my hunters see me as a father figure or guide, a reciprocal sentiment to be sure, but one I imagine you've no need for. You've proven most capable." The girl nodded approvingly, unaware of her own effect in limiting the boundaries of this conversation. "And so, with that in mind and your own seeming fondness of these newest and youngest of our family, I was hoping you'd accept a more formal position in watching over them. Being the figure they seek out in need."
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 5:44 am
A well-timed wink was given to America to agree with her claim, care taken to divorce the expression from the rest of the conversation with an innocence that only the younger girl seemed to be receiving. "Can't tell you how glad I am to hear that about her. Sounds like you do a good job guiding her--just the kind of person she'd been looking for." Instead of lamenting the loss of a decade and a half of these comments in actual parent-teacher conferences, Caroline was busy connecting the last few dots of what she believed to be a particularly predictable picture. "That imagination of yours is good so far, too. And all of that capability you've noticed is best used on something reciprocal, you're right - it'd be a waste anywhere it's not needed. Guess this just came down to who needed who first." Her grin was now edging beyond friendly. An acute awareness stirred in the back of her mind that she was not the one in control; again when she took no action to change that. "So--just clarification. What you're proposing is..." With the faintest quirk of one brow, she loosely folded her arms, a gesture of thoughtful conversation (and incidental asset framing). "I take a position of the counterpart to you--to your position--that fulfills those certain needs you can't in your own. Be the mother figure they look to, and you still the one in the father figure role, just like before. And together...then everyone's needs get met, right? No one left doing this alone, not hitting their full potential. Whole family's as it should be. All taken care of." The only remaining shred of evidence that she had not gotten entirely lost in the short span of just a few moments was a glance to check that America was still okay.
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Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 3:04 pm
America looked from the doctor to Caroline and thought that if she was asked to play house that she'd offer to be the beautiful older daughter who went on adventures and came home for holidays and the general praise of her loved ones. Taking care of a bunch of kids that weren't her, sounded a little lame. "It is to be hoped," he smiled with appreciation. "However, I will be requesting that each of our young charges select a secondary guardian. I would never ask you to take on such a role at the cost of your own work and advancement through the division. You've yet to have much clearance in terms of golem creation and runic programing, and it would be a terrible shame for the labs to lose your own unique insights." The teenager listened a little because she liked it when others praised the people she admired, but was very clearly bored with it already. "But the focus now is, of course, laying the ground work for these young trainees that will not only aid them now, but possibly allow us to take in younger at-risk potential hunters than we're currently able. If possible, I'd like you to create a working budget for the rest of the quarter. In addition, the school building is largely unused, so please feel free to commandeer a floor or wing for them, yourself, and whatever hunters seem suited and willing to helping educate young minds."
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