[video]

[10_20_15_5_50]

[Standing in her apartment, Sam is smiling, if a little uncertainly, as she leans away from a silvery snout; there’s a robotic moose nosing at her shoulder, like a horse hoping for a treat. It’s friendly enough, having done no worse than nose, but it’s the last thing she expected to find in her previously moose-free living room.]

The moose is not, itself, a problem. The moose is alright. The moose being trapped in my apartment because it can’t quiiite fit through the door, though---that is a problem. It doesn’t seem antsy or anything, but this is still too small a space for something its size.

Comments

[10_20_15_5_50]

You look almost exactly the way I felt. [Which is enough to warrant a small smile... and a shoulder-bumping lean, in assurance.] I was snowblind. It's... basically like a sunburn on your eyes from all the light reflected off the snow. It takes a while after ah, adequate exposure for the blindness to actually set in. Walking back, I took time enough---y'know, helmet off with it being a nice, sunny day---and while I was sleeping, that was the second window.

This, of course, occurred to me after I still don't know how long. [She shakes her head, huffing what can't quite qualify as a little laugh.] I came so close to throwing up on nerves, man. I might've, actually, if I didn't scream for my mom when I did.

[diagnosispuberty]

[Hiro's quiet for a moment, taking this in, then, very gently, returning the shoulder-bump.]

Did...did it go away?

[10_20_15_5_50]

Oh, yeah. Just took two days to be clearing and made for a shitty New Year's Eve. We beat the rush to the ER cause it was only about supper time, but getting the professional prognosis wasn't as reassuring as it should've been. I've been on the receiving end of some... seriously unsatisfactory medical attention before, so the entire time I was being assessed I could only think 'Christ, what if this one's as bad as the last?'

[diagnosispuberty]

...what happened the last time? [Hiro is starting to get indignant on your behalf, Sam.]

[10_20_15_5_50]

[She scowls---not at the question, but at the memory.]

They didn't set my leg quite right. Never needed a cast on anything before so I had no basis for comparison, or idea how long the ache ought've been, and somehow this "critical incident" was caught only after the cast came off. It had the option of having it reset, but same place? Same staff? Fuck that noise, they had their shot.

[a_little_red_in_the_face]

Yeah, pretty much. We'll figure something out. Not like it'll die if it doesn't get out, at least.

[diagnosispuberty]

[Have some wide-eyed horror from future child who's used to robots doing most medical procedures.]

Did you sue them?

[10_20_15_5_50]

We were advised against trying to until or unless how fixable it was with resetting could be ascertained, so... no. Cause I was like 'well, that's not happening any time soon, cause it's not happening here, and I just got the cast off, and it's just now getting nice out.'

No time's a good time to bust a limb, but spring and summer would be the worst, and I really wasn't keen on round two. Kind of lost out consequently, but the settlement sum we did get is what let me get my beater---a surbuban---at sixteen, and all set up.

[10_20_15_5_50]

[Getting plural there---but Sam doesn't say anything about it, just grins. It's very Breakdown, and besides, she's happy to have him on-board for anything.]

Or even uncomfortable. And y'know what? I'm actually kind of excited about this because it could be kind of a fun little project. Also, because what the hell, now I have a moose buddy.

[diagnosispuberty]

...hmph. [Hiro would suggest going back and suing again, but. They sort of can't.

And anyways:] So what happened? After you got all...blind and stuff?

[a_little_red_in_the_face]

[Yes plural. You realize you could ask this big lug to do anything for you, right?]

Glad you’re happy with your new pet. I don’t know what to make of mine. [Pointing at his shoulder. See that thing wrapped around a spike? Yeah that. He doesn’t know what it is or what to make of it.]

[10_20_15_5_50]

[It's become crystal clear. It's one reason why she's thrown in with Breakdown, the other reasons by and large being everything he's already done for her.]

It's cute! Like a weird artichoke anteater thing, but cute. And big. For something that looks like a natural-if-exotic animal. Damn.

[10_20_15_5_50]

[Sam starts to say something, but huffs and presses a hand to her face. It doesn't hide that she's sort-of smiling, though.]

I'm sorry. I'm not telling this very well. [She drops her hand, and gives Hiro a look that's all earnestness.] I haven't had a whole lot of practice.

I screamed for my mom, like I said. When she came in, I could see her---but only insofar as I could still see her aura.

I probably have a good deal of explaining to do now, don't I? Saying 'still.'

[diagnosispuberty]

It's...sort of out of order, yeah. [Have a small grin, and another very gentle elbow-nudge.] It's cool. Like one of those really confusing old movies. [...he's probably talking about "Inception".]

...uh. Also "aura". Explain that part first, actually.

[10_20_15_5_50]

I'm still bummed we have't found Memento. [Have an elbow-bump back as she just... sorta tosses that out there.] But, alright.

A person's aura is... sort of like the emotional atmosphere coming off them, but it's not just that, because aspects of have some, ah, signifiers reflecting their physical condition. Or conditions, if they've got something going on. It looks a little like the 'aura' in Kirlian photography, if you've ever seen some of that.

[a_little_red_in_the_face]

I have no idea what you just said, but I’ll take your word for it.

I’m guessing you don’t really know what it is either?

[10_20_15_5_50]

Someday I'll show you an artichoke, but yeah, okay. And not really? Other than it looks like it should eat termites or something and is probably from Africa or some other hot place.

[diagnosispuberty]

Patience, grasshopper. All we need is patience.

[Hiro frowns, scrunching up his face in thought.] So it's...sort of like...an outline? That...tells you stuff?

[10_20_15_5_50]

And luck, if we wanna find it before I'm fifty.

[Sam nods, smiling a little as Hiro speaks.]

Yeah. It's like the photographs and not like the photographs cause they're pretty dynamic. Cross the photo outlines with wisps of smoke, and you'd come closer to a fair fit because that's kind of how they waver? Waver's not the word I want, but it's close enough. Bottom line, auras aren't static.

[diagnosispuberty]

...have you always been able to see them? Were you born with it, or...struck by lightning or something? [Are you the kid from the Sixth Sense, Sam?]

[10_20_15_5_50]

I've always been able to see them, but I've gotten better at picking up what's there to be picked up as I've gotten older. Looking at an aura is a little like looking at a page of print; you might catch a few words in a passing glance, but you have to pause and focus to read what's there to be read. Or at least, I do. [She snorts, shaking her head.] Spent a lot of time in libraries as a kid trying to find something, anything on auras that meshed for me, but no dice.

[diagnosispuberty]

...yeah, I, uh. I guess you can't really Google "I see fuzzy stuff around people, what does it mean?", huh.

[10_20_15_5_50]

Yeah... [Even so, the thought---and the memories---prompt a wry smile.] A lot of my life has been 'the hell am I looking at, here?' though it's nothing to know the regular ropes, cause this has just always been there for me.

As far as I found, just me.

[She draws a breath, shifting a little where she sits.]

...which is what scared me on the second day.

[a_little_red_in_the_face]

[He turns his head to study it....it seems to be studying him back.]

.....It’s weird. You should see it walk.

[10_20_15_5_50]

At least it seems pretty friendly? [Which is good, because she's not going to be able to resist trying to pet it.] And why's that, what's it do?