Session Start: Thu Jun 09 20:26:36 2011 <@Ked> When Jaimie and her mother finally get back to the dorm, they find her father relaxing on some cushions, admiring the view out over The Lake as the stars come out. <@Ked> [mini start] * Jaimie doesn't quite run forward to her dad, but she does walk very quickly. She knew he wasn't in the explosion, but still... "Papa, were you okay here?" ...you should have gone instead of me, Hiro. Oh, my conference with your lit teacher got cut short. No harm done. * Toshihiro takes a sip of some juice and doesn't turn around. * Jaimie huffs a relieved breath and flops down onto the couch beside him. She gives her mother a sideways glance, but doesn't say anything immediately. Lady Spoon probably thinks I'm a sidser now. Mmmm? * Jaimie blinks. "I don't think she thinks that. You asked me not to join them right in front of her." You shouldn't! But maybe I will. * Toshihiro chokes down a mouthful of juice. "Oh, dear. What happened?" Wha - not because they wouldn't let you take me? * Jaimie chokes back something more vehement and says, "That's - not really a good reason - " She didn't care a bit about me! Or you! If that's what Ladies are like, then maybe we do need to get rid of them! Uh, Jaimes, she doesn't mean that. Well, the old ones! * Jaimie 's face crimps up unhappily, and is only partly smoothed by her father's words. "She does care about me. It's just...she has to care about lots of other people, too." * Toshihiro turns back to The Lake. That might be true for your other teachers... but Spoon, now, Spoon ought to only care about the snowflakes. * Jaimie frowns in genuine confusion. "Why?" * Toshihiro shrugs. "That's what she's here for." She's got that down pat. I wasn't even a speed bump to her. * Jaimie digests that for a moment. "I...guess. But...she does try to keep us safe. The first time a dart showed up, she busted out a window to get to us." * Jaimie struggles to articulate her thoughts. "And...she has to care about...what we'll be in the future, too. Not just now. Sometimes you have to do not-safe things to learn how to be safe." * Jaimie figures this is not the time to go into the "let's go squish you and see how much you can take" experiments. One wishes that wasn't necessary with ones' children. Of course. * Jaimie sighs and nods. * Catalina walks over to the kitchen space and tidies up things that don't need tidying. I'll do it, though. * Jaimie looks after her mother, biting her lip. Do what? Get that lawyer. Even a damn publicist. * Toshihiro quirks an eyebrow. It's visible in his faint reflection off the window. * Jaimie is getting beyond the horror reaction. Now she mostly just looks tired, and sad. Bombs, dear. Mom... It's not safe. For me, or you, or anyone. Well they won't very well bomb us if I'm advocating against the damned old Ladies! You don't know that. Maybe they'd want to kill me anyway, how do we know? People who are resorting to those things are not people I would trust to make rational distinctions. What were you going to need a lawyer for, again? Getting Jaimie out of this insane asylum! * Jaimie actually manages some indignation at that. "Mom!" * Toshihiro turns around finally, and looks at Jaimie. "And what does Jaimie think about that?" Just because you're mad at the Ladies, you can't just say everyone here is crazy - Oh, come on, Jaimie, look around you! * Catalina grabs a glass and throws it! Sensibly, into a trash bin, where it smashes safely. * Jaimie freezes a little, her eyes darting from one parent to the other. "I - I can't *leave*, and leave everyone - hey! There are good people here!" Not - some of them are annoying, and some of them are mean, but that doesn't mean they deserve to die! These people are SCUM! My god, that one man, flirting with Lady Spoon! The sheer arrogance of everyone else who stepped off the train this afternoon! Mr. Sei, who thinks he knows how to run the world! This room! How much money is being thrown away in this dorm, just to play some corrupt influence game! It's. All. Rotten. * Jaimie actually jerks back, pressing herself into the couch cushions. In a very small voice she says, "Not...everyone..." I need to get back to the farm. YOU need to get back to the farm. The farm's not for everyone, love. * Jaimie has never had an argument of this magnitude with either of her parents. She's having a hard time maintaining a backbone. "I...you...you do need to go back, to harvest, and all, but..." * Jaimie twitches around. "No, I love the farm! I miss it... I just...can't go back right now." No, you can't. Because they won't let you. And I can't make them. That's not the only reason. Even if they would, even if it was safe... * Jaimie takes a deep fortifying breath. "I wouldn't go." Jaaaaaimie! And well you shouldn't. * Jaimie blinks up at her father and just barely manages a wavering smile. * Toshihiro finally stands and walks over to Catalina. "The farm isn't her world, Catalina. It wouldn't be fair to her, even if she didn't have these.... expanded options." It's enough for us! * Jaimie blinks more, this time to keep the tears back. "I would have stayed..." * Jaimie hunches, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. It's enough for you. And for me, because of you. But it's not fair to her, and it's very much not like you to try this. ...can't protect her here. We can't protect her there. * Jaimie is just watching with wide eyes, too anxious and miserable to interject. * Catalina tears up, and tries to push away. "Not fair, Hiro." I don't know about that. I suspect all parents have this problem sooner or later. * Toshihiro captures her hand before she can get around the counter. "You should apologize to Jaimie, love. This is even more unfair to her, and you're making it worse." ...yes. And I am sorry, I guess. But I'm not apologizing to Spoon! * Jaimie doesn't uncurl, but she does relax a little. Her voice barely wavers as she says, "Um...maybe I can talk to Lady Spoon. Or maybe Papa can." I think we're definitely going to keep your mother away from her the rest of the weekend. * Jaimie manages an awkward head-bob. * Toshihiro joins Jaimie back on the couch. "So. This your first bombing?" * Jaimie uncurls just a little. "Um...mine, yeah." * Jaimie 's face crumples up again as she continues that train of thought. "And they killed Sadao's parents..." Is he a friend? Not...really...I just know him, and he's nice, and... * Jaimie swallows and her arms tighten around her knees. And you've already saved his life a few times, right? I...I guess, I didn't really pay attention who was around when things showed up in the lounge, we just told everyone to run and tried...to stop it... And you did, didn't you? * Jaimie freezes again, her eyes gone wide with churning emotions. She's obviously not seeing her parents. "Yes..." That's what the very first Ladies did, too. * Jaimie blinks somewhat dazedly at her father, not sure where he's going with this. And not everyone liked them, either, did they? * Jaimie blinks more, but at least her brain is coming online. "...lots of people didn't, I guess." * Toshihiro sounds like he's telling a much younger Jaimie a bedtime story. "Things were hard. But in the end, it all worked out, right?" * Jaimie thinks about it for a moment. "It took an awfully long time..." Well, to be truthful, there never really is an end. But you know what I mean. Um...I guess? Well, even if she has her dander up, your mother and I are very proud of you, and we're sure you'll do just as well. * Catalina doesn't agree, at least not verbally, but she does walk over and grab her family into a hug. * Jaimie blinks more - astonishment, this time. "Really?" * Jaimie's head swivels from parent to parent. Mmm-hmmm. * Jaimie can't think of anything to say to that. She just leans into the hug. * Toshihiro thwaps his wife gently on the head out of Jaimie's sight. *ahem* Really. * Jaimie sits back and looks at her mom apprehensively. "So...will you not call the lawyer, and all?" * Catalina looks grim again, but glances away. You can't do that without really trying to take her away from here. If she doesn't want to go... I know, I know. But I need to do something... * Jaimie speaks out of surprise, before apprehension shuts it down. "What do you mean, you need to do something?" * Catalina smiles. "Maybe I will join the SDS after all. I'm sure that nice Masako girl will sign me up, even if she's an overdressed brat like everyone else here." * Jaimie says the first thing that comes into her head. "She didn't used to dress like that. I don't know why she started." Anyway, why would you join the SDS? You don't really like them. Maybe I didn't really understand them before. * Toshihiro smiles proudly. "I knew you'd come around to appreciating politics eventually, love." * Jaimie can't help but grin a little at that. <@Ked> [end mini] Session Close: Thu Jun 09 21:59:33 2011