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Post by Tatiana on Sept 30, 2010 22:09:32 GMT -4
Tatiana stood leaning against the doorpost. She inspected one nail. She was supposed to show some new girl around the place. And the kid was late. Just because she wasnt technically a 'teacher' or a 'counselor', people seemed to think she had all this free time. Tati liked her sleep. Healing numerous children's scrapes and booboos left her tired.
She looked up and let her eyes lazily scan the empty hallway again. She had more important things to do. Tati sighed. She supposed she would have to be nice to the girl. Her current foul mood shouldnt affect her job.
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Post by Mystique on Oct 1, 2010 9:02:48 GMT -4
"Hello. Are you Tatiana? I'm-s'posed-to-find-a-girl-named-Tatiana-and-I've-been-running-all-over-trying-to-find-somebody-to-tell-me-where-she-is-and-I-just-have-no-clue-what-this-girl-looks-like-and-I'm-so-totally-just-lost." Cue breath. "Anyways-so-like-if-you're-not-her-could-you-maybe-point-me-in-the-right-direction?"
She really hoped that this was the girl. The last girl she'd found hadn't worked out quite so well. It had taken her a while to get back to this point. Studying the girl in front of her, she realized it wasn't a girl.
Oh, she was female of course, that couldn't be hidden, but there was an aging inside of her eyes that spoke of youth lost. She was a woman, mostly by experience, though there was the carriage in her shoulders that mentioned something more. It was not her place to pry. She decided this one might be more worth the effort of trying on.
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Post by Tatiana on Oct 1, 2010 12:00:01 GMT -4
Tatiana tried not to laugh. Some people wished to be young again. She was glad to be past that stage. "Ok. yes, I am she. Just call me Tati. And pause for a minute. Im not up on tween speak." She stopped leaning on the doorpost and ponted down the long hall.
"Has anybody taken you to an empty room yet? This is where the girls dorm is of course." She smiled a little. Kids always did bring that out in her. "And now you know me, what is your name? All I was told is that a new girl needed the nickel tour." Tati rolled her eyes a little. "And since you could call me the resident "nurse"..She said the word while using the classic quote finger gestures. "That gets to be my job.
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Post by Mystique on Oct 1, 2010 12:12:14 GMT -4
Tati. The slightly exasperated tone underneath the helpful mirth held an interesting tonal resonance that she would have to practice. She was also pretty. Classically pretty the way Cleopatra before Antony was. She withdrew a stick of gum and slowed down her speech, making sure her face showed the effort.
"Um...my name is Nina. No I haven't seen any empty rooms yet except classrooms. I'm sorry they made you do all this for me. I'm...not used to that. Uh, my mommy and daddy don't live together. I like ice cream, bubble gum, and all the stuff on my backpack."
She lifted up her backpack which was covered with buttons that included Lisa Frank, Nintendo, snarky comments on life, a Gotham Swat Team logo, and other colorfully feminine buttons. While she was doing this, she fished another piece of gum from her pocket and popped a bubble.
"Want a piece?"
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Post by Tatiana on Oct 1, 2010 12:22:10 GMT -4
"Well Nina, I believe the room next to mine is empty. Ill take you down there and get you settled in." She held out a hand. "Hand me one of your bags, Ill help you carry them. Thanks for the offer of gum, but you keep it. Im not a gum person. Haha, wierd I know." Tatiana smiled. This poor kitten looked scared to death.
Back when she was this ones age, Tati had a lot of experiance taming wild kittens on the farm. They had the same look this kid did. Wide eyed and ready to run. "And Ill tell you a secret, the freezer in the kitchen is always fullof ice cream. There are guys here who are total hawgs for the stuff. And we can get some anytime we want."
Tati chose to not mention what the girl said about her parents. The kid was lucky to get away from her 'rents before serious stuff went down. "Walk with me, we are headed down to the end of this hall, then a few doors to the right." She paused to try and think of a mild conversation topic.
"So, tell me, if I may ask, what is it that brings you here?"
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Post by Mystique on Oct 1, 2010 12:30:49 GMT -4
Perfect timing. She sneezed. As the sneeze shot out of her, her whole body took on a fluorescent blue. She looked down bewildered, holding up both arms in a "need I say more?" gesture.
"Yeah...so...um...this is what brings me here. Mom said I scare her boyfriends, and Dad doesn't have time." She followed Tati, surprised at the genuine tenderness she could have for a girl she'd just met. She would make a strong ally, and secured the bond with temporary slavery as she handed her a bag.
She put on a brave smile.
"So freezers full of the stuff, huh? I'm gonna get fat. Real fat." The grin widened with determination.
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Post by Tatiana on Oct 2, 2010 11:18:14 GMT -4
"Thas what the gym is for. And for you, its required." Tatiana said with a laugh. "Its a class of course, but our gym has everything you could imagine. Great high tech stuff." She loved working with all the crazy stuff they had. "There are great trails for running outside too. I love taking abook and my ipod and just going out to read under a tree sometimes."
The young woman paused in her conversation to think of how to approach the other subject. "And I think you are gonna fit in just fine here. Most of our parents are just like yours. Mine may have been together, but they kicked me out. And just for being able to heal!" Tati shook her head. It was something she had long since stopped driving herself crazy over. Sure she was still angry. But now she could transfer that anger towards other projects.
Tati turned the corner of the hall and stopped in front of a door. "Well, if the records are right, this'n should be yours. Its a double room, but only set up for one. If we ever have to, you may get a roomie. But we have enough empty rooms for now for you to be by yourself." She opened the door and gestured for Nina to go first, "You can see you have a bed, a desk, and there are two closets, you can use both til the other would be needed."
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Post by Mystique on Oct 2, 2010 12:22:38 GMT -4
"Oh my gosh, super cool. Is there like a thingy that you can do upside down sit ups in? I saw one of those on TV once and was all 'I gotta try that'." It was easier now to call up the inane chatter she needed.
So, the classrooms weren't just for show then. She'd be following the schedule set up for her. Well, she'd been through school before. Many times before. She made a mental note to try and get things wrong on tests and not to argue with professors on certain battles. Just because she was there didn't make her right. Historians made history, not actual facts.
Glancing around the large spartan room, she decided that changes would most definitely have to be made for security's sake. A double closet was nice. She could set up her recording system there with laundry piled on top. The bugs would have to be planted later, if they could be at all. She was noticing a distinct lack of hiding places that wouldn't be noticed within her first week. Maybe the rest of the house would prove more obliging.
"Awesome. A whole room to myself and not even a single roach." She tossed her bag onto the bed and then bounced on it herself.
Spring mattress, which meant she could cut a slit under the mattress itself and avoid mangling the box spring. This would mean that anyone looking for evidence of hiding things under her bed would find an intact bottom and a well kept child's diary. She'd probably have to make a trip to town for some sundries to throw haphazardly under there to make it seem even more genuine.
"Do they let us put stuff on the walls? I got like a billion pictures of Zac Efron." She'd heard the name in passing by a group of hysterical girls during her research period and made a point to acquire the fifty some odd pictures and posters stashed inside of her bag.
She still held out her cinematic heart for James Dean and Peter O'Toole. They'd broken the molds with those two.
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Post by Tatiana on Oct 3, 2010 11:47:40 GMT -4
Tatiana tried to refrain from putting a hand to her forehead. Where did all this energy come from? "Yes, you can hang stuff up, just let me get you the right things to use. We try not to put holes in the walls and stuff like that. Theres a whole supply closet full of the small things you can ask for. Within reason of course." She paused and laughed. "And I have no idea who you are talking about." Tati reserved her walls for her favorite wrestlers. *Sigh* Lovely men in small amounts of clothing.
"Now, they will hook you up with a laptop or desktop, your choice." Tatiana pointed to the outlet in the wall. "We get wicked great highspeed here. Its heaven." She pretended to whisper. "And I got a good connection outside, that I can get you a new ipod or whatever you might want, bargain basement."
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Post by Mystique on Oct 3, 2010 12:06:14 GMT -4
"Cool beans. I want an Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010. It's got a Core i7 2.66GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 15-inch screen, and you can get it in super mega ultra pink if you order it real fast! Or any Macbook. I like 'em." She figured it was worth a shot. If the girl could get an ipod, she could find a macbook somewhere perhaps.
Now, to cement her bond with the girl. She leapt off the bed and flung her tiny arms around Tatiana's waist, burying her face in her chest.
"You're the best, Tati. I'm glad I met you." She lifted her face up happily, putting on the sweetest look imaginable. "Let's be friends forever, 'kay?"
Yes. Friends for the rest of Nina's life, however long that would be. There was a twinge of guilt in the general area of her heart, but she ignored it. This was just a stepping stone. She would be but a pawn in the overall scheme of things...but an uncomfortable sense of self loathing settled over her. She laid her head back down, not wanting to dwell at the moment.
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Post by Tatiana on Oct 4, 2010 19:10:15 GMT -4
Tatiana awkwardly patted the little head that was hugging her. Her personal bubble was very important to her, but for a kid she could make an exception. "Ah sure. Of course. And hey, Ill text that info to my 'friend' on that Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010 thing you wanted. In an icky ultra pink." She laughed.
"Sorry, that is just not my color. Ill let you know in a few days if I can get one or not." Tati explained. She paused and tried to think of something to say next. All she could think of was small unimportant things. "Soooo, is there anything else I can help you with? Any other questions on the place? Im not an expert so Ill try my best to help you."
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Post by Mystique on Oct 4, 2010 19:35:12 GMT -4
"Ah sure. Of course. And hey, Ill text that info to my 'friend' on that Apple MacBook Pro Spring 2010 thing you wanted. In an icky ultra pink. Sorry, that is just not my color. Ill let you know in a few days if I can get one or not."
That was something to look forward to at least. The hand on her head was reassuring, but notably lacking in enthusiasm. Tatiana was not the physical sort. She filed this away in the "reactions" part of her assessment. Quickly, she disengaged herself from Tatiana's waist and went back to her bag, rifling through its contents.
"Soooo, is there anything else I can help you with? Any other questions on the place? Im not an expert so Ill try my best to help you."
She turned back with a ragged leopard in her arms.There was a camera in the doll's eyes. It would be easier to keep in character if she wasn't having to register her surroundings every two minutes.
"Yes. I'm hungry. Can we go to the kitchen and get some ice cream?" she asked sweetly, putting a hand to her forehead dramatically. "I'm gonna seriously die if I don't eat something soon."
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Post by Tatiana on Oct 4, 2010 20:49:10 GMT -4
Tatiana laughed. What a little drama queen. Typical little girl. She nodded and waved a hand. "Sure sure. And I might even be able to find some of the cookies I baked the other day." Turning to walk out the door, Tati paused and turned her head. "Bring your cute little friend and we'll go find some snacks."
Being polite, Tatiana waited and shut the door behind Nina. That little stuffed animal was sorta cute, even if it did have wierdly reddish eyes. Tati had her own fair share of the things. Her best was the one she still had from when she was five. A giant teddy bear with most of the stuffing flat or gone and head barely hanging on.
"Lets stop a minute. I need to grab the cookies from my room. Big tip, if you wanna keep food around here. Hide it. There are certain boys who are complete hawgs and a half." Tati got her room key out and unlocked her door. She reached in and flicked on a light. "Close your eyes kid. I like ya, but not enough to reveal the secret cookie spot."
Waiting until she saw little eyes closed tight, Tati went quickly to her closet and got behind a pile of tshirts and grabbed her plastic cookie container. She paused only long enough to give some seed to her new little pet mouse, Zuma. "Ok Nina. You can open your eyes and pick a cookie if you want. Ive got classic chocolate chip and seasonal pumpkin cookies." Tatiana described the choices as she closed and locked her door.
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Post by Mystique on Oct 5, 2010 11:57:50 GMT -4
She closed her eyes tightly, allowing the doll to do its work. She used the time to slowly fade the fluorescent blue from her skin. The smell of ammonia wafted lightly on the air. Either Tatiana had unsettling living habits, or she kept a pet from the rodent family. She filed this information under "things to check into later".
"Ok Nina. You can open your eyes and pick a cookie if you want. Ive got classic chocolate chip and seasonal pumpkin cookies." Tati's voice called out to her, notably cheerier than it had been while they'd been navigating her own room. Security lay in the known and easily defended.
She popped her eyes open and looked with genuine surprise at the container full of cookies. Smacking her lips with a child's anticipation she greedily asked for both, extending out her hand for the offering while keeping a tight grip on the leopard.
If it could be said that Mystique possessed a weakness, it was for homemade confections and meals. Years of living on a diet consisting of room service (and not always the best of it either), fast food, and military rations in all stages of ripeness, had developed the unhealthy gluttony that spawned in the face of fresh baked cookies, sandwiches undeveloped in their plastic sheaths in fridges, and noodles you actually boiled. She remembered once the time she'd almost missed her mark because she'd taken an extra 15 minutes out of her day to stop in a local bakery that prided itself on their handmade goods.
This school was going to be her heaven and her hell it seemed, if she could not control her stomach.
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