>>3525922
life has got to be shitting me, because my laptops battery ran out in the one minute between posting the op and first post to continue the quest...
now I got to wait until I'm home because I can't delete it either... because it's a different browser ID, (but same IP I made my phone a Hotspot)

update will come in about... 7 hours when I'm home and can charge

and yes, I ignoted my battery getting low but gambled anyway...
point at me and laugh

>>3525931
No problem kek
Good to have you back

>>3525931
*points*

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

You lean back in the chair and try to relax somewhat while Dr. Carter dials the number. “I will put it on speaker so you could chime in at any point, but let me do the talking in the beginning, as we agreed on.” You nod and let her work the machine. She hits only the symbols for the green telephone and then a speaker and you can hear the dial tone while you wait for the person on the other end to pick up.

Eventually you hear someone pick up and cheerfully announce, “Miller residence, Angie here.”

“Good afternoon, Angela. I’m Dr. Amanda Carter with Child Protective Services, how are you doing?”

“Oh! Ah... I- Hello Dr... Carter was it? I- uhm... didn’t expect anyone from CPS to call. What’s the matter?”

The only person this Angie, or Angela, could be was the 17 year old foster kid the Millers currently care for. And, quite obviously, she expected someone else to call because her demeanour took a 180 after Dr. Carter announced herself. And they weren’t familiar with one another, which means Angela got to the Millers... No, you can’t make any verdict. Dr. Carter was simply the first one on scene, it’s not like you know of a specialisation of her to say anything for sure. You really shouldn’t even try to form a verdict in any manner yet, but it would be nice to know what type of foster kids the Millers have taken in previously.

“Don’t worry, you are not in trouble, Angela. I’m calling on behalf of a pair of siblings in need of a home.”

“Oh, I see...”

“Your parents, David and Samantha come with stellar recommendations, so I thought I’d inquire with them, but since I have you with me – Would you like a younger brother or sister?”

This is awkward. Naturally the Millers would ask the girl in their care for her opinion too and it would probably be one of the key factors. But now that you are facing the person who, even if the Millers would agree, is able to make it a deal breaker, you get nervous again.

“I- uhh... I don’t know? Like – you know – it’s not like... you know, I did... think it was, like, a possibility, but- I mean, I’m glad I’m with Sam and Dave, and... it’s not like I don’t want to share them... I just, kinda... It comes out of nowhere, you know?”

>Say nothing and let Dr. Carter talk.

>Interfere: mix and match:
>>“Hi Angela,”
>>“Hi Angie,”

>>“Sorry for interrupting.”
>>Don’t apologize for interrupting

>>“Dr. Carter put us on speakerphone, so I kinda feel bad for listening and not saying anything.”
>>“Dr. Carter put us on speakerphone. We did so because- for transparency, we expected Mr. or Mrs. Miller, and I could pitch in at any time.”

>>Introduce yourself formally. “My name’s Christopher Connors.”
>>Introduce yourself casually. “I’m Chris.”
>>Introduce yourself with a joke “My name’s Chris. Christopher, actually. Chris for short, and Christoph for medium.”

>>[write-in] what to say to Angela.

>>3526476
>Don't say anything yet

>>3526476
>Don't say anything yet
Let her decide. We shouldn't interfere.

>>3526476
Look at doctor carter and mouth "should I say something?"

>if she sais no
we stay quiet and let her do her thing, she is probably way more experienced with this than we are

>if she nods or says yes

>>“Hi Angela,”
>>“Sorry for interrupting.”
>>“Dr. Carter put us on speakerphone, so I kinda feel bad for listening and not saying anything.”
>>Introduce yourself casually. “I’m Chris.”

>>[write-in] what to say to Angela.
My sister's Cam, we are the ones looking for a place, I'm sorry to drop this on you, it must be hella weird, it is for me too, I just thought that the Millers sounded really nice from what I read and wanted to know more about them, aeht fi dny would like to give us a chance.

>>3526527
Support if we get to talk at some point, otherwise stay quiet

You nod to the doctor to get her attention and then to the telephone itself before mouthing to her mouth “Should I say something?”

In response she does a slight head tilt, maybe half a shrug before gesturing with her open palm to the phone. A gesture you can only interpret as her merely stating that this is always an option you have, yet nothing you have to do.

But that’s the problem with choices. It’s easier if someone else tells you what to do and you’re also not responsible for the outcome.

That didn’t get you anywhere other than a self lecture about choices and responsibility.

You bite your lip. Indecision is not an option, you’re either actively waiting for one of the Miller parents or go in...

>same choices as above

>>3526559
>>>“Hi Angela,”
>>>“Sorry for interrupting.”
>>>“Dr. Carter put us on speakerphone, so I kinda feel bad for listening and not saying anything.”
>>>Introduce yourself casually. “I’m Chris.”
>>>[write-in] what to say to Angela.
>My sister's Cam, we are the ones looking for a place, I'm sorry to drop this on you, it must be hella weird, it is for me too, I just thought that the Millers sounded really nice from what I read and wanted to know more about them, aeht fi dny would like to give us a chance.

I say we should, I don't know, but I think I'm alone on this

>>3526559
>>3526568
Alright, I'll support this high effort post

>>3526568
support good quality

>>3526568
>>3526572
>>3526609
writing

You nod to Dr. Carter and wait for Angela finishes her stuttering. It was kinda cute and her voice sounds much younger, not unlike Cam if she would talk that much, but Cam forms her thoughts before voicing them.

“Hi Angela, sorry for interrupting.” First be polite and then explain why you even pitch in. “Dr. Carter just put us on speakerphone, and now that I hear you, I kinda feel bad for just listening and not saying anything.”

“Oh- uhm... hello... you?”

Shit, you should have started with introducing yourself as well. “I’m Chris, the-” idiot who wants to live in your house and already heard you stutter awkwardly. “boy in question who...” How do you even phrase that? “also wants to be in the Millers care.” You try to say it as decisive as possible. Show some confidence. “My sister too, of course.”, you continue. “ Her name's Cam. And we are look for a place.”

“I see...” she plainly states. Most likely she was quite in thought herself.

“I'm sorry to drop this on you.”

“Uhh... it’s not on me though, is it?”

“Well, I-”, you bite your lip, “It’s in question whether or not the Millers even want to take in another kid, let alone two... I can kinda imagine that the first thing they’d do is ask the one kid that’s already in their care... So, I’m sorry to drop this on you,” you repeat. “Must be hella weird. It is for me too, to ask someone approximately my age if I can move in with them.”

“My age? How old are you?”

“Sixteen”, you answer, “so a year younger than you.” You feel like you put out major weirdo vibes, knowing how old she is. It only would beg her to question what else you know about her. “But that’s really the only thing I know about you, or rather, it’s about the Millers. That they have a 17 year old girl in their care.”

“I see.” Again, she doesn’t give you much to work with.

“I just thought... the Millers sound really nice, from what I read.” Your confidence was dwindling, and you look to Dr. Carter who gestures you to continue. “But they may not even want to take in more kids. So, before I get my hopes too far up, we thought we just give them- you a call and ask. And, you know, I also want to know more about them, besides things that stand in some document.”

>>3528803
There was a little awkward silence and you look to Dr. Carter again before you hear an “Okay.” from the other end of the line.

Okay? What does that even mean? She’s going to get either of the Millers to the phone, you guess. But you don’t know how she actually feels about it.

“David!” you hear her call out, muffled by her hand, you guess. You also note that she is on a first name basis with them. No ‘mom’ or ‘dad’ for her. But that’s probably just fine. “Someone from CPS’s on the phone!” Removing her hand from the phone on her end she talks normally again. “He’s coming. David – Mr. Miller, I mean.”

“O-okay”, you return the vague answer she gave you earlier unintentionally.

“Thank you, Angela”, Dr. Carter chimes in and you quickly mimic her.

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

“No problem”, she responds and you are left with a somewhat awkward silence. But that didn’t last long since she then says. “He’s... in the middle of something so he’ll come soon.”

Didn’t she say he was coming just before? Guess he must have changed his mind or something...

How to pass the time?
>Offer to call back later/have him call you.
>Address that she was waiting for a phonecall herself.
>Talk about something with her - [write-in]

>>3528807
Aaaaand he's clearly up to no good, or he's just a bad parent. Though I find it suspicious that she calls him David, maybe he's not too bad.

Drinker perhaps? Maybe he's just old.

>"Is it easy to get around over there? I wouldn't want to make you late for something."
>"It's just that you we're expecting a call, er, sorry. I thought you might be going out."
>"I'd hate to inconvenience you."

Going full shy guy.
Plus it'd be hand to figuring this girl out.

>>3528807
"Were you waiting for a call or....? We can call back in a bit, no worries."

>>3528807
"So...if you don't mind me asking...how are they?"

>>3528823
I like what you put up but I don't like the last one, we are already being a major inconvenience, so I would not like to say something like that

File: frog.gif (182 KB, 226x224)

182 KB GIF

>>3528864
Well we could remove that last bit anon.

>>3528885
>>3528864
>>3528823
I'mm ok with it

>>3528807
>Address that she was waiting for a phone call herself

We could call back later

>>3528823
>"Is it easy to get around over there?
I'm not quite sure what you mean with that. Forgive my sub-par english skills, it's just a second language for me.
I can only guess it being somewhat slang or a regular metaphor, but I want to know if my guess is correct.
literally: having an easy time in the environment, which means you're asking if they are good to her?

>>3529018
Oh no worries Int.
I guess you could phrase it as 'you're asking if they are good to her?' but I was literally asking how easy it is for her to travel around from the house.

Er, as in how is the public transport? Are there shops nearby? Do you meet up nearby to where you live or do you travel far to meet up with friends.

>>3529025
ah, okay
my thought process is way too complicated for my own good
now I feel awkward for not having read it literally
but it's also a really weird first question to ask...

>>3528823
>>3528864
>>3528885
>>3528950
writing

>>3529072
>but it's also a really weird first question to ask...
Oh. Extremely. :)

>>3529090
Oh comon anon, don't make us look like a creep, i had understood it like the qm did

>>3529288
Oh wait really?
QM abort mission! Interpret it how you understood it!

>>3529288
>>3529299
now what was all the research I did just now on american suburbs for?
Only for my Cities Skylines skills?
It's not like I enjoyed it and got sidetracked.
What do I look like? Like someone who sends pictures of interchanges to my love interest?

nope, it shall not be done in vain. I used it like it was told to me. But that doesn't mean Angela interpreted the question like that as well
Unfortunately my head aches and I should go to sleep. Update wasn't nearing completion, so... see you tomorrow

>>3529339
Thanks for running cya

>>3529299
No worries dude

>>3529339
God I know the feeling. Occasionally I check out cities in Google Earth 3d when I want to appreciate the view.

Sorry to make you work QM. Have a good rest!

You look up to Dr. Carter who voices ‘talk’ to you. Right. Make conversation.

“Sooo... Is it easy to get around over there? I wouldn’t want to make you late for something.”

“I- what?”, she seems confused, before saying: “They are alright.”

“What? I- huh? I was asking about Tall Oaks. I barely know anything about the city.” Seeing Dr. Carters frown you realize how out of context you may sound so you clarify. “It’s just that you we're expecting a call, right? I thought you might-”

“No!” Angela interrupts you. “I, like, had no plans- have no plans.”

Once more your eyes dart to Dr. Carter who raises her eyebrows a little but then shakes her head. So you probably shouldn’t press the issue. Don’t antagonize her already.

“But still, is it easy getting around over there? Public transport and shopw near where you live...” After the words come out of your mouth you realize that you probably inherited your fathers Chevy. Not that you have a drivers license, but you already know how to drive somewhat, so that won’t be far out.

“W-Well... there’s the bus... if you want to go down town. Otherwise, like, a Best Buy, Home Depot, a deli just... maybe half an hour away...? I dunno. Is- Is that really what you want to ask?”

"I mean- I guess not.” You just wanted to know both your escape options and “So... how are they?"

There was a small pause before she repeats her words from earlier. “They are... great.” That was odd. “Here he comes. It’s the boy himself on the other end.”

The last bit was quieter and you were confused for a moment before you realize that she probably spoke to- “David Miller speaking.”

You gulp. Feeling like you just put one foot after the other in your mouth your confidence has dramatically sunken.

>Let Dr. Carter talk first to explain the situation.
>Greet him. 1D100 then continue with previously (last thread) agreed upon terms
>>TN: 30 “Hello, Mr. Miller.”
>>Free or Fail “Hello, Sir.” (Chris would subconsciously say that to a figure of authority)
>>also [write-in]

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>3530607
well she said it was us on the other end
>Greet him. 1D100 then continue with previously (last thread) agreed upon terms
>>TN: 30 “Hello, Mr. Miller.”

but let Mrs. Carter get the first things, just introduce ourselves and then let her talk before we start answering qustions or talking with him

>>3530607
>Greet him. 1D100 then continue with previously (last thread) agreed upon terms
oh boy this ain't lookin too good.

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>3530607
>Greet him. 1D100 then continue with previously (last thread) agreed upon terms

>>3530631
>39
should probably have mentioned my quest is roll low too, we did roll in the first thread and I skipped out on them, but whatever
Sir, it is

>>3530631
>>3530659
>>3530668
writing soon(tm) doing weekend stuff first

“Hello, Sir.” Don’t call him ‘sir’, it’s weird! “Mr. Miller. I’m Chris... topher. Christopher.” God fucking damnit, you’re an idiot. “My sister and I are currently looking for a... home.” You feel out of breath. On one hand you wanted to just say ‘place to stay’, but then you felt that ‘home’ was the way to go.

David chuckles slightly on the other end. “Hello Christopher. How are you?”

You sigh, “Fine... I dunno”, you feel for your heartbeat, but it doesn’t tell you really anything. “Nervous now, I guess.”

“I can understand that, heh. It’s not often that, when the system lets the kid call people themselves. Is your sister with you?”

“No, she’s in a safe house right now. She barely slept so... Well I hope she’s catching up on that sleep now.”

“Little sister, I take it? How old?”

“Cam is eleven.” you answer him, and also name her, making him form some attachment, “and I’m sixteen, by the way.”

“Mhm...” he thinks for a moment. “A safe house, you said. Does that mean you ran from home or something?”

“No, we- err... orphaned.”

“My condolences.” he says sincerely and gives you a little pause. “It must be hard on you. But you seem pretty well adjusted, calling people by your own volition.”

“Let me clear that up.” Dr. Carter clears her throat. “Good day, Mr. Miller. I’m Dr. Carter with Child Protective Services and I was just going over potential homes with Chris here. We meant to let me talk first to get the explanation out of the way. But since Angela picked up the phone Chris showed initiative and meant to get to know her a little bit.”

“Yes, I thought it was something like that”, he says. “however, my wife and I, we did not really plan to take in another child, let alone two.”

>Accept his decision.
>Argue. How? [write-in]

>>3533209
"That's unfortunate but, we really would, I mean....no, right, I understand...."

I don't know how to argue about please let us stay.

Maybe mention that we thougjt about them since we could stay at the same school around there and they seemed like nice people fron what we read

>>3533209
"I see...That's one of the reasons Dr. Carter and I decided to call, I did not want to get my hopes up before talking with you, sir."

sad Chris is sad

>>3533209
[Sad Chris noises]

"That's okay.. we we're just calling so I wouldn't get my hopes up. I understand...."

>>3533209
>Accept

He's gonna resent us if we argue our way into his home

>>3533246
>>3533267
>>3533275
I'm getting guilt trippy vibes since none of you guys actually >accept

>>3533844
It's actually a form of accepting that I meant, sorry
wouldn't want to guilt trip the guy, if he doesn't want it it's fine, we should not force someone to accept us

>>3533844
>guilt trippy vibes
Maaaaaaybe

>>3533844
Not much guilty tripping but earnest desire to stay there, my argumebtd were for that, but only use them if he leaves and opening to talk about the school and stuff

Guilty tripping won't work, he raised some kids already, kids that all had sad backstories, more than one of them must have used it to try and get something out of guilt from him, he can probably smell that from miles

So no, no guilty tripping

>accept for now

His answer wasn't that final, if he leaves an opening we can explain our case

While you tried not to get your hopes up too much, this was still a punch in the gut. “That’s... unfortunate”, you say and look away from the phone. You could always guilt trip him. “It’s just that you live in a school district where I wouldn’t be separated from Cam and... No, I understand. Dr. Carter already said that. I shouldn’t have- We called just to not get my hopes up.”

You can hear him breath out in semblance of a chuckle. “I raised a few kids, I know when someone’s trying to manipulate me, Chris.”

Manipulate...

Your open your mouth slightly in shock. “I’m sorry... I really didn’t mean to... fuck. Sorry. It’s... my father he was manipulative, and I- I don’t...” You sigh. “My sister and I need someone to accept us, and I can’t force that on anyone.”

You haven’t talked a lot about your father with Dr. Carter. The whole mind control thing was nothing you could tell anyone. But she knows when you need words of encouragement. “You’re not like your father, Chris.”

“Hold on,” Mr. Miller speaks up, “you’re sixteen, call potential foster parents yourself and have moral maturity. Impressive, I’d say. Plans can be adjusted, but I got to know. What’s your catch?”

>[write-in]

>>3534065
"I have a court date set, maybe I won't stay much with you, but Cam could really use a place to stay if you want to know more I would talk, but....not over the phone"

I'm really not sure about this but he would have to know eventually
if anyone objects to telling him this I retract my vote
think of me as that compelling force to tell the truth but that can be drowned out by the desire to please the adult

>>3534080
I kind of want to talk to but I'm scared of scaring him off, he figured us out quite quickly and there are not many foster parebts that would take us in if they knew what we did.

>>3534065
We have a catch?
Is that like our drawback or is it our prime selling point
If it's our drawback... Idk, trust issues and anxiety?

>>3534065
Err... We're overprotective? Have trust issues?

>>3534929
>>3534823
we killed our dad, that's our catch

>>3534945
This.

>>3534823
a catch is a trap.When something sounds too good to be true there "has to be a catch"

>>3534823
Trust issues is something you're aware of, but seems more normal to you
Anxiety you wouldn't know
>>3534929
And over protectiveness... also is not really what you'd say your catch is.

The only real thing that pops into mind like a signal flare is that you killed your dad, so I'll go with >>3534080 keeping >>3534155 in mind

“That’s... kinda...” You don’t want to scare him off, not when he already gave you that much lenience. But he would have to know eventually. But didn’t you say you wanted to be honest? You wanted to talk around it. “I have a court date next week.”

“Huh...” , David lets out. You can tell he wants to tell what about, but he was seemingly smart enough to know you haven’t told it in full for a reason. That’s why his next question was: “Do you regret what you have done?”

“No.” It doesn’t take you long to answer. “I’d probably do so again, even if I wouldn’t get away with it more than once.” You sigh. “Well, I don’t even know if I get away with it this once, so I don’t even know if I’d come home from the court, but I need someone to look after my sister.”

There was quite a pause, but Dr. Carter gives you a smile and nod. You did your best without lying.

“Well then, I’m sorry to inform you that you labour under the wrong impression of the foster care system. This is not adoption. Parents can’t pick their kids and not the other way around either. When my wife and I get assigned two new kids while still being listed as people who look to take in kids, there’s not much we can do about it. Without that being quite a hassle, that is.”

“Wha- What are you saying?”, you know what he’s saying, but...

“You know my wife is really looking forward to that round-the-world trip we’re planning, once Angela could care for herself. Would be a shame if there were more people to take care of. I better get around to filing those papers... eventually.”

“I am a kid, I know when someone’s trying to manipulate me, David.” It kinda hurts you to say those words, but you think they are in good fun, throwing them back at him. Now that he is guilt tripping you. Sarcastically, of course, but still valid enough.

“You’re quite the smartass, aren’t you?”

>“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
>“Takes one to know one.”
>“I plead the fifth.”

>>3536221
>“Takes one to know one.”

I think he is doing it in good fun

>>3536221
>“I plead the fifth.”

>>3536221
>>“I plead the fifth.”

>>3536221
>“I plead the fifth.”

>>3536230
I think so too but that quip is crossing the line.

Takes one to know one. No, you can’t say that. “I plead the fifth.”

“I suppose you would...”, Mr. Miller pauses shortly, “I trust I’ll be hearing from you?”

“Yeah, I guess. Sorry ‘bout your trip.”

“As I said, plans can be adjusted, Good Bye.”

“Bye.” you say, not quite believing it to have been so easy... On the other hand, it was a bit of a roller-coaster of emotions. He does seem great, like what Angela’s words made him out to be. But there had been that hesitation in her voice.

“Thank you, Mr. Miller”, Dr. Carter says instead of a regular farewell.

“Err. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Miller”, you quickly add.

“No worries”, he says before hanging up.

“Why, that went quite well, did it not?” Dr. Carter asks you. “Should I set up the documents for them? Because, he was right, once someone has kids assigned to them one can’t get rid of them again that easily.”

>“Yes.”
>“I dunno... on second thought, I’m not sure anymore.”

>>3537477
>“Yes.”
trauma time 2.0.

>>3537477
>>“Yes.”

>>3537477
>yes

Inb4 he just accepted because he can molest Cam now that Angela is leaving and he can't molest her anymore

>>3537489
>>3537516
do you actually want to be paranoid in game or just fooling around a bit?
I guess you're writing yes, so...

>>3537538
Nah, I'm just fooling around Int. No need to worry.
Though it would fit our character to be paranoid...

>>3537538
Fooling around, but of course Cris will be a littlw on the cautious side until he believes they are really great as Angela said

>>3537540
>>3537630
>until he believes they are really great as Angela said
yeah, it's not like David and Dr. Carter were listening in when she said that

>>3537489
>>3537510
>>3537516
>yes
ok, writing

>>3537776
Lets see if she warns about something us when we are alone
We can even say we thought she was going to say something else but with both Carter and Miller there she couldn't

>>3537788
He wasn't there at the start of the call, unless elaborate hijinks were involved. Whatever we have superpowers we'll deal.

Even though you had reservations, like Angela’s hesitant ‘they are great’ while she knew that both Dr. Carter and Mr. Miller were able to listen in. You will have to talk to her alone as soon as you have the opportunity.

What are you even worried about? You heal from any wound, and by extent would Cam, and she, all by herself, could beat Jimmy Hoffa in a hide and seek contest.

You nod. “Yes.” What’s the worst that could happen?

__________________________________________________________________________

“And that’s why I think we will be fine.” you finish your explanation to Cam who had been scribbling in a notebook.

“What if they are super villains?”, Cam wonders, not setting the pen of the sheet for even a second, nor even looking at you.

“Well”, your eyes widen a little, “there’s always that.”

>“What are the odds we get super villain parentage twice in a row?”
>“We can make each other invisible and heal from any wound.”
>[write-in]

>>3538292
>“We can make each other invisible and heal from any wound.”
>"They have a girl, if they are supervillains then we need to save her from them."

>>3538292
>"What are the odds? If supers were so common they'd have made the news by now."

>>3538301
this

we can just disappear if we want

>“We can make each other invisible and heal from any wound. Our powers are perfect for running away from the bad guys. But hey, they have a girl with them already. So if they really are super villains, our first task will be to save her, right?”

Cam looks up to you and nods.

“Buuut I don’t think so. I mean, what are the odds? If supers were so common they'd have made the news by now.”

“They’d keep it secret... like we will?”

That last bit was more of a question than a statement. You already

>“Yes, it’s for the best.”
>“Yes, we, and probably everyone with powers, will keep them secret.”
>“I’m not so sure. We’d be seen as crazy, so we would have to find people who we can trust.”

>>3539928
>“Yes, we, and probably everyone with powers, will keep them secret.”
There are some dangerous people in the world, they won't care that we're human. They might test us, cut us up.

>>3539928
>>“Yes, we, and probably everyone with powers, will keep them secret.”

>>3539931
let's not talk about cutting up with the knife wound trauma victim

>>3539928

>“Yes, we, and probably everyone with powers, will keep them secret.”

>>3539931
>>3539936
>>3539937
seems unanimous

“Yes, we, and probably everyone with powers, will keep them secret.”

Cam nods again and looks down to draw in her notebook again.

You continue to watch her doodle for a while until your eyes get heavy. It was quite relaxing. For the moment you don’t really think you have to worry about anything. Whatever will come, you’re quite sure you’ll be able to get through it.

“I’m gonna head to bed, Cam”, you tell her, “You shouldn’t stay up too late either, okay? Tomorrow we have a big day ahead of us.”

If it were any other person you’d think no response would be quite rude, but since it was Cam, it was her usual self. You stop in the door to look back at her. You don’t want her to change, but you also want her to not be regarded as rude or too weird by other people.

>Address it somehow [write-in]
>Just say “Good Night” and leave

>>3540157
>"Love you."
Maybe she'll say it back, maybe she won't. Doesn't really matter.

>>3540157
Backing
>>3540165

Not the best time to address her social shortcomings

>>3540165
Sure and add a good night too

While there will be times to address her social shortcomings, this certainly wasn’t it. You want to rouse some verbal response from her and you know what to say. You smile. “Love you.”

Cam freezes. Not quite the reaction you expected. She then glances up to you and opens her mouth but doesn’t say anything. After looking around for a moment she smiles up to you, giving you an affirmative nod and mumbling something, which you understand as a ‘me too’.

“Good night, Cam”, you give her a small wave.

“Night.” she responds quietly, but at least audibly.

You give her a last nod before leaving for your bedroom, freely letting out a yawn. While you have a lot of free time you constantly wait for something to happen, an appoint or whatever, not giving you real time to relax. It feels like you’re constantly on edge.

Gosh. You yawn again before you even reach the door. Yawns can get really annoying.

You fall asleep quite fast.

__________________________________________________________________________

You wake up with a headache. And figuring from the night sky it was nowhere close to waking hours. But some part of your mind knows it’s not supposed to see the stars.

There was this joke. Two people go camping and wake in the night. One asks the other what he thinks when seeing the stars. Depending on who tells the joke it might be aliens or the beauty of gods world. But that answer doesn’t matter for the punchline of the joke. It’s the second person that points out that their tent must have been stolen for them to be able to see the stars.

You chuckle slightly.

You are not in a tent.

You you turn around in your sheets and try to get comfy in your semi translucent bed again. Only when your eyes fall on Cam, tossing and turning around inside her bed on the other side of the room your brain kicks in.

Quickly moving, you fall out of bed. Simply rolling further, you get free from your blanket and jump up.

Cam is using her powers in her sleep. She was flickering in and out of existence, most of the time taking more than just herself with it.

You’ve got to do something.

>[write-in]

>>3540367
>Hold her hand and see if we can halt her power with our own.

If we're good enough then maybe introduce a permanent trigger for the power to activate.. Something like putting her fingers to her temple?

>>3540367
>Go wake her up and tell her what she was doing

>>3540374
I thought we had already experimented and found that even the first part wouldn't work.

>>3540394
Ah okay.
Switching to
>Try and calm her down as she sleeps.

>>3540394
>I thought we had already experimented and found that even the first part wouldn't work.
what you have experimented was taking invisibility away as an effect on a body, you only took invisibility from a finger, and it did work, but she simply redid the invisibility then

>>3540400
Oh. So then

Hold her hand and see if we can halt her power from activating with our own / introduce a permanent trigger for the power to activate.
is still an option?
If so then my vote will stick with that.

>>3540406
You wouldn't know how to take invisibility away from a bed to transfer it to your own bed.
Your power is on your own body alone.

What you can do is try to heal away her brain thingy, but you opted out of doing that last time.

And you have no idea how you would insert a trigger like you'd call it

>>3540411
It's been a while, I forget. Did we sense that we had a brain thing of our own with our power? If so I don't want to risk perma depowering her.

>>3540367
Let's jusy go to her, hold her hand and maybe try to calm her sleep, maybe she is doing that because she is trying to escape something from her nightmares

>>3540414
yes you have a brain thingy of your own and that was the fear you had last time, perma depowering her

>>3540423
I mean this>>3540398
basicly, calm her down, hold her and talk with her to calm her

>try to calm her but not wake her
writing

>>3540509
or not.
unconsciousness embraces me

see you guys tomorrow

>>3540626
Thanks for running see ya

“Cam.” You whisper quietly. You don’t want to wake her, but you still want her to know you’re there for her. “Shhh...”

You move a hand up to lightly touch hers. The one that’s currently gripping onto the sheets. You never really tried something like that before, so you have no real idea on what to do.

Julia- no, you’ll not ask her. What a stupid thought, she would be asleep as well, and you rather wake up Cam. But what would a mother do?

“Hm hm hm hmmm...”, you begin to hum in tune of a lullaby, and immediately you see a reaction from her.

Her grip on the sheet eases up and her frown disappears. Almost too unnaturally. Or is that just what happens if you truly have someone to calm you? You wouldn’t know. You don’t remember your mother really calming you down.

What you do remember is that you have to be quiet and suppress yourself as to not make too much of a nuisance for your dad.

Five days.

You will have five days to figure out if the Millers can be that for Cam. Then you will have your trial and you know if you are able to do that. And if you find yourself behind bars...

No, absolutely not.

Even if you are found guilty, you will run away with Cam. You will not let yourself be separated from her.

You run your fingers through Cam’s hair and found if quite greasy. Yours are probably not much better. Both of you will have to take showers and make yourself properly presentable.

What will you and Cam wear and do with your hair?
>[write-in]

>>3542249
>Clothes.

Meh, I'd suggest wearing smartish or typical teen clothing. We need to show the jury or judge that we are in fact kids and should be treated as such- That we aren't well off or wear anything that could shout out 'psychopath'.

>>3542291
>We need to show the jury or judge
nope, just for the next day to meet the millers for now

>>3542249
~scrub that hair really well
put some everyday clothes, jeans and t-shirt. Cam probably too, a jacket if the weatther demands it

>>3542291
Sure

>>3542249
Obviously wash up, and wear our best clothes

Thankfully your police shadow sleepi- watching out over you in the car outside didn’t notice part of the house disappearing in the night, and neither did Julia or her kids. And if they did they might have thought that they themselves were going crazy.

You will have to talk with Cam that she... sleeppowers(?) Sleepwalks but using her powers. Name pending. But you don’t want to worry her right now. All you really did in the morning was to take your first shower since cleaning of Cam’s blood... how long ago?

Jesus, where did the time go? What did you even do those days? You didn’t sleep well from Thursday to Friday and then were pretty much out of it until noon and later met with your lawyer and then... the catholic guy? Was that the same day? You stayed in this safe house for two nights after that. Is today Sunday or Monday? Would Dr. Carter have made an appointment with you on a Sunday?

Your head hurts again, and all you do is worry about something that’s not even important. Your court date is on Thursday the 16th, that’s important.

Ahh... you will never take an unhurting head for granted again. With how your healing abilities work, you’d think a headache would be included in the perks, but no such luck.

If you elect to believe someone designed them then whoever did it, did a poor job. And if it’s evolution... everyone in your family has something else, it doesn’t make any sense. Unless your mother had either your or Cam’s powers, but you have no way of knowing that for the moment. But, to be honest, you already learned that traits can skip generations, and you are by far no expert in genetics, so nothing’s off the table for the moment.

Disregarding what’s in your and Cam’s head and focusing what’s on it, you are currently trying to tame her hair. Going just below her shoulders, her wavy mane seems unyielding. Every time you comb through it there’s something blocking you.

This drags on until even Cam speaks up on her own. “Give up.”

You sigh. “Alright.” You remove the comb from her hair and stand up. “Let me take a look at you.”

Cam stands up as well and does a spin for you before coming to a halt facing you. Orange hoodie with the Powerpuff Girls on. It was rather new, but somewhat of an eye catcher and will hopefully distract from the worn shoes and jeans.

“You look good”, you tell her with a nod.

You also wear a hoodie, but since yours has a zipper you leave it open. It’s green does not clash with the grey T-shirt with random pattern that has no real meaning to you, black jeans and almost equally worn shoes as Cam.

They won’t see your shoes in the trial, will they? You probably won’t really need to go shopping.

You look to the clock. It’s almost 10:30am, and neither Dr. Carter nor the Millers were here yet. But you delayed something. Addressing Cam’s talkativity.

Should you ask her to speak up a little more or just let her be?
>ask her to speak up
>let her be

>>3544626
>Rather than ask her, mention how this is as much her choice as it is ours. If she doesn't like the family then she can say no, but she could get to know them for now.

>>3544661
this is good

tell her that they will probably want to talk with her and it's her choice to talk to them or not, but they will want to get to know them

if she has something to say in private to us tell her to pull our sleeve 2 times

>>3544626
She has been more talkative lately so I guess
>let her be

Just tell her we are going to meet a couple and that they may be the ones that we will live with, like we said we would try.

>>3544626
>Ask her to speak up

“How do I look?”, you ask in return, trying to illicit a response from her.

Cam looks you up and down with a serious expression before meeting your gaze again and then just shrugging.

“You don’t know either, huh?” you walk to her and lean back against the table, patting her back. “But what you should know is that...” How should you phrase this?

She meanwhile seats herself on the table next to you and looks up, waiting for you to finish.

“You know, we said we’ll give them a chance, right? As family, I mean. And they’ll want to get to know us.”

Cam looks down again. She knows what you are talking about, but you feel like you should reiterate it anyway.

“And you don’t let a lot of people get to know you.” you point to yourself. “I know you, but even I don’t understand you sometimes, like when-”

>bring up the shoplifting incident.
>talk about the labyrinths.
>drop it, just say you wish she would talk to you more.

>>3546672
>drop it, just say you wish she would talk to you more.
Don't push real history onto her just to prove our point.

>>3546672
>talk about the labyrinths.

I want to understand the shoplifting so much, but I think that one is too risky for now, let's start with the labyrinths, she liked it and didn't mind that we saw them so this is a good chance for her to open up more to us at least

Rolled 1 (1d2)

oh well, coinflip

>>3546677
writing

You shrug and avert the topic. “Everyone has their own time. Just... whenever you need to talk about something, I’m here for you, okay?” Cam just nods quietly. “And if you do need to speak and someone else’s around, just pull my sleeve or give me some other sign, okay?” And she nods again, looking down to the floor.

You close your eyes and suppress a sigh. You shouldn’t have done that! You know that you shouldn’t point out their talkativity, and it has been going so well lately. All you achieved now was that she probably retreats again.

“Well, I’m gonna go out and catch some air.” You are not exactly fond waiting around next to someone who doesn’t actually speak to you.

Cam accompanies you to the door, but only to retrieve a notebook she has in the luggage by the door. She presses it to her chest and watches you while you leave.

“If that’s a sign to talk, I’m here for-”

“What do they get out of taking us in? Why would anyone take people into their homes without knowing them?”

>[write-in]

>>3548928
ugh...well...
it can be a lot of reasons, maybe they can't have children, maybe they feel alone or maybe they just want to help people, we never had help before so I don't know either

this meeting is as much for them to get to know us and for us to get to know them so why don't you ask that for them, I bet they will know why

>>3548959
I like the last part

"I don't know too, maybe we could ask them."

Don’t dwell on how much she just said. Just answer the questions... to something you also want to know the answer to.

“Err... Well... They could have lots of reasons, really.” You kneel down to her and get slightly below her eye level. “Maybe, like us, they lost their family, and are looking to rekindle such a relationship. Or they couldn’t have kids of their own. Or maybe...” You close the distance between the two of you more. “Like us they are heroes and just want to help people. But lacking powers, they focus on just a few kids trying to do good on a small scale.”

Cam looks you in the eyes and nods.

“But you know what you have to do if you want to know something, right? You just have to... ask me to ask them.” You stand up again. “Whenever you feel like cutting out the middleman, I won’t be mad.”

She nods again, but doesn’t give you much to go on how she actually took your declaration.

This was all so much simpler when it was only about getting her to do the dishes. You never needed her to do anything that would... even border your own comfort zone.

You step outside into the cold morning and look up into the sky. It was overcast and windy. Quite cold, really. But you appreciate cooling off slightly. Focusing on some external sensation for a second but there’s already a car coming to a halt in front of the house.

“Dr. Carter,” you greet the chubby therapist and walk up to the car.

“Chris, my boy,” she spreads her arms as if going for an embrace, but knows about your intimacy issues and closes them again. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” you say back and give her a smile. A smile that fades when you see her limb a little. “What happened?”

“Oh, nothing for you to worry about, but thank you for your concern.” She looks around a bit. “You have not been standing at the door, waiting for me to pull up, have you?”

“No, I was just going out to catch some air. And yes, I appreciate the cold right now”, you add after she gives you a concerned look.

“Nervous?”, she diagnoses.

“No, I don’t think- That’s not it.” You sigh. “It’s Cam. She- Well, I don’t even know. She just doesn’t talk much and I feel like she will have a hard time- She already has a hard time fitting in anywhere. How can she really become part of a family?”

Dr. Carters smile turns to concern. “I understand what you mean. But if you are the one who wants to burden this then I’ll have you know that she already has family, doesn’t she?” She pokes your chest. “And if that family becomes part of yet a larger one...”

“I see.”

“Now, are you ready to meet said family?”

>“Sure.”
>“Ready or not, here we go.”
>“There’s still something I’d like to ask of you first.” [write-in]

>>3550315
>>“Sure.”

let's get to it

>>3550315

>“Sure.”

>>3550315
>“Sure.”

>>3550315

>“Sure.”

>>3550315
>I guess so

>>3550344
>>3550350
>>3550360
>>3550495
>Ignore her limp
writing

“Sure”, you nod, “I think pretty much everything that needs saying has already been said, and the remaining questions... eh, we got to ask them ourselves.”

“A very mature statement of you,” Dr. Carter nods as well, “just like I know you.” She pats your back and turns to the car of your police shadow. “But there are still a few things that need talking about, aren’t there? Actually two, by extent. First, the matter of your education. I recommend that neither you nor Cambridge will attend school this week. Before your court date on Thursday you may be too distracted to properly get involved in. However, especially since you are mature enough to decide this on your own I’d like to know if you to rather go to school.

>Start school tomorrow
>Start school next Monday

“The next issues deal with your legal circumstances as well, for one, there is your police shadow, making sure you don’t- Well, it’s not skipping bail, isn’t it. Since you are technically not on bail but on house arrest. In your phone conversation you have already told Mr. Miller that you will have to appear before court, but neglected to mention for what reason.”

“Yeah, and if I were on bail, I wouldn’t have a shadow...” You sigh. “I’ve got to tell them now, don’t I?”

Dr. Carter shakes her head. “No, you don’t have to. You are entitled to your privacy, and foster parentage can come with a lot of exceptions to the usual rule of guardianship. For example when it comes to encounters with the law. This could then be taken care of by a representative of child services.”

“But that- No, I should tell them, shouldn’t I?”

“Yes, I strongly advise you to tell them, I merely telling you that you have the option of delaying that. But only until you cleared your name. That will give you three days of leeway with them where you can be just a troubled kid.”

“Instead of a murderer.” You add, and bite your lip. Deep breath. “But, of course, it is a sign of trust if I tell them immediately.”

“It is your decision.”

>Tell them immediately
>Delay telling them. Maybe before or after court, or whenever you grow to like them in those three days.

>Invite her in for tea and heal her limp. How? [write-in]
>[skip to the Millers arriving]

>>3552083
>Start next Monday

>Tell them immediately

>Invite for tea and heal
Try to do it partially, like only restore 10% of the missing cartilage or whatever is wrong.

>>3552083
>Start school next Monday

>Tell them immediately

>[skip to the Millers arriving]

Even if we can trust her, what if some mindreading villain stumbles across her?

>>3552130
>Try to do it partially, like only restore 10% of the missing cartilage or whatever is wrong.
>>3552144
>Even if we can trust her, what if some mindreading villain stumbles across her?
You'll have to get creative. If you actually want to heal people it's going to be difficult if you just do 10% here, 20% there.

>>3552169
>You'll have to get creative. If you actually want to heal people it's going to be difficult if you just do 10% here, 20% there.
Wait. Do anons want to be RNGesus and heal everyone?

>>3552175
Well, in general they do want to use their powers for good, and what good does it do if you don't even heal those you like?

>>3552175
>>3552169
I was thinking that

A. Good chance to experiment and learn about our power

B. If we heal 10% every week over like 3 months she'll never know we did it and probably will attribute it to other remedies or lifestyle changes or even natural healing.

>>3552083

>Start school next Monday

>Tell them immediately

Ask about the limp
I didn't mean to ignore it before I just missed it.

When qe arrive where we are going we can recomend a tea and then heal her

need a little bit of a tiebreaker on that last choice here, but I'm heading to sleep now, so see you guys tomorrow, hopefully with a mind made up

>>3552130
>Invite for tea and heal
Yes, I like this option to get more practice and as gratitude for Dr. Miller's aid so far.

“It’s still not quite 10:30am, so- would you like to come in for some tea?”, you offer her.

“With pleasure.” Dr. Carter nods, and turns with you towards the house.

While you walk you close your eyes for a moment and concentrate to reach out to her, immediately focusing in on her foot.

It doesn’t take you long to figure out what’s wrong. A larger band-type thing connecting bone to bone. The shin to... whatever the top of the foot bone-mess thing is called. And the band thingy... it’s not a sinew, sinews are between muscle and bone. That’s a... ligament? As far as diagnosis go, you’d say it was probably strained.

But you can’t immediately think of a way how to partially heal it. You can’t just take part of it away, or rather, you can’t focus on just a part of it. The partial healing you have done with Cam only worked because there was a lot of damage and a lot of individually small parts you could heal one after another. Well... that’s not quite true, you are able to heal fatty tissue and skin partially.

If you want to heal her you probably have to do it all the way.

“Christopher?”, she snaps you out of your train of thought. “Is there something on your mind?”

>[write-in]

>>3554465
>No Ma'am

Abort healing.

>>3554465

"I noticed you were limping, did something happen?"

>>3554475
This.

>>3554588

>>3550315
>A smile that fades when you see her limb a little. “What happened?”
>“Oh, nothing for you to worry about, but thank you for your concern.”

>>3554465
>As far as diagnosis go, you’d say it was probably strained.
Sounds like it is a temporary condition while we jumped to conclusion that it was a chronic thing.

>No Ma'am
Lets not pry.

You shake your head, “Just the usual.” You have to look out for yourself and not miracle heal anyone for now. Her foot will probably heal by itself and she did tell you not to worry about it, so that is what you do.

“Hey again, Cammy”, you call out to your sister once you open the door. “Dr. Carter’s already here. Remember, I told you about her.”

Cam was drawing in her notebook when you entered back into the house, but not on a labyrinth but on a building. This building. She couldn’t have seen it from outside often, but you have to say it looks pretty good.

“Good Morning”, Dr. Carter greets her too.

Cam looks up to her and takes a moment before uttering a “mornin”, more than you expected.

“It’s a good drawing”, Dr. Carter compliments further, to which Cam almost instinctively protects the notebook from plain view.

“It’s ok, Cam”, you tell her, “she’s nice.”

Only after Cam nods to your words do you feel confident to leave for the kitchen, nodding Dr. Carter to come with you and not stay alone with Cam.

You think about addressing Cam... ‘sleepwalking’ with a nightmare, or something, but couldn’t figure out how to say it without stating that she makes the house disappear. Come to think about it, you haven’t even talked to Cam herself about it. But any plans were cut short when the doorbell rings. The tea was still brewing and not done yet, but you have enough hot water to make two more cups.

“Alright, showtime.”

“You sound confident.” Dr. Carter comments. “That’s good.”

You nod, “Yeah, it is”, while heading to the door and opening it up.

Outside stood three people.

David Miller right front and center, he is tall and has a mustache which has not yet quite greyed as much as his hair did. The matter in which is trimmed and from the way he holds his body lets you guess he was in the military. Would you cast him in a movie he’d probably be the strict old general that does not understand humor. The plain light blue shirt and grey pants add to this conception, but after he looked you up and down himself and coming to a verdict he gives you a smile.

“You must be Christopher.” He extents his hand to you. “I’m David Miller, we already spoke on the phone yesterday.”

You look down to the hand and hesitate for a moment while you make up your mind whether or not you want your hand to be crushed in a vice.
>Shake his hand normally.
>Firm handshake, don’t go overboard.
>If he’s going to press down on your hand you have to return that favour and use your strength as well.

>>3557914
>>3557914

>Firm handshake, don’t go overboard.
He expects it probably

>>3557914
>Shake his hand normally.

>>3557914

>Firm handshake, don’t go overboard.

>>3557914
>Firm handshake, don’t go overboard.

It saddens me that some people don't realise you should match the strength of the other person's handshake.

>>3557914
>Make him regret having hands

>>3557993
>>3558028
>>3558257
writing

You shake his hand, giving it a good squeeze which he returns quite normally. It was strong, yes, but not the kind of force you had expected. “Hell of a grip there”, he comments and gives you an approving nod, but then looks at you expectingly.

It takes you a moment to realize he had asked you a question. You were so focused on the then impending handshake that you forgot. “Ah, yes. Hello. I’m indeed Christopher.” You shake your head slightly. Stupid. “Christopher Connors.” Then you let go of his hand and turn to the woman on his right.

Samantha Miller stood quite in contrast to her husband. She was a head shorter either of you and was quite pudgy. Not obese, but... going places. The extra padding however kept her face from developing too many wrinkles, and since her black hair was probably dyed, you wouldn’t have guessed her to be in her sixties at all. For attire, she chose a primarily yellow sweater with flowery motives. “I’m Samantha, Dave’s wife.”

You shake her hand as well, much lighter this time while a part of you wants to look back to see if any ‘Dave’ was. That nickname sounds way to cute for the mental image you’ve already painted yourself of him. Maybe he just looks strict and his regularly firm handshake is due to people always assuming he gives a firm one and do so in advance? His wife is cute on him, so your first impression might have been wrong.

“Hello, nice to meet you.” You give her a smile, before moving around ‘Dave’ to face- “Angela, right?”

“Yep”, she confirms, “Jacoby, Angela Jacoby.” And she insists on her family name, like pointing out it wasn’t ‘Miller’. “But people call me Angie, or AJ... or something blurry in between them.”

She is half a head shorter than you, so, for a woman, still tall. She has long straight brunette hair which was died together behind her back. From this angle you have no way of knowing how long it actually was or if it was plaited or not. She wears a comically impractical black leather jacket which you can only assume is only for fashion and not for warmth, and the T-shirt underneath is a parody of the classical ‘I N Y’ with red letters and a broken black heart. She also squeezed herself into skinny jeans.

Carrying herself with some rebellious confidence, you can’t say if she’d be popular in school or chose a life as a social outcast, but she would have the looks to be able to find herself into the former group.

“Angie”, you repeat when she gives you the allowance to call her by her nickname. When you shake her hand as well her grip was similar to David’s in strength, and not to be outdone, you return the favour. “And people just call me Chris.”

You take a step back and aside and gesture them, “please come in. I just cooked water and was brewed some tea for Dr. Carter-” You gesture to the psychologist as well, “you also talked to her on the phone yesterday. And-”

You look over to Cam. She remains seated and idly continues on her drawing while only slightly looking up to see what was going on.

>Call her to come over.
>Introduce her.

In either case, write in what you’ll say to and about her for the Millers.

>>3558635
>‘I N Y’
I should have checked if the heart symbol worked first

>>3558640
> Introduce her

>>3558640
>>Introduce her.
and call her over to say hi

"This is Cambridge, my sister, say hi sis."

>>3558640
> Introduce her

Did we check them for head thingies? Only do so if we won't look weird or spacing out, we can wait for it

>>3558841
This

>>3558659
>ever calling her anything but Cam
>telling her to say hi
No

>>3558635
>Introduce her.

>>3558640
>> Introduce her
as cam

I'm going to take a little bit of a break, taking a few days off even self imposed responsibilities so I can relax better.

I should continue around Tuesday.