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#Post#: 161--------------------------------------------------
Re: School Courtyard
By: Mascii Date: April 8, 2013, 10:38 am
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Reese Middleton
The instant their hands touched, Reese's mouth twitched up into
a smile. She was a lot like Yukito, wasn't she? Kind of clammed
up, but he could feel her happiness pulsating through her like a
hopeful hum. A smile blossomed on her face, altering her
appearance significantly.
"Boy, it's too pretty a day to have tests, isn't it? Seems a
shame. My friends are all still taking their tests inside,
though Yukito should be done soon... " He waited a moment for
her to say something, but she made no indication of obliging, so
he continued, "Hey, you know how to play cards?"
Her eyes widened as he pulled out the deck of cards as though he
had pulled out a plastic baggie of drugs instead. The girl's
wary movements closer were as if she was approaching a dangerous
object, even if it was just ink and paper. Reese couldn't help
himself - he let out a warm laugh.
"I know, in a day of technology, it seems kinda stupid, huh? But
there you go. I'm a bit of an old-fashioned kind of guy, I
guess. How ironic."
"It's always good to be able to entertain yourself without the
use of a computer or electronic gizmo. A dead battery can't take
it away from you then." It was probably the most she had said
since he had entered the courtyard, and it had the brusque air
of someone who forcefully stated the facts as though they were
the obvious.
"What game are we playing?" Reese grinned. It was a movement
forward.
"Well...I'm pretty good at cards," he said with an arrogant wave
of his wrist, his pompous air an obvious play, "Poker, Egyptian
Rat-Screw, Gin Rummy, Canasta, Go-Fish..." He chuckled, "Hell, I
even make a mean card house, too." He shuffled the deck
expertly, "Just take your pick. Anything you're familiar with
works for me."
As he dealt out the cards, a little breeze started up in the
courtyard, threatening to blow their cards away. Reese shook his
head in exasperation, trying to pin the cards down before they
flew away. "The wind is mischievous like a cat today...alright.
All set up. You go first."
#Post#: 162--------------------------------------------------
Re: School Courtyard
By: MissM Date: April 8, 2013, 11:29 am
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Zinnia Natter
"What game are we playing?" she asked, trying to think of all
the card games she knew. Go fish, War, and...go fish. She
frowned a bit. Surely she knew more games than that...But she
couldn't remember any.
Reese smiled confidently. "Well...I'm pretty good at cards," he
said, obviously faking the arrogant tone. "Poker, Egyptian
Rat-Screw, Gin Rummy, Canasta, Go-Fish..." He chuckled briefly.
"Hell, I even make a mean card house, too." He shuffled the deck
quickly. "Just take your pick. Anything you're familiar with
works for me."
"Well....I remember go fish, and War, but that's about it as far
as card games go. It's been ages since--" She stopped. She had
been about to say, "since my parents played with me". Even
though it was true, she didn't want to discuss her parents
today. Especially not now. It was sunny out, and she had been
having a good day so far, previous moroseness not counting.
She took a couple seconds to recollect herself, trying to fake
the 'I'm trying to remember something' look that Dox always told
her she wore when she was trying to remember something.
"Well," she continued after a second. "Since I played any games
last. Although I would be willing to learn a game or two.
Egyptian Rat-Screw sounds interesting. How is that game played?"
She hoped that she hadn't betrayed herself, and that she would
be able to concentrate on the card games. Reese seemed really
nice, and she didn't want to scare him off with her problems
before he really became her friend.
#Post#: 168--------------------------------------------------
Re: School Courtyard
By: Mascii Date: April 11, 2013, 11:05 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Reese Middleton
"Well....I remember go fish, and War, but that's about it as far
as card games go. It's been ages since--" Her voice abruptly
broke off, as though she had just realized what she'd said.
Reese made sure not to look up at her and meet her eyes,
focusing instead on shuffling the deck. He knew what it was
like, when you casually mentioned a less than happy memory
without realizing it. What were you just thinking about? He
wondered. He knew he wasn't anything insignificant, he carried
meaning and weight with her. She fell into a contemplative
moment, then, trying to get herself back on track and covering
up the blunder.
"Well," she continued after a second. "Since I played any games
last. Although I would be willing to learn a game or two.
Egyptian Rat-Screw sounds interesting. How is that game played?"
"I knew you'd pick that one," he said, tapping his temple with
one of the cards held between his middle and index finger. He
smirked, "I'm a psychic, you know. Here, if you know War, you'll
pick up on it easily enough. It's just a more complicated
version of that."
"We take turns laying cards down face-up on the table, all up in
one big pile, like Tumblr. The important cards are the face
cards; Jack, Queen, King, and the Ace. Jack is one, Queen is
two, King is three, Ace is four.." As he spoke, he demonstrated
by holding up one of each of the cards mention, speaking
deliberately so that it would be easy to follow. "That number is
the number of chances you get to lay down your own face card. So
if I lay down a King, you have three cards - or three chances -
to get another face card, and then it's my turn to try and get a
face card, depending on what face card you lay down. If you
can't deflect with a face card in those chances, then I beat you
and I get to take the cards. If I can't deflect the face card
with my own, then you beat me, and you take all the cards. That
make sense?"
"There's one more part to the game, essentially. Sandwiches." He
smirked, "That's just if we lay an R card, a Z card, then
another R card, or whatever. Two the same, one different in the
middle. That's a sandwich, and if you see a sandwich on the
table, then you have to try and slap it first," here he slapped
the bench with one palm, the stone making a light-hearted
pattering sound, "And if you get to it first, you pick up
everything that's in the pile then. Okay? Any questions?"
He shuffled the deck one more time to be sure, smiling to
himself as he dealt out half the deck to Zinnia, half to
himself. "It's a bit complicated sounding at first, but once you
get into the game, it's a lot easier, I promise."
#Post#: 173--------------------------------------------------
Re: School Courtyard
By: MissM Date: April 11, 2013, 5:06 pm
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Zinnia Natter
"Well," she continued after a second. "Since I played any games
last. Although I would be willing to learn a game or two.
Egyptian Rat-Screw sounds interesting. How is that game played?"
He grinned. "I knew you'd pick that one," he said, tapping his
head with a card, "I'm a psychic, you know. Here, if you know
War, you'll pick up on it easily enough. It's just a more
complicated version of that."
Zinnia smiled. An easy game with a nice guy, she thought. I
could get used to this...
"We take turns laying cards down face-up on the table, all up in
one big pile, like Tumblr. The important cards are the face
cards; Jack, Queen, King, and the Ace. Jack is one, Queen is
two, King is three, Ace is four.." He held up one of each card
mentioned, speaking clearly to her. "That number is the number
of chances you get to lay down your own face card. So if I lay
down a King, you have three cards - or three chances - to get
another face card, and then it's my turn to try and get a face
card, depending on what face card you lay down. If you can't
deflect with a face card in those chances, then I beat you and I
get to take the cards. If I can't deflect the face card with my
own, then you beat me, and you take all the cards. That make
sense?"
Zinnia nodded. "Depending on the face card, I get up to four
chances to lay a face card of mine down. Seems simple enough."
"There's one more part to the game, essentially. Sandwiches."
He smiled impishly. "That's just if we lay an R card, a Z card,
then another R card, or whatever. Two the same, one different in
the middle. That's a sandwich, and if you see a sandwich on the
table, then you have to try and slap it first," here he slapped
the bench with one palm, the stone making a light-hearted
pattering sound, "And if you get to it first, you pick up
everything that's in the pile then. Okay? Any questions?"
"Yeah, what if your hand is made of plastic and metal? I
wouldn't want to hurt you." Zinnia spoke quickly, almost at a
whisper, almost as if she hadn't meant to speak aloud. But she
didn't retreat, and eventually she looked back up at Reese.
He shuffled the deck one more time and smiled as he dealt. "It's
a bit complicated sounding at first, but once you get into the
game, it's a lot easier, I promise."
#Post#: 174--------------------------------------------------
Re: School Courtyard
By: Mascii Date: April 11, 2013, 5:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Reese Middleton
She seemed to be picking up pretty well on the rules, and the
hesitancy of a few moments ago started to fade away. "Depending
on the face card, I get up to four chances to lay a face card of
mine down. Seems simple enough."
"There's one more part to the game, essentially. Sandwiches." He
smiled impishly. "That's just if we lay an R card, a Z card,
then another R card, or whatever. Two the same, one different in
the middle. That's a sandwich, and if you see a sandwich on the
table, then you have to try and slap it first," here he slapped
the bench with one palm, the stone making a light-hearted
pattering sound, "And if you get to it first, you pick up
everything that's in the pile then. Okay? Any questions?"
"Yeah, what if your hand is made of plastic and metal? I
wouldn't want to hurt you." She said in a rush. Reese was
careful to hide the surprise in his expression, doing what she
had done earlier, and morph it into a contemplative expression.
He knew from personal experience that if you mentioned your
Enhancement and got a surprised look in return, the only thing
you would see on that person's face would be the word freak. As
if it was written across their foreheads. So instead he sat
back, tapping his chin with one finger.
"Hmm...well, if it's one arm, you could play with the metal hand
holding the deck, and slap with the non-metal one. But if that's
too clumsy for you, or it's both hands, then you could either
slap off to the side a bit, or..." He shrugged, smiling. "I'll
be fine. It's part of the game anyways, you know? Natural
hazards and all, right? So let's start."
He shuffled the deck one more time and smiled as he dealt. "It's
a bit complicated sounding at first, but once you get into the
game, it's a lot easier, I promise."
Reese straightened his deck with one hand, half-pulling a card
off the deck and smirking at her. "Ready?" And he flipped over a
card. They went a few rounds without any face cards, and he
added, "By the way, you never told me your name. Am I supposed
to guess it? Because that could be fun."
#Post#: 175--------------------------------------------------
Re: School Courtyard
By: MissM Date: April 11, 2013, 6:06 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Zinnia Natter
"Yeah, what if your hand is made of plastic and metal? I
wouldn't want to hurt you." She said in a rush, eventually
looking back up at Reese. He was looking contemplative, rather
than mystified, or curious, gazing into the air like it had
answers for him. Her smile slowly came back. He really is a good
guy, she thought.
"Hmm...well, if it's one arm, you could play with the metal hand
holding the deck, and slap with the non-metal one. But if that's
too clumsy for you, or it's both hands, then you could either
slap off to the side a bit, or..." He shrugged, smiling. "I'll
be fine. It's part of the game anyways, you know? Natural
hazards and all, right? So let's start."
"If you're sure about it. And it's only my right arm, thank
goodness." She shook her head, warding off the bad memories that
threatened her. No. Not now, she thought, stubbornly
concentrating on pulling off the glove that kept her arm looking
at least somewhat more normal. She laid it beside her, folding
it carefully.
The shine of the metal and plastic on her arm caught the sun,
and she smiled sadly. She had gotten so used to it that she
forgot it sometimes looked odd to other people, especially when
she pulled off what looked like real skin. It certainly felt
real, although the inside was made of a more cloth-like
substance, to keep it from sticking when she needed to take it
off. The outside, though, matched her skin tone fairly well.
Her arm... It felt like a normal arm, at least from what she
remembered, although she could almost twist it a full 180
degrees from the elbow down, something she couldn't do with her
real left arm.
And it was a well-molded arm--that, at least, the scientists had
gotten right. It was sleek, very smooth, and the translucent
covering allowed her to see the cables and pulleys in the arm
that let it function. The joints were still a little rough, but
she didn't mind. They worked really well, and she couldn't see a
difference between her natural arm and her mechanical arm, save
for the slight size difference--her left arm was slightly larger
than the mechanized counterpart. She ran her left hand from the
elbow joint to the tip of her longest finger, and sighed,
putting away the memories that threatened to overwhelm her
again.
He doesn't mind me being who I am, she thought. That's good
enough for me to show him this. Then she turned her attention
back to Reese.
He shuffled the deck one more time and smiled as he dealt. "It's
a bit complicated sounding at first, but once you get into the
game, it's a lot easier, I promise." Reese straightened his deck
with one hand, half-pulling a card off the deck and smirking at
her. "Ready?"
"Of course I'm ready. Are you?" She smiled wider, feeling more
comfortable by the second.
And he flipped over a card. They went a few rounds without any
face cards, and he added, "By the way, you never told me your
name. Am I supposed to guess it? Because that could be fun."
She looked up to answer him, but before she could get any words
out, his hand landed on the pile of cards with a small thud.
She narrowed her eyes a bit in mock anger, and laughed a little.
"Nice move." She lowered her eyes back to the pile, and waited
for him to start playing again. "The name is Zinnia. Zinnia
Natter. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Thinking she saw a
sandwich, she went to slap, but caught herself as she realized
it was 6-8-9 instead of 6-8-6. "Drat."
#Post#: 178--------------------------------------------------
Re: School Courtyard
By: Mascii Date: April 11, 2013, 6:38 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Reese Middleton
The nonchalance in his shrug was sincere. Even if her mechanic
arm hurt him when he slapped it, he was sure it wouldn't be too
bad. He had played this with lots of other people, and
sometimes, they got freakishly competitive. "I'll be fine. It's
part of the game anyways, you know? Natural hazards and all,
right? So let's start."
"If you're sure about it. And it's only my right arm, thank
goodness." She shook her head, as if shaking off the past
itself, and proceeded to peel away the glove on her right arm.
Reese tried very carefully not to stare at her, but he was
keenly interested as to what her Enhancement might be. He didn't
want to put her on the spot, though, so he said nothing for the
time being. She laid the glove beside her, using the mechanical
arm to hold her own half of the deck.
"Ready?"
"Of course I'm ready. Are you?" Was that the first time she had
smiled? Either way, it was the first real smile he had noticed,
and it was infectious. Reese smiled back at her in return,
flipping over the first card. She's really cute when she smiles.
And she seems like the type to get super excited and into a game
she's playing. Haha..maybe she's one of the heavy-handed
slappers..oh boy.
After a few rounds with no face cards, he ventured a question,
"By the way, you never told me your name. Am I supposed to guess
it? Because that could be fun."
He felt her look up at him, but he had just spotted a
'sandwich', and slapped his hand loudly on the bench. "Ha!" he
pronounced proudly, beaming up at her. She narrowed her eyes at
him, apparently disgruntled at missing it, then gave out a
little laugh.
"Nice move." She lowered her eyes back to the pile, and waited
for him to start playing again. He shoved the pile of cards to
the bottom of his deck and continued, "The name is Zinnia.
Zinnia Natter. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance..." he echoed, smirking.
Suddenly, her hand flew forward and landed on the pile. Reese
smirked as he lifted up the first two cards, revealing that
she'd mistaken a 9 for a 6.
"Drat."
He laughed openly, "Uh-oh, that means you have to take the next
card you could have played, and put it on the bottom of the
pile. Sorry, penalty rule. But it's good that you went for it.
Even if that means that when I win this pile on the next
sandwich, I get a freebie card." He sent her a wink and a
chuckle, which seemed to echo around the courtyard and make its
way back to them just as warm as it had left his lips. "Keep
trying.."
"So, you don't sound like you're from around here. Where do you
come from? I'm from Canada originally, although I've been here
so long...it's kind of crazy. My whole family moved across the
Big Ocean once they heard about Dr. Ramsey's work. My dad has
always been interested in new medical advancements, so I
shouldn't have been surprised." He had easily left the floor
open to her to elaborate on the question if she wished, but
adding on enough afterwards that she wasn't put on the spot.
Another battle of face cards, and he won, following by another
'sandwich'. Reese's hand flew down to the table, scooping the
cards back before Zinnia could respond. He sent her a smug
little grin, pulling the cards to himself rather proudly.
#Post#: 181--------------------------------------------------
Re: School Courtyard
By: MissM Date: April 11, 2013, 6:56 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Zinnia Natter
"Nice move." She lowered her eyes back to the pile, and waited
for him to start playing again. He shoved the pile of cards to
the bottom of his deck and continued, "The name is Zinnia.
Zinnia Natter. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance..." he echoed, but not in a
mocking manner. Her hand flew forward and landed on the pile.
Reese smiled impishly again, revealing that she'd mis-slapped.
"Drat."
He laughed openly. "Uh-oh, that means you have to take the next
card you could have played, and put it on the bottom of the
pile. Sorry, penalty rule. But it's good that you went for it.
Even if that means that when I win this pile on the next
sandwich, I get a freebie card."
She raised her eybrow at him. "Uh huh."
He sent her a wink and a chuckle, which seemed to echo around
the courtyard and make its way back to them just as warm as it
had left his lips. "Keep trying.."
"Oh, I will." And she meant it.
"So, you don't sound like you're from around here. Where do you
come from? I'm from Canada originally, although I've been here
so long...it's kind of crazy. My whole family moved across the
Big Ocean once they heard about Dr. Ramsey's work. My dad has
always been interested in new medical advancements, so I
shouldn't have been surprised."
Another battle of face cards, and he won, following by another
'sandwich'. Reese's arm flew down, to Zinnia's aggravation, and
scooped up another 'sandwich'. He sent her a smug little grin,
pulling the cards to himself rather proudly.
"What's so funny? Think you're going to win?" She smiled at him,
knowing that her more competitive side was waking up and knowing
it enhanced her reaction time.
They started playing again.
"I'm originally from America, Norther California or Nevada area.
It's been a long time since I've been back, so I don't really
remember." There was only a slight catch in her voice. She could
never talk about her past without her emotions rising, but she
had a decent handle on them this time, at least. "I do know my
parents liked to travel, though, so we went all over... I
remember a lot of long car trips, although at age 9 and 10, a
long car trip could be anything from 3 to 6 hours, so I don't
know exactly where we went. I do remember it was a lot of fun,
though..."
She saw a slap and went for it, and Reese hadn't even moved. "It
was a while ago, though. I've lived in France for the past
couple years, and that is where I call home. When I heard of Dr.
Ramsey's work, I got interested real fast, though, so that's why
I'm here, at least for the present moment. My.. 'Enhancement',
as you call it, wasn't overseen by Dr. Ramsey, though, or any of
his... direct lackeys." She smiled briefly up at Reese after
collecting her last won pile, and started playing again.
#Post#: 184--------------------------------------------------
Re: Academy - School Courtyard
By: Mascii Date: April 11, 2013, 7:34 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Reese Middleton
"So, you don't sound like you're from around here. Where do you
come from? I'm from Canada originally, although I've been here
so long...it's kind of crazy. My whole family moved across the
Big Ocean once they heard about Dr. Ramsey's work. My dad has
always been interested in new medical advancements, so I
shouldn't have been surprised." He won another battle of face
cards, as well as a sandwich, and he chuckled at Zinnia's
increasing aggravation. His cheeky grin only served to irritate
her even more, although they were more mocking it than anything.
"What's so funny? Think you're going to win?" Her smirk was
playful, and he pouted his lips into a smile that said he was
sure he was going to win. They continued the game, with Zinnia
playing noticeably faster this time. She also answered his
question, which surprised him a little bit, but in the end, he
wasn't that surprised. Zinnia seemed to be much more relaxed
than she had been when he'd walked into the courtyard, and it
made him smile to think that he'd had a hand in that smile.
"I'm originally from America, Northern California or Nevada
area. It's been a long time since I've been back, so I don't
really remember." He listened quietly, only giving an occasional
humming noise to let her know he was paying attention. "I do
know my parents liked to travel, though, so we went all over...
I remember a lot of long car trips, although at age 9 and 10, a
long car trip could be anything from 3 to 6 hours, so I don't
know exactly where we went. I do remember it was a lot of fun,
though..."
She slapped her hand down on the table, making Reese jump a
little. He hadn't even seen it, he was paying more attention to
her story. He smiled. "Good one.."
"It was a while ago, though. I've lived in France for the past
couple years, and that is where I call home. When I heard of Dr.
Ramsey's work, I got interested real fast, though, so that's why
I'm here, at least for the present moment. My.. 'Enhancement',
as you call it, wasn't overseen by Dr. Ramsey, though, or any of
his... direct lackeys." She sent him a little smile, before
turning her attention back to the cards. For a moment, he laid
down the cards without looking at them, just trying to study her
face.
"Really, now? I've only met one other person here who wasn't
worked on directly by Dr. Ramsey, and that's Lilith. She's also
from France, and they messed up her Enhancement, too. I guess
the French group is having some troubles..Probably because Dr.
Ramsey would rather yank off his fingernails one by one than
reveal his research to another surgeon he doesn't know or work
with." He won another face card battle, but Zinnia was starting
to hold her own. Their decks weren't so different in size now,
and they both had a good set of cards to play. "You're a very
interesting person, Zinnia."
Then it happened. K-Q-K, another sandwich. Reese leapt forward
and slapped his hand down on the bench, but Zinnia was faster.
Her mechanical hand flew down to cover the cards, and delayed as
he was, his hand flew down to cover hers. Reese felt his pulse
quicken, the blood so loud in his ears he felt like it might
actually be Zinnia's pulse that his Enhancement was picking up
on. But the only sensation he got from Zinnia was the distant
thud of her heartbeat, and the electrical hum from the mechanics
in her arm. Flustered, he paused with his hand on hers for at
least three moments longer than he should have, then lifted his
hand away, muttering, "Ah, sorry. That was your win. Good job."
He instantly busied his hands straightening his deck out,
fighting hard - and for the most part, succeeding - to keep the
previously easy smile on his face. Unfortunately, he knew the
slightly panicked look in his eyes would give it away, so he
kept his gaze on the cards between them. After that, however, he
was more hesitant to slap, and Zinnia won several 'sandwiches',
ultimately winning the game.
"Congrats, Z," he said with a smile, finally recovered from the
awkwardness of earlier. What had that been, anyways? A moment of
childishness, that's what. He held out his hand to shake hers,
determined that the touch wouldn't mean anything in the
slightest. "I would say 'beginner's luck', but I know that
wasn't it. You pick up on things fast."
#Post#: 186--------------------------------------------------
Re: Academy - School Courtyard
By: MissM Date: April 11, 2013, 7:55 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Zinnia Natter
She slapped her hand down on the table, making Reese jump a
little. He hadn't even seen it. "Good one."
She continued. "It was a while ago, though. I've lived in France
for the past couple years, and that is where I call home. When I
heard of Dr. Ramsey's work, I got interested real fast, though,
so that's why I'm here, at least for the present moment. My..
'Enhancement', as you call it, wasn't overseen by Dr. Ramsey,
though, or any of his... direct lackeys." She sent him a little
smile, before turning her attention back to the cards. She could
feel him watching her, but knew it was just curiosity. Or hoped
it was just curiosity.
"Really, now? I've only met one other person here who wasn't
worked on directly by Dr. Ramsey, and that's Lilith. She's also
from France, and they messed up her Enhancement, too. I guess
the French group is having some troubles..Probably because Dr.
Ramsey would rather yank off his fingernails one by one than
reveal his research to another surgeon he doesn't know or work
with."
He won a face card battle, but she noticed that their decks were
very similar in size, and she had a good feeling about the rest
of the game. She smiled again.
"You're a very interesting person, Zinnia."
"Thanks."
Then it happened. K-Q-K, another sandwich. Zinnia's hand flew
down and landed solidly, and Reese's thumped down on top of
hers. He seemed to freeze for about three seconds. Zinnia didn't
move, letting Reese work through whatever it was, and letting
him draw back and straighten his cards without putting any
pressure on him.
He muttered, "Ah, sorry. That was your win. Good job."
She laughed lightly, thanking him quietly as she tried to put
together her response to his statement about the French
scientists. She got drawn back into the game and lost her trail
of thought. She won several more 'sandwiches', ultimately
winning the game.
She smiled broadly after she'd picked up the last card and
handed it back to him. He finally seemed to get over his hiccup
from earlier, as his smile looked more genuine.
"Congrats, Z," he said with a smile, and held his hand out to
shake. "I would say 'beginner's luck', but I know that wasn't
it. You pick up on things fast."
She shook his hand cautiously, knowing that whatever had set him
off earlier might happen again. "Thanks."
She stretched her back out. "Although, I wasn't operated on by
the French scientists. Or rather, I didn't get my enhancement
here." She heard the bitterness starting to creep into her voice
but ignored it. "My enhancements were done in America, I think.
Although one of the scientists may have come from France, or a
French speaking nation, I was operated on in America."
She stopped talking, almost abruptly. She had reached the end of
her ability to talk...whatever this boy had changed in her to
let her talk, it hadn't quite helped enough for her to answer
the question she hoped he wouldn't ask next. So how did your
family hear about the scientists? or, So where is your family
now? Or perhaps, Why don't you remember?
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