Week 13, Wee hours of Saturday Morning: House Calls

Sosie parked the Mungo in the garage, sighing to herself. She felt tired, but she had a host of things to do before she actually got to properly rest and not just take a nap in the van. Oh well, at least the ferry ride had been quiet, and except for the bit where Pinkie almost murdered Ace, the video of Ida's death was.. entertaining. She'd need to check Ida out, too. Actually.. "Ida, come down to the surgery and meet your doctor so she can give you a check up. Pinkie, you too."

The self-proclaimed house doctor grabbed her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder, and left the Mungo. Bell, dressed in pajamas, opened the door to the training room for her mother. Sosie gave her daughter a look, and after a moment, hugged her close and kissed her forehead. Bell did not react, but followed her creator as they both entered the medbay. Sosie dropped her bag and looked at herself in the mirror. Her shirt was still covered in a few tiny hairs from her new haircut. She took off her shirt with an easy air, and threw it on the ground. Topless, she found and opened a new scrubs shirt.

* Actually could you both, and anyone else who is here right now, come up to the dining table please?

*Pinkie took a particularly large Box from her room, which up until ten minutes ago had been in the fridge for the last week. It still had the double sided sticky tape from the delivery but the markings and sticky lables had been removed. Pinkie was rather uncertain of this and how it would be recieved but it was far, far too late to back out now. And maybe Sosie would forgive her for leaving pieces in the workshop roof. She had not had time to finish cleaning what with the unexpected murder and everything. Reaching the table Pinkie placed the Box upon it, which was difficult to carry even with her strength and reach, thought briefly about getting something else before realising it would spoil the surprise. Yes the surprise is an important part. For some reason Pinkie got a sensation of deja vu back to when Sosie had taken a balloon away from her, this left her slightly more unsettled and Pinkie started playing with her butterfly knife to make herself feel better. ((succeed by 5 before anyone asks if the knife goes flying into the box, though that would have been funny.))*

Sosie sighed, and finished putting on her scrubs, stripping her jeans off and leaving them in a pile on the floor. Bell watched impassively, as always. Sosie looked over her daughter, and with a shrug, made her way out of the room. She abandoned her bag too.. No matter what else happened, she was going to get her chores out of the way before she had to worry about going to bed. Ah well.

The doctor made her way up, and looked at a visibly distracted Pinkie and the box from the stairwell, before moving closer. She smiled a little. Weird as it was, it was good to be home. "Pinkie."

Ida strolled up to the table, carrying a large box labelled "SOSIE". She gave her usual slight wave, but didn't say anything to interrupt the impending conversation between Pinkie and Sosie.

Darya, having decided that she'd be fresher for the mission sleeping at home rather than in the field, jerked awake at the smeaker and, though unwilling to leave her nest, dragged herself to the door and sat at the table and waving vaguely at people. She was wearing her tank top and shorts she used as sleepwear, and her hair fell loosely her face.

"Do you people never sleep? Uggh"

Ace had a quick look at the time and groaned. Given the exitement of the day, and the long hours he had pulled in France, he was hoping for more than a few hours sleep, but this would have to do for now. He got out of bed and pulled on the first t-shirt he found in his drawer, one of the Smork tops. He fastened his holster-belt around his waist and opened the door to his room, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light. He stood in the doorway and watched the people in the kitchen, although his gaze was drawn mostly to one person in particular.

*Pinkie nodded to Sosie as she entered, a very slight smile in evidence. Pinkie looked…. tired. Pinkie nodded to Ida in turn as she placed another box beside Pinkie’s, who had an educated guess as to what was inside. Pinkie hopped Ida had gone all out for Sosie, she deserved it for the smork. Between Darya in her pyjamas at the table and Ace in his doorway Pinkie supposed this could have waited until after she and Ida had seen Sosie and people were more awake but…. Sosie coming across this without meaning to would be kinda bad. She wondered whether or not to call Bell, Sylvaine and Rico but decided that they would come and see what was happening if they wanted to. She looked back to Sosie and blinked once heavily before speaking.*

Sosie. Hey. This has been waiting on you for a little while now and since it is for you…. I figured you should get to open it….

*Pinkie flipped her butterfly knife up in the air on the final word, halfway through a totally different trick, and caught it by the edge, holding the handle out to Sosie. She really hoped it was all still in one piece inside.*

Sosie looked at the obviously tired Pinkie, then to the knife, the box, and then everyone else. "We all need sleep now, Ace, but surgery and presents don't wait. Apparently." She wondered if there was a reason why the whole house had been called, and for a tired moment, felt slightly self-conscious. She turned behind her to look at Bell, who watched carefully and did not step forward. Huh, well. "I.. am not sure why I am getting apparently two, er, things?"

The suddenly-overwhelmed-with-gifts Sosie walked over and took the handle of the balisong. She'd held it before, but never with the blade out. Carefully, she started to open the box, touching it with her hands. "Hey, it's cold.." She pulled the box open gingerly, peeking inside.

*Inside was a tri-tiered Smork cake of the ridiculously indulgent variety. Each layer was a slightly different hue of Smork and the icing on the top was decadent even by E.I. standards, without being bad for you. Well at least not for an agent. The cake itself was a massive construction 45cm in diameter on the bottom layer with a height of 2 and a 1/2 inches. The next layer was 15cm less in diameter and almost as tall, the same pattern with the next. Leaving just enough room at the top for carefully icing of a skilled calligrapher, stating simply:
So sorry this is late,
Congratulations!

The icing here sparkled and was even more appetising than the rest of the cake. A large knife lay beside it, which looked razor sharp and had been included alongside the cake with a small note next to it saying; Complimentary! The decorations were intricate and the cake was structurally sound and was very clearly beyond Pinkie’s capacity to make. By a gargantuan leap. Clearly this had been commissioned.*

I… had the points put onto your account, I hope you don’t mind.

"Uh, um." Sosie made eye contact with Pinkie for a second, obviously nonplussed. She looked down at the cake, and after a second.. took a deep breath. "The points.. Sweet fuck, Pinkie, this is amazing. it must have cost you an arm and a leg." Sosie, cyberneticist, knew exactly how much that was. She looked around to everyone, "It's a .. a cake. For the birth of my daughter." She smiled a little, still slightly uncomfortable, and looked at Bell, who was only just now moving forward. "Now I know why you're all here. There's no way I could eat this myself." She laughed a little, still kind of self conscious, at the cake that was, you know, the size of her torso. Bigger.

She used the butterfly knife to cut down the sides of the box, allowing everyone to see. When she finished, she handed the knife back to Pinkie.. And grabbed her when she got closer, and gave her a brief but aggressive hug. In a softer voice to Pinkie, she said, "I have no idea why you did this, but it looks.. delicious."

Darya smiled gently, wanting to join in the hug but holding back, since she knew Pinkie didn't like them. Instead, she got up, walked over to Bell and gently patted on her on the back. "You should join them." She said gently.

Bell, obedient as ever, blinked once at Darya before walking over to her mother and godmother. With mechanical accuracy, she threw her arms around both of them. Sosie grunted slightly as her daughter squeezed her with rib snapping force.

*Pinkie suppressed a slight smile of relief as Sosie handed back her butterfly knife and failed entirely to let out a little noise of surprise as Sosie hugged her. Pinkie quickly flicked it closed over to her left, so that no one would be skewered by it as Sosie squashed Pinkie. Well tried to, at least. Pinkie leaned into the hug every so slightly and put her other hand on Sosie's shoulder, her face showing every sign of being unsure of herself. The slight smile was back when Sosie said the cake looked delicious, Pinkie had been worried about how a smoothie cake would... well even stand, but it seemed to be smork flavoured rather than consisting entirely of smork. Gemini did colour my mindset after all. It was all Pinkie could do not to shoot Darya a piercing glare for issuing what could even be vaguely interpreted as a command to Bell, no matter that Bell most likely was thinking it anyway, being Sosie's daughter. It should be Bell's choice. It was for Bell's sake Darya was spared Pinkie's ocular ire and as the little replicant with two colours in her hair came towards them Pinkie replaced her knife, meaning to place her hand on Bell's head as she joined the hug. Instead Bell seemed to do her best to crush the both of them, causing Pinkie to bite back and choke down her peculiar laugh as Sosie grunted in response. Moving her arm up behind Bell, Pinkie did place her hand on her godaughters hair and very gently pulled her closer into the hug. Only now did she shoot Darya a.... much less wrathful and more playful glare than she had meant to. For the first time in weeks Pinkie actually felt... relaxed. And just for a moment safe. Then the moment passed and she, a little stiffly, moved out of the hug, nodding to Sosie and Bell.*

"Hugs are normally.. a little gentler.. Bell." Sosie looked at her daughter with a smile, keeping an arm around her. She looked up at Pinkie, grinning a little more. Pinkie tended to not enough physical contact, and seeing her smile.. was.. nice. Heartwarming. There was a slightly goofy, happy expression on Sosie's face. She looked around to everyone else, cheeks a little pink. "So, uh.. let's eat the cake?" She laughed and made her way back to the cake. "And then I can look at you, Ida. See if I can't repair your videoskin, and Pinkie, your foot. And then take a shower and a nap before.." She sighed. "Going back to Shanghai."

Sosie began to cut the cake with the crazy sharp knife, making agent sized portions. Bell stood next to Pinkie, close, unmoving since the hug. Sosie's son, curious and too short to see, tapped over on his spider-like legs. He bumped into Darya's leg affectionately, interested but slightly.. unsure.