Pocket Realities. Denise's Island and Serenity's Apartment. Girl's Day Out Part 1

[dens_extra_pups]

Denise: *pushes open one half of the tall, painted double doors. And then promptly walks into the other side* *deleted!*

Serenity: *startles from where she's been situated with some reading material* *has been living for a week now in the big apartment that Ira and Mia Irons insisted on her having, and she's still not used to the place*

Denise: *loudly and full of confused ire* Did some *beep* just slam the *beepity beep* door in my face?

Serenity: *quietly, a bit spooked* Y-You only opened one side of the doors.

Denise: Huh? *hand off her abused nose and reaches to feel* Well, I'm a *unprintable*head. *opens that*

Serenity: *deep breath to calm her startlement* *lets it out slowly*

Denise: *comes walking in carefully, and then pauses and turns her head* ...Is there an echo in here?

Serenity: I... I think so?

Denise: *scarred brows lift with surprise* There is. How *beeping* big is this place?

Serenity: *quietly* Very big.

Denise: *scowls thoughtfully and listens* Now I remember. There's little fat X rated kids on the ceiling too, isn't there?

Showtime: *quietly* Those are cherubs.

Denise: *mildly grumpy* They still need to observe the *beep* common decency laws.

Serenity: ...Okay then.

Denise: *hand finds the back of a richly embroidered chair with carved and gilded legs. Scowl deepens slightly as she remembers how ornate this old Italian palace is. But then her expression brightens as she hears clicking approaching from behind her in the hall*

Serenity: *attention going to the clicking* ... Denise?

Denise: *face bright with the kind of grin that Serenity will have never seen before* Remember when I told you all that nexus *beep*?

Serenity: *hesitantly* Yes. *also remembers the visitor she had in the hospital*

Denise: And you remember meeting that other you? *smile has widened as the clicking gets closer*

Serenity: Yes, I remember her.

Denise: *turns and holds out her arms as the clicking reaches the double doors*

Destiny: *happy clickstorm! Found you, Sissy! Have some cuddles!*

Serenity: *startled sound*

Denise: *holds the young girl close and murmurs to her, then lifts her head and faces toward Serenity* This is how they say me over there. Desti, this's the friend we came to see.

Destiny: *click pop chat* *big eyes are a go, followed immediately by a rapid clickstorm!*

Denise: *grin widens further as she cocks her head to listen for Serenity's reaction*

Serenity: *quietly* She's another you?

Destiny: *much clickerfit! Wants to hug this Aunty!*

Denise: She's another me. *softly, to Destiny* You have to be careful, remember.

Destiny: *chirp*

Serenity: *quietly, feeling a bit uneasy now* Why are you both here?

Denise: What? I can't have a fun day with my baby sister? *turns that grin toward Serenity* And maybe with my one chick friend?

Destiny: *bwee! Happy clickstorm!*

Serenity: ... But you don't like me.

Denise: Eh. *shrugs and pulls a pretty, modest, long sleeve swim dress in black with a white lace pattern out of the nylon bag she's holding* Look, I bought you a swim suit. *pitches the pretty bag to one side*

Serenity: ...I can't swim, Denise. *and she's being honest. She never learned*

Denise: You can sit on the beach in a pod full of cushions.

Serenity: ... A pod? *confused*

Destiny: *scoots for Aunty, is a big clickstorm!*

Denise: You'll see. *holds up a box* And the fat*aft* made us chocolate cookies that he claims I can have.

Serenity: ...What's going on, Denise? *doesn't think you're just here for a social visit*

Denise: *grin falters* What, am I doing it wrong? I'm supposed to be hauling your *afts* to the beach for girl time *bleep*.

Serenity: ...But why me?

Denise: What? You don't wanna be my friend anymore?

Destiny: *scoldy clicks for Sissy! You're being mean!*

Denise: *looks at Destiny* No really. I need to know.

Serenity: I... I... *just got cuddled by Destiny*

Denise: Look, I know you've been through a lotta *beep*, but so have I. Okay, the *beep* I went through changed my mind on the friend thing... *thoughtful scowl*

Serenity: *wibble*

Destiny: *must fuss!*

Denise: *looks up* You want us to *beep* off?

Serenity: N-No.

Destiny: *fussing and chatting about fish now. You promised she'd see fishies, Sissy!*

Denise: *holds up the pretty black and white swim dress* Kid, you wanna help Aunty Rinny get ready?

Destiny: *clickstorm! Scoots to grab the dress*

Serenity: Bhuh? *surprised by being called 'Rinny'*

Denise: *bratty cast to her grin now at that sound of surprise* *but then she's serious again* Remember, she's not feeling good.

Destiny: *sassy chirp. Knows how to be careful with humans, Sissy!*

Serenity: ... *facepalming at the sass*

Denise: And if these cookies wind up *beep*, then I've got steak sammiches and some pommer sauce.

Destiny: *puzzled chirp*

Serenity: *quietly* It's been awhile since I had anything with pommer in it...

Denise: *scowl* Really? I thought it was easy food for weak guts.

Serenity: *quieter* I've only recently been given food that wasn't liquid, Denise.

Denise: Finish helping, okay, Desti? *turns and walks out, tripping over a chair and saying something funny while hopping a few paces on the way out*

Destiny: *clickstorm as she helps Serenity get ready for the beach*

Denise: *back! Has a big, bumpy and almost rectangular thing like an apple in one hand, and a drinking bottle in the other. Misses all the obstacles, trips over the edge of the rug and hops again, and then regains her balance before walking over to Serenity and Destiny*

Destiny: *chirp!*

Serenity: *quiet as she examines the texture of the beach outfit*

Denise: *offers the brownish golden fruit to Destiny* Here. Pommer.

Destiny: *clickstorm! Will sniff and inspect the nom*

Denise: *offers the bottle to Serenity* You ready?

Serenity: I think so... *still a bit uncertain, but will reach for the offered bottle*

Denise: *makes sure that Serenity has the juice, and then touches the arm of her chair before exploring and finding the wheels* Alright, good. I don't have to try 'n pick you up.

Serenity: *quietly* I don't know if my chair will be good on the sand...

Denise: *feels the wheels* It doesn't need to be.

Serenity: ... *very confused, soft 'meep' as Destiny cuddles her*

Denise: *feels the cuddlings* Everybody have everything they're bringing?

Destiny: Got fishies.

Denise: *pause* Um, what?

Destiny: Swimmy fishies. *out comes her toy fish, only for the sparklet to put it in her Sissy's hand*

Denise: *brows up, and then draw together as she examines the toy with her hands* Ohhhhh. Guess you don't need this. *takes the pieces of a toy fish net out of her pocket*

Destiny: *CLICKSTORM!*

Serenity: ...That's a toy fish? *trying to figure out what's going on*

Denise: *offers it to her* Feels like one.

Serenity: *examines the little toy* ... It looks like a sharkticon.

Destiny: Is Chomps! *grin*

Denise: *soft snort* Alright, brace yourself, Rinny. *hand goes to her wrist*

Serenity: ... For what?

Destiny: *clickstorm!*

Denise: Just try not to puke or *pee* yourself. *hits the button*

Serenity: *asking about that gets cut off by a startled squeak at the trip*

Destiny: *excited clickstorm and chirpfest as she sees where Sissy brought her and Aunty!*

Denise: Wait, kid, wait. Help me get Rinny into my bed. *hand pats the thin mattress inside the closer of the two round basketwork pods that they are near*

Destiny: *chirps and looks to see where Sissy wants to bring Aunty to*

Serenity: *quietly, sounding very surprised* What was that just now?

Denise: Teleport. *feeling to make sure that her pillows and Orville's are piled up properly so that Serenity can be leaned back against them*

Serenity: ...Oh. *surprised sound as she looks around*

island: *what can be seen here are the two pods, white sand with a crab walking across it, palm trees waving in the soft wind, a sky bluer than anything Cybertron has ever seen, and water so pure that it's transparent*

Serenity: *softly* Wow.

Denise: *finishes beating the pillows into submission and turns back* Wow, what?

Serenity: *quietly* This place is beautiful, Denise.

Denise: *slight smirk* I wouldn't know. *but she just turned the wheelchair so that you can see under the trees, and past them, more blue sky and water in front of more trees and beach. There under the trees is a picnic table with a canopy, and two tiny buildings. Next to a door on one of the buildings a wind chime rings softly*

Serenity: *quiet as she takes everything in*

Destiny: *clickstorm! Wants to go in the water soon!*

Denise: *makes like she's going to turn the wheelchair back*

Serenity: *surprised as she realizes that she can see the whole of the island... and that all that's on it are the little structures she's already seen*

Denise: *hears no protest and finishes turning the chair around* Okay, Desti. Help me put Aunty Rinny on my bed.

Destiny: *clickstorm, moves to help*

Denise: Easy, she can't sit up. *is supporting most of the injured woman's weight, and being very careful of her feet and legs*

Destiny: *blink blink, quiet, questioning clicks. Aunty is hurt?*

Denise: *as Serenity is settled onto the bed within the pod* Yeah. *amused snort* Weren't you listening when I explained all this *beep*?

Destiny: *clickerfit* Mama fix?

Denise: *plumps pillows some more, and then pulls her own sheet over Serenity* She's got to get stronger before she can get anymore fixing.

Destiny: *more clicks as she thinks muchly on this*

Denise: But it'll be your mama's brother that does it. Him and his assistant Frankie.

Serenity: *quietly* That's not her name, Denise.

Denise: *unrepentant* She answers to it. *straightens up and bonks her head on the upper edge of the pod* *word Desti doesn't like*

Destiny: *SCOLDIES!*

Denise: *wince wince* Eeesh. Sorry. Cut it out, you're gonna scare Aunty.

Serenity: *just a bit spooked by the volume and intensity of Destiny's scolding of Denise*

Destiny: *huff* Bad words.

Denise: Yeah, blame fat*aft*. *headtilt* Where's your pommer? *yup, trying to distract*

Destiny: *distraction tactics: successful* *fuss, searches for the pommer* *excited chatter as she realizes it landed in Aunty's chair*

Serenity: *the analytical part of her mind is working as she watches* *quietly* She's not very old, is she?

Denise: *parks her butt on the edge of the seat of Serenity's chair, then lifts her head slightly as though listening* This half's about four standards.

Serenity: ... This half?

Denise: Yeah. She's got a twin that's a few thousand standards. They're cybernetic, like animals.

Destiny: *thrrpt* Notta turbofox.

Denise: *patiently* I said "like", kiddo. I didn't say that you were. *turns her face toward her younger alter-sister* Tell Aunty Rinny about Sora.

Destiny: Sora-sissy sings!

Serenity: Er... Okay.

Destiny: *nodnod* Sings more now. Didn't sing for long time though... *and now she's looking and sounding a bit sad*

Denise: *distraction attempt* Can you put your fishnet together?

Destiny: *clickstorms as she gets distracted by that*

Serenity: *small frown* So Sora wasn't a singer before, but now she is? *trying to understand*

Denise: *listens to the clicking move away slightly, and then lowers her voice* She was a singer before the war they had over there.

Serenity: *quietly* Oh.

Destiny: Stupee Meg. *more clickstorm*

Denise: *snerk* Big ears. *sets down the container of cookies and pulls off the top to release the rich scent* In a lot of the realities I've heard of I wind up like this. *gestures to her face* In her reality I got a baby twin sister instead.

Destiny: *is that very grouchy and rude sound*

Serenity: *startles at the sound*

Denise: *offers the cookie box to the grouchy sound*

Destiny: *grumble grouch* Bad, mean peoples.

Denise: *offers cookie box to Serenity*

Serenity: *puzzled frown as she accepts the cookie box* What do you mean, Destiny? *trying to figure out what got the youngster upset*

Denise: It'll be okay, kid. Look, Aunty Rinny's got all the cookies.

Destiny: Stupee, bad, mean people. Made Sora-sissy cry. *huff*

Serenity: *trying to defuse the situation* Oh, yes, that is a very bad thing. It's not nice to make someone cry.

Denise: Unless he's bigger than you and uglier than you.

Serenity: Denise! That's not nice.

Destiny: *clickerfit*

Denise: Neither am I. *gets one of the cookies and sniffs it with a frown*

Serenity: Still... You should try and set a better example. *will examine a cookie after taking it out of the container*

Denise: Yeah, right. *bites the cookie and then sputters* *angrily* He said these were good for me. Sweet *beeeeeep*!

Destiny: *gonna gank the cookie from you if you don't want it, Sissy!*

Denise: *startles* Whoa.

Destiny: *NOM*

Serenity: *looking for the nutrition information*

card: *poked in neatly at the side, and plastic-covered to avoid staining*

Serenity: *carefully grasping the card*

Destiny: *as she helps herself to another cookie* Ingredients.

Denise: Huh? I don't know.

Serenity: *reading the ingredients out loud* Meal paste, water, animal-based protein powder, and Driner-safe chocolate.

Denise: *pause* That's what's in them?

Serenity: According to the ingredients list, yes.

Denise: ...I didn't know there was Driner-safe chocolate.

Serenity: The card also says that the chocolate's from the Backwater.

Denise: *sudden snort of amusement* Right.

Destiny: *has already nommed four or five cookies herself* Backwater! Fun fun fun! Sissy!

Serenity: *quietly* The other me explained what it is.

Denise: *reaches for a cookie and sniffs it* The fisherkid competes in the local sports there. *cracks a slightly sad despite the trying to be tough grin* She's a sniper.

Destiny: Yup yup, shoot ratties! *grin*

Denise: Fat*aft* says she's pretty good. *taste cookie. Deep and thoughtful frown*

Destiny: Mira's better. *nodnod. Gank another cookie*

Serenity: ... Who's Mira?

Denise: Which Mira? *more cookie*

Serenity: ... There's more than one?

Destiny: *muffled* Mmmyup. One's Aunty Hormah's. She's champion. *nod nod*

Denise: *deep frown as she chews* ...None of the Miras shoot in your level, kid.

Destiny: Not talkin' shootin'!

Denise: Ohhhh. The little rat catcher. *chuckles* That's a different level, so she's not really better.

Destiny: *huff* Mira is champion.

Denise: *grin* Okay. Mira is champion. *finishes cookie*

Destiny: *nommacookie*

Serenity: ... Rat catcher?

Denise: *describes the game as she understands it. Gets it really wrong*

Destiny: *correcting Sissy*

Serenity: ... So she has to catch the rats before the timer runs out, but she can't hurt them or she loses points? *trying to make sense of what Denise and Destiny are telling her*

Denise: Yeah. That. *smirk*

Serenity: ... And people bet on that?

Denise: Yup.

Serenity: ...That...

Destiny: *just lost her mind with glee. Goes tearing out to the water because she thinks she sees fishies!*

Denise: That rock cod's gonna think gear gnus just came down on his head.

Serenity: ... *jaw snaps shut audibly*

Destiny: *GLEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*

Denise: *turns her head toward the snap* What's wrong, Rinny?

Serenity: Just realizing that you weren't kidding about her being a child.

Denise: *snort* Nope. *offers the last cookie*

Serenity: *as she takes the offered cookie* Is her sister similar?

Denise: *sits on the edge of the bed* Sora's more like you.

Serenity: ... *quietly* Oh. *starting to understand now what Destiny was talking about earlier*

Denise: *grin without anything mean in it* She's more fun, though.

Serenity: ... *frown* what are you talking about?

Denise: She understands a joke. *looks up as she hears someone appear behind her, and then she recognizes that slight joint creak* What do you want, Desinex?

hbDesinex: Hello yourself, *beep*. Where's the thing you said you had for the kids?

Denise: Here, Rinny, gotta reach behind you. *lifts a hand, but waits to move*

Serenity: A-Alright... *trying to lean forward on her own*

Denise: *hand carefully finds Serenity's chest and offers her a support to lean on, and the other hand slips behind all the pillows and pulls out two large dolls braided out of sturdy, heavy, woven cord* Okay. Lean back again.

Serenity: *glad for the assistance, leans back as well as she's able*

hbDesinex: ... Who the scrap is that?

Denise: *fixes the sheet* This is Showtime.

hbDesinex: Ah. *nods* Your Ratchet patched her up, then?

Denise: He's working on it. *finishes with the sheet, and then holds up the dolls* How're those?

hbDesinex: *snerk* The kids'll love those.

Denise: Good. *waves them, asking wordlessly that they be taken*

hbDesinex: *will take the dolls, snorting as she sees that one is orange and blue, and the other is yellow and purple* Doesn't matter which one goes to which kid. They'll swap 'em back and forth. *amused chuckle*

Denise: *quiet snerk* Have a look at the one in the water before you go, would you?

hbDesinex: ... *will go to look* *laughs as she gets a good look at Destiny*

Destiny: *CLICKSTORM!*

Denise: *has followed a little way* You guys can't drown, right?

hbDesinex: I don't think so. I know I sure as *bleep* can't swim though.

Destiny: *lifts huge fishy and hugs him*

rock cod: *has no clue what's going on. Hopes more of that new food will follow*

Destiny: *issa massive clickerfit!*

hbDesinex: Your friend needs ta be in the water, kid.

Denise: Oh, *beep*. She's got the *beeping* fish?

hbDesinex: Yup.

Denise: *lifts her voice* Destiny, he can't *beeping* breathe!

Serenity: *hand over her mouth*

Destiny: 0_0 *clickstorm! and then she's setting the fish back in the water*

rock cod: *gills work as he breathes, and his fins move to keep him steady. But he doesn't go anywhere, except to snap at that little fish that just got close enough*

Destiny: *hunkers down to click at her new friend*

hbDesinex: ... Okay, I know I wasn't that much of a dork as a sparklet.

Denise: *smirks* Did you have an ocean?

hbDesinex: ... Your point?

Denise: Did you have Ratchet or Kup for a mother? *smirk*

hbDesinex: ... No.

Denise: Then you're not a dork like me and the kid. You're just a loser. *smirrrk*

hbDesinex: *does something that makes Destiny scold her*

Denise: *laughing much*

Serenity: ...I'm guessing that's a rude gesture.

hbDesinex: ... *to Denise* What rock was she living under?

Denise: *instantly protective* She's a middle classer. Never lived rough.

hbDesinex: Ah. Gotcha. *nod*

Serenity: *stunned into silence at Denise's defending of her*

Denise: Besides. This is what we usually do. *gesture!*

hbDesinex: *over Destiny's scoldies* I'm remembering that.

Denise: Means "stir it". Pretty much telling you to jump in a compost pit.

hbDesinex: *snerk* Not only am I gonna remember that, I'm gonna teach it to Ordnance and Mira.

Denise: Do you guys even know what compost is? *skeptical brows*

hbDesinex: Yes. It's organic matter that's decomposed and is good for gardens because it has nutrients in it that plants like.

Denise: Huh. *hand surreptitiously checks on Serenity*

Serenity: *softly, sounding a bit spooked* I-I'm okay...

Destiny: *gonna come over and visit again, Aunty!*

Denise: *feels soggy body bump against her* Careful, you're wet.

Destiny: *puzzled chirp*

hbDesinex: *soft snort* I'll swing by another time. And I'll bring Sekani and Stunner with me.

Denise: Tell the scraps hi. *slight grin*

hbDesinex: *more snort, then she's gone*

Destiny: *click, pop, chirp, clickerfit*

Denise: You bored, kid? *reaches to check on baby sister*

Destiny: *headshake* Nuh-uh.

Serenity: *takes a few breaths and tries to stay calm. She's been warned that stressing out and worrying isn't going to help her get better any faster, but lately, it's been far too easy for her to fret and get anxious*

Denise: *hears the breaths, and promptly lays down beside her friend and pretends that she did it so that she can find the cookie container* Then what are you clicking about?

Serenity: *bit of a squeak as Denise lays down beside her*

Destiny: *clickpopchirp*

Denise: *bit of a snuggle as she looks for the cookie container. Is a soothing presence despite the usual fire and vinegar in her interactions* Zat so?

Serenity: *doing her best to keep the faint tremors going through her body to a minimum, but that's difficult with as tired as she's feeling* *very quietly* D-Denise?

Denise: *finds out that the container is empty* *quietly* Nap time? Or you wanna go home?

Serenity: *presses her lips thin for a moment* *quietly* W-Would you help me lay down, please?

Denise: *sits up and pitches the container toward the kitchen, then carefully arranges the pillows so that Serenity is laying flat. Fixes the sheet again* Want me to *beep* off?

Serenity: N-No. *sounds just a bit scared at the idea*

Denise: *lays down and snuggles again, hugging a pillow* Desti, you wanna sleep on fat*aft*'s bed?

Destiny: *chirp pop click!* Not sleepy! *huff*

Denise: What about Chomper?

Destiny: *clickerfit, must fuss over Chomper!*

Denise: *voice now quiet and harder to hear* I think he and Aunty Rinny need some quiet right now.

Destiny: *quiet clicks, will scoot for the other pod*

Serenity: *deep breaths, is trying to will the tremors to stop so she can try and rest*



Continued here