Microbots. Bates Residence and a Sushi Restaurant. Karen's Homecoming Part 1

[microbots]

Norman Bates: *stuffs fifty dollars down the front of his wife's shirt, and then gives her a hug* I'll be out with the guys after work. Have fun at bingo.

Karen Bates: *small nod, does her best not to shudder at his touch* *quietly* Have fun.

Norman: *grins and snuzzles her cheek* Three day weekend! We'll have some fun, alright.

Karen: *another small nod* *still quiet* Alright.

Norman: I'll bring home a present from our favourite store. *lifts his head and wiggles his eyebrows at her, then turns to grab his jacket*

Karen: *grimaces when his back is turned. She knows what he thinks is the favorite store, and she doesn't agree at all, but it's safer to pretend he's right*

Norman: *and away he goes, cheerfully banging the door behind him*

Karen: *deep breath, lets it out in a sigh and fishes the money out of her shirt. Then she'll slowly feel her way toward where she has her stash. She had to find a new hiding spot for the money after Legacy left, and she's almost certain Norman or the flavor of the week moved furniture around again* *once she's found where she hid the stash, she'll slowly sit down and add the money to it. As she does so, she'll again wonder to herself how different things would have been if she hadn't flipped her truck all those years ago, and had actually made it to her CO's house, as she'd intended. She'd taken Legacy, the girl barely a toddler at that point, and had run away after Norman had hit her in a fit of paranoid rage, but she'd been so dizzy from the blow to her head that she hadn't been able to drive safely, and thus had not seen the median until it was too late*

knock: *sounds at the door. Is furtive, but heavy-handed* *sounds like Norman's best friend trying to be sneaky*

Karen: *quickly puts the stash back and gets to her feet. She'll feel her way back to the front door, calling out as she goes* One moment!

Nate: *voice low as he calls back* Alright.

Karen: *squares her shoulders once she knows who's at the door. Works on getting the door open, and wonders to herself when the doorknob got changed* Is there something I can help you with, Nate?

Nate: Aren't you gonna let me in, honey?

Karen: *small frown* Norman is at work. *which means unless you're here to get something, she's not going to let you into the house. That'd just cause her trouble*

Nate: Good. *sounds relieved as he reaches to touch her arm* Honey, we need to talk.

Karen: *pulls her arm back* *quietly* Don't touch me.

Nate: I'm not gonna hurt you. *drops his voice* The little girl asked me ta take care of you. I've come to take you away.

Karen: ... *quietly and coldly, a knife's edge coming to her voice* Prove it.

Nate: *with pride* I got us reservations at a really top hotel in Vegas. You're gonna have the time of your life.

Karen: *now she KNOWS you were lying about Legacy asking you for help, Nate* ... I'm not interested.

Nate: What? C'mon. I know he's rough on you. The little girl told me so.

Karen: Get off of my porch.

Nate: *two big hands suddenly clamp onto her arms* *all the coaxing gone from his voice* Don't mess with me, woman. We're going to Vegas. Now.

Karen: *Nate, you had your chance. It's with a sudden explosion of motion that she fights back, kicking and screaming blue murder* GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!

Nate: *is a big man and strong. Now he lifts her up and shakes her*

Karen: *still fighting and screaming, though the shaking is making her dizzy* LET GO OF ME! SOMEONE CALL THE COPS!

Nate: *grunts and lets go of her, and then there's a thud*

big hands: *catch her before she can fall*

Karen: *going to try and fight against these hands, too, despite her dizziness* LET GO OF ME!

voice: *neutral sounding, you can't tell if it's male or female, but it's calm* Put down dem feet so you don't fall on you *donkey*.

Karen: *quiet, panicky sound, is too dizzy to fight much more, will slowly comply*

hands: *set her down, and then she'll hear heels clicking together. Someone is saluting her*

Karen: *so confused and dizzy. Will sink to her knees and look toward where she thinks the other person is* *quietly* Who...?

voice: Marine Corps Private Charleen Raze... *then spoils the formality* ...Mama.

Karen: *quietly, disbelief in her voice* US Marines? *starting to feel sick from the shaking she went through earlier*

Charleen: Yes'm. I'm wit' NEST now, dough.

Karen: *quietly* ... What branch is NEST? *taking a few shaky breaths and trying to keep from being sick on the Private's feet*

Charleen: Alla dem. *pause* I gotta message for you.

Karen: ... *quieter* What sort of message?

hand: *unbelievably tiny, it touches her leg. There's a click, and then she hears her daughter's voice* //Mom. These guys are here to help. Grab your bag quick.//

Karen: *soft gasp* *quietly* Legacy? Are you alright?

Charleen: *gruffly apologetic* Dat's a recordin', Mama. But she's doin' good.

Legacy's voice: *quietly* //I'm earning my wings.//

Karen: *soft sound like a sob. Then she's taking a few deep breaths and moving to try and get to her feet*

Charleen: *big hand gently touches that grasping hand* C'n I help?

tiny feet: *skitter away*

Karen: *small nod* *quietly* I think I need a doctor.

Charleen: She's by de car, keepin' watch. *hand still waiting where she can feel it*

Karen: *quietly* I have money to pay. Closet under the stairs...

Charleen: ...Pay what?

squeaky voice: *sounds like a recording* Got it!

Karen: *quietly* The doctor... *reaching for your hand, Charleen*

Charleen: *gently but effortlessly lifts Karen to her feet* *snort* She kick you *donkey* for talkin' like dat.

dragging: *coming closer*

Karen: *confused* *quietly* I don't understand...

Charleen: Rachel's de base doctor. She don' charge. *can be felt stooping, and then comes the creak of the bag being lifted*

voice: *recorded and male. Says something about Daredevil*

Charleen: *snorts* I see it.

voice: *recorded bronx cheer*

Karen: *very soft snerk. Remembers Legacy making a similar comment the day the custom-made, collapsible cane arrived* *quietly* No, his is fancier.

Charleen: *big hand carefully pokes said cane into Karen's grasp* Yes'm.

voice: *'Daredevil' quote*

Karen: *soft snerk, will make sure the cane sections have latched into place by giving the cane a quick shake. Satisfied that the cane won't collapse on her, she'll nod* *quietly* Let's go.

Charleen: Fluffy, you git offa my foot.

razz track: *plays again*

Karen: ... Fluffy?

Charleen: *already guiding her down the front steps* Yes'm. Dat lil drone dat jes' touched you on de leg.

Karen: Oh. *small frown* Drone?

woman: *is a lighter hand slipping onto your other arm, Karen* He's a tiny robot.

Charleen: Dis be Rachel.

Karen: ...Oh. *turns her head slightly toward Rachel's voice*

Rachel: *gentle pat pat* Here, stop a minute, Char.

Charleen: *does so, to the tune of a grumble track from down by the ground*

Karen: Is something wrong?

Rachel: *soft chuckle* No. I'm going to touch your head, alright?

Karen: Ah... *small nod. As long as she has some warning, she's alright with having her head or face touched*

Rachel: *gentle hands carefully sets what feels like a light crown on her head. A soft, wordless melody trills in the back of Karen's mind*

Karen: *soft, confused sound, then she's gasping softly as the darkness that's been her world since Legacy was small changes. Slowly, at first, then gaining speed, that blackness is replaced by a world of color, and shapes, and she can see the faces of the women who came to get her, and the car... and then she's crying, overwhelmed with emotion*

Rachel: *soft sound as she puts her arms around Karen*

Fluffy: "Oh *beep*!" *flees toward the little blue car*

Karen: *making your shoulder wet now, Rachel*

Rachel: *comforting mother hug*

Nate: *comes off the porch with a roar of rage*

Bartholomew: *steps out of where he was hiding in the lilacs and KOs him again*

Karen: *startles at the roar and its sudden silencing*

Charleen: Don' worry, Mama. Dat Bart got 'im.

Rachel: *trying so hard not to laugh, but her shoulder's shaking slightly*

Karen: ... Bart? *confused and a bit spooked now*

Charleen: My ol' man.

Rachel: He's Char's husband. The other guard I brought today. *hand on Karen's cheek as she looks into the woman's sightless eyes*

Karen: *very small nod. The excitement of today has left its mark on her stress levels. Being able to see has helped with the dizziness she's been feeling, but she could probably do with some rest* *quietly* Let's go.

Rachel: *nods and resumes leading her to the car* Hurry up and get in, guys. Karen gets shotgun.

Bartholomew: *hurries over after making sure Nate won't get up, is a bit wibbly*

Charleen: *grabs his hair and gives his head a gentle shove, then crams him into the little car*

Karen: *cringes at the squeak Bart just did*

Rachel: Shhh. It's alright. Bart's just got panic issues.

Charleen: *stuffs herself in and scrunches small as she sets the seat back up* *settles in with her usual expression of stoic indifference*

Karen: *very small nod, takes a deep breath and then focuses on folding her cane up for the trip*

Rachel: Here... *helps her get in, in the process gently and imperceptibly adjusting her neck*

Karen: *bit of a squeak at the pop she hears and feels*

Rachel: How's that feel?

Karen: *quietly surprised* Better. *she had started tuning out the pain in that area years ago, because Norman would never let her go to the doctor to get her neck looked at...*

Rachel: You should be able to see a little better now, even without the star. *helps her with the seatbelt* Want me to put the bag in the trunk?

Karen: *small nod* Please.

Rachel: *takes it and sets it into the hatchback's storage compartment, then comes back and slips into the driver's seat* *gently, as she pulls away from the curb and drives off* Get some rest.

Karen: *small nod, will carefully tip her head back and close her eyes*

((Written with random_xtras))

Continued here.