capsicum

[katrea]

Katie settles in pretty well into the house, and later, when a bed has been obtained, into Lizbeth's room. She wears Lizbeth's hand-me-downs to start, then gets her own clothes; she doesn't have strong opinions about what she should be wearing, but the sizing on Lizbeth's old things isn't really right, and there aren't all that many still lying around anyway.

She has inexplicably tidy handwriting - inexplicably has handwriting at all; inexplicably can spell fifteen words in twenty instead of zero - which she uses, rather a lot. She makes a list of things that are food and magnetizes it to the fridge for reference, adding to it when she locates more things that are food, and when she is trying to tackle complex books she takes notes on who all the characters are so she doesn't have to page backward to remind herself, and she discovers journaling, even though she doesn't have that many events to record.

One day, the event she has to record is: Chris says to morrow she wil go to the DMV and shud not have us ther becas it may take six ours. We wil be baybe sat. If I hav ben baybe sat be for I do not remembre it.

She is curious about the imminent babysitter, and is up bright and early on the day when same may be expected.

Comments

[queensidecastle]

"Lizbeth and Gina are both sensible people and I don't think they'll be telling anyone."

[katrea]

"Okay."

Katie hugs her.

[queensidecastle]

Hugs!

[katrea]

After they have next run errands, they run into a bit of a snag.

"Euagh!" is Katie's reaction to the alcohol-soaked wipes they obtained with the lancets.

[queensidecastle]

"...Euagh?" says Chris, pausing in the act of removing the wipe from its little square packet.

[katrea]

"Do I have to touch it? I don't want to touch it."

[queensidecastle]

"The purpose of the euagh is to make your skin clean so that when I poke a hole in it, nothing gets in that could make you sick. So yes, you have to touch it. But not for very long."

[katrea]

"Can't I just wash my hands?"

[queensidecastle]

"I'm pretty sure the euagh is better at getting things the right kind of clean than washing your hands is. But if you really don't want to touch it, yes, you can just wash your hands."

[katrea]

"I really don't want to touch it. It's not for touching." Katie gets up and goes to the bathroom and washes her hands and comes out again. She looks suspiciously at the euagh.

[queensidecastle]

The euagh has been returned to its packet and partly folded up, and what little of it remains visible is looking very nonthreatening.

[katrea]

Katie holds out her hand, satisfied that she won't have to touch a thing that is not for touching.

[queensidecastle]

Chris gets out a lancet and carefully pokes Katie's finger.

[katrea]

Katie flinches, but doesn't say "euagh" or otherwise indicate that this is more problematic than expected.

From her fingertip wells a drop of pale, clear liquid.

[queensidecastle]

...Chris looks at it.

"That," she says, "is not blood."

[katrea]

Katie looks at it.

She licks her finger.

"It's sugary," she says. "Sugary and flowery."

[queensidecastle]

"Flowery?"

[katrea]

"It tastes like flowers smell. And sweet."

[queensidecastle]

"...Okay," says Chris. "I did not expect that."

[katrea]

The hole in Katie's finger appears to be done leaking nonblood.

"What does it mean?"

[queensidecastle]

"I'm... not completely sure," says Chris. "Mostly because I can't think of an explanation that makes any sense."

[katrea]

"I don't look like a flower," says Katie.

[queensidecastle]

"You don't!" she agrees. "You look like a person. But most people bleed blood, not... sugary flowery stuff."

[katrea]

"Well..." Katie ponders this. "Why do you do that? Maybe something got in the way of my why."

[queensidecastle]

"If something did, I have no idea what or how or exactly what it would've gotten in the way of," says Chris.