I can see why people make memes of these

Summer 2021, Week 4, Monday afternoon

Sloane Whittier's Home, Lakeview

Sloane Whittier

'Oh my god. Look at my eyes. They're so sunken in. So dark. I look like a racoon and I'm not even wearing any eyeliner. Fuuuuck.' Her face was pressed close to the bathroom mirror as her fingers poked and prodded various cuts and bruises. 'Ow.' She pressed on that same spot again, though a little more gingerly, trying to figure out where she was hurt the most.
Straightening herself up again, she combed a few fingers through her hair. "I'm not impressing anyone today. Screw it." She threw her hair up in a ponytail and walked out, mostly closing the door behind her. She stood there for a moment and decided to turn to the right, towards her bedroom. She listened and knew that Luna wasn't paying her any attention at the moment. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she took out her phone. It rang a few times before the voice answered.

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"Hola chica! So good to hear from you. Tell me you're calling so we can plan a night out."

Sloane Whittier

"Hey, Lara. Um, not quite. Well, yes, we will, but that's not what this is for. I have a favor to ask."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"A favor? Mamacita, all you need to do is ask. What do you need?"

Sloane Whittier

"Well, honestly, I've been too focused on work and you're one of the few people I know right now outside of work. I'm watching..." 'Why did I not think up a lie before I called her? Good god, woman.' "a friend's kid. She keeps to herself, but I need to run out for a few hours and I can't take her with me. Would you... god I'm so sorry to be asking you this when we haven't even had our get together, but... would you be willing to come by my place and stay with her for a little bit? She's 10, she doesn't need much, I just don't want to leave her alone."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"Say no more. We gotta look out for the ones we know. I will clear my schedule for you, amiga. Anytime. Text me your address. I will be there soon."

Sloane Whittier

"Thanks, Lara. It means a lot."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"En serio, anytime. See you soon."

Sloane Whittier

'Now to go tell short stack she has a babysitter.' She sighed heavily and walked back down the hall, knocking softly on her guest bedroom. "Luna? Got a sec?"

Luna

"Yeah, what's up?" she calls out, still sitting in a chair fiddling with something on her HUD.

Sloane Whittier

She opens the door and pokes her head in. "Hey girlie, I'm going to head up to the hospital to sit with Andre some more. I've got a friend that's going to come chill at the house with you while I'm gone. I know you don't really need it, but with everything that's happened, I would just feel safer knowing you weren't alone. Ya know? Is that... alright?"

Luna

"I keep telling you I'm okay, when can I just go home already?" she asks, almost pleading while dodging the question. Though she immediately turns around on her decision and answers anyway. "If it's a friend of yours they should be a good person, it's fine I guess.."

Sloane Whittier

"Tomorrow, I promise. Just give me one more day. The doctor said you needed to be watched over for a few days and I don't want to rush it. Plus, it's not so bad here, right?! I've got all the movie channels, games, we get to hang out! I don't want to crowd Andre though and you know they only let us in one at a time so I think it's easier if someone comes by."
"And yes, she's a good person. I knew her when I was in college in Texas. She just came out here recently too. We've been meaning to catch up. I'm sure you guys will be fine! I'll have her head this way then." She started to close the door, but then hesitated. "Thanks for humoring me. I know you're used to being on your own, but I'd rather be safe than sorry after the other night."

Luna

"I get it, I just want to check on Ranga and Beatrice.. My summons have always come back alive but it worries me that I lost connection to my sister. But I'm sure everything's fine." She tries to give one of her wide grins but it seems a bit obvious that it's more forced compared to normal. Everything's fine, right? "Be safe out there, I hear things are getting crazy in some parts of the city."

Sloane Whittier

"I will, I promise. I know you're worried. I'll help you get in touch with your sister if I can, too. We'll figure it out, Luna." She smiled and closed the door behind her, heading to the living room to watch some tv until Lara showed up.

---

Storyteller

About half an hour later, there was a knock at the door.

Sloane Whittier

She stretched as got up, turning down the volume on the Law & Order: SVU marathon before she went to answer. Looking through the peephole, she was glad to see that it was actually Lara and not some other surprise. There'd been too many lately. She opened the door wide. "Hey, girl. Thanks again for coming. Come on in."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"Don't even worry, chica. What are friends for? It is SO good to see you. Though... you're looking a little... tired. Are you ok?"

Sloane Whittier

"Oh, yeah, don't mind me. I had a bad night. Nightmare. But anyway, let me give you the tour."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

She gave a low whistle. "Some nightmare. Ay yai yai."

Sloane Whittier

Sloane blushed and waved off her friend as she started to lead Lara through the house. She showed her the different rooms, talked about the décor and such. Girl stuff. Finally they came to the guest bedroom. "Here we are. I'll introduce y'all real quick and then I have to get out of here. We can catch up a little when I get back." Sloane did the shave and a hair cut knock on the girl's door and waited.

Luna

The young girl opened the door shortly after the knock and seeing the two of them she waves slightly to the unfamiliar face. "Oh, hi, I'm Luna!" she says as she waves.

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

Lara returned the wave with a very inviting smile. She oozed friendliness in the best way. "Hola, Luna! I'm Lara, Lara Torres. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to hang out here for a bit."

Luna

"Of course, she told me someone would be staying while she's out. Nice to meet you!" she says with a cheery tone. She reaches a hand out towards Lara as she says the last line, seemingly offering a handshake.

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

The woman flashed Sloane a smile as if to say "omg she's adorable" before taking the hand being extended to her. She gave a firm handshake, but not overly so. "Nice to meet you too, hija! What would you like to do while I'm here. Have you eaten? Shall I cook for you? You look so thin."

Luna

She wasn't wearing her gauntlets so she had the grip of a normal 10 year old, but she did her best to match the firmness of Lara's grip as they shook hands. "I ate lunch, but that was a while ago. If you cook, do you promise to not make anything with peas?" She had a slightly hopeful look on her face.

Sloane Whittier

"You don't...? Ohmygod. Why didn't you just say something??"

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

She gave a loud laugh. "Oh mi hija, I will make you whatever you like and I will not include peas." She turned back to Sloane, "Go now. We'll be fine here. Shoo!" She actually made the little shooing motions with her hands.

Sloane Whittier

"Alright, alright. I'm out! You've both got my number in case anything happens. Do NOT hesitate to use it. I will be back quicker than a bunny if you need me." She waved as she walked away and headed out of the house.

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"Let's go see what she's got in the kitchen. What sort of things do you like, little one?"

Luna

"I did try to.." she replies to Sloane before she's shooed away. She waves goodbye to her as she leaves.
"Literally anything but peas, I'm not picky beyond that" she says in response to Lara's question, following along.

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

There's a small breakfast nook off to the side of the kitchen with a two seater table. "Take a seat, let's see what we've got, yeah?"
Lara starts sifting through cabinets and drawers, the pantry, the fridge, taking stock of the entirety of the kitchen's contents. She talked to herself occasionally, clicking her tongue in disapproval now and then, making some head bobs of approval at other bits, before finally coming to stand back in front of Luna.
"Okay, mi hija, I can make you a few things. I can do some huevos rancheros, quesadillas, tacos, maybe a basic torta. She doesn't give me a lot to work with, but do any of those sound good to you?"

Luna

She sits at the table and starts to trace a finger on the tabletop, tapping it every now and then, going back to interacting with her HUD. She scrolls through various websites she visits often, but more often than not she's checking her connection to Alexia in the hopes that it comes back online. Since it was the contact lens version of the HUD system it was hard to spot, so it would most likely look like she's just fidgeting as a child might when bored.
When Lara comes back with the options to pick from Luna just looks at her for a moment before answering. "I'm sorry, I don't know what any of those are except tacos and I've never even had those before, just seen them on tv.. I uh, come from somewhere pretty isolated originally so I don't know a lot of food and stuff."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

She clasped at her chest and stumbled back a few steps. "Ay dios mío! What do you mean you have not even had tacos? Oh my sweet bambina, today that is changing. Now, do not hold it against me, this will be... gringa tacos, as we say. I would do better if we were at my home, but we are not, so I will do my best. But you will have tacos today!"
She shakes her head and starts pulling ingredients out to prep the meal. "Where are you from, little one, that you don't know good food?"

Luna

She seems a bit surprised by the reaction but Luna figures that she's just really passionate about food and doesn't give it much thought. "Would you believe me if I said I was from another world?"

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

The surprise made her hesitate as she was chopping up an onion. She turned, chef knife still in hand, and gestured at the girl, head tilting to one side. "You say that with such seriousness, mi hija. What do you mean? Do you mean another country, so different it may as well be another world? Explain. I want to understand."

Luna

Instead of trying to explain with words Luna had come to realize people understood a bit more easily when they could see it for themselves. She holds up her right hand, palm facing up, and almost instantly a ring of light appears. It expands seemingly out of nothing, growing to about the size of a half dollar. Wow, this is getting easier.. she notes mentally as she focuses on keeping it stable. Inside of the ring the expected scene, what was behind the ring before it appeared, was replaced with an outdoor view of an open plain of grass. It could almost be mistaken for another place on earth, until a stampede of mechanical beasts suddenly run by the portal on the other side.

[Transporter: x1 Basic, -0 EP (25/25)]

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"Que mierda..." She creeped closer to the portal when it first opened, looking into it, trying to piece together what exactly she was seeing. When the herd ran past, she screamed something like a yip and jumped backwards. She gripped the knife tighter, trying not to drop it in fear and hurt someone. She shook her head back and forth rapidly and carefully put the knife on the counter. "Que diablos es eso?! Lo siento, mi hija, I'm sorry. I switch into Spanish sometimes and don't realize it. But, um, where or what exactly is that?"

Luna

She closes the portal as the stampede is still going, the sounds of the creatures cutting out as suddenly as the visuals do. "Sorry, I didn't know that would happen." she says sheepishly. "That was my homeworld, somewhere relative to this place in this world. I was born with the power to create bridges between the two worlds, though I've only recently started to get better control over it."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

'Oh this one is special. Yes, very special.' "I see, little one. And your family, you're all from there? How did you all end up here, in Virginia?"

Luna

"It's just me and my sister, but we grew up there. I'm pretty sure my parents were born there, but I've never seen anyone else back home.. I'm pretty sure we're the only ones left. I got stuck here because I couldn't control my powers, a portal opened without me meaning to and I fell into it. That portal happened to lead to this city. But now I'm getting better with it, and it shouldn't be long before I can make portals big enough to go back and forth whenever I want!" she says with a grin.

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"Pobrecita! Oh mi corazón, it aches for you mi hija. You are all alone here! And your sister, in the other world! Oh you sweet, sweet child. Do you stay with Sloane now? Is that why you are here?" 'I can understand why she would say you are a friend's child now. This is much to explain on short notice. Bless her, taking in this lost girl.'

Luna

"Just for now. I.." She pauses for a split second as the realization hits her that Sloane may not want her friend to know about her connection to AERI, forcing her to reconsider how she answers. ".. kind of got hurt doing something. Nothing serious, but I guess my body is a bit different from people in this world because the doctor was adamant that I stay with someone for a few days. Sloane is probably one of my closest friends here, so I've been staying with her till everyone is certain I'm fine. I have my own apartment that I stay in normally, in the same place relative to where me and my sister live back home."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"Alone! Oh my goodness... Alone. Wow. You are so brave, mi hija. So very brave. But of course Sloane wanted someone to take care of you! You should not have to worry about such things on your own. It is good to make sure you recover properly. Listen to your body, but listen to the doctors too. You are young, but you do not want to be left permanently injured."
She turns back and picks the knife back up, returning to the work of making the tacos. Her mind was working through the connotations of all of this information. "So how is it that you can afford to live on your own, little one? It is not cheap, this world. How are you surviving?"

Luna

"I keep telling everyone I'm fine, I just pushed myself a little too hard is all.." she says somewhat under her breath, almost pouting. "I guess you're right, everyone's just worried."
"I'm a programmer!" she responds to the question a bit excitedly. "I made LoliOS, with help from my sister, and it sells pretty well despite still being a mostly unknown operating system. I also code different programs here and there to sell for extra money."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"A programmer! I am so proud of you, that is very smart work. I know nothing of computers or this LoliOS, but it must be something if it is keeping you housed. Clearly not well fed, but housed."
Delicious smells were beginning to waft through the kitchen. She had onions and bell peppers sautéing in one pan as the shredded chicken heated up in another with the few approved spices she could find and some oil. Lara worked fast. "I will cook for you and teach you to cook, mi hija, if you wish. We can stay friends. I wish to help you learn more about our world and all of its cultures. Would you like that, little one?"

Luna

"I could spend more money on food if I needed to, I just put it towards.. projects." she says in response to the 'well fed' comment, almost under her breath.
"I can cook but I'm sure I still have plenty I could learn. My sister says I'd make a great sous-chef but a terrible head chef. Though I think everyone could do with having more friends, and I'm always trying to learn more about both this world and my home world.. I spend a lot of time on the internet because there's just so much to take in."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

"Sí, but the internet cannot teach you how it feels to cook. It cannot help you hone the instinct that lets you know just how much spice to add here or when to squeeze a little lime there. That is in the heart, mi hija. If your sister says you will make a great sous chef, then we will start there. You can assist me as I assisted my mother. We will have cooking lessons each week. I'll bring food to you and we will learn a new dish together. Whatever you would like. It is an honored tradition for me and I would like it if you would let me share it with you. We will start next weekend?"

Luna

"Sure! Though I might not be able to do it every weekend, I've got.. a project that makes my schedule pretty unpredictable." she says with a slightly nervous smile.

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

This piqued her interest, but Lara decided not to push the topic... for now. There was something different about Luna, something special. She would take her time with this one. "Of course, I would not want to get in the way of any project of yours, mi hija. Write down your number for me, my hands are full. We will plan tentatively for this weekend. If we need to reschedule, then we will!"
Meanwhile, Lara began dishing everything up and making a buffet style along the countertop. She had even pulled out Sloane's step ladder from the pantry so Luna could easily get to everything. There was chicken, ground beef, diced bell peppers and onions, some shredded cheese, sour cream, and a jar of mild salsa. "Come, mi hija. Come make your tacos. Now, I will say again, this is not how I would make them at home. Sometimes we all make concessions though, sí? This chica's kitchen, ay, she needs help. Pero! There's a fusion of mexican and american cultures here. You plate up first. I will wait."

Luna

She finds a pen and paper to write her number on along with her email and her home address. She leaves the note on the table before going over to the counter to serve herself. She grabs a plate and three tortillas. In one she puts chicken, in the next she puts beef, and in the third she puts a mixture of both. Aside from the choice of meat she puts a small amount of everything else in each taco, not seemingly favoring any particular choice and leaving nothing out.
She takes the plate and quickly heads back over to the table, taking her seat and placing the plate in front of her. She then suddenly stiffens her posture a bit as she forms a fist with her right, placing it just in front of her stomach with the back of the hand facing downwards and cupping her left hand underneath it. "Thank you all very much for this meal." she says in a more respectful tone than normal as she bows slightly, holding her hands in that position until just after the bow. Afterwards, she waits for Lara to serve herself and return to the table as well before beginning to eat.

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

Eyes beaming with pride, she watched as Luna made herself the chicken, beef, and mixed tacos. 'I didn't even have to tell her to try the combo. She just knew! My heart!' She may even have had a gleam of a tear in her eye.
When Luna took her plate to the table, Lara moved the stool aside and began to make a plate of her own. She followed the same pattern as the young girl, except she left out the cheese and sour cream. Her lips curved into a delicate smile as she heard the girl's expression of gratitude. 'And so gracious! I love this little one!' "De nada, mi hija! I will always make sure you have a place to rest your head and a full stomach, if nothing else."
Finishing up the last of her plating, she went to join the girl at the table. She bowed her head and quickly mimed the sign of the cross over herself, kissed her hand, and then looked up. "Now then, let's eat!" She watched excitedly for Luna to take her first bite.

Luna

She grabs the closest one to her and takes a bite. As she chews her eyes widen slightly for a moment, processing the mix of flavor she had never had before. She eats at a very quick pace following the first bite, too enthralled by the food to say anything without prompting until she was finished.
"I can see why people make memes of these, I think I have a new favorite food."

Lara Torres | Mother of Lost Souls

Lara laughed that infectious laugh of hers. "Que bueno! Very promising. You have good taste buds. I am proud. We will make much delicious food! Think of what flavors you like or what foods you have seen on Insta. Make a list. We will cross it all off. If I don't know how to make it, I will learn with you."

Storyteller

The two carried on like that for a while, talking about food with Lara probing the girl for other random tidbits about herself. When Sloane came back, she was thankful to have something to eat and made sure to tell Lara just how much she appreciated her help. Lara and Sloane made tentative plans to get together over the weekend, assuming nothing else came up. Sloane promised to buy her a few rounds for sure. It made her relieved to know that she may actually have another friend in town, someone not involved with the Evo scene (or so she thinks).

Type

Record, Historical

Medium

Digital Recording, Text