[And while there are going to be multiple moments where they won't make sense to Laura, Matt will still proceed with dignity, grace and understanding. Leading by example and answering questions as they go have worked so far.]
Yes, they do. It's an automatic response in some cases.
[Like losing your shit a bit. Matt smiles at her.]
That sounds perfect. I'm getting hungry. Are you?
[He puts his hand on her shoulder. The other is still holding the paper to his chest. At least until he can put it on the refrigerator.]
[ That is a hard thing about being out here in the world and learning about it. Just when she thinks she knows some things, other things happen and she doesn't understand. She knows about fear, though.
When she feels Matt's hand on her shoulder, her own smaller one reaches up to thread their fingers together, even if its in brief. She knows they'll need them free when they start to cook things. ]
I'm hungry!
[ She's always hungry. Well, more often than not. ]
[And when these new concepts come up, Matt does his best to be encouraging. These shouldn't be roadblocks. Just challenges. Laura is bright. Her awareness of the world is limited, yes. That doesn't mean that she isn't adapting. That alone is such a skill in any person. For a child with what he knows of her history, being adventurous and cautious are the very best he can hope for some days.
Hand in hand for a moment makes him reflect on that day at the park. They're still going strong.]
Food it is.
[Actually that was the only idea he had. They're both very hungry people.]
I'm going to take out some vegetables. Can you cut them into small pieces? The knife is going to be sharper, be careful.
[She was successful with a butter knife the times before with finger sandwiches. And wanting to help means more responsibilities. Matt gently tugs her hand and leads her to the kitchen. To the fridge first because he wants to display the picture. One well placed magnet--checking to ensure that it's the right way up too--and it's fixed into place.]
[ In some ways being here is more challenging than the place she came from. They had very simple wants for them there. They were not good, but they were simple. Here it is complicated. She likes that some days. Days like this morning are more frustrating for her.
She's glad he's there to help her learn the right ways to do things. ]
I can. I will be careful.
[ Though, she doesn't have to be. She beams a little when the paper goes up on the fridge where it is in view, at least to her. But that means he wants it there so he can find it easily, like the take out menu. That is a good thing.
She climbs up on a stool so that she can reach the countertop, and when Matt gives her the vegetables, she starts to carefully cut them up. She's doing well, until she's distracted by a loud noise outside and the knife slips, cutting two of her fingers. She barely even flinches, but she pulls away, unsure of how to hide the problem.
She hasn't told him about her powers yet. She doesn't know what he will think of it. ]
[Having it posted up as a means of appreciation as well as acknowledgement on both side that they had done wrong and are moving past it. No, things aren't simple. And Matt wishes there were ways to make this process easier. He isn't even sure of what to call it if he were honest. Laura is and always has been a person. She's learning how to do it with other people and learning things like manners, dignity, respect and other things that she was denied.
Matt is getting rice ready and he pauses. The chopping has stopped and his head tilts. Blood is in the air.]
Laura--?
[He turns and comes forward.]
Are you okay?
[Not a sound out of her. He has been thrown out of a window and would still have made a sound of surprise. Matt grabs a towel and wets it.]
[ She has endured much worse things than falling out of a window. She has inflicted worse upon herself in her fits when she began to get older, at least until Gabriella stopped her. Told her that it was not good to do. ]
It is fine. It's fine.
[ She pulls her hand back towards her body. It's already healed, but the blood is still there. It had been deep enough that there are drops on her clothes now. She knows he can't see it, but he can smell it. It makes her heart beat fast because she doesn't know how to hide this or how he will react to it.
It is not the same as the other things. She is not even the same as he is. She knows this. ]
[The concept of a heightened pain threshold or even being unaware of what pain is given that was state perpetually inflicted on her hasn't even crossed Matt's mind. The agility and strength, that's enough. Did they really have to burden children with more?]
Is it?
[Brow furrowed and still coming closer even though he can see that she is tensing and on the defensive.]
I want to know if you're okay. You're not in trouble.
[ She has felt pain, but it has to be at a much higher level than simply a cut while helping to cook. The feeling in her chest hurts more than her hand did, even in brief. She is worried. It makes her stomach feel heavy like before she apologized. ]
Si.
[ Firm and a little snappish. She doesn't know what to do to make the strange feeling that his concern causes to stop. He has not been unkind to her yet. Not even knowing she was already different. Does that mean it will stay this way now? She doesn't know. ]
It is not like the things we share. [ She doesn't know the right words. She settles for offering her hand out, enough blood drying stickily that he would tell that it was a sizable cut. ]
[Her temper is just another element that makes everything more complicated. Matt is matched there. And while it would not do well to just be pissed off he clenches his teeth and steps closer. Cloth still in his hand as he takes a hold of her wrist. No yanking or pulling.
There is not a twitch or tremble in her hand. And while the blood smell is fresh it is not expanding or oxidizing. Matt blinks slowly, dabbing at the wound area. The skin is one piece, no flap and nothing that would have made her hiss if it smarted.]
[ At least she's well past the stage of incoherent shouts at this point. Though, some days, it's close. She doesn't try to tug her wrist out of his grip as he begins to clean her hand off.
Her lips press together in a thin line as the red clears away to reveal perfectly intact skin. Pink and unmarred, as if it never happened. ]
[Repeating and trying to still understand. A small cut made in a moment and now it's gone. If it weren't for the blood there'd be no proof whatsoever. Matt still holds her hand and is reminded of the weight there.]
Can you please tell me if there is something else I don't know.
[ That feeling in her stomach isn't going away. She knows he isn't angry, she would smell it. Hear it. He's confused. But confusion can lead to fear and she does not want him to be afraid of her.
She pats at his hand to encourage him to move it down, away from her knuckles. His body is far enough away and at a different angle that she can extend the claws of her hand without risking hurting him. ]
Do not move yet. Careful. Stay still.
[ Her reflexes are fast enough that she can get distance without hurting him, but she does not want to risk that. Slowly, she extends the claws of her hand to their full length. ]
[This really was not what he was expecting. Laura was a girl with secrets. And her life was starting over. Muddling the now with so much of the then and deciding on a new path, that was the objective. Matt still had so much more to understand about who she is. About what she is. Yes, a child and a refugee. There is still more.
He's at attention and listens to her verbal and non verbal cues. Brow furrowing deeper he listens, really listens and tries to comprehend what that noise is. It's nothing like he's heard before. See, a blade gives away to skin and yet it is never from inside.]
Laura--[Though he's not sure what he wants to say.]
[ Once she's satisfied that he isn't going to jerk away or move in some fashion that will end in him getting hurt, she relaxes a little. There is no real way to show him other than to let him touch it the way he did the paper she gave him. There's a small amount of blood when they come out, but nothing more.
She reaches for the hand on her wrist, pats it, and encourages it upward to where the claws are. ]
Careful still. Sharp.
[ She waits a moment to let him try and put it all together on his own. ]
There and my feet. They put metal on them. Made them stronger.
[ Yes, she had them before that. They just made them better. More lethal. Suited to their purposes. It's how she was made. ]
[Okay. So blades come out of her hands. Be calm. Though he can feel himself blink and his eyes give away absolutely everything. The worry and concern. Though it is a part of her now. No sense in lamenting or making her feel any more like an outcast. That explains the anxiety coming off of her in waves. Matt lets his touch move careful and aware. They're not small knives, no. Long, thin and curved.]
[ She doesn't understand why he looks the way he does. It is her situation? What happened before they met?
No, they aren't small. Neither re the ones on her feet. They are meant to defend or hurt. They said she was like the one who helped make her. More animal than human. Not a little girl. ]
I hope that you don't need to us these, to get hurt.
[He already knows that the minute these are out that Laura isn't the only one to be harmed. She is like a monkey or a wild cat as far as speed goes. Add the claws and being able to heal.]
[ It was the same way for all of the children there. Her friends. They wanted them to be soldiers. To use their powers to hurt others. To kill.
She has not done it since leaving. She hasn't had to. It would hurt Matt if she used them to kill, that she understands. She has watched what he does at night. Hurts those that deserve it, yes. He does not kill. It is wrong.
She cannot change what she has done in the past under their teaching, and then leaving that place by force. ]
Good. You shouldn't have to defend yourself, not like that.
[Honest and pointed distinction. Matt don't have to guess to know what happened to people who crossed Laura in a rage. She is equip with weapons in her body with speed, strength and healing. They wanted a killing machine. His fingers come back to her knuckles, and brush over the top of her hand gently rubbing there.]
They're yours and you get to choose what you want to do with them.
[ She still has bad dreams about it. When his hand finally moves way from where the claws are, sharp and dangerous, she lets them retract back into her skin. The incisions heal in seconds, leaving nothing to show there was ever anything there. ]
I do not want to use them here.
[ Not when she knows that she doesn't have to. Not when she knows that she is safe with him. ]
[He still touches her hand and can feel tendons and bones shift. It's minor but real. No doubt something that feels unpleasant. Once sheathed, both arms come around her. Matt usually tries to be more deliberate about permission. He wants to comfort her right now. And wants her to feel a sense of acceptance, of safety.
Their time together is going to be eye opening all the time.]
I will do my part to not give you any reason to use those here.
[ It does, but she barely notices it now. It is something she's used to feeling. Taught to ignore. The embrace, though, is something she has learned from Gabriela. From Matt. It is new and different and it makes the strange feeling of worry lessen.
It is a good feeling. She wraps her arms around his torso as much as she can, and presses her cheek against Matt's chest.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Yes, they do. It's an automatic response in some cases.
[Like losing your shit a bit. Matt smiles at her.]
That sounds perfect. I'm getting hungry. Are you?
[He puts his hand on her shoulder. The other is still holding the paper to his chest. At least until he can put it on the refrigerator.]
no subject
When she feels Matt's hand on her shoulder, her own smaller one reaches up to thread their fingers together, even if its in brief. She knows they'll need them free when they start to cook things. ]
I'm hungry!
[ She's always hungry. Well, more often than not. ]
What can I do to help?
no subject
Hand in hand for a moment makes him reflect on that day at the park. They're still going strong.]
Food it is.
[Actually that was the only idea he had. They're both very hungry people.]
I'm going to take out some vegetables. Can you cut them into small pieces? The knife is going to be sharper, be careful.
[She was successful with a butter knife the times before with finger sandwiches. And wanting to help means more responsibilities. Matt gently tugs her hand and leads her to the kitchen. To the fridge first because he wants to display the picture. One well placed magnet--checking to ensure that it's the right way up too--and it's fixed into place.]
no subject
She's glad he's there to help her learn the right ways to do things. ]
I can. I will be careful.
[ Though, she doesn't have to be. She beams a little when the paper goes up on the fridge where it is in view, at least to her. But that means he wants it there so he can find it easily, like the take out menu. That is a good thing.
She climbs up on a stool so that she can reach the countertop, and when Matt gives her the vegetables, she starts to carefully cut them up. She's doing well, until she's distracted by a loud noise outside and the knife slips, cutting two of her fingers. She barely even flinches, but she pulls away, unsure of how to hide the problem.
She hasn't told him about her powers yet. She doesn't know what he will think of it. ]
no subject
Matt is getting rice ready and he pauses. The chopping has stopped and his head tilts. Blood is in the air.]
Laura--?
[He turns and comes forward.]
Are you okay?
[Not a sound out of her. He has been thrown out of a window and would still have made a sound of surprise. Matt grabs a towel and wets it.]
Let me. Is it deep?
[Is she in shock??]
no subject
It is fine. It's fine.
[ She pulls her hand back towards her body. It's already healed, but the blood is still there. It had been deep enough that there are drops on her clothes now. She knows he can't see it, but he can smell it. It makes her heart beat fast because she doesn't know how to hide this or how he will react to it.
It is not the same as the other things. She is not even the same as he is. She knows this. ]
No.
no subject
Is it?
[Brow furrowed and still coming closer even though he can see that she is tensing and on the defensive.]
I want to know if you're okay. You're not in trouble.
no subject
Si.
[ Firm and a little snappish. She doesn't know what to do to make the strange feeling that his concern causes to stop. He has not been unkind to her yet. Not even knowing she was already different. Does that mean it will stay this way now? She doesn't know. ]
It is not like the things we share. [ She doesn't know the right words. She settles for offering her hand out, enough blood drying stickily that he would tell that it was a sizable cut. ]
no subject
There is not a twitch or tremble in her hand. And while the blood smell is fresh it is not expanding or oxidizing. Matt blinks slowly, dabbing at the wound area. The skin is one piece, no flap and nothing that would have made her hiss if it smarted.]
...it's gone?
no subject
Her lips press together in a thin line as the red clears away to reveal perfectly intact skin. Pink and unmarred, as if it never happened. ]
I heal.
no subject
[Repeating and trying to still understand. A small cut made in a moment and now it's gone. If it weren't for the blood there'd be no proof whatsoever. Matt still holds her hand and is reminded of the weight there.]
Can you please tell me if there is something else I don't know.
no subject
[ That feeling in her stomach isn't going away. She knows he isn't angry, she would smell it. Hear it. He's confused. But confusion can lead to fear and she does not want him to be afraid of her.
She pats at his hand to encourage him to move it down, away from her knuckles. His body is far enough away and at a different angle that she can extend the claws of her hand without risking hurting him. ]
Do not move yet. Careful. Stay still.
[ Her reflexes are fast enough that she can get distance without hurting him, but she does not want to risk that. Slowly, she extends the claws of her hand to their full length. ]
no subject
He's at attention and listens to her verbal and non verbal cues. Brow furrowing deeper he listens, really listens and tries to comprehend what that noise is. It's nothing like he's heard before. See, a blade gives away to skin and yet it is never from inside.]
Laura--[Though he's not sure what he wants to say.]
no subject
She reaches for the hand on her wrist, pats it, and encourages it upward to where the claws are. ]
Careful still. Sharp.
[ She waits a moment to let him try and put it all together on his own. ]
There and my feet. They put metal on them. Made them stronger.
[ Yes, she had them before that. They just made them better. More lethal. Suited to their purposes. It's how she was made. ]
no subject
Do they hurt you?
no subject
[ She doesn't understand why he looks the way he does. It is her situation? What happened before they met?
No, they aren't small. Neither re the ones on her feet. They are meant to defend or hurt. They said she was like the one who helped make her. More animal than human. Not a little girl. ]
no subject
[He already knows that the minute these are out that Laura isn't the only one to be harmed. She is like a monkey or a wild cat as far as speed goes. Add the claws and being able to heal.]
You don't need them here. Not with me.
no subject
[ It was the same way for all of the children there. Her friends. They wanted them to be soldiers. To use their powers to hurt others. To kill.
She has not done it since leaving. She hasn't had to. It would hurt Matt if she used them to kill, that she understands. She has watched what he does at night. Hurts those that deserve it, yes. He does not kill. It is wrong.
She cannot change what she has done in the past under their teaching, and then leaving that place by force. ]
I do not want to need them.
no subject
[Honest and pointed distinction. Matt don't have to guess to know what happened to people who crossed Laura in a rage. She is equip with weapons in her body with speed, strength and healing. They wanted a killing machine. His fingers come back to her knuckles, and brush over the top of her hand gently rubbing there.]
They're yours and you get to choose what you want to do with them.
no subject
[ She still has bad dreams about it. When his hand finally moves way from where the claws are, sharp and dangerous, she lets them retract back into her skin. The incisions heal in seconds, leaving nothing to show there was ever anything there. ]
I do not want to use them here.
[ Not when she knows that she doesn't have to. Not when she knows that she is safe with him. ]
no subject
Their time together is going to be eye opening all the time.]
I will do my part to not give you any reason to use those here.
no subject
It is a good feeling. She wraps her arms around his torso as much as she can, and presses her cheek against Matt's chest.]
I know.