the night is beckoning,

[fayzedandconfused]

WHO: Brianna, Sarissa, Clara, and Cosima
WHERE: THE OPEN ROAD
WHEN: The first week of December
WHAT: Sciencefam road trip! + extra clone
WARNINGS:





starters below!

Comments

[magnitudes]

( a break from driving. )

( The car's been topped up with petrol, but Sarissa's taking a moment to roll out her shoulders and let her spine crackle loudly as she stretches. Unsurprisingly, she's hungry, and prowling around isn't making her shake and onion rings and fries and everything else under the Sun that it occurred to her to order arrive any faster. She restless, and finally pushes herself up into a handstand that ends with her sprawled across the ground.

It was deliberate. Mostly. Maybe totally mostly. Maybe not deliberate at all. Take your pick, really. Either way she's lying in the dust, and she's waiting for food, and she might be having an existential crisis. Or just have low blood-sugar, either or. )

Please say my feed's ready.


( night time. )

( At some point on one night in the trip, Sarissa tosses her device, hard. Whether they're in one of their rooms and it just flew out the window or into a wall or ricocheted into someone's face (oh god, sorry), who knows. Maybe they're outside and it went sailing into a bush in the dying light. Or crashed into the s'more supplies.


And at other points, she's idly practicing card and coin tricks, running through them slowly as she quietly murmurs the motions to herself, trying to remember. )


( driving lesson. )

Okay, remember. Left foot is mates with the clutch. They go everywhere together. Your right foot, that one'll go between the brake and the accelerator. Just go easy. You don't need to go slammin' down on either of 'em.

( Sarissa's in the passenger seat, Bri is driving, and they've got a whole long stretch of flat highway and an abundance of dust. ) Take your time. We can practice changing gears as long as you need. Donuts'll need to wait until the old ladies are asleep.


( or make your own variation or wildcard me or whatever RUN FREE. )

DRIVING

[fayzedandconfused]

[ Brianna immediately hits the gas and sends the van revving up the road faster than she meant. Well, it's not fast for her, but driving is different than running. There's less control, and for the first time ever, even 40 MPH seems too fast. ]

Oh shit— [ She sends a guilty look toward the passenger seat as she tries to shift into third gear, but it's tricky, and she ends up stalling the van. Ohhhh shit. ] Sorry.

[magnitudes]

No, it's okay.

( Surprisingly - maybe not that surprisingly - Sarissa isn't at all tense or displeased. She just stays calm, kind of on the quiet side. )

We got the whole road. Just try it again from the top. You don't gotta rush, just take a breath between the steps.

[fayzedandconfused]

This looked way easier when I saw other kids doing it.

[ She takes a deep breath and starts the van again. This time, when she hits the gas, it's with a bit less enthusiasm, and the van doesn't stall out as she starts to drive down the road. She does seem more hesitant to go above 30 MPH, though, which is probably why. At least she does a decent job keeping the van going in a straight line. ]

[magnitudes]

It does. You get so used to doing it that you don't even really think— I'm probably forgetting to tell you stuff 'cause I'm used to it. Oh, uh, don't feel like you gotta have your foot on the clutch or the accelerator. I made that mistake when I started, trying to bounce off one and on the other? It makes stalling more likely. Just ease it on or off, yeah?

( Sarissa is happy to just wait and see how they go. ) We can try goin' faster, if you want. You're doing good.

a break!

[doubleblind]

[Cosima's on food order recovery duty, which means they're all getting way too much food. She has a cardboard carrier tray of milkshakes balanced in one hand and two bags full of food tucked under one arm. In the other hand, she's already digging into a carton of fries. She kneels besides Sarissa's head, dangling a fry right above her mouth.]

Fry?

[magnitudes]

Where I come from, we call 'em chips. Although there's this sweet as chain in Melbourne, Lord of the Fries? It's sneaky vegetarian. Sneaky vegan, sometimes.

( Her voice is still flatter than it usually is, though there's a gentle sort of sarcasm and playfulness that sometimes winds its way through her tone, and both surface now. Obligingly, she opens her mouth for the fry. )

[doubleblind]

It's your first big American road trip, you're calling them fries.

[Cosima carefully drops the fry into Sarissa's mouth before taking a seat on the ground next to her. She looks more relaxes than she has in weeks as she stretches out her legs, leaning back on her elbows and squinting into the sun.]

There's nothing wrong with sneaky vegetarian restaurants.

[ohshutup]

[ a. the nowhere all-night diner ]

[The Nowhere - known for its clean bathrooms and trucker discount - has stood on this same stretch of quiet highway for more than half a century, and at ten 'til midnight, the usual suspects are half-sleeping in their booths and sipping their third cups of coffee to Johnny Cash. If the pink-nosed young women crowded into the corner booth are making a bit too much noise, no one shows it. Everyone is in good company here, so long as they don't mind a little extra grease on their hash browns.

Clara doesn't eat, but she still orders bacon and coffee just for the smell, and the warmth between her hands. After leaning in for another whiff, she reaches into her pocket for some jangling change.]

Let's go see what the jukebox has.

[ b. ... and motel ]

[The Nowhere is not known for its adjoining motel, but at $23 a night anyone can put up with scratchy sheets, no TV, and a room that looks as though it may have housed a serial killer at some point.

Clara drops her bag on one bed, and flops down beside it.]

Okay - who's where?

a.

[magnitudes]

( Sarissa has a small food mountain before here, and she tilts her head at Clara quizzically, glancing at her bacon. )

I didn't realise you were into sadomasochism.

( lol j/k yes she probably did. And, in good natured, quiet self mockery: ) I know, six whole syllables. Thank God you're already sitting down.

[ohshutup]

The surprises never end, with us.

[She plops one of the pieces of bacon onto Sarissa's plate, where it quickly disappears beneath the heap of deep fried natural selection.]

And I don't really like coffee or bacon - just the smell. My parents would always get up early and cook a big breakfast for themselves, and I'd wake up to the sound of the sugar spoon in their mugs.

[magnitudes]

We're a marvel.

( She grins, very briefly, at that. )

I'm not meant to eat meat, still. Not until Christmas. But I'm also not meant to have any oil, so.

( And trying to get something with no oil on a diner diet is an adventure. No dairy or eggs or meat or wine was challenge enough. ) Forty days of suffering for religion. I must be masochistic, too.

( A beat, and: ) What was she like? Your mum. Is that... okay to ask?

a

[fayzedandconfused]

[ The best thing about the fact that one of your moms doesn't eat at all and the other one is a vegetarian: all of the bacon is for you. Breeze has ordered pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a large orange juice for herself, of course, but that still doesn't stop her from reaching over and picking slices of bacon off Clara's plate whenever she feels the urge (often). She glances over when Clara suggests looking at the jukebox, then shrugs in a dismissive way only a thirteen year old girl can shrug. ]

Just a bunch of old stuff, probably.

[ohshutup]

And what's wrong with old stuff?

[Clara bumps her shoulder against Breeze's, grinning ear to ear.]

I'm a little bit old myself.

[fayzedandconfused]

Eh. You're old, but not that old.

[ She says, with the most annoyingly smug look on her face. The kind only a 13 year old can produce. ]

b!

[doubleblind]

[Cosima immediately flops down on the bed beside Clara, snuggling close to her.]

I call dibs on this spot.

[She's smiling, but there's a certain tiredness to it. Even with her powers, but the end of a long day Cosima's condition starts to wear on her. She's healthy enough, there's no danger of her clone disease manifesting in its worse form, but by the end of a day on the road and sightseeing, she's very tired.]

[ohshutup]

[Clara hooks her knee between Cosima's legs, and laces their fingers together. Even with her stalled body, Clara can feel the exhaustion of the sixteen-hour day setting into her bones. She needs to just lay here for awhile, wrapped up around soft pillows and blankets and her warm girlfriend.]

No arguments here.

[She dips her head down to kiss Cosima's forehead.]

Keep up the cute, and the others might flee to the car.

[doubleblind]

[Cosima laughs, tucking her head under Clara's chin. If only Brianna and Sarissa weren't so used to their coupley antics that they're practically immune to being scared off.]

Or they'll kick us out and send us to the car...

[doubleblind]

a. dinosaurs!!!
[They let Cosima choose the route for their trip, mostly because she makes a much better navigator than a driver so of course she planned a stop at an amazing roadside tourist trap featuring giant dinosaurs. Cosima's clearly in heaven, staring up at the towering concrete creatures with wonder and eyeing the souvenir shop with a dangerous grin. She has her phone in one hand and is gesturing people toward her.]

Come on, come on. It's not every day you get to take a selfie with a dinosaur!

b. disneyland!!!
[Disneyland was another stop chosen specifically by Cosima. She seems more excited about it than the actual child that they've brought along, skipping down main street and looking over a map to plan their attack for the day. She has a long lists of rides to go on and snacks to try and she's already contemplating buying them all overpriced balloons.

One thing she's definitely buying is mouse ears, each with their name engraved on the back. They're barely there ten minutes before she's approaching each of the members of their traveling group, a pair of mouse ears balanced on her head and another pair of mouse ears hidden behind her back.]

Guess what I have for you...

[fayzedandconfused]

[ Disneyland is a strange experience for Breeze. She'd lived so close to it before, within driving distance, that she and her mom had gone lots of times. Then, after the twins were born, they came along too. Even her stepdad could be a tiny bit less of a jerk when they were at Disney. Being there without her family is... weird. She's alone, but not alone. She has another family, but it's not the same. She's still standing and looking out at the rides with a strangely pensive expression on her face when Cosima approaches, but at the sound of her voice, she turns and plasters a big smile on her face. ]

Is it churros?

[doubleblind]

Better.

[And with just that vague warning she plops a pair of mouse ears on Brianna's head, with a grin. Her phone is flying out of her pocket as if super speed was one of her powers, not Brianna's, ready to snap a picture immediately just in case Brianna isn't as excited by the idea of matching hats as Cosima is.

(No one is as excited by the idea of matching hats as Cosima is.)]

[fayzedandconfused]

Aren't we a little old for this?

[ She says it like she's the grown woman and not Cosima, because... well, Cosima's the one who bought matching mouse ear hats. ]

A!!!

[magnitudes]

( Sarissa looks up at the dinosaur with quiet bemusement. She should be more enthusiastic - she loves dinosaurs. Can talk about them for hours, if not days. Right now she's standing with her hands in her pockets, defiantly in shorts and a tank top despite the winter air being cooler everywhere, not just properly cold states, and insisting that she ain't even cold, but. Her smile is a little crooked and understated.

There's a comment on the tip of her tongue about getting a photo with two things that are extinct, but she resists. Don't do it - don't be that person. Be kinder. Be gentler. It's a mantra she has to keep going all the time. Instead, Sarissa shuffles over, and gently bumps Cosima's shoulder with her own. )

Okay, rockstar.

[doubleblind]

[Cosima is perhaps dressed too warmly for December in California, wearing one of her favorite dresses paired with an drapey cardigan and tights and one of the patterned scarves she was way too many of.

She grins at Sarissa, draping one arm over her shoulder, bracelets jangling as she tries to navigate them into the exact right angle. The dinosaur must feature prominently in the picture, the true star of the selfie.]

You gonna smile or make a weird dinosaur face?

[magnitudes]

Oh— you're not making a dinosaur face right now?

( It lacks the usual ridiculous shift in tone, the raised eyebrows and leaning slightly back and oops, awkward expression that would typically follow. No, there's a little flinch of a smile, instead, resting the side of her head against Cosima's. SHE TRIED. )

Smiles?

( Dinosaur faces sound like they require energy :< )