xp_logs | Two consecutive logs with Mrs. Espinosa

She meets Nathan out on the baseball diamond, he reassures her and they talk about the kids.

Juanita Espinosa was wandering around the mansion, trying to get to know the place where her son seemed so happy, and trying to avoid thinking about why she was there this time. Passing a window that overlooked the baseball diamond, she happened to glance out and saw a figure pacing round it, apparently studying the area. Recognising Nathan from Angelo's frequent chatter, she made her way outside to join him.

The air felt normal again, Nathan thought with a grimace. Whatever had happened to the air molecules when the kids had vanished had faded, and there was no longer anything to indicate that anything at all odd had happened out here. Ah, well. It hadn't been much of a 'clue' in the first place, Nathan reminded himself wryly. Just a sign of the obvious...

Juanita reached the edge of the baseball diamond and stopped, not wanting to startle the man. She settled for calling out a tentative, "Hello."

Nathan had sensed her coming from the house - like son like mother, it seemed, at least in terms of having very open minds - and turned towards her smiling. "Hello, Mrs. Espinosa," he said warmly.

She returned the smile, a little wanly but genuinely, and walked the rest of the way over to him. "At a guess, you're Nathan. Angelo talks about you a lot."

Those must have been some interesting conversations at times. "I'd be Nathan, yes," he said. "It's good to meet you. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."

She nodded sadly. "Good to meet you too. And yes, I could have wished for a better meeting. But the Professor tells me Angelo and the others will be brought back, and I can only believe that."

"They will be back," Nathan said quietly, with absolute confidence. "They're too resourceful and too determined for it to turn out any other way."

That brought an actual smile, though still somewhat wistful. "Oh, my boy proved that a long time ago, and I'm sure the others are the same."

"They are. Rather amazing, all of them." Nathan felt his smile return. "They'll probably have all kinds of hair-raising stories that they'll tell us with great glee."

She laughed at that. "Probably. They're still just kids, after all."

She was still obviously troubled. Nathan laid a hand lightly on her arm, steering her back towards the house. She didn't need to be out here where it had happened obsessing about it. "Have you spoken to any of the other parents?"

Juanita let him turn her back towards the mansion, as he walked back with her and she was glad of the company. "Only very briefly. I suppose I probably should..."

"It could help," Nathan said. "You and the others." He smiled. "You'd get to know some of the other kids through their parents, at least."

She nodded. "It's a good idea. I'll go to visit some of the other parents tonight. Perhaps young Paige's family, to start with."

"I'm sure they'd appreciate that," Nathan said, making a mental note to go talk to Sam himself. He smiled suddenly. "Have you met Angelo's puppy?"

She smiled back. "A few times. She's a friendly little thing. I should probably take her off Shinobi's hands now I'm here, but she seems to get on so well with the other puppy, I hate to split them up before Angelo comes home."

"Might help to have her around," Nathan suggested. "Small fuzzy animals being very cheering and all..."

She nodded, the smile not fading and perhaps even brightening a little at the thought. "You're right. I'll go down to get her when I go back inside."

"Are you settling in okay?" he asked as they headed back towards the mansion. "If there's anything that you need, just let any of the staff know. Moira and myself in particular... that's what we're here for."

"Thank you", she answered sincerely. "I have all I need for now, but I will ask. Everybody has been wonderful."

Immediately following this, she goes down to get Joyita back, and ends up trying to give Sarah some advice, from an outsider's point of view. It doesn't end well.

After leaving Nathan in the mansion's front hall, Juanita headed downstairs to the basement, to take the puppy off Shinobi's hands as she'd decided to do. Arriving in the dim area, she moved slowly through the rooms, looking for Sarah and Shinobi's.

Down the hall and on the right was an open door, the contents inside identifying it as the medlab. The next door on the left is Sarah's, with a 'go away' sign in less pleasant terms pinned to the door with a jagged bone. Despite the outward appearance however, laughter and the sound of two playful dogs can be clearly heard from the hallway outside.

Since she'd clearly arrived at the right place, after a slightly startled look at the sign, Juanita knocked on the door it was attached to and waited for an answer.

There was a brief bit of muffled conversation - muffled by both door and slightly squeaky barking - before the door was drawn open, and a young asian man peeked out into the hall, Oscar hugged to his chest with his free arm. Shinobi blinked, glancing back over his shoulder, before he offered the woman at the door a small smile. "Buenos dias, Mrs Espinosa."

Juanita returned the smile, reaching out to pat Oscar before dropping her hand again. "Buenos dias, Shinobi. May I come in?"

With another quick look back for confirmation from the room's other humanoid occupant, Shinobi nodded, stepping back and drawing the door open wider to let Juanita come inside. "Of course. Please, have a seat."

Juanita nodded her thanks before walking into the room with a smile for Sarah and sitting down in one of the chairs that had migrated to the basement. Joyita immediately bounced over to the new arrival to be petted, and Juanita obliged, lifting the puppy into her lap.

Sarah smiled in return, looking vaguely normal and harmless for someone who has horns and a bone sticking out of her left shoulder. Curling her legs under her to make room for Shinobi on the edge of the bed, she held out her arms to take Oscar, in an attempt to keep him busy and keep Mrs. Espinosa from being tag teamed by two slobbery puppies. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Espinosa," she finally said, scratching behind Oscar's ears gently.

Closing the door once everyone was settled, Shinobi moved back towards the bed, dutifully passing Slobbery Puppy #1 down to Sarah as he reclaimed his seat. Hesitating a moment, he offered Juanita a slightly unsure smile, tilting his head to one side. "How are you holding up?"

Juanita returned the smile, a little sadly. "Fairly well, I think. It helps that I know he's safe, in this place he's been taken to, and that everyone seems certain he and the others will be brought back."

"They've come back every other time," Sarah said idly, "Though the last one came back several years older." Wow Sarah, way to be helpful. "I figure we've got us here trying to figure out where they've gone, and them there trying to figure out how to get back. We're stubborn. Somebody'll get it eventually."

Shinobi nodded approvingly, reaching over to idly ruffle Oscar's ears. And, for this offense, leaves his hand there to get doggy-slobbered on. "We'll find them," he stated firmly. "They'll be back as soon as we do."

Juanita blinked slightly at the mention of someone disappearing and coming back several years older - this was obviously something Angelo had edited out of his talk about the school - but then nodded, letting Joyita lick her hand. "I believe the staff here won't rest until all the missing are back safely."

"Yeah. So much so, we've got kids making noises about following the staff around to make sure they're doing basic things like eating and sleeping." She grinned, throwing a glance at Shinobi before continuing, "They tend to get a little carried away."

"Hey, I've been sleeping," Shinobi grumbled defensively, peering sidelong at Sarah with a small grin. "And eating, thank you very much. Though I should probably make sure Scott isn't driving himself too hard. Stubborn."

Juanita watched the two of them with a slight smile, absently stroking Joyita's head. "Glad to hear it", she commented mildly. "I'm sure the missing students would rather you didn't make yourselves ill in the effort to bring them home, if they knew."

"Yeah. Probably not," Sarah nodded, arm curled around Oscar just a little more. "Doesn't mean we won't worry about them though."

Juanita nodded in return, cuddling Joyita. "Of course not. But not eating or sleeping helps nobody."

Sarah shook her head and chuckled. "No. Luckily I don't seem to have that problem. I've done more than my share of sleeping over the past two months." She stopped for a minute, wondering if maybe she shouldn't have said that, and quickly moved it in a different direction. "I couldn't not sleep if I wanted to. Little brother missing or no."

Juanita looked up sharply at that. "Your little brother is among the missing? Oh, I'm sorry, Sarah, I didn't know." She cast her mind back over what she'd been told about the missing students and staff, and came up with only one name that could possibly be who Sarah meant. "That's... Miles?"

"Miles is a smart kid," Shinobi nodded, offering Sarah a quick smile. "I'm sure he's alright."

Sarah nodded in agreement. But still had to forcibly -pull- the bone beginning to cover her hands back in. She didn't want to hurt Oscar. "I know, he's tough. He's a Morlock."

Juanita tilted her head curiously, realizing just how little she really knew about the people in Angelo's life now. "A Morlock?"

"My family. We're Morlocks." Sarah offered, and then helpfully added, "We lived in some tunnels below Manhattan, because most of us had very obvious physical mutations. It's the reason I live down here in the basement now...I'm scared of heights from living below ground for years."

Juanita nodded, understanding better now. "So your little brother was in these tunnels too? How did the two of you come to be here, if I may ask?"

"We were attacked." Her voice lowered to barely a whisper. "I thought they all died. And then I ended up here, after the big headache. Artie was here too. Then Blaire found Leech in a freak show in Mexico. So the last of the Morlocks all ended up here." It's hard to tell whether she's saying this positively or not.

Since it wasn't his story to tell - and, in a way, Shinobi thought talking about it might be in some way helpful - he didn't try to stop the Reader's Digest version from being retold. Instead, he just laid a hand on Sarah's knee. Not that it was allowed to stay there long, once Oscar noticed it and started tugging on his sleeve.

Juanita looked at the two of them, eyes sad. "It sounds like you've all been through the mill", she said simply and in something of an understatement before offering, "I'm glad you've found a place to stop and rest for awhile?"

"So far I haven't done a very good job of the stopping and resting part." She shrugged, and pulled Shinobi's sleeve gently away from Oscar. "It's hard."

Once his sleeved was rescued, Shinobi gave Oscar a light tap on the nose with a finger, 'tut'ing quietly before ruffling the puppy's ears. "But the option's there. It counts."

Juanita nodded. "Yes, it does - the option is there when you're ready to take it. I'm just as glad Angelo found his way here. He thinks I don't know much of what his life was like before this, but I always did. Things are so much better for him here."

"We're glad he's here," Sarah agreed. "Hopefully we'll have him and everybody else back soon. The place just isn't the same without them."

"I think someone's hungry," Shinobi mused quietly, peering down at Oscar as the puppy reclaimed the end of his sleeve.

Sarah grinned, and ran a finger underneath Oscar's chin. She cooed, "Hungry Oscar? I think there's something for you in the boiler room that tastes better than Pretty's sleeve." Looking up at Shinobi, she nodded. "His bowl and the food box is over in my corner. Want to grab it for me? Oscar'll love you forever."

"Oh, pfft, like he doesn't already," Shinobi replied innocently, carefully taking his sleeve back before rising to his feet. "I'll go grab them. Back in two shakes, ladies," he grinned, inclining his head before going to retrieve the puppy's bowl.

Juanita smiled at him as he left, before turning her attention back to Sarah. "How long have you had Oscar?" she asked.

Sarah had to think about it for a minute before she came up with an answer. "Almost a month. He was a present from Shinobi for successfully putting up with him for six months." She grinned. "But you didn't hear me say that."

Juanita chuckled. "I won't say a word. You two seem very happy together", she added almost mischievously, with a wistful smile.

"He's my better half," Sarah agreed, and then paused for a second, grimacing. "Ugh. That was soppy and disgusting. They're going to make me turn in my monster license if I keep that up."

Juanita raised an eyebrow. "Monster? You don't strike me as a monster, Sarah, and from the things Angelo has told me, he'd agree with that."

Sarah shrugged, and Oscar nipped playfully at her fingers. "Something else I have to work on, I guess." If she only knew...

Juanita opened her mouth to answer, studying Sarah thoughtfully, but Joyita chose that moment to decide she was being neglected, bouncing and whining for attention, and Juanita settled for a simple and pointed, "Monsters can't be loved, Sarah."

Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but it took a second try to get anything out. "Apparently they can."

Juanita shook her head. "No. To be loved the way Shinobi so obviously does you - I can't speak for your brothers, but I'm sure they do too - you can't be entirely a monster, whatever you think of yourself. Angelo is very fond of you as well, you know."

"I never said I was entirely a monster." Just mostly. She ran her hands down Oscar's back, and glanced back at the door of the bedroom. This was starting to not go so well.

Juanita tilted her head. "But you did say you were working on it. Do you really want to give up what's worth loving in you, to be a monster?"

"You talk like it's something I -chose- to be. You think I'd choose this?" She shrugged finally, and and leaned over to pat Joyita on the head. "See you later pretty girl."

Juanita took the hint and stood, gathering Joyita into her arms. "I would point out that nobody here chose to be what they are. Don't let what you think you should be dictate what you are. We'll talk again, Sarah, if you're willing." She walked towards the door, pausing to call a farewell to Shinobi, who still hadn't reappeared.

"I'll let him know you said 'bye.' He probably got sidetracked." She spoke idly, like she didn't really care if Mrs. Espinosa heard or not.

Juanita nodded, pausing at the door. "Thank you, Sarah. Until next time, then."