(Untitled)

[ggollymissmolly]

There is a Small Mutant outside, sitting on the jetty and dangling her feet in the lake as the kite she's holding pulls fitfully at its string from ten feet or so up. She's contriving to look bored, sulky and pensive all at the same time

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[born_running]

Luke and Holli have been Out For a Walk. By this, the narration means Holli's been running around gleefully while Luke runs after.

It's a good way of doing things, Holli feels. She can investiage that rock and that tree and that grass and that flower and that rock and that other rock and that person's shoe!

Luke, alas, does not share her interest, and pulls her off before she can do any damage. "Sorry," he apologises immediately. "I've been reading books on training animals, but I haven't had enough time to apply it effectively to her."

Holli sulks. Sulkily. Ain't nobody going to train her not to eat people's shoes.

[ggollymissmolly]

Molly looks up at him.

"Oh. It's okay."

She frowns at the strange creature.

"Old Lace's done worse. What is she, anyway?"

[born_running]

Puzzled, "How did old lace do worse?"

Beat.

"I don't know, actually. She doesn't match any one of the creatures I've been reading about."

This is because Holli is a SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE, and don't you forget it!

[ggollymissmolly]

"She's my fr- my sis- my friend's dinosaur," Molly explains. "She's like, a raptor, or something. She's awesome."

She frowns at Holli, reaching out a hand for her. "She's sorta cute, in a weird kinda way."

[born_running]

Holli?

Approves of people who can appreciate her true beauty, and bleats happily.

Blink. "Why is she called Old Lace?"

[ggollymissmolly]

"'Cause that's what Gert called her. It's from an old movie, I think."

Molly pets Holli carefully with her free hand.

"I'm Molly."

[born_running]

"I'm Luke Smith, and her name is Holli."

Technically, it's Princess Hollifalump, but that's what you get when you let a four-year-old name your pet.

[ggollymissmolly]

"Pleased t'meetcha."

She pats the ground beside her. "Want to sit down?"

[born_running]

"Thank you."

He sits, cross-legged, and there is a scramble of Holli limbs as she sees the opportunity to settle into his lap.

"Are you from a universe that still has most of their dinosaurs?"

[ggollymissmolly]

"Nah. OL's the first I ever met. Gert's parents were timetravellers, they got her for her as a sorta bodyguard."

Molly tugs slightly at the kite.

"What about you? Where're you from?"

[born_running]

"I'm from Ealing."

He's perhaps absently keeping an eye on her kite. There's physics going on in his head, you can just tell.

"Were Gert's parents aliens?"

VERY MUCH A RELEVANT QUESTION OKAY.

[ggollymissmolly]

"Is that in England? You sound a bit like my friend Fish."

Molly headtilts at him curiously, but giggles a little.

"Nah. Karolina's were, though. And Xavin's."

[born_running]

"Yes."

Beat.

"Is Fish a real fish?"

What. She has a friend with a raptor.

[ggollymissmolly]

Molly giggles. "No. His name's Gurpreet - Guppy for short. Only a guppy's a kind of a fish, so that's what I call him. He's a doctor."

When he isn't coming in aged eight, anyway.

[born_running]

OH.

"Like the member of the Poecilidae family. A guppy fish."

:D

HE GETS IT NOW.

[ggollymissmolly]

Grin.

"Yeah. Fish's fun. I taught him to skateboard, ages 'n' ages ago - or, I tried. He wasn't very good."