Fourth Dimension Fine Arts & Antiques, Saturday (11/21)

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

A fine and shiny Saturday, with an exhibit of Native American art, and early Colonial art, all mingled together. Sophie was looking through the web for another 'job' while she worked in the gallery.

Coffee, tea, and cider were on the sideboard.

[Open and OCD free!]

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[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

Parker's room wasn't the sanctuary it usually was. Not with her Ethics homework in there with her. She decided a walk would help so she slung the napsack she was using as an impromptu baby carrier over her shoulder and headed down into town.

Somehow her footsteps seemed to naturally lead her to Sophie's gallery.

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

Sophie looked up from her internet perusal, and smiled. "Parker, how lovely to see you." She frowned. "With a..."

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"Homework," Parker said, taking the napsack off her shoulder and plopping down on the couch.

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Your homework? Wait." Sophie got up to get a look at it, and frowned. "That's... different?"

Underneath was the thought, Why did you bring it here?

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"It's a robot baby," Parker explained, putting her feet up on the coffee table. "I have to look after it till next class." Pause. "In two weeks. Most of the rest of the class got a partner. I guess the teacher thinks I don't play well with others or something."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Well, that seems unfair," Sophie said, then reached out to gingerly pet its... her... his, head. "Which class is this? And is it-- how realistic is it?" She paused. "Boy or girl?" And she felt vaguely, horribly like someone's aunt, suddenly.

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"Ethics. Not sure how babysitting a fake baby is going to teach me ethics though. I like the classes with the laser swords better. It's a girl." Pause. "But still a robot."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"How extraordinary." Sophie blinked at the doll-robot-baby. Really. Of all the people who were unlikely to bond with a child in the first place, to give Parker a robot-doll seemed... futile. "Does it-- she have a name?" A thought struck her. "Was this class about sex, by any chance?"

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

Parker gave a bored half-shrug. "Not really. More about consequences of not taking precautions."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Ah." Sophie perched her chin on her fist, and shook her head. Adult Parker might have been incredibly socially awkward, but Sophie had never thought she was a nun of any kind. "Which you already know all about, I assume."

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"Of course," Parker said with complete confidence. "I know what everyone thinks. They think I'm crazy and do things without thinking about them. But I always know what I'm doing and prepare accordingly. I take risks when they're worth taking." Pause. "Or, okay, when they're fun. But I know what I'm doing."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"You are an expert in your area of dangerous things," Sophie conceded. That little 'when they're fun' made her want to facepalm a bit. Although it did lead to thoughts of when Adult Parker visited, and a long overdue conversation. "Except when you pick the wrong pocket, hmm?"

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"That was a miscalculation," Parker said, not pretending she didn't know what Sophie was referring to. "I sometimes forget that people around here aren't normal."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Not a good thing to forget... but I'm sure the other version of yourself pointed that out to you. She said as much." Sophie's lips quirked upward as she said that. "I've, um. Known her for quite some time."

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I figured that out," Parker said with another shrug. "It makes the way you were always interested in me make sense."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"I wondered if you'd guessed, but I didn't think I could tell you until I talked to the older you," Sophie explained a little hesitantly. "Time travel not being my area of expertise." She tilted her head. "Is that all right with you?"

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"You're interested in me not because of me but because of some other, older, better me." Another shrug, this one followed by Parker looking away. "Why should that bother me?"

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"Initially," Sophie said evenly. "I was. I thought a lot of things about helping you, or showing you a different way to be... but then I realized..." She frowned, searching for words. Because this was too important to screw up.

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"What?" Parker asked.

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"There's no difference in my head, between the two of you now," Sophie said, watching her. "You're younger, yes. But you're not less skilled. You're as familiar to me as my colleague is now. You're no less of a friend. I'd do for you, what I'd do for her, to keep you safe." She smiled a little. "You're not going to change because of anything I say or do here; you were yourself, Parker, long before I arrived."

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

Parker seemed to think that over for a long moment. "She -- the other Parker -- is a great thief."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"She is," Sophie said readily. "You are. Will be. You already know the basics of what she knows. Experience and opportunity will do the rest. She's not more fearless than you, or essentially smarter. Just older." She smiled. "One of the first jobs we were on, she dropped me on a jump line down a stairwell. More than ten stories. I was terrified, but it was utterly safe."

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

That pulled a genuine smile from Parker. "That sounds like fun."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"It was more fun later," Sophie admitted, chuckling slightly. "I don't want to spoil too many surprises for you. You already know you might meet me again in another decade or so." The older version had been extremely laissez-faire about time-streams and paradox and the like, but that was just Parker. "And to be honest, the older you never talked about her past, much. I know a few things you didn't tell me, but they were nothing I couldn't have guessed when I met you."

[abetterthief.livejournal.com]

"There's not much to talk about," Parker said. Pause. "Okay, there wasn't much to talk about until I got sent here."

[magdaofslovenia.livejournal.com]

"This does tend to be a conversation-starter," Sophie said dryly. She tilted her head. "And it's not like I talk about my past either. You certainly don't have to. If you ever want to, I'll listen. But I'm friends with who you are now, not who you were."