What's all this?

[minitreiver]

Eliot walked into the house and dropped his backpack by the door. He glanced back, making sure Parker was still with him. "We're back," he called up the stairs, kicking off his shoes.

He turned back and yelled out the door. "Come on, Parker! I'll make ramen. With extra stuff in it."

Comments

[tinythief]

Parker was behind him, until said ramen, which means the next time he sees her, she'll be in the kitchen sitting on the counter. If there are other people in the house, she's neither seeking them out, or acknowledging their existence.

It should also be mentioned Parker came home with a backpack full of things and homework. They are not her things, or her homework. Hell, it's not even her backpack. Hers is as school locked behind what looks to be the simplest of combination locks. Beware anyone who trusts that outward appearance.

"Extra things like chocolate chips?"

[minitreiver]

He stared at her. "Chocolate chips in...?! Chocolate chips don't go in ramen, Parker! They're for cookies or pancakes. Maybe muffins."

He shook his head. Sometimes, she didn't make sense to him. "Extra stuff like chicken and string beans."

[tinythief]

She stares back, and blinks twice, otherwise, she doesn't move. "Chocolate goes in everything. Like money."

Only sometimes? When did she become so predictable. "Meat. No vegetables."

[minitreiver]

He nodded. "Just chicken in yours. And money ain't supposed ta go in everythin'."

[tinythief]

Wait for it.

"Pound cake. Pound's money in England." Some things she takes far, far too literally. That might be why her teachers at school, when she chooses to stay, aren't sure if she's unintelligent, or scary smart.

"Copper penny salad. Money cake. Then drinks like dollar hooker, or money shot. Money, with everything." Let it be stated she says that without any idea what that sounds like.

[minitreiver]

"Parker, that's not..." He tried to explain but she kept going. "That ain't why..."

And then she got to the last two and he found himself running for the bathroom. He couldn't help hearing Holland's voice when he took him away from his brother.

[one_honest_man]

At that point Nate was off the phone in the other room. Hearing the bathroom door slam he quirked a brow and peeked in the kitchen. "Parker should have stopped with the pound cake."

He had a feeling he knew what set the kid off but wasn't going to make a big deal of it as he went to check on what Eliot was making. "Just chicken in yours right?" Hey! He was a dad before he could hack this!

[tinythief]

Parker sits still when he runs and doesn't say anything to Nate when he talks.

She waits until his back is turned before slipping off the counter and sneaking along to her room.

Used to people forgetting to feed her, she pulls off a loose trim board, revealing a cereal bar (with chocolate chips, of course, liberated from the school cafeteria). Sitting on the bed, she munches away on it as if nothing's happened.

Sometimes, Eliot's not well. Sometimes she seems to make it happen, but she doesn't know how. If Eliot's not well, he'll likely forget the food, yet that doesn't happen here, so that finally registers as odd. Nate had said something about chicken? Who knows, she should've paid attention.

She doesn't call out for Nate, or Maggie, or Eliot, but instead decides it's time to go through her new prize lifted from a kid three grades above her.

Maybe Eliot's allergic to her.

[thetechsupport]

Word said Nate Ford had picked up a couple of strays. Word also isn't particularly sure how many, but given the increase of charges on Nate's credit cards, he's going to assume at least two. Though, hacking the bank and credit records of the guy you were planning on asking for help was probably not the smartest thing he could have ever done. But forewarned is forearmed, and all that.

That means his pockets are empty when he goes up to the door, his arm tight around the messenger bag with laptop and some other computer essentials. Nana always made sure to raise her kids right even if she pulled them out of an alleyway, but that doesn't mean most street kids follow Nana's rules.

Ringing the doorbell seems a little awkward and trite, but there isn't much else he can do, on that score.

"Hey, anyone home?"

[minitreiver]

He finally came out of the bathroom, still wiping his mouth. The first thing he noticed was some guy at the door. The next, once he got to the kitchen, was that Parker had disappeared somewhere. The third was Nate seemed to be cooking.

"There's some guy at the door, sir. Looks kinda like a courier but he don't got a bike."

[one_honest_man]

Nate had heard the door and glanced at Eliot. "Think you can finish this? I'll wrangle Parker in here in a moment. If not just turn it off, it should be okay simmering a little longer." Nate had a feeling it wasn't a messenger, but figured it would be best if he went to check the door instead of the kids.

[tinythief]

Wrangle Parker? Wrangling Parker is more difficult than herding cats.

It might also be more difficult because she's now on the roof spying on the unknown adult at the door. She doesn't speak, or throw anything at him, which does cross her mind.

Instantly, she doesn't trust him, but the way he holds onto his stuff makes Parker want to know what's so special.

[thetechsupport]

Hardison is about to turn around and just walk out, but as he steps back he catches sight of movement on the roof. And jumps. Sweet mother. Well, he's already been spotted, might as well stay now. He steps back closer to the door and starts ringing the doorbell again, in possibly the most obnoxious pattern possible.

At least he didn't rig it to ring out to "Take on Me".

"Hello? Hey! Nate Ford!"

[one_honest_man]

Nate sighed a moment. "Eliot here." He handed over the spoon.

"Come on in Hardison." He headed for the door forgetting the apron.

[minitreiver]

Eliot nodded, taking over the simple cooking project. He watched Nate head toward the door warily. He wasn't sure what to think of his guardian knowing this fake courier. Sure, anyone could have a messenger bag but people didn't usually go knocking on random doors and he'd never seen this guy around before.

[tinythief]

When spotted, she moves back inside. At least it was only once, as Nate's had to spot her a few times, and Parker's pretty sure she doesn't have space in her head to trust another adult. To be honest, she doesn't trust Nate, but she doesn't distrust him either, which is rare.

Maggie, now Maggie's something different. She's not like Parker, or Eliot, or even Nate. She's almost normal. Parker's not sure if that's appalling, or adorable.

Parker's going to wait until the adults sit down, at which point, she's going to pop up from behind some piece of furniture, assessing the best way to get her hands on the bag the new man is holding.

Nana's rules are irrelevant here.

what if i reintroduced moreau to the happy(?) fam? (it doesn't have to be)

[thetechsupport]

Bag is not leaving his hands not now not ever. His baby is in there, especially since Hardison needs that to stay with him, because he is in trouble. Well, more than usual, anyways. Fake-courier wasn't quite what he was going for, but what the hell. He's heading into Nate Ford's house. This is already a bad idea.

When he steps in, he's immediately looking around for exits, but otherwise he heads straight towards Nate. His face widens into a grin for half a moment at the apron, before it goes back to a much more sober expression

"So, uh, Nate. I know I'm not exactly your favorite person, but..." He sort of collapses in a chair, and one hand loosen from where he is gripping onto his laptop for dear life. "I think I really screwed up, Nate."

He doesn't know how he'd managed to piggy-back on this signal, but in his general recordings, he'd managed to pick up something... horrible. And incriminating. If the videoclip itself hadn't made him sick, the amount of trouble about to fall in his head will.

Still, he's good at spoofing signals, and passports, and unless you were a certified genius, you would be confident that Alec Hardison had definitely left the country for Sao Paolo three days ago, under an alias.

*grabby hands*

[minitreiver]

Eliot stared at the newcomer, somehow still managing to take the ramen off the stove without making a huge mess. Once the soup wasn't at risk of boiling over, he crossed his arms and glared.

"If he don't like ya, why're ya here? Why not go somewhere else?"

[one_honest_man]

"You're not the top of the least favorite list." He noted how Hardison was acting. "Eliot, go find Parker, make sure she hasn't gotten into trouble already."

He had a feeling the kids shouldn't see whatever Hardison had found. "What kind of trouble this time Hardison?" He didn't really wait for the kid to head out of the kitchen.

[tinythief]

Parker feels like she suddenly has something to add to the conversation, so instead of Eliot being sent to find (which would be the equivalent of finding the fountain of youth, if she didn't want to be found) Parker shows herself and says. "Sterling!"

Not realizing she's doing it, she crosses her arms like Maggie sometimes does during discussions of said not silver, but annoyingly slippery colleague.

Please note, wherever the bag is, she is suspiciously close to it.

[minitreiver]

Eliot jumped slightly when Parker surfaces. "Sterling ain't here, Parker. And I don't think he's got silver in there."

He had no intention of going anywhere until the black guy left. Or at least 'til he knew for sure what the guy wanted.