►

[modelchild]

(general warning for the creepy of robot children?)


1) 

A data form titled CONFIRMATION hovers against the wall, waiting.

Name (last, first) 
Gender
Approximate age (Range 5 to 14)
Why do you want a Model Child? *
Eye color
Hair color
Preferred temperament 

* Required


Allow half an hour for the data to process. Please wait in the waiting room and wait for your new Child's arrival! 


2)

A shipment has crashed. Now there are Model Children ambling around the area. None stray too far from the shattered vehicle, but it's still enough that they're visible on the edge of the street.

It'd be best to ignore them, right?

3)

Model 16 wasn't informed of another Model Child at this address.

They send out a ping, but it goes unanswered, which means this other child is either a damaged or pirated Model...or a genuine human child.

Model Children are not supposed to have human siblings. Model Children are not allowed to be kept after extreme system damage. Model Children are absolutely not allowed to be tampered with or pirated. It's against policy and law.

Model 16 begins drafting a report. They will update it as they continue to investigate the situation.

4)

Model 16 has been stolen. Their pings are going nowhere. They can't access location data. 

This is a problem.

5) 

Make up your own Model Child scenario!
 

Comments

[allbutvalor]

Something in her seems to shift at hearing that old word in the mouth of someone else, something that Gemma shys away from examining. Not a good time, not a good place.

(John might notice how she briefly avoids her gaze, however.)

“I wouldn’t consider it far. I live in this city, actually,” she explains. “In the neighborhood of Hallett’s Cove. I have an apartment there, just two blocks away from the subway. You’ll have your own bedroom.”

Gemma pauses, and picks up her bag, ready to dig through it. “I might be able to show you some pictures, if you’d like…?”

[modelchild]

He doesn't know what it is, but she doesn't change her mind. Maman it is, unless she says the opposite aloud.

"Yes please! Um--I'm...a little scared of travelling far," he admits softly, ducking his head again, just focusing on Gemma's bag and her hands.

[allbutvalor]

...Hmm. Gemma wonders just how far John has been from the model company before.

“Alright then. Let me have a moment to see what I have.”

Gemma unzips her bag and takes out a little tablet computer. It makes a soft chiming noise as she boots it up, and within a few moments she’s flicking through the photo storage.

“I’m afraid most of these aren’t focused on the residence itself,” she explains. John will be able to see that most of them are actually of various small art pieces- canvases, statuettes, jewelry- with the apartment only in the background. From what he will be able to see of it, the apartment is a decent enough place, with hardwood floors and plain white walls. “Oh, here we are.”

Gemma’s found a selection of photos focused on one particular room, and she holds the tablet out so John will be able to get a better look at them. “These are from a year ago, but the room is the same,” she explains. “It used to be my spare bedroom but now it’s where you’ll sleep.”

The spare bedroom is a nice looking place. The furniture is study and old-fashioned, decorated in soft blues and neutral tones, with sea and star themed pictures on the wall. Across one wall is a large window, which offers a view of the nearby river- of course, it’s in the middle of the city so it’s a very urban river, with both sides lined with buildings, and one can catch a glimpse of ferries and transport ships on the water.

“Will you be requiring any changes to the room in the immediate future?”

[modelchild]

"Wow. That's a lot of pretty stuff," John says. That's also a lot of expensive, breakable stuff. That's something to keep note of, absolutely--first glance seems rather careless.

At the sight of the bedroom, he delicately takes the tablet, putting the screen nearly against his face in fascination.

They weren't prepared for her to be living quite this richly. Homes for doctor-ordered Model Children were rarely this well-off.

"It's perfect," John breathes. "Thank you, Maman."

[allbutvalor]

Is it? Does John like art? Gemma herself is usually impartial to what she examines, and the hardest part of her work is often predicting whether or not something will be well-received by visitors.

“I work as a curator for the Aonach Collection,” Gemma explains. “Occasionally I have to store or inspect pieces at my residence, though the majority of my work takes place in the museum building.” It’s really not the most strenuous job, mostly managerial, but even with a plan of action she still feels unsure how she’s going to balance her responsibility towards a child and to her place of work.

But those are her concerns, not John’s.

Gemma’s eyes briefly widen as John takes the tablet, before she relaxes and nods in acknowledgement of his thanks. “You’re quite welcome,” she says. “Although you might want to thank Nora- Miss Aonach- instead. The room was originally decorated in accordance with her preferences.” Truth be told, although Gemma calls it the spare bedroom it had been used exclusively by Nora up until now. Though only occasionally, and Gemma suspects the sleepovers will decrease while she’s no longer living alone.

[modelchild]

"That's neat," he says, for lack of something better. The average child doesn't know much about museums aside from ones that show off dinosaur bones.

John might be learning some interesting historical facts if he's not entirely barred from going near them. (They'll go near them anyway, of course, all out in the open like that.)

"Miss Aonach?" He barely meets her eyes over the top of the tablet. "I will! ...Is she a teacher?"