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[portraitor]

"Hi, you've reached Maaaary~! Sorry, but I'm not here right now! So... just leave a message, and I'll play with you when I get back!"

TEXT | VOICE | VIDEO | ACTION | ETC.

this post can also be used for continuing threads from events or memes if needed

[inventory: palette knife, random kitchen knives, crayons, paper, drawings, book on "How to Make Friends", creepy doll, candy, toothbrushes, wooden lobster toy, alien doll, stuffed deer, stuffed cat, pictures of friends]

Comments

[silvertongueheir]

Osomatsu and I were at the lobster festival yesterday, and I thought to get a gift for you. [He holds out a small fancy paper bag. There's a wooden lobster toy inside, with articulated joints.]

[portraitor]

You got me a present!?

[Mary's eyes sparkle with delight as she takes the small bag, reaching in to take out the lobster toy.]

Wow, this is so cool-looking! ... What is it?

[Guess who has never seen a lobster before in her entire life.]

[silvertongueheir]

It's a lobster-the theme of the current festival in town. They're larger than this in real life, though. [He reaches out to show how the claws can actually click together.]

[portraitor]

Ohhhh! That's amazing!

[Mary tries clicking the claws herself for about a minute here before she's beaming up at Franciscus.]

Thank you so much for getting me this! I'm gonna take good care of it!

[silvertongueheir]

[That's so sweet and Mary is the best.] I know you will. [And...now that he's been reminded of the fact that she's living alone, he's looking around the house a bit more, trying to see how clean it looks.]

[portraitor]

[It's, uh... about as well as you can expect a 9 year old to clean up after herself. There's some stuff scattered on the floor, though she does seem to have it organized in specific piles: clothes in that pile, books and papers over in that one. There's also no food or dirty dishes lying out in the open, but further in, the garbage probably needs to be taken out and the dishes washed in the kitchen.

After a while, she notices that his attention has wandered.]

Is something wrong?

[silvertongueheir]

...how long have you been living on your own, here? [He was aware he hadn't seen Stauf around for a while now, but still...]

[portraitor]

Um... I don't know? I haven't seen Mister Stauf in a really long while...

[She hasn't exactly been keeping track. But shes been here for a few months, at least.]

[silvertongueheir]

[Fuck. He doesn't want her around the Betties, and he appreciates having an "in" to the gated community, but...] No one else has been staying here with you?

[portraitor]

No... I thought about leaving, but then I was worried about doing so without telling Mister Stauf. It'd be bad if someone broke into his house while I was gone...

[silvertongueheir]

[...ah. It's understandable, isn't it? There's no evidence he's gone for good, after all.]

...well, would you mind me coming more often to check on you? It's probably kind of hard to look after one house all by yourself, isn't it?

[portraitor]

Oh! That would be nice! I'd really like that!

[So yes, Franciscus has Mary's seal of approval for dropping in for more house visits.]

[silvertongueheir]

Very well then. [He ruffles her hair a bit.] How about I help you clean up around the house right now? I do have some time before my shift. [At least he should help her take out that trash...]

[portraitor]

That would be great! Thank you so much, Franciscus!

[Mary steps aside and allows Franciscus further entry, and of course, Mary follows along to see what he's doing. (She should probably watch so that she knows what she should be doing from now on, really.)]

[silvertongueheir]

Well, let's get these dishes done first. [He's going to start with rinsing off the dishes, looking around to see if there's a dishwasher. (Look, he has memories of being rich, he still looks to various forms of convenience first.)]

[portraitor]

[There is one, though it looks like it's been untouched. And of course, Mary is going to ask about it when she sees Franciscus coming over to it.]

What are you gonna use that for?

[silvertongueheir]

It's for washing dishes, though there are some rules about what you can put in it. And you do have to rinse off the actual scraps of food first. [He gestures her over so she can watch him place the various dishes and silverware in the proper places.]

[portraitor]

Oh, I see... how long does it take before they're clean?

[silvertongueheir]

Usually around two hours, though you can adjust that. If you're washing pots or pans, you should wash for longer, though I don't think you'll need to use them. [He shows her some of the dials for that.] They'll also be automatically dried afterward, though you might want to wait for a while longer since they'll be fairly hot.

[portraitor]

Ohhhhh, that's really cool! I've never seen anything like this before...

[Thank you Franciscus, for finally teaching her how to use a dishwasher.]

[silvertongueheir]

[Right, he supposes art galleries wouldn't contain things like that...or even paintings of such things.] It is quite convenient, isn't it? [He leaves it to run by itself for now, glancing around at the various piles on the ground.]

Have you been washing your clothes?

[portraitor]

Um... sometimes, when they get really dirty. You just soak them in soap and water and wait until they dry to wear them again, right?

[But it's likely she hasn't actually been using a machine for it. Knowing her, she probably used the bath tub or even just a bucket or something before hanging them over a chair to dry.]

[silvertongueheir]

[Um. He supposes that's the most basic way to do it, but still...] Normally you'd also have to scrub them to remove some of the more stubborn stains. A washing machine is probably easier to use, though. [He can show her the laundromat while taking out the trash, he supposes?]