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Post by Toad on Jun 17, 2023 8:51:30 GMT -5
Date: Friday, July 21, 2023 Words: 377 Tags: Golem Notes: Golem's first appearance thread!Todd glared right back at the other foster parents or whatever they were considered. He had just as much of a right to be at the state department as they were. Even more so considered he had been contacted rather than applied.
Well, he supposed his supplementary application was still on file from when Dorothy Nolan shipped Olivia to his place. There must have been something in his file that made the DCF reach out to him.
There was probably some delinquent kid that the state wanted to shove at him. Todd had half a mind to walk out of the place – he didn't reopen the Brotherhood Boarding House for children, dammit – but he figured it would be better for him in the long run to at least see what the state wanted from him.
"Mr. Tolansky?"
"That's me." Todd nodded to the older woman who had emerged from one of the other rooms, her glasses perched dangerously on the edge of her nose. Her gray hair was done up in a bun with a pencil or a skinny knife, Todd really couldn't tell which from his angle. He followed the woman into the other room after she beckoned him to do so, and he found himself in an office that must have once been a closet.
"Mr. Tolansky," the woman said, "we called you in due to your… unique station."
"Bein' a mutant?" he said bluntly.
"That was a bonus this time around," the woman said dryly. "I was actually speaking of your boarding house. You currently house other mutants there, correct?"
"Uh, yeah." Well, Olivia was the only one at the moment. Where was the woman going with this?
"The state has a new ward," the woman said. "He's about sixteen, an orphan, ran with a gang for about half his life, and a mutant. We believe a home environment that could… understand his needs would be best."
"You want me to take on another teenage mutant," Todd clarified. The woman nodded and Todd paused. "The kid here? Can we meet first?"
"I suppose." The woman stood up and left the office. Todd waited semi-patiently for her to return with another potential teenage boarder.
Taking on kids was not what Todd expected when he reopened the Brotherhood.
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Post by Golem on Jun 17, 2023 9:44:51 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
"Adam?"
He glanced up at the state worker briefly before bringing his gaze back down to study the faded, linoleum floor.
"Adam, Mr. Tolansky would like to meet," the woman said, and Adam stood up to shuffle after her without any protest. Her heels clicked on the tiles as they walked down the hallways, his own steps soft despite his height. It didn't take too long until they reached the office where Adam presumed this Mr. Tolansky was waiting.
"Mr. Tolansky, this is Adam Clayton," the woman said, and Adam raised his eyes to take in who he presumed would be fostering him. "Adam, this is Todd Tolansky. We're hoping he'll be able to take you in. You'll have a roof over your head and be able to go to school like others your age."
Adam blinked at the other man's green skin and disproportionally long legs. He actually met the man's gaze and his shoulders slightly relaxed.
"Hello," Adam eventually said.
161 words | Toad | Yay! LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Toad on Jun 17, 2023 16:36:26 GMT -5
Words: 236 Tags: GolemTodd actually stood up from his seat, trying to stretch so his legs didn't cramp in the absurdly-small room, when the woman returned with the teenager.
Adam, she introduced him as, took a few seconds to even look at Todd in the eye. He barely even had the energy to look surprised at Todd's looks. It took even longer for Adam to utter out a semblance of a greeting.
At the very least, the kid seemed like he would be a quiet tenant.
"Hey," Todd said in return. "Adam, eh? What kind of stuff can you do? What you see is what you get when it comes to my own mutation.
"The Brotherhood Boarding House is located in Bayville, a couple of hours' drive from here," he continued. "You okay with that? Got anything special you want to pick up or pack before we go, if you don't mind being stuck at the Brotherhood?"
The woman seemed a little pleased that Todd was speaking positively of taking in Adam, but Todd continued to ignore her as he tried to think of what else he could tell the kid. "There's another teen at the house, too," he said. "Her name is Olivia. More talkative than you, by the sounds of it. One of the first things she demanded when she showed up was for me to renovate the house so the bedroom she picked could have more closet space."
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Post by Golem on Jun 18, 2023 12:07:45 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
Mr. Tolansky started speaking and Adam tried to keep up with his words. Mr. Tolansky's mutation seemed to be physical, which bolstered Adam's self-esteem. In response to the question as to what Adam himself did, he said, "Uh, stuff with the earth. Rock armor, mostly."
Adam glanced over at the state worker when Mr. Tolansky spoke of bringing anything over to the named-Brotherhood Boarding House before answering, "Don't really have much. Just a small bag."
A garbage bag, really. It was barely half-full.
"She can have the extra room in my closet," Adam said, speaking of this Olivia who wanted more space for her clothes.
"Not to worry, Adam," the state worker said. "Mr. Tolansky will receive compensation for a clothing allowance for you. I'm certain he wouldn't mind taking you shopping for more necessities."
"…Oh. Okay." Adam nodded to the woman but looked back at his potential guardian and said, "I don't need much. Olivia can still have the extra space in my closet, if she needs, Mr. Tolansky."
169 words | Toad | nada LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Toad on Jun 18, 2023 12:50:38 GMT -5
Words: 365 Tags: GolemDear God, Todd had not expected the lack of confidence this kid had, even if it seemed like he'd be an easy, maybe even obedient, tenant. He was pretty much Olivia's polar opposite. Maybe she'd be able to help Adam get out of his shell – or keep an eye on him, at the very least – if she felt so inclined. The earth armor ability sounded interesting, and Todd was sure he'd see it in play at some point, but right now he supposed he should try to get the kid out the office and back on the road to Bayville.
"Olivia has plenty of room in her own closet, don't worry," Todd muttered. "We'll stop by somewhere for you to get more stuff, too, probably after we get back to Bayville. Got a toothbrush, at least?"
"He does have some basic hygiene supplies," the woman said, answering the question. She had moved back around to the other side of the desk to get the necessary paperwork. Todd signed whatever he needed, mentally berating himself for taking in yet another teenager, but his internal protesting didn't make him change his mind.
Briefly, he thought of how Adam reminded Todd of himself as a kid, but Todd squashed that thought away quickly.
"Ya can call me Todd, if you want," Todd said as he started to lead Adam out of the office and back through the waiting room. "Whatever you're comfortable with—"
"Wait!"
Todd paused, mainly because he wasn't sure if one of the would-be foster mothers in the waiting room was talking to Adam and him or not. Considering the lady was glaring at Todd, which only intensified when he rolled his eyes, the answer was an unfortunate yes.
Turning her direction to the state worker, the foster mother demanded, "Why does the likes of him get to cut to the line? My husband and I have been waiting months to foster, and he gets to waltz out of here with a teenager that he'll no-doubt warp?"
To be a smart-ass or be somewhat polite? Todd glanced at the state worker, weighing on whether or not Adam and he should just walk out and ignore the complaining bitch.
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Post by Golem on Jun 18, 2023 12:59:51 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
Adam nodded when Mr. Tolansky mentioned that Olivia had plenty of closet space, going along with his words. He nodded again when Mr. Tolansky asked if Adam had a toothbrush, and the state worker answered aloud for him. Adam watched as Mr. Tolansky – or, rather, Todd – signed over the paperwork that Adam guessed meant that Todd was his guardian in the eyes of the state.
There wasn't much else to do after that was completed. Adam retrieved his meager bag of belongings, mostly charity pieces that the state had scrounged up for him after collecting him from juvie prison, and began to follow Todd out of the place after giving the state worker a quiet thank you.
The pair were stopped by another lady in the waiting room, one that was glaring at Adam's new guardian, and Adam was briefly confused. Why would Todd not be adequate enough for the job? The state thought so, right?
Todd actually rolled his eyes at the woman before glancing back at the state worker, but Adam looked at the lady sitting in the waiting chair.
"It's probably because I can do this," he said, his voice casual with his response, and his body morphed into solid rock.
His earth armor startled the woman into gaping, her jaw dropping and a couple of odd squeaks coming from her. Maybe she was trying to scream? Adam wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he broke anything while morphing. He hadn't even grown enough to touch the ceiling.
Slowly shifting, Adam looked down at Todd before returning to his rightful state. There were some loose pebbles and rocks that stayed on the ground and Adam muttered, "Oops."
279 words | Toad LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Toad on Jun 18, 2023 13:15:56 GMT -5
Words: 289 Tags: GolemBefore the state worker could put a word in for Todd against the complaining woman, Adam seemed to do the trick by showing off what he could do.
Okay, so maybe Adam wasn't so much as showing off as he was just merely demonstrating, but the result was worth it. The woman leaned back in her chair, one arm nearly making her husband's arm bleed from her nails digging into it, before gaping in shock. Todd himself had leaped backwards away from Adam when he morphed into solid stone and he was a little surprised the floor didn't break.
Adam only stayed in his earth armor for a couple of minutes before reverting back to his teenage-human self, but it was long enough to keep the complaining woman from saying any other shit.
"As you can deduce, Mrs. Dickerman," the state worker said, "we here at the Department of Children and Families feel that Mr. Tolansky is the best current choice as a guardian for Mr. Clayton."
Todd gave Adam a crooked grin and said, "C'mon, let's go."
The pair walked out to hear the state worker continue speaking to Mrs. Dickerman, adding, "I believe I'll have to review your applications again, however, considering your outburst…"
The ride back to Bayville wasn't the most eventful. Adam proved to be a quiet kid, for the most part, and Todd did his best to answer any questions he had. Todd explained Bayville High and how Adam would be enrolled, curfew, the few rules that Todd had for the Brotherhood. Eventually, the pair rolled up the driveway of the boarding house and Todd gestured vaguely to it as he unlocked the door.
"Welcome to the Brotherhood," Todd said, allowing Adam to step inside first.
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Post by Golem on Jun 18, 2023 13:27:45 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
Adam followed Todd obediently to the waiting vehicle and didn't have too much to say on the ride to Bayville. He made a couple of comments here and there, asked about how school worked mainly because he had never stepped foot in one since he had been much younger, but otherwise he mainly listened to whatever Todd had to say.
The boarding house itself wasn't anything too grand, but it didn't look bad. It vaguely reminded Adam of his childhood home – a multi-family house with various people interacting together – just a little smaller. And probably with only one kitchen and bathroom between them all. Still, it looked better than juvie.
He murmured a thank you when Todd said welcome and let him go into the boarding house first, but Adam's ears were assaulted with, "Todd, that better be you with food, because I swear we got nothing to eat in this—"
A young woman, probably around his age, came around the corner from one of the other rooms and blinked rapidly up at him, whatever else she was about to say forgotten. She had darker features emphasized tastefully with makeup, a lean frame, and a growing, playful smile on her lips.
"You're not Todd," she stated.
"No." Adam took a step to the side and pointed to his guardian. "That's Todd. I'm Adam Clayton. Are you Olivia?"
"I am Olivia, Olivia Nolen," she said. She glanced at Todd but continued to speak to Adam. "I do hope you've only heard good things about me."
"I heard that you need more closet space."
Her smile briefly faltered while her voice took on a baffled tone. "…Are you a contractor? Todd, are you actually expanding this place? I can forgive you for clearly not bringing home any food if that's who this guy is!"
301 words | Toad | Can't wait to see the dynamic between these three again! LAIKA OF THQ
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Post by Toad on Jun 18, 2023 13:42:53 GMT -5
Words: 280 Tags: Golem/Mist Notes: Yes, it's great to be playing them again!What the hell.
The conversation between the two teenagers gave Todd whiplash. At first, he was alright with the two talking easily – at least, Adam took the initiative and introduced himself, and Olivia was being receptive instead of being aloof or trying to scare the new kid off – but then the talk turned into closet space again.
Todd was ready to never renovate the Brotherhood Boarding House out of spite.
"Adam ain't a contractor," Todd said, feeling exasperated down to his bones. "He's the new guy around here. Gonna be living here and going to Bayville High in the fall like you. It'd be great if you two got to know each other enough to at least tolerate each other's existence. Adam, Olivia doesn't need any other closet space and don't you dare let her convince you otherwise."
Todd jerked a thumb up the stairs and said to Adam, "Pick your choice of bedroom. The one last on the right is mine and Olivia's is to the right of the bathroom, but any others are up for grabs. I'll order a pizza for dinner since apparently, we don't have any food, and I'll do some shopping tomorrow." He paused a minute and glanced back and forth between his two charges.
"Maybe Olivia wouldn't mind helping you shop, Adam," he said, hoping that both Olivia and Adam would get along just fine as well as getting out of clothes shopping himself. "Olivia, Adam doesn't have too much, as you can see. I'll give ya's some money for tomorrow."
Yeah, that was a good plan. In the meantime, Todd should probably also reach out to Bayville High about getting Adam enrolled, too…
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Post by Golem on Jun 18, 2023 13:54:41 GMT -5
| WHEN I WAKE UP, I'M AFRAID, SOMEBODY ELSE MIGHT TAKE MY PLACE... |
"Oh." Olivia sounded disappointed, but shrugged. "You have the build for a contractor, Adam. But, hey, maybe after you see how tiny-ass the bedrooms are upstairs, you can also help me convince Todd here that we should make this place bigger."
"Sure," Adam said, not seeing why he shouldn't agree. Olivia didn't seem too bad, and Adam hoped that she wouldn't mind him as a housemate. He didn't think that he would annoy her, or Todd for that matter, while living at the Brotherhood.
"…I can choose?" Adam froze at the bottom of the stairs, finding it odd that he would get a choice in something like a bedroom.
Olivia stared at him for a moment before deftly going around him and about halfway up the staircase. "Yeah, c'mon, I'll show you the available ones. Unless you'd like to look and choose by yourself?"
"No." Adam shook his head. "It'd be… nice not to do it alone."
Before they could get too far, Todd mentioned pizza – which Olivia gave an excited whoop about – and school again and then shopping and then money for shopping before Adam could mention that he had nothing to his name, and Adam wasn't quite sure what to make of all that. It was almost being like back with his gang before getting caught ruined everything.
Adam could get used to that feeling again. If Todd and Olivia were willing to help him out, then Adam would help them however he could.
Take care of the gang and the gang would take care of you.
258 words | Toad | Thank you! We can wrap this up here. LAIKA OF THQ
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