2nd Floor Common Room, Monday Afternoon

[apocalypsehow]

Well, Five had survived a 'family dinner' yesterday. Which was possibly the most shocking part of the whole weekend.

Oh, and Tim was still here.

Five sat in one of the chairs, staring at where the child-shaped mannequin was sitting across from him. "I can see your mother in you," he decided.

Tim continued on being a mannequin in response to that.

[so open]

Comments

[meepmeepohgod]

Did this horror show of a Muppet have any business here? Probably not.

Was that going to stop her?

Heck no!

"Morning!"

[apocalypsehow]

Because this common room was one of the terrifying children. It truly was.

"What."

Hey, Tim at least made sense! You know. In a universe where Five's boss was a goldfish.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle was just looking for a quiet place to sit and read and the light on the third floor wasn't quite right this afternoon so she'd headed downstairs. This was a mistake. For many reasons.

"Oh, you're here," was all she said, turning to leave having not made any connections between Five and his terrifying offspring.

[meepmeepohgod]

"Morning," Vatalija repeated.

[apocalypsehow]

Five looked at Tim, who was comically somehow looking back at him like he too was confused by this.

"Do I know you?"

[apocalypsehow]

"Belle." You know something? He totally thought she somehow cursed him with this mannequin before his niece and nephew cleared things up.

[meepmeepohgod]

"Do any of us really know anyone?" Vatalija replied. "Meep."

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"Five."

She wasn't the one with mysterious powers! He was far more likely to curse her than the other way around!

[apocalypsehow]

"...was that a philosophical thought?" Because it was accurate, but also disturbing.

Mostly the meep part was, though.

[apocalypsehow]

He wasn't magical.

"I see you don't have any children chasing after you."

[meepmeepohgod]

"Maybe," Vatalija said.

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Just because he had an origin story didn't make him not magical!

"I wouldn't bring them near you if I did." Ignore the fact that she hadn't known he was in the room until she arrived.

[apocalypsehow]

Yes it did!

Five considered that and couldn't find too much of a flaw in that statement despite his best efforts. "Fair."

[apocalypsehow]

Five squinted at her. "You're not a Hargreeves, right?"

[noonedecidesmyfate]

Belle was going to get that quote about sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic tattooed one day. On her or Five, though? Who could say?

"I thought so."

[apocalypsehow]

Hey now! He had one tattoo already! He didn't need another! He wasn't a hippie, you know.

Five sighed and rolled his eyes. "How did you escape it?"

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"Maybe it was magic." Come on now, he had to have seen that coming.

"Did you have any?" And with who??

Because she hadn't made the connection yet.

[meepmeepohgod]

Vatalija shook her head. "I'm a Lecter."

[apocalypsehow]

"Good. That's good." He literally had no idea who 'Lecter' was, so he didn't know how wrong he was. "Is he that felt teacher?"

[apocalypsehow]

Five sighed and gestured over at the mannequin across from him. Who was still sitting there. Being a mannequin.

"He's not much of a talker."

[meepmeepohgod]

"No, Hannibal is the doctor. Beaker is the fuzzy one."

[noonedecidesmyfate]

...

"I don't see a child," Belle said slowly. "I see a...doll?"

[apocalypsehow]

Oh god. Oh god.

Now he was trying to figure out the how of it. Why would you do this to him?

[apocalypsehow]

"That is Tim," Five said with a sigh.

Was the mannequin's head turned toward her before that moment?

[noonedecidesmyfate]

"Is this some sort of trick?"

Was it magically animated?