Chapter Text
This room is unlike all the other rooms in here. This is where they bring her for her treatments. She likes her treatments, it makes her be her best, and that’s why she likes being in this room. She also likes sitting on this chair. It makes her feel different.
“Is it time for my treatment?” She looks up and sees the yellow-haired boy grinning at her
“Yes.” he says, putting something sticky under her neck. She looks at it curiously “But this is a very special one, Juliet. This one won’t pinch, like… the others you don’t remember.”
(Except that she does and it hurts more than a pinch. Being imprinted isn’t the beginning; it’s the end. And it’s filled with so much pain)
She smiles at him and leans back on the chair, her hands on top of the armrest. She looks around and sees a yellow-haired man standing in the corner of the room.
She tilts her head and looks at him. He looks grumpy, like when Mike gets hungry. It’s not nice when you’re grumpy all the time. She knows, because Mike always gets in trouble when he’s grumpy.
(Mike, in her opinion, is genetically predisposed to frowning. Just like this man.)
She has never seen him before. And even though he’s frowning at her, she likes him. “Hello.” She chirps, happily.
The yellow-haired man grunts and then turns to the yellow-haired boy.
(She doesn’t know how she can differentiate a man from a boy; she just does)
“Is this necessary?”
“Absolutely.” The boy answers, “You need to be in her line of sight for the Handler-Active imprint, Lorenzo.”
“Don’t call me that.”
(Laurence, then?)
She tilts her head to side and watches them. They sound so… she frowns. She can’t describe it. She hasn’t seen anything like this with the others. This isn’t pleasant but it’s not bad either. She likes watching them.
(He also doesn’t look like a Laurence)
“If I call you ‘Lorenzo’ all the time, will you keep telling me to ‘don’t call me that’, every time?” the boy’s face lights up and he holds up his hands, “This can be a Pavlovian experiment! I can give you treats!”
“Can you just shut up and finish this?”
“He-he-hey, watch the language. You’re talking in front of a child!”
(Not so much of a child. Not anymore)
She looks at the man before looking at the boy and then looking back at the man again.
“You’re grumpy.” She says aloud, almost pointedly.
She hears someone chuckling, “You’re right, Juliet.” She turns towards the boy and he nods his head, “Your new handler is grumpy.”
“Why are you grumpy?” she asks, concerned. He isn’t hungry, is he? Maybe Miss Cindy can give him something to eat. Miss Cindy gives them food when they’re hungry.
The frown on the man’s face grows deeper. He ignores her, “So what are you going to do? Join us in the hip with your black magic? Make her think that we’re best freakin’ friends forever?”
“First thing first, this isn’t magic. It’s part science, part art. It’s Sci-art.” She hears the boy say. “And second, this isn’t about friendship, man. It’s about trust.”
Her brows furrow. She doesn’t really understand what they’re saying. Aren’t they all friends here? She likes to be friends with this yellow-haired man. His tie is pretty. It matches the color of his eyes. They are like the crayons that she uses for the color of the sky.
(Blue and deep)
“After this, Juliet will always trust you, without question or hesitation. No matter what the circumstance. You’re about to become the most important person to one of the most requested Actives in the LA Dollhouse.”
She feels him look at her. Why does he look so confused?
“I thought the old guys like younger girls? Like that Echo?”
She brightens up when she hears Echo’s name. She likes Echo.
(Something’s different with Echo. Something is… changing)
“I like Echo.” She beams.
“Yes, you do, Juliet. You all like each other.” The boy agrees and smiles at her before turning to the thing that makes clickety sounds, “Juliet is… well, let’s just say, that classical facial structure of hers works really well with women-in-power kind of imprints.” before turning to the man again, “Some of ‘em like old and fierce, if you didn’t know.”
She’s starting to get a little restless in her seat, but she tries to stay put.
“Fine. Can we just get this done and over with?”
“Sci-art, Lorenzo. This isn’t an oil change, despite what you might have been led to believe.”
“Don’t. Call. Me. That.”
She feels the chair tilting downwards and she feels her body automatically relaxing. She then hears the steady hum of the chair, which lulls her mind to vacuity.
(It was intended to be that way)
“Everything’s going to be—”
“—take her hand.”
“What.”
“Hold her hand.”
“Why?”
“Because! Tactile proximity enhances bonding protocol, man. Take Juliet’s hand and look into those pretty green eyes of hers.”
She feels the man take her hand. They’re rough, but his hold is gentle.
“Everything’s going to be alright.”
She likes the sound of his voice. She shifts in the chair and looks at him. “Now that you’re here.” She replies.
“Do you trust me?”
Blue eyes look back at her and she suddenly feels warmth enveloping her body.
She squeezes his hand, almost affectionately.
(Because this time, it isn’t just a mindless, robotic response. She’s aware of what’s happening and she fully accepts trusting this man)
“With my life.”