Donnie's Parents Part 3

<DM>: Donnie lies asleep in the car, as Flipside drives to their current destination. Up ahead, she sees a sign. "Detroit, 20 miles ahead". In the distance, she can see smoke from the smokestacks, and grey looking buildings
Flipside stifles a yawn, taking a sip from a coffeecup
<DM>: Her car pulls into the city, as sirens wail off in the distance. As she makes her way to the first orphanage, she drives past a vandalized Robocop statue
<Flipside>: "Hey, Donnie. We're here."
Donnie turns in his seat, still asleep
Flipside gives Donnie a light shake.
Donnie flutters his eyes open, looking up at Flipside
<Donnie>: "hhm?"
<Flipside>: "We're here kiddo."
<Donnie>: "Oh."
Donnie stretches awake and leans his head on the window to look outside
<Flipside>: "Welcome to Detroit. We shouldn't be too far from the first orphanage."
<Donnie>: "I don't like it here."
<Flipside>: "It's... pretty bad here, yes."
<DM>: The orphanage outside looks a bit dilapidated, with steel bar windows, and iron doors. The name "Jane Eyre's Orphanage" looms above the door
<Flipside>: "I see the foreboding look is in this season."
<Donnie>: "...Don't, mom."
<Flipside>: "Sorry Donnie. Let's just go in and find what we need."
Donnie nods and unbuckles his seatbelt
Flipside unbuckles her belt and leaves her car.
Donnie follows after Flipside
<DM>: the doors creak open, as an elderly men sits as a large, wooden desk
<DM>: H-hello?
<DM>: Is someone there?
<Flipside>: "Oh, almost forgot."
Flipside taps a button on her key, locking the car doors.
<DM>: The elderly man stares at you, with large bottle glasses
Donnie looks around the interior of the building, holding Flipside's hand for comfort
<Flipside>: "Ah, hello there. Do you, uh, run this orphanage?"
<DM>: The interior has floral patterned wallpaper, that seems to be slightly coming off the walls near the top
<DM>: Ah, yes, yes, come closer, I can't quite see you
<DM>: The old man squints at you
<Sol>: >orphanage]
<Sol>: they dont exist yo]
<Flipside>: "Ah, well, my son and I, we wanted to know more about his origins."
<DM>: His origin? Well, what's your name, little boy?
<Donnie>: "Donnie..."
<DM>: Got a last name, kiddo?
<Donnie>: "Crespelle..."
<DM>: Let's see, let's see....
DM walks over to the card catalogue, and starts shifting through it
Donnie shifts his weight back and forth uncomfortably
<Flipside>: "This would have been some time back... at leadt a year ago?"
<DM>: Oh, let me go further back then....
DM flips through faster
<Donnie>: "Like uh, more around 5 years ago..."
<DM>: Oh boy!
DM flips harder
<Donnie>: "And, mmmmm... m-my last name, wasn't Crespelle at the time..."
Donnie [shame intensifies]
<DM>: Well, we had a Donathan two years back, but that's about it
<DM>: Sorry bout that.
<DM>: Is there anything else I can help with? We have a two for one deal!
<Flipside>: "Did he have anyone accompanying him? A small animal?"
<DM>: No, no. Just a blanket, and some glasses
Donnie breathes out a sight of relief
<Flipside>: "That... doesn't sound like Donnie..."
<DM>: Oh....well maybe Donnie didn't come from here
<DM>: We have two other orphanages in the city, if you wanna check there
<Flipside>: "Certainly. Where are they located?"
<DM>: Well, the Jack Dawkins one is located near the forest, and the Tom Hagen one is near the steel mill
<Flipside>: "Right. Thank you sir."
<DM>: You're welcome! The offer still stands!
<DM>: the man says, as he waves you out
Donnie nods to the man, and tugs at Flipside's arm some as he begins walking back to the car
<Flipside>: "...we'll pass on that. Good day."
Flipside returns to her car with Donnie.
<Donnie>: "I think it'd be the one by the forest..."
<Flipside>: "I suppose so. C'mon, let's get going."
Donnie nods and buckles his seat
Flipside buckles up and starts the car.
<DM>: The two sit, as the car begins to head towards the forest. A small house, much more cheery looking than the last one, is nestled on top of a hill side. The sign, uch more inviting, rest at the bottom of the hill, inviting the two to come inside
<Flipside>: "...Well, this is... nice."
<Donnie>: "Mhm!"
<Flipside>: "This might be the place."
<DM>: The door waits, a tiny door buzzer on the side of it
Flipside smiles at Donnie.
<Flipside>: "Ready?"
<Donnie>: "Mhm."
Flipside presses the buzzer.
<DM>: a loud Bzzzzzzzz is heard behind the door, some feet shuffling, and some chains undoing. the door opens up, to a small elderly woman, who greets the two with a smile
<DM>: Hello there! I am...
*** DM is now known as MsButterbottom
<MsButterbottom>: Nice to meet you!
MsButterbottom holds out a hand
<Flipside>: Nice to meet you too, Ms Butterbottom.
<MsButterbottom>: What brings you to my little shelter?
<Flipside>: "Oh, well, we wanted to ask some questions."
<Flipside>: "About my son and his past."
<MsButterbottom>: Oh, and who is your son?
<Flipside>: "Donnie Crespelle, right over here."
Donnie gives a week wave
MsButterbottom looks at Donnie
<Donnie>: *meek]
<MsButterbottom>: Oh, little Donnie boy! Where did you go?
<MsButterbottom>: You missed supper!
<Flipside>: "Donnie? I think this might be the place."
<Donnie>: "Uh, o-okay"
<MsButterbottom>: Well then? \\\\\\what's your excuse, before I send you to bed without your chocolate milk?

<Flipside>: [Scratch that Donnie, I think she's a robot.]
<Flipside>: [might disappear briefly, have no fear]
Donnie looks at the malfunctioning nandroid in terror]
<Flipside>: [right, back]
<Donnie>: [nothing was said in your absence]
<Flipside>: [kool]

Donnie hides behind Flipside some
<Flipside>: Miss, it's been... some time since Donnie was even in your orphanage.
<MsButterbottom>: Oh, has it?
<MsButterbottom>: How long has it been?
<MsButterbottom>: My brain isn't the way it use to be!
MsButterbottom says with a smile
<Flipside>: Around five yearrs.
<Flipside>: "Are you at the least sure this is the place my Donnie was in?"
<MsButterbottom>: Oh my, that is a long time...
<MsButterbottom>: I remember the little tyke slurping his bottle of chocolate milk like it was yestyerday
<Flipside>: "...sounds like Donnie, alright."
<Donnie>: I don't think I used a bottle, but okay...
<MsButterbottom>: So, you wish to know where Donnie came from, eh?
<Flipside>: Yes.
<Flipside>: How much do you know?
MsButterbottom walks over to a desk, as it begins to slide away, and a larger, futuristic computer pops out of the ground
<MsButterbottom>: Not a lot, but I can piece together what I do know
MsButterbottom waves her hands, as a file on Donnie pops out, and scrolls through the digital pages
<Flipside>: "Yikes, fancy place."
<MsButterbottom>: Thank you. Got it from the divorce settlement!
<MsButterbottom>: Let's see....
<MsButterbottom>: You were dropped on the doorstep, blue blanket, by a Green 2009 Oldsmobile. The license plate was 12G 6U-
<MsButterbottom>: the last number seemed to be obscured
<MsButterbottom>: But we saw it was from Michigan, so they are locals!
<Flipside>: "Hmm, I see..."
<MsButterbottom>: From the city of.....Kalamazoo!
<Flipside>: "That's... that's a city?
Donnie giggles a little
<MsButterbottom>: It is indeed. Here, let me chart you a path
MsButterbottom creates a hologram map, showing the course to Kalamazoo, about a 2 and half hour drive
<Flipside>: "Yikes. Okay, seems like a pretty easy path to follow."
<MsButterbottom>: anything else you too need help with?
<Donnie>: "...Can we look around the woods for a bit?"
<Flipside>: "I suppose we could, if you wanted to. Thank you, Miss Butterbottom."
Donnie smiles and waves to MsButterbottom
Flipside takes Donnie outside, waving to MsButterbottom as she leaves.
<Flipside>: "So, the woods?"
Donnie looks around as he walks into the woods, taking in everything
<Donnie>: "I think I spent a lot of time here."
<Donnie>: As they walk through the forest, occasional trees have large claw marks, chunks torn out, indents from heavy impacts, snapped in half, and one or two are completely uprooted
<Flipside>: "This was a while back, huh?"
<Donnie>: "I don't remember it very well..."
Donnie puts his hand on one of the more gnarled trees where a single wide, deep groove had been slashed onto it
<Flipside>: "Maybe it's for the best... no need to remember the bad parts of your past, right?"
<Donnie>: "...Me and Nox did most of this."
<Flipside>: "I can imagine, Donnie."
Donnie sighs and continues walking
<Donnie>: "I /do/ wanna remember, though. Because even though me and Nox were all messed up when I was little...er, he's gone now, and... I dunno..."
<Flipside>: "You miss him."
Flipside sighs and hugs Donnie.
<Donnie>: "Mhm..."
<Flipside>: "I can understand that. You had Nox for so long and he was just... taken."
<Flipside>: "I guess you considered him family."
<Donnie>: "But he wasn't just like, a dog or something. He was like an arm, but, well, that's not right..."
Donnie sniffles a little
<Donnie>: "He was, like, he was the main reason people were all scared of me and stuff, and why this forest is all messed up now, so it was kind of his fault that a lot of stuff went... w-wrong, and, and, he's the reason I got scared I was a m-m... bad thing, and did bad things..."
<Flipside>: "Hey, it's okay Donnie, I know what you mean..."
<Donnie>: "W-wait."
Donnie wipes his face and regains his composure some
<Donnie>: "But, it was me being scared all the time, and all that bad stuff, that t-toughened me up, and make me strong enough to be a /good/ guy. He taught me that, k-kinda..."
<Donnie>: "I dunno, I'm mostly j-just sad because he's not uh-around anymore..."
<Flipside>: "I know how that feels Donnie. To have someone so important not around any more."
<Donnie>: "It's hard..."
<Flipside>: "I know, it's hard and sometimes it's unfair."
Donnie goes over to one of the trees, shadow pools around his arm and beefs up around it, creating armor

<Flipside>: "I... I wish I knew what to say. But, I guess if Nox was here, he would want you to keep going."

Donnie punches one of the trees, under an existing crater from an earlier impact however many years ago. His new one is a little less than half the diameter
<Flipside>: "Donnie, please."
<Donnie>: "...Nox wasn't as smart as that."

Donnie sighs and leans forward to rest his head against the tree
<Donnie>: "But he'd break something if I let myself get all sad over anything, so I won't."
<Flipside>: "Come on Donnie, let's get going..."
<Donnie>: "Sure."
Donnie looks around for a bit, sighs, and goes back to Flipside's side
Flipside takes Donnie's hand, and leads him out of the forest.

<Donnie>: "So we're going to... Kalamazoo."
<Flipside>: "That's right."
<Flipside>: "So, we're nearly there. Are you... excited?"
<Donnie>: "Eehhh..."
<Flipside>: "Well?"
<Donnie>: "I dunno..."
<Flipside>: "Well, you'll at the least know more about your past."
<Donnie>: "Yeah, I guess. I won't have to wonder anymore."
<Flipside>: "Yeah..."
<Donnie>: "..."
<Flipside>: "I... never knew my father. So, it's... good that you get to know who your parents are."
<Donnie>: "...Did you ever look?"
<Flipside>: "I have nothing to go on. Not even my mother remembers him."
<Flipside>: "One night stand, that's all he was."
<Donnie>: "What's that?"
<Flipside>: "Well... my mother just met my father one night and... well, I was conceived."
<Flipside>: "They never had a relationship, or anything like that."
<Donnie>: "Oh..."
<Flipside>: "Yeah..."
<Donnie>: "But you knew your mom?"
<Flipside>: "Yeah, I lived with her for a long time."
<Flipside>: "And my Grandma, and some uncles, and aunts..."
<Donnie>: "It's good that you grew up with them."
<Flipside>: "Yeah, it is."
<Donnie>: "I'm surprised that lady remembered me."
<Flipside>: "So am I. But, it does make things much easier."
<Flipside>: "...if you want, you can stay with them."
Donnie stiffens up
<Donnie>: "...I don't... think, that... that'll happen."
<Flipside>: "Well, you can never be too sure."
<Donnie>: "They left me at the door in a blanket..."
<Flipside>: "I know... but, we don't know why."
<Donnie>: "I don't think there's many good reasons."
<Flipside>: "There are some. Money, for instance."
<Flipside>: "But, we won't know until we find them, I guess..."
<Donnie>: "Good point..."
<Flipside>: "So, for now, we'll find them."
<Donnie>: "Right, okay."