taxonomites | 003: [Visual] Don't shoot the guest, Dean. He gets enough of that at home.

Mary had been sorely tempted to have this conversation without being visible to the boys, but after some consideration, she had opted to set the tablet on a setting that allowed them to see her. It had taken her a while how to use the device, and she was glad to finally be adjusting to all of the new technology of the city. Everything in Taxon served to remind her that she was a long way from Lawrence, though even a closer match to their home wouldn't have felt like one without John. For that reason alone, there were days when she could appreciate how different Taxon was. Fortunately, today was one of them.

"Boys," she started, quickly remembering that her conversation would be picked up by anyone who was listening. "Dean, Sam, and Toby." That was better. No one would listen to that unless they happened to have the same name as one of them. "I just wanted to warn you that I have a friend staying at the house for a couple of days." Friend wasn't the best choice of word; Nathan was more an acquaintance than anything else, but she would consider him a friend if this went well. "I'd still like the three of you to spend as much time here as you've been - and Toby, I'm dying to meet this girlfriend of yours - but please, try to be nice to Nathan." She knew that Sam and Toby would be able to pull it off. Dean, on the other hand...

"And by nice, I mean leave your weapons in the car while he's here, alright?" Mary glanced up, her eyes wandering over to a picture on the mantel of John and the boys. She sighed, leaning back into the couch cushions and staring down at the tablet again. "Any questions?" It seemed like a fairly simple arrangement to her, but this wasn't what they were used to. The boys would need a few days to get comfortable with it, and by then, Nathan would probably be back in his house.

Regardless, Mary was glad to be getting the hard part over with. She wouldn't admit it to any of them, but she was looking forward to having someone in the house who was around her age and knew hardly anything about her. The boys had their own lives, but she only had them. She felt like she should be more social, and this was as good a time as any to start working on that.

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To be honest, Toby is actively trying not to pay much attention to what she's saying as soon as she says 'boys', because it's probably not his business - hey, he's still getting used to the apparently-adopted-by-Mary thing - so he's surprised when he hears his name along with Sam and Dean's. Then he starts paying attention, and, well... the fact that this is necessary kind of makes him smile. Toby doesn't know Sam that well at all, but he's pretty sure he knows how Dean might react to some strange guy being around his mom.

"No questions," he replies as soon as he can. "And I'm sure Liv would love to meet you too."

It never occurs to Mary that Toby might think Winchester family announcements don't apply to him. He's been in her life since the day she met her grown sons, and that kind of timing means something to her. More important than that, he helps her take care of Dean, and he's a sweetheart. It's pretty simple to her, and hopefully sooner or later, he'll be comfortable with this.

"I bet you think I'm crazy for attempting such a thing," Mary teases, giving Toby a smile. She expects that this arrangement is better in head than it will be in reality, but it's worth trying to work this out for a friend. "How is Olivia? Does she like it here?" She doesn't give him time to answer before adding, "Oh, of course she likes it here. You're here."

Luckily, after this, somewhere in the back of his mind it's been noted: he's had enough indication by now to know that Mary considers him one of hers, and he'll remember this. He can't even articulate how great it feels after twenty-three years of being passed around and, for the most part, unwanted. So... it's nice. Beyond nice.

"Well, I mean," Toby tilts his head, looking awkwardly thoughtful. "Yeah. It's probably one of the only things keeping her from going out of her mind, though." Halloween can be thanked for most of that. "Liv's a pretty normal-oriented girl."

"I'll tell you a secret, Toby. Most girls are pretty normal-oriented." She's mostly kidding, but there's some truth to her words. Not everyone can have a normal, quiet life when they want one. She always envied the girls who had simple problems, and didn't have to worry about losing their favorite shirts to a hunt. Being in an alien city can't be easy for Olivia, but she's in good company.

"This place is worse when you're adjusting to it than it is after you've settled in. And the - what do you call them - glitches? Glitches aside, Taxon isn't that unusual." Except for the tablets, and the hatches, which had become normal to all of them. "How long has she been here?" Mary hadn't exactly been keeping track, but she knew that Olivia had shown up shortly after her arrival in the city.

003: [Visual] Don't shoot the guest, Dean. He gets enough of that at home.

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