[centre][h2][color=7ea7d8]Lauren Jones[/color][/h2]
[@wolverbells][@HecateProxy][@QT][@SheriffLlama] and everyone else, although not directly[/centre]

Lauren watched with interest as Sano up and left quickly, seemingly flustered out of his by-the-book persona by Jade's questioning.  Remembering the fact for later reference, she nodded to Connor as he joined them, although the boy also took off shortly to talk with the other tall boy of their group who lingered in the doorway.  She could see something had unsettled the tall boy but she didn't know him, certainly not enough to inquire as to what was troubling him.

[color=7ea7d8]"No need to rush things Jade, there'll be plenty of times to flirt - I mean talk - with him."[/color] She laughed, her mood improving from its brief moment of sourness with now Ra teasing her, challenging her to make good on her threat.  [color=7ea7d8]"Oh, you think I'm not serious don't you!"[/color]

She delivered the spoonful of soup carefully to Mora's mouth and stared the girl down until she swallowed it, quickly refilling the utensil and holding it up and meeting her friend's gaze.  [color=7ea7d8]"Come on, lots more left!"[/color]

She paused for a moment, flashing back to when she had done something similar for little Atticus.  Pa had been out and left Lauren to care for him, although they had lived together for a year already by that point so it wasn't that unusual for her to be caring for him alone.  He was barely a toddler at that point and insisted upon being fed with the aid of a variety of sound effects.  Then her mind made the next link, one she spent most of her time avoiding and was drove her to coping method most, to Cain.  Mora was Cain's brother and there were obvious familial similarities in their faces, her memory overlaying with the present to the point she could see both of them in front of her at once.

With a force of will she shook herself free from the disturbing illusion and smiled, continuing the playing with their food.  More than at any point that day she was craving for some of the deliberately mis-labelled bottles in her medicines bag, suddenly desperate to drink herself into a sleepful stupor and erase the memories bubbling just below the surface.  For a time, at least.