Nexus. Sanctuary. Post-Christmas Gifts

[dens_extra_pups]

Lumen: *groggy and bleary confusion. Just woke up and is trying to figure out where he is*

Hawise: *makes the mattress under them rustle just slightly as she rolls up onto her lower chest to check on him* Shhhh. You're safe.

Lumen: *tiredly* Where's Legacy? *no, he doesn't care about what happens to him. As long as his wife's safe!*

Hawise: *points with two fingers to a space down by Lumen's feet* She's there. Sleeping.

Lumen: *will try and look, making a quietly frustrated sound when he can't gather the 'oomph' to sit up and check on Legacy*

Legacy: *quiet little sigh, turns onto her side*

Hawise: *moves so that she can gently lift the smaller girl and settle her beside Lumen, then fixes blankets and turns to reach for Legacy's lavender pillow*

Lumen: *relaxing now, knows his wife is safe, and knows he's amongst friends*

Legacy: *snuggles as she sleeps*

Hawise: *tucks the pillow under Legacy's head, then fixes all the blankets* Do you want a drink?

Lumen: *small nod* Please.

Hawise: *picks up a drinking bottle with a straw* Nutrient fortified candycane nog?

Lumen: *ears perk* Sure.

Hawise: *moves carefully so that she can lift his head without bumping Legacy, then gently puts the straw to his mouth*

Lumen: *will sip slowly. And rumble quietly at the pleasant flavor*

Hawise: *softly* Merry Christmas.

Lumen: *softly* Merry Christmas to you, too. *trying to stay awake long enough to have more than a few sips of the nog*

Hawise: *reaches over him and tugs on something, which causes a soft rustle and something to bump into him*

Lumen: *turns his head slightly, blinking back sleep, to see what bumped into him* *quiet, surprised sound as he sees the heap of presents in all their festive glory*

Hawise: *separates the gift she'd been pulling on, and then gives him the lion in the Cherno Alpha costume*

Lumen: *soft, surprised sound, slight grin*

Hawise: *tucks the doll next to him* That's from your ammy and Legacy. He's got other outfits.

Lumen: Aww.

Hawise: Have you had enough to drink?

Lumen: *small nod* I'll have more later... Sleepy.

Hawise: *gently smooths his cheek* Alright. Sleep well.

Lumen: *shuts his eyes and slips into a light doze that eventually deepens to true sleep*

Hawise: *sets the bottle back into the stasis box, then closes it and once more snuggles down with her head on Legacy to read her book*

Legacy: *wakes up enough to snuggle Hawise and Lumen*


A few hours later


Legacy: *groggy blinking as she begins to wake up. Makes a soft, surprised sound when she realizes that the other person snuggling her isn't her mother, but Hawise*

Hawise: *looks up from her book and grins* He woke up a little while ago.

Legacy: *quietly* That's good. *much smile*

Hawise: And he got his Christmas present. *gentle hand to her friend's face* How are you feeling?

Legacy: Better now.

Hawise: Good. I'm glad. Oh. *soft chuckle* You aren't the only Legacy living in the Backwater anymore.

Legacy: *surprised* Oh?

Hawise: *nod nod* And she's smaller than you. The physician told me.

Legacy: *very surprised by this* How old is she?

Hawise: She's sixteen. The physician says that they need to convince her to give up something called "stays".

Legacy: *lips thin now. She knows what "stays" are, thanks to her boss* Did someone find out where and when she's from?

Hawise: *opens mouth, and then shuts it* I can stay with Lumen while you ask the physician.

Legacy: *small nod* Who's the physician?

Hawise: *blinks* The orange lady.

Legacy: ...The one who beeps a lot, or the one who rambles?

Hawise: She makes this sound... *fairly good deedle*

Legacy: *nod* I know which orange lady that is. I'll be back soon, hopefully.

Hawise: Do you want help down? *draws back one foreleg in preparation to getting up*

Legacy: Naw, I'm pretty good with the PINpoint.

Hawise: Um... What's that?

Legacy: My teleporter.

Hawise: *perks and folds her leg back again* Ohhh. Alright. *snuggaLumen and smile at her friend*

Legacy: *small smile, will PINpoint down to the floor*

Hawise: *peeks, feeling worried about her small friend down there all alone*

Legacy: *no fear whatsoever as she heads out of the room and toward where music's playing softly from another room a little further down the hall*

door: *not fully closed, and the music seems to be a mixture of steampunk gospel and wind up Dwarven mousie*

Legacy: *moves to knock on the door*

Bbbrl: *comes and peeks, then chirps to her*

Legacy: *smile* Hello, Bbbrl. Is Hormah awake?

Bbbrl: *soft laugh* This is the work room. She doesn't sleep here.

Legacy: *soft laugh of her own* Is she working, then?

Bbbrl: *big shove to try and get the door to slide open further, grunting with effort* Uh huh.

Legacy: *moves to help get the door open* I heard there's another me living in the Nexus now.

Bbbrl: *perk and chatter* Yup! She lives with Aunty Seaspray!

Hormah: *from inside* Don't go pushin' yerself, Leggy.

Legacy: I'm not. I PINpointed off the bed, and I've been asleep 'til a little while ago, Hormah.

Hormah: *as Rap comes over and offers Legacy a hand* Whaddaye want?

Legacy: *as she moves to climb onto Rap's hand* Tell me about the other me who just arrived.

Hormah: *deedles laughter* 1837 England.

Rap: *gently sets Leggy down on the pile of packing cotton, and then goes back to his chair and the armour he's making*

Legacy: ...No wonder she's wearing stays.

Hormah: She's arter bein' malnourished 'n anaemic, too.

Legacy: *much wince. She knows she wasn't in the best of shape when she first arrived, but she wasn't that bad off* It might freak her out if I went and talked to her, right?

Hormah: *gently* She's knowin' 'bout ye, but right now she's some like Lu jes' got over.

Legacy: *more wince* And he was loopy enough to put me out of commission.

Hormah: *nods* Aye. She had a bad purdle, 'cause 'o 'er dad 'n 'is wife. Ye bes' wait'll she's not abroad no more.

Legacy: *small nod* *and then she's snerking softly as something occurs to her* Den would break her brain.

Hormah: Eh? Why?

Legacy: Den's from a modern America, and her language rivals yours when she gets going.

Hormah: *snorts* Men talked some bad back then, too.

Legacy: Den would make some of those old farts faint, too. And so would you.

Hormah: *snort* *then reaches down and takes a box that Mira just ran up with. Offers the box to Legacy*

Legacy: *surprised, will take the offered box* Thank you.

Hormah: *soft deedle of laughter* S'yer Christmas doll from yer bigger ma.

Legacy: *softly* Awww. *will begin unwrapping the box*

Hormah: *lifts Mira and Bbbrl up so that they can watch the dolly deboxing*

Mira: *clickstorm!*

Hormah: *sticks a nom in the clickbox* Shhh.

Mira: *muffled chirp*

Legacy: *once she's got the box unwrapped and the lid off, she'll lift the handmade, pony-shaped doll that's been dressed in a beautiful handmade dress*

Bbbrl: *softly, from where he's sitting with his chin on the table* What is it?

Legacy: It's a pony doll, from my first mother.

Bbbrl: *ears back slightly in a puzzled frown, but then they perk again* Oh! A pony like Aunty Pinkie?

Legacy: ...Aunty Pinkie?

Hormah: *surprised* Ye ain't met the Pinkie Pie as runs the party store?

Legacy: *headshake*

Hormah: Oh. *holo of said young lady and her husband, complete with holopets*

Legacy: *wince* That... is a lot of pink.

Hormah: *chuckles and shuts the holo off*

Bbbrl: You should see her when she's wearing a pink dress. *whisker smile*

Legacy: *chuckles* I can just imagine. That was a Scattershot with her, right?

Hormah: Aye. Denver's Knockout's brudder.

Rap: *snerk*

Legacy: *looks to Rap* What's so funny?

Rap: Seein' those two when they first found each other again.

Hormah: *snigger*

Scarecrow and Smallfoot: *don't look like they think that was funny*

Legacy: ... Which two?

Hormah: T'at dere Scattershot 'n Knockout.

Legacy: Ah... Was there a lot of spazzing?

Mira: *shrieks by way of exemplifying the sort of spazzing*

Hormah: *looks down at her like o.0;*

Legacy: *flinch*

Mira: *lots of sassy and descriptive clicks, pops, and chirps. Is TOTALLY talking about how Knockout flipped out*

Bbbrl: Uh huh, 'n then he got littled like his bubby, 'n Denver yelled! But not right away.

Legacy: Knockout got littled, too?

Tarop-Tim: *descriptive clickings*

Hormah: Yeah. Went 'n done it on purpose. *snort*

Legacy: ... Why?

Bbbrl: 'Cause his bubby 'n Denver's little. He wanted t' be like his family.

Tarop-Tim: *giggle*

Mira: *chirpy commentary on Knockout's sanity!*

Hormah: *soft buzz to her baby girl* You would'n like bein' diff'ren 'n yer folks. So don't be sassin' so much on that track.

Mira: *chirp* Aunty glomped though!

Legacy: Which Aunty?

Hormah: Rhinox's Kriti.

Tarop-Tim: *more giggle*

Legacy: Good grief. *amused*

Mira: *opines again that Knockout is nuts*

Hormah: *tsks at her quietly with amusement, then looks back to Legacy*

Legacy: *quieter* How was my counterpart's home situation? *is thinking that the other her is Exile like she is*

Hormah: *sigh* She ain' after goin' back.

Rap: *softly sings a song about Cinderella*

Legacy: Does she have any ties to the reality?

Hormah: She ain't Exile. Jes' arter havin' a bad situation.

Legacy: *small nod* *softly* Poor thing.

Hormah: *simply* Ruth's t'ere.

Legacy: *quietly* I kind of want to go check on her anyway...

Hormah: *shakes her head as the babies fall silent* Right now tis Hawise as needs ye.

Legacy: *small nod* Alright... *pause* What's wrong with Hawise?

Hormah: *quiet and serious* She's lookin' ta stay here fer now on.

Legacy: ... 'Here' as in the Sanctuary, or 'here' as in the Backwater?

Hormah: The Backwater.

Mira: *wibble bibble*

Legacy: *firms that delicate chin* What's wrong with her?

Hormah: *simply* Go ask 'er.

Legacy: *small nod* Thank you for telling me what you could about my counterpart...

Hormah: *gently* Ye'll be learnin' more some soon.

Bbbrl: Can I hug, Aunty Leggy?

Legacy: *gentle smile, holds her arms out for hugs*

Bbbrl: *jumps down and scoots over to give gentle hugs and purrings. And a rub with his cheek*

Tarop-Tim: *approving sound from where he's skreeking Mama Hormah's head with his teefs*

Rap: *softly* D'awww.

Mira: *clickstorm!*

Legacy: *carefully shuffling new dollbaby around so she can hug Bbbrl*

Smallfoot: *tiptoes over and kneels to gently put her hands around the huggers. Quiet clicks*

Mira: *encouraging clickstorm!*

Hormah: *looks at the green bitty* I sposes yer wantin' down too?

Mira: *chirrrups*

Hormah: *lifts the bitty by the arm and gently plunks her on the floor* Tarop-Tim?

Tarop-Tim: *skreekment*

Mira: *scoots to add herself to the hugs*

Smallfoot: *moves a hand so that Mira can get into the hug, then puts it back once she's in*

Mira: *much purr*

Legacy: *soft hum*

Hormah: *leans down to collect her littles and give Legacy a gentle touch* *softly* She's arter hidin' from t'at Orin.

Bbbrl: *serious look, but then a squeak as Smallfoot picks him up and holds him close. Purrrr*

Legacy: *concerned* Did she say why?

Mira: *quiet and somber* Orin love-love.

Legacy: ... And I'm guessing that Hawise doesn't feel the same way he does?

Hormah: She do.

Mira: :(

Legacy: ... *much confusion on her face now as she tries to make sense of this*

Hormah: *another gentle touch* Ye bes' be askin' her.

Legacy: *nods* I'll see you later, Hormah.

Hormah: Aye.

Mira: *finds something in her pocket and happily tosses it to Legacy*

Legacy: *squeaks and catches what's tossed to her* *much grin as she realizes Mira had a Midnight Milky Way bar on hand*

Hormah: Git outta here 'n let I work.

Legacy: *thrrpt. Giggles and goes*

Hawise: *down on the floor when Legacy returns to the room, her eyes wide as she looks up toward the bed*

Legacy: Hawise?

Hawise: *wide eyes shift from the bed to her friend*

Lumen: *from on the bed* Leggy? *voice tremble* Do you have any of my boonies?

Hawise: *softly* He realized he was furclad.

Legacy: ... *one with her facepalm* No, I don't.

Lumen: *weepy sounding whine*

Hawise: *leans down to whisper* What are boonies?

Legacy: Underclothes.

Hawise: *little startle* I'll run get some. Tell me where they are?

Legacy: They'll be in the top drawer of the dresser. They look like short pants. *pause, has to do her best not to giggle* They'll be white, with little red hearts on them.

Hawise: *serious nod, and then she's wheeled and bounded from the room*

Lumen: *muffled sob*

Legacy: *to Lumen* Hawise went to get you some boonies.

Lumen: *horrified* She's gonna see my... Oh maaaan!

Legacy: Lumen, it's either that, or Mira'll go after both of us.

Lumen: *deep sigh*

Hawise: *right back!* *holds up a package wrapped in tissue paper* Aoife gave me this!

Legacy: *perks* Oh?

Hawise: *walks over and gives it* She says it's what Lumen needs.

Legacy: *nods and moves to bring the package up to Lumen*

Lumen: *has his face hidden in his pillow and is deep breathing, but the breaths hitch occasionally. Is trying to keep his feelings safe*

Legacy: Here. Aoife sent this. *will lift the pillow enough to put the package under it, then she's moving to PINpoint back down to the floor*

Hawise: *shies away from her slightly and then comes back* Is he alright? Why did he chase me away?

Legacy: He'll be alright. He was a bit embarrassed, is all. You didn't do anything wrong.

Hawise: He was all wrapped up. *glances upward. Legacy will see that her cheek fur is slightly rumpled*

Legacy: *slight shrug* My husband's just weird. *moves to give Hawise a hug*

Hawise: *blinks and looks down at her* He didn't hurt me.

Legacy: *softly* Hormah told me you're moving here. And why.

Hawise: *flinches and tries to contain her feelings, but her cheek fur gives her away* *quietly* He likes me too much.

Legacy: How so?

Hawise: *looks away* I can tell he wants to keep me by him.

Legacy: ...And you would rather have the freedom to go where you please? *trying to understand*

Hawise: *shakes her head* I want to stay by him. But I can't. We're too different.

Legacy: *more hug*

Hawise: *soft sound in her chest, the sound for family. But then she pushes away gently* I'll see you later, okay?

Legacy: Alright. See you later, Hawise.

Hawise: *again the soft sound, and then she turns and bounds out of the room*

Lumen: *soft murmur of conversation*

Legacy: *blinks, will PINpoint back up to check on Lumen*

Aoife: *looks up with a smile from where she's sitting by Lumen's chest*

Lumen: *laying on his side, partly curled around his smaller mother-in-law and his lion doll. Looks pooped and rumpled, but peaceful*

Legacy: *soft chuckle* Hi, Aoife.

Aoife: *smile becomes a grin* Welcome back to the land of the sane.

Lumen: The new sheep came. Lola named her Ruby.

Legacy: *loving thrrpt for Aoife, and a soft "D'aww" at the news about the sheep*

Aoife: *moves over to make room for Legacy next to Lumen, then pulls a box into her lap and opens it to let out the scent of oats and quinoa cooked in mock chicken broth* Are either of you hungry?

Legacy: I am... Lu?

Lumen: *belly grumble and a quiet, sleepy grin*

Legacy: *soft snerk* I think he's hungry, too, Aoife.

Aoife: *sets the plastic box down and hands Legacy a spoon, then takes one herself. Bows her head for a moment*

Lumen: *tucks his chin. It's a sideways position head bow*

Legacy: *bows her head as well*

Aoife: *quiet thanks for food and for kids feeling better, then looks up*

Lumen: *looks up too, and then turns on his back and lets Aoife prop him up*

Aoife: *gets him propped and then gives him a spoonful of nom*

Lumen: *deep sigh. Looks at Legacy as he chews*

Legacy: *working on eating*

Aoife: *will tend her eldest kids and pray about the girl that just left. And then she'll tuck these two in when they both conk out in mid-nom*

((Written with random_xtras))