Nexus. Three Jacks' Shop. Babies

[dens_extra_pups]

Mirden: *heading for the Three Jacks' shop. Wants to get some toys for her family*

Athena: *waves to her as she walks past. Has a purple sparklet reclining contentedly on her arm and hugging a new soft dolly*

Mirden: *nods to Athena and Carmine*

Three Jacks': *just let out a faint WUMP and a puff of steam through the door*

passer byes: *nobody even really looked*

Mirden: *chuckles at the 'WUMP', heads over to the store*

steamJack: *can be seen through the door to the back, standing in front of a large machine and facepalming*

littlegirlJack: *is the sound of laughter and kicking feet behind the front counter*

Mirden: Do I want to know what that was about? *amused*

lgJack: *squeaks and pops her head up over the counter* *sunny grin is apparent even with her mask* Hiiii, Mirden. Wheeljack's doomackyjigger just vented. Again. *giggle*

Mirden: *snort*

steamJack: It's a PARKING METRE!

lgJack: *snigger* Sure it is. It's bigger across than a street.

steamJack: *snorts and sets to work on his ongoing pet project*

Mirden: *amused snort* I heard you have health bars for sale now?

lgirlJack: *perks and looks around from where she'd been rubbing the nose of her brother's clockwork dragon* Yup! You finally decided to get in on the holographic accessory craze?

Percydragon: *snort* *may be only a namesake of Perceptor, but he's got a similar personality too*

Mirden: I figure my sister, her husband, and my husband will find them amusing.

lgirlJack: *chuckles and then scoots over to a shelf* They're the hearts kind. *reaches up toward the display of plastic bracelets, but then stops as and turns as she hears a whicker after someone comes in* Wheeljack, what... OHHHH!

Mirden: *blinks and looks toward the whicker*

horseyJack: *looks at her brightly through his goggles, his expression a mixture of uncertainty and pride mixed with wibble*

palomino foal: *stumbles forward from his side, her big eyes and dainty ears asking questions that she's too young to put into thought yet*

Mirden: *small smile* Hello, Keepsake.

Keepsake: *little squeal of wonder as she tries to figure out if she knows this lady*

horseyJack: *nuzzles her and tells her softly with his voice and body language that Mirden is smart and knows things* *then looks at Mirden* -Scattor brought her.-

Uther: *peers in from behind horseyJack and Keepsake, his nostrils flaring as he looks at the new foal*

Mirden: *small nod of understanding* I see.

horseyJack: *body language goes small and "quiet"* -My wife died when she was nearly due. I thought I'd have to wait to meet the baby.-

Keepsake: *just discovered Uther. Sniffy sniff sniff. Nip!*

Uther: *squeak! Wings inadvertently flare* Hey!

Keepsake: *ack!*

Mirden: *gently* Scattor wouldn't have acted if it wasn't meant to happen sooner. *attention going to the kids*

horseyJack: *comforting startled and confused baby and telling her that Uther is friend and good*

Uther: What did she bite me for, Mama?

Mirden: *listening for a few moments* She was curious. She's only seen fur

Uther: Ohhh. *slips past the new father and rubs against Mirden, then perks his ears and looks at the bracelets that lgirlJack just brought over*

Keepsake: *little mouth moving now. Sleepy baby is*

Mirden: *will chuckle softly and turn her attention to the bracelets*

lgirlJack: Two pink bracelets and a blue one. *griiin*

Mirden: *chuckles* I'll let them figure out who gets which one. How much?

lgirlJack: Sixty dollars. *glances at horseyJack and Keepsake as the foal squeaks and fusses*

Mirden: *will pay lgirlJack and glance to the new parent*

horseyJack: *rueful as he looks at her. The baby is tired, and he hasn't got anything at his house for a little foal to sleep on. Babies like to lay down when they sleep*

Keepsake: *tosses her head and then cries*

Uther: *kissie baby and whicker* Don't cry. Mama will help your daddy.

Mirden: *will give Sideswipe a mental poke*

Sideswipe: -AHH! Huh?-

Mirden: -...Do I want to know?-

Sideswipe: -Uhhh. I was sleeping on the Caddy seat with Joey.-

Mirden: -Well, that saves me needing to ask if you were home.- *fond amusement* -The Wheeljack who is a horse just became a parent. Do we still have the extra bed-making materials I was holding onto?-

Sideswipe: *looks around and winds up absently staring at that soft-sided dog bed that he won in that quarter raffle the other day*

Mirden: -The dog bed would work, too.-

Sideswipe: -Really?- *sensation of him getting up and being griped at by the bob-tailed, piebald, baby raven*

Mirden: -Can you bring it to the Three Jacks' shop?- *will make sparkles for Joey to gripe at*

Sideswipe: -Be right there. What's he parent of?-

Mirden: -A little foal named Keepsake.-

Sideswipe: -Eeek. Keepsake??- *is scared of the hsv Keepsake, because he can never figure out her jokes*

Mirden: -Her mother was Pacer. Scattor had a hand in Wheeljack meeting the baby.-

Sideswipe: -Scattor's weird. Uh... Joey won't stay behind.- *shares the strident crying*

Mirden: -Bring him with, then.-

Sideswipe: -Okay. Here we come.- *sound of a PINpoint and of a VERY upset raven chick*

Keepsake: *ears up, and then she's crying in earnest as sympathy and fright kick in*

horseyJack: *worry worry comfort, whicker wuffle oh don't cry, baby!*

Mirden: *will move to get the dog bed and comfort Joey*

Joey: *so excited that his attempt at fluttering over to her shoulder is badly aimed and directed toward the floor*

Sideswipe: Eeep!

Mirden: *will quickly reach to catch the baby raven in her hand*

Joey: *fuss fuss fuss! Flutter flutter to tell her he's a helpless little baby*

Mirden: *soothing sounds, will hold Joey close to her chest and offer horseyJack the dog bed* Here.

horseyJack: *takes the bed in his teeth, and then lays it down to look at it*

Keepsake: *wants to know what it is, curious despite her upset*

horseyJack: *paws the plastic wrapped bed carefully, using that and a yawn to tell his daughter that this is her bed*

Keepsake: *promptly gets on the crackly thing, and then collapses and conks out*

horseyJack: ... :o

Mirden: *amused*

horseyJack: *it's not funny! How is he going to get baby home now??*

lgirlJack: Do you need to go home? You usually work today.

horseyJack: *baby is too young. He needs to bring her home*

Mirden: *headtilts, studying the bed* Is there anything that could be used to make the bed easier to move? Like wheels attached to a board?

horseyJack: *sudden perk* *he's going to get a wish, if lgirlJack hasn't fed them all to hoojibs*

lgirlJack: Thrrpt.

Percydragon: *snort*

Mirden: *laughs silently*

lgirlJack: *gently strokes the mane of the sleeping foal as she hunkers beside her, and then looks up and tilts her head slightly* ...Mirden, are you a mom?

Mirden: *nods* I am.

lgirlJack: Ohhhhh! When did that happen?

Mirden: When I met Uther. *smile*

lgirlJack: Thrrpt. What about that? *nods toward the black and white baby in Mirden's hand*

Mirden: Joey is one of mine as well.

Sideswipe: I named him. *grins proudly*

Joey: *grumpy little sound. Doesn't like his male parent right now* *has a tight grasp on one of Mirden's fingers as he snuggles in her grasp*

lgirlJack: What is he?

Mirden: He's a person. He just happens to also be a raven.

lgirlJack: Like Oliver?

Mirden: *nods* Yes.

lgirlJack: Ohhh. *frown* But he's the wrong colour.

Joey: *pecks at the hand that Sideswipe just reached toward him. Sideswipe is DADABAD, or would be if the chick were verbal yet*

Mirden: He's the color he's meant to be. *gently clucks her tongue. Don't peck at your dad, Joey. It's not nice*

Joey: *looks up, his mind filling with the sensation of the whole world going BARF!* *upset feather ruffle*

Mirden: *gentle clicks. She knows that's not the most fun way to travel, but when it's time to go home, she'll bring everyone home nicely*

Joey: *beady, intelligent eyes blink as he wonders wordlessly if that was supposed to happen*

Mirden: *wordless reassurances. Dad was hurrying to bring something for another baby*

Joey: *baby!? Looks around*

Mirden: *will crouch so Joey can see Keepsake. But Joey must stay "shhh" because other baby is sleeping*

Joey: *stares so much with wonder. Baby looks like brother!*

lgirlJack: *in her sometimes random way* You know, if Wheeljack didn't live in that weird house, he 'n Keepsake'd be home now.

Mirden: *soft snort for lgirlJack, will explain to Joey that baby is same shape as Uther, but is different type of person. Baby has fur, Uther has scales.*

Joey: *thinks, "Scales!" as he fluffs his feathers*

Mirden: *very soft chuckle* *And Joey has feathers*

Joey: *looks up at her with one eye and then the other, then clicks his beak and thinks, "Scales!"* *is certain that he's just like his brother, and that his brother is just like his parents. Is also cranky and argumentative from interrupted nap*

horseyJack: *thinks a bad word back there in his workshop*

Mirden: *gentle mental nudge for horseyJack, with inquiry*

horseyJack: *can't find the wish jar!*

Mirden: *quietly, to lgirlJack* He can't find the wish jar.

lgirlJack: *sheepishly* The hoojibs ate 'em.

Mirden: ... *soft snort, relays that to horseyJack*

horseyJack: *sound of a head bonk*

lgirlJack: We don't really use them for anything else.

Mirden: *small frown as she thinks*

Sideswipe: *gently pats his wife for attention*

Mirden: *looks to husband* ?

Sideswipe: *holds up a mini whiskey bottle with a couple wishes in it* I have wishes. I got them out of the capsule machine at the Black Dog.

Mirden: *perks* Alright, then.

lgirlJack: Wheeljack, Mirden has wishes!

horseyJack: *walks in quickly, his ears perked*

Keepsake: *makes little sounds in her sleep*

Joey: *looks down at her, and then yawns massively and starts to complain*

Mirden: *will tip her head toward Sideswipe, even as she comforts Joey and tries to coax him to go back to sleep*

Joey: *too much stuff to look at! Can't sleep!*

Sideswipe: *grins as he's bunted gratefully* Want me to wish you guys home?

horseyJack: *nods and goes to stand over his sleeping daughter, telling lgirlJack, Mirden, and Uther goodbye as he goes*

Mirden: *to horseyJack* Safe travels.

horseyJack: *whickers, and then is surrounded by blue sparkles till he and his new baby vanish*

Joey: *didn't like that either!*

Mirden: *soothing sounds*

Sideswipe: *looks at Joey and feels remorseful and like he's a faildad*

Mirden: *will give Sideswipe a quick, loving peck on the cheek*

Sideswipe: *sad look* He's really mad.

Joey: *stubbornly tries not to yawn again*

Uther: *watching all this*

Mirden: *will offer to tuck Joey into Dad's hoodie pocket, where it's cozy*

Joey: *loves his dad. Are they going home now?*

Sideswipe: *wibble!*

Mirden: *small smile, moves to gently get Joey situated in Sideswipe's pocket. It's time to walk home*

Uther: *doesn't like Dad sad* Mama bought you a present.

Sideswipe: *glances up from gently patting his pocket, face showing his surprise*

Mirden: *offers the bracelets* You get first pick.

Sideswipe: *brightens and chooses the blue bracelet* Sweet! ...What is it?

Mirden: *chuckles* A holographic health bar.

Sideswipe: COOOOOOL!

Joey: *wriggle and complain!*

Sideswipe: *meep*

lgirlJack: *soft snerk*

Mirden: *reassurances for husband, will talk quietly to Joey*

Joey: *groggy complaints. Dada is bad, and they are not home*

Mirden: *promises that they'll be going home soon*

Joey: *wanna goooo*

Uther: *sympathy sounds for that fussy crying*

Mirden: *to Sideswipe* Let's go home.

Sideswipe: *worriedly* Okay. Um... do you think there are any toys here that Joey would like?

lgirlJack: *presents a gemstone with lights moving in it*

Mirden: *curious* What's this?

lgirlJack: One of those things Jubal makes, only this one's just a pet rock.

Mirden: *soft chuckle* How much?

lgirlJack: *shrug* I didn't give you a baby present.

Mirden: *small nod* Thank you. *will cluck her tongue softly, talking to Joey and letting him know there's something pretty for him, too*

Joey: *do not want!*

Mirden: *it's shiny, though*

Sideswipe: *pulls open the hoodie pocket so that she can put the rock in*

Mirden: *will put the rock in the hoodie pocket after she's gotten it from lgirlJack*

Joey: *wonder and interest and the sound of him pecking at it*

Mirden: *soft chuckle*

Sideswipe: *cautiously* Is he happy now?

Mirden: *nods* Yes. He likes the toy.

Sideswipe: *and now he's happy too, and turning toward the door*

lgirlJack: *to Uther* Do you need a toy too, so you don't feel left out?

Uther: *gives her a funny look*

Mirden: *more soft chuckle, will grab one of the dollar pinwheels from the display*

lgirlJack: *laughs and waves as she turns to go back and check on what her winged alter brother's doing to the parking metre now*

Uther: Buh?

Mirden: *will gently blow on the pinwheel to get it spinning*

Uther: *confused nicker. Not sure what Mom wants*

Mirden: *will explain that lgirlJack wants him to have something pretty, as well*

Uther: Ohhh. *takes the wooden stem of the sparkly pinwheel in his mouth, and then arches his neck and prances* Fanks!

Mirden: *soft chuckle, will move to herd Sideswipe and Uther toward home... and stealthily stick a coin into the till as she goes*


((Co-written with random_xtras))