llv. Legacy and Tomoe's House. Surprise

[dens_extra_pups]

Tomoe: *looks up from carefully putting a minuscule dress on a tiny glow in the dark play doll as a knock sounds at the door. Quick glance to her husband to see what he would like her to do*

Legacy: *looks up from fixing a tiny seam on one of the dresses for his biggest dollkid* ...Who could that be? *will carefully set his work aside and move to answer the door*

Torque: *turns from chirping to his kitten and grins at Legacy. Is holding a box nearly as tall as he is* M-mail.

Legacy: *boggling as he sees the box* Oh, goodness.

Torque: *lifts box and kitten in clear offer to carry it inside for Legacy*

kitten: *holds on and sings hard*

Legacy: *will move to show Torque where to bring the box*

Torque: *pauses just inside and checks the floor, then follows Legacy and carefully stands the box down in the clear spot by the coffee table. Gently pats the hand of the biggest doll, then touches the face of dolly Optima before grinning at Tomoe and straightening up to look at Legacy*

kitten: *leaps down the front of Mama's shirt*

Tomoe: *greets Torque, and then turns her attention to scanning that cardboard coffin*

Legacy: Thank you, Torque.

Tomoe: *raises gracefully to her feet and goes to the kitchen, then returns with a small blueberry pie in her hand* Here, please take this.

Torque: *brightens and takes the goody, his expression full of curiosity about it* Th-thank you. *respectful gesture, and then he turns and leaves the house*

Tomoe: *offers box cutter to husband*

Legacy: Thanks. *will reach for the box cutter and move to begin opening the box*

Tomoe: *settles to her knees and finishes fastening that tiny tiny dress* There. Bean's dressed.

Legacy: *soft chuckle and a nod, is having to stand on his tiptoes to get the box open*

Tomoe: *watches him for a moment, then offers a suggestion* Should we lay it flat? I can help you.

Legacy: That might work better.

Tomoe: *comes over to help, her hands at the top of the box as she starts to tip it* Please keep it from sliding? I don't want to drop it.

Legacy: *will set the box cutter on the table and move to help guide the box* Got it

Tomoe: *lowers carefully, and soon has the box laying flat* There you go.

Legacy: *grin* Thanks, Tomoe.

Tomoe: *gives him a quick smile, and then goes to get a steak knife so that she can help him cut all that tape* *looks at the label and frowns* It's from the Nexus post.

Legacy: ... I didn't order anything from the Nexus...

Tomoe: *carefully checks the upper corner of the label* It's for you.

Legacy: *frowns as he works on opening the box* It might be from Lumen's wife...

Tomoe: Your oldest blonde sister? *gets one flap totally freed from tape*

Legacy: *nods* She likes dolls, too.

Tomoe: *looks up from the flap* Do you think this is another doll like Lola?

Legacy: It might be. *still working on getting tape cut through*

Tomoe: *thinks about this, then tosses her hair back and sets to work on the flap that Legacy is working on* Now I'm really curious.

Legacy: I am, too, to be honest. *work work work!*

Tomoe: *watches, and then takes the box cutter as the second flap is freed. Curious little sound as she settles to sit Japanese lady style with the box cutter resting on one leg*

Legacy: *going to try and pull the inner container out now*

Tomoe: *watches him for a moment, and then frowns* It's too heavy. Let me cut the sides of the outer box.

Legacy: *nods as he falls back onto his butt*

Tomoe: *swift work, and the inner container is laying on a very flat cardboard box. Makes another curious sound as she picks up a block of packing foam that was at the end of the inner container* There's something in this.

Legacy: *trying to figure out how to open the inner container* Be careful opening it.

Tomoe: I will be. *surprised sound as the little flap comes up* It says "dynamically developing female personality matrix". And there's a price sticker that says five hundred dollars. *more study* It's made by a man named Jack Ruteger.

Legacy: ... That name sounds familiar. *frown*

Tomoe: *offers him the USB key*

Legacy: *puzzled expression as he accepts the USB key*

Tomoe: *scoots forward, and then lifts the flap of the inner container, which is held shut only a couple of magnets* Oh wow, that's a lot of bubble wrap.

Legacy: We'll have to find somewhere to store it. *looks to see if there's any more information*

Tomoe: *busy peeling tape away from the bubble wrap, and then tips the container to gently dump out a distinctly mummy-shaped parcel* Here's a book.

Legacy: *will grab the book and begin reading about what was sent*

book: *congratulates him as the proud owner of a five foot tall small bust pale skin petite doll nudity female body from the Cyber Doll company of the Nexus Mall. Tells him where to insert her programming chip, how to spot clean her if he doesn't want her to take a bath, and who to call if she needs repair*

Legacy: ... It's a doll, but one that can be programmed.

Tomoe: *reading a little paper that she just pulled off the bottom of the foam that had held the chip* She'll grow mentally and learn just like a child.

Legacy: ... Someone sent us a kid?

Tomoe: *looks up with shining eyes, and then leans forward to uncover the new doll's face* Soft gasp as she sees hair the colour of Legacy's on a face shaped like her own*

Legacy: *puzzled muchly, will offer Tomoe the USB key and point out where it needs to go* Who do we know who would send us a kid? *is already thinking about what clothes the doll might be able to wear*

Tomoe: *gentle touch for the doll's closed eyes, and then sits her up and puts the USB key into the slot on the back of her skull before sealing the cover over it*

doll: *soft whine and a flinch*

Legacy: *squeaks and hurries to get clothes*

Tomoe: *softly* No! Come back! She needs to see us when she opens her eyes!

Legacy: *hurrying back, grabbed a sundress and boonies off the clothesline* Had to get her something to wear so she's not cold!

doll: *turns her head and opens her eyes to look at him searchingly with big eyes the same colour as Tomoe's* *softly* Mama?

Legacy: *headshake* Papa.

doll: *sweet smile* Papa. *turns her head* Mama?

Tomoe: *nods her head, chin trembling* Mama.

Legacy: *trying so hard not to wibble as he sits down next to Tomoe and the doll*

doll: Papa. Mama. *pauses and looks absent as she processes this and gets her programming fully installed* ...Baby?

Tomoe: *looks to Legacy*

Legacy: *wibble, nod*

doll: *points to herself* Baby?

Tomoe: *mouth falls into an O* *quick glance at the paper* *shows it to Legacy*

Legacy: *looks at the paper*

paper: *explains that the doll will want to know her name after she's finished identifying her parent(s)*

Legacy: *thinking quickly* Tama.

doll: *brows lift* Baby... Tama?

Legacy: *hand on his on chest* Papa. *gentle touch for Tomoe's arm* Mama. *gentle touch for Tama's arm* Tama. We're family.

Tama: *bright-eyed look* Fambly. *grin*

Tomoe: *laughs softly* Family.

Tama: *frown*

Legacy: *gently* Try again. You'll get it, Tama.

Tama: *perks* Fam-i-leee.

Tomoe: *small sound as she claps her hands*

Legacy: *nods, smiling* Yes. Good job.

Tama: *happy sound, and then a startled expression as she shivers*

Tomoe: *as her new daughter's face crumples toward tears* Oh oh!

Legacy: *squeaks and offers the clothes he grabbed to Tomoe* Help her get dressed?

Tomoe: *pulls her hair back, and then takes the dress and underpants* Here, Tama. Let's get you dressed.

Tama: *has no idea what you're talking about, Mama, but she's interested in it*

Legacy: *will reach for a booklet he just noticed, humming softly*

booklet: *tells him that his new doll has Professor Rutegar's patented organic fuel consumption system. Then tells him how it works*

Legacy: *surprised and pleased sound*

Tomoe: *looks over from coaching Tama on the process of boonie installation*

Legacy: *will bring the booklet over* If I'm understanding this right, we just have to make sure she doesn't get too many sweets.

Tomoe: *surprised eyebrow lift as she looks at the page* Such a primitive design can eat human food?

Tama: *gonna put the dress on her butt*

Legacy: Professor Ruteger's another version of Jackie. Lumen's wife told me about him the last time I visited their house.

Tomoe: *as she shows her youngest daughter to pull the dress up over her chest and put her arms in the straps* Oh. Is he one of the Three Jacks?

Legacy: *headshake* No, he lives in a reality where the Autobots are human-sized.

Tomoe: *nods her understanding, hands still busy getting Tama into the dress, then looks toward the door as someone knocks*

Legacy: ... Who could that be? *moves to get to his feet*

Tomoe: *slight frown* It sounded almost like Ira's knock, but it was too soft.

Legacy: *frowns and moves to check who's at the door*

Ira: *looks around from talking to Chris and Magnus as the door opens*

Chris: *holding a steaming pot in his hands*

Legacy: ... *going on a hunch* You three knew.

Ira: *amused snort*

Magnus: ... Knew what?

Ira: ... *slaps him in the back of the head* *gruffly* She's here?

Legacy: Yes. Her name is Tama.

Ira: We bought her.

Legacy: I figured. *moving to let the three men in*

Ira: *shakes his head* Don't want to confuse her.

Chris: *offers the pot* Caramel custard.

Legacy: *will carefully grab the pot* Alright. But if she asks, I'm calling you. And Magnus?

Magnus: *puzzled look* Huh?

Legacy: Playing dumb never works around me. *moves to turn*

Ira: *slaps Magnus in the back of the head again*

Magnus: *awks!*

Chris: *snerks and slugs him too*

Magnus: *more awks*

Legacy: *headshake* Ira, Chris, go let your wives know what you did.

Ira: *pauses in fending off Magnus retaliation with his arm to give Legacy a funny look* You think Optima and Rachel don't know?

Chris: *funny look*

Legacy: I wasn't sure. In that case, go tell them that Tama is here.

Magnus: You can't keep secrets from those tw... AWK!

Legacy: Ira kept the ring he had for her secret for several months, Magnus. *will use his foot to close the door on the three men, heading for where Tama and Tomoe are*

Tama: *gently brushing Lola's wig as Tomoe braids hers* Sister. Careful.

Tomoe: *glances toward her husband with a smile*

Legacy: *softly* Awww. *smiling*

Tomoe: *smile grows a little* Who was at the door?

Legacy: Ira, Chris, and Magnus. They're the ones responsible.

Tomoe: *surprised* Why would they do that?

Legacy: Knowing them, they were worried about me.

Tomoe: *her own expression shows a little worry even as she gently fastens an elastic with bobbles to the end of the fancy braid* Did I miss something?

Legacy: I'll explain later. *moving to set the pot on a trivet on the kitchen table*

Tomoe: *gentle pat to get Tama's attention, and then a hand to help the newbot up* Alright. What's for supper?

Legacy: Well, Chris brought caramel custard, but that's for dessert... *slight frown as he thinks about what's in the pantry* I think we've got the stuff to make meatplant, vegetable, and barley soup.

Tomoe: *arm around Tama as the youngster looks at her* Will that be alright for her?

Legacy: It should be.

Tomoe: *smiles and gets Tama sitting in a chair, then turns to head for the pantry* I'll start cutting the meatplant.

((Written with random_xtras))