The Perk [evening]

[texted3times]

//I still don't understand how you exist//, Eric was muttering at a tiny blond boy who was drinking from a mug of hot chocolate roughly the size of his head. (Eric believed that since there was no way this kid was related to him, there was no reason not to get it hyped up on sugar.)

//Do you want the long version or the short?// the boy replied in perfect Swedish.

...the Swedish Eric had grown up speaking--a language that hadn't existed in millennia.

It was a good thing that he was far too ancient to spittake over new information.

He sent a slightly frantic text to Sookie as he began interrogating this tiny newcomer.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Another one?" Sookie asked, exhausted as she wandered in after getting the text. She'd managed to foist off her various other children onto other parents so she could nap after the common room breakfast insanity of that morning, but apparently that didn't get to last. And then she saw that the little boy was right there. "Hello."

[texted3times]

"Sookie," Eric replied smoothly. "Meet Alve." His face turned a little pinched at that. "Northman."

[likethebookcase.livejournal.com]

"Stackhouse-Northman," Alve corrected. "Hi! I have hot chocolate! Pappa let me."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Hot chocolate is better than coffee," Sookie said absently, eyeing Eric. "How did you find your Pappa?"

[likethebookcase.livejournal.com]

"Texted him," Alve said, holding up his phone. "He thinks I'm being paid off by Pam. Tell him."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Eric, this is our child," Sookie sighed. "From another universe. Probably the distant future of another universe, even -- I look younger than your mother, don't I?"

[likethebookcase.livejournal.com]

Alve nodded. "Pappa looks exactly the same, though." He glanced his father. "Even with that 'why is this happening to me' look."

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Yes, it's very funny," Sookie said with a smile. "Are you going to be okay living with your Pappa this weekend, or do you want to come to the dorms with me? I have another little boy there and a little girl, too, this weekend, but there's room for you too. Unless you'd rather stay with Pappa."

<< And drive him a little batty, >> she added with a smile.

[likethebookcase.livejournal.com]

<<He's already muttering to himself in Swedish>> Alve tattled gleefully, taking a big sip of hot chocolate and ending up with whipped cream on his nose. "You have other little kids?" he added aloud with a little frown. "Am I your favorite?"

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"Of course you are," Sookie lied, because she wasn't going to play favorites with anyone. She reached out to wipe the whipped cream off his nose, thankfully resisting the impulse to lick her finger before doing so.

[texted3times]

Eric hid a smile behind his hand. "So you haven't been keeping young Alve a secret from me for months?" he teased.

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"How would that even happen, Eric?" Sookie asked, rolling her eyes. "I know that even if we had had many nights of passion like...six or seven years ago -- when I was ten, by the way -- you...can't."

[texted3times]

"Oh, I know that," Eric said, "but little Alve seems to say something else."

[butalljrscooby.livejournal.com]

Their moms had decided a little bit of chocolate after dinner wouldn't keep Asher and Miraya up forever, so they were out late.

It was possible Tara and Kennedy's need for caffeine had played a part, too.

"Hi," Asher said, glancing to the father and son and Sookie if she was there. Some of that was just wriggliness; some of it was his curiosity about the language they were speaking that he had never heard before.

[life_inshadow]

"Hi?" Tara repeated, blinking toward the other table rather apologetically. "Oh. Hi, Eric. It's ... good to see you."

Also a little awkward, given the slayer/vampire thing, but eh. Hopefully Miraya didn't know and Kennedy would behave.

[brat_inslayage]

Kennedy would behave! Mostly. If for no other reason than to keep Miraya from getting any ideas.

"Hey, Eric," she echoed, nodding, and excuse her here; she was just going to put a hand on Miraya's shoulder and leave it there.

[texted3times]

"Kennedy, Tara," Eric said, nodding. "Tiny spawn." He waved his hand out. "Meet Alve."

Pause.

"Like the bookcase. I blame his mother entirely for that."

[butalljrscooby.livejournal.com]

"I'm Miraya and he's Asher," Miraya supplied, ducking the restraining hand to wander toward the table for a closer look. "Bookcase? That's a funny thing to be named after."

She was just going to ignore the way her Mom hissed at her not to say that. Mom was funny that way.

"Who's his mom?"

[brat_inslayage]

Kennedy didn't actually facepalm, but she looked like she wanted to. (Her hand was free, after all.)

"Questions everybody is asking a million times this weekend," she offered instead, wryly.

Her daughter hadn't tried to stake Eric on sight, at least. That was something... but how the hell had Eric managed to have a kid?

[likethebookcase.livejournal.com]

Don't ask Alve: he'd go into detail, many of which he'd make up on the spot.

"Sookie!" the little boy piped up. "D'ya know her?"

[butalljrscooby.livejournal.com]

And Miraya had heard far more turkey baster comments than were probably good for a 6-year-old. It was a good thing neither of them had been asked about the topic of unlikely conceptions.

"That's our Aunt Sookie!" she said eagerly. "She made us pancakes this morning. Her pancakes are as good as my mom's, almost."

[likethebookcase.livejournal.com]

"No, they're better," Alve insisted. "Mama's the best cook ever and she always makes sure I eat enough before Daddy wakes up because he can't cook at all and TruBlood is not for little boys."

Eric stared at him.

[butalljrscooby.livejournal.com]

Well, at least all three parents were united in staring.

"TruBlood?" Asher said. "Yuck. That sounds like something for" -- he'd whisper it -- "vampires. Aunt Sookie's got to be way better."

[brat_inslayage]

Kennedy turned to Tara with a wide-eyed look of oh god our kids are way too smart, and started edging her way toward the table to get between Miraya and Eric if she had to.

"Yeah, she's a really good cook," she put in, hoping to derail this conversation from the likely inevitable. "But you know, since she gave you guys breakfast."

[texted3times]

"//This isn't like home,//" Eric told Alve in rapid-fire Swedish, frowning. "//Don't scare the children.//"

"Do you always have children?" he asked, "or did they just appear?"