The Park on Sunday morning - picnic.

[hernando_fuentes]

The puddle of children had woken in the morning and asked to go to the park. After feeding them - and shooing the teenager out of his kitchen so he could have the privilege of making breakfast - Hernando walked them all to the park.

The children knew the way and it wasn't that Hernando was any sort of helicopter parent except yes, perhaps today a little bit, he was. Sparkle was making a quick dash into town to put a 'closed today on account of children' sign on the door of his store but planned to join them later.

Hernando had packed an entire antique picnic basket full of food and snacks and put Quinn to work hauling a rolling cooler behind them. The children had acted as if this were a usual thing and that made Hernando smile a bit. Abney was wearing the folded picnic blanket as a superhero cape and was running ahead with her arms out, making zooming plane noises.

There was way more food than the children would need, even if one was a growing teenager. To his rueful chagrin, Hernando found that the store had decided to help when he spread the blanket out and began to unpack. The basket never seemed to empty. He set out only enough plates of sandwiches and baskets of fruit for the moment and let the children go run. There were thermoses of tea and sodas and waters in the cooler as well.

Once free of her superhero cape, Abney lead the way to the playground and commenced burning off the energy. Quinn was more interested in reading a book but he, too, occasionally joined his sister in playing.

[Open park with picnic food! Come let the kids play together!]

Comments

[sharp_man]

Eventually, following along behind Angela, came one of her fathers, curious as to what visitors Sparkle might have this weekend. He brought his own food, of course, though he laughed at the sheer amount that was already there.

"I see my services were not required?"

[forever_family]

Abney heard that very familiar voice and gave a tiny high-pitched squeal of delight, leaping off the swings again to go tearing at him. "Senelis! What did you bring? Did you bring sweets? Papa brought some cake but it's bought cake from the store." She wrinkled her nose a little. She had opinions and she shared. "Are you visiting? Are you staying the whole weekend? Are you both here?"

[sharp_man]

Despite an initial pain at being called 'grandfather', Hannibal met her with a smile. "I've brought several things, and yes, some chocolate and fruit. I live here, and Jono as well, so I'm afraid I don't know you yet, kiškutis, but I'm happy to meet you. Where shall I put the food?"

[forever_family]

"On the blanket? Unless you brought another blanket?" Abney suggested. She took being called a bunny in stride. She got called all sorts of things by the adults in so many different languages. She always knew when they meant well.

"I'm Abney," she told him and waved her hand at her brother, "That's Quinn. It's ok you don't know us yet. You do someday. This whole weekend is weird where nobody knows us but we know everyone that we know back home. I don't care if the island's being stupid, my family is my family and that's just how it is."

She glanced over but Papa and Dada were - ish - kissing again. She rolled her eyes. "At least some things are still the same. They're still just as gross as ever."

[sharp_man]

"It's strange not knowing family, too," Hannibal pointed out. "But it's good to know your fathers haven't changed. I do have a blanket of my own; we can set it by the other one. Would you like to help, Abney?"

[forever_family]

"I suppose it must be," Abney said after a moment, reaching out to give Hannibal's arm a pat, "It must be so sad to not know me. Yes, I would like to help."

[sharp_man]

"Now that I know what I'm missing, I am terribly sad not to have known you before," Hannibal assured her.

He opened his bag and pulled out the blanket first, handing one side to Abney. "So, do I not live on Fandom when you know me? Or do you not?"

[forever_family]

Abney took her side of the blanket and very carefully began spreading it out, smoothing the little wrinkles from the grass out. "You live in New York. I live here all the time. Sometimes we go to visit you and sometimes you come here. We never know when you're coming until suddenly," she did a fairly decent imitation of Jono's voice, "'Surprise, Sunshine.'"

[sharp_man]

Hannibal chuckled. "That's very good." He finished smoothing out his side. "He's here as well; he may join us later."

He reached into the bag and pulled out a pile of carefully wrapped finger sandwiches, fruit hand pies, fried vegetable slices, and chocolate chip cookies.

Hey, he might be a gourmet, but he was sensible about what most children would eat.

[forever_family]

"It would be nice to see him," Abney said, "I'm seeing everyone else too because everyone should have an Abney."

She beamed at the spread and then asked politely, "May I have a sandwich and a cookie, please?"

[sharp_man]

"You may," Hannibal answered, pleased. "As many as you like. A growing Abney that is seeing everybody must be well-fed."

[forever_family]

"Yes," Abney said with pleased certainty, "she must." She helped herself carefully to a sandwich and a cookie and said a very polite, "Thank you!"

She bit into the sandwich and neatly began eating it all the way around the edges first.

[sharp_man]

"You're very welcome," Hannibal said. "So, tell me about yourself, Abney. What is an Abney, when she's at home?"

[forever_family]

"The Abney, when home, is the younger child of Hernando and Sparkle, whom she calls Papa and Dada because Papa said he didn't want to be Dada cuz it's not his style of art but it definitely was Sparkle's. Which meant they had to go to a museum so Abney could decide for herself and yup, Sparkle was definitely Dada. Sometimes Abney is an artist but sometimes she's a musician and other times she's a fashion designer like her Dada. But mostly, Abney is the very best Abney that Abney can be."

She peeked up at him through her lashes and teased, "Abney is a favorite vaikaitis of her senelis. Not the favorite, because he's not mean and would never pick one, but he likes her because no matter what else she ever is, she will always be his Abney."

Abney took a bite of sandwich and finished it. "What really Abney is when Abney is at home, is happy. And that's all anyone who loved her ever asked her to be."

[sharp_man]

Hannibal smiled. "Whatever you are, you should always be your best you, and always try to be happy. I approve. Tell me about your art and your music."

[forever_family]

She nodded eagerly. "You've said this!" Abney was confused for a second and then gave a sort of rueful laugh. "I keep forgetting you don't know. You taught me how to draw and how to paint and AbuelJono taught me how to play guitar but you insisted I also learn piano since it's where guitar came from originally. Sometimes I play the harp but my fingers aren't long enough yet for anything but a baby harp so I don't do that so much. Dada taught me how to embroider and do all sorts of pretty stitches so sometimes I make cloth art."

She gave a simple little shrug, "I like pretty things. I don't like music when it's wrong. I can hear it and it hurts my ears."

[sharp_man]

"That's useful to a musician," Hannibal said. "Even if it may mean bad ones annoy you. Harp can be a difficult instrument; I'm certain you'll get there. And I imagine I must have several of your cloth art exhibits at home, yes?"

[forever_family]

Abs nodded. "You and AbuelJono figured it out when I was too little to say why bad music made me so mad I'd cry." She blinked again and gave that rueful little laugh. Kept forgetting. "Yes. Cloth art and drawing art and some painting art but I'm still kind of messy with that right now so not so much of that as the others. And a tie! It's navy silk and I embroidered little interlinked silver diamonds down the center and I did them all perfect so it was meant to be for you."

She looked around with a tiny frown. Her brow furrowed and she sent out the little mental 'door knock'. AbuelJono, I thought you were coming to the picnic? Don't you want to see us? Senelis is here, where are you?

He usually wasn't far.

[sharp_man]

"It sounds lovely," Hannibal said. "I look forward to getting it."

There was always a chance, wasn't there?

[forever_family]

Watch Abs break reality in half getting that package here. Or another, very similar package. "You got it before, but that's future for you so please forget about it again so it can be a nice surprise when you get it?" she asked hopefully.

[sharp_man]

"I will do my very best," Hannibal promised.

[forever_family]

Abney nodded, satisfied. If senelis said he'd do his best, then he would. He'd never lied to her. Sometimes he didn't tell her stuff but that was because some things weren't appropriate for her to hear.

"Are you teaching here in this now?" she asked, curious what he was doing when he wasn't in New York.

[furnaceface]

Abue--what?

What?

//Ah, no, no, it's not that I don't want to see anybody,// Jono had just been busy being a lump. A lumpy, lumpy lump. //... Are you in the park? I can get to the park.//

He'd been summoned by a tiny voice he didn't know. That wasn't at all worrisome.

[forever_family]

We are in the park, Abney confirmed, I can hug you from here but it's much nicer when I get to hug you in person.

Enjoy that little mental squish there, Jon.

[furnaceface]

So Jono was, and he was returning that squish in kind before making his way to the park, himself.

//So,// he mused, once he had arrived. //Who is it I'm overdue for in-person hugs with?//