The Magpie Emporium, Monday [17/04]

[giveittoyoursister]

This weekend had been both less and more awkward than the last time this'd happened. Less, because Vi was halfway prepared for it happening and more, because, well, she still had no idea who Cerise's mom was beyond 'definitely not Steph'.

Luckily work was a good distraction, even beyond the games, there was Little Bot and Saffron, the former being completely cheerful and charming, and the second not really sure what to make of this particular development.

[Open]

Comments

[drumsticksandd20s]

Don't mind the noise coming from the game lounge, Vi -- it wasn't the gremlins, just Steph and Amber playing several loudly dramatic rounds of that dueling board game and occasionally knocking over chairs in the process.

Look, at least they weren't roleplaying a duel on the literal top of the table.

[giveittoyoursister]

See, when Steph's narrative said to stop worrying about the noise, that was when Vi started to.

The ruckus was also enough for Saffron to decide Cerise was the preferable mini Human and she clambered up on search of snuggles and protection.

[drumsticksandd20s]

Of course she was the preferable mini Human! She wasn't related to Food Human at all, but maybe Saffron sensed that she was just... safe.

"Everything's fine up here!" Steph yelled.

Only it was half drowned out by Amber crowing, "I have you now, scoundrel! There's nowhere you can go from here!"

[off_beat_hues]

At the very least she was quiet and gave acceptable scritches.

"Hey, she likes you," Vi said, rubbing Cerise's back as Saffron made herself comfortable. "Not a lot of people can say that."

"I shall endeavour to live up to the honour," Cerise replied, grinning. "Probably not a good idea to mention Mum's more of a dog person."

[Now in the right thread, self]

[drumsticksandd20s]

She was by far the quieter of Snuggle Human's children and therefore superior, although Saffron had deigned to let Amber pet her a few times.

Steph poked her head -- startlingly beanie-less and very tousled from roughhousing -- out over the staircase railing and grinned. "I sure can't, that's for sure."

"Arrrrrgh!" Amber tackled her from behind . "You interrupt our duel for banter? Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your displacer beast!"

[giveittoyoursister]

This was why Saffron liked Cerise better.

"She just needs to get used to you," Vi said, ignoring the fact it'd been nearly a year already.

[drumsticksandd20s]

Well, that and the fact that Amber had tried to get Saffron interested in drumming by flailing her front paws around.

"Vi," Steph said sweetly, "I love you very, very much, but that might be a little too optimistic."

Amber made a gagging noise. "Mom, gross."

[giveittoyoursister]

Naturally, Saffron blamed Food Human for that.

"I think saying that just encourages them," Cerise told her, Saffron rumbling agreement.

"Damn, they figured it out."

[drumsticksandd20s]

Completely understandable, as this was Food Human's offspring in question.

"I am behaving," Steph informed the girls in mock indignation.

"Uh huh," said Amber, who knew her parents too well to fall for that. "Do yours get this bad, Cerise?"

[off_beat_hues]

"They're worse," Cerise replied. "Apparently a bunch of people were dumb when they got together so they decided to be actively obnoxious."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Good for them," Steph replied, making her way down the stairs so Amber wouldn't send them both tumbling if she decided to go for another tacklehug. "I absolutely approve."

Amber trotted after her. "Even more than mine are without even trying to be? Wow. I would die."

[off_beat_hues]

Cerise made a show of sighing. "It's hard, but somehow I cope."

"I am right next to you, kiddo."

[drumsticksandd20s]

"I guess it helps that they're pretty awesome when they're not being the most embarrassing," Amber conceded, pouncing on one of the plushie displacer beasts and cuddling it.

Steph gave Vi and Cerise a wry look. "Damn, you two definitely inherited all the smartass genes in your families. I'm so proud, and yet ouch."

[giveittoyoursister]

"Don't worry, I'll kiss it better," Vi said, to predictable groans.

[drumsticksandd20s]

"Yeah, you will," Steph said -- right on cue, from the way Amber made a choked noise and covered her face with the plushie doom kitty.

"Can you not do that where we can see, please??" Amber grumbled.

[off_beat_hues]

It was moments like these Cerise came closest to understanding her aunt. "There are impressionable children about," she said.

[drumsticksandd20s]

...it was not out of the realm of possibility that moments like this one were bonding time for Amber and her aunt.

"There are much worse kinds of impressions you could get, though," Steph pointed out -- quite reasonably, she felt. "It's okay. We'll save that for a later time."

Since the girls were probably going to have to leave tonight, she realized, and reached out for Vi's hand.

[giveittoyoursister]

Which were probably preferable to what counted as bonding in Cerise and her aunt's case.

Vi curled her fingers through Steph's. "We'll have a family dinner before you two go," she said, picking up on Steph's mood.

[off_beat_hues]

Oh, highly preferable.

Steph squeezed Vi's hand and gave her an appreciative smile. "Yeah, we can do that. Hell, pick a restaurant, we'll go out and have a nice dinner."

"And before that," Amber piped up, "can we have some paints and stuff? I wanna show Cerise how to paint minis."

[off_beat_hues]

"Of course you can," Vi said as Cerise carefully shifted Saffron up onto her shoulder and went over to join Amber. "We've still got the ones you made us last year."

"So do I," Cerise said, then leaned in so Vi and Steph couldn't hear. "I want to do some for my parents."