(no subject)

[slayer_fray]

Mel is not in Metropolis. Neither Hana nor Loo are, either.

This is important because everyone on approved babysitting duty, who aren't off exploring the country in a flying car, is. In Metropolis, she means. Having fun.Without her.

So she'll just have to make her own fun.

and by 'make her own fun', she means 'sit on theCooper porch and carve out new throwing stakes', while the girls attempt to see how many toys they can throw off the porch in the course of an afternoon

Comments

[no-devo-quotes.livejournal.com]

Sonia has new clothing! She looks vaguely normal and modern and not like an escape from a strange superhero comic!

She also has a small bison that was previously flying off of the porch.

"Hey. Need any help?"

[slayer_fray]

"Hey."

Mel glances up and grins, but she doesn't make a move to rescue the bison. Hana's giving it all the attention it needs, crawling forward excitedly.

"I'm dealing. Wouldn't say no to company, though."

[no-devo-quotes.livejournal.com]

fdkslfdjskl APPROACHING INFANT OMG um um um HOLDING BISON AT ARM'S LENGTH NOW.

"O- okay..." Once she's certain that neither child nor bison have exploded, she takes a seat.

"Things been okay? Ever find, um, that guy?" She mimes hand-chopping.

[slayer_fray]

Presumably this is either before Jack's reappearance at the party, or Mel just wasn't there. One of those.

She shakes her head.

"Not even sure what I'd do if I did see him. Who does that? Just chops hands off like that?"

[no-devo-quotes.livejournal.com]

"Yeah..." She shakes her head. "Though if he's friends with a demon..."

Oh well. "Guess things are goin' all right otherwise, though, right?" Intact children, no further injuries to residents, all that.

[slayer_fray]

"Alleged demon," Mel points out without much emotion.

"Everything else is jake, yeah. You still up for reading?"

[no-devo-quotes.livejournal.com]

"Father Oliver said he was!" Clergy! Therefore, right!

Oop, that thing! "Y- yeah, I guess. Can't hurt, right?"

[slayer_fray]

"Only if you want to," Mel says quickly. "It's not like I'm gonna start compulsory schooling or anything."

She'll address the demon issue - later, maybe.

[no-devo-quotes.livejournal.com]

"Well, I mean... yeah. I guess I better, anyway." She tilts her head toward the notes board.

"Long as y'don't mind me bein', y'know, kinda dumb."

[slayer_fray]

"Hey, I'm not a genius myself," Mel says. "Didn't even get to High School. We'll just figure something out."

[no-devo-quotes.livejournal.com]

"The blind leadin' the blind?" She grins. "Least I know you won't go too fast for me."

[slayer_fray]

"You hafta stay ahead of the girls," Mel says. "At least until they're three."

[no-devo-quotes.livejournal.com]

Hmm. "I'll try." Grin! She can learn faster than tiny children! Probably! Especially tiny children whose idea of entertainment is throwing things off of porches!

In fact, she slips down and tosses a few toys back up. (Carefully aiming so that they do NOT hit children and cause them to shatter into a million pieces. Children tend to do that if you look at them wrong, much less hit them with a toy.)

[highrisktrader.livejournal.com]

After a while, it becomes apparent that she is not alone.

Katara is watching her curiously, in between watching the babies fondly. Babies are awesome! Mel is making sharp things, which is interesting, but not as awesome as babies.

She isn't speaking up, because she hasn't quite got the hang of why or how she's visible some times and not other times.

[slayer_fray]

Loo didn't like Katara much the first time, but she is the first living person to notice the ghost this time, and doesn't cry. She just stops hitting Penge with her bison and stares.

When Hana notices, she shouts and throws a fish at Katara.

[highrisktrader.livejournal.com]

Katara does not catch the fish, because of not being solid, so it goes right through her and hits Loo.

"Oops," she says, looking at her transparent hands. "Sorry."

Nervous waving of hello now!

[slayer_fray]

Loo is, for a second, about to burst into tears, before Mel says, loudly and happily, "'Tara!" And waves hello with just excitement Loo smiles instead and waves as well. Then crawls quickly to Mom to receive her reward for being brave.

Hana crawls after the fish, whether Katara's in the way or not.

"How's it going?" Mel asks in a more grown up voice.

[highrisktrader.livejournal.com]

"I think it's going well?" Katara says, rather doubtfully. "I don't think ... much changes, really. The girls look healthy again."

[slayer_fray]

"They burn of colds really quickly," Mel says. "Don't know whether all Firebenders have super immune systems, or if they got it from me, but I'm glad for it."

[highrisktrader.livejournal.com]

"The babies are Firebenders?" Katara peers at her quizzically. "You don't look Fire Nation."

[slayer_fray]

"Yeah," Mel says, suddenly remembering this might be a problem. "I'm not. They get it from their Dad. He's not here."

[highrisktrader.livejournal.com]

"Oh."

Katara considers this.

It feels like she ought to get upset about it, but they're such sweet babies. And the whole thing, Fire and Water and enemies and things, Prince Zuko and his chasing and the Avatar ... it's all sort of far away now.

"Is that why the golden eyes? It's pretty, on them. They're very pretty girls."

[slayer_fray]

"They are." Mel wastes no time on modesty. "And yeah. Loo had eyes like mine when she was born, but she grew out of them."

[highrisktrader.livejournal.com]

Katara smiles happily and reaches out to pet Hana's head when the little girl crawls up to her. A couple of fine dark hairs stir, but that's about the extent of it; it still makes Katara smile, though.

"How did you meet their dad? Was it here?"

[slayer_fray]

Hana loves it! She giggles and leans backwards to grab Katara's hand, falling over in the process.

"Somewhere like here," Mel says. "Another world which sucked people in."