The Twofold Houses 5: Rebuilding

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

Lapis observes.

Throw it kind of sideways.

Not overhead like a ball.

That doesn't work at all as she has recently learned.

She nods.

"I think I've got it," she confirms after a few moments of silence. A few moments of silence before and she adds, "There really aren't any points or winners or losers? It that even allowed?"

She sounds pretty concerned about this concept.

What if they're tricking her to make sure they get all the points!

[Murkus]

[Not So Good Morning]

"Yeah," Adir agrees after a moment. "Looks fine to mine too. But this dream, Sarget. I still remember most of it if I try. And her little doll..." The stag doesn't know how to say it. Why exactly did her pushing Kitty on the floor bug him so much? He guesses it's because she really loves that thing. She'd probably cry if he stepped on it by accident.

[Sweet Dreams]

Adir busts up laughing at Cessie. "Point taken," he says.

Adir gets quiet after that. He watches Sakura and Ambrosia sit together, respecting the process. He doesn't know how they're going to fall asleep here though. Maybe it's a hypnosis thing? Thinking about all the kids sure makes him sleepy.

[Training Day]

"Yeah, see, dad? Wenomir is training Cora so she doesn't hurt herself. I'm gonna get a hold of this stuff eventually anyways--"

"Yeah, don't bet on it, son."

"I-I mean, I'm gonna be around it!" Cern says poutily. He looks to Wenomir as though for help. "And I would be good! And careful. You would see. An' I could protect the other kids."

Adir looks over at Koshal and back to his son. "I get worried when they fall down as it is now, and none of them even have antlers yet." He ponders. "But you got a point. Okay, son. Maybe I'll get you a little knife. But we're gonna have to have a serious talk about the rules first. And if you misbehave with it," he snaps his fingers. "Gone like that."

Cern's face breaks out in an infectious grin.

"Like that!" He snaps his fingers again, since it clearly didn't have the desired effect. He sighs. "Wenomir, where do I get some good steel? Who makes all those pointy things you throw around?"

Cern's eyes widen, probably to Adir's dismay. "You throw knives?" He asks Wenomir.

[Gullara]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"We're just throwing for fun." Laela assures her, but then she puts her finger on her chin. "Do you want there to be points?" She asks. They could do it differently if Lapis really wanted to. She seemed to be having a hard time getting into just throwing the frisbee around.

Meanwhile Russell has crept around the perimeter, as quiet as can be, to the patio table. He climbs up onto a chair and makes to peek inside the basket. Whatever's in there smells good.

[Sweet Dreams]

Sakura nods and closes her eyes once they're seated. She takes a few big, slow breaths. Just letting herself relax and think of quiet thoughts. She's not sure she can feel sleepy again, but despite her earlier words, she can slow down. The gentle breeze and the warm rays of the sun filtering through the leaves in the supports up above is very peaceful.

[Not So Good Morning]

"Try to rest easy today, Adir." Sarget says. He puts a hand on Adir's shoulder, or a finger at least. As big as Adir is, Sarget towers.

[Evening Vigil]

"Come on, girls. Bedtime was five minutes ago." Sakura calls. The twin girls are standing on stools in front of the mirror int he upstairs bathroom. They're brushing their teeth like mommy instructed, but they have a way of getting distracted. They definitely should have been done by now. Of course it's not like they're in school just yet, so Sakura is lenient.

While she's waiting, Sakura heads into their room. She picks up a few things, including Kitty from his place on the floor, where he'd sat since last night. Finally she plugs in a little night light she found. Laurana is still pretty freaked out from last night and insists she doesn't want to sleep in the dark.

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

The contents of the basket smell like chocolate, apple, and a touch of cinnamon. A collection of little brown squares still steaming with freshly baked warmth.

They call to you, Russel.

You know what must be done.

Meanwhile!

Lapis purses her lips a little.

"No, I guess that's okay if the game really doesn't have any points," she admits. "I just haven't played a game without points before. Do we just keep throwing it until we decide to do something else?"

That doesn't strike Lapis as particularly structured.

But that's how games are sometimes; a fact she must learn.

[Shadowcaller]

Play Date

"Yes, but Mother wanted me to make sure you got this." Sergei explains, holding up the package expectantly. He looks up at the tall gargoyle, silent otherwise, and just stares.

Cessie is met with a warm smile when she approves of Charles' request. "Thank you, My Lady. I promise I won't disappoint." He swears, headed off to go get everything prepared. The way he was whistling, it seemed like he certainly had something special in mind that was making him quite pleased.

"I knooooooow..." Ariel groans, obviously disappointed that she hadn't been able to come out much lately, but the groan immediately turns into a grin. "But Mommy says we'll be over more!" She adds, full of glee. She spins on her heels, looking up at Jezebel and the gifts she was carrying. Jezebel doesn't even get to open her mouth before she chooses. "The big one!" She decides, holding up her hands. "Careful, it's heavy." The bulky wrapped box is lowered gently to Ariel, who ends up groaning under the weight and nearly dropping it. The girl sets it on the ground before shuffling it over to Bastion. "For...you..." She pants. The movement of the box makes the distinctive sound of far-too-many plastic pieces inside rattling about and settling. Poor Garn might have more to pick up today.

"And this is for you." Jezebel adds, smiling as she offers Cora her own package. "I think you'll find that it grows with you." That just left two more in her arms.

[Play Date]

Bastion's eyes go wide as the gift is shuffled toward him. "What is it?" It's so big! No use waiting for that answer, though. He tears at the wrapping paper.

Oh good, she was starting to get jealous of Bastion. Coraq snatches the gift. "Thanks!" She says preemptively as she tears into it.

Play Date

Garn stares back at Sergei, and so the contest of wills begins.

On the other end Cessie have gotten up from her seat to watch the children interact. But when she sees Cora barely saying 'thank you' before starting to rip her present open she can't help but to frown. She wasn't going to say anything but she certainly hoped she'd show more appreciation once she had opened it.

She couldn't help but to wonder what Jezebel had gotten up to. Was she trying to buy off her children now? She imagined it'd work.

[Sweet Dreams]

Cessie also gets quiet as the two sits down. Wasn't Ambrosia even going to use the artifact? Hmm...

"There." She whispers as she too closes her eyes.
Neither her nor Sakura will enter true sleep. Instead it's more akin to a relaxed meditative state in which they will be on a more equal standing than the dreamer and the person entering the dream. Their mental worlds will meet and create a landscape together.

Therefore the waking Sakura will find herself in what's at least partly her own mindscape. She find herself in what seems to be an outdoors library. The massive oaken bookshelves seem to have been almost been grown from the ground judging by their texture. But there's some more artificial features here such as the slidable glass frames protecting each shelf.

One a signpost hanging from another oak she can see signs pointing out different sections of the library which seems to be connected by small roads leading in-between all the shelves.

[Morty]

[Training Day]

Wenomir is suddenly unsure if he just gave Adir good advice. But what does he know about raising children? Hopefully Adir and Sakura will work it out.

"I just have them made at Vigil, from a variety of materials. They don't get to cheat like the Answer does." He looks to Cern when he asks his question and realizes some caution might be in order. "I do. But it's not unlike shooting a gun in how careful you need to be. Your parents would have my head if you started throwing sharp stuff around."

[Gullara]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"Yep! Let's keep playing. Throw it back to her, Lucy." Laela goes back to her position. Lucy takes aim and throws the frisbee back to Lapis one more time.

Russell wastes no time in snatching up one of the brownies and sitting back onto the chair he was standing on. He takes a bite immediately and savours the taste.

[Sweet Dreams]

Sakura finds herself in a new place, and she's immediately unsure what's going on. She tentatively walks forward, looking past shelving. "Ambrosia?" She calls gently.

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

The brownie is wonderful.

Zee has been doing this for years. She really knows her stuff. Just the perfect melody of flavors and aromas without any overwhelming the others.

Make sure not to eat too many at once, Russel. You'll get a tummy ache.

Meanwhile!

Now that she knows what she's doing a little better Lapis manages to catch the Frisbee without any acrobatic leaping!

"Got it!" she declares before whipping it toward Laela. "Think fast!"

The throw is pretty good, this time! An actual Firsbee toss rather than just SPORTS!ing the poor disk straight into the turf. It does have a slight upward arc to it, though, so Laela might need to run forward a little bit as the Frisbee doubles back on itself. Throwing these things perfectly flat is really tricky!

"This is fun, I think I love it," Lapis decides. "Even if there aren't any points. What other kinds of games do you play? Oooh, do you build forts?"

Building forts is pretty much the best.

[Murkus]

[Not So Good Morning]

Adir puts his hand on Sarget's branch. The big fellow is oddly comforting. And then later...

[Evening Vigil]

Adir appears in the doorway next to the little ones, crossing his arms and leaning on the frame. "Come on, ye rascals. Rinse and wrap it up. They can only get so clean."

[Training Day]

"Do you think we could have a little one made? Maybe one that's not quite so sharp." Adir looks from Wenomir to his boy again. His voice actually rises a little, it turns so serious. "Hey, no throwing. Absolutely none. I swear to god, kid, if I ever see you throw something sharp, you won't so much as touch a butter knife until you're eighteen.

He puts his hands on his hips and weathers the pout that follows admirably. "Daaad."

[Gullara]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

Russell is happy to nibble on this brownie for the time being. There's no saying how much restraint he'll have once this one is done, though.

Laela quicksteps forward and tries to snatch the frisbee, but she comes just short. It hits the grass and rolls to the side. Oops, not quite. She picks it up right away and goes back into position to pass it to Lucy.

"Uh huh! We sometimes use the cushions from the couches." Lucy explains. Once she's caught Laela's lob she gives another toss to Lapis. This one's pretty high, though!

Meanwhile, Sakura slides the patio door open. She watches the kids with a somewhat perplexed look. Where did this little girl come from? She just watches for the moment, though. Are her parents around, maybe?

[Evening Vigil]

Adir spots the girls with a mess of foam around their mouths. They burst into giggles when he interrupts them. "Okay daddy." Cassie Aggrees. They two rinse their mouths and scramble out of the bathroom and into their room. They jump onto the beds, still giddy from, their antics.

"Alright, girls. Under the covers." Sakura coaxes.

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"I build forts at VIGIL all the time," Lapis explains as she watches the Frisbee pass from one sister to another. "I use branches and leaves and stuff. Tree forts are great but I love hedge forts too!"

But what's this?

The Frisbee is tossed to her now! But oh no, it's too high!

Maybe if she unfurled her wings...

No, she shouldn't do that. Mother had let her know that unfurling like that while people are watching might scare them, and she doesn't want to scare her friends!

But she's not going to be able to jump that high to grab it! She'll miss if she doesn't do SOMETHING! And even if there aren't any points or winners or losers in this game she still doesn't want to miss if she can help it.

Oh! She could drift! She'll do that!

Lapis takes a quick step sideways in time and then of course everything looks kind of funny to her. It's kind of like looking at things from above but not really. More like from inside? Mother said that most of the mortals don't have words for some of the directions and that's okay. It's just how they are. But since she's somewhere else now being exactly where she wants to be is way easier! It's just a little hop and now she's in a better place to catch the Frisbee. She steps back again, now up in the air, and catches it!

Hmm.

She's kind of high up now isn't she?

Lapis didn't really think this through very well.

To an outside observer it looked like Lapis had simply vanished and then popped back in again a second or so later a bit more skyward than she was previously. She caught the Frisbee and then gravity immediately took issue with her hanging in mid-air like that and demanded that she cease that nonsense immediately.

"Oof!"

More grass stains.

"I caught it!" Lapis declares triumphantly.

[Gullara]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"Ooh, outside forts. Daddy says he's gonna build a tree house." The kids are all abuzz about that.

Further fort and treehouse talk stalls as the kids witness Lapis apparently teleport right in front of them. There's a dumbfounded moment of silence in the immediate aftermath.

"Are you okay?' Asks a concerned voice next to her. Sakura has apparently moved over quite quickly to ensure the mystery girl isn't hurt. She leans over and looks down at Lapis with a concerned expression.

"How'd you do that?!" Laela and Lucy run over to also close around Lapic. Not Russell, though. He grabs a second brownie.

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"How's a tree house different from a tree fort?" Lapis inquires. That seems like it might be a very important distinction to her.

But then what's this?

Other things!

First of all we should address Russel and the fact that he's clearly got his priorities in order. Brownies are WAY more important than whatever those girls over there are doing. The second brownie tastes just as good as the first one.

Lapis, meanwhile, blinks up at Sakura.

"Oh hi! You're Laela's mom right I saw you at VIGIL but I was a sheep then 'cuz of that big dumb giant witch," Lapis explains while failing completely to say whether or not she's alright.

Considering that she's standing up and she doesn't appear to have any broken limbs it sure LOOKS like she's okay.

"Huh? You mean the drift? You just have to skip two steps sideways in time. It's easy!" Lapis replies to Laela. "I guess some people don't know how to do that?"

Clearly they're just n00bs who haven't played the tutorial. All that stuff gets explained.

[Gullara]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"Uhh..." That doesn't seem easy at all to Laela. Lucy seems just as perplexed.

Sakura takes a second tom process that. Why did they have a child in that situation in Vigil? Then again, her own children were there, so best not remark on that. "Well it's nice to meet you as yourself. What's your name, sweetie? Mine's Sakura." She pauses and looks around again. "Are your parents here?"

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

Geeze this is why the tutorial is important.

Why do so many people skip it?

If you skip it then you won't know how to do all sorts of important stuff!

"I'm Lapis Lazuli! Sometimes people call me Lapis or Lazuli but not Laz very much since there's this SUPER brave knight at VIGIL named Saint Lazarus and her nickname is Laz so I don't want to take that one," the girl replies helpfully.

She's very helpful.

Just the MOST helpful!

It's too bad none of her new friends can drift otherwise she would definitely show them how to do it.

"No, Mother isn't here but she made that basket of brownies for me to share," Lapis says, pointing at the basket in question as well as the Russell who is likely still eating them.

Busted!

"She said you might be worried that I came here on my own and that I should tell you it's okay 'cuz me and my brothers and sisters are like baby sea turtles but I'm not sure what that means."

It means they burrow out of the sand and scramble across the beach as quickly as they can to avoid getting eaten by gulls.

Then she turns to the other girls. "Hey I saw some ponds on my way here have you got any turtles in them?"

[Gullara]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"That's really nice. Does your mom have a phone I can call her on, though?" When a young child tells you her parents are okay with her being alone, you definitely verify that.

"Um..." Laela puts her finger on her chin in thought. "I don't think so. I never saw one. There's lots of frogs, though."

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

Excellent job being responsible, Sakura.

"Yeah! She wrote it down on a piece of paper and put it in the basket," Lapis confirms.

That basket.

That one right over there.

That Russell is raiding brownies from.

There's a little envelope tucked in there addressed 'To the Frescot Family'. No doubt the phone number is included as part of the note within.

But who cares about that right? There are WAY more important things to do than think about notes and boring grownup things!

"Frogs are way harder to catch than turtles because they're all slippery," Lapis concludes after a few moments of consideration. "After we're done throwing the Frisbee we should see if we can find a turtle."

What would they do with a turtle should they find it?

Maybe get a strawberry for it? Turtles like strawberries right?

[Deathkeeper]

[Training Day]

"You could just get one of those folding tools. The knife is only an inch long." Koshal suggests with a shrug.
"But yeah, don't throw knives. Takes tons of practice before you can even get them to land the right way anyway." He really doesn't know how Mr. Anders does it.

[Gullara]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"Hm, okay. I'm gonna give her a call. You kids can explore the ponds, but make sure you stay in sight of Sarget, okay?" Sakura says waits to make sure her kids understand before going to get the paper. "You can stay for supper afterward if you want, Lapis." She offers before she takes the note inside to make the call.

"Okay, we can go hunting after." Laela agrees. That'd be cool if there were turtles around. "Back to your spot, Lucy." Laela encourages, and the two girls run back to where they were standing before. "Okay, ready!" Laela calls when she turns to receive the next throw.

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

"Supper sounds nice!" Lapis calls after Sakura before turning to the girls. "Who's Sarget?"

Important questions to be asking, surely.

And then she tosses the Frisbee to Lucy. It is a nice, even, not-too-fast throw.

This game is...

Kind of nice?

Lapis doesn't feel quite as tense when she normally does playing games.

This one is more relaxing.

Maybe that's the point of games without points? If they're pointless then you don't feel like you have to win.

[Morty]

[Training Day]

Wenomir shrugs and nods in an altogether uncertain gesture.

"If you and Sakura are sure he can get one, I can ask our blacksmiths to make one. It can be a gift from me. Though if I do that, your other kids might want something too," he adds jokingly. "I run the risk of becoming the favorite family friend to quite a few children."

[Gullara]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

Lucy catches the throw with ease. Much different than Laela's attempted throw earlier. "Nice throw!" She gives it a throw across to Laela. This one's a bit high, but Laela can back up to catch it.

"Sarget's our grampa. I think he's over there." She points off into the trees. The trees this close to the house are not very dense, but Lapis can't see anyone in that direction. "We'll find him." She then tosses the frisbee back to Lapis. A nice, easy lob.

[UncleWolf]

Play Date

Of course buying the good will of children will work. For a while at least. Jezebel couldn't always be giving out random gifts but maybe she'll get lucky enough to have it really only be necessary this one time on top of holidays and birthdays. Especially since Cora will find a particularly sleek and fancy leather jacket and Bastion will find himself the proud owner of a massive tub of Totally-Not-Legos. Provided of course that he can convince Ariel not to lean on the box as he's attempting to open it up.

Sergei stares at Garn for a few moments, shifting from one foot to another as he waits impatiently. Eventually he speaks up though, deciding to play a bit dirty. "I'll probably get in trouble if you don't take the gift soon." He explains.

Ariel eventually moves off of Bastion's box and looks around, a puzzled expression on her face under her dark locks. Her longer hair was getting in the way enough that she was starting to tie it back now, but at least it wasn't too unruly. "Where's your other sister?" She asks Bastion.

Jezebel has a wry smile as she walks past the kids to offer Cessie a small gift bag of her own while leaning down to whisper. "A gift partly for you, partly for me. A bit of silk and a bit of lace. I think we'll enjoy it later." She teases with a smile as she straightens up. "While things aren't fixed yet, I really am feeling more comfortable and control now, so I will probably head back to Vigil soon and get to real work." She explains, turning to look at the children unwrapping their gifts as she talks. "Would you mind being there when I show and tell Wenomir?"

[Gullara]

[Play Date]

Cora holds the jacket up, turns it around to look at it from both sides. "It's a coat?" She asks, looking up at Jezebel. Bastions gift seems better...

Bastion gasps audibly. "Wow!" He drops to his knees by the box to examine it. This is so cool. Ariel is lucky she can draw his attention. "Uh, she's in the kitchen I think?"

As if summoned by the question, or she learned they have guests when she saw Charles, the youngest Mithar runs into the room. "Hi!" She greets, beaming.

[Shadowcaller]

[[Sweet Dreams]

"I'm here." Though it's not Ambrosia's usual voice. It's darker and more booming, lacking some of her usual inflexion.
It's explained as she comes around the corner of one of the bookshelves. She's appearing before Sakura in her dragon form which right now only stands a bit taller than the dryad herself. "You have seen me like this before, yes? Nothing to worry about. This space is safe and as much yours at it's mine." Even if she had lips they wouldn't move as her words are projected right at Sakura who still might get the impression that Ambrosia is speaking to her normally.

"I have a couple of questions before we start however if you don't mind. You know yourself best after all so I wanted to ask you what kind of argument that might work best to appeal to your spirit-self. The way this is going to work is that we're going to confront it and address it directly. Imagine it as your troublesome child that refuses to listen when others tell them to stop messing with them. As you know, some children can be more stubborn than others and this one don't think it needs to listen to anyone but its own selfish needs. Its wild, stubborn and difficult to talk to, yet like all your children it's in a way a part of you. So how would you suggest we deal with it?"

Play Date

Cessie blinks several times, her mind having a difficult time managing Cora and consider what Jezebel just said at the same time.
All she knew that bag had to be hidden away for now.

"...Garn, can you take this in my room please?" She holds out the bag, daring not to glance down at the contents inside. "Place it on, ah, the bed." Garn knew to always lock the door to the master bedroom so she had no fear of the children coming across it there.

She'd give Jezebel a kiss on the cheek but their difference in height made that difficult so instead she just takes her hand and gives it a squeeze while nodding in response to her question and mouthing 'later'. Cessie then turns to address her children. "Wow, isn't that amazing, Bastion? Imagine what you can build with that." Turning to Cora, she gestures at the nearby full-body mirror. "Put it on, Cora. I'm sure Wenomir will think it's very fitting for a warrior." Or at least that's what she assumed it was for. Why else would Jezebel have bought it?
Cessie would have prefered if they both opened it at the same time as Jillian opened hers but it didn't look like that was going to be the case.

Garn breaks eye contact with Sergei once his master asks of him though does take the accepted gift before he turns around.
Though as he approaches Cessie, who is still holding out her bag for him, she notices his gift. "Even you got a gift, Garn?" She smiles. "You know, kids. It was Garn's birthday just a few days ago..." Cessie had never thought of bringing up the gargoyle's birthday until now but she suspected that the children might find this information important.

[Murkus]

[Evening Vigil]

Adir just about giggles himself, seeing them spray foam everywhere. He wipes off their mirror and the top of the sink before following them over to their beds. He tucks a comforter close under each of their chins and favors them with a kiss on the head. Even with his worries about Cassie, he does so without any hesitation. "I hope you two tired yourselves out. Goodnight, babies."

And then when they get outside the kids' room, it's finally time to break the news to Sakura... though not in the most oblique fashion. "You should just go on to bed. There's some bills and things I need to take care of in the office. Might be a while."

Adir's not the best at holding things back. If Sakura is paying close attention to her hubby, she probably notices. If not, well, he'll just kiss her goodnight too.

[Training Day]

"No matter what, it's the same rules as the rest of dad's stuff. You don't get to touch it without me around, at least at first. Okay?"

Cern seems to find this amenable. Or at least seems to be approaching the age where he realizes too much whining does more harm than good. "Okaaay." He looks at Koshal. "It would be so cool though!"

"That seems alright. I'll talk to Sakura and see what she thinks," Adir says to Wenomir, leaning on the little wooden counter he uses for the range. "I bet you never thought you'd be so popular with children, Wenomir. You're gonna get a fan club at this rate. If they ask to hang out with Uncle Wenomir, what should I say?"

[Gullara]

[Evening Vigil]

The girls echo their good nights, and settle into bed. But not before poor Kitty gets a shove onto the floor. The poor plush is just not welcome today. There's no other fuss, though.

"Oh, are you sure? Couldn't you do it tom-" Sakura is immediately interrupted.

"Mommy, Russell wants you!" Lucy yells from her room.

Sakura winces. That's not going to help anyone sleep. "Well alright. Try not to stay up too late, though. I can't let you get away with sleeping in every day." Sakura motions for him to lean down for his goodnight kiss, which she delivers, before she hustles off to attend to other children. Adir might need to wait that out if he wants to avoid telling her what he's up to.

[Sweet Dreams]

The dryad starts when she sees Ambrosia. "Oh, right." She replies at first. It doesn't seem like a thing she should have forgotten, but here they are.

As for the rest, Sakura just looks somewhat mystified. "I'm sorry, I really don't know. This 'spirit-self' thing is all news to me. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to deal with it. You're talking like they're dealing with another person. Isn't this supposed to be a part of me?"

[Shadowcaller]

[Sweet Dreams]

The dragon nods calmly. "You are correct, Sakura. But within this mind space they can manifest as actual people. Simply think of it as a dream where you can meet yourself, only in this dream you are conscious and in control. You can simply will these aspects of yourself into existence if you desire. The problem is convincing them to work with you as not all aspects of ourselves work well with others so that's why I compared it to a child. It has never simply learned to consider other feelings and only think of its own needs."

[Rebonack]

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

Lapis manages to catch the Frisbee without theatrics this time around!

But maybe the other children where hoping she would do something cool?

Nah.

Just catching.

She pauses briefly, looking over at the table nearby with its basket of brownies.

"Was Russel not going to play anymore? We haven't thrown it to him."

Russel is, no doubt, pretty distracted at the moment. Since brownies are unreasonably delicious.

But seriously, Rus, don't eat too many you'll get a tummy ache.

[Gullara]

[Sweet Dreams]

Sakura shakes her head. "You don't get it. I don't know anything about any of this. How am I supposed to tell you about something I've never heard of before?" If Ambrosia thinks she can answer that question because Sakura knows herself, Sakura's starting to feel like maybe she doesn't.

[New Friends, New Games, and a Basket of Brownies]

Attention is drawn to Russell, who was just reaching into the basket for his third brownie. He stops mid motion, staring back at the rest of them.

"Russell!" Laela scolds. "You can't have all the brownies! Those're for everyone. Put it back." Her voice shifts immediately into bossy big sister mode. There's lots of mouths to feed brownies here after all... and she hasn't gotten one yet.

Russell stares back for a moment longer, then relents and pulls his hand out of the basket, no brownie to be found. He sits back down and licks his fingers clean.