Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sea Whip could not in all honesty say she was getting the hang of being a mom. It wasn't that she was afraid of taking responsibility, Whip's sense of duty was unquestionable. It wasn't that she disliked babbens, she didn't mind them mostly. And it wasn't as if they were getting into all sorts of trouble, at least not trouble trouble, more of a mischief, silly trouble, which was all well and good and what young colts and fillies should get into in Whip's opinion.

It was just that, well, there seemed to be a whole new set of rules and standards when said colts and fillies were yours. And apparently all of them were self-imposed. She had taken a distinct interest in the well beings of her four babbens, and tried to have alone time with each of them. Except she didn't know the first thing to do or say.

"So. Cutie. Um..." Nerves and Inexperience were having so much fun tangling Whip's tongue.

Cooking. Why did it have to be cooking? Whip's kitchen had been mostly for storage and had only seen use thanks to Latte. And now it looks like one of her fillies was naturally predisposed to it. Was Sea Whip allowed to learn from her own babbens!? She hoped she was.

Okay, so far, so good, Whip told herself, Cutie hasn't shown any signs of wanting you or her to leave. That's... good right? The unicorn coughed a little nervously, then straightened up as if she was acting silly. "Is there anything I can help with?" she offered, her horn glowing as a nearby wooden spoon came floating beside her.

It was nothing short of remarkable, watching the little filly bustle about the kitchen like she owned the place. Whip would have given Cutie the deed to the kitchen if such a thing were possible, it was obvious Whip wasn't making much use of it. What was she supposed to do?

Oh! Right! Stir! Yes, she could do that! "Did you catch the fish yourself?" she asked, genuinely curious and rather pleased at the aquatic ingredients Cutie tended to favor. There was a smile on the unicorn's muzzle as the wooden spoon got a quick wash from the sink before setting about with stirring. Then paused to add, "Err, do I stir fast or slow?"

Whip gave her daughter a quick glance at the mention of the fish being fried. She was certain Cutie wasn't allowed to use a lit stove without Old Enough supervi- oh. "And I'm doing the frying, yes." Her tone indicated there was no arguing with that statement. Not that Cutie was suggesting the sort but, well, Whip was just being careful.

"But maybe when you make dishes that need less oil, I could let you handle the pan next time." It was Whip's concession to the knowledge Cutie would have to learn eventually, while ensuring that the little filly wouldn't be at too much risk.

Whip brightened that she had done something to help the little filly. Maternal instincts might be at work here, after all you looked after your own. "Well, when you're Old Enough, or almost Old Enough, I'm sure Latte will be more lenient with stove rules."

And here was the problem. While Whip was allowed to use the stove, she... hardly used it apart from boiling water for her drinks. Warily, she eyed the pan, her horn aglow as her magic carefully set it on the heated surface.

"Let's do this!" Whip declared with purpose, adjusting her stance as if she were bracing herself for impact. Clearly, this was a unicorn who spent hardly any time in the kitchen.

The unicorn was seemingly glowing with pride at the finished result. Not bad for her first time actually cooking, although in fact it was more like she was the apprentice and her little filly was the expert. But so what? A pony could always learn something new.

She beamed at her babben and nodded, "Lunch is served!" With her magic, she lifted the plates of food onto the table. "I must say, you're becoming quite proficient with your skills." The praise was earnest in its delivery as Whip tied a napkin around Cutie's neck before doing the same with her own. "It definitely makes up for the, err, lack of it in my department."

Whip's own sense of "when to flip the fish" was basically if she smelled something burning, it was time to flip the fish. Having Cutie actually instruct her was most welcomed.

Having no siblings, Whip had always been self-reliant. It was unusual but not exactly unwelcomed to have other phonies in her life and the warm sense of acceptance and support was lovely. She could get used to this.

"I am certain you shall be successful in your endeavor. You know you will have both mine and Latte's support in whatever you seek to accomplish." Naturally any activity that might possibly be detrimental to the filly and all of phony-kind in general would be dissuaded but the older phony thought that went without saying.

"After we eat, I believe you deserve some rest. Or a nap. I'll handle clean up, that much I'm proficient in handling on my own," she laughed lightly.