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The little pup didn't notice the apprehensive expression, he seemed to be making a game out of poking Baroque's nose gently with a finger and making a silly noise. One ear did flick sideways to listen though, and was followed up by a quick nod.

Nope, staying right here with the scareling was just fine with him!

Without having any worry for sleeping accommodations or a change of clothes, the little ghost continued to play with his baby sister. His tail curled up behind him, resting against his lower back in it's happy position as it wagged slightly. He wondered if... Baroque could purr too, like Ren did. With an anticipatory fit of tail-wagging, he gave the little gryphon a scratch behind one fluffy little ear.

It took the pup a minute to realize he was being addressed, but finally he glanced up from Baroque. Clothes? Something in the closet, to wear to bed?

It seemed like something clicked for the young pup, and with great seriousness he scooped up the tiny gryphon scareling and put her in the crib. Then, as Ren might have seen before, he began a familiar routine which involved circling the room and somehow determining it was okay for sleeping in. Or something. Jove had never talked about it, or given any explanations, he just did it. He examined the desk, the window, and even peeked inside the closet with his tail nervously drooping between his legs, before trotting right back to the crib and picking up his little sister once again.

Surely it wasn't bedtime yet... They could play for a little while still, right?

Fluffy ears perked, and Jove let out a lighthearted little snort. There might not be anything out of the ordinary that would prevent him from sleeping in that bedroom, but did they have to go to bed... now?

He sat down on the bed again with Baroque in his lap, and made dancey motions with her little hands. Then he flopped onto his back, lifting the scareling into the air above him like he would a foxfire. She was the best little thing EVER.

Jove's curled tail thumped the bed next to him. Five minutes... He glanced sideways, eyebrows raised in a hopeful expression. Five, or maybe ten?

He couldn't hold up the heavy little gryphon forever though. The moment he felt his arms start to feel weak he plunked her back down onto his stomach. How could something so small weigh so much?! And if she weighed so much now, it would feel like no time at all before she was as big as he was... And grown up, maybe looking more like Ren than his twin even with those freckles.

For a minute the pup got a glimpse into his brother's emotions, the desire for his little siblings to stay small and adorable, easy to comfort, easy to hug and hold in a way that slowly vanished with independence and age. How did his brother handle such an abrupt growth when he learned to shift older? Jove was still the same pup on the inside though, wasn't he?

Jove's mouth tightened into that grumpy expression he used whenever he knew he couldn't have his way. He leaned past Ren, and the disgruntled expression faded to a pleasant one as he wagged his tail at Baroque. The older gryphon was right though, it might technically be okay for a ghost to stay up all night, but not little gryphons, or even big gryphons. They needed sleep, so he had to be patient with them.

Yes, both his siblings needed his help. No distractions for Baroque, and if Ren's attitude towards this house was any indication, possibly some hair-patting for comforting his brother's nightmares.

With a renewed sense of 'responsibility' only a child could justify, the pup trotted towards the closet for pyjamas. And then veered sharply away, tail drooping nervously only until he was distracted with Ren's dresser. Pulling the top drawer open, the pup peered in with perked ears, looking for something appropriate for bedtime.

Sensing the possibility of a new, not-sleep-related game on the horizon, Jove's ears perked. Was that an invitation to wear Ren's old clothes, that might fit? Even if they were too big, he wanted to wear them anyway, because they belonged to his brother. And like all things that belonged to Ren...

He inhaled, expecting the comforting smell of feathers and gryphon. What he got was a nose full of dust, and the scent of disuse.

The pup sneezed once, and then several times as he tried to rid the dust from his nostrils. Soon he was leaning against the dresser so he didn't fall over, his whole body shaking with each repeated sneeze, the same way every little foxfire he owned would nearly sneeze themselves off their feet when entering a fit. It was a much more difficult feat on two legs!

Finally Jove's sneezing came to an end. Had it really been less than a year ago he sneezed crumbs all over Ren's bed in the middle of the night? He missed that carefree time, when classes and learning to be a student were his biggest worries...

Jove nodded with a very faint scowl, it was hardly more than a furrowing of his brows. Of course he was okay.

The pup's tail wagged at the sight of the sweater though. They had been thinking about the same thing? All those memories, the past year was literally half the pup's lifetime, and if he was right, they were starting to crowd out the terrifying memories of running to get away from invisible foes. There were so many good memories, Jove didn't even mind it when Ren touched his cheek, an affectionate gesture he would usually brush off, or scowl at had there been anyone but Baroque watching them.

He grabbed the sweater eagerly, and pulled it on right over what he was wearing. He had missed the point entirely in his excitement. At least one thing was a success, the sweater was about as long at the bottom as his usual nightshirt.

This time Jove did bat away Ren's hand, he would always draw the line at cheek-pinching. No matter how he scowled, his brother always tried it again. And again. Thankfully for the gryphon it had mostly been in private, the fact he wasn't seen being the victim of such embarrassing treatment had been the only thing between Ren and a good shin-kicking.

Glancing down at himself, his scowl just got worse. Along with a slight blush. Okay, so he liked sweaters, there was nothing wrong with that!

With a sulky expression his ears tilted backwards, and he made a little twirling motion with one finger. Somewhere down the line he had picked up the gesture to tell Ren to turn around. Staring expectantly wasn't obvious enough for his brother to pick up on all the time.