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"C'mon Lexi, hold still." Zhane sighed, trying to tie the pink ribbon under the child's chin. Nobody could truly say they'd experienced 'difficult' until they'd tried to dress a tiny mermaid in an easter bonnet and dress. Especially when said mermaid wasn't too keen on the idea of clothes.

Sellexi pouted at him, itching at the lace that prickled her scales and made yet another attempt to remove the hat from her head. She didn't WANT to wear funny clothes, she wanted to go back outside and play in the pond some more.

"Just humor me for a little while..." he said, resituating the hat before it could be flung away. "I don't ask you for much, do I? You know how much of a pain it was finding those in your size?"

Lexi gave a sigh, looking at him piteously, her large eyes reporting that she didn't particularly care. "And everybody else is getting dressed up. You want to look pretty for the egg hunt, right?"

An infant-sized scowl was aimed in his direction.

"Right." he finished as if she'd agreed, turning from her to grab for the hair brush where he'd left it on the edge of the bathroom sink. "Now c'mon, everybody else is probably--"

In the time it took him to turn back, it was as if he'd not dressed Sellexi at all. The bonnet and dress were now in a rumple, floating in the bathtub's water and becoming soaked as she gave a small giggle of triumph. This was a fun game.

"---waiting on us." he finished in a groan, trying not to slap his own forehead.

There was a pause before there was the sound of the bathroom door opening and Zhane emerged, carrying Sellexi in the crook of his arm, looking as if he'd never gone in there to get her dressed in the first place.

"Whatcha need?" he asked, though the sour look on Seiji's face and the bowtie she held in her hands told the tale well enough. In a way, it was comforting he wasn't the only one having a difficult time today. Though if he wouldn't put that thing on for his mother, he doubted he'd have much better luck.

Seeing Seiji, Lexi grinned and reached for him. HE would rescue her from the itchy lace and floppy hatbeast!

"Uhm....that?" he asked, as Lexi was taken by Seiji. The bowtie was....well, it wasn't the ugliest thing he'd ever seen. That title was still held by the "Christmas" outfit his mother had made him wear when he was small -- which had been a celery green-colored velvet suit with tiny Christmas ornaments embroidered onto it that had clearly been designed by someone who had no children of their own.

But it had been on discount, he'd been told....

A look out of the corner of his eye at Seiji told him all he needed to know about the current scenario. This was a test of some sort....one that may or may not decide whether he was sleeping on the couch tonight.

"Of course I'd wear it." he told her. "But only if -you- asked me." he added, leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek.

Zhane looked down at the female dragonchild quizzically before reaching down to sweep her up into the crook of his arms, eyeing the stormy expression that played on her features. "You okay, Ren?" he asked. "You look a little shellshocked."

At this point, he was willing to admit defeat on dressing Sellexi. If she wanted to go to the egg hunt sans dress and bonnet, he doubted they would kick her out for it. Surely they had seen much, much weirder.

Sellexi, who had been giggling in response to Seiji's question about the easter party, looked up to see Nani's return, blinking in surprise and drawing in a small gasp.

"BLOO!!" she declared suddenly leaning over Seiji to have a better look at the pretty outfit the older fairy had on.

Zhane looked up from trying to soothe Ren as Nani stepped back into their midst, blinking in surprise. "Wow..." he breathed. There was really not much more to be said. It seemed to him that she could wear whatever she liked and manage to make it look stunning....

Shortly...


The car ride had, surprisingly, been the most uneventful part of the entire venture...surely moreso than the botheration of actually getting the kids ready to go. Everyone behaved, there were no last-minute panics or protests of outfits, and there were, thankfully, no threats of turning the car around and going back home.

When they arrived at the park, the egg hunt was already underway as children ranging from Lexi's to Seiji's age all scampered around in a variety of suits and dresses, some with their parents and some without.

At the park's entrance was a friendly-looking elderly woman seated at a tablecloth-covered desk with a large pile of empty baskets behind her that she was dutifully giving to each child that went in.

Zhane took a deep breath and let it out once more. This was turning out to be a circus, but of the good sort. He had felt, since starting to spend more time at Nani's home and less at his parents', that they really ought to do -something- as a family. The egg hunt had simply ended up being a good opportunity for it.

"You guys ready?" he asked, not addressing anybody in particular as his hand wrapped around the car door's handle.

He gave her hand a squeeze, rounding to the rear of the car to fetch the usual "supply" bag from where it sat on the floorspace of the back seat once the children had vacated it. You never knew when one of them was going to fall and skin their knee, or Sellexi would need ointment put on her scales, or when one of them would suddenly crop up hungry after all.

"How about you guys go get your baskets? We'll be right there. Just making sure we've got everything." Zhane suggested to Seiji, giving the boy's shoulder a pat in passing.

"I don't mind." he said to Nani then, ducking his head into the strap of the bag to carry it before flashing her a smile. "I've been wanting to do something like this...see how it feels, you know?"

He looked past her for a moment, watching as Seiji, Lexi, and Ren eyed the activities nearby before leaning in to kiss her. "And it -does- feel right." he agreed when it broke, locking the car door and letting it swing closed with a chunk as they moved to join the three kids where they were standing.

"Of course you may." the woman smiled, handing each child a basket. "Working together makes things more fun. But you didn't forget the grown-ups at home, did you? We don't want anyone to be left out today." The tone of her voice suggested it was a joke as she gently pried to make sure they did, in fact, have adult supervision.

"Right here, ma'am." Zhane told her, raising a hand to wave as she turned to eye him before chuckling.

"Good, good, then you all have a wonderful time. And you little ones keep an eye out for that easter bunny while you're looking. He MIGHT not be entirely gone yet." she said with a wink, turning to greet the next family that approached.