[PRP] Neighbors and Splashing Babies, oh my! [FINISHED]

[Dream WhiteWitz]

It was a wonderful afternoon, according to Ducky's perspective. With the sun over head, it made her little patch of land just south of the Loki Nei forest, warm to be outside, tilling parts of her garden so that she can get some seedlings in from her latest endeavor. Part of her garden was already planted with the slower growing crops that stemmed over from the cooler weather. Now, she was going ahead to get the tomato seedlings in, and soon enough her pole beans. She just needed to get some climbing trellises up for them. The female did indeed took a break earlier to head into the city to say hi to one of her daughters, Hortense and get some supplies to bring back with her. Her newest bouncing baby joy was burbling away in her wrap, blowing spit bubbles occasionally, a unexpected result from the Valentine's Day event all the way at Las Venus, some place she was never going near again.

Her name was Blush, as she looked like someone stuck their fingers and colored her with different colored blushers. And she was such a happy looking baby these days, with her brightly colored gold eyes and her bright red hair which she had gotten from her mother. "That was fun, wasn't it? It looks like its time for your... bath!" the female said, smoothing back the red hair on the infant, whom burbled happily, as she entered her little plot of land. The little one did loved her baths, the warm water in the large wooden tub outside; occasionally a little butterfly would land on her hair making her chortled in a wondrous manner. And so the woman went about her business, pumping water and warming it up before dumping it in a small wooden tub she uses for produce. "Ok, bath-time!" the female exclaimed, getting a shriek from the infant before putting the child into the warm water. "Easy! Stop splashing!" Ducky laughed, shrieking herself. "Your sisters were more cooperative, Blush. You're just a little trouble maker!

Blush chortled, splashing the warm water that was her bath water in the small wooden tub. Soon enough, her hair looked like a glistening waterfall, falling out of the ponytails that her mother carefully bonded her hair up into earlier. Only when a passing butterfly landed on her face, did she went cross-eyed at it.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

The plains seemed to stretch on endlessly as Thulani continued his journey home. How long had he been flying? Usually he would just catch a ride on one of the trading caravans that passed by his family's farm, but his destination was slightly different this time.

Reaching into his leather backpack, he glanced at the letter one last time (not that doing so would do him much good at this point in the journey.

Quote:

"Thulani dear,

It's your mama here. How's the big city treatin you these days? Everything still going well with Aquarious? Last ya spoke with us, ya said you was thinkin on askin her to move it. You done that yet?

Better not have gone and eloped without tellin us. Your paps would throw a helluva tantrum if you pulled that on us, Guardian's know it. That said, don't keep us waitin too long on it either. She sounds like a good girl. Ya keep her waitin too long for ya to pop the question and ya gonna lose her.

Your mama ain't gettin no younger. I want me some grandbabies.

This year's lookin ta be a good one. Got some rain recently, so your brothers went and already tilled the land. They gettin to be about how old you was when we sent ya off to the big city. Can ya believe it? Ya sisters been flirtin with this new guy too, but she tells your paps that theys got nothin goin on between em. Not sure I buy it... Girl was never intrested in learnin ta cook or clean before. Only ever was good with the cattle. Still is. But dont tell her I told ya that. But anyways, she been askin me how to cook all these meals all nice-like. Before ya know it, she gun get taken by some nice boy. Hopefully he a second born so we can get em to come help out with ta farm.

The little ones are startin ta get bigger too. Yejide can handle the weeks laundry all by herself now, and wes started teachin Abeni how ta milk the cows. Shes just like how Efema was when yous was younger. Soon shell be bringin em out and all.

Now listen ta this. You remember Ms. Ducky from down the field? That nice lady who used to watch over yall when me and paps needed an evenin or two alone? Had those nice girls that moved out quite the while back? You really oughta say hi to Hortense sometime. Aint she in the city? Well, anyways. Ms. Ducky just had her a new baby! Can ya believe that? After all these years! And its the sweetest lil thing too.

We been sendin the kids over there ta help out, but ya know its the start of tha season. Could ya come down for a bit and pitch in? We wanna do somethin special for her, and its bout time ta teach the twins how ta clean an skin the steers. Thatta way we can throw er a big party and get that kid of hers her first pair of boots. Yous always was better than your daddy at the leatherworkin. But dont tell him I told ya.

Love

Mama

P.S. Make sure ya bring down some of that fancy stuff from the city. What was it Ms. Ducky liked again... I think it was tha pasta stuff. Aint they got the kind that can keep forever up there? Anyways, bring some of that with ya and make sure ta drop it off there first fore ya come home. An send word; we gonna have us a big pot of ya favorite chickin n dumplins when ya get here.

Folding the paper once more and returning it to his backpack, she shifted the contents to rest more comfortably as he continued the final leg of his journey. He was sure it was around... Aha! A singular house was coming into view in the distance. Sure enough, as he approached it, it began to take the form of a place he'd not seen in quite the time. When he could, he offered a wave to Ducky as he neared.

Dream WhiteWitz

 

[Dream WhiteWitz]

"Stay still, Blush," Ducky sighed for the umpteenth time. She figured at this point, the child may listen to her, but there was no evidence that she would ever do that in the meantime. She scrubbed down the child with a fervent move, in hopes to at least get the dings of dirt out from her little creases from behind her ears and her nose, and good gods, her neck. The water was colored a light brown. "There was more dirt on you than on the ground, you silly thing!" she rolled her eyes as she pulled the child out of the water and fetched a sewed-up blanket to cover her in.

Blush blew spit bubbles in response, giving a wail of disappointment when she was pulled out of her nice warm water bath and then wrapped up in a equally warm blanket. Her brightly colored red hair started to frizz up from the air, making her look... well like a poodle if one ever saw one before.

Ducky sighed, rubbing Blush down a bit while she held her. An approaching figure came over the horizon, so she lifted a hand to shield her eyes to see better without the sun affecting her vision much. At this point, she wasn't sure who it was, it did remind her of a few pae'ils, but surely not them. The female gave a hesitant wave. "What would you like for dinner, Blush? Some mashed up sweet potatoes? or how about... some yummy peas!" she exclaimed, getting a disgusted look from Blush, eliciting a laugh. The little one did not like her peas, that's for sure. A trial and error had confirmed that, when Blush practically painted the kitchen wall green with it.

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Thulani was only just able to make out Ducky's returning wave, not noticing her hesitance or any sort of discomfort she might feel, before he returned his arms downwards to adjust his backpack. It was a precarious thing; if he wasn't careful when moving his arms, it'd get in the way of his wings and make flying difficult. While he was now almost home, it was something he still would have rather not have to deal with.

A few minutes later, he was close enough to make his final decent and finish the journey on foot. The sensation of the dirt and grass on his paw pads seemed so surreal, despite it not being his first time back home since they'd gotten stuck that way. He ought to have been used to it by now, but it just always struck him as weird.

With is wings folded neatly behind him, hands on his shoulder straps, he gave a light jog over towards the old house. When in range, he called out. "'owdy Ms. Ducky!"

Dream WhiteWitz

 

[Dream WhiteWitz]

Ducky peered at the oncoming stranger, or so she thought was a stranger coming onto her little piece of land. She hefted Blush higher onto her chest, the towel wrapped around the wee child. Only when did the being come into close distance, did she blinked and raised her eyebrow. His accent did remind her of her closest neighbors from down yonder, but his appearance was radically different from what she seen. The female moved to the fence and took the latch off the top, opening the small fence door and gave a light smile.

"Hello. Oh no.. Thulani?! I can hardly recognize you! You look... look so different!" she exclaimed, her jaw fell down in a rather shocking surprise. "You were just this tall, but you seem to be still the sweetest little boy I know, all manners and everything," she smiled. "Come in, I was just finishing up giving my daughter a bath. This is Blush. Hortense is up in the city, just moved there not long ago and Sari is wherever, but she tries to visit. Look at me, chattering away like you're your mama. She visit the other day. Guess she not trusting your siblings anymore to bring food. I sent a sweet potato casserole. Apparently, it arrived half-eaten. You would think after water and a vegetable soup, they would be full when they left," Ducky said, rolling her eyes. "But it is really nice to see you, Thulani. I haven't seen you around in so long. Your mama talks about you a lot. Please, you can sit down. Water?Something to eat? Think I got some rolls left over from the visit to the city!"

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Aha... So she had thought he was some stranger coming up. No surprise there given the change and all.

His smile was noticeably awkward as he waved at her once more when she opened the gate. "Well yup, that's m--" laughing lightly, he couldn't help but smile as her verbal onslaught cut him off. Just like old times, huh? Things never did seem to change out here. As he listened to her talk, he shifted his backpack about his shoulders once more to a more comfortable position and nodding as appropriate when she reaffirmed some of the stuff his mother had said. When she introduced Blush, he offered the tot a bright smile and a wave; he'd generally been pretty good with kids growing up, what with being the oldest and helping his mom out and all.

So the twins had done something like that since the last time mom had written? Why did that not surprise him; man, he could just imagine how red the back of their heads must have been from their mom's smacks. Not to mention Efema's smirk as they walked off, only to get a smack herself.

"Thank'ya Ms. Ducky! It's great ta see ya again after all this time. I ain't seen ya since I left fer the city. Ya look the same as ya always did." Not five minutes back and the accent was back and kicking. "Does she? Ain't the lil' girls more interestin' than me? I never really have anythin' that ni-ice ta write back 'bout." Looking to either side of them being outside the house, he offered a smile. "Si'in would be ni-ice, but would'ya like me ta sit outta hur or back in da 'ouse? I'm good otherwise." Politely refusing her refreshments the first time, as he should. Mom would give him a smack otherwise if she heard he was being as demanding as the twins. His eyes lit up for a second as something came to mind. "That reminds me, I got'cha somethin' from the city. It's some of that instant pasta stuff; ma said ya'd like it." He was about to take off his backpack when he paused, remembering his manners. "Where'd ya like me ta put it?"

Dream WhiteWitz

 

[Dream WhiteWitz]

Ducky smiled widely. "Inside, much cooler than out here," she beckoned, opening the wooden door to inside her little cottage. It boasted a open-style kitchen and living room with two small bedrooms off from the main area. Simple, but well suited for someone with just a baby. At this point in her life, simplicity is better than grandeur or complications. "Oh, you can put it on table here, no worries," the red-headed angel murmured. "Make yourself comfortable, Thulani," she then tacked on, hoisting Blush up higher on her hip as she trudged around, grabbing a glass and the pitcher of water that had sat out on the counter, cooled by the interior of the house. "Would you like to hold her?"

Blush blinked, giving a squeal as she started to gnaw on her mother's hair that was braided back to give some relief from the warmth on her neck.

"Just a warning, she likes to gnaw on everything, from hair to hard objects. Her latest thing seem to be blankets," Ducky said, giving a shrug before pouring the cool water into the glass and then brought it over to the young male, pushing it over to his side of the table. "There you go, some water," she murmured. "Would your mama like some sweet potatoes. We got a great crop this year in sweet potatoes. I have like two buckets out there, you can take one with you to your mama. They bake great, just poke holes in them before you roast them for a good hour. They can explode. I learnt that the hard way. Scrubbing the walls of burnt sweet potatoes, the smell never goes away. Good thing, Blush here loves her sweet potatoes. They grow like weeds here!" she chattered like a magpie. "Oh, darn, I forgot. Here. I picked these off the bushes growing out back. Blueberries. Have yourself a snack with yeur water."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Nodding, Thulani threw the backpack right back where it began - on his back - and followed his old neighbor back inside. He glanced around, whiskers twitching and tail swishing, as he took in the old sights; man, nothing looked like it had changed at all... except for some of the baby things that were here and there.

"Aight, I go ahead 'n do that." Shifting the pack off his back once more, he set it on the floor before bending over to rummage through it. Pasta... Pasta... Where was that dad'gum... Aha! There we go. With a practiced motion, he straightened himself before placing three tightly-filled, sewn sacks on the table. When Ducky got around to opening them, she'd see they were filled just about bursting with dried pasta: one was a penne, one a campanella, and one a conchiglie. Perhaps he should have gone with some of the more practical kinds, but they were a gift. It was better to embellish a bit, no? "Oh, sure." he wasn't even fully aware of the question before he instinctively moved to receive Blush in a practiced motion.

Wow. When was the last time he'd held one so small? It'd been quite a while...

Ah man she was so cute! Really knew how to tickle your heart.

Shifting the tot around until she was in a comfortable position, both for him to hold and her to be held, he glanced over as Ducky grabbed some water. "Thanks a bunch." As if it were on cue, he took a seat at the table, tot in lap, before taking a sip. A delighted expression was plain as the current day as he set the glass back down. "Yer well wa'er always was the best Ms. Ducky. Nothin' in the city even comes close." But don't tell his mama he'd said that. He'd half a mind to bring a jug with him next time he visited - bring some back - but water was so heavy...

"Sweet taters?" He was barely able to chime in before she was going on again. Much like she'd expressed, he could see quite a few bags and buckets full of the stuff littering the floor. His mouth was open to reply when she continued on, prompting it to close with a bit of a nostalgic smile. "Thank ya much~" he chimed in as she set down the berries. Most of what he ate in the city tended to be packed to travel - that is to say, dried - so fresh fruit had become a bit of a luxury for him. "These are great! Did'ya just pick em off the vine? I ain't had somethin' so fresh in ages." He continued speaking as he offered one to Blush. "I'm sure Ma would love some taters. Not sure myself what they got growin over there" - was it late enough to be harvesting the winter squash - "but I reckon she'll send somethin back soon enough. You know she can't say no or let no favor go."

"How old's Blush here? She looks mighty like ya when ya been workin out in tha fields a bit too long." After laughing for a moment, he asked the question he was sure his mother was hoping to know the answer to in the most polite way he could figure, given the situation. Since his mom hadn't mentioned anyone new moving it, he kind of assumed it was one of those situations. Not that it was necessarily bad, just something worth clarifying. "Her father comin' 'round anytime soon? I'd hate ta overstay my welcome, but I'd also hate ta be rude and go without a hello to a new neighbor."

Dream WhiteWitz

 

[Dream WhiteWitz]

Ducky gave a giggle as she moved to towards Thulani. "Just a warning..." she muses, sliding the girl child over to the younger male's arms. "There we go. Oh, what was I saying? Oh yes," she perused, mostly her mind before looking at Blush, smiling as she gave her a cheek pinch which resulted in a scowl face from the child, and soon enough, if she learns it, a stuck-out tongue would followed. The older female was just hoping she wouldn't learn that from either of her female siblings; definitely not a polite reaction to anything, even it is cute in a way. "I, uh, no it is just me and Blush. There isn't any other. I call her a gift, from Las Venus. I guess I was lonely enough that I had her," the red-head murmured, giving the briefest of the story, without the usual embellishment. She feared if she told the whole story, it would be categorizing her as a crazy pae'il in other beings' minds.

Blush scowled at the cheek pinch once she was settled in another person's arms. She looked up, giving a blink with her golden eyes, scanning him and perhaps sniffing him a bit, mostly she smelled food on him. The child smacked her lips. And then... the worst Ducky could fear happen to a guest. The blush-colored angel child took a hold of one of Thulani's braids and started gnawing on it happily.

"Ooh, I'm sorry. No, no, Blush!" Ducky reprimanded, but it did not good as the girl child did not listen, just happily gnawing away, fiddling with the braid. "She's a tot, just a little one. She doesn't want to speak, but she'll happily let you know what she wants. Grabbing it anyway. Right now, it's your hair," she grimaced at Blush's manners. "She just loves chewing on things. Guess you got a wash and chew with Blush. She really likes your hair."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Thulani just laughed as the child started, quite literally, gnawing on his hair. "Dun worry 'bout it Ms. Ducky. On either 'counts." Shifting the young one in his arms, practically giving her better access to the braid in question. He figured a happy, busy baby was better to the alternative and was quite used to using himself to that end. If just his hair was enough to satiate her, that was lucky.

Continuing on.

"Ya told ma' yet that ya ain't got a man comin' 'round here? These guys can be a real handful, what with ya also needin' ta till tha farm 'n all. I'm sure she'd send one of em down ta help if she knew you was on yer own." He looked down and, with a slightly mischievous look in his eye, offered a small boop to the front of Blush's nose as he changed the topic. "What's Las Venus? I thought she had that island 'r somethin'?"

Dream WhiteWitz

Sorry for a small one, but tryna get it back goin

 

[Dream WhiteWitz]

Ducky just smiled at Thulani; he was always such a sweetheart when it came to others. "Yes, I told her and I made a mistake of telling her because I am afraid of her sending a single man over here. Oh no, she's going to do that, is she?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted together in worry. "I see that look, what you planning, Mr. Thulani. You always were bit sneaky when you wanted to be."

Blush started to growl, yanking at the braid with her mouth, and then let it go, leaving Thulani's braid a drool-encrusted braid.

"It's a place for Venus, I guess. Something magical happened, and boom, I had Blush. I wanted to get out just for a little bit, and I got a baby for it," Ducky laughed. "I was thinking of asking your mama to watch her for a day, when I put plant the potato seedlings. Blush loves your mama."

Daisicle

 

[Daisicle]

Oh Guardians... Yeah, that's something his mom would totally do. He wasn't sure where she'd find that many men around here, but she'd find a way.

For a single moment, he felt a sort of pity for the poor fools that were about to be tricked into coming here.

"Me? Nothin-- owowowow. Okay. That one 'urt a bit..." Thulani winced as the tot had pulled rather aggressively at his braid before letting it go. Well, didn't the tot seem real proud of herself. Color him surprised if she didn't grow up to be a strong, stubborn young woman some day; he could already sense it. Even this young she seemed to have quite the rebellious streak. "I'm sure she'd love that, what with all her babies all grown 'n all now 'n no others to spoil. You'd prolly want ta be careful tho that she don't spoil Blush here rotten or that she don't pick up any weird habits..." He could think of a couple of pae'il that would be bad influences if given the chance.

He popped another berry into his mouth before offering another one to Blush.

Dream WhiteWitz

 

[Dream WhiteWitz]

"I don't think I would mind that. She'll be fed and loved," Ducky giggled, smiling at Thulani, shaking her head. "You best get on your way. Your mama must be worried about you. Take the bag of sweet potatoes with you, tell her to cook them for an hour like a regular potato. They do best with butter and cinnamon," she beamed highly at the young male.

Blush squawked, holding her mouth opened when she saw the berry, and it disappeared into the person's mouth. She looked shocked and then growled before another one was offered, and this time it was to her. She took a huge bite out of it, letting the pink liquid stain the inside of her mouth with a tingly sensation of sweet fruit and of course, letting contentment awash her with pleasure, the tot just laid against Thulani, letting her eyes droop.

Daisicle