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justsomeshrimp) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
mistymansion2019-02-18 01:31 pm
justsomeshrimp) wrote in mistymansion2019-02-18 01:31 pm
babysitting (kurotsuno & lobco)
[Originally on tumblr]
There were times when Lobco actually began to question if perhaps she had been wrong about what it meant to be a familiar. Too often she heard people speak of it disdainfully, outright call it a form of slavery that the weak willingly entered.
She would argue that every time, adamantly so, but when your witch did something like bartering you off (even if only for two weeks) to make up to someone for “having maybe gone too far with a joke” she began to see why people would see it that way.
A part of her had considered refusing. Lobco had been very careful when she wrote out her part of the contract, and something like this she could refuse if she so wished. Upon hearing the one that Chlomaki had aggravated had been Kurotsuno, however, Lobco relented. It was two weeks. While she was still largely intimidated by the young demon, Lobco felt as long as she was polite and just did her work that it would be fine.
So it was thanks to all that, that she found herself at the door to the ominous, but beautiful mansion where Kuro resided with nothing more than the clothes on her back and her traveler’s pouch.
image
She knocked on the door, all the while wondering just what it was her witch had done. Chlomaki had refused to say, and Lobco had no intentions of asking Kurotsuno lest she conjure upsetting or infuriating memories.
There were times when Lobco actually began to question if perhaps she had been wrong about what it meant to be a familiar. Too often she heard people speak of it disdainfully, outright call it a form of slavery that the weak willingly entered.
She would argue that every time, adamantly so, but when your witch did something like bartering you off (even if only for two weeks) to make up to someone for “having maybe gone too far with a joke” she began to see why people would see it that way.
A part of her had considered refusing. Lobco had been very careful when she wrote out her part of the contract, and something like this she could refuse if she so wished. Upon hearing the one that Chlomaki had aggravated had been Kurotsuno, however, Lobco relented. It was two weeks. While she was still largely intimidated by the young demon, Lobco felt as long as she was polite and just did her work that it would be fine.
So it was thanks to all that, that she found herself at the door to the ominous, but beautiful mansion where Kuro resided with nothing more than the clothes on her back and her traveler’s pouch.
image
She knocked on the door, all the while wondering just what it was her witch had done. Chlomaki had refused to say, and Lobco had no intentions of asking Kurotsuno lest she conjure upsetting or infuriating memories.
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For about a half an hour, she can’t focus on anything else. She paces, she sits down with her phone, she gets restless and stands up again. The cat stretches luxuriously across the carpet, but is startled away when Kuro hurries back to the window. There on the front path is her house guest for the next couple of weeks.
Instead of answering the door like a normal person, she jumps out the window and floats down. Her wings carry her to a slow and safe stop next to Lobco, who she notices has packed light.
“Is that all you’ve brought?” she asks. She tries the door, which swings open into the dark foyer. It would’ve been embarrassing if it had been locked! This is the only time she’s glad for forgetting to do that.
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This is the first time she had seen them, indeed, the shrimp was not even aware that Kurotsuno had wings and for a moment she’s admittedly breath-taken. She looks beautiful.
Fortunately she collects herself by the time that her companion lands and she offers the other a small smile.
“Yes–it’s more spacious than it looks.” It’s still light, but it’ll be more than enough, she thinks. If need be she can simply travel back during any downtime Kurotsuno allows her.
“You have lovely wings, Kurotsuno,” Lobco said matter of fact, before quickly moving on in case that wasn’t an appropriate things to say.
“I…apologize for whatever it is my witch may have done, but I will do my utmost best to help with whatever you may need.”
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“Leave your shoes on that mat over there.” She disappears into the dark of the mansion. Then comes the sound of shuffling and creaking floorboards. A dim lamp comes alight with a click, revealing Kurotsuno’s location on the other side of the room. The yellow glow cast from her eyes is brighter than the light she just turned on. The wrinkle in her brow when Chlomaki is mentioned distorts her image.
Yes, well, sometimes Chlomaki screws up. Throwing her familiar between the two of them was cowardly, but smart in hindsight. Attacking the witch now would be in bad form since she has worked to make amends, no matter how performative they might be. Wait a…
“Damn it–she pulled a fast one on me,” Kuro groans. With no further elaboration, she stalks further into the house. “Come on. I’ll turn on some more lights, and then explain what you’re to be doing here.”
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Once done she turned around, glancing about the foyer. Lobco hasn’t had much opportunity to visit such grandiose homes. There is of course, Satanick’s castle which was even more affluent than this. Yet…there was something a touch more pleasant here. Perhaps it was that Satanick’s home was ostentatious, or perhaps it was just that that place served as a prison, but whatever the reason, at least thus far, Kuro’s home seemed cozier.
At Kurotsuno’s words, Lobco’s brow furrows in concern. Had Chlomaki done something more?
Given that her companion hurried the conversation Lobco decides against asking and just follows after her. The news that Kuro will be turning on more lights relieves her. At the end of the day, despite how long she’s lived here, she is not a resident of Pitch World, and her eyes were already fairly poor. They never can adjust to the darkness so many demons and other animal folks here revel in.
“Is there anyone else who lives here that I should know of?”
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She pauses in waking up the place to check her phone. Usually when someone leaves the house or won’t be back, they text her. There’s one from Sullivan as usual, saying he won’t be back until late. Nothing else. Kurotsuno hasn’t gotten anything from her wife, who is not as tech-savvy but frequently goes out into the woods.
Kuro looks up the stairs, which resemble a mountain to her right now. She’d rather sit Lobco down and explain, but it’d be better to show her. She puts away her phone and leads her guest to the second floor, pointing things out along the way. The kitchen is right near the sitting room. There’s a washroom down the hall past that. She’ll give further directions later.
The door she stops at already has light coming from under it. Kurotsuno opens it gently to reveal the nursery. The floor transitions from hardwood to plush carpet littered with toys despite Kurotsuno’s best efforts. The decor is mostly her wife’s doing: the neutral colors, the forest scene on the wall with the protective runes hidden among the trees. The furniture, modern compared to the rest of the house but still rustic, was Kurotsuno’s choice.
Sitting in a well-padded playpen are twin babies in matching onesies. Both have their other mother’s black hair, but the horns and drooping ears of Kurotsuno. At the sight of the demon, Inna’s little orca tail wags furiously, and she hoists herself up on the playpen fence.
“Ama! Mama!” she chirrups, grinning wide. Her much quieter twin drops the toy she’s holding and bursts into a smile. Kurotsuno goes over to them and kneels down to hold their little hands.
“The one with the tail is Inna, and that’s her twin, Silke. Next week I have finals, so you’re going to help take care of my babies until the end of the semester.”
no subject
The young woman listens intently, nodding as Kurotsuno points out all the important rooms. The place is undoubtedly large but she’s certain it won’t cause her too much trouble to remember where everything is. At least, she certainly hopes not.
Antennas perk up when they finally arrive at the room of interest, and it would be a lie to say that she isn’t very curious. After everything she’s seen, Lobco is a little excited, but all that excitement and happiness drains out of her as if a plug were pulled the moment she sees what’s beyond those doors.
Lovely, soft, neutral colors greet her eyes. A room meant to be soothing to the eyes and mind, furnished with great thought–as it should be considering it’s inhabitants. While not traditionally what she thought of when Lobco imagined a room for babies and toddlers, it’s quite clear it was just that from the soothing decor. Even before she laid eyes on the two children she had a hunch, but it did not take long at all to notice them.
Her heart felt gripped by a spanner that was quickly squeezing harder and harder, and the shrimp was frozen to the spot.
She hadn’t moved from the spot she was in, only just barely taking in what Kurotsuno was saying.
Is this what her job is going to be? She’s going to have to look after these two? Has Kurotsuno any idea how horribly she has chosen? How was Lobco supposed to take care of these two, when she hadn’t even been able to take care of her own?
…come Lobco. Get over it.
Her legs carried her as her vision became unfocused and she knelt down next to Kurotsuno.
“..Inna and Silke. Hi there. My name is Lobco. It’s nice to meet you two.”
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Kurotsuno is having trouble dividing her attention between the scared Silke, and the dumbfounded Inna. This would be the latter’s first time seeing another marine creature. Her twin seems less optimistic about the situation, but Kuro won’t force her to be friendly. She tries to let go of Inna’s hand to give her some space, but finds that she has a strong grip.
“Bbhh, bhh, uul,” Inna babbles. “Wah.”
She quickly gives up trying to form words, and chirps instead. It’s a squeaky sound indistinguishable from a chattering orca. Hearing this makes Kurotsuno feel a little better. At least Inna is comfortable even after Kuro lets go of her hand. Silke remains quiet, facing away from the others and sucking on a pacifier. She doesn’t even look when Inna is making noise.
Kurotsuno is starting to have doubts about hiring Lobco, even though she trusts her. It might stress out the babies, having a total stranger taking care of them. But isn’t everyone a stranger at some point? All caught up in her own thoughts, she doesn’t notice that Lobco is having some worries of her own.
“Silke…is slow to warm up to new people,” Kuro says as she lifts Inna into her arms. She immediately gets her hair tugged by little grabby hands. That’s the price she pays for not putting it in a ponytail. As Inna yanks and pulls, she notices Lobco’s springy red curls and stares slack-jawed at her once more.
no subject
The one named Inna seems to be much more confident. If she has any of the instincts of an orca, it’s to be expected.
At the chirp, Lobco wanly smiles and makes a couple chirping noises of her own. When Kurotsuno stands, she glances towards Silke, but for the moment decides to let the child be. Perhaps if they allow her to observe them at her own pace she will slowly grow more comfortable.
Instead the shrimp looks towards Inna, plucking ones of her own red curls and bouncing it against the baby’s nose. That might end up yanked too but she doesn’t mind. Not when she sees such genuine and harmless curiosity in Inna’s eyes.
“I was very much like her at that age,” Lobco finally says, a slightly distant edge in her tone, “I’ll be mindful of not pushing her too hard.”
“Is there anything I should know diet wise?”
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“Soft foods. Normally I would nurse them, but I won’t be around to…I managed to save some milk, which should last until your work period is over. I have a bottle warmer, um, what else…” She watches Inna snuffle at the springy red curls in her face. After a moment’s consideration, the infant shoves her clammy paws into Lobco’s hair.
“I’ve introduced them to egg yolk, which is Silke’s favorite. That, and avocado. Inna’s favorites are soft-boiled potatoes and tuna salad. It may seem like Silke is picky, but it’s actually just that Inna can eat a wider variety of food,” Kuro explains. They’ll both eat anything they can get their hands on, but Inna in particular has a ravenous appetite–especially for meat-based broths, gravy, and mashed up seafood. The pediatrician gave her the green light on that last one, on account of, well. Being an orca.
Silke has now mounted the rocking lamb toy, on which she wobbles back and forth. Kurotsuno tries not to gush over her. Oh, too late.
“Awww. She really likes that one.”
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Lobco listened intently as Kurotsuno went on to describe their various diets. It made sense. Perhaps she could look into some options herself, she was always glad to learn how to make new foods and widening her range to what babies could eat wouldn't...do harm...even if she couldn't imagine making too much use of it. Lobco didn't intend to take on many babysitting gigs and children of her own were out of the question.
She idly continues to tickle Inna, sometimes allowing her to hold on and then tugging the curly strands out to bounce them against her nose until Silke catches her attention.
For the shyness Silke holds she still seems at peace with herself, and that is something that Lobco finds charming. Most children back home had that--she finds it's rarer here in Pitch World so she's glad to see these children possess that tranquility.
"If....I may ask, where is their other parent?""
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"Out hunting," Kurotsuno replies, expertly hiding her surprise. "Where she goes, she can't take the children with her."
With her arms free, she could step into the playpen and collect the other twin, but she knows better than to do that. She scratches the bridge of her nose and ignores the urge. "Hmm. They go to bed at about 7:30pm. I have to leave soon, so I won't be able to walk you through that," she realizes. There's nothing too special about their routine, she thinks...? "If you give them some milk before bed, they'll fall asleep straight away."
She feels a bit regretful when she looks back and forth at the twins. "If you hear someone come home at a strange time, it's either my wife or my father. Um..."
Kurotsuno ruffles Inna's black locks into a bedhead. She just handed her over to Lobco, but should she take her back for a hug? Should she hug her right there? No, she doesn't want to touch Lobco, too. She glances at Silke, who has stopped rocking and is staring at her.
"Be good, okay?" Kurotsuno suggests gently. Silke's little face immediately scrunches up. Ah, right--that's what Kurotsuno always says when she's about to leave the house.
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Upon hearing that, Lobco couldn't help but be relieved. Perhaps it was simply her over-worrisome nature but she thought that Kurotsuno's partner might be dead...or that perhaps she had suffered the same that she had.
It was hasty of her to think as such, but she wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case. The surface world really was such a harsh place. Such thoughts made her wonder how terrifying and difficult it must be to raise children but she smartly kept her mouth shut about that. Asking such questions would hardly inspire confidence in her ability to take care of these children.
"Alright. I've met your father before," incredibly briefly, but she recognized him, "I haven't met your wife, I don't think." It would be good to know her name and general appearance just to be on the safe side.
It's...endearing to see Kurotsuno interact with her children. It had taken Lobco a long time to lose that sense of intimidation for the demon and she thinks if she had only seen this side way back when, it would have happened a lot sooner.
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Said infant has left her toys, and is crawling to the fence of the playpen. Kurotsuno, seeing the look on Silke's face, can no longer stop herself from stooping over to pick her up. Silke, of course, clings with both arms and legs. Kurotsuno can feel her sniffling against her shoulder, so she starts to gently bounce her while rubbing her back. Her coos sound like a bird's, and are enough to keep Silke from throwing a tantrum. Contrary to what others might say, there's no such thing as 'spoiling' a baby.
"There, there..." She smooches Silke between her tiny horns. "Okay, I should be heading out. Silke is going to be upset, but if you keep her with Inna, she should be fine."
Inna, perhaps recognizing her own name, chirps. She has been staring at Lobco's face for the past few minutes, resting a chubby hand on the woman's cheek, shoving another in those lovely red curls, and so on. Kurotsuno detaches Silke from her torso and holds her out to Lobco, upon which the child latches onto her back, koala-style. Both watch their mother as she readies her bag, and even Inna looks a bit crestfallen.
"I'll be back later, then," Kurotsuno says. "Take care."