Room 302, Sunday Morning

[not_a_moonie]

Alana had a kid this weekend, and the kid was weird. For one thing, she wouldn't take off this stupid baseball cap -- which was extra-weird for a kid who came from a planet without baseball. She'd even fallen asleep with one hand holding it tight to her head so it wouldn't come off.

For another, the girl couldn't or wouldn't give a straight answer to any of Alana's questions. Alana couldn't figure out if the kid was lying or just very dense, but it made her uneasy. Honestly, if it wasn't for the wings and the fact she was named for Alana's favorite librarian from back on Landfall, Alana wouldn't have been sure Hazel was hers at all.

They were playing a card game now as Alana made another attempt at figuring out who exactly the girl was.

"So your dad's from Cleave," she said, rubbing her cards together. "Do you have any sevens?"

"No, go fish" Hazel answered. "And he's not from there, I was born there."

"And then we left."

"Uh-huh. With Izabel in a spaceship. Are you going to take your cards or can I have your turn?"

Alana finally drew the cards and shook her head. "And you won't tell me where we went."

"Don't remember," Hazel answered. "I was way little. All I remember is, I took dance classes and Dad wore bandages 'cause he didn't want us to get in trouble. But you worked all the time and somebody threw groceries and then Granny and me left." She frowned. "And we were lost, but then you finded me, and now you keep saying we're always always always going to be together. Except I fell into the blue thing. Are you mad? And do you have any kings?"

"I'm not mad, just confused," Alana promised, and sighed as she handed over her King of Clubs to a satisfied-looking Hazel. "Very, very confused."

Things were likely to go on like this for a while.

[OOC: Closed door, open post.]

Comments

[tooty-stinkfoot.livejournal.com]

"I wanna meet her," Hazel said, perking up. "And I want tacos. You told me Earth food is the best, Mom. Even if nobody believes you."

"I probably believe me," Alana shrugged, and leaned casually against the nearest piece of furniture. "Ada seems like fun," she said. "I can think of worse things than a kid with her."

[rebelseekspizza]

There were a lot of issues involved with that one, for a whole variety of reasons. But Dante wasn't getting into it. Nope.

"I can't complain," he said idly. "I mean, buy a shitload more condoms, yes. Complain, no. I can swing by and grab her if Hazel here wants a playdate."

He was going to figure out the language thing around kids... sometime. Probably.

...Janie's knowledge of swears pointed to no.

[tooty-stinkfoot.livejournal.com]

"I know about condoms," Hazel put in. "They go on your thing, and my mom told my dad not to use one once so he didn't and that's how they got me."

Alana had exactly enough shame to look horrified. "How do you know that?" she asked. "And, no offense, but what was wrong with me?"

Hazel shrugged, nonchalant. "Dunno. You guys were arguing. Then Granny told Dad not to say stuff like that when I could hear, except she didn't say stuff. Can I have a playdate now?"

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante had the ill grace to crack up, though he hid it behind one hand and tried not to make it too audible.

"If your mom says yes."

[not_a_moonie]

"Mom says yes," Alana said instantly, head still buried in her hands. She couldn't even give Dante any shit for laughing; she would have too, if it hadn't been about her. "Mom absolutely, positively says yes."

A playdate seemed likely to preclude any further horrifying revelations about her future sex life.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Then it's settled," Dante said, motioning for the door with his head. "Swing by 322, pick up Janie, then we have a taco date."

He was absolutely still refusing to laugh at the word 'taco'. Partly because of the kid, partly because he didn't even want to pay the person who coined that joke lip service right now.

[not_a_moonie]

Alana hadn't been thinking about any possible alternate meanings of the word 'taco.' They just struck her as good kid food that Dante might eat even if it wasn't pizza.

"We'll meet you at the stairs once our shoes are on," she nodded. "See you soon."

[rebelseekspizza]

"All right," Dante said. He gave tiny Hazel a thumbs up. "You watch over your mom while I'm gone, all right?"

Then he was out the door.