Bath time
“Escapee!” Loviatar’s voice rang out from the back of the apartment.
“Streaker,” Tara called from the door to her room down the hallway.
“Damn ninja babies,” Whitney grumbled from her spot at the dining room table.
With a gruff grumble James pulled himself from his recliner where he had been reading the readiness reports on the FSOG units and stepped into the hallway and looked at one of his twin two year olds. “Mary Margaret Bostwick,” the wolf grumbled at the toddler. “You, young lady, are supposed to be getting your bath with your brother.” The toddler looked up at him and smiled before reaching up with both arms to be picked up. James simply pointed back toward the back bedroom and its bathroom where his wife had been bathing the two children.
“Up.” The two year old called jumping. James sighed, her brother bless him was the quiet type, more content to pull apart some piece of tech and then put it back together again, (sometimes even correctly) than run around and raise a ruckus. Mary however was already the wild child and would likely be the death of him should the fates allow him to live that long.
Sighing at what he knew was a lost battle, he wrapped his hands around the toddlers and tossed her up and into his arms. “You young lady, are supposed to be getting a bath and then going to bed. You understand that right.” She nodded wide eyed. “Good,” because I’m going to hand you off to your mother and then take your brother to dry off while you get cleaned, and then you are both going to bed and sleep.”
“Ro?” she asked, her hands gripping each other and twisting so as to look rather piteous.
“Yes, Ro Ro can sleep in your room tonight, even on your bed if you want.” The two year old beamed at that and clapped her hands. “But remember, she’s an old lady now, she can’t jump up and down like she does in the home movies.” The little girl nodded and a moment later was handed back to her mother who immediately put her back into the tub and started scrubbing.
James took her twin brother who had been set on his feet next to the tub and wrapped in a towel. Drying the toddler off James helped the boy into his pajamas before picking him up. “Come on son, let’s go get Ro Ro and then put you in bed hmm.” The little boy nodded and rubbed an eye with his fist before curling up against his father’s chest.
A simple snap of the fingers caught the aforementioned dog’s attention who raised her head and looked at the wolf in the room. Then the Bull Mastiff stood and stretched her old bones before coming over to the two humans. Squatting down James reached his free arm out and scratched the dog behind her ears, “You’re sleeping with the kids tonight Ro’s, let’s go.” The dog let out a chuff, almost cough and looked at him as if to say, “Would I have it any other way.” Before plodding on after the man and child.
Four hours later James and Loviatar looked in on the twins and the “family” dog. The two twin beds were pushed together in the room that the twins shared and the three bodies lay on the California King sized bed snuggled up in the center, all blankets and pillows thrown to the floor. “They’re going to miss her when she’s gone.” Loviatar whispered meaning the red brindle bull mastiff that James had gotten even before he came to Fenspace.
“We all will dear.” James responded, “But she is already the oldest of her breed and while she has gotten a bit sedentary in her life, I don’t think she’s going anywhere any time soon.”
“Tell me you didn’t feed her any wave,” Loviatar said a hint of panic in her voice. James just shook his head.
“No, not that the thought didn’t cross my mind,” he answered. “The wave is too unpredictable for something like that. But I also won’t say she hasn’t been exposed to it in small doses either. Back in the early days there was a lot of it laying around the place, especially when we were getting the Werewolf up and running. I think she got into a batch or two, or at least the fumes of such. So I don’t know how long she still has.”
Loviatar nodded, one of the quirks the Werewolf had developed was that it was “pet friendly” and for the ship to operate at all there had to be some type of pet on board. Canids were the ship’s favorite, while mice and other rodents it disliked. Cats, birds, reptiles all fell somewhere in the in between of dogs and rodents, but while it didn’t like the mice, it had still at least flown. “I hope she’s around for a good long while honey.” She didn’t add that it was for his sake as much as for the kids, for while the kids would mourn and move on, the loss of this one would break his heart.
“Escapee!” Loviatar’s voice rang out from the back of the apartment.
“Streaker,” Tara called from the door to her room down the hallway.
“Damn ninja babies,” Whitney grumbled from her spot at the dining room table.
With a gruff grumble James pulled himself from his recliner where he had been reading the readiness reports on the FSOG units and stepped into the hallway and looked at one of his twin two year olds. “Mary Margaret Bostwick,” the wolf grumbled at the toddler. “You, young lady, are supposed to be getting your bath with your brother.” The toddler looked up at him and smiled before reaching up with both arms to be picked up. James simply pointed back toward the back bedroom and its bathroom where his wife had been bathing the two children.
“Up.” The two year old called jumping. James sighed, her brother bless him was the quiet type, more content to pull apart some piece of tech and then put it back together again, (sometimes even correctly) than run around and raise a ruckus. Mary however was already the wild child and would likely be the death of him should the fates allow him to live that long.
Sighing at what he knew was a lost battle, he wrapped his hands around the toddlers and tossed her up and into his arms. “You young lady, are supposed to be getting a bath and then going to bed. You understand that right.” She nodded wide eyed. “Good,” because I’m going to hand you off to your mother and then take your brother to dry off while you get cleaned, and then you are both going to bed and sleep.”
“Ro?” she asked, her hands gripping each other and twisting so as to look rather piteous.
“Yes, Ro Ro can sleep in your room tonight, even on your bed if you want.” The two year old beamed at that and clapped her hands. “But remember, she’s an old lady now, she can’t jump up and down like she does in the home movies.” The little girl nodded and a moment later was handed back to her mother who immediately put her back into the tub and started scrubbing.
James took her twin brother who had been set on his feet next to the tub and wrapped in a towel. Drying the toddler off James helped the boy into his pajamas before picking him up. “Come on son, let’s go get Ro Ro and then put you in bed hmm.” The little boy nodded and rubbed an eye with his fist before curling up against his father’s chest.
A simple snap of the fingers caught the aforementioned dog’s attention who raised her head and looked at the wolf in the room. Then the Bull Mastiff stood and stretched her old bones before coming over to the two humans. Squatting down James reached his free arm out and scratched the dog behind her ears, “You’re sleeping with the kids tonight Ro’s, let’s go.” The dog let out a chuff, almost cough and looked at him as if to say, “Would I have it any other way.” Before plodding on after the man and child.
Four hours later James and Loviatar looked in on the twins and the “family” dog. The two twin beds were pushed together in the room that the twins shared and the three bodies lay on the California King sized bed snuggled up in the center, all blankets and pillows thrown to the floor. “They’re going to miss her when she’s gone.” Loviatar whispered meaning the red brindle bull mastiff that James had gotten even before he came to Fenspace.
“We all will dear.” James responded, “But she is already the oldest of her breed and while she has gotten a bit sedentary in her life, I don’t think she’s going anywhere any time soon.”
“Tell me you didn’t feed her any wave,” Loviatar said a hint of panic in her voice. James just shook his head.
“No, not that the thought didn’t cross my mind,” he answered. “The wave is too unpredictable for something like that. But I also won’t say she hasn’t been exposed to it in small doses either. Back in the early days there was a lot of it laying around the place, especially when we were getting the Werewolf up and running. I think she got into a batch or two, or at least the fumes of such. So I don’t know how long she still has.”
Loviatar nodded, one of the quirks the Werewolf had developed was that it was “pet friendly” and for the ship to operate at all there had to be some type of pet on board. Canids were the ship’s favorite, while mice and other rodents it disliked. Cats, birds, reptiles all fell somewhere in the in between of dogs and rodents, but while it didn’t like the mice, it had still at least flown. “I hope she’s around for a good long while honey.” She didn’t add that it was for his sake as much as for the kids, for while the kids would mourn and move on, the loss of this one would break his heart.