The Creepy, Once-More-Unduly-Filled-With-Children Mansion in the Woods, Saturday

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana had spent the night in Innistrad; the geistmage she'd borrowed from Olivia had wanted to get some preliminary readings and measurements from the Chain Veil. While the night had been long and tedious, the following morning (late morning, to be sure) saw her Planeswalking home again, full of smiles and empty of stomach. Her staff at the estate had offered to make her breakfast before she'd left, but she'd waved them off. After all, she was certain to return home to a paramour cooking up brunch in the kitchen, and why ruin her appetite for that?

Her blithe assurance of how her day was going to go crashed around her ears when she swept into the (oddly quiet and scentless) kitchen, with a cheerful "My darling, what culinary delights have you prepared for my delectation this morning, I'm positively starved!" only to find a child sitting in her breakfast nook.

Specifically, the child her paramour had once been, and had returned to for the weekend.

"Bloody hell," she said, looking at the sandy-haired young boy with undisguised dismay. "This island's timing and humor are atrocious."

[For the gentleman, of course, but also open for any wandering adults and children because a Liliana-run daycare sounds hilarious.]

Comments

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh for--"

Somehow, it hadn't occurred to Liliana that being one of the few adults remaining on the island meant that she might be dealing with more children. At least this one was easy enough to figure out.

"Nell!" she called. "Nell, let me see your hands!"

Not that it was anything to her if baby Nell didn't have the sense the gods gave Urza and ended up with chilblains, mind.

And to her steward she snapped, "Well, you might as well start warming milk for cocoa! Apparently this is turning into a foundling home."

"Yes, Mistress," her steward replied, face composed and voice completely flat.

And yet, still somehow had the air of amusement about him. Liliana blamed Ignis' influence, of course.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell stood up and backed up cautiously. "How does you'un know my name? You don't look like none of the church woman."

Certainly not with those clothes. No, it didn't matter if the narrative didn't specify, Liliana was never going to dress like a church woman.

"I was just taking care of this garden. Is it yours? It needs better care," Nell said firmly, tiny hands m=on her tiny hips. "Someone needs to be 'sponsible."

[deathsmajesty]

"I should hope I don't," Liliana snorted. "No, Nell, I'm..."

Wait. Who made the wine Nell drank sometimes? Right!

"I know Sister Erasmus," she said, because lying to children was easy. "And her wine. And now that we've established I'm not a stranger and have a perfectly acceptable reason to know your name, get in here where it's warmer and at least get gloves on."

She didn't mention that she refused to be responsible for anything she didn't wish to be. But she thought it real hard.

[mylandmyrules]

"You'un knows Sister Erasmus?" Nell said suspiciously. She considered that for a moment. "Hmmm... well, if'n you're lyin' God will get you for that..."

When the woman didn't look particularly concerned, because, well, this was Liliana, she'd scoff at such things, Nell nodded. "All right then... But I'm fine out here. It's not very cold and besides, I don't like gardening with gloves on. And this here garden needs work."

[deathsmajesty]

She'd been a goddess and she sometimes hunted angels for sport, she really was not fussed about a tiny child's threat over something as meaningless as a lie.

"Hmm." Liliana looked at Nell appraisingly. "You have a half an hour, and then you report here to my kitchen where I will ensure you're in fit state to continue and verify that I can trust you with my garden. Do we have an understanding?"

Beat.

"I will absolutely let my garden face the winter unprotected if it turns out that I can't trust you to listen and mind."

[mylandmyrules]

Little Nell looked horrifed. Leave the garden unprepared for winter? "Yes'm! I won't let you down!"

She hesitated. "But I don't have me a way to tell time. If'n you come to the door, though, I'll hustle me right over."

[deathsmajesty]

Neutral evil, baby.

"I will call for you," Irulan said. "But also..."

She stepped out of the protection of her house, wrinkling her nose at the chill she was feeling most keenly, then glanced up at the sky for a long minute. "Here," she said, casually driving two sticks into her lawn. "When that shadow--" she pointed at a thin shadow being cast by one of the statues "--crosses those two sticks, it's time to come inside for a bit."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell considered and watched the sticks and the shadow. "All right then."

She nodded and went back to work, but presented herself only a tiny bit after the shadow told her to. SHe'd been very engrossed in her work. Watch out, Liliana. The inside of your house was going to massively intimidate her.

[deathsmajesty]

Honestly, Liliana saw that brief bit of assumed defiance as a good thing. Because Liliana.

"Ah good, you're here," she said, opening up the kitchen door to let her inside. "There's food for you in the breakfast nook. Wash your hands up in the sink and then go eat up. And then we can discuss further working in my garden."

She figured that if she held the talk about gardening over Tiny Nell's head until after she ate, Tiny Nell would be less inclined to fuss about lunch being hot cocoa, filled crepes, and also a sandwich.

[I'm so sorry I missed this ping!!!]

[mylandmyrules]

Nell all but tiptoed into the kitchen, scared to touch anything in this fancy place. The sink was a little too high for her, so she ended up a little wet, but her hands were clean! She followed her nose to the breakfast nook and sniffed carefully at the crepes and hot cocoa before cautiously tasting the drink.

She smiled and sipped again, careful of how hot it was.


[No worries. Life is nuts right now.]