45 - Video - Steph is secretly the head of her family

[ichoosefight]

[ Video ]

[ Okay so she's figured this video thing out. And she hasn't been able to find her mother, so just in case, she has one last thing left to try. She doesn't seem scared anymore, or even very confused, just concerned and perhaps unusually serious for a five year old kid. ]

Mommy? If you can see this, I want you to know that I'm okay. Jus don tell daddy I'm missing. If he asks, just pweeaaase don tell him. Go to Revrend Nut-land's house until I get home, okay? Jus like you tell me to do.

I love you, mommy.

Comments

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

[...]

Um, do you...

Do you want company?

[He smiles a little awkwardly.]

We can have some pizza. While we wait for your Mom to make contact.

Or I could make you something.

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

[ She nods, still soberly concerned for her mother's safety. ]

I'm a bit hungwy.

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

Okay. Uh.

I'm on level two--

[Oh gosh, he's not very good at this.]

Oh wait, I'll come to you. Where are you?

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

I dunno. Somebody told me it's a common room. I think there's a pool table in the other room?

Spam/assume?

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

There's a common room on each level. I'll find you eventually.

You just wait where you are.

[And off he runs!]

Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

Okay!

[ She will sit there. Ever so patiently. And maybe start making a pillow fort. ]

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

[Eddie'll locate the kitchen on his way and steal grab some pizza before he continues ascending and descending levels. Eventually he comes across the common room Stephanie is in. After about...fifteen minutes.

He breathes heavily, leaning on his knees.]

I've got pizza.

[He waves the hand holding a plate a little weakly at the toddler, eyeing her pillow fort.]

What are you making there?

Re: Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

[ She giggles. How can you not know a pillow fort when you see one? ]

It's a fort! Daddy never lets me make them, but daddy isn't here.

Thanks for the pizza! [ She goes to take the plate from him, taking a bite and staring at him, wondering why he's so tired. ]

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

Phew. [Eddie puts the plate down for her, dropping to his knees, and then hesitantly approaching the pillow fort.]

My dad doesn't either. [He smiles at her while placing a stray cushion up against the fort wall.] It'll just make a bloody mess, he says-- he says a lot of things like that. [While smelling of alcohol and oil and swearing every other word, but that isn't something to share with a toddler.]

It's pretty sturdy, for being constructed out of pillows. [A puzzled expression settles over his face.] But what are you supposed to do in it?

Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

[ She climbs into her fort with the pizza and peers out at him with a grin. ]

Play!

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

[Eddie grabs himself a slice of pizza to chew on. How does one play in a pillow fort? Maybe he's too old for this now.]

O-okay.

[He crawls inside with her, and sits with his legs spread out infront of him.]

Now what?

[You're the worst play-mate ever, Eddie.]

Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

Noooow.... We're stranded in the ocean! The fort is the only thing keeping us alive!

And the pizza.

[ She takes another bite, waiting for him to react to her scenario. ]

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

Oh, uh--

[He throws up his arms a little.]

Noo, we're stranded on a floating pillow fort. Which isn't even possible, but were not going for realism, right? [He glances at her briefly, and then pretends to paddle.]

Um... look, a whale! Or is it a shark?

Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

[ She just giggles at him. He's trying so hard. ]

I dunno! I've never seen a whale before... Do you see a fin? Maybe it won't notice us if we're reeeaaaal quiet.

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

Do sharks even have ears? [This isn't the time to be questioning the world around you, Eddie! So he just assumes it does.] Nngh. It's lingering around the boat. We might need to...whack it with something.

Re: Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

I dunno...

Maybe one of the pillows?

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

Alright, leave it to me.

[Eddie grabs a pillow and begins to throw it at the supposed shark-- BUT THE PILLOW FORT SUDDENLY CAVES IN. Oops, he shouldn't have grabbed one from the bottom.]

Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

[ Steph squeals as the pillows fall down on her, and sort of... wriggles her way to air. ]

Oh no! We're drowning! And there are sharks!

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

[SO. MANY. PILLOWS.

Eddie kicks them about as he frees himself from the pile.]

Quick!

[He points at the pool table room.]

Land is in there!

Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

[ Stephanie tries to actually swim through the pillows... without much luck. Finally she just tumbles off of the couch and on to more pillows. Then she stands up and starts slowly towards the pool table room, still making the swimming motion with her arms. ]

Hurry! Before the shark gets us!

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

Going as fast as I can, cap'n.

[Eddie is going to repress this memory later, but he starts a pretty awesome arm flail swimming motion as he heads for the pool table room. He stops once in front of the pool table, staring at it, and then gets on his hands and knees.]

Climb up, quickly.

Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

[ She pauses, not sure about this, but uses him as a step-stool anyway. To her credit, she mostly leans on the pool table so she doesn't hurt his back or anything. ]

Can you get up?

Spam!

[puzzleprince.livejournal.com]

[Eddie's a little boy-- he's used to this sort of thing!]

Yep, I can. [He climbed plenty of things, at six. Not so much recently, but he sure loved climbing things at that age.

He stands, streaches, and throws his arms over the side of the pool table to pull himself up. It takes a little extra effort, but eventually he's lying like a starfish on his back on the fuzzy green surface.]

There.

Spam!

[ichoosefight.livejournal.com]

[ She jumps up and down on the table, cheering. Lucky she's only like, 40 lbs. ]

Yaaaaay! We made it!

...

But what about the pizza?

[ Somebody is going to have a mess to clean up tomorrow. ]

[SPAM]

[takingacut.livejournal.com]

[Bigger's gets out the cookie dough and greases a cookie sheet in preparation for her baking session with lil' Stephanie.

She likes normal Stephanie a lot, and it hurts her to see the itty-bitty version so upset. Bigger's method for coping with emotional distress is eating, so cookies for the tyke it is.]