WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[deadgirlslikeme]

A door opens, and suddenly the sound of a baby wailing echoes across the nearby chunk of the Nexus. A bleary-eyed Victor Van Dort steps through, bouncing said wailing baby in his arms. "It's okay, it's okay. . .look, we're -- um." He blinks a few times as he registers where he is. "This isn't. . .oh, dear, how did I manage to choose the wrong door?" He goes to step back through --

Then stops, shakes his head, and proceeds to the nearest safe-looking bit of furniture, still cradling his son. "No. Perhaps someone can help here. At least, Alice and the others will get some decent sleep for a change. . ." He looks up, an exhausted man at the end of his rope. "Is there anyone around who's had at least one child and might know why they sometimes just start crying in the middle of the night and won't stop no matter what you do?"

Comments

Very much so! I first read them for a college English course, and quite enjoyed them

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Victor smiles] All right then! I think you'll like this -- I certainly do. [off to Glowcones!]

[lastest_ringbearer]

*Smeagol smiles back and scrambles to the doors of the shop.*

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Victor carefully opens the door, not wanting to disturb his now-mostly-asleep baby, then leads Smeagol up to where the ice cream is displayed -- bucket upon bucketful of softly-glowing colors] There's a lot of different flavors. . .have you ever had chocolate before? Does it ring any bells?

[lastest_ringbearer]

Bells? No, no bells. *Hard to say whether he fully understood that, but there's certainly no recognition there.*

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Victor will take that as 'no chocolate where he came from' and asks the counterperson for a taster spoon of the plain chocolate flavor, which he passes down] Here -- you can try it. Just be careful, it is very cold. [doesn't want poor Smeagol to get brain freeze]

[lastest_ringbearer]

*He seems a bit confused by the whole thing still.* . . . is sssweet. Very sweet. Not had that in long and long has Smeagol, no.

Yes, more sounds good.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Not confused enough not to like it! Victor grins] All right then! [he'll get Smeagol a bowl of the stuff]

[lastest_ringbearer]

*A whole bowl for himself is enough to make him gape a little before setting to rather clumsily. Spoons are a thing, but not one he properly remembers.* Nice man gives us tasssty things. I like that.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Hence the reason for the bowl -- Victor figured he might make even more of a mess trying to figure out a cone!] Well, it would be a shame if you went through all that and never learned how nice ice cream is.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Kind Man he is, yesss. Kind like master Frodo. Thief and kin of thief! But cared, he did, when he didn't need to. Was going to dessstroy Precious. Which Smeagol did myself! Didn't mean to. But did. *He sulks for just a moment, but then remembers the food and starts eating.* Cold like water under stone it is.

[deadgirlslikeme]

I do my best. My biological family wasn't very good at kindness, so I have to make up the lack. Maybe it was the same with Frodo -- trying to make up for the mistakes of his kin. [he nods] Mmm -- eat it too fast and it'll make your head sting. I learned that the hard way. [nothing like your first ice cream headache!]

[lastest_ringbearer]

Praps, praps. *A more objective person could have told him that they were both rather decent, well-meaning people from a whole race of the same, but Smeagol is the furthest thing from objective.* Had worse pain. Far worse.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[And Victor hasn't read any of the Lord of the Rings books yet, so he has nothing else to go on] Oh, I'm sure you have. But might as well avoid more if you can, right?

[lastest_ringbearer]

Nice Man isss not wrong. *He's still going to try to eat it before it melts, though.*

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Well, that's what you're supposed to do with ice cream, so Victor won't fault him there. He turns back to his son for the moment as Smeagol finishes up -- and yes, Chester is finally out. He sighs deeply] Oh thank God. . .

[lastest_ringbearer]

*He looks over.* Little one is sssleeping now? Good.

[deadgirlslikeme]

Very good. [Victor shakes his head] I don't get it. Some nights, he can be an angel and just go to bed, while others. . .

[lastest_ringbearer]

Comfort is lesss one day than another? Bad dreamses? Can't sssay.

[deadgirlslikeme]

And the problem is, neither can he. I suspect getting him to sleep will be a lot easier once he can talk and actually tell us what's wrong. [Victor you sweet summer child]

[lastest_ringbearer]

*Smeagol isn't entirely sure about that himself, but what does he know?* If it hasss a way to feel better, yes.

[deadgirlslikeme]

Well, it's not like I'm not going to do my best by my own child. [he looks down at Chester, a sort of vaguely-awed expression on his face] I still -- it still feels weird, sometimes. Being a father.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Big change, yesss. We can't imagine. *He looks at the child as well, though his expression is more like a kind of hungry confusion. 'What is this new thing?'*

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Victor would appreciate it if the "hungry" part of that confusion took a hike. His child is not edible!] I couldn't either, before it happened. I didn't even think I'd get married before my parents tried forcing it on me. [he sighs] Glad I avoided that. . .

[lastest_ringbearer]

*That strange, greedily fascinated gaze darts back to him.* He avoided being married, yet he is married? That does not make sense, Precious.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[. . .not really an improvement, but Victor will take it] My parents wanted me to marry a different person -- someone I hadn't even met. All for the sake of their social status. [another, more disgusted sigh] When I married Alice, it was my own decision, for love. Much different.