Apocalypse Mom Rides Again ((for ancienttouched))

[eumenis]

Except when crises loom, 99% of Furiosa's activity in the Nexus is related to trade. She's always interested in plants, medical advances, and technology that can be integrated with what they have back home. Of late, she's been looking for a way to reduce their reliance on guzzolene. Because sooner or later, Gastown will run dry (or maybe burn down if there are such things as vengeful gods), and they'll have to get by somehow.

Even this vital quest can't take up all her time, though, and after a particularly lucrative exchange one day, she finds herself wandering through the shopping district, peering at a consignment store window featuring toys and children's clothing from worlds across the multiverse.

The little ballet slippers designed for tentacles are strangely both cute and hilarious, and she lingers for longer than she normally would, speculating on the infant that might need such things.

Comments

[eumenis]

Oh, Mothers help her. This kid is getting some oranges one way or another, as soon as their shopping trip is finished. "They smell good, too, don't they?" She agrees. "Peaches are my favorite, but I like almost any fruit."

She opens the door and ushers the child inside gently, heading straight for the front counter. The woman manning it looks human, although she's pretty tall for it, approaching seven feet, with a cushiony figure and whimsical half-moon glasses. "We need shoes for this little girl," Furiosa tells her. "Warm shoes for winter. I'll buy them first, and then we'd like to look around."

The tall woman leans over the counter to get a look at Kippa, blinks, glances at Furiosa, and hums thoughtfully. "I think we can manage that. Socks, as well? Or tights?"

"Yes..." Furiosa glances at Kippa. "Tights would be warmer if you can fit her." Because, tail?

"We fit all kinds! Wait here a moment."

[ancienttouched]

"Fruit is all really good, I could eat nothing but fruit forever!" Not really because well, a growing girl needed more than just fruit. But she'd certainly put forth her best effort!

The woman running the shop looks human enough that with that lean over the counter, Kippa can't help but gulp lowly, side-stepping a little closer to Furiosa as if she might hide behind her if needed. But the moment passed, and the woman seemed to be hustling to get some options, which left the little girl to peer curiously at her from around Furiosa's legs and over her own tail.

[eumenis]

"You think so, hm? What about vegetables?" Furiosa teases gently. She's surprised when the girl moves closer to her for shelter, and since petting her hair is apparently not off-limits, she does so again, soothing.

"No one's going to hurt you here, Kippa," she says. "I promise you that. Not while I'm around."

The woman returns after a couple minutes with a pile of three different pairs of tights in her arms, and a couple pairs of little snow boots, tethered together with ribbon. The tights vary from navy, to white with pink dots, to purple and pink stripes. The boots, likewise, are colorful. One pair has snowflakes, another has hearts, and the third has some sort of cartoon character. Furiosa breaks into a small grin. The pups don't need boots or tights where she comes from, and she wasn't quite expecting this much whimsy. She immediately gravitates toward the stripes, but glances at Kippa. "We should try on whichever you like best, first."

[ancienttouched]

That got Kippa making a face, though she did seem to consider it. "Maybe. Broccoli is okay I guess. Mama said it was like eating trees so we could grow up big and strong just like they are! But not pickles! They make my nose itch."

That promise was... soothing. This lady was so nice. She had to be an Edenite. Or whatever they called themselves here. Maybe this whole place was nothing but them? She hadn't seen any signs of Federation occupation. It could be. "Thank you, Miss."

Any nervousness was forgotten though when the shopkeeper came back, and Kippa's attention was caught by the bright colors and pretty patterns of what she was being shown, eyes brightening in excitement. "Those ones! The pink and purple!"

Did they match the tunic she was wearing? Nope. Did she care? Again, nope! They were pretty, and that's all that she was thinking about.

[eumenis]

"Broccoli does look like trees," she agrees. "I'm sure your mother was right."

Sooner or later she's going to ask what happened to her mother, but already she suspects the story is going to be very much like her own. Fire. Loss. Shackles. If she can keep it from getting any worse, she will.

Furiosa was already reaching for the pink and purple, so she laughs, a quiet little bark of delight, and nods, plucking them out of the pile to hold out to Kippa. "Can you get into them yourself? If I try to help with my left-side claws I'm afraid I'll snag them to bits."

Which means the shopkeeper would have to help. She's willing to, of course, but she'll wait politely until asked, having already gathered the fox child is wary of her.

[ancienttouched]

"I can do it, Miss!" Kippa assured her, accepting the tights from Furiosa with a grin. While the shopkeeper was giving the girl her space, it was easy enough to point her towards the little changing stalls, which the Arcanic scampered over to, her striped prize clutched overtop of her tail.

With the door closed, they'd hear nothing too strange, shuffling, a startled little noise when she overbalanced and fell on her rump, but a few minutes later Kippa would be prancing back out, tights donned, and her tail... well quite a bit more fluffy than it had been. Static worked on little fox girls just like everyone else it seemed. She skidded to a halt on the well-polished floors, grabbing for Furiosa's leg to help keep her balance as she stuck a stripe-clad foot out, wiggling her toes again.

"They're so pretty!"

[eumenis]

Furiosa is listening in case of trouble, but it sounds like nothing Kippa can't handle thus far, so she opts not to interfere. When the girl emerges, there are a few other things piled on the counter, some potentially for her, many for the Citadel children. They don't need tights, but socks, light legwarmers, scarves and gloves aren't a bad idea.

When Kippa bounds out of the changing room, Furiosa's face goes through a series of emotions, all positive, most unusual for her to experience. She ends up cupping her right hand over her mouth, highly entertained by that tail and trying not to giggle. She reaches down to help her balance when she collides with her leg. "They look like they were made for you, pup. Do they feel comfortable?"

She nods at the shopkeeper, a silent 'yes, we'll take these' signal, and crouches again to set the boots out for her to look at.

[ancienttouched]

"Yes Miss!" Kippa chirped in reply, looking rather cheerful compared to when Furiosa first met her. For whatever had happened to her, she still bounced back quickly, resilient and optimistic it seemed.

The boots she had to hem and haw over a moment. She had no idea who the character was, so it was really between hearts and snowflakes. But the glittery snowflakes and the little fluffy pom-pom ties were more than enough to decide her, the little fox girl grinning as she plunked down to sit right there on the floor and tug the boots on. Once they were on? Well they felt right but only one way to be sure! So that would be Kippa practically bouncing back to her feet to hop a couple circles around Furiosa in thoughtful experimentation before she was nodding.

"These fit too!"

[eumenis]

The shopkeeper has seen a lot of children come and go here, but at this point she is also charmed. They may be getting a discount.

Furiosa presses on the toes of the boots to see if there's any room in them for her to grow, grinning at her enthusiasm. "Good! Stripes and sparkles."

Do they match? Who the hell cares? It'll keep the child warm, and she clearly likes them. That's all that matters. Furiosa ruffles her hair gently--it's becoming a habit, she's clearly getting attached--and plucks a pink flowered bag with a water bottle in it off the counter. "This is for you, too. You should never be without water, even here. I'll fill it up for you after we leave here."

[ancienttouched]

It was probably for the best that Kippa was unaware of the power she held.

Whatever the case, Furiosa got a sunny smile from her at that hair ruffle, a soft little 'hey!' escaping her without any real seriousness as she reached to pat her hair back into place. At least before she was being offered that bag and the advice, nodding in agreement.

"Yes, Miss!" It was smart advice- she'd been lucky so far that water had been easy to come across in her life, but she'd heard plenty of stories. Deserts where it was hard to come across, or camps too close to mass graves where the water ended up tainted. It wasn't always guaranteed.

[eumenis]

"You can call me Furiosa if you want to," she says. "Or just Furi. I think we'll get you a coat, too, but let's take our time and look around first, hm?"

"I'll hold these up here for you," the shopkeeper says. "Do you want a cart?"

Furiosa glances at the shopping carts parked by the wall and nods. "Might as well. Do you want to sit in the basket, Kippa?"

[ancienttouched]

"Okaay M- Furi." She liked that, to be honest. This lady was nice. She seemed tough, like she could handle herself, but she was kind, and she spoke gently, and when she smiled there was something in her eyes that softened just a little. Soft clouds after a rainstorm rather than the steely dark sort that brought thunder and lightning. Probably not enough for most people to trust a stranger, but it seemed it was enough for Kippa.

And she'd never seen a cart like the metal mesh ones lined up to one side, but she did get the idea of what Furi was offering, and nodded again, a bit more enthusiastically.

"Yeah!"

[eumenis]

Furiosa tugs a cart loose from the line and steers it closer, then holds out her hands, offering to pick Kippa up and set her in the front divider of the basket. "Watch your tail; I don't want to pinch you."

It's possible there will be a mutual exchange of static electricity here, but Furiosa doesn't seem to care, giving a slight wince and then laughing as she sets the girl in the basket. "You're gonna have to sit so you don't fall out, but otherwise just make yourself comfortable."

"How long have you been in the Nexus, anyway? Did you just get here?"

[ancienttouched]

The little zip of static when she was lifted just earned a little yelp and giggle from Kippa, who was perfectly content to settle where she was set in the cart, feet kicking out idly. It certainly gave her a better vantage of the place, letting her get a better look at the higher shelves.

"I did! The main plaza was full of people so I... well I avoided it. I was lookin' around to see if I could find where the rest of the Arcanics were, and ran into you!"

[eumenis]

"That's probably a good instinct," she says. "Most of the people here are very kind, but it's never a bad idea to be careful of crowds."

She steers down the closest aisle, which is mostly baby clothing, far too small for Kippa. She pauses long enough to pick up some onesies, though, and eyes the receiving blankets. They do pretty well with blankets on their own these days, but the material is softer here, and after a moment she drops a green one into the basket and holds out a blue and yellow striped one for Kippa to look at, as if asking her opinion.

"I don't know what an Arcanic is. I don't think we have people by that name in my world. But there are all sorts of beings here, not just humans. Can you tell me more about where you come from?"

[ancienttouched]

"Arcanics don't usually do really... good in crowds of humans." Understatement of the century, and from the tentative way Kippa says the words, she's well aware of that. The blanket however gets a nod, but that's no surprise. In her mind you can never have enough soft blankets, especially for babies like these blankets are meant for.

"Arcanics are... what happened when Humans and Ancients made babies. A real long time ago, and Arcanics can have babies all on their own too so there's lots of us now. But the Humans back home don't really like us." A soft huff as she studies a display of soft toys, brows drawing. "They say we're just animals. Bad or rabid. They have a big church full of scary ladies that experiment on us... they cut us up to use parts to make potions."

"Back home is... not very nice. I dunno why."

[eumenis]

"All we have is humans, where I come from," Furiosa says thoughtfully. "And they can be very cruel to one another, too. But not everyone is like that."

Obligingly, she steers closer to the shelves of toys, probably searching for a camel. There's a llama. That's not quite the same thing, but it's close enough to buy for the price on the tag.

"You seem like any child I've ever known," she says. "Smarter and braver than some, maybe."

She 'walks' the llama across the bar of the cart and has it bump its nose against Kippa's arm. "If anyone here were cutting up any person for experiments, a lot of people would try to stop them." A lot of angry people, she suspects. "You should never leave the Nexus with anyone you don't trust, but no one can hurt you while you're here."

[ancienttouched]

"Some of the humans are nice. The Edenites want everyone to live together, peacefully... but there's not a lot of them anymore."

"I don't know... I don't feel very smart or brave." Kippa watched the path of the llama plush, pretending to hide behind her tail again with a soft little laugh when it bumped against her, before her attention was drawn by what Furiosa was saying.

"...This place is safe then? I mean... how do they keep people from hurting each other?" She wanted it to be true, but then, it seemed rather impossible in some ways.

[eumenis]

"Well...usually." Furiosa can't lie to a child. "Normally there's a kind of magic that makes it so people can't hurt one another. Sometimes it fails. And you can already tell, it can get cold here, so it's not as though nothing bad can happen. But there's very little fighting."

She tips the llama into the basket and picks up an elephant and an extremely fuzzy black cat. If there are no other foxes on these shelves they can get the one in the front window. All of these toys are pretty cute, though. They just might not hold up as well in the Citadel as they would in a gentler climate.

"This one's good fabric," she says of the elephant. It's corduroy, it should be fine for the older, rougher children.

"I come here to trade and buy things to take home. The world I come from is a desert, and it can be very harsh. I do my best to keep the people in my city safe and supply their needs...it'd be hard without this place to come to, though. We've gotten a lot of our plants from here."

[ancienttouched]

"That... makes sense. Magic can be picky like that." It was still reassuring that there was some protection. It was better than nothing, as far as Kippa was concerned.

"It looks tough, just like a real elephant is. I've seen pictures of them and they're huge!" For emphasis, she was flinging her arms out wide, even if there was no way she could properly demonstrate the actual size of them. She'd sure try though!

"I think some Fox-kin come from the desert! The Thornyblossoms... they have bigger ears than I do, and their fur and tails are all tan and sandy-colored."

[eumenis]

Furiosa breaks into another charmed grin and plunks the elephant into Kippa's lap gently. "Well you hold onto this one until we find you a nice toy fox. I've seen them in picture-books, too, but never a real one. They may not exist in my world any longer."

"There used to be foxes in the Green Place. Not like you, I mean, not...Arcanics, just little foxes. But they had the same red color, and black tipped ears." She considers a moment. "They must have been there for the mice and rabbits."

"My clan sisters used to tease me saying the way I laughed sounded like them barking in the night."

[ancienttouched]

"Okay, Miss Furi!" Kippa was more than willing to accept the elephant, arms going around it snugly, letting her tail loose for the moment to flick at her side.

"There's lots of animal-foxes back home too. They're fun to watch run but they can be real loud sometimes too." The Arcanic girl propped her chin against the elephant's head, ears flicking. "If they get going sometimes it sounds like people screaming even." She shivered lightly, tightening her grasp on the plush.

"Kinda spooky."

[eumenis]

"The climate is very harsh in my world. We don't have as many animals left in the world as there should be. But we raise camels for milk, and we have cats to protect our food stores, some guinea fowl for eggs, and a couple dogs. And there are lizards and snakes and bugs around. We eat them, too."

"And crows. Always lots of crows."

They've hit a part of the aisle where there are some dresses hanging, and Furiosa pauses, her eye caught by one. She shouldn't. It might be too much, and she still wants to get the little girl a coat, but...

It's sky blue, with a cloud pattern, and rainbow borders on the cuffs and collar, and when she touches the material, it feels pretty thick and soft. Sturdy enough for a child to play in. She plucks it off the rack and holds it up to Kippa, trying to decide if it would fit.

"...I think you'd grow into it," she says slowly.