benedicimus te

[bright_and_beautiful]

Jenny's siblings are particularly tiring that morning. She suspects it's left over from the Christmas holidays; you would think a month would be enough time for the mania to wear off, but Jenny makes a point of never underestimating her siblings. And of course her parents are both at work and aren't home to help her.

After a while, though, she has finally successfully bludgeoned everyone into eating, cleaning themselves up, and getting all of their stuff together. She contemplates a cup of coffee, decides she didn't really need all of her growth anyway, downs it and gets everyone out the door.

An hour later, her siblings are in their respective classrooms, Jenny's safely ensconced in her own seat, and man is she feeling bouncy. Today's a great day, it's going to be great, let's go!

(Coffee was not Jenny's best idea ever.)

Comments

[keyed_up]

"Dad reads the paper, but it's probably not because he doesn't know what the police are up to."

[bright_and_beautiful]

"I hope not!"

[keyed_up]

"Have you always lived in Sunnydale?"

[bright_and_beautiful]

"Yep! Born and raised, that's me. I just don't get out much. Or at least, not without my siblings in tow." She grins. "And that's a lot of siblings in tow! I am a mama duck. With tiny blonde ducklings."

[keyed_up]

"Ah, I'm a little sibling myself. And I just have the one elder sister. And we are united in brunette-hood."

[bright_and_beautiful]

"Nooooo! How you can be a trail of ducklings if there is only one of you? I shall have to loan you some ducklings. So you can fulfill your duckling destinies." She pretends to think very carefully about this. "The color thing is okay I guess. Anne's really kind of a redhead anyway."

[keyed_up]

"I've gotten this far without ducklinghood."

[bright_and_beautiful]

"You don't know what you're missing!"

[keyed_up]

"Well, have you ever tried having a big sister?"

[bright_and_beautiful]

She considers. "My parents are kind of like big siblings?" she offers. "Also, er, if not clear- I just meant duckling, like, following people around and being silly. The silliness is the important part, not the younger-sibling-ness."

Silliness is very important.

[keyed_up]

"Aha. I try to make sure I get an adequate dose of silliness."

[bright_and_beautiful]

"Let me know if you ever need help with that! I am an expert at silliness."

[keyed_up]

"Ooh, any tips?"

[bright_and_beautiful]

"Candy. Lots of candy. Bonus points for chocolate."

[keyed_up]

"Oooh, chocolate."

[bright_and_beautiful]

The teacher makes 'okay class actually be quiet' noises Jenny suspects are directed at her. Whatever, one last thing. Class can wait. Chocolate is more important.

"I was gonna stop for chocolate ice cream on my way home after school, want to come?" Jenny offers quickly, lowering her voice. "Your sister too, if she's free?"

[keyed_up]

"Sure, I'll ask her at lunch."

And then Soph is actually quiet.

[bright_and_beautiful]

Jenny manages, by some miracle, to stay reasonably quiet and attentive through the rest of class. But come lunch time, she is off hunting for Soph again. Where, oh where, has hypothetical ice cream buddy gotten to?

[keyed_up]

Soph is sitting with her sister!

"Hi Jenny! This is my sister Bella. Bella, this is Jenny, she invited us to get ice cream after school."

[cross_and_bow]

"Hi. Ice cream sounds good to me."

[bright_and_beautiful]

"Nice to meet you, Bella! Welcome to Sunnydale."

At the advent of ice cream, Jenny starts bouncing slightly on her toes. "Yaaay! Okay, so, important decisions. Place closer to school which sorta just has ice cream, or place farther from school with lots of awesome toppings?"

[keyed_up]

"Oooh, tough one. Is the ice cream quality about the same?"

[bright_and_beautiful]

"Hmmmmmmmmm. Too close to call. The closer one has frozen yogurt, though, and the farther one does milkshakes? If that helps?"

[keyed_up]

"Oooooh. I don't know. The siren lure of toppings is pretty siren. Bella, shakes or froyo?"

[cross_and_bow]

"I'm gonna say shakes."