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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jun 30, 2010 18:12:00 GMT -5
"The papers have been reporting our every move lately, I'm afraid," said Adrian, "though I suppose it's an advantage from your position, being able to more or less track your son..."
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jun 30, 2010 18:18:51 GMT -5
"Yes, that has been a big help," said Lucie, lifting up her daughter with an 'oof'. "You're sneaking cookies, aren't you?" she addressed her.
Wearing a guilty expression on her filthy face, Claire quickly shook her head.
"No? Let's check. Paul, do you hear cookies rattling around in there?" She shook Claire gently while Paul pretended to listen.
"Oh dear - are you going to have room for dinner?"
This time, Claire was caught hesitating. Adrien hid his mouth and giggled quietly, then remembered something.
"Maman, Adrian eats vegetarian."
"Oh." Lucie lowered Claire to the floor, with an almost thoughtful look, as though not paying her daughter any mind, although watching her hands this was obviously not the case; she held her daughter tenderly, released her with affection. "Hmm, ah, let me see - I'm sorry, a soup is brewing and it has beef - "
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jun 30, 2010 18:27:38 GMT -5
"It's all right. I'll just stay for the company."
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jun 30, 2010 18:44:05 GMT -5
She beamed at him, but tiny chubby fingers tugging at hers made her divert her attention and scoop up Claire again, whom she patted on the back and led into the little area of the small apartment where they dined. Armchairs were turned around so that Adrian and Adrien could join them.
Adrien watched his mother and baby sister breathlessly.
"Maman, was I ever that bad?" he asked intently, as Claire pulled on Lucie's apron strings and untied them as she ladled stew out.
"No, darling, you were a divine baby," she said, making Adrien perk up and beam. Looking directly at Adrian, she said, softly and very nearly apologetically, although whether she was sorry for her opinion or her daughter it was unclear, "Babies are much better and smarter people than people are, Mr. Veidt. They know what they can get away with. Adrien knew his maman was just a child and so he was quiet and very, very good, like Claire knows her maman has a house and a husband and money for food and no cares, so she is very, very bad."
Since Claire sat down heavily in her own baby chair as though stunned by this revelation and looked close to tears - or screams - Lucie stroked her matted baby-curls soothingly until she took to making noise by banging her spoon into the table, looking calculating as she did so.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jun 30, 2010 18:47:35 GMT -5
Adrian looked slightly out of his element amidst this level of domesticity but did his best to not let it show.
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jun 30, 2010 18:54:25 GMT -5
Someone named Adrien patted his knee under the table in a consolatory way. Dinner was fantastic for him. He smiled at his maman - they'd never really spoken much, but they seemed to forge a palpable connection over the dinner table that was so thick it could have been cut with a knife - the whole time, and savored both her cooking and his memories of it. Claire screamed and laughed and tried throwing things, and not even Lucie could totally calm her down totally. She was a filthy mess before too long, her earlier look paling to this. Lucie shrugged and smiled at Adrian, as though to say 'girls will be girls'. She still looked like an icon of the Virgin Mary, though bird-boned and tiny; she glowed. There was nothing at all to suggest Adrien had overidealized her in the slightest.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jun 30, 2010 18:58:32 GMT -5
At one point Adrian leaned over to Adrien and said, "I really hope you have no plans for taking children into our care."
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jun 30, 2010 19:07:38 GMT -5
He poked his thigh in retaliation, but said nothing, smiling almost secretively.
After dinner, he and Paul helped clear the table while Lucie cooed to Claire to stop her fussing and let maman wipe her face down. Claire clenched her fists until they were little balls of unhappiness and bawled, seeming mournful and sad until Lucie lifted the washcloth closer to her face and then she screwed up her eyes and shrieked.
"Somebody hasn't changed," said Adrien wryly. "Maman can I - "
"Of course you can try, darling," said Lucie in some relief, handing it to him. "But I'm afraid it won't be easy."
She and Paul washed dishes in a wholesomely flirtatious way in the background while Adrien tried to coax his half-sister into letting her face be washed. It sounded hilariously like getting Bubastis to hold still for eyedrops. "C'mon, girl, you wanna be clean, right? Hold your head - still - "
The difference being, Bubastis merely looked disdainful and turned her head unreasonably. Claire just screamed.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jun 30, 2010 19:11:06 GMT -5
Adrian smiled a bit thinly.
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jun 30, 2010 19:14:06 GMT -5
"It's no use," said Lucie gently, taking the washcloth from Adrien. Claire mellowed from screaming into just sobbing. "She has to be calm or she won't let anyone do it. I don't suppose..."
"Oh, sure," said Adrien, almost psychically getting her meaning.
"Oh, thank you, darling, here - "
And Adrien took the proffered towel and said brightly, "Hey, Adrian, could you - "
And really before he could reject, he'd draped the towel as protective-again-stew armor over Adrian's shoulder and popped the crying toddler into his arms, her head resting against the towel, to be bounced in Adrian's arms, then scooted over to put the dishes away while his parents washed the dishes.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jun 30, 2010 19:19:12 GMT -5
Adrian reacted a bit as though he'd been handed a live grenade. He promptly pulled Claire off of his shoulder and held her with both hands at arm's length and stared at her, trying to figure out what exactly he was supposed to do with her.
The connection her name brought to mind wasn't lost on him, but Klara had been a quiet porcelain doll of a child, even before she and her brother both fell ill.
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jun 30, 2010 19:20:56 GMT -5
Adrien, waiting for dried dishes to be handed over, gestured for Adrian to hold her against his chest and gently bounce her, arm under her backside and the other hand on her back.
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jun 30, 2010 19:31:44 GMT -5
"Of course," he said automatically, pulling her toward his own shoulder again. "Right."
He stiffly arranged his arms in the proper position- Claire was still screaming- and rather awkwardly bounced her up and down, patting her back with his partially inhuman hand and generally looking rather offput.
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Post by Adrien Baillon on Jun 30, 2010 20:20:46 GMT -5
"More rhythmically," said Adrien to Adrian.
"What, darling?" asked his mother idly.
"Nawfin'!"
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Post by Adrian Veidt on Jun 30, 2010 20:24:51 GMT -5
Rhythmic. Hmm, yes, rhythmic. He could do rhythmic.
"Come along, no need to cry, sssh..."
He bounced Claire up and down, still awkward and finally unable to stop himself from pulling up the towel from his shoulder with his free hand and attempting to wipe her grubby face, with her tears as the necessary water.
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