Arms Hotel, Saturday Morning

[spin_kick_snap]

Okay, so for all the complaining about having to get up early - especially after a night chock-full of pollen - this was Kathy's favorite weekend of the year. Surrounded by kids who called her mom, arguing over breakfast, listening to them babble on about their likes and interests and hopes, singing them to sleep at night. Even with as a late an evening as they'd had, she was still up, bright and early, humming around the public room of the suite, readying it for tiny visitors.

A hotel room meant that she had to rely on room service for breakfast, but she made due, making sure to order plenty of fruit (heavy on the strawberries), and juice, and more bacon and sausage than any one room really ought to have.

Now to wait for folks to start showing up!

[Open for all tiny children and their parents, whether related or not!]

Comments

[bouncy_foxkit]

You know what else was definitely a Sagishi thing?

The way the food was now a super interesting thing, and not at all an excuse to keep his back towards her. "Oh, so that was him," he said, casual tone falling flat by the slightest of margins. "Also, vegetables? Mom, foxes are carnivores."

[spin_kick_snap]

"And you're a were-fox, which means you're only part carnivore," Kathy declared, hands on her hips. "And that means vegetables."

It was a line she was drawing for all her children. Hell, all anybody's children. If they made it to this hotel room, they were eating a vegetable today.

And maybe she'd just gotten better at listening to the way Sagishis talked, she definitely noticed that slight change in tone. "Yeah, I saw him yesterday."

She was a little glad Zeke was one kid who wouldn't be traumatized by his mother here with two guys, neither of which were his father.

Though now she had to guess what that tone meant. "You two aren't fighting or anything right now, are you? In your present, I mean."

[bouncy_foxkit]

Zeke had done this whole thing, once. It had just been the other way around. He wasn't interested in doing it again.

So he was going to try his best and smoothest to just side-step it entirely. "Cows eat so much grass, beef is practically a vegetable."

He'd been using that line since he'd been about six, but Tiny Mom didn't know that.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Cute," Kathy said. "But absolutely not. Keep it up and I'll increase it to two vegetables." Hands on her hips, she added, "You have to set a good example for your younger siblings."

[rebelseekskimchi]

"Yeah," Evie piped up from her chair. "How will I know vegetables are good for me if my oppa doesn't eat them?"

Did she know Zeke? Not from Adam. Did it matter?

Not a little bit.

Family was for trolling.

[bouncy_foxkit]

Yeah, that was another thing standing between Zeke and saying anything about his dad:

The Lesser Lis.

Who he wasn't going to call that to their faces, because he wasn't mean like that. But his ego still demanded it. Also, right now it looked like he was the oldest, so it wasn't even that inaccurate.

He turned towards Evie, raising his eyebrows. "But they're not good for you, sis."

Family was for trolling, and that included you, Kathy.

[spin_kick_snap]

This was just going to lead to Kathy texting Ez to inform him about his son - also, he had it coming from their first go round with Zeke - and he wouldn't even be able to get mad at her for it because she didn't know.

"Okay, none of that," Kathy declared, with exactly zero hope of either of them listening. "Vegetables are good for everybody and before either of you declares an allergy, you both have advanced crazy healing I'm sure, so don't even try."

Very authoritative, Kathy. Sure.

"Everyone is having vegetables today. Might as well get them in early."

[bouncy_foxkit]

Yeah, Zeke was just going to ignore that in favor of a cosnpiratorial look at Evie, instead. "Don't know about you, yeodongsaeng, but I'm going to Mooby's, later."

[rebelseekskimchi]

Evie brightened. "Mom already made me drink juice because it was 'too early for soda,'" she said in a credibly imitation of Kathy. "Time for crappy milkshakes."

[bouncy_foxkit]

"Exactly," Zeke replied, pointing a finger at Evie with a sage nod. "And fries that have probably never even seen an actual carrot in their whole entire lives."

He shot a glance at Kathy.

"That's the kind of food we should be having."

[spin_kick_snap]

"And you're basing the astute nutritional decision based on what, exactly?" Kathy asked, raising an eyebrow at both of her children.

[bouncy_foxkit]

"Pure knowledge."

Sure.

The quippy confidence with which he presented this was pure Ezra, though.

[spin_kick_snap]

"The same knowledge that has you thinking French fries are made from carrots and not potatoes," Kathy snarked back, beaming at them both.

(Her kids were getting along and it made her so happy.)

"Eat breakfast," she told him, leaning up to kiss his cheek (when did he get so tall?). "Then you terrors can do whatever you want for lunch."

[bouncy_foxkit]

Zeke tilted his head to make that easier for her, all the while looking as if he wasn't doing it on purpose. He also made a non-committal noise, while still reaching out for something a more vegetable-y.

Then he dropped a kiss of his own at the top of her head. She was his entire family.

(No offense, Lock and Ava. You both knew how it was meant.)

Sigh. "Fiiiiine."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I appreciate you indulging me," Kathy said, unable to hide how even that little bit of affection brightened her up. "I promise, we'll have some kind of ridiculous and decadent dessert to make up for that one vegetable you're having."

[bouncy_foxkit]

"It's the only way you can make up to me for this suffering, Mom."

At least he wasn't trying to claim the older version of her didn't hassle her about vegetables? Because, she did.

She so did.

[spin_kick_snap]

Yeah, there was not enough lies in the world to make Kathy believe that anyway. "Suffering builds character," she said sweetly. "As does not having scurvy. As your mother, these things are very important to me."

[bouncy_foxkit]

"My character is already built, umma."

See, because he'd suffered?

Ha ha.

Of course, he was dressing it up as a throwaway quip dripping with ego.

[spin_kick_snap]

"But scurvy is an omnipresent danger," Kathy informed him, though her eyebrows were quirking together, just a little bit. She kept getting little hints of something (or maybe nothing?), like catching scents on the wind.

[bouncy_foxkit]

Zeke shrugged and just kept muching on his daily allotment of vegetables.

Good luck trying to get him anywhere near his dad, though.

[spin_kick_snap]

But it was his dad! Of course he needed to see his dad! Why wouldn't he?

Kathy's heart was gonna shatter over this.

"It's okay," Kathy said. "I know you're just pretending. You're too Korean to be scared of vegetables."

[bouncy_foxkit]

Because being in pain was no fun.

"I'm also too much of a fox to appreciate them." He tilted his head mock-thoughtfully. "Maybe as bait..."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Do not give me that 'vegetables are my food's food,'" Kathy said, hands on her hips. "I know for a fact I don't send you scrounging around the woodlands for dinner."

[bouncy_foxkit]

Zeke gave an easy shrug. "No, I go because it's fun."

Duh.

Also it was a deep family connection thing and in his nature. But, fun was the thing he would put front and center.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Do we live out in Maine, too?" Kathy asked, chin in her hands. "Or somewhere else?"

Either way, Kathy liked to think they lived in a nice house somewhere near where he could slip into his other form and romp and play without worry.