Jax grinned, coming closer to see the cactus. "It's so cute! We should get somebody to wire it up! Maybe one of the prisoners we took could do it?" The girl's gray eyes flew to the burn on the boy's hand. "Nathaniel, you should come to my office so I can treat that burn."
"I can keep an eye on James!" Lysander blurted. He took the child from his spot on the floor and held him in his lap. "Er, maybe take the cactus with you? I don't trust James quite enough." Lysander booped James' nose, and he laughed.
"Mm… okay. Do we have to go to your office or can we just stay here? I'm really tired…" Nathaniel sighed and shifted a bit nearer to Jax so he could let her examine the burn more closely. "It's not really all that bad, to be honest…" He touched it gently and winced. "Bit tender, but it'll heal. I was thinking of just getting some ice for it."
(so are the others babysitting James right now, then?)
(Either now or later on when the Cactus gains artificial sentience. Preferably now though, don't want the baby getting into actual danger)
James giggled happily as Lysander picked him up, squirming and reaching for the Cactus. He squealed at the boop, grabbing at Lysander's finger to try and get the older boy's finger in his mouth. He was only two, he really didn't have much of an idea of what was going on.
Lysander frowned and took James's hand, keeping him from grabbing the cactus.
"No, Jamie, that's sharp," he said with mock seriousness, "It's only for us older kids. Nathaniel, are you sure you're alright?" He felt like he had a responsibility to look after the younger boy, and he didn't want him to be wandering around with his hand all burned.
(holy shit Lysander is the oldest isn't he)
James whined unhappily when he was stopped, squirming in Lysander's lap and trying to reach and get the cactus again. He stuck some of his fingers in his mouth, still reaching for it. It was shiny, and he wanted to play. He didn't understand why Lysander wouldn't let him.
"Yeah, I get burns like this all the time. I should be used to it by now." Nathaniel fidgeted a bit, keeping his eyes on the burn. It looked painful, but he was trying his best to ignore it. "I've felt way worse pain than this. It shouldn't really be bothering me."
Lysander stood up, hoisting James onto his shoulders.
"No cactus, Jamie, it's too dangerous," he scolded. "Why don't we go for a walk?" He turned to Jax and Nathaniel.
"I'll go ask Nich if he can wire the cactus!" he added with excitement.
(Dammit Maddie don't make me sad :()
Neige stared at the cactus with intense curiosity. "How… did you make something this intricate… without magic?" Her voice billowed out of her mouth along with her cloudy breath, as usual for an Eju. She held back from touching the metal cactus, opting to not coat Nathaniel's invention in a layer of unmitigated frost. Her gaze shifted to the creator, her pale yellow eyes sparkling with wonder and ice particles. It's obvious that she hasn't registered a single word of outside conversation since the cactus arrived.
Nathaniel looked up at Neige curiously when she questioned him. "Um… with fire and metal, I guess. I've also got a bunch of little tools and stuff to help me make them." He turned his attention back to Lysander. "And a walk sounds great…" He hoisted himself up onto his feet and swayed a bit as his vision went black, slowly returning after a few seconds. He still looked drained and unsteady. It had been a long day for him and it wasn't even over yet.
Lysander's cheeks went red when he looked at Neige.
"Well-I'm-going-to-go-find-Nich-bye!" Lysander rambled, nearly running into the door frame in his haste. He stood with his back straight so James could see, and walked to a window. "Look, Jamie. Isn't it pretty out there?"
James squeaked unhappily when he was denied the cactus, but his eyes went big as he saw the view from the window. He cooed softly, leaning forward to lean against the window.
"A walk sounds great!" Jax giggled as she stood up. As Nathaniel swayed, the girl cast a worried glance at him. "Nathaniel, how about I get you some chocolate milk, then you can take a nap?" Jax, knowing full well how much the angel liked 'choccy milk', decided that he'd probably accept her offer.
(narrating a baby is harder than I thought)
"Mmkay…" Nathaniel stuck close to Jax while he walked, figuring that out would be best to be near the the healer if he happened to collapse. "I'm probably just dehydrated… I've been working all day, and I can't remember if I stopped to eat or anything. My head's really fuzzy. Is that bad?" He asked, his voice soft and reserved.
"Bye…?" Neige slightly tilted her head in confusion. Lysander was such an odd human. Not bad, just odd. She quickly stood up from her crouched position and decided to follow him and the baby, though a few steps behind as to not accidentally freeze the poor toddler. She'd already done so before, she didn't want to repeat the mistake, especially with Althea not around. "So… what exactly are you… going to ask Nich?"
"You should eat somethin'. And drink some water, too. Maybe some fruit, to get your blood sugar up? And protein, too. Chicken nuggets?" Jax wrapped an arm around Nathaniel's shoulders, steadying the angel as she guided him to the kitchen.
Nathaniel nodded a bit, allowing Jax to drag him along. "Yeah… sounds good to me." He sat down on a stool once they were in the kitchen and rested his forehead against the cold countertop, sighing softly. He knew that he wasn't allowed to cook anymore after he very nearly set fire to the kitchen, so he figured he'd just let Jax do it.
"Bye…?" Neige slightly tilted her head in confusion. Lysander was such an odd human. Not bad, just odd. She quickly stood up from her crouched position and decided to follow him and the baby, though a few steps behind as to not accidentally freeze the poor toddler. She'd already done so before, she didn't want to repeat the mistake, especially with Althea not around. "So… what exactly are you… going to ask Nich?"
"O-oh!" Lysander squeaked. "Just, er, if he could wire anything into the cactus. I-I thought it could be….neat…."
His face went redder than before, blushing all the way up to his ears. "D-do you like…mechanics?"
Stars, he was doing this badly. He mentally banged his head against a wall, but kept a smile.
Jax opened the kitchen's freezer, pulling out some frozen chicken nuggets in the shape of what the box advertised as 'dinosaurs'. To Jax, they resembled giant lizards, at least the cartoons on the box did. She preheated the oven as the instructions said, and when it was hot enough, slid a baking tray of chicken nuggets inside. She found a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter, and grabbed one, tossing it to Nathaniel. She then poured the angel a tall glass of cold water, followed by a glass for herself.
"The chicken nuggets'll be ready soon, but you can have fruit for now. When you finish that water, I'll make some chocolate milk, alright?"
Peregrine wandered the halls of the ship, trying to memorize the layout of the place. She ran into Lysander, with James atop his shoulders, speaking with Neige.
"Hello, Lysander. James. And-" Peregrine's pale face gained a tiny bit of redness, but her blush soon disappeared. "And Neige," the pirate concluded.