“Oh no,” Magnolia said, “you’re not in the way. We want to stay with you.”
“Yeah, after that long nap, we won’t be very sleepy for a while.” Claire led the way back to the living room, taking one last drink from her cup of water before taking it and the crackers she had been eating back to the kitchen. Magnolia set Atlas on the couch, putting the covers over him and sitting on one end. Claire came back from the kitchen and sat on the floor.
"Mm… if you're sure, I guess…" Atlas curled up into a ball underneath the blankets and yawned, closing his eyes again. He relaxed, seeming fairly calm now, and sighed softly to himself. After a while, he managed to drift off to sleep where he was, looking as though he'd be able to sleep through the night.
They stayed with him, Magnolia running her fingers through his hair. After a while, when he’d fallen asleep, Claire asked, “Mag, are we moms now?”
She chuckled softly. “You mean we weren’t moms before he turned human?”
Claire grinned. “Fair point.”
Magnolia gave Atlas a small kiss on the forehead where the bruise was, and with that they turned off any lights that were still on and headed to the bedroom. Magnolia quickly got into her sleepwear, a white shirt with simple lace patterns at the ends of the sleeves, and matching shorts. She joined Claire on the bed and let her braid her long hair.
“You know what’s happening tomorrow? At the funeral home?” Claire asked.
Magnolia sighed. “You know the guy who died from a stroke? He’s coming in to be cremated tomorrow.”
“I wonder how he feels about being burned to a crisp.”
“Claire!” She laughed, though tried to keep her volume low.
Once she was done braiding, Claire collapsed on the bed. “I’m tired.”
“I can tell.” Magnolia snuggled up beside her.
“Are you?”
“Maybe. Just a little bit.”
Claire chuckled, pecking her cheek. “Are you going to bring Atlas to the funeral home?”
Magnolia blushed slightly at the kiss. “Yeah, not sure how I’ll explain him though.”
“It’ll be alright, I’m sure Mr. Khua would understand.”
“Maybe. I don’t want to think about it just now.”
“Understandable.”
They talked for a while longer before they finally settled and drifted off to sleep.
Atlas awoke a little bit after Magnolia and Claire, but before they had come downstairs. He yawned and stretched, getting to his feet so he could go search for food again. However, he was nervous and uneasy after falling last time, so he just stood at the counter and stared at it while he fiddled with his hands.
He still wasn't very used to being human. Walking around was a very different experience. His balance and depth perception were off due to being at a different height and only having two legs to support himself. Having hands was certainly weird as well. He could pick up and hold things now where he definitely couldn't before, considering he didn't have opposable thumbs on his paws before. His heart beat slower, and he felt as though he was always cold with a lower body temperature and no fur to keep him warm. Hence, he was shivering a bit as he stared up at the cabinets. His head was a bit achy from hitting it on the floor before, but he didn't feel too awful.
Claire usually liked to sleep in on the weekends, so she was still asleep when Magnolia got up and started getting ready to go out. She only woke her up to say their I love you’s and have a good day’s, and she was snoozing again by the time Magnolia came downstairs.
Finding Atlas standing hopelessly in the kitchen, she went up to him and ruffled his hair. “It’s alright, I’ll make us something. How’s being human working out for you so far?”
Atlas looked up when Magnolia touched him, seemingly pulled out of his own little world he'd drifted off to. "O-Oh, um… thank you…" He said softly. "And… it's not too bad. It's kind of weird, though. It's hard to get used to. And I'm really cold all of the time… is this normal for you guys, or was I just warmer as a cat or something?" He asked, wrapping his arms around himself to try and keep a bit warmer.
Magnolia nodded as she listened to him, bringing out a pan and setting it on the stove. “Yeah, I think I’d feel the same if I got turned into a cat,” she chuckled, then frowned at the question. She brought out her phone, tapped it a few times, then her eyes lit up with clarity. “Oh yeah, cats have higher body temperatures than humans. Around three degrees higher. And then with the significantly less body hair… yeah, you were just warmer as a cat.”
She put her phone away and brought out three eggs from the fridge, then took out a measuring cup and a whisk. After turning on the stove, she repeated what she did for the chicken she made yesterday, casting a spell on the various items and ingredients and letting them do the job for her. She honestly did not trust herself to make a decent omelette on her own this early in the day.
"Mm…" Atlas sighed softly and ran his hands up and down his arms, trying to warm himself up. "Hopefully I get used to it soon. Before I freeze to death or something." He moved forward so he could keep close to Magnolia and the stove, finding that it was a bit warmer there. "Are you guys doing anything today?" He asked. "Anything I should do? Anything you need?"
She chuckled. “It’s alright, you won’t freeze to death. C’mere,” she motioned for him to come up right against her. “There, we’re sharing body heat. Yay!” She laughed again as the whisk finished, well, whisking the first egg and poured it into the pan. Realizing she forgot a spatula, she quickly grabbed it and placed the spell on it, then said, “Well, I’m going to the funeral home as usual, do you want to come even though you’re human?”
"Mmmmm…" Atlas huddled up against Magnolia, relaxing a little from the extra warmth. He yawned and nuzzled up against her a bit, looking up at the question. "Hm? Oh, sure… I'll go with you. Won't they think it's weird that you have another person with you, though? I mean, you don't normally…"
“Well, yeah…” Magnolia tapped her leg nervously. “Now that I’m thinking about it, maybe Mr. Khua will know something about how you ended up human when I meant for you to turn into a dog. So I kind of have to explain the situation anyway.”
Mr. Khua was the necromancer who was mentoring Magnolia and whom she shadows when at the funeral home. Though mainly knowledgeable in necromancy and the like, he would have to know the ins and outs of other branches of witchcraft as well.
"Yeah, maybe. He's really smart, isn't he?" Atlas asked, looking up at Magnolia curiously as he kept close to her. He glanced over to the pan and tilted his head slightly to the side, clearly interested in it. He wasn't quite tall enough to see what was happening, though. "I bet he knows all sorts of stuff about all sorts of things."
She chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, he is smart. Hopefully he’ll have some sort of an explanation.”
For now, nothing was happening in the pan. The whisked eggs inside were simply sitting there and cooking. Magnolia took the opportunity to go over to the refrigerator and pull out a bag of shredded cheese, spinach, and slices of ham and cucumbers. She put it all on the counter, glanced at the pan, and directed the spatula to move the omelette around and get it loose. Then setting a plate next to the stove, she let the spatula scoop the omelette out and set it on the plate. Quickly sprinkling it with cheese and ham slices she folded the omelette, and it was done.
She held the plate out for Atlas. “This one’s for you,” she said. “Could you set it on the table and eat it there?”
Atlas watched Magnolia intently, seeing what she was putting in, but not quite able to watch due to his height. He kept close to her wherever she walked, seeming a little bit nervous. When the food was done, he very carefully accepted the plate, trying his best to not drop it or anything. "Thank you… and okay." He replied softly. He did as he was told, heading over to the table to start eating. "When do we need to leave?" He asked, looking down at his plate with a bewildered look. It was clear that he wasn't quite sure how to eat it.
Magnolia made sure that the second omelette was cooking before she glanced at her phone. “Around 15 to 20 minutes, I think.”
She turned back to Atlas and chuckled at his expression. “You need help?” She took a butter knife from one of the drawers and went over to him. “Maybe it’ll be easier if we cut it, and then you can just eat it with your hands,” she suggested, taking the knife and cutting across the omelette into smaller pieces. “How’s that?”
"Thanks…" Atlas quietly watched as Magnolia cut the omelet for him, fiddling nervously with his hands. He hesitated after it was cut, but then tentatively picked up a piece and stuck it into his mouth. He hummed consideringly, tilting his head slightly to the side. "It's very different than anything I've had before…"
“I bet,” Magnolia said. She cracked a smile at him, ruffling his hair before going back to the second omelette on the stove and setting it on another plate, filling it with cheese, cucumber, and spinach before folding it. She was about to run it up to Claire before she thought to turn to Atlas and ask, “Um, how do you like it?”
"It's good!" Atlas grinned brightly up at Magnolia, seeming pretty pleased with himself. While smiling, it was easier to see that some of his teeth were unusually sharp compared to those of a human. He stuck another piece of omelet into his mouth, humming contentedly to himself.
“Good!” She returned the smile, though his sharp teeth caused her to stare a bit too long. Then she remembered the omelette and went to the bedroom to give it to Claire, giving her a small peck on the cheek and dashing back to the kitchen to make herself breakfast. Once she’d made her omelette (filled with cheese, ham, and spinach), she sat down next to Atlas and ate it, using a fork and knife rather than her hands, however.
Atlas watched Magnolia as she ate her omelet with the proper utensils, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. He stuck another piece of omelet into his mouth with just his hands, seeming pretty confused. "How do you do that?" He asked. "And… uh… why? You could probably eat it like this too." He pointed down at his own plate.
Magnolia had to think for a moment before she replied. “Well, it’s kind of like using claws or teeth. Using this-“ she held up her fork. “- makes it easier to grip the food and eat it without getting my hands dirty.” She speared a piece of omelette with the fork and put it in her mouth.
Atlas tilted his head again as he watched, obviously bewildered. He glanced between the utensils and his own plate, which was mostly empty by now anyway. "Why, though? You could just… uh… I dunno. Wash your hands? If they get dirty?"
(Aaa apologies for disappearing ^^;)
Magnolia shrugged. “Wouldn’t it be better if they didn’t get dirty at all? Besides, you might drop the food on the floor or on your clothes if you aren’t careful. Using a fork reduces the chances of that happening.”
She couldn’t help but smile to herself at the conversation. Of all the things to be discussing during breakfast, this is what they settled on?
(Np ^^)
Atlas looked down at his small hands, clearly still pretty confused. "But what if you drop the fork? Then more things are getting dirty, right?" He asked. Honestly, even just using his hands to eat was a foreign concept to him, so adding extra utensils into the mix was just more confusing.
She just had to laugh. “Well, I suppose that’s a good point,” she said, then quickly finished her plate. Once she was done, she took it and Atlas’s plate to the kitchen and put them in the sink.
“Well, why don’t you come over here and wash your hands, then?” She asked, tilting her head in amusement.