Setting up the Nest (OPEN)

[Owain]

Onderon​

Iziz. A city of walls. Owain sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, his other occupied with the bag of essential supplies Felicity had sent him out to find. He still couldn't quite believe where they had ended up. Not Onderon really. More in...well, a tiny apartment with a baby girl. A baby girl that was for all intents and purposes their daughter. The youth had never planned on being a father this soon, but someone close to Felicity had asked her to help, and the young princess was always swift to help.

And so they found themselves as the Whites, a young runaway couple with a newbron daughter, Zelda.

If this ever got back to Felcity's family, he would never survive their wrath. They would blame him, somehow. The young man just new it. SHaking his head, he climbed up the stairwell of the apartment block, the rising sun peeking over the horizon. They had only arrived on the planet a few hours ago, and Felicity wasted no time in sending him out to fetch everything a baby would need. Formula, daipers, clothing, and a toy or two. Anyhting bigger would have to wait until they finally found a place to settle in.

Urgh. He was going to have to buy and build a crib...

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Baby. This... tiny person was a baby. A human baby. Such a cute little face. Big blue eyes, brown hair and a nose so small she could hardly believe she could breathe with it. And this tiny human was also very messy. And loud.
Felicity held the screaming infant out away from her body. Little Zelda had already ruined three of Felicity's favorite shirts by vomiting on them. Now she needed to do laundry... somehow. She hadn't quite learned how common people washed their own clothes. This was all a big lesson.

"Shh. Shhhh! What's the matter now?"

There were dark circles under the runaway Princesses eyes. Her hair was an absolute mess and she was now wearing one of Owains shirts, afraid to ruin one of her more expensive outfits. The baby had been crying since Owain left. Hungry? Probably. In need of a new diaper? Oh, absolutely. Bored? Could babies get bored? Who even knew anymore.

The apartment that her brother had given her to stay in was hardly what the girl would call 'comfortable'. It was small, only a single bed room, one bathroom, a tiny sitting area and a kitchen that was hardly big enough for all the appliances. And the decor was an absolute joke. If they were going to live here, she absolutely needed to get some art hung up.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

He fiddled with the keys before managing to slide them into the lock. And actual lock and key. As opposed to swipe cards. How...mundane. This must all have been quite the shock for Felicity. Owain pushed the door open, and was greeted with the crying of the little girl who had joined their family. The beginnings of a headache wormed their way into his brain as he strode across the apartment, kicking the door shut behind himself with his heel. Right, the poor girl was probably hungry and bored and scared. She had no idea who Felicity or he were.

"How you doing, Felicity?" he asked with a smile, dropping the bags on the counter in the kitchen.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The young woman looked up when the door opened. Owain. Thank the Force. Not a second too soon.

"Make a bottle," she ordered in reply, "And, err, you don't know how to change a diaper, do you?"

Probably not. This would be an experience. She set the screaming infant on the couch, holding a hand up for him to toss her a new diaper. She was smart. She could figure this out. Right? How hard could it possibly be?

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Uh...no, sorry," he called to Felicity, reaching for the kettle. This was...strange. Mundane. This was...well, married life really. Him, her, their child, and simple everyday tasks. Now, children drank formula at room temperature. Which meant he had to boil up water, mix the formula, then let it chill...unless there was some water left in the kettle from their morning tea. He tested the weight of the pot, and nodded. Just heavy enough. There was enough water to make do.

"Diapers are here," he called out as an afterthought, jerking his head at the bag he had brought home.

This....wasn't what he had ever imagined. But it wasn't bad...

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Felicity kept her hand in the air, ready to catch the diaper that she was expecting him to throw to her... But it never came. He jerked his head at the bag and Felicity growled in frustration as she stood up. She crossed the short distance to the bag, fumbling around inside until she found what she was looking for. A new outfit would be good too. And maybe a toy to keep her occupied until her bottle was over. In fact, Felicity just removed the formula and took the whole bag with her.
She turned around just in time to see the baby roll over. She let out a cry and ran across the room again to catch her just before she fell off the couch. She didn't even know the baby could do that. Didn't they just kinda, lay around until they learned how to crawl? Though, now that she thought about it, she supposed there would have to be some steps in between.

"Shh shh," she tried to sooth the screaming infant, "It's okay! It's okay! You didn't fall. Come on. I'm going to change you."

...Somehow.


[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Poor girl. Still, she was doing her best, so he couldn't fault her. Not like he knew anymore either. But he had made sure to take a device with holonet access with him, and had spent time researching childcare alongside Felicity. There was a lot of information available to those who couldn't turn to others for assistance. Trying to ask Feena Mason on childcare had never crossed his mind. The woman would eviscerate him.

He measured out the formula and dropped it into the small plastic bottle before adding the water. He screwed the top on and vigorously shook it, dissolving the powder, the liquid turning a milky, creamy colour. It did not look tasty at all. Then again, until Zelda began eating solids, tasty meals were not something she would even care about.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Felicity had also thought to bring a device to access the holonet, unfortunately, with one hand holding the squirming infant still and the other trying to slide the diaper under her, she was a little too occupied. Mess. This was an absolute mess. How did people do this every day? She hissed under her breath, fighting against the babys kicking feet. She was crying louder than ever, hungry, uncomfortable, scared. Felicity felt her eyes water in frustration too. At least by now she'd managed to get the child clean, even if she couldn't quite figure out which way the diaper was supposed to go on.

"How do I...? Never mind, I think I got it."

She quickly fastened the tabs on the diaper and held her up to show Owain. She was grinning like a mad woman, tears already glistening in her eyes. The child hadn't stopped screaming, but Felicity was happy regardless. Victory!

"Finally! I didn't think such a little thing could give me such trouble!" she flipped the red faced infant around to face her and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "But I figured it out, didn't I? Yes I did! I've got this diaper thing finally down! I will not be beaten by you, little missy!"

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Owain smiled weakly and bit back a grimace as he extanded an arm to help Felicity. "Here. Let me hold her. Go grab some rest," he advised the blonde, moving to take little Zelda from her. The little one was probably hungry. And if not, then he would do what he could to help her calm down. Poor thing was probably terrified and confused. He remembered reading something about children imprinting onto their parents to some degree. She was missing her true family.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The young woman eagerly handed the screaming child over to Owain. One lesson down, a million more to go. Never mind the fact that the diaper was backwards after all. Felicity couldn't tell the difference even now. Not all women were perfect mothers right out of the gate, and it wasn't as if she'd been allowed nine months to study and do proper research. Really, she'd only had, maybe, an hour before she had the child in her arms. Hardly enough time to learn to be the perfect parent.
She scooped up the soiled diaper with two fingers and, holding it as far from herself as she could, took it to the nearest trash bin.

"Are you going to be alright with her? I don't think I should go to bed until she does," she said, turning on the sink and scrubbing her hands under the hot water, "I mean, that's what a real mom would do, right?"

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

The boy shook his head as he took the infant. "No, get your rest. The little one will wake up during the night, so don't expect to get any rest then. Grab what sleep you can when you can," he advised. At least in that way raising a child was like being a soldier - you learned to fall asleep fast, wake at the slightest noise, and grabbed sleep at each precious opportunity. He smiled at his...wife (that still felt weird, even if it was fake), and nodded in the direction of the bedroom. "I'll be fine."

I hope.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

She hesitated. This wasn't right. Leaving him to all the hard work. But her eyelids felt so heavy. She was about to nod off as it was.

"...Alright," she reluctantly agreed, "But you'll wake me up the instant you need me, right? As soon as you start feeling tired."

With that, she retreated back into the bedroom. Their bedroom now, she supposed. Thank the force the bed was large enough for the both of them. Not as big as her old bed back with the Magraths, but big enough for two. Sort of. If they were feeling cuddly. Well, for now it was all hers.
She did not even bother to change or get under the covers. She fell down on the bed and was out like a light.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

He watched the blonde girl go before focusing on the infant. "Hey Zelda, what's wrong? Hungry?" he asked the crying infant, using a low and gentle tone. Children would not understand words, but they could understand their meaning through the way they were spoken. It was some weird sort of instinct thing. He gently placed the bottle at Zelda's mouth, seeing if she would begin suckling at it. If not, then the poor dear was probably just scared and missing the familiarity of her actual parents. Which...couldn't be solved. Not now. In time she would equate him and Felicity with home, safety and comfort. Hopefully. He hadn't had a lot of time to research how this all worked after all.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Sleep was good. Even if Felicity was only going to sleep for a short time, sleep was still good. It all washed away when she began dreaming. The stress, the pain, all gone. She was now left with anything she could ever desire in the Galaxy.
In this case, her dreams consisted of a giant mountain made of sweets and a trandoshan who was leading her on an expedition to the top of 'Sugar-Cake mountain". She had her snow gear on, and four sets of knitted gloves, 'just in case'. The trandoshan was wearing a space suit, but for some reason, this did not bother, or even appear strange in any way to the Princess.

They had only just started the perilous climb up the sugary slopes when something drew her away from this candy-coated adventure. Something unpleasant.

Felicity had grown accustomed to her visions interrupting her at inconvenient times, but almost never while she was sleeping. There was often a trigger for it, a person, a place, an object. Even just brushing her hand against something could spark someone else's memory. But this was unlike the others. This was spontaneous. This was an invasion of her dreams.
And it hurt just as much in dreams as it did when she was awake.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

It seemed as if Zelda had been hungry after all. The little girl quietened as she took to sucking on the bottle. He smiled in pride at having managed to do his fatherly duty. Then he noticed that Felicity had put on the diaper backwards. He chuckled, remembering the stressed and almost crazed look about his beloved before she had retired to bed. "Drink your fill, little one, then we'll make sure you're comfortable," he said quietly, gently walking around the kitchen towards the window.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

"No..."
She was talking in her sleep, thrashing about on the bed. Was it so impossible for her to just get a good nights sleep? Apparently so. She awoke with a start, clutching her head with both hands. That... was a weird one. Someone was talking about her Mother, not as the Queen, but as Feena. Said he knew her. But it was pretty clear this wasn't an 'old friend' situation. This was something else. Something a bit sinister.

She sat up in bed, tangled in a mass of wrinkled bedsheets. How annoying. She couldn't even go into hiding without the pictures and headaches following her...

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

He spared a glance out the window as Zelda finished her bottle, beginning to squirm in his arms. His attention distracted from the view, Owain shook his head. "Alright little one, let's get your clothing on the right way before you need it," he said, moving to the living room they had of sorts. The girl was quiet, peering up at him, her eyes wide with curiosity. Would his daughter be like this too, he wondered? Hopefully. If he was lucky enough to live that long. Not many people in his position did. He pulled out a tablet and flipped to a bookmarked holonet guide regarding babies. There was no shame in looking up information when doing something new.

The boy hummed an old sith marching song to himself as he set about redoing little Zelda's daiper.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Her head hit the pillow again, but Felicity could not close her eyes even if she wanted to. Her brain felt like it was on fire in her skull. Someday, if she ever got the chance, if the stupid brain pictures didn't kill her first, she needed to find Master Elaris again. She promised to teach her how to stop it, once upon a time. She really should have gone with her back then.
Felicity sighed, listening to Owain hum to the baby in the next room. She rolled over, forced her eyes shut. She was tired. She should be able to sleep. It should be easy. Another image. Another sharp burning sensation in her skull. Her eyes popped open. They had a caf distiller in the kitchen, right? She hoped so.
Wincing, she stood up and made her way back out. She said nothing, just went to the kitchen, rubbing a hand on her forehead. There was no explanation needed. He would know what happened by now. He'd been around her long enough.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

HIs eyes flickered over when he heard movement, catching Felicity nursing another headache. He frowned, and Zelda squirmed in his arms, sensing his displeasure. "Ah, n-no! It's all fine little one!" he quietly said to the tiny girl. HIs hushed tones were as if he was talking to a panicked sldier. Not the best he could have used, but it's what he had to work with. He'd never really taken any classes on leadership, but calming a fellow was basic first aid. It prevented a lot of trigger-happy accidents after all.

Owain picked up the girl and held her close, resuming his humming. Zelda seemed to like music - it set her at ease almost instantly. Probably something to do with being the child of a noble. She must have been sued to hustle and bustle, or classical music drfiting from other parts of her home. This...relative quiet, seeing only two faces all the time...he could understand her discomfort with the situation.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Owain was already better with the baby than Felicity had thought possible. Who knew? And here she thought that she would be the best parent. At least, that had been her goal. She liked to compete. But Owain was a source of constant surprise for her. Never what she expected from him. She smiled as best she could at him, then set to work making herself a cup of instant caf.

...How did this work again? She frowned, picking up the package of black powder to read the instructions on the back. Normal people drank this stuff? On purpose? She certainly had a lot to learn...

[member="Owain"]