The Stables, Monday Midday

[brat_inslayage]

Kennedy had never once in her entire freaking life seen a problem with her tendency to decide what she wanted and then go for it with all the stops out. It was a perfectly normal approach to life, right? Totally valid. So where was the problem here?

The problem wasn't that Birgitte happened to share her approach to things she wanted; the problem was that Birgitte wanted exactly the opposite of what her mom did: namely, taking Mat's horse Pips out and offering the other kids pony rides, and not even Kennedy's offer of taking her out to the shooting range for crossbow practice was about to dissuade her.

The details of the (very long and fairly heated) "discussion" weren't important, but suffice to say the end result was Kennedy leaning against a tree pinching at the bridge of her nose while Birgitte paraded around the grounds in front of the stables with Pips, looking every inch like she knew exactly what she was doing and had every right to do it. Because she did, obviously. Kid had mad skills in the getting-her-way department, Kennedy had to give her that. She'd be proud of that once the headache went away.

And maybe she'd just give her dad a call later, to say hi. Call it a sudden epiphany of empathy or something.

[[open for any kids who want "pony" rides! pips modded with permission from bloody_luck, whose idea this was in the first place.]]

Comments

[9moonsdaughter.livejournal.com]

"What are you doing with the Emperor's horse?" a very haughty, if slightly slurred, voice demanded.

[flirtinginlisp.livejournal.com]

"Giving pony rides," Birgitte answered in a tone that would be arrogant if she were older but mostly just came out snotty. "It's my dad's bloody horse anyway, so I can."

[9moonsdaughter.livejournal.com]

"No it's not," she retorted. "That's my father's horse."

[flirtinginlisp.livejournal.com]

"Is not." Birgitte's eyebrow twitched and the snotty tone ramped up a couple of notches. "My dad's not an emperor, and it's his horse."

[9moonsdaughter.livejournal.com]

"Well, you are very foolish, then because that is Pips, and he belongs to the Emperor of the Seanchan, may he live forever."

[flirtinginlisp.livejournal.com]

"Bite me," Birgitte snapped, scowling. "Pips doesn't belong to any Emperor of whatever. I wasn't born yesterday."

Technically, sweetie, you haven't been born at all. Or possibly ever.

"Oh, I am so not cut out to deal with this," Kennedy called over from her spot. "You two work it out."

[9moonsdaughter.livejournal.com]

"I will have you hauled off to a tower for the ravens to peck your eyes out," Kore snapped back. "No one counterdicts,"--close, Kore-- "the Daughter of the Nine Moons. Besides, I'm right."

[brat_inslayage]

So much for staying out of it. In a steel cage match between Need to Dissociate and innate protective instinct, Need to Dissociate tapped out really fast.

"Hang on just a freaking second and back up there. What did you just say to my kid?" Kennedy demanded, making her way over. Her kid. Oh God. Still, principle of the thing.

[9moonsdaughter.livejournal.com]

"You are welcome to join her," Kore offered sweetly.

[flirtinginlisp.livejournal.com]

"Don't talk to my mom like that," Birgitte flared up.

Oh, great. It was hereditary. "'sides, you can't be right if I'm right, and I am."

[9moonsdaughter.livejournal.com]

"Are not," Kore insisted.

[flirtinginlisp.livejournal.com]

"Pips belongs to Mat Cauthon," Birgitte insisted right back, trying to act like Mom did when she was trying to get a Portalocity upgrade or a better hotel suite. "So he's my dad's horse. So there."

[9moonsdaughter.livejournal.com]

Kore's jaw dropped. "You can't use his name! You're not royalty!"

[svetocha-blooms.livejournal.com]

Dru had been hugely hugely relived that whatever bit of weirdness had sent all the kids here had passed her by. She'd spent most of the weekend out and about in whatever child-free space she could find and was on her way to find another quiet spot when she saw Kennedy by the stables.

A nice friend wouldn't stop to tease.

No one ever said Dru was nice. "Having fun?"

[brat_inslayage]

"Bite me, Dru," Kennedy said, raising her head and giving Dru a glare. "You pawn yours off on someone or did you get off lucky and you're here to rub it in?"

[svetocha-blooms.livejournal.com]

Dru snickered. "I'm doing the dance of childfree joy. I'm not how I missed out on this particular bit of insanity but I'm damn glad I did."

[brat_inslayage]

"God, I hate you," Kennedy told her, mostly good-naturedly. "I've got two, and seriously, how freaking weird is that?"

[svetocha-blooms.livejournal.com]

Since Dru would have had a similar attitude if she'd been suddenly made a mom for the weekend, she just grinned. "It's a bit sudden. I mean we never even had a chance to give you a baby shower. At least you didn't have to get stretch marks or weird food cravings?"

[brat_inslayage]

"Oh, God, gross, shut up," Kennedy complained. "I'm more relieved I skipped out on the whole how they got here process. I'm so blaming trippy-ass magic for it, too."

[svetocha-blooms.livejournal.com]

"You've skipped it for now. But it'll happen someday," Dru pointed out. "Unless Tara's going to do both the magic and the hard work?"

[brat_inslayage]

Kennedy actually ducked her head and blushed bright red for a second. "Slow the hell down, God. I'm so not even ready to think about that part." Though a few other things might be starting to fall into place in a coherent sort of way.

[svetocha-blooms.livejournal.com]

"Slow down? I'm not the one with the kids running around," she teased. But Kennedy blushing was unusual enough that Dru did notice it. "Have a nice time at prom?"

[brat_inslayage]

"Freaking fantastic," Kennedy agreed; the blush was fading rapidly, but the grin stuck around. "Until the surprise wakeup calls came knocking at the door, anyway."

[svetocha-blooms.livejournal.com]

Dru patted Kennedy's shoulder in sympathy. "I suppose I shouldn't mention how I got to sleep in till noon?"

[brat_inslayage]

"Hate you," Kennedy said, aiming a light poke at her, "so much right now."