Fourth Floor Common Room [Saturday evening]

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

Olive had come back from the carnival and wasn't tired at all. In case you were wondering. But what she was in the mood for? A fort.

It only took a little bit of work -- she pulled the blanket off the really, really big bed she'd woken up in (she told her parents she was ready for a big-big kid bed!) and set to work in the common room, shoving chairs around to drape the blanket over.

Mid-construction, she shoved her cereal from earlier inside the fort. She'd need snacks when she was all done with her fort, obviously. She'd also brought out her puppy (PUPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) from her room, and Ally was watching the process intently, occasionally swatting down the blanket so Olive had to start over. She was helping.

[open for fort construction or if you'd like to come enjoy it!]

Comments

[ultron_junior]

Victor had handwavily spent the day at the carnival, going on fast rides, winning games and eating the kind of food his mother regarded as once-a-week-and-only-if-you-finish-your-vegetables.

It had been awesome.

He paused at the common room on his way to the place where he'd woken up, watching the younger girl for a minute.

"Is that just your fort?"

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Nuh uh!" Olive said, peeking out of the fort as she added some pillows. "I can share, but you gotta tell me why I should."

Sure, at school they made you share everything, but Olive made the rules here.

[ultron_junior]

"'Cause I'm older than you?" Victor tried. "And also 'cause I'm really good at building stuff. I could make the fort way bigger."

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"I'm old!" Olive tried. He was a bigger kid for sure, though, but she didn't like that reasoning. "How can you make it bigger?"

[ultron_junior]

"I'm seven," Victor bragged, because today that was impressive. He studied the fort for a moment before answering. "Okay, move the big square pillow to lean against the couch and use a pillow like from your bed diagonally, and then you have a whole extra fort room. Right?"

[omg fortmodding.]

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"I'm four and I know how to read," Olive told him, like a child who'd been told she was precocious a few times too many. She glanced at him, confused, and gingerly moved the big square pillow a couple inches. She hesitantly looked back at him, not wanting to seem like she didn't understand, 'cause she was big and she did. "Like that?"

[OMG DIRTY MODDER.]

[ultron_junior]

"So? I know how to do long division," Victor told her, like a child who kept getting pulled into the next grade for math classes.

"And yeah, that's a start. You just need to move it a little tiny bit and put on the other pillow." He shifted from leg to leg, impatiently. "I could show you."

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"...okay," Olive said, because it did sound better his way. Plus he could reach stuff. Like if they needed more cereal. "My fort's already good!" she added a little defensively. "But my teacher says s'important to learn from others sometimes. 'Specially big kids."

[ultron_junior]

"Your fort is really good!" Victor reassured her. See, he could be nice to a little kid, especially if he was getting his own way. "I'm just making it even better so we can stay in it forever."

For versions of 'forever' that lasted maybe half an hour, max.

He moved the pillows as he spoke, stepped back to admire his work. "See? Pillow castle."

[dollpocalypse]

"She's charging tolls," Topher shared quietly, still holding Broca tight. "Might have to start a new fort."

[ultron_junior]

"But she's using practically all the pillows," Victor grumped. "It's not fair. She should share."

[dollpocalypse]

"Girls are usually nicer," Topher pronounced. "I bet there's more pillows in another room though."

[ultron_junior]

"Probably," Victor agreed, though he didn't sound as though he had much interest in going into one to find them. "Or we could bug her until she lets us play."

He flopped down on the floor. "I'm Victor. I'm seven. Is that your robot?"

[dollpocalypse]

Topher nodded, pleased that Victor had called him a robot instead of a toy, Olive. "His name's Broca," he said, carefully holding him out to Victor. "You can hold him if you want."

[ultron_junior]

"Coooooool," Victor pronounced, reaching out his hands to take Broca. "What does he do?"

[dollpocalypse]

"Lotsa stuff," Topher said, handing him over. "He found my inhaler this morning when I was looking for it. And he runs really fast."

He was totally bouncing a little.

"You like him?"

Because all seven-year-olds needed validation from random strangers. It was a rule.

[ultron_junior]

Victor nodded enthusiastically. "I never built anything like this unless from a kit counts," he said.

His tone implied it did not.

[dollpocalypse]

And in came a tiny Topher, clutching a teeny robot dog to his chest.

"Excuse me can Broca and I please sit in your fort?" he asked in a small voice.

His willingness to be social had gone down in the few hours since breakfast, it seemed. It happened.

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Why?" Olive asked. "S'the price. I gotta know why you should get to come in the fort."

She did look highly intrigued by the robot dog, as did Ally.

[dollpocalypse]

"Gave you raisin bread this morning," he reminded her. Still super-quietly. "Kinda."

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Is someone napping?" Olive asked, dropping her voice to a four year-old's approximation of a whisper.

[dollpocalypse]

Topher shook his head. "Don't think so." He peered at Broca to check, but nope, he was awake. "This is Broca."

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"This is Ally," Olive said, pointing to her own puppy, who was both awake and not a robot. "Is Broca a toy?"

[dollpocalypse]

"I don't think so," Topher said thoughtfully, setting him down on the floor. "I think he's an actual robot. He's smart and stuff."

...Still pretty much a toy, though.

"See, watch," he said, then instructed, slightly louder, "Broca, go in the fort."

And off Broca went!

[dirtiest-skank.livejournal.com]

"Whooooooa," Olive said, admiringly. "'Kay, you can come in the fort, 'cause your toy is awesome. Where'd you get him?"

She knew what she was asking Santa for this year. She'd have to write it down 'cause her mommy and daddy would never remember.