Room 322 [Sunday morning]

[weldedtomyspine]

It was a relief to find that Mei was smart enough to go to the Trooper station when lost. Though she did show her age when told by her parents that she had to leave behind some book about cows because it didn't belong to them. Two pieces of licorice from Momoko's pocket, however, quickly stalled any imminent tears and Mei was carried out of the station with no complaints.

There were many complaints, however, from Sophia and Elena. About how long it had taken, how they hadn't gotten any candy or cocoa, that it was cold, how hungry they were and how they didn't want to eat anything but papa's pancakes. "With choc'aty chips! The right way!" reminded Sophia, swinging her papa's hand as they quickly walked back to the dorms. Luckily, Jaime was able to find a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in one of the kitchens, as well as a pancake mix.

Breakfast over ("It's late, so it's really brunch!" corrected Elena, as she smeared her pancake into the syrup.), there was clean up and then a trip back to Momoko's room to feed and torture poor Moshi, and then trooping down to Jaime's room to watch a movie, since he no longer had a roommate. After the movie, was a trip to buy actual clothes, shoes, and coats that worked for the totally not-El Paso weather (bye-bye rainy-day-cake savings) and then an argument about dinner. Momoko was out-voted and it was take-out from Ching Tai that escorted them back to the dorms and to Jaime's room for another movie.

It was during the second movie that Momoko had the hardest time. The rest of the day there had been Thing To Get Done, but now? In a darkened room, with nothing to do but hold Mei asleep in her lap, let Sophia leaning heavy against her, trying so hard to stay awake, and watch Elena tugging on Jaime's arm asking some question about how some machine thing on the screen worked? It was hard to not think about how nice it was, how relaxed, how comfortable...

Which was more than she could say about her situation right now. Momoko frowned and shifted, trying to fall back asleep despite the thump-thump, thump-thumping noise her pillow seemed to be making, and the sound of girlish giggling and a phone being dropped.

"Shh! Careful, silly! You'll wake them and we'll get in trouble!"

[You guys know how this works: door closed, post open.]

Comments

[weldedtomyspine]

It took Jaime a second to stop going d'awww, adorable! and get his brain functioning again under the force of those eyes. "Did you learn that look from your mother?"

"And didn't we have pancakes yesterday?"

[hijas_kawaii]

Mei nodded solemnly, but looked for all the world like that totally didn't count against today. "/¿Please pa'cakes, papa?/"

"Ooh yes!" Sometimes Mei had the best ideas! Elena jumped up, hands now showing the cell phone she'd been hiding. "Please! Please! You make the bestest ever pancakes! And you never ever never make them enough back home."

Sophia rushed over and try to hug him, her eyes somehow seeming a bit more excited than her sisters'. "Pleeeeeeeeeeease?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Are you seriously triple-teaming me?" Jaime asked, a bit incredulous.

And finding it hard to resist, even though he knew exactly what they were doing.

[heromaniac]

While she wasn't sure what Mei had said, Momoko was sure it was still about pancakes, judging from the reaction of the other girls. Momoko's giggles changed to outright laughing.

"They totally are. And they seem used to it." She reached out with her foot and gave him a nudge. "If it makes you feel better, Jaime? I want waffles and eggs? You know, real food? But I'll totally settle for pa'cakes."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Quadruple teaming me?"

Jaime tried not to laugh, but he sort of failed.

"And I bet if I say no, all four of you use the eyes on me at the same time."

[hijas_kawaii]

"Would we do that, girls?" Momoko looked around to ask, but had to laugh again, since Elena and Sophia were already looking up at their papa with personalized variations on the BIG EYES:

Elena, eager and challenging
Sophia, sad and woeful
Mei, expectant and... well, like it would be the greatest gift EVER!

...

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine! I know when I'm outmatched."

"Pancakes for everyone. But you all have to eat something healthy, too."

[hijas_kawaii]

"... eat something healthy, too!"

It was as if they'd heard it said it a million times, how they chorused him.

"I'll have cereal!"

"Eggs and baaaaacon!"

"Pa'cakes!"

... Momoko was probably not going to stop laughing ever.

[weldedtomyspine]

"Fruit," Jaime announced. "For all of you."

Clearly adult-him hadn't managed to teach them to really eat healthy food.

[heromaniac]

And now Momoko looked at him with sad eyes. "Eh? What did I do?" Not that she disliked fruit, but it was the principle of the thing!


She was, of course, quite forgetting that she was a mother this weekend.

[weldedtomyspine]

"All. Of. You."

Set a good example, Momoko.

[heromaniac]

"Mean!" Momoko stuck her tongue out at him, then jostled Mei and looked to the other girls. "So since papa is being soooooo nice and going to make us breakfast, should we all go and get dressed in our pretty new clothes?"

She could totally worry about baths later, right?

... Wait. "Elena, what's in your hand?"

[hijas_kawaii]

All three girls stuck their tongues out at exactly the same time in a perfect imitation of Momoko that nearly caused Jaime to have a coughing fit trying to suppress a laugh.

Elena then turned to her momma and looked totally innocent. "Nothing!" And just like that, her hands were behind her back.

[heromaniac]

"Elena." Momoko knew that look. Knew it.

[hijas_kawaii]

Elena turned big, innocent eyes on her momma. From who she'd learned the technique.

[heromaniac]

There are always two, a master and an apprentice.

And guess which was the apprentice? Totally not the one holding out her hand for whatever it was and looking so mom-like she'd scare herself if she could see it.

"If you're hiding it, you totally know better." Whatever 'it' was.

[hijas_kawaii]

ELena opened her hand, letting the phone fall mostly-silently onto the bed behind her. Than she held up her empty hands and continued trying to look innocent.

"Nothing!" she repeated.

[heromaniac]

And had that worked when Momoko had tried it over her mother's favourite (and SOMEHOW broken) Goranger action figure when she was little?

No.

Momoko kept her hand out.

[hijas_kawaii]

"'omma, 'ook!" Mei declared, pointing at the bed.

[heromaniac]

"Thank you Mei, but I would hope that Elena was grown up enough to tell or show me herself."

Sophia was giggling, "Elena's in troooouuble!" And was rewarded with a brief look from her mother.

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime's attention also settled on Elena. "You know better than that," he told her, trying to sound stern.

[hijas_kawaii]

Elena's face fell at the idea of not being 'grown up' and she nearly cried when Jaime'd chimed in.

She reached behind her for the phone, handing it over slowly. "Sorry."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime walked over and knelt next to her.

"And just what were you up to with that, young lady?" His voice was firm, but not critical now.

[hijas_kawaii]

Elena wibbled. Someone didn't like her papa being mad at her. "Calling people."

[weldedtomyspine]

"And why didn't you just say that?" he asked in the same tone, lightly placing a hand on her shoulder.