so very dapper

[temporal_affairs]

The Joker is awfully domestic, in his way. He makes pretty clothes. Nathan's perfectly happy to be a clothes horse for his sartorially-inclined mate. Some of the clothes are distinctly feminine, and Nathan does not wear those, although the Joker could probably talk him into a kilt, even if that's not a Manx thing but only their neighbors.

Comments

[temporal_affairs]

"Well, Bella gave me some of those triangles and squares, and I did try, but it didn't work," Alice says.

Kerron is now waving his arms between Jasper and Alice repeatedly, like he's tracing a line between them, and cooing.

[manofmyword]

He appears a spare hex and offers it to her.

[temporal_affairs]

"Oh, this is pretty," says Alice, handing Kerron to Nathan and taking the hex. She closes her eyes, and apparently takes a while to settle on a wish, but ultimately is left empty-handed. "Apparently the wolf gap and the hybrid gap aren't the same thing, but I fixed the second one," she reports. "Hi there, little Kerron, I can see youuuu!" And she throws her head back and laughs.

Japser is now looking somewhat less guardedly at the Joker.

[manofmyword]

"Want another one?" he asks cheerfully. "They're going begging today."

[temporal_affairs]

"Sure!" says Alice, grinning, holding out her hand.

"Aren't you a sweetie," says Nathan, kissing his mate's cheek.

[manofmyword]

"Sometimes!" he agrees, and drops a hex into Alice's hand, and hugs Nathan.

[temporal_affairs]

Alice makes another wish and then gets up and pirouettes. "Goodbye headaches!" she crows.

"Thank you," says Jasper in his Southern accent.

[manofmyword]

He grins.

"Hey, my pleasure," he says, snuggling Nathan.

[temporal_affairs]

Alice looks momentarily curious, and then she makes a face and sits back down. "No kidding," she snorts. "You're definitely Stella's boyfriend's alt. She came and consulted me about turning him, and my exact words were that he'd have a 'disturbing amount of fun'."

[manofmyword]

The Joker laughs.

"Yeah, that's me," he agrees. "Disturbing amounts of fun."

[temporal_affairs]

"I'm undisturbed," asserts Nathan.

"Your baby is going to remember everything you're saying when he grows up and put together the clues," Jasper points out.

"Elsie has it worse than that, and she's fine," Nathan says, waving a hand.

[manofmyword]

"I think most people eventually figure out that their parents have had sex," the Joker snorts.

[temporal_affairs]

"Yes, but I don't think all the detail he'd be able to figure out by the time he's five on the basis of this conversation is called for," says Jasper.

"Jazz, honey, Kerron's theirs, not ours," soothes Alice.

"Are you going to have one too?" asks Nathan brightly.

"We're still thinking about it," Alice says, "we weren't pining for a century like Rosalie was, but we might, as long as we can now."

[manofmyword]

"Ours was an accident," the Joker says cheerfully. "I wasn't sure I wanted to keep him at first, but I love my munchkin and I don't regret it for a second."

[temporal_affairs]

"And you're just going to say all that right in front of him when he has a perfect memory and he'll know the words inside of a month and the concepts in a year and all the implications in four or five," says Jasper, shaking his head.

"I believe Cody knows that he was an accident," Alice points out. "And he's fine."

"It'd be hard to miss in his case. Kerron could've missed the memo if they hadn't said it," Jasper says.

[manofmyword]

He shrugs. "Why shouldn't I?"

[temporal_affairs]

"So you don't give him a complex about whether he was wanted or not," says Jasper.

"I can't see that far off when too many people's choices matter to the outcome, but even without that confirmation I hardly think it's inevitable," says Alice.

[manofmyword]

"Did you have a nasty childhood or something?" the Joker inquires. "I did too. Different kind, though."

[temporal_affairs]

"I don't remember enough of my childhood to know," Jasper says frankly. "It's just common sense."

"Not so common, apparently," says Nathan. "Anyway. We've got a kid. We're pleased to have a kid. The kid will be fine. Won't you, kiddo?"

Kerron is waving patterns in the air again, especially a line leading in only one direction from Nathan to the Joker. "Ububv."

[manofmyword]

"Munchkin knows what's up," the Joker observes.

[temporal_affairs]

"Suit yourselves," shrugs Jasper.

Rosalie walks down the hall, and her little Henry is toddling with excellent balance after her. "Hi, all!" she says. "Hi again, Kerron, d'you remember me?"

She gets Kerron's attention, and a big smile.

[manofmyword]

"Awww."

[temporal_affairs]

"It's a baaaaby!" says Henry.

"That's right, that's baby Kerron," Rosalie says, her attention instantly trained fully on her son as soon as he speaks. "He's a little half-vampire like you! He was born yesterday."

"I was born last month," Henry says, nodding to himself.

"Yes, you were," Rosalie says with immense pride.

"I wanna hold the baby," says Henry.

"You'll have to ask his parents," Roaslie says.

"Can I hold the baby," Henry says to Nathan and the Joker dutifully.

[manofmyword]

"Sure," he shrugs.

[temporal_affairs]

Henry trots up and holds out his arms and receives a baby, who is not all that much smaller than him and is still carried with ease. "Hi! I'm Henry!" he says to Kerron. Kerron laughs. Rosalie clasps her hands together and smiles.