Moctezuma, Christmas Day

[momslilassassin]

After wishfully believing Val would let them sleep in after their trek to the local cathedral to celebrate Midnight Mass with the rest of their neighbors (yeah, no way. She was up at 5:30, just like every other morning), Ben was--in the spirit of the season--bringing Ender and Big Val giant mugs of coffee from the kitchen while Little Val gleefully made confetti from wrapping paper in the living room.

The house was smelling promisingly of pork and chicken tamales--they were trying to embrace the local traditions this year, and Ben was always in favor of experimenting with anything food related.

"Merry Christmas," he said, heading back into the living room levitating two coffee mugs in front of him as he held his own in his hand. Force powers were so handy.

Comments

[endsthegame]

"Ah, so you were paying attention," Ender said fondly.

[momslilassassin]

"Of course I was," Ben said. "I was also making sure Val didn't take one of the sheep from the stable thing."

[endsthegame]

"Science!" Val declared.

Ender patted her. "Yes, you were doing science."

[momslilassassin]

Ben laughed. "How was it science, sweetheart?"

[endsthegame]

"Animals were weird," Val said, very seriously. "No blinking."

[momslilassassin]

"That's because they were statues, Val," Ben said. "They were only pretending to be animals."

[endsthegame]

"Statues blink," Val argued loudly.

Ender sighed.

[momslilassassin]

"What statues have you seen that blink?"

Ben, asking a toddler this was kind of insane.

[endsthegame]

"Droids!"

Ender tilted his head. "Well, she's got you there."

[momslilassassin]

Ben laughed. "She really does," he admitted. "How many sheep-shaped droids have you seen, Val?"

[endsthegame]

Young Val thought about it, tilting her head. "Two," she decided.

[momslilassassin]

Ben's eyes twinkled as he glanced at Ender. "Do you remember them too, kreetle?"

[endsthegame]

"There was that 'Tickle Me Sleepy' doll we bought her a while ago," Ender offered wryly.

[momslilassassin]

Ben shuddered. "That was a mistake."

[endsthegame]

"I'll never know why toy manufacturers insist on making their work so terrifying," Ender said, sighing. "Or so noisy."

[momslilassassin]

"We're a hundred years in the future from where we started and it's still terrible," Ben lamented. "You think they'd've gotten smarter by now."

[endsthegame]

"At this point, I think I'm comfortable in assuming malice," Ender said dryly.

[momslilassassin]

"So toys are really made by people or droids without any experience with actual children," Ben mused. "Makes some sense..."

[endsthegame]

"Or they're made by people who have ample experience, and funnel it into evil," Ender said.

[momslilassassin]

Ben laughed. "There might be some of that too, yeah," he agreed.

[endsthegame]

Ender leaned in to kiss him again, gently. "Either way," he said, "Sometimes statues are just statues, Val."

[momslilassassin]

Ben lingered a bit in the kiss because it was Christmas and he could, while Val made a dubious face. "I don't like them," she decided.

[endsthegame]

"Right," Ender said, pulling away. "Only droids for Valentine."

[momslilassassin]

"I make it myself," Val said emphatically, nodding while Ben tried to smother a giggle.

[endsthegame]

"I guess that settles your next birthday present," Ender said wryly.