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[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre was attempting to make a pumpkin pie. It felt that time of year and, even though the weather hadn't discernably changed, Eostre could have sworn that she'd smelled autumn in the air on her way to the compound that morning. The twins were slouched in the matching high-chairs that Eostre had managed to talk the tall Scottish kid into and

Comments

[little_moons]

"Nice," I snort, brushing my fingertips over Flo's fuzzy head on my way to the sink and turning to Eostre with a smirk, "Want me to get that or are you letting her wallow in it?"

[flowers_on_skin]

"She is getting everything that she deserves," said Eostre, gesturing with her wooden spoon, and then she smiled and nodded.

"I would, but my hands are all..."

She made a face.

[little_moons]

"Yeah, yeah," I mutter, rolling my eyes and wetting a clean dish towel under the taps. Pulling a face, I walk over and lean down over Flo, gently wiping the milky puke off her face and rolling my eyes when she breaks out in a grin. "She does this on purpose, you know."

[flowers_on_skin]

"I think they're doing it to attract attention," said Eostre looking up from her pie. "They only do it when a man walks by."

[youngestqueen]

"You're baking! It smells lovely." Lucy liked Eostre, ever since the woman had let Lucy help with Susan's wedding cake. "Isn't San Francisco in America?"

[flowers_on_skin]

"I am baking, and San Francisco is in America," said Eostre, with a broad smile for the little girl. "Do you want to come and scratch my nose for me, Lucy? My hands are a bit disgusting."

She help up pumpkin covered hands.

[youngestqueen]

Lucy laughed brightly, wrinkling her own nose which was suddenly itchy at Eostre's words. "Of course. Only if I can help you bake."

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre bent down so that Lucy could easily reach her nose, carefully holding her sticky hands out of the way of Lucy's clean clothes.

"Of course you can help me bake."

[moraldyslexic]

"Your children are barfing on themselves," Lennox pointed out helpfully when he came into the kitchen, then snagged a cloth off the counter and wiped Flo's face carefully, wrinkling his nose. "Well, okay, just one of 'em is, but that's enough, eh?"

[flowers_on_skin]

"Careful," warned Eostre, gesturing with her sticky wooden spoon. "She'll set the other one off."

She grinned.

"I've decided that they do it on purpose. They only do it when a good looking young man walks by."

[moraldyslexic]

"Well, babies, I have to say that I'm flattered," Lennox teased, directing the comment at Eostre, although he was looking at Mack and Flo when he said it. Finishing with Flo's face, he dropped a kiss to her head, then did the same for Mack.

[flowers_on_skin]

"See? You're just giving them exactly what they want. Pandering to their every whim."

She tutted, spooning more filling into the pastry.

[wove_the_future]

Calmly, as Kira dragged herself into the kitchen, in her slow easy steps, she caught the end of the story that the woman was telling what looked like her daughters. It was still strange that people actually talked to their children, something her mother had done, but that didn't change it. It also didn't change that the smell of what ever she was working on, caused Kira to sneeze violently.

"San Fran-isco? Wasn't that covered in water?" she asked without much of a second thought.

[flowers_on_skin]

"Not in our place," said Eostre, without looking up. "In our place, it was tall buildings and golden sand."

Eostre looked up at the sneeze.

"Bless you."

It felt like a long time since she'd said that.

[wove_the_future]

With the back of her hand, Kira rubbed her nose, nodding slightly, trying to be apologetic. "Thank you, thought my soul was gone for a moment," she replied, wondering if it was true, that spirits once caught could be let loose again.

She looked at the woman curiously and slowly made her way further into the room. "Ah, before then, of course, I heard it was quite...nice, all the tall buildings." Remnants of them were supposedly sketched and scattered out in the wide depths of the Forest, but no one went looking, no one wanted to. "What's the smell?"

[flowers_on_skin]

"Gods forbid, protect and serve," said Eostre, with a little snort to illustrate how likely she thought that was.

She looked at the pie that was already on the cooling rack.

"Pumpkin."

[east_texas]

Stu was easing back into the world that didn't revolve around a newborn. He was easing back into the building crew which was mighty busy after that Halloween nonsense. And he was easing into the kitchen rather than go do what he ought because Lord-Almighty if that wasn't pumpkin pie he smelled.

"Shoulda known that it'd be you," he grinned. "Y'always get hold of my stomach first."

It was habit after just a few weeks, and Stu grabbed a cloth to clean up...oh, hell, he couldn't tell them apart. "Mind if I sneak past ya for a cup of coffee, Eostre?"

[flowers_on_skin]

Eostre tucked her hips into the counter to let Stu past her.

"You can have a piece of pie to go with it if you've got a few minutes to waste with three pretty girls. Well...two pretty girls and their mother."

[east_texas]

"Reckon I can waste time for pie and a good lookin' woman and her pretty girls," he teased, filling up a mug with the strong black brew once he'd finished up with Flora. "Your place doin' all right? We're making repairs since all that mess. Don't wanna miss anyone," Stu said, smiling at the twins and just about melting when he got a smile in return. Lydia was close, but not there yet.

[flowers_on_skin]

"We just moved," said Eostre, bustling around the kitchen as she watched her friend with her girls. "To just outside the Hamlet. My tree arrived."

She lifted a pie out of the oven and set it on the cooling rack, leaning back against the counter and adjusting her kerchief.

"How's your little lady?"