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[proofread]

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[proofread]

[ the beach isn't her normal haunt. philippa has always been someone who stayed amongst the trees, either in her family's cottage or running through the forest with all her friends. but there was something about today that has her biking out to the coast and staring out to the horizon.

she hadn't brought a suit – not that swimming in the nude was ever off-limits but in her time on this earth, she's found humans are very particular about where and when they are stripped down to her skin. no one is around, anyway, but most people are on their lunch breaks at this hour.

her gloves go into the pockets of her knee-length green sundress and she at least takes her sandals off, sticking them in the basket of her bike. with the bike locked safely on the dock, she sprints straight towards the water, laughing as she kicks the water up. the sun is high in the sky and she doesn't think she could be any happier. maybe she can bring a shell and some sea glass back home to make a pretty necklace for her niece.

work has been overwhelming. there isn't anything fresh air can't fix, though. ]

[proofread]

[ the house is a disaster.

that is nothing new, not with phil's overactive imagination and a little girl to dote on. their little house is now a castle and they have decorated it as such with scarves in place of tapestries. lily is the princess dressed in an old hanbok of auntie's who is able to rule their woodland kingdom for the day.

after pushing the living room furniture against the walls, the braids auntie has twisted in elaborate designs have quickly become undone after a dozen on the open rug. the house is a disaster but it's full of endless giggles and smells like snickerdoodles. all of this results in a tuckered out little girl who has suddenly fallen asleep in philippa's arms on discarded couch cushions after tea time. ]

Dear old dad, [ she whispers, slowly ( struggling and ) getting to her feet with lily in tow. ] Would you do the honors of putting Her Highness to bed?

[ecotones]

[ By and large there isn't much that Lily wants for. Her father isn't the wealthiest man in the world, but he brings in enough income to support his daughter and more than cover his share of the joint expenses he shares with his sister. He's an almost obnoxious doting father, and lavishes attention on her whenever Lily seems to want it.

But he's still her just her dad, and sometimes it seems like she wants some time with another girl.

Jason is eternally grateful to his younger sister for stepping in to fill the role in Lily's life that her own mother vehemently refused after finding out the true nature of Lily's dad. Sometimes it weighs heavy on his heart that a child as incredible as Lily (unbiased, objective fact) would have even one person in this world who would reject her, but with an aunt like Philippa he also has all the hope that Lily doesn't even recognize the loss.

It's enough for him that he won't even sigh dramatically over the fact that he's bound to be roped into the cleanup for a party he didn't even participate in.

Instead he laughs a little (quietly) at Phil still insisting on remaining in-character despite the fact that her playmate has knocked out for the night. Tuckered out or not, Jason is still just as slow and careful with his own movements as he reaches out to gently scoop his sleeping daughter out of her aunt's arms. ]

Ahhh... so it's true that the weight of the crown is heavy. Look how tired it's made her.

[proofread]

Indeed.

[ they'll always have each other one way or the other, through the rocky years of separation up until the arrival of this precious little girl. there was no question in her mind whether she would drop everything to be able to help him out when it came to raising his child. despite their shared years of experience, child-rearing had not been a major factor in any of it, but she thinks they have done a pretty decent job so far.

family units come in all shapes and sizes these days. well, they always have been varied and interesting in their own ways but it has become more acceptable in certain countries to go against the grain. at least here, no one would ever bat an eye at a pair of siblings coming together to raise a little girl.

she clasps her hands under her chin as she watches big bro scoop the kid up into his arms. ] She looks so small when you hold her, [ phil chuckles, shaking her head as she gently removes the crown lest it gets crushed when they finally put her to bed. ]

I told her we'd have tea and sandwiches when she wakes up.

[ecotones]

[ No, people don't judge a sister helping her older brother raise his daughter. It does occasionally lead to some uncomfortable conversations when people assume and misjudge the nature of Phil and Jason's relationship, but for the most part it's the person making the assumption that's forced to uncomfortably backpedal from the question or statement they just made.

For them the situation is comfortable. They've spent most of their very long existence together, and have developed a deep familial bond that is hard for even the closest of human siblings to rival. The addition of a third family member has just made everything a little livelier and more pleasant, and honestly added a much needed sense of structure to Jason's life.

He laughs through his nose at the comment as he easily cradles Lily with just one arm. Looking down at his sleeping daughter it's impossible for that goofy dad grin to not stretch across his face. ]

That's because she is small.

[ And there it is, the tone of an adoring father as he starts to move carefully towards her room. ]

And really?

[ He does spare Phil one quick glance over his shoulder. ]

Unless you're doing sandwiches for breakfast, I don't see that happening.

[proofread]

Well! I can prepare some of it before we sleep! We'll be able to at least get the fixing set up after we clean up, uh –

[ their "tapestries" ( most of phil's scarves ) are still strewn about everywhere, the cushions still pulled from the couch, the makeshift tent between two dining table chairs falling over in their absence. she glances over her shoulder before sheepishly turning her head to smile back at her brother.

but then she's easily distracted by the little ( tiny!! ) girl on his arm and she giggles softly, rushing to brush past them so she can rush into her room to help clear some of the stuffed toys off her bed. with her bedtime pals still surrounding the bed, philippa pulls the blankets back so they can get her settled and sailing off to dreamland. ]

She is the perfect size. I can almost put her into my pocket.

[ecotones]

[ Jason follows Phil's gaze to the mess she and Lily managed to make. None of it is going to be difficult to clean up, it'll just take some time. For the most part Lily is a good kid who doesn't get up to the kind of trouble that permanently damages anything.

And for the most part Phil is a good aunt who only enables non-destructive creative outlets.

Still, he has to raise his eyebrows in wry amusement at the way she cuts herself off. ]

"We"?

[ No, he will help. After she watched his daughter it's the least he can do, even if he knows it's no chore for Phil. He just also has to give her a hard time too. Just a little bit of one, as he stands back letting Phil get the bed ready for Lily, before he walks over and carefully lays his little girl down on the bed. ]

There you go, kiddo.

[ The little one stirs lightly, but apparently was tuckered out enough that it doesn't wake her. So with a small laugh he leans down to kiss the top of her head, before pulling the blanket up over her. ]

[proofread]

[ phil retreats to the doorway so dad can tuck lily in the rest of the way, the fondest of smiles on her face as she watches him bestow a kiss on her forehead. if you asked her even a hundred years ago about whether or not she could see her older brother with a kid of his own, she would have laughed in bewilderment. now, it seems like the most natural thing for him. ]

Certainly her papa couldn't ever say no to her simple request for tea and sandwiches in the morning.

[ she chuckles, wrinkling her nose as she waits for him to leave the room so they can close the door for her.

oh, but not before she turns off the light and flicks on the twinkly galaxy nightlight she bought for lily on a whim. which is how she buys most things for her, actually. the projections on the ceiling spin around slowly on a timer, ready to shut itself off by the time dad and auntie get to bed themselves. ]

[ecotones]

[ Hundreds of years went by without Jason making any changes to much of anything other than the identity he claimed. His personality remained the same, verging on self-centered more often than it should, and irresponsible even on his best days.

Who would have thought that out of all the life events he experienced, this would cause the fastest and most pronounced change that he'd seen in a long time? It wasn't as if he'd never grown before Lily, but he'd certainly stagnated for a long while before her.

He keeps quiet as Phil changes the lighting and closes the door, but snorts a little at the comment once it's safe to do so without disturbing Lily. ]

Am I the one that's going to be making those now?

[ He starts making his way back down the hall to where the wreckage of a make believe kingdom awaits. ]

What kind of sandwiches?

[ Because it really is a simple request, and while lifetimes of living have never turned Jason into a culinary whiz, he can at least make a sandwich passably.

As long as it's simple. ]

[proofread]

Well. I will be there too.

[ she'll even wake up early to help! look, she's already setting her phone alarm clock. with her phone slid into the pocket of the apron she had donned for dress-up ( as the lady-in-waiting ), she begins fluffing out one of their throw blankets. ]

As for the menu, we can do cheddar and tomato ... or maybe I can do something with the pesto I tried making the other day? [ that's phil, her mind always working. but it's never work when it comes to her family.

she marches up to jason to offer him the corners of the blanket so she can fold it properly. please and thank you. ]

[ecotones]

[ He's mind pillow corralling when she brings him that blanket, but sets down the three he has (now in one convenient location) to grab onto the other end of that blanket. Between the two of them it really will only take a matter of minutes to get this all sorted and put away.

It's just easy to give Phil a little bit of a hard time as her big brother. ]

It was edible.

[ Like that, for example. The pesto honestly wasn't bad for a first attempt, not that all his years of living ever gave Jason a refined enough sense of taste to really be able to tell great pesto from mediocre stuff. ]

We could probably use all three.

[proofread]

Edible. [ naturally, phil clutches her chest with a great gasp. there had been the perfect balance of basil, cheese, and pine nuts in her humble opinion!! it barely occurs to her that he might just be being a typical older brother in that moment. it does make her determined to retry her sauce in case it does need anything later.

she flits about the room, zigzagging as she collects all her scarves, draping them over her arms as she gathers the whole lot. the living room already looks more like a living room and less like royal chambers. ]

I'll chop the tomatoes and cheese after this, [ she adds, moving on from the offense quickly. ]

[ecotones]

[ Jason laughs through his nose as he starts to move the furniture back to where it's meant to be, happy to do the heavy lifting part of this. Though a couple of chairs hardly counts as particularly heavy lifting, and he has a feeling Lily probably pushed them into place herself. ]

Sounds like I won't have much to do at all. You should at least let me pretend to help if you're going to volunteer me for it.

[ Though he guesses he could assemble already prepared ingredients. ]

[proofread]

You're just gonna give me a hard time for asking for your help, ( phil whines with a little shake of her shoulders to emphasize her point. there's no wonder that lily enjoys her company so much considering that her aunt can be so much like a kid herself. )

But. ( she brandishes one scarf, lightly thwapping him with it. )

If you want to help you can be in the sandwich assembly line tomorrow.

[ecotones]

You have no proof.

[ Other than years of knowing him. He definitely deserves that particular accusation being tossed his way. The two of them get along well, but it's hard to be around someone for multiple lifetimes without ever needling them from time to time.

He laughs at the useless thwapping as he picks up some more pillows on the floor. ]

I can probably manage that much.

[proofread]

No proof ... ?? What about my mind and our history? I am helping raise your little baby with these sandwiches!! ( phil tries to hiss all of this dramatically but she ends up laughing halfway through her faux tirade against jason. it's always going to be a
younger sibling thing, having to stand your ground for one reason or another, even over silly sibling things such as this one.

normally, she is quite easygoing, letting everything flow like water off a duck's back, but sometimes she will break out the more combative moods for her older brother.

the living room looks more like itself - still pleasantly messy but without a fort in the middle of it this time. more functional. )

I know she'll be happy to eat a sandwich from papa, I can tell you that.

[ecotones]

[ Phil's very reasonable proof still gets an exaggerated frown and a shake of the head from Jason, as if their centuries of history can't possibly be used against him like this.

Though he does at least stop shaking his head when she mentions that she's helping to raise his daughter. It's true, without a mother figure in Lily's life it has been great for her to still have an aunt who is as there for her as Phil is. Even as a joke he's not going to refute her help. ]

She'd be just as happy to eat it if it only came from you. She's not a picky girl.

[proofread]

( well. she preens a little, running her hand dramatically through her hair from root to tip. )

Well, I do have a magic touch and all. So.

( there was no doubt in her mind when she learned that her brother would have a child that she would rush to help him. of course, she would be grateful to have all the time with him after years apart, but they haven't really had a family to raise, roots to nurture and grow. their family is far from what modern people consider normal, so she is at least happy to provide another loving influence in her neice's life this way. )

We lucked out that way, so I hear. Imagine if she rejected broccoli? I'd be so heartbroken!

[ecotones]

[ Jason isn't entirely certain what he said was a real compliment, considering he made the comment about Lily not being picky, but he won't burst Phil's bubble here either. She is a good cook, and she deserves a chance to have her go fed from time to time too.

After all the help that she's given him over the years, even before he had his daughter? The least he can do is pretend his teasing was proper praise.

And maybe offer a little real praise too. ]

Even if she did, I'm sure you'd find a way to bring her around on it.

[proofread]

1. I don’t know how to sext. What do you say? What do you don’t say?
2. I should know better than to open your texts at the grocery store
3. [ text her! ]