Logs:Everyone Is Cute

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Cast

Lux, Tanya and Little Fox

Setting

The Firebirds Apartment

Log

An exchange of text messages: Fox has been spending a lot of their time focusing on helping Tanya adjust to their new life, and so has missed some critical hanging-out-with-Lux time. Not all their hanging out with Lux time, but, you know. Responsibilities.

But now the baby is ready to start meeting people outside the Firebirds and start reintegrating into the world. The invitation over to eat dinner and meet Tanya came with a warning that they've never met a Changeling before -- or at least, not one they knew was a Changeling -- so there might be questions, and if stuff got too weird, that Fox'll handle the kid.

Anyway, Fox ordered a bunch of food, souped up the weed so it's extra chill indica, and is currently unpacking the pelmeni (a Fox staple) and the Indian food (because he wanted something different than usual). Since she's got Vasha's credit card, there's a lot of food. Plus there's soda and candy, because Fox knows Lux and their sweet tooth. Giant piles of food on the living room table, and a bucket of ice with sodas, waters and beers in it.

Tanya is already there in the living room with the food, because the food is there and it's food. Good food even. The nascent mage is wearing a hoodie with a fine black and white checkerboard print over a pastel pink shirt and cyan shorts, and a pair of pink plimsolls. A plate in front of them has already been stocked with chicken tikka and saag paneer on rice, as well as some fluffy samosas, and they're eating with a fork in one hand and scrolling their phone with the other.

Lux assured through text replies that they would be there, and be prepared for awkward questions.

They're only a little bit late--cause Lux will always walk and run everywhere whenever possible, and that isn't the best for being on time. And in fact, they arrive not from the front door, but from the balcony. Appearing out of no where and giving a cheerful knock-knock-knock on the sliding door. They're as colorful as ever, though with it getting colder they're forced to wear more layers than their preferred booty shorts and tank tops. Thick neon leggings, sneakers with a custom paint job, and a short skirt, paired with a tattered sweater pulled over a tight long sleeve shirt. All clashing colors and patterns.

"Lux is, like, my best friend," Fox reiterates gently to Tanya, coming back from the kitchen with a handful of forks. Who does she think she's feeding, the Russian Army? "Oh! And we don't usually drink with Lux or their partners. Jack is a recovering alcoholic, and I'm super proud of him, so I don't think Lux or Mearcstapa are drinking, just, like, out of solidarity, so we just don't usually drink. You can if you want to, I just don't. It feels weird. I don't know why I got out beer, I wasn't thinking. I should put it away."

When the knock comes from the sliding door, Fox screeches happily, not dissimilarly from an actual fox yelling for a skulkmate, and vaults the couch to fling themself at Lux for a hug. She's wearing a pair of flannel sleep shorts with cartoonish avocados on them and a tank top that reads THERE'S ONE IN EVERY MINYAN with the 'one' in rainbow colors.

Tanya nods to Fox's instructions. "Take the beer away, I'm fine if the weed's still okay." There's a bit of surprise at Fox's sudden noise and spring. Staring up at Lux, they adopt a wide-eyed stare of surprise and fascination, as if their guest is a unicorn or something. They're polite and aware enough to not stare too long, but their eyes keep pingponging around Lux's features and eclectic outfit. The phone even gets set down!

Lux catches Fox up in their arms when he launches at them, smirking as she is lifted up and squeeeezed, and given affectionate smooches on the cheek before being set down. "Hey you. It feels like its been foreeeeever. It's good to see you." They look past him, sniffing. "Fuck, that smells amaaazing." They step into the apartment, looking over the food hungrily--but reaches to pick up a pack of candy first, opening it to pop a bit into their mouth. Then they look to Tanya, giving the baby mage a look up and down. "This the new kid?"

Lux doesn't really look abnormal, save for the brightly colored outfit. Passing them on the street, they'd just look like a normal person. But they seem to glow, almost--more metaphorically than literally, but the light always catches them in just the right away. There's also a faint chill that lingers around them.

"It has been forever," Fox wails with faux-dramatics, the emotional equivalent of a dog who was left alone for more than five minutes. He smooches Lux noisily on the cheek and squeezes them tightly before letting go. "It's good to see you, too." They pap pap pap barefoot back into the living room, and bob their head in agreement with both Tanya and Lux. "No, weed's definitely still okay, kiddo. I always prepare my strongest potions for Lux. And by strongest potions I mean best Matter-and-Life-enhanced weed."

"Yeah, so, this is Tanya, my apprentice. Tanya, they/them, and Lux, also they/them. One of Lux's partners is actually a former apprentice of mine, Aaron. And yes, eventually you will probably need a diagram to keep track of who's connected to whom in this town." Fox flops down onto the couch, snagging a plate. "There's some really good biryani in here, from the place on Pine. They put cashews in it, I love it so much."

Tanya can't see through the mask, but their fascination remains. "Hi Lux, that's...I'm sorry, I'm staring, I just love your outfit," they blurt with cheery awkwardness. "I'm a little jealous. Is that weird? It's hard to tell what's weird nowadays." They've started in on the weed already apparently, and after offering a happy wave of greeting to Lux, sets their food aside to take a very large hit. It's not until they're coughing and puffing out a cloud of smoke that they double take back to Fox. "Wait, this is magic weed?"

"Nice to meet you, Tanya." They drop down onto the couch as well, munching on another handful of candy before reaching for a plate to shovel real food on--trying some of the biryani. "It does look good. I'm starving." They look to Tanya, grinning. "Thanks." Then, bemused, "Jealous?"

"Kiddo, in this house, it's always magic weed. Go easy on it until you know how it hits you, and if it's too much, tell me, and I'll purge your system. Don't think you have to tough it out." Fox piles chicken biryani on their plate, pours some of the cool, cucumbery sauce over the top, and snags a piece of naan, curling up onto the couch with a soda. A glance aside to Lux when they ask that single-word question of Tanya, and he reaches for a Coke rather than interjecting in that train of conversation.

Tanya takes a moment to cough water-eyed and squint, but a smile is plastered on their face when it's done. "Okay. Yeah. Huhhhh. I'll...let that one sit for a bit." They set the bong aside and glance at Lux, smiling shyly. "Envious, really. Jealousy's worrying someone else will take what you have, envy is wanting what someone else has. You look great. I love the colors." They've effused like this at Fox before, mostly when they first met and the dust of Awakening had settled, but Fofo's particular brand of nonbinary presentation has them seeing stars once more. "I just...came out, I guess. Just realized I don't want to be a boy nor a girl. That I was just doing things because I was told. So if I'm totally fucking awkward, I'm just...figuring all of reality out all over again, you know, no big deal." They glance over to Fox and give him a smile. "Fox is the best teacher, though. I wish I could have met them earlier."

"Oh." Lux considers Tanya a moment, then nods. "Mm, that makes sense. Congratulations on coming out! It's a big step. I'm glad you're learning who you are." They smile widely. "If you want to borrow some clothes sometime, you're welcome to. Ooor we could go shopping."

A sympathetic look aside at Tanya when they cough, and Fox reaches over to gently pat their apprentice on the shoulder. "Yeah. Let that one sit for a bit," he laughs, and then starts forking up food into their mouth. "Mmmm, spiceh!" Biryani burns so good, and Fox wiggles happily in their seat, reaching for her soda to wash down the bite. She blushes briefly at the compliment, head ducking forward. "All things at the right time." Lux's comments about clothes? Fox's gold-green eyes glitter brightly. "I can borrow Vasha's credit card," she faux-whispers.

Tanya's already getting excited at the idea of borrowing clothes, let alone shopping. Their eyes get very very large and practically sparkle, and their hands go up to their mouth in anticipation. "Oh my gosh." Fox's whisper makes it worse. "Oh my GOSH yes yes yes. I need to get out of here. There's been too many reasons to hide indoors. And it's safer than me trying my spells yet," they state. They're more relaxed now, smiling comfortably at Lux now that they understand each other. "And thank you. People like you and Fox and Leta literally make it possible. Without examples I literally wouldn't know what to try. Would be doing it blind. Or wouldn't even realize certain things are an option. You know?"

"Yeah, I get that." Lux nods. "It can be... a lot, when you're starting out on that journey. Having role models is good. And you have, like, the best role model here." Lux smiles adoringly at Fox, leaning over to smooch her on the temple. Then grabs up their fork to start digging in. "Mm, shopping is even better when its on someone else's dime."

The Thyrsus starts smiling when Tanya covers her mouth in anticipation? He grins broadly, flashing those sharp little vulpine teefs at their apprentice. "Good. I was going to tell you that we have to go to Maddy's at the very least sometime soon. You've been hiding in the apartment too long, both from Awakening and from egg cracking." The look they give aside to Lux is likewise adoring, clearly writ on their face the idea that of course Lux made that easy. She leans into the kiss, and then shovels another bite into her mouth. "It is. So, like, let's do shopping and Maddy's this week."

Her phone pings, and Fox reaches for it, unlocking it with her thumb, and then frowns. A quick series of taptaptap. "Leta got some bad news. She's gonna go to sleep rather than come eat with us, which is fine, sleeping off bad news is a good idea. I'll make sure she gets invited to clothes time, though."

Tanya huffs. "You're RIGHT. I had good reasons to start hiding and then it just became habit. And I'm too worried about both. Like I'll do the wrong thing and cause a huge mess or upset you," they say, looking at Fox. "But that's just...brain demons, you know? Fuck that. Let's go out and be loud." They grin eagerly. "I shouldn't worry. I'm under supervision."

"Hope Leta is okay," Lux says before munching down more food. They smile back at Tanya. "Fuck yeah! Fuck them brain demons. We're gonna have you looking fabulous." More chewing, before they reach for a soda to wash the mouthful down. "What are you into, Tanya? When you're not learning how to do magic."

"She'll be fine, it's just work crap. You know how a mood crash happens and you just don't wanna be social. I'm proud of her for just not magicking it away but like, doing some real human self-care stuff. That's good stuff, for us. Not relying too heavily on magic." Fox's smile is slightly dimmed, and she holds the voice memo button. "Hey, dorkus malorkus. I love you, and I'll come snuggle you later tonight. Drink water, get sleep."

Her phone set down, she scoots a little to lean against Lux, shoring up her own mood with proximity to her bestie, and putting food in her face. "Brain demons suck, but that's what other people are for."

Tanya nods. "Other people help the most. I can handle a brain demon or two on my own once I recognize the signs though," they smirk. To Lux, they pause a bit first. "Oh, I'm kind of a nerdy shut-in, I don't know. I spend a lot of time on the internet just reading things, hunting down weird obscure stuff. Science, history, mythology... I don't really have any hobbies. Until I ended up here I was just sort of...doing whatever people told me to. What I was 'supposed' to be doing. Mostly that involved writing things I didn't believe and trying to do work I didn't like. Forcing myself through academia." They huff. "Oh that got way too fucking heavy. I might need more space weed. My tolerance is pretty high..."

"Heavy is okay," Lux assures with a shrug. "So--college and shit, sounds like. Dropping out? No shame in that--never finished high school, myself." A beat pause. "I don't think, anyway." More chowing down. "Mm, nerdy computer shit is cool. I should introduce you to a friend of mine. She's a vampire, and incredible at hacker stuff. Like, legit hacker shit. I don't even begin to understand the stuff she can do. Also, she's cute."

Chomp chomp chomp. Fox alternates between spicy rice, chicken and veggies and drinking Coke, occasionally sticking her tongue out and breathing a little dragon-breath. The biryani is very spicy, and it's making Fox happy. "Heavy is definitely okay. Lux and I have talked out some heavy-ass shit." They lean his head on Lux's shoulder, watching Tanya with a thoughtful chill. "Mmm, who's that? I don't think ... I mean I know Floretta but I don't actually think I know any other vampires. Hunh."

They smile at the reassurance. They don't look very certain about vampires, but curiosity seems to outway hesitation. "Oh I love all that hacker stuff. I don't code, I wish I could, but it's fascinating. I mean I can code a BIT, like. Enough to know I barely know anything. Oh my fuck that's just like my whole life right now." They reach for the bong and take another prodigious hit, smiling at the both of them. "Everyone I meet is fucking cute, too, I was starting to worry I just had low standards or something..."

"Her name is Alex. Maybe I'll introduce you some day. She's really close to me and the boys, though. Practically family, at this point." They lean back into Fox, more than comfortable with the closeness. "So you're like... finding yourself in more ways than one, then."

"And fuck, yes. Everyone is cute. It's not fair. You're also cute as hell."

Their green-gold eyes glitter with delight at the conversation, mood picking back up again. The recipe for beating a sad feeling: good food and a LuxSnuggle. Take one LuxSnuggle and relax, bad feelings fade. "Nope, I definitely haven't met Alex," Fox affirms. "You should definitely introduce us. Especially if she's cute." She scratches her cheek thoughtfully. "I hope you know that, like, we're not pressuring you to go back to college, and we never will, but we'll also support you if you want to do that, and if you need someone to help you sort stuff out with your family, we can do that, too."

And then she covers her mouth with one hand, snickering. "Oh my God, can you imagine, like, Vasha talking to someone's parents to try to sort things out?"

She clears her throat. "Ahem. Yes, everyone is cute, it's very unfair."

Tanya is practically beaming. Lux calling them cute has them nearly knocked over though, swooning and blushing as they fidget in response. "Really?! I mean, thank you so much. You're super cute too. And Fox. Holy shit and Leta is so hot too. It is the most unfair. But better than everyone being boring I guess."

Not even being flattered can stop them from looking at Fox with a snicker though, grinning at him. "I know that all. I'm still deciding myself, s'all. But. Oh my gosh can you just IMAGINE him talking to my parents, like..." They suck in a breath and trill out a thick Movie-Russian accent. "In St. Petersburg we leave new mage in snow, see if survive. Most survive! Is very good. Your kid is Trans, get over it."(edited)

Lux grins, nodding. "Yeah, really-really. Super fucking cute." They pause, then snort in amusement. "I've only met Vasha the once, but... That would be amusing as hell."

"It's super unfair," sighs Fox. "I'm not a Time Mage, there's not enough time in the day to smooch everyone who is so cute." A dramatic sigh, and they flop their head onto Lux's shoulder again, only to burst into that wild gekkering laugh they have when Tanya starts imitating Vasha. "You should either never do that impression in front of him, or always do it. I'm not sure which yet."

"How's the house coming, Lux?" they query, finishing their biryani and leaning to put the plate down before grabbing a bag of Sour Patch Kids.

Tanya is full of Hubris now, or maybe just Pride. But they glow with self-satisfaction at being both Cute and Funny, basking in it for a while. "I'll save it for next time he tries to keep me on my toes by pretending to be a fucking social darwinist," they purr to Fox.

"It's all done, now," Lux replies, smiling brightly. "It's beautiful. I couldn't imagine it being any more perfect. Though I admit, I haven't had a ton of time to enjoy it--been spending most of my time at the Collective or diving into dreams."

The Thyrsus gekkers in amusement. "That was really mean of him to haze you like that, and you have my permission to make him pay for that for as long as you like," Fox reassures their apprentice. He noshes on Sour Patch Kids -- apparently today is the day the Life Master abuses their taste buds -- and grins broadly. "I can't wait to see the finished work!" A pause. "Dreams? Did you tell me about this? I know you've been working on new paintings -- Lux is an incredible artist, kiddo -- but... "

Tanya grabs some sour patch kids too, taking a backseat in the conversation but looking very happy to listen about diving into dreams. They lean forward in their seat to listen in.

"I did, I think--I told you my dreams were turning weirder, right? Prophetic." They nod. "Been learning how to master it. Pretty sure I've got it down. Still learning how to best manipulate dreams, but I'm getting better. I got a... test, coming up, that some of the higher ups have given me."

"Oh right!" Fox's face flushes, and their expression turns apologetic. "We were going to do some experimenting, but we've both been busy. And it kind of fell out of my brain because... " A vague shrug, there. "High Holidays plus apprentice plus. I'm sorry I forgot. We should still do that sometime. I've never worked with dreams the way you all do." She bites his lower lip thoughtfully. "Yeah? Are you feeling, like, prepared?"

"It's alright." They smile. "I kinda lost track of time, myself, so not your fault. We should still definitely do it sometime, though." Lux pauses a beat, looking thoughtful. "I think... as prepared as I can be. To a point you just gotta learn by doing, you know?"

The reassurance makes Fox relax a little bit, and they curl up contentedly against Lux's side once more, just noshing on candy. "We should definitely," he agrees, and pushes a bit of her unruly black hair out of her eyes. The smile she gives Lux at the last bit is a little wry. "Yes, I think I am aware of that philosophy." Beat. "Well, if I can help in any way, tell me, okay?"