1.6 Her Persuasive Tactics

Rock listens in while Fairuza negotiates contract details by phone. Maybe he can learn something from her persuasive tactics.

Fairuza is pregnant, and Rock has started a garden... if you can call it that.

This legacy's first gnome appears outside in the snow while Fairuza is at the hospital giving birth. How ominous. I'm surprised it took this long.

Fairuza and Rock are the proud parents of a baby girl. They've named her Ivy.

Unfortunately Ivy's parents work long and similar hours, so she's left in the care of babysitter Rikard Vidarsson.

Rikard is not so bad.

He only leaves Ivy's side once, and it's because he's worried about a squirrel.

IT'S FINE OK?

NOTHING TO SEE HERE.

Ivy grows quickly.

She has her mom's eyes.

Her toys end up on every surface, as her parents pick them up off the floor but can't be bothered to make it all the way to the toybox.

Rock has the perfectionist trait, so he is compelled to make his side of the bed up neatly when it is his turn to get up in the middle of the night to tend to his crying daughter.

Feast Day is supposed to be about family and friends, but for Fairuza it's about attending her clients' parties and pretending she cares.

At least the chocolate gnomes are tasty.

Fairuza frowns. The residents of Aurora Skies are so weird.

Rikard spends enough time with Ivy that they have become friends.

Now that she's older, he trusts her enough to watch TV while she naps.

Though sometimes he just paces the house restlessly, sulking over teen romance gone wrong.

That look on Fairuza's face says it all: she's heard that spraying noise before.

"Rock... am I going to turn around and find the sink is broken again?"

"Uhhh... no..."

Aurora Skies is home to the Tiny Prodigies Learning Center, which sounds like a private school for toddlers but is actually a city-funded facility to help children.

The idea was to make sure every child had access to skilling objects, regardless of whether or not their family can afford them, but it also offers a safe place for kids to play while their parents use the gym equipment or computer labs or whatever.

The warm indoors playgrounds are a nice touch.

Rock brings Ivy here so she can socialize with other children and have experiences outside the house that aren't shrieking about how cold the snow is. Ivy is impressed with all the toys her family could technically afford, but has nowhere to put.

Can this place really bring out the potential for kids to be geniuses???

It had better, because Ivy's parents both rolled wishes about her acquiring the genius trait.

Fairuza offers a polite greeting to recent elder Lief Helgason. Lief has like a billion kids, all to different mothers, and his latest baby's mother is Fairuza's buddy Fjord Warbler... who has been introducing Lief as her significant other.

According to Fjord, Lief is a caring father who has custody of all of his children... a great guy whose only crime is falling too fast and too hard in love... but Fairuza is suspicious. Three failed marriages is a lot.

"I'm trying not to judge about the age difference, but... isn't it weird? He's probably going to die before his latest child is even a teenager!" Fairuza complains.

"I know you're worried for your friend, but Fjord and Lief are both adults," Rock says, stifling a yawn. "They should do what makes them happy."

"But what about their daughter?"

"You only had one parent," Rock reminds her. "You're fine."

Fairuza scowls as she carefully seasons the fish. They're trying salmon tonight. "Damn right I'm fine. Fine looking."

Spring arrives, replacing frequent snow with frequent rain.

"I feel like it rains every day," Fairuza mopes.

"It's a sign of the recovering ecology," Rock reminds her, but she tunes him out when he goes over boring science stuff. Rain may be special to some people, but it isn't to Fairuza.

Rock brings Ivy with him to the park. Maybe her cuteness will win over some voters.

Poor Ivy did not sleep well last night, so she takes the first opportunity to pass out in the flowers.







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Etc.: What to say here??? I guess I can link to where I got all those nice flowers.