2.8 Show of Strength

"I wish Dad was eating dinner with us," Lydia complains.

The kids get home from school hungry, and are now old enough to fend for themselves, feasting on whatever leftovers their father stuffed into the fridge. Lynx isn't far away; he's in his bedroom/office, working from home, as a workaholic does. He's the family's only source of income and he feels a lot of pressure to be able to provide whatever the girls may need.

"He's with us in spirit." Solana motions towards the empty bowl at the end of the table. It's been sitting there since before they got up this morning, and now is emitting a green stink cloud.

"Ew ew ew ew EWWW," Lydia moans.

"Well I'm glad he's not here, because he wouldn't let me eat cookies for dinner," Laurel says, as she licks a chocolate chip out of the center of her cookie. (Clearly, this household is anarchy.)

Lydia frowns at her own cookie, hating to think she might be doing something wrong. "He might!" she argues, "If we're really good. And I've been really good."

"You can handle loading the dishwasher then," Laurel says.

"That's not fair!" Lydia shrieks.

Laurel grins. "What do you think, 'Lana? Two overrides one."

Solana pretends not to hear.

"I don't want to touch the green funk cloud bowl!" Lydia seems almost on the verge of tears.

"Well, if you're going to be a baby about it..." Laurel sighs dramatically.

"You're the baby! You're the one trying to get out of putting your own plate away!" Lydia shoots back.

"Oh stop it... I'll clean it up," Solana snaps.

For the most part, the sisters get along. They squabble occasionally over matters of taste as they struggle to define their own identities, but no more than an average set of siblings would.

Solana tests very high. Lynx is told she's a genius. He always suspected she was different, in a good way, but he's a little apprehensive about some of her hobbies.

Still, he promised himself he'd be a supportive parent, so when she wants all the fanciest chemistry sets, he breaks out his wallet, just the same as when he got all those ridiculously expensive art supplies for Lydia and Laurel.

The old nursery became Solana's bedroom. Lynx thought it was fitting she should have the room her mother wallpapered, though he doesn't tell her this. He says as little as possible about Mariposa.

Other screenshots of the room.

It's been a challenge to fit things into such a small space.

The room assignments were decided by dice roll... of course.

This is Laurel's room.

Something about it gives me both nostalgia and anxiety.

The old computer room became Lydia's bedroom.

It's by far the most spacious of the three, which has caused a bit of consternation and fussing between the sisters, even though they're always in each others' rooms playing anyway...

Lydia also has the balcony, where the painting easel is.

She's a creative kid, but is so scared of messing up, she doesn't practice very often with the paints, or with any of the instruments she asked Lynx to buy her, or with anything. Lydia has a ton of projects and not much progress.

Every time Laurel or Solana pick up a new interest, Lydia tries to copycat, hoping to turn it into a social thing, but no matter what it is she cannot seem to stick with it.

The only thing Lydia can consistently focus on is reading books. Sometimes this translates to doing really well in the classroom, but when she gets bored she reads her storybooks instead of paying attention, and her grades plummet.

Still, she considers herself book-smart, and since she has made top grades before, she doesn't understand what makes Solana a genius. Shouldn't she, Lydia, also be considered a genius?

Lynx didn't want his daughters to subsist off of microwave meals, so he's had to up his cooking skill.

Wow, spaghetti tonight?

No one's impressed, Lynx.

Even I can boil pasta and pour in store bought sauce, on a good day.

Lydia pretends she's helping Lynx cook.

Though not around often enough to be a motherly figure, Epiphany keeps a good relationship with the girls. She visits, plays with them, listens to them, occasionally brings gifts from her travels, updates them on all the latest gossip from Aunt Astral and Auntie Ivy and their cousins, and... really Aunt Pippy just likes to make sure Lynx is not screwing up this parenting thing too badly.

She was afraid Lynx would neglect them, or worse, socialize them to be little jerks, so she is relieved to find her nieces are for the most part happy, playful, relatively normal children.

"I want to listen to the rock station," Lydia complains.

"Western station is better, and I won the coin flip," Laurel says.

"You cheated somehow," Lydia accuses.

"Shush, we're supposed to be doing our homework," Solana reminds them. "Besides, everyone knows the Latin station is the best."

Laurel makes a face. "But they don't even sing in Latin!"

Solana doesn't look up. "Well, I like it."

"Lana, what did you get for number fifteen?" Lydia asks hesitantly.

"267," Solana answers.

Lydia makes a sad face and starts erasing.

Laurel glances at Solana's homework. "You're not showing your work. The teacher's going to get mad."

"I do it in my head," Solana reminds her.

"You're going to get in trouble, Lana." Laurel frowns and holds up her own homework. "Just copy off of mine if you have to, so the teacher doesn't punish you."

"But I don't need to waste all that space, Laurel."

"You have to or the teacher will think you used a calculator," Lydia points out.

Solana sighs wearily. "What would be so bad about that? Will there be a calculator shortage in the apocalypse?"

The family has its first large vehicle now, a blue Tofunda Wagon with enough seating for all four of them.

On Saturday Lynx takes the kids to the park... not because he wants to be there, but because Laurel wanted desperately to go up in a hot air balloon, and as soon as Lydia heard that, she wanted to go too.

Parenting is a strange thing for Lynx. It's like RolePlaying. He puts who he really is away, so he can bring out this 'dad persona' that cares about eating healthy and going to bed on time and being nice. Dad-Lynx wants them to do their homework and clean their room, and encourages their hobbies, and cares about their elementary school friendships and dramas.

Real-Lynx just wants to wallow in unwashed hoodies, design video games, eat instant noodles, and tell everyone they suck. Real-Lynx doesn't care what time it is, or about what Samuel Warbler said on the playground, or if toys are strewn all over the carpet. He does, however, care about his daughters... so he pretends he cares about all those other things, because he imagines it is what's best for them.

Laurel discovers her new favorite activity: water balloon wars.

Lydia has the coward trait, so when it's time to conquer the hot air balloon she predictably chickens out and stays firmly on the ground.

Some of her male classmates are hanging around the ruins of the last hot dog eating contest, so she wanders over there to scout for potential future boyfriends, instead of risking her life on cheap thrills.

Maybe this one?

She'll have to think about it.

After their fun at the park, the kids get dropped off at the Fun-O-Rama.

Lydia's approach to skating is a lot less reckless than her sisters'.

Hey, it's Astral.

I guess she's watching the kids, since loner trait Lynx decided there were too many people here and nope'd off.

Laurel and Solana attempt spins.

"Don't blame me when you DIE!" Lydia huffs.

"Told you so."

Laurel discovers her new new favorite activity: bowling.

Solana is just enjoying life. She's terrible at this game.

Lydia's back here playing Shape Skirmish with her new friend.

After a long day, it's time to sleep well.

Unless you're Solana.

While Laurel sleeps like a rock just a wall away, Solana is doing science.

Lynx thought his days of being unhappily awakened by loud noises or random drama in the middle of the night were over, but he sees now that they will not be over until he's dead.

"Lydia, I thought you were in bed hours ago. Why are you still in your dayclothes?"

"I think there's a monster under my bed," Lydia whines. "It made a boom noise."

"No monster would dare come in my house," Lynx says.

The girl's eyes get very big. "So the monsters are real?"

"Of course not. But hypothetically. I'm tougher than any monster."

Such bold claims require a show of strength.

Lynx lets Lydia win the pillow fight.

He offers to read her to sleep, and she accepts, but she still refuses to go to her own bed.

Sigh. Lynx will be sleeping on the couch again!

Oh, hey Mariposa.

Here to say hi, or are you just going to skulk around outside, unseen, unsettling?

Okay then.

She's gone by morning. Nobody even realized she was there.






_____________________________________________________
Etc.: On an average day, even pasta was too much of a challenge for the narrator. But on a good day, look out world.