xp_logs | Nathan, Moira and Rachel, Tuesday afternoon

Just your average family moment. Rachel howls and shrieks and takes telekinetic exception to her hat, but loses the battle of wills with her mother. Then there are attempts to punch her father in the nose. Eventually Nathan and Moira, being the dyed-in-the-wool sadists that they are, get their daughter settled down and decide it's time to go traumatize Uncle Cain.

They were all ready to venture outside, Moira determined, bundling Rachel up nice and warm. She may have been used to the cold-and this wasn't cold to her, it was just slightly chilly-but her daughter certainly wasn't. So on went the little booties that Jean had given her for a gift and the gloves and the jacket. And last, but not least, the hat.

Which Ray promptly took an immediate dislike to. Scrunching up her face, she squealed and flailed, knocking the hat off her head. Moira blinked and rescued it from the floor before setting it back where it belonged.

Again, squeal and flail and off went the hat. As much as she wanted to laugh at this, Moira really wanted to go outside as well. There would be no baby without a hat on, not in today's weather.

"Rachel," she warned, holding out the hat again.

"Thhhbt."

Deep down she knew the baby was too young to blow a raspberry, on purpose anyway, at her but that's sure what it sounded like.

Firmly but gently, she tried once again and bit back a squawk of her own when the hat flew off thanks to a telekinetic push and bounced off her own head.

"Och, but yer a 'andful," she muttered and very purposely sent down an aspect of "cold" to Rachel, using the thin link from mother to daughter. "Cold, Rachel, cold."

Rachel screamed loudly, once, and then fell silent, sullenly not fighting when the hat when back on.

"Oh, for a camera," Nathan's voice came from the doorway, where he was standing, already dressed for outside. "But wait," he said with a grin, coming in, "I have a photographic memory. And you, young lady," he said to his daughter. "You be careful about making those faces or your face will freeze like that."

"Meh."

"Aye, but ye cannae share telepathic memories wit' yer friends," Moira teased, handing the squirming Rachel over to her father so she could go get her coat on. "Well, I suppose ye could but tha' would negate th' fact tha' someone--" She gave him a look. "--went out an' bought a verra expensive camera for situations like this."

"Right. Must carry camera around at all times," Nathan said tranquilly as Rachel started to squirm and flail again, squeaking indignantly and, to all appearances, trying very hard to punch her father in the nose. "Violent child," he chided her lightly.

"AAAH!" she shrieked, and he gave her a mildly incredulous look.

"What?"

"MmmmBAH!"

Bella, in her cage, made a scolding noise.

"I dinnae think she likes the hat," came the dry response from across the room as Moira hurried back over. "God bless these harnesses but they're terrible ta put on." She eyed Rachel as she continued to wiggle. The fine motor control was coming along but currently it was still a lot of flailing.

"Wha's gotten inta her today?" she wondered, helping Nathan try to put her in the Kangaroo Pouch.

Nathan eyed his daughter carefully, extending a little tendril of thought towards that fuzzy golden mind. "Huh. I'm not sure. She's just deeply pissed off at the world. I wonder if she's picking up on something she doesn't like..." He extended his own shields around her, and Rachel shrieked at the top of her lungs, then abruptly quieted, snuggling against her mother quite contentedly.

Wincing at the pain in her ears--she was obviously her daughter--Moira frowned at Nathan. "Think it was all th' unrest from th' riot an' everythin' else goin' on?" she asked, looking down at the top of the baby's head in concern.

"Quite possibly." Nathan bent and kissed the top of Rachel's head, provoking a soft coo. "I hate to think of what she's going to be like when she's teething. Anyway, shall we go?"

"Dinnae say tha', I'm tryin' nay ta think tha' far ahead," Moira sighed, looking horrified for a second as Nathan slid an arm over her shoulder. She perked up though. "Ye think we should take her by ta see 'er Uncle Cain?"

There was no evil look there, none at all.

"You tell your mother that's a grand idea," Nathan said blandly to Rachel. "It's been whole... days since the last time you traumatized Uncle Cain."

Rachel squealed happily and flailed her arms and legs for a second and Moira beamed. "Ach, tha's me lass," she said fondly. "Let's go convince Cain yer trying ta take over th' world, shall we?"

"EeEEEee!"

"Ah, my megalomaniacal redheads," Nathan said happily, giving Bella a little wave as they headed out. "You bring such joy to my life, both of you..."