YunicornSparkles

((Thanks for waiting, everyone! I got sick a LOT lately and kept being too tired or unwell to get my rp posts done. This is a very long reply but am hoping from here they get shorter lol)) Lily saw Samuel eying the stroller and hoped he wouldn’t make a fuss about being put in it. He was eating well this morning and had a good appetite. Although that could’ve been because his breakfast had a lot of sugar and was essentially a kind of junk food. She’d have to make sure they had a healthy morning tea and lunch. Lily was taken off guard when Mr Balverk took some smart watches and handed one to her and one to Castile. She thanked him and took it out of the box, fastening it onto Samuel’s left wrist. “Look, Sammy! Mr Balverk gave you a present. A brand new smart watch. Isn’t that nice?” she asked him cheerfully. The watch had a soft, rubbery wristband (likely silicone), so it’d be comfortable on delicate child skin. It was blue and the face of the watch was a smooth rectangle that was durable and wouldn’t break easily during regular play. “This will make sure that you and Aurora don’t get lost. And if you do, it will help us find you,” she explained. “Do not take this off under any circumstances,” she told him. “I’ll let you take it off at the end of the day, when we get back home, if you want to”. Once Samuel was done eating and full up, Lily helped Castile wipe him clean with a soft damp cloth, removing the bib to take to the laundry hamper. She then took the boy out of the highchair and balanced him on her hip, getting ready to talk to Mr Balverk and Mr Goodie before they would leave. Mr Goodie was going to be the one driving them to the aquarium today. “Okay, let’s go over and have a chat with those lovely gentlemen who greeted us this morning,” she cooed. Lily approached their table and sat down across from them, setting Samuel on her lap, her arms loosely holding him as she patted him to keep him calm. “Hi there, sirs. We’re ready when you are,” she said brightly, “Don’t mind Sammy; he’s a little shy”. ===================================== Castile took the watch from Mr Balverk and thanked him, strapping it around Aurora's left wrist. Hers was pink and had the same spongy wristband as Samuel’s. “Like Miss Lily just said; this will help us track you down if we get separated. So no taking it off, okay?” he told Aurora, his voice loving but firm. Once she was done eating, he cleaned her off with wet wipes and tossed them in the bin, removing her bib and letting it join the other used bibs in the laundry hamper. Castile noticed her body language was signalling nervousness and deduced it was probably about Ry joining them. Aurora and Samuel were both pretty shy people. He hoped that Ry would make a good impression on the two and they’d start to feel more comfortable as they spent the day together and got to know each other. His height and species were going to work against him but his speech, actions and personality would hopefully balance that out and prove that he was trustworthy. That he was just a kid, like them. Castile picked Aurora up from her highchair once she was clean, also holding her to his side, making sure her dress was swept under her bottom and not scrunched around her legs. “Alright, everyone ready?” he asked, looking around the table and high chairs, seeing all their breakfast was eaten. “Let’s go and have a talk to Mr Balverk and Mr Goodie and see what presents they have for you”. The cat taur stepped towards the table the two men sat at, noticing how the staff of the kitchen were extremely polite and worked fast around them, giving the owner of the mansion due respect. “Hello again Mr Balverk, Mr Goodie. We’ve finished breakfast with the little ones and we’re ready to talk,” he said calmly, his hind paws sitting while the tail wrapped around his flank. “You say you have something to give to Aurora and Samuel today?” Castile could smell that Aurora’s diaper was wet. But her bladder was only small, and the diapers were high absorbency, so it could probably take two more wettings before it needed a change, likely in a couple of hours. ====================================== Mr Balverk spoke first, smiling politely. “Hello, Miss Green, Mr Lightswirl. Thank you for joining us today. That’s okay. Little ones are often shy. Though, hopefully, they’ll get to know both of us and we’ll seem less scary one day,” he said with a chuckle. Blue eyes shifting to Castile, he nodded. “We do indeed! Something that we give to all of the children who come to live at the manor. I’ll let Mr Goodie present them to you now”. He looked over to his colleague expectantly. ======================================= Mr Goodie, a young looking man in a three piece blue suit with a striped tie, was sitting beside Mr Balverk and seemed eager to give out his gifts. “Right you are, Sir!” He grinned as he took two kids’ smart phones out of his bag, placing one on the table in front of Castile and one in front of Lily. “Yes, yes, I have them right here. One for you, Samuel, and one for you, Aurora. These are brand new phones, as you can see. You both get your very own phones to use while you are with us. Isn’t that exciting? They can be used to call your nannies, or other children that live at the manor. You can also send messages to your friends and caregivers. Those are their two basic functions” He pushed the phones across the table towards the others, watching the nannies pick them up and show them/offer them to the kids sitting on their lap and in their arms. Aurora’s one was a girls’ model, so it was pink. Samuel’s was a boys’ one, and was blue. Each of the phones had a bead necklace made of large, colourful plastic beads in bright colours attached to it. This meant the kids could wear their phones around their necks and never lose them. When the phones were turned on, they had a display screen which showed a ‘quick dial’ feature and contained each child’s name, plus the nurses’ station, nannies’ station and Mr Goodie’s number. Samuel’s phone had his name on it in black letters, and so did Aurora’s but in purple. The phones had a protective case with a panel that you flip open and closed that had a card holder. In the card holder was a pink credit card for Aurora and a blue one for Samuel. They also each had an ID card with a photo that was taken when they first came in. Mr Goodie spoke. A well rehearsed speech that he had said many times. "You can call me Mr Goodie. I am here to get you things you want and take you places, so in short, I am your driver and I will go buy things for you or take you to go buy them. You have $500 on your cards and if we see things that cost more, I call Mr B. There's always new bedding designs and other play stuff you all might want. We have not had many permanent guests but you lot seem to fit the bill to be here for a while. If you ever feel there's a better place, ask and we will help but while you're here, I am here to help get stuff you want. As you might have seen, the adults have picked most of what's here and you may not like some stuff, which is my job to help fix. Any questions?" =========================== Lily raised her hand. “I have a question for Mr Balverk, actually” =========================== Mr Balverk looked at her, amused, “Go ahead” he kindly prompted. ========================== Lily blushed slightly as everyone’s attention fell on her. “Well…I’ve been wanting to know from the start, Sir, but…that blue rose in the bubble that you gave to Samuel; what is it for? It follows him everywhere. And I know blue roses are impossible in nature. So this isn’t an ordinary rose. It must have some meaning, does it?” ============================== Mr Balverk nodded, crossing his arms as he continued right on smiling. “That was part of what I was going to talk to you about today, after Mr Goodie finished handing over the goodies,” he said playfully with a laugh. “In fact, the nurses’ clinic has confirmed my suspicions that Samuel has mild narcolepsy. Based on all the comments from his previous carers about how much he would fall asleep or get sleepy so often during the day. I am sure you’ve noticed by now. Well, that blue rose isn’t just for show, or a pretty bauble. It’s actually a mana rose. I can’t say who made it or where I got it but I can tell you how to use it. Give Samuel a petal from the mana rose to eat every morning and at night, and the sleepy episodes during daytime should happen less often. You can also give him a petal if he gets sleepy and it will give him an energy boost and chase the tiredness away for some time. The petals taste good and dissolve in your mouth like candy. They always grow back, so the rose will never run out. This is an exceptionally rare and expensive rose, so it is in a protective bubble that will not allow anyone to steal it and will always follow its main user”. He then looked at Samuel “And I hear that you had a visit from Mr Wong the other day. He informed me that Samuel has a little cold but it seems like those medicinal candies he gave you are doing their job. The boy is looking well enough to go on the outing today, thanks to that,” he paused, collecting his thoughts. “Now, when you are all ready, Mr Goodie will take you out to the van and get everybody seated in their car seats. There’s plenty of room in the back for you, Mr Lightswirl, and for Ry, so don’t worry about that. I have had the cars enchanted so the insides are bigger than they look on the outside. The double stroller and diaper bags should fit in the back storage just fine. I hope you all have fun today. And please, do use your phones to snap photos of the kids during their trip. We can put them in their photo album and digital scrapbooks as keepsakes and add captions to them. This way, they can look back on them when they’re older and we can share the family memories”. ============================== Kate nodded, writing down everything Ry told her. “Then I’ll let Nanny Lyn know and she will talk to Mr Goodie about celebrating your birthday at Dave & Buster’s and going to watch a movie next week. You might want to invite some of the other kids here to make friends. And I see. Well if it isn’t important to you, then I’m happy to leave the mystery in the past. But if you change your mind, let me know and I will send out a private investigator. You deserve to know what happened to your parents. Oh, is that so? I didn’t know that. Perhaps it’s something common in the Night Fury species? How sad. Ahh, wow, that is fascinating” (No wonder the nurses had been surprised when they listened to his heart earlier!) “Well, even if you are immortal, we’ll still be here to help provide you a good life and help you find purpose in your existence. Immortality can be a curse otherwise. Oh, thanks for telling me that. I’ll pass that on to the nurses as well so we can give you the best care. They should be able to get Nanny Lyn a glucose tester and some emergency candy to monitor your blood sugar. Are you sure you’re not diabetic? Spider Man 2…I’ll take note of that when we are booking the movie tickets. Where is your tablet? You didn’t come in with one? I’ll ask Mr Goodie to give you a new one for your writing and school use” She closed her notebook. “Well, I think we are all done here. Come on now, Dear. You’ll need clothes if you want to go on the outing with Samuel and Aurora today. Let’s see the nannies and they can get you an outfit plus help you design your new room and choose more clothes to be made for you by our tailors”. She stood up, tucking her notebook in her shirt pocket and took Ry’s hand, leading him over to the nannies’ station as though he was a tiny tot that couldn’t get there without help. “Nanny Lyn, Ry is ready for you. He’ll need clothes and a bedroom planner”. ==================================== Nanny Lyn soon appeared and smiled when she saw Ry. “Oh my, that diaper looks so cute on you, Ry. Okay, come with me and I’ll help you get dressed now,” she said, leading him to a walk in closet with lots of babyish clothing in every size.

((Aorry for the long wait again! My health has been on and off recently. I get a lot of upset stomachs and tiredness. BTW, the girls aren’t in the play tent atm. They’re just playing in the main playroom beside the living room.)) “You’re welcome,” the 7 foot tall alien replied. “I’m glad you like your clean diaper”. Hearing what he wanted to eat, she nodded as she began to carry him out of the big changing room and through the hallways back to the kitchen and dining areas. “Yes, that should be no trouble at all,” she said, finally reaching the room and showing him the seating arrangements “Do you want to sit in a highchair or at a toddler table?” Once Ry gave her his answer, she sat him down securely and went to get a baby bottle, filling it with cold cherry Coca Cola. She placed it down in front of him while her tentacles stretched around the kitchen, grabbing all items needed to make the butter noodles. Soon, she was cooking them on the stovetop and the room was smelling like parmesan cheese sauce. When they were done, Lollia put them in a plastic bowl and got a kiddy fork and a spoon, bringing them over to set them down in front of the 8 year old dragon. She took a bib and tied it around his neck, “Here you go. Do you want to feed yourself or would you like me to feed you?” the kind alien lady asked, her tentacles curling neatly into spirals on her back as the dishes from cooking put themselves into the dishwasher and the leftover ingredients put themselves into containers and back in the cupboards or fridge. Her telekinesis was quite useful. She wondered how Miss Angela was doing with Kara at the moment and decided to give her a reminder, talking to her in her mind “Miss Angela, after Kara and her plushie lion are dried off and dressed, she would need to choose a bedroom and pick how she wants it decorated. The empty rooms are upstairs. And then she might want to meet the other kids in the house,” she told her, so Angela would know what to do. ====================================== Frost’s eyes widened and he clicked his fingers. “Oh, snap! A fire wielder,” he chuckled. “I hope they had good control over their powers and didn’t burn down that orphanage,” he said, curious as to how the other place regulated those kinds of dangerous powers. If it was a kid, they’d have to use power limiters or fire retardant mittens or something…otherwise it could be explosive. And not all fire elemental users were redheads. Fire could come in different colours. So there was no way to really tell to begin with. It was a good thing that here, they would try to train kids to get better control of their abilities. “Fire’s my weakness, since it’s my exact opposite. I’m an ice or winter elemental. Kinda like Elsa, from Frozen,” he explained. “That’s why I love this time of year the most. We have this month and February and then Spring will start creeping in during March and all the snow and ice will melt away. I always get a bit bummed out at that,” the fox said with a grin and small laugh. “I do well during the rest of the year but summer bites. What’s your favourite season?” Frost made sure to keep some concentration on the ice globe he had made to win over Drew’s trust and interest. He was glad to see a smile soon appear on the boy’s small face, which made him wag his tail. Hearing him babble cutely, Frost grinned, his ears moving to show he was listening “Is that so? You sure have a lot to say, all of a sudden, Cutie. I’m listening!” he answered playfully, pretending to understand. Seeing him reach for the container of guppy food, he pointed it out to Ms Hoshi “Uhh, Ms Hoshi? I think Andrew is ready to feed the fish now,” he said, making the ice orb float back over to him before it dissipated in a puff of sparkly ice magic, leaving cold mist in the air for a second or two. “Those fishies are getting hungry, Drew. You better feed them soon,” Frost joked, wheeling to the edge of the meshed over pond and leaning down to watch the rainbow fish swimming. ======================================= Sophie blushed when she heard Rei praising her, making the girl emit nervous giggles. “Aw, fank you, Wei. You awe so nice!” she replied, fidgeting. “I like pwaying wiff you a lot. You’we my fiwst weal fwiend. Hey, aftew dis, do you wanna play outside in da snow? It’s bewy cold but bewy pweddy” Sophie tipped her head back to look at Xeto, her bunny ears twitching. “Huh? You didn’t tells me what you like to eat, Missha Xeto!” she called after him as he just simply nodded then walked away. Clutching the MaMa cat doll in her hands, Sophie looked at the teacher playing on his tablet and then looked at Rei. “Dat was wude, wasn’t it? What do you fink he eats? He’s a aliem. So dat means he has weird food, wight? I wondew whad aliems eat?” She decided to resume playing for the meantime, leaning back over the open plan dollhouse and pretending to make MaMa cat cook omelettes and serve them for the two kitties. “Hewe you go, Kitty. Dinnew ish weady. Be caweful, it’s hot. Don’t buwn youw paws. And wemembew to use a fowk” Moving the cat figurine to the table where two plates sat, Sophie made pretend eating sounds. “Yum yum yum, dis is sooo good! Aftew dis, let’s make an aliem food and bwing it to Missha Xeto!”

Kate began to write quickly in Ry’s file as he spoke, astonished that the information just poured forth without her needing to ask any questions, or needing to prompt the boy. He was tall for a 12 year old, about the size of an adult human, in fact. Yet he definitely stated that he was 12, so still a child, despite his appearance. She would have to make sure others knew that so he wasn’t mistaken for a caregiver or adult while in public. Nodding along to show she was listening, Kate scribbled down the kinds of diapers and fandoms he was into, so that the manor staff could use those while caring for him. “There’s nothing wrong with a boy liking My Little Pony, or things that are gendered towards girls. You don’t have to explain yourself, Hon. No one is allowed to bully you here. You’re free to like what you like”. She then listened to his backstory, up until he came to the orphanage, writing down the main points. “So, you hatched all alone and then raised yourself? That sounds like it would have been very lonely or hard at times,” Kate frowned, “You don’t need to worry about that any more. You’ve been love starved but now you should get all the TLC you need,” she explained, making notes in his file. It was amazing that he'd grown up so well adjusted and polite, even though he had no one to teach him social skills or manners. “Everyone deserves somebody who cares about them. I am sorry whoever made your egg wasn’t around to raise you. Sounds like you have a lot of catching up to do. I’m glad you found your way here”. Kate was impressed that he had learned all the basic life skills on his own. It was lucky his species was a kind that matured rapidly, in some ways. But in other ways, not so much. He shouldn’t have had to be isolated for so many years. She wondered if she could send a private investigator to find whoever had stolen his egg, way back when. They might be stealing other dragon eggs too. “You had to change your own diapers, all that time? You poor thing!” Kate said sympathetically. “Well, it’s very impressive that you taught yourself all of that, since there was no one to help you. But I am sorry you had to spend 12 years alone. Now that you’re with us, just relax and let the manor take care of you. You don’t have to try to be a grown up any more and we’ll protect you from grown ups. We do have a school on the grounds to further your studies but usually give the new kids a week or so to settle in before starting classes. Your story is very different from most children here. I think it’s a special case. But I’m glad that there is no one from your past that wants to hurt you. I will send an investigation to find out what happened to your parents, if I can” She finished writing and closed his file, putting it aside to scan into the computer system later. “I just have one last question for you. You said it was your birthday next week? We celebrate birthdays here. Is there anything you want to do for it?” Kate asked him. “I’ll take you to Nanny Lyn next”.

“You’re most welcome, Sweetheart,” Ms Darla replied, hearing that he ate not long ago. “Oh, so you won’t be hungry then. Well, it might be a good idea to meet up with the other new children anyway and get something to drink and snack on”. She expertly cleaned the dragon’s smooth scales, dropping the wipes into the used diaper before bundling it up and putting it in a diaper genie beside the medical bed. When she was about to slide the new diaper under him, she paused, listening to his questions. “Oh, you don’t want monsters? Okay, um, let me see here…” She put the unfolded diaper back away and took out a Tykables Little Rawrs with a blue T-Rex on the landing zone. “Will this do, Honey? We have lots of dragon and dinosaur diapees. Thank you for letting me know those are your favourite”. She opened the clean diaper fully and smoothed it out before gently touching his thigh with a command “Bottoms up, legs in the air”. Once he did that, she slipped it under his tail and stuck the tape at the back that went over top of the tail, then began to rub in baby oil onto his diaper area, adding sweetly scented baby powder afterwards that drifted onto him softly. She lightly rubbed it in and cleaned her hands on a wipe before she pulled the diaper closed, taping it all secure and making sure the leak guards around the leg and tail holes were all standing. Ms Darla began removing his dirty and worn clothing, putting them in a hamper to be taken to the laundry later. “Well, I am not going to dress you myself, but the nannies over at the nanny station will certainly find you something cute to wear,” she informed the young dragon boy. “You’ll have to waddle around in just a diaper for a little while until Kate has finished her interview”. Kate was the social worker who would make the reports and collect paperwork about children’s previous caregivers. She would then inform lawyers where they were and have investigators go out and find more information about the former living situation, why the children have come to the mansion and whether criminal charges need to be laid against the caregivers. They’d put notes on the children’s files, for protection and to make sure their abusers never found them or came near them again. “Well, that’s it, all fresh and clean. Now, I’ll take you to Kate’s office. Come on”. So saying, Darla reached out to help Ry sit up, taking his hands like he was a small toddler and pulling them as he righted himself, then assisting him to step down off the side of the table onto the stepping stool, only letting go once she saw his feet were firmly planted on the floor. She took his hand in her warm, soft one and led him out of her office, past the other nurses, who smiled and made comments about how cute he looked. She knocked on Kate’s door. “Kate? I have the new boy for you. And he needs to be taken to the nannies’ station after he sees you”. The brunette woman who had a stern looking face, aka resting bitch face, looked up from her desk work and smiled. “Sure, leave him with me. I’ll escort him there once we are done”. She then looked at Ry and although she seemed scary when talking to other adults, her face softened and she sounded more kind when speaking to him. “Hello there, Ry. Please, come, take a seat. I am just going to talk to you about your previous circumstances that led to you ending up here. That’s all. After that, the nannies will help you get some new clothes and decide how to decorate your bedroom here. Oh, is that a blue T-Rex on your diaper? Very cool! Come on now, I don't bite...”. ======================================== “Oh you think that’s funny, do you?!” the frog girl asked Sammy playfully before he nearly breathed in a chocolate chip, getting up to pat him on the back, seeing him spit it out. “Be careful, don’t choke on your breakfast! Chocolate chips don’t go in your lungs,” she said jokingly, but soothing at the same time, taking a paper napkin and wiping his mouth. “Here, I’ll get you a sip of milk” she said, picking up the warm baby bottle and putting the teat in his mouth “Drink” she commanded gently, “It will help. There you go, you’re alright…that’s my boy~” she cooed. “Now, eat this bite slower. Chew it carefully…” she stated, picking up a new piece of yummy fluffy pancakes on the kiddy fork and gently popping it into his mouth with soft choo choo train noises. While feeding him, she continued to finish her breakfast, at last pushing her empty bowl away and taking sips of the warm jasmine tea to wash it down, happily rubbing her full belly. She was surprised when Mr Balverk and Mr Goodie turned up, listening to them talk while nursing her teacup in her hands. “Good morning,” she returned the greeting, looking at the man standing beside Mr Balverk. He seemed to have an honest and open expression. ‘So, this is Mr Goodie’, she thought, ‘what a funny name. I hope he’s as nice as his name suggests’. She listened to the rest of what the mansion’s owner said, wondering what kind of phones the kids would be given. Hopefully not a new smartphone. Those were bad for kids. $500 was a lot of money for allowance, too. She’d try to make sure that the kids made wise choices when using their cards, not letting them spend it on junk or something they’d get bored of or not use. Maybe she could use it as a teaching opportunity about budgeting and maths. She saw the double stroller and diaper bags and was thankful for them. Little ones in diapers definitely needed changing supplies and a change of clothes in case of accidents. She’d been wondering who to ask about getting those things. “Thanks, I’m sure we’ll have a nice time,” Lily said to Mr Balverk. “As their nannies, we’ll try to make it a rewarding and educational experience”. Lily was again surprised, hearing about Ry. “A dragon; wow! I wouldn’t expect that. Of course I wouldn’t mind, so long as he’s well behaved. Everyone needs friends. I’m sure Sammy and Aurora would be excited to meet someone like him and they’ll all warm up to each other over the course of the day,” Lily said, optimistic. She did kind of worry about how he would be out in public and around human kids but then she remembered Castile, also a magical creature, sitting right next to her. Other species weren’t extremely common in this world so they were bound to get lots of stares but if anyone tried to cause trouble, she was sure Castile and herself could protect the kids and handle the situation. She just hoped Ry was a good, friendly child and not prone to flying indoors, biting, scratching, breathing fire and that kind of thing. When the two men moved to another table, out of earshot, she reminded herself that she wanted to ask Mr Balverk a question about the rose. ========================================= Castile watched Aurora eat, glancing at her every so often to make sure she was fine and not getting too messy, plowing through his plate of food at a quick rate, the plate almost empty after 10 minutes while the little girl took small bites of blueberry muffin and crunched on chewy bacon, washing her meal down with strawberry milk. He looked up when he heard footsteps and the sounds of a stroller wheeling over the floor, spotting Mr Balverk and Mr Goodie before they reached the table, thanks to his feline sight and hearing. He waited till they got closer and showed a polite grin, “Morning!” Castile’s tail swayed happily when Mr Balverk complimented them being up this early, all dressed and ready for their big adventure. “Greetings,” Castile said towards Mr Goodie as he was introduced, bobbing his head in acknowledgement. Hearing about the phones and cards did make the cat curious but he’d wait to find out more once the kids were done with breakfast. He hoped the phones were just so the kids had a lifeline to adults or other orphan friends at the manor, and not smart phones that were addictive and full of social media. Though he was sure that Mr Balverk was way smarter than to give them that. He was definitely a generous man. Castile eyed the full diaper bags, seeing the one for Sammy was fireman themed and the one for Aurora was princess themed. Easy to tell whose was whose. How thoughtful! He also noticed that the double stroller was sized for bigger children, so Sammy and Aurora would feel little when sitting in the seats being pushed around. He figured he’d do the pushing if their legs got tired, since he was strong enough to without getting tired from the weight of two kiddos. It was probably best to have them strapped in the stroller in crowded areas or when moving from one section of the aquarium to the other. That way, they wouldn’t get lost or kidnapped, or run off suddenly in excitement, wanting to look at something. Underneath the stroller were storage space for the two diaper bags, thankfully. So the nannies wouldn’t be lugging those on their shoulders all day. “Sure!” he answered when Mr Balverk pointed to the table across the room where they would be at. He was glad they said to take their time, since he didn’t want to rush the little ones with their meal. Castile’s ears pricked up when Mr Balverk said there was a newcomer to the mansion. “Ohh, a dragon. How unexpected”, he remarked, intrigued. “I haven’t seen one of those for a long time. I wonder which kind he is. Either way, I’m with Miss Lily. We’d be glad to have the new boy along. He’ll be safe with us two and his own nanny. And being a magical creature myself, I’ll protect him and look out for him. I’m sure he’d feel better knowing he’s not the only one who’ll stand out”. He then looked at Aurora and Samuel. “What do you guys think about that? Are you okay with Ry joining our trip to the aquarium? He’s a dragon but he’s only a child, like you two, so I’m sure he won’t be that big. You never know, you all might become good friends. Don’t be scared, Aurora. I won’t let a dragon kidnap my pretty princess,” Castile said, giving Aurora a playful wink to make her laugh. He then said “It’s nice to give new people a chance. I’m sure Ry is going to be lonely, just like you two when you first got here. Remember…all kids who come here have no family. And Ry should be wearing diapers like you both, so you will have that in common”. Castile waited for the kids to finish eating, downing the rest of the scrumptious feast off his plate (managing to prevent himself from licking it), as well as draining the energising cappuccino, licking the froth moustache from his top lip with a small purr. He loved dairy. Once they were all done eating, he would grab the wet wipes from his duffle bag and begin cleaning them up. “Ready to go see Mr Balverk and Mr Goodie, babies? I hear that Mr Goodie has presents for you!”

Listening to Ry, Lollia addressed his questions and comments. “Yes, of course, Honey”. She stated, turning the hot tap on and adding more hot water to the bath. “Just let me know if it gets too hot. And most dragons do like the heat, that is true,” she agreed, making mental notes of everything he told her. “Mama Lolly just likes to be careful with her new little ones. I didn’t want the water to burn you. Yes, yes, we keep the cartoons and TV shows family friendly here. But older teens can watch whatever they like on their private devices. They’ll still be monitored on our system though. As for what to dress you in after your bath, I’m glad you aren’t picky. We have plenty of clothes though, so we’ll find some suitable playwear for you to wear today. Your other clothes are going to be washed and then you can have them back. Ah, hamburger helper, I will try to remember that. And thank you for telling me about your health conditions, Sweetie, that’s really important for Mama to know. Good boy for telling me those things~ I can take better care of you now that I know”. Lollia watched him play, adding more ducky themed toys to the bath as he splashed around and basked in the heat. “Take your time, Darling, there’s no need to rush your bath. Relax and enjoy,” she purred, “Afterwards, I’ll get a fluffy new diaper on that draggy rump and then you can eat something if you’re hungry. And I’ll give you a tour of the whole house, so you can pick out a room upstairs later. You get your very own bedroom or nursery here and you can have it decorated however you like…within reason”. Once Ry had enough of playing in the tub, Lollia used a tentacle to pull the plug and let the water drain out, getting up as a large, soft, red towel floated towards her and she spread it out, leaning down to wrap it around Ry and rubbing it on his scales to dry him. “Alright, Baby, upsy-daisy! Let’s go and get a Pampers and some playtime clothes in the big changing room now before your little body decides to have another accident,” she smiled, scooping him into her arms and settling him on her hip, still wrapped snuggling in the giant towel. She took him into the changing room and laid him down on a free changing table, pulling a diaper from underneath the table and unfolding it, spreading it out. She lifted his legs and tail, sliding the diaper underneath him and slipping his tail through the hole, taping it up around the back, leak guards around the tail in place. The diaper was a Bambino Classico all over print with pastel blocks that clearly spelled out the letters for B A B Y. While he was lying there, she rubbed on baby oil then shook on white powder, taping the diaper up firmly but not too tight around his waist and giving the front a gentle pat. “There! Diaper sorted. Now let’s pick something for you to wear” she said, as a closet opened and outfits began floating out, parading themselves in the air around her as she used her telekinesis that was oh so helpful. Lolly picked out a white, long sleeved onesie with snaps at the crotch plus some slits and a hole in the back for tails and wings, then added on top a romper/playsuit which was dark gingham blue with coloured cars and trucks on it, also having wing slits and a tail hole. She dressed him in them quickly before picking him back up and playfully booping his nose. “Alright, now you’re ready to play but does my little dragon need some foodies first?” she cooed. “What do you like to eat? I can make you anything” ========================================================= Sophie shook her head “N…no, fank you, Missha Xeto. W-we awe gonna hab ants on a log fow mowning tea. Maybe we can has omelettes fow dinnew” She paused, thinking, clutching her kitty toy tight, “U-umm…what kinda foods do you like, Missha Xeto? D…do you eat alien foods?” ========================================================= The white fox saw Drew’s reactions to the snow globe made of winter magic and hesitated, unsure if that was a good thing. “Wow, your eyes are glowing! Did you know that?” he asked Drew gently and playfully. “It’s okay, it’s okay…look…isn’t it pretty?” he pointed at the ball, showing it to him. “Do you like it? The fishies are made of snow and ice, see?” He made the fish do silly tricks inside the winter ball, hoping to entertain Drew and make him laugh. “Look at the silly fishies playing! They are sooo silly!” he cooed. “Do you want to touch the snow globe? It’s okay. It’s just cold” he said. “It won’t hurt you. Go ahead, grab it if you want. It’s just like a bouncy ball”. Well, a ball with fish inside it, that is. Ry's outfit:

Just waiting for you guys to catch up before I reply. I might post tonight for those who did post though. And then reply to you guys' posts after.

“Messy”, Darla concluded, noticing it was wet, as well. The smell wafted up from the diaper, making her wrinkle her nose slightly. “Yes, you do need a change, Sweetie. Your diaper is quite full. Here, come with me to the bed, over here,” she said, taking his hand and gently leading him over to the padded and flat medical bed that had paper sheeting on it for hygiene reasons, as well as a paper cover on the pillow. The curtain was already pushed back. Darla moved a stepping stool out from under the bed and pressed a button on the bed to lower it down so he could climb onto it. “Lay down and I’ll take care of that for you,” she instructed sweetly, with a smile, reaching under the table and taking out a box of changing supplies and a clean, folded diaper, which was the Rearz Lil’ Monsters design but with a hole designed for the dragon’s tail. Above Ry, on the ceiling, a baby mobile was hanging, which had little dinosaurs slowly spinning around. “Let’s get you cleaned up before I take you over to Kate’s office. Can’t have you smelling up her room,” she giggled, starting to unfasten the diaper tapes as soon as he was laying down. She pulled out some large wet wipes from a warming container and began cleaning him up, humming softly while she did so. “When Kate gives you back to Nanny Lynn, she can take you to the dining hall to get some food. When was the last time you ate, Darling?” Darla asked, concerned, as she continued changing him. If Mrs Lynn heard that Castile and Lily were taking Aurora and Samuel on a trip to the aquarium today, Ry might be able to join them, so long as Mrs Lynn came along and watched over Ry. "By the way, no need to hold back on the amount you eat, as we have enough food to match any dragon's appetite. So eat as much as you want for breakfast, okay Honey". ==================================================== Lily put down her spoon after taking another bite of fruit and smoothie puree, chewing and swallowing before she said; “Here, Sugar Plum, let me help you with that!”. Leaning over, Lily picked up the large bottle of pure maple syrup and held it above the pancakes. “Okay, how much do you want? Say when…” she advised, slowly dripping a little bit of the syrup onto the pancake, little by little, so he could stop her at the right moment. “Is this enough?” She didn’t wanna put too much and drown the pancakes and make them soggy. She helped him put any other toppings on the pancakes and then cut them into bite sized pieces for him, saying “This will be easier to eat, Mr Cool Guy. Little bites for a little mouth. Open wide for the cargo train…” Lily stabbed a piece of the pancake on his fork and brought it to his mouth, making a soft “Choo choo…” noise as she waved the fork around before depositing the bite into his mouth. “Eat up! Is it yummy?” While Sammy was chewing, she fed herself more of her own breakfast, accidentally dripping some purple smoothie on her froggy print smock dress. “Oops! Maybe I need a bib too!” she giggled, grabbing a napkin and wiping the spill. She then tucked a paper napkin into her collar and continued eating, laughing at her mishap, feeding Samuel more bites in between eating her own food. His bottle of warm milk was waiting on the side of the highchair tray when he needed a drink. ===================================================== “You’re welcome, Princess!~ Enjoy!” Castile responded to Aurora’s thanks, watching her dig into her sweet yet healthy breakfast food. “Don’t forget your crispy bacon strips”, he reminded her, so they wouldn’t go cold before she could eat them, munching away at his own plate of nosh. “We got a lot to do and see today at the aquarium, so you’ll need as much energy as you can”. Hearing footsteps coming in behind him, Castile turned to see none other than Mr Balverk in his customary suit, along with a man who must be Mr Goodie, who was carrying some fully packed diaper bags and pushing a twin stroller. He was also carrying a bag that had a picture of a cellphone on it. His ears and tail pricked up "Oh!" ==================================== Mr Balverk smiled at the sight of his new nannies and kids in the dining room, walking over to their table and greeting the group. “Good morning, everyone. It’s nice to see you all here, so bright eyed and bushy tailed. I have brought Mr Goodie to meet and talk with you, once you all finish eating. He has some new phones to give to the kids, and their shopping cards as well, for if they want to buy anything on their outings. Plus, he has prepared a double stroller and packed diaper bags for Aurora and Samuel, for their aquarium visit today. I hope it’ll be a fun little outing for you all,” he said cheerfully. “No need to rush. I am going to get myself something from the kitchen, so please take your time. Mr Goodie and I will be over at another table talking, until you are ready for our presentation”. He then remembered something he was told this morning “Oh, by the way, we have a new boy that just arrived this morning. A little dragon named Ry. He might join you for breakfast, along with Nanny Lynn, soon. Would you mind if he wanted to come to the aquarium with you guys today? He hasn’t made any friends yet and I think it would be a good bonding experience”.

Lollia hummed gently while she washed the rest of him, rinsing him off softly with the water on warm and at a low pressure, the soap bubbles swirling down the drain. “You’re most welcome, Dear. And now your scales are nice and clean~ Oh, is that so? Well, I’ll keep that in mind and let the other caregivers know that you like being washed. Hmm…as for TV shows, anything suitable for children, up to PG 13,” she explained, helping him up from the shower stool and pointing to the bath tub that was ready and waiting for him. She watched him get in and pulled up a waterproof plastic chair, taking a seat. There was bubble bath in the water, making lots of sparkly, white foam. And there were toys in a plastic laundry tub beside the bath. “How’s the water, Dear? Do let me know if you want more heat or more cold. I made it a safe temperature for a human child,” she said, giggling when he splashed around and the water splashed on her. “Oh my, quite lively, I see! If you want some toys, they’re right there”. She pointed to the bucket full of mostly duck themed bath toys. Hearing their Latias friend approaching, she looked up and raised a tentacle to wave it at Miss Angela and Kara. “There you two are. Welcome to the big bathroom. You should help Kara undress and wash at one of the wash stations before helping her into a tub. We do it the Japanese way, since I think it’s cleaner. There’s the big bath in the middle of the room, or else there’s plenty of other regular and smaller sized tubs around the bathroom that you can use,” she said, sweeping an arm around to indicate the many tubs of many sizes that were sunk into the tiled floor. “Please make sure to check the temperature before allowing baby Kara and her lion, Loki, into the tub”. ================================================ “Yes, and dat means dewe will be plenty of leftobas,” Sophie said as MaMa cat. “We tan make a wice and eggy dish fow lunch tomowwow so we don’t waste food. And yes, we need ta add lots and lots of yummy beggies and cheese to make it taste weally good!”. Sophie made the MaMa cat walk to the fridge, moving her about. “I’m getting tomato, capsicum, zucchini, onion, cown and ham pieces,” she listed, pausing between the words as she thought of each one. “And LOTS of tasty cheese, mmm!” Sophie flinched and gasped when she heard Xeto’s voice. She’d been so entranced in the role playing that she hadn’t even noticed him come over. “Eeep!” The bunny girl’s face turned pinker by the second as she stammered, looking down at her lap. “W-w-we awe jus playin’ house. Wiff…wiff H-Hello Kitty a-and M-MaMa cat,” she said, clutching the doll in her hands and looking down continuously, fidgeting shyly, embarrassed that he heard her acting and speaking in a motherly sounding voice. She forgot that Frost and Xeto were in the play room with them. “I…I…I…I like playin’ wiff Wei. M-MaMa cat and Hello Kitty a-are makin’ an omelette, aftew Kitty played outside in the snow,” she explained, feeling under pressure to tell him what was going on, fretting and sweating in place somewhat. However, the girl spoke to him in an effort to make conversation between them so that he could get to know her better. He was a new teacher here and he probably didn’t know anyone well yet. “M-Mr Xeto, do you know how to make an omelette?” she asked, peering timidly up at him through her bangs. “I leawn-ded wiff Miss Lolly. We used fwesh beggies fwom da gawden and put lots of tasty cheese. It tasted sooo good!” ============================================== Frost was surprised to notice Xeto nodding, thinking the guy was ignoring him up to that point. So he WAS paying attention. He was a man of few words, it seemed. Frost snickered as he wheeled away. He hoped he would warm up and communicate more with them as he got more comfortable here in the orphanage. Maybe he just didn’t like Frost all that much… Knowing that Xeto was actually aware of his surroundings, he trusted him more with keeping watch over the two little girls until he got back from checking on Drew and Ms Hoshi. Seeing their reactions, Frost felt bad for scaring Drew, despite having kept his voice low so as to not startle them. He saw the water splash back into the pond and the guppies slipped through the mesh squares back into the water with it. The arctic fox wheeled closer to the pair, speaking softly over his tinkling wheels. “Oh, I’m sorry if I scared you, Drew. That was a very nice water ball. You are a clever boy,” he cooed towards the trembling figure, who was hiding in Ms Hoshi’s arms. “Those are some nice gravity powers, little man”. Pausing while she spoke, he then added; “That’s right… It’s okay… You won’t get into trouble for using your powers here. Ms Hoshi and I aren’t mad at all. And she’s right; Mama Lolly and I will be happy to help you learn how to get better at using your magic. Look, I can also make orbs with my winter powers,” he said, before holding his paws apart, slowly growing a little ball of ice larger and larger until it resembled a snow globe, then adding small guppies made of glittering winter magic that swam around inside at a much more sedate pace than the real guppies in the pond beneath their feet. He lifted the winter ball up in the air and blew on it like a dandelion puff, using his will to make it float up over Akiza’s shoulder, hovering where Drew would be able to see it. “Look…these fishies are in a ball, too. They are made of my ice and snow magic,” he explained with a smile, concentrating on keeping it floating and keeping it all together. It glittered and sparkled in the pale light coming through the windowed room, silent and pretty. A fish filled snow globe. He looked up at Akiza, his thickly furred ears moving softly. “I’m glad you’re doing okay. Drew is the youngest one at the orphanage at the moment, so he needs a lot of care. I wanted to make sure you weren’t overwhelmed. But you seem to be handling it perfectly. Sorry if I butted in. But if you do want any help, just let me know. So, have you cared for a child this young before? And you’re used to seeing kids with powers?” he questioned curiously, “Or maybe you’re not easily shocked. I suppose you did witness Lollia’s abilities earlier. And I think you’re right about Drew. His control and understanding of how to use his gravity magic at 12 months of age is astounding. He’ll definitely get better with practice and encouragement. Though, we’ll have to be careful of him having accidents and making mistakes while using them. Hard to believe that a tiny tyke still in diapers is able to do all of this!” he said, impressed and amazed.

“That’s a boy,” Darla replied in a comforting tone, pleased with his manners and good behaviour, leading him gently into her office and helping him find the bench seat. She then sat across from him at her desk and began asking questions about his health, whether he had any allergies or health conditions he knew of, and patient information, filling out the forms she brought with her, the scratching of her pen rather nice sounding. Once that was done, she ushered him onto the digital scale, recording his weight and then his height. She measured his wings with a measuring tape and asked about his flying ability and any other powers or skills he might have. Then, she also took his blood pressure, deftly writing everything down. Ms Darla then used some instruments, looking into his ears, eyes and mouth, checking his vision, hearing and head circumference, using a stethoscope to listen to his heart and lungs, plus a few other things. Once all of that was done, she smiled at Ry and said “Well done. That’s everything I needed from you. Thanks for your cooperation. Let me just check one more thing before I bring you over to Kate”. Darla stood up from her chair and stepped around her desk, getting Ry to lean forwards as she pulled out the back of his diaper and gently squeezed the bottom of the padding to test for fullness or wetness. “Hmm…diaper status is…” ======================================================= He chuckled at her cute display, realising how much she liked strawberries. “That’s one of your favourite flavours, isn’t it? Well it’s a good one. Okay, strawberry milk…” he repeated, making a mental note, giggling to himself at the adorable way Aurora pronounced it. He then paid attention to Lily and Samuel, saying the order back to confirm that too. “Pancakes with offered toppings and a heated plain milk in a baby bottle. Got it. Tropical smoothie bowl. Jasmine tea. Okay” he said, making the hand sign for ‘okay’ while grinning. Castile carefully put in everyone’s orders, tapping the screen and double checking the whole order before pressing submit. He then went over to grab two of the bibs that were kept there for messy littles and brought them back to the kids, handing one to Lily. “Here you go; the server should bring breakfast out in five to ten minutes”. Turning back to Aurora, he showed her the bib. “Look, I found you one with Strawberry Shortcake on it. I looked through all the bibs to find her,” he said, gently fastening it around Aurora’s neck. “Food will be out very soon”. He noticed that she and Samuel were holding hands and smiled at the cute sight. It was nice of her to be there for Sammy and comfort him like that. ========================================================= Lily looked down at the bib Castile got and grinned at the design on the fabric. It showed two soft pastel hippos together. She showed the little boy before putting it on him “Sammy, look, Castile found one with hippos! Let’s put it on now so you’ll be ready to eat”. And true to Castile’s word, five minutes later, a server brought out trays with all their food and beverages, placing them on the table and asking if there was anything else needed. Lily helped Castile put the right breakfast items and drinks on each highchair tray, before sitting a the table beside Sammy’s highchair, while the cat sat beside Aurora’s. Lily clasped her hands together and prayed “Dear God, thank you for this food”. With that, she picked up her spoon. “Alright - let’s eat!” the frog lady said cheerfully, scooping up some of the fruit and smoothie bowl and putting it in her mouth, chewing happily. ========================================================== Castile meanwhile, started in on his big breakfast platter, eating neatly but taking large bites. He looked at the kids. “Do you need any help eating, Aurora? Sammy?” he said, “Or do you want to try to feed yourselves today? Miss Lily and I will feed you if you want”. He said with a friendly smile. He noticed that both Aurora, Samuel and himself had bacon on their plates, Samuel’s being part of the different toppings he could choose to put on the pancakes along with maple syrup, butter, whipped cream and other small bowls of stuff.

Lollia listened intently while the dragon told her his name, nodding gently. “Ry; that’s a nice name. Yes, you heard right, little one; this is a home for kids who don’t have anywhere else to go. You’ll be safe here. Ah, I see. So, no potty training. Well, that’s perfectly fine, because none of the kids here have any potty training either. And if they did, they lose it when they come to live here, because of my magic. So everyone is in diapers of some sort,” she explained as she led him inside, neatly closing the door with telekinesis but not before some snow blew itself back outside from the entryway. She chuckled softly “I meant that you wet yourself and you then had to walk through snow to make it here. So of course, your pants are probably cold, aren’t they?” Miss Lolly questioned gently yet with a hint of amusement at his misunderstanding. “8 years old, huh? Well I think you’ll get along well with the other ages here. We have Sophie, who’s around 3, Rei, who’s also around 3, and Kara, who’s around 6 at the most”. They had made a left after entering and continued heading that way, past the waiting area, school rooms and chapel, on by the big bathroom and into a large changing room. Lollia could smell his other accident along the way, so instead of simply rinsing him and getting him into a bubble bath, she decided to change his messy pants and underwear on a changing table. “Alright, this is our first stop, Ry. Mama can tell that you went number 2 in your pants on the way here, so how about we get you up on a changing table and I can clean your messy bottom, hmm?” she asked, bending over with a kind smile while she addressed him. “And then you can have a bubble bath in the big bathroom next door. Kara will be in there too, so you might make a new friend. Now, now…up you come~”. With that being said, Lollia reached out and gently picked the little dragon up, laying him down on the padded changing table, where he could gaze at a slowly turning mobile above, or at the soft aqua ceiling, with lights shaped like a bee, aeroplane, butterfly and a smiley cloud with a rainbow. Around the matching aqua walls, there were plenty of large stickers of umbrellas, raindrops, rainbows and clouds, a smiley sun, gumboots, frogs, rubber ducks, then, lower down were little trees, flowers, mushrooms etc. The wall decals were bright and pastel colours - plenty to distract littles who might not be thrilled about being changed or cleaned. Lollia lifted Ry’s legs in the air with her left hand around his ankles, raising his bottom off the table. She removed his shoes, socks and wet jeans, tossing them in a nearby hamper before she carefully peeled off his underwear, throwing that in a diaper bin. One of her pretty, pastel coloured tentacles had already grabbed a pack of baby wipes from underneath the table and it held them up beside her within easy reach, while she used her right hand to pull out a couple and set about cleaning him, using smooth, soft motions and making sure to do the front, inner thighs, bottom and tail. She soon had him all clean, the used wipes throwing themselves in the bin seemingly on their own. “Don’t be scared, Honey. Mama has special powers that let me move things using my mind. There are no ghosts. I am the one throwing the dirty wipes away”, she told the boy with an amused but kind smile. “Now, upsy daisy and let’s get your jacket, shirt and gloves off. I’ll put them in the hamper to go in the wash later,” she said, reaching out and taking both of his hands, one of her tentacles going behind his back to help pull him up into a sitting position, swiftly undressing him the rest of the way. “There, that wasn’t so bad now, was it? We will come back in here after your bath and get you a nice, comfy diaper and some fresh clothes to wear,” She said, gently scooping him off the table into her arms as a bath towel floated off a shelf and began to follow by her shoulder. “Don’t worry; we have diapers and clothes for those with wings and tails, too. And I will let you choose what you want to wear”. Lollia carried Ry out of the changing room, which started to smell better as the air fresheners sprayed automatically, and down the hall into the big bathroom. Which was called that because it was more like a bath house than a simple bathroom. The walls were decorated like a fantasy forest in springtime, with relaxing scenery of waterfalls and gardens. Cloud shaped lights floated on the ceiling. There was a big tub in the middle of the room, split into four by a plus shaped wall. And there were smaller, sunken bathtubs in the floor with side rails, non-slip mats in the bottom and absorbent mats on the floor beside. Lollia took Ry over to the wall of wash stations and sat the 8 year old down on a little stool. “Okay, we will wash you here with soap and water. Then you can rinse off and hop into the bubble bath I am running for you,” she explained, pointing to a regular sized tub behind them that was sunken into the floor and already had its tap running with warm water, one of her tentacles extending to dabble the end in the water, carefully monitoring the temperature; warm but not hot. Reaching out her hands, Lollia took a detachable shower which had a ducky head cover and began to gently rinse his tail, starting at the tip, “How is that? The water should be a little warm on your tail tip, there~” she said, “Oh, look in the mirror; who is that handsome dragon boy looking back at us?” she cooed as she pointed out the mirror in front, continuing to rinse his tail, toes and feet, before slowly moving up his legs and further up the tail. “We rinse…and then we get a sponge and put some soap on…and scrub it all over our body,” the woman instructed, soft and kind. “I am showing you so you will know what to do next time, if you want to wash yourself”. She didn’t know if he wanted to wash himself, since he was a ‘big boy’ at 8 years old. But Lollia was giving him extra care and attention because it was his first time here and he was on his own. This place could be pretty big and intimidating to newcomers. Listening out, Mama Lolly heard Angela and Kara heading towards the big changing room beside the big bathroom, and was sure that Kara would soon be getting washed at a wash station as well. ====================================== Sophie giggled when Rei clapped her hands, glad that she was having fun. She waited for Kitty to wash her paws and then smiled at her response to making omelette. “Yay! Den let’s make it togethew, akay? We will make da yummiest, scwummiest omelette eba!” she made Mama cat say. Sophie then made the Mama cat walk over to Kitty, pretending to tie an apron on her as well. “Tie, tie. Now youw clothes will stay clean, Kitty. So let’s stawt. Hmm…we need dis mixing bowl,” the little bunny girl said, picking up a yellow plastic pot with her other hand and removing the small plastic lid. “Fiwst, we cwack da eggies, ahehe! Tan you get dem fwom the fwidge, my lovely deawie?” Mama cat asked. “We needs…uhh…10 eggs”. Sophie wasn’t really good at counting yet but putting lots of eggs in the mixture sounded good. Her tiny body worked away on digesting her breakfast from earlier and she’d probably make a mess in her diaper after morning tea. Sophie didn’t like being stinky and messy for long, so usually cried or begged for a change. Unlike some other toddlers, who were used to letting it sit and ignoring it in favour of continuing to play. She loved to be clean, instead of mucky. ======================================== Since Xeto didn’t reply, Frost just huffed a sigh. That guy must have a lot on his mind or something, to be ignoring him so often. “Well, I’ll go and check on them. Do you mind staying here and keeping an eye on Sophie and Rei? Thanks”. Frost tacked on a thank-you after waiting a moment, then wheeled his way out of the play room and followed the halls until he reached the conservatory. He wheeled the chair in through the door, the gems on its spokes tinkling softly. Frost listened for them and rolled his way down one of the paved paths in the indoor garden, soon spotting Ms Hoshi and Drew standing by the fish pond, with what appeared to be a globe of floating water with rainbow fish swimming inside. This orb of water was hovering in front of Drew, who was in a baby carrier strapped to Ms Hoshi’s front. Frost cleared his throat quietly and called out to the pair. “Uh…hello…Ms Hoshi? Hi. It’s just Frost. I came to see how you two were doing,” he informed Akiza, “Wow…is that Drew doing that? With the fish and the water? Impressive control of his powers for one so small!” he said with a grin. “Amazing. The fish seem to be enjoying themselves,” he chortled, watching the guppies swim in the water ball like crazy, their tails shimmying.

The blonde nanny smiled at Ry’s good manners and happy face, hearing some crinkles as the dragon’s tail waved from side to side. She half suspected that he already liked her, since most kids bonded with whoever first helped them. It was called imprinting and was similar to what happened with baby animals with their initial rescuer. Listening to the first of what she predicted would be many questions, Mrs Lyn nodded to show she was listening. “Of course. You can tell me anything, Love,” she replied kindly then chuckled at what he told her. “So I can hear! That’s very good. At least you can skip one step,” she said cheerfully. After a minute, the nurses station appeared before them at an intersection of corridors. “Well, here we are; the nurses’ station. I’ll hand you over to Ms Darla, the head nurse. You see that shortstack there with the half circle glasses and bright pink hair? That’s her,” she said as she pointed her out. “You’ll come back to me at the nannies station once they’re done with you,” she stated calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a small press by way of reassurance. The nurses’ office was fronted by a large desk in a U shape that had computers, telephones, printers, a light up pager/nurse call system and other office and medical paraphernalia.There were various rooms behind the large desk and to the sides, where nurses could do check ups, blood draws and other treatments. The social workers’ office was along the left side, towards the back, making it easy to get everything done in one go. As Darla walked towards them, her shoes clicked neatly upon the floor. “Good morning, Mrs Lyn. I see you have someone new for us today. How lovely. Who is this young gentleman?”, she asked with a smile, emerald eyes peering at Ry curiously over her glasses. She seemed excited to see another magical species join the household. Most of the kids tended to be humans. Lyn answered readily, her hand still resting upon Ry’s shoulder. “This sweet boy is Ry. Can I leave him with you and Ms Kate for the intake procedures and paperwork? Oh, by the way, he’s already wearing a diaper. You might just want to check it. I’ll leave him in your capable hands, then…”. She said, looking at Ry before she left. “Now, don’t be nervous, Dear; Darla and her team are all very kind. They mostly just need to check your stats and ask you questions today. So nothing to be fearful of,” she comforted him. She didn’t mention the blood test that would have to happen a bit later on. Something that the two other new orphans, Aurora and Samuel, had also had to do. But the nurses made it so painless that kids barely even felt it. Darla looked at Ry, grabbing a new client file and a clipboard with paperwork for them to fill out. Stepping out from behind the desk, she approached the pair at a calm pace and smiled down at Ry, leaning down and putting out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Ry. Would you like to come with me? I’ll show you to my office so we can get this part done and out of the way,” she said with a warm and gentle voice. “Then we’ll give you to Ms Kate for a chat and she’ll pass you back to nanny Lyn; a little bit of pass-the-parcel,” she joked lightly. She imagined he would feel a bit like a present at a childrens’ party game of such. ============================================= Castile nodded, “Sure, you can have a blueberry muffin. Do you want it warmed up? With butter?”. Seeing her point to something else, he added, “And bacon. Yes, you can have bacon too, Sweetheart”. Castile then watched her choose a drink, smiling when she got excited over having milk. “Some milky? Okay. Plain, or flavoured? Chocolate, strawberry? And do you want it warmed up?”, Castile asked, making sure to get every detail right so that the child would actually want to eat and not cause a fuss. He turned his head toward Lily to tell her something “Miss Lily; I’ll grab some bibs for the littles, as well. When I go up to put in our orders”. After all, he didn’t want their nice clothes for today’s outing to get messy. Once Aurora told him everything, he passed the menu over to Sammy’s highchair. ================================================ Lily waited patiently while Castile helped Aurora make her choices. She smiled and nodded at the fellow nanny’s comment. “Sure. Thanks, Castile. I almost forgot about bibs”. Now that the menu was on Sammy’s high chair tray, Lily paid attention to what he was pointing at. “Pancakes... and milky for this one, as well!”, Lily announced, “Good thing the pancakes come with different toppings in plastic bowls, so the kids can choose what they wanna put on them. They think of everything here,” she exclaimed, pleased with how well planned the menus were. “And I’ll haaaave…” she paused, quickly scanning the items on offer. “The tropical smoothie bowl; reminds me of home~ Oh and a cup of jasmine tea” Turning her gaze back to Samuel, Lily asked “Do you want your milky heated up? And what flavour? Or just plain?”. ================================================ Castile leaned over to stare at the menu for a moment and picked himself out a big English breakfast with eggs, bacon, baked beans, sausages, fried buttered toast, fried tomatoes and mushies plus some bubble and squeak. And a cappuccino for the drink. As a big creature with lots of energy storage needs, he could eat a LOT. Once he got everyone’s orders, he sashayed over to the virtual kiosks and began putting everything in, keeping a perfect memory.

((Sorry everyone! I got behind again! XP January has been rough for me, health wise. I'm catching up on my rps now and hope to get back in the game with getting posts made sooner.)) Lollia heard the Latias’ footfall getting closer until she walked into the kitchen, going to get a well-needed soda from the fridge. Miss Lolly smiled and waved. “Welcome back, Miss Angela,” she said, watching her wave to Kara and apologising to the girl. “It’s okay. You weren’t gone as long as I thought you’d be. Kara here just finished eating and drinking and I was going to give her a bath when - oh!” Lollia stopped talking as she sensed another new Little enter her realm, their presence by the front door of the home. She stood up from the toddler sized chair, brushing her dress and apron down neatly. “Please excuse me for a minute, you two. It seems that there’s another new child at the front door. Would you mind taking Kara and her lion, Loki, for a bubble bath in the big bathroom, Miss Angela? She will need a diaper and some new clothes after her bath, in the big changing room at the back of the house. And Loki will need a collar or ribbon too,” she added with a smile, not going to leave him out. “I’ll be back soon!” she called out over her shoulder, already leaving the kitchen and going to the front door. … The 7 foot tall, motherly alien opened the door politely and looked down, something she was accustomed to doing when it involved new children. Seeing the small dragon boy clutching his blue dog plushie, she automatically crouched down to better be on his level, giving a kind and gentle smile. “Well hello there, little one. What is your name?” she asked him, then noticed the wet stain on his black jeans, along with the scent of urine and saw that he was shivering. “Oh my, looks like somebody had a little accident. Did you walk through all this cold snow in those wet pants? That’s no good. You poor dear, you must be frozen! Come on in out of the cold and we’ll get you cleaned up and changed into something warm and dry,” she said warmly, holding out her hand. “Please, don’t be afraid. I am Mama Lolly, the owner of this place. I sense you need a place to stay. You’re welcome to call this place home for however long you need to,” she offered sweetly, not wanting to leave any child without. As it was, this little dragon would probably need a bath before she could get him into diapers and warm clothing. What great timing. Kara was also going to get a bubble bath with Miss Angela. Lollia hoped that the new boy and Kara would make friends while they enjoyed the nice tubs and bath toys. ================================== “Yup,” Sophie agreed, since ants on a log did sound yummy, despite the funny name. She nodded agreement at what Rei said to the two dolls being missing. “Yeah, you wight!” They didn’t need the full set of dolls to play now. As they started playing, Sophie felt happy. A happiness that filled her heart, since she had longed for other kids to play and make friends with for a long time. Or what seemed long to her, at least. Playing with friends was better than playing alone. The loneliness faded to the background for once and she didn’t need to rely on the toys talking to her in fake conversations. She had a real person to talk to! With a pleasant smile, she voiced MaMa again. “Good giwl, Kitty. You awe a vewy good giwl. Now, let’s wash ouw paws and put on apwons befowe we stawt,” she said in MaMa’s tone, walking the plastic cat over to the sink and making ‘shhh-ing’ sounds for the sound of water, then walking her to the wall and pretending to tie an apron at the toy’s back. MaMa kitty then moved to find an invisible recipe book. “Look, I gots dis wecipe book to help us choose. Do you want to make omelette wiff me, Kitty? Dat will wawm us up fwom all dat cold, coldy snow”. As she played, her diaper crinkled softly under her thick white tights, the sounds muffled somewhat by her clothing.

Balverk Manor or ‘House of the Lost’, as it was also known, welcomed the new, young dragon. Lyn, one of the nannies here alongside Tori, Tanya, Castile and Lily, opened the door to greet him on the doorstep, since Mr Balverk’s schedule was busy today. “Good morning, Ry. My name is Lyn. We’ve been expecting you. Now, no need to be nervous. Please, follow me and I will show you to the nurses’ station for intake,” she explained in a calm, friendly manner, standing to one side as she held the door open for Ry. “You don’t look like you’re from around these parts. Must be one of those from one of the many portals around this place, hm? We don’t see many dragons!” she exclaimed, rather thrilled to have a dragon join the household. As she led him inside and began walking through the mansion, she began speaking. “I’ll explain what happens with all newcomers,” she said, hoping that if he knew what was happening, it would put him more at ease. “First, you go to the nurses’ station and the social worker, (Kate). They will handle the paperwork then give you a small check up, plus either Pull-Ups or diapers for underwear. As you may know, all children in this manor must wear one or the other. The bathrooms in this place, due to its size, are almost impossible to get to with weak bladders and most kids here right now are in diapers for one reason or another,” she said kindly. “Not to mention, the kids’ bathrooms don’t have toilets. There is one on this floor with 8 cubicles that each have a bathtub and a changing table, though, in case kids need changes”. She continued on while they made their way along the corridors of the massive place that had 200 rooms, 10 play rooms, a huge dining hall and a small school on the property. “Once you've changed, the nurses will hand you over to the nannies’ station. That’s what I am; a nanny. We are the ones who take care of all the kids here. While you’re with us, one of us will help you pick a room from the floor map and give you a folder with pictures and check boxes, so you can choose what you want your new room to look like, what furniture to put in it and what new clothes you want made. It will usually all be done before the end of the day, except for the clothes, which might take a week or so. After that’s done, we can get you some food or let you play and explore. You get to pick which nanny you want, as well,” she smiled. “Oh, and don't worry; I won’t be upset if you don’t pick me,” she said with a soft laugh. “By the way, let me tell you the rules for this place”. Lyn took out her staff iPad and began to read the rules of the manor out to him from it. (These can be found on the first post by Doorset, on the rp’s front page. Please have a quick read! Thank you ^^).

((Welcome back, Dlatwood! You can write Miss Angela coming back into the orphanage now. She could come in the front door and hear Kara and Lollia talking in the kitchen and walk in there to let them know she’s back. And that’s okay, Grumvakk. I hope you can relax now. As you guys know, I’m a pretty slow poster, too.)) Lollia brought over a warm, damp washcloth and gently cleaned Kara’s face as the dirty plate and bottle floated off to the sink to wash themselves up. “My my, someone was very hungry and thirsty. You ate and drank it all up! What a good girl~” she cooed softly, smiling, letting the used cloth seemingly float out of her hand and into the laundry hamper once she was done using it. “You deserve some pampering and care after going through such a hard time, little one,” Lollia replied. “Yes indeed, you do get new clothes. I’ll let you choose what you want to wear from our ample supply stock in the changing rooms. But if you need help picking some out, that’s okay, I can help with that as well”. Lollia then sensed Angela’s presence as the Latias returned from whatever errands she’d been on. “Oh, I think Miss Angela might be back. That’s great. We can wash you and Loki together”. She waited, listening out for Angela's entry to the house. ============================ Sophie listened to Rei as she helped unbox the new playset, setting up the cardboard house before putting the furniture in, frequently checking the front of the box to make sure everything was perfectly in its place. She giggled at what the celery-peanut butter-raisin combo was called. “Ew, yucky! Ants! We will gobble dem up!” Sophie tittered, finding it funny. She didn’t ask what Rei’s old caretakers were like. She knew Rei wouldn’t be here if they had been nice ones. Every orphan came with a dark backstory, usually. “Otay, dat’s faiw. Well…umm…I’ll take MaMa, den,” she decided, reaching out to pick up the mother figurine, which easily fit her small hand. Checking through all the plastic pieces, she realised something. “Looks like PaPa and MiMi don’t comes wiff dis set. You hab to buy dem sep…sepewately. Well, dat makes it easiew to choose, ahehe”. Getting into her role as the MaMa cat, she tried to think of something nice to begin playing, walking the MaMa cat into the entrance of the house, through the little cardboard door/gate. “Kitty, would you like to come inside and help me cook somefing in da kitchen? Cooking ish mowe fun when we do it togethew”, she said, putting on a soft, motherly voice as best she could. "Should we make a yummy lunch? Tum in out of all dat cold snow, afowe chu tuwn into a snowman!" =============================== Frost just watched the girls play, smiling when he saw that they found the new Hello Kitty playset, his tail wagging. “Aw, how sweet, they seem to be playing house. A lot of the toys are brand new here and haven’t even been touched”. He looked at Xeto “I guess your first class will start on Monday. For Sophie, Rei and Kara. Drew’s still too little to learn by anything other than playing. Wonder how Ms Hoshi’s doing with him right now? Perhaps one of us should go and check on them” He wasn't sure if Drew had any kind of powers but looking after a baby that young could be tough all on its own, regardless.