House of the lost ( any can join in)

[Grumvakk]

Samuel laid on the table still trembling a bit as Lily diapered him, when she was finished he sat up and felt the padding on him and blushed slightly. When she put him on the ground it was hard to stand but he managed. He walked over sitting in the chair and looking at all the options for his room.

[YunicornSparkles]

Castile saw the chair brought in for him and thanked the worker, climbing up onto the long, low piece of furniture and neatly tucking his front paws under himself, wrapping his tail around his haunches as he sat in ‘cat loaf’ formation. He continued to build a chunky looking carriage out of coloured blocks, quietly humming a cheerful tune.

Castile glanced towards the racks of clothes Tanya brought out for the kids and smiled, admiring her handiwork. Each piece was designed to give easy access to a diaper; these had thought put into them. Plus, there were different styles and fashions, it seemed. 

He didn’t bother to look for himself since most of them were kids clothes and the regular nanny uniforms wouldn’t fit him. He did keep an eye on Milly, Mitch, Aurora and Samuel from his spot though.

===============

Lily saw Tanya point out the rack of nanny clothes to her. She got to her feet with excitement. “Ah, for me? Wow, thank you, Miss Tanya. I’ll come have a look!” she replied. “Samuel, you wanna pause picking a room and come look at clothes?” she asked the shy boy in a soft tone, placing a hand on his shoulder as she leaned down to speak to him. “We can come back to it” 

Regardless of Samuel’s decision, she headed over to take a quick look at what was on offer, browsing through the things on hangers, pulling this or that out to take a better look, holding some things up against herself. Lily picked out some long, full coverage t-shirts that had fun prints on them; froggies, tropical flowers or fruit. She added some loose, soft pants and some pairs of tropical leggings. She also chose a couple of knee length shift dresses with pockets that had tropical designs. “That’ll about do it. How much for these?” she said, walking up to Tanya and showing her what she got. “You had some wonderful summer and rainforest prints on the fabric” she giggled. “How did you know what I like?”

[baby frost]

Aurora snuggled up against Castile as they built their items with the blocks. As he informed her about the clothes she nodded wondering what would be over there. She toddled over to the rack never getting to pick her own clothes she looked at them and tried to find some of things she liked, frilly and cute dresses and ribbons. She was still a bit shy but looked up at Tanya.” Pwetty cloth” she said before going back to looking at the clothes 

[doorset]

Tanya says " free dear take all you need  the mannors main tailor outfits every one so is limmited on how many he can do per person  and these i make in my spare time so the nannys and nurses look good and  the kids  have  all they ever need "after Aurora came up  Tanya says " thanks sweetie pick as many as you like"

Milly got a few items so did Mitch but  since they had bin here longer they have had the chance to get cloths before and where only interested in what was new from last time they got to look

 

[YunicornSparkles]

((Was waiting for a post from Grumvakk but I’ll reply now since he's taking a bit...))

Castile finished the Cinderella style carriage, balancing blocks on top of each other to make a chunky looking round shape. He’d built it in front of the block pony he made. Aurora had almost finished the castle and it looked pretty good. He lay blocks flat to make the images of a simple train and a rocket, then began building a playground. It’d be fun to grab some plastic dolls and see if Aurora wanted to use them with the block playset they had made.

Castile looked over at Aurora, noticing the kind of clothes she picked. He approved of her choices very much. They were so cute and pretty. He’d be happy to tie the ribbons into her hair. 

Castile waited for Aurora to finish picking clothes. “Those look nice, Aurora. Want to come show me what you got? I can help you put one on, if you want!”

Right now, she was still in a t-shirt and diaper. But if she wanted to wear one of her new dresses, he would help her. 

============

Lily looked surprised when Tanya told her the clothes were free. “Wow, really?! Oh my gosh, are you sure!? I got so many though!” 

She almost felt guilty for taking so many free items. But she did need uniforms and this would save her having to make a trip to the tailor. “Well thank you very much, Miss Tanya. I love your work. I’m so happy to have new uniforms. That’s awesome that you make all these in your spare time” she praised her. 

She walked up to Tanya, holding the pile of clothes draped over her left arm while leaning down to give Tanya a one armed hug. “Thank you! I love these. I’ll go put them with my bag to take back to my apartment later. I like that I can look nice and colourful for work now. Hopefully the kids will love it” she said, going to place the uniform on top of her tote bag, neatly folding them all in a pile. 

For now, she was content to keep wearing the spare uniform she’d borrowed when she got her ID. It was the colour of a strawberry milkshake with white trim and it matched her pink cheeks nicely. There were two large pockets on the front and one at the top right, with some round white buttons going down the middle, and a triangle collar around the neck. Her shoes were just the sandals she’d arrived in. 

Lily walked back over to Milly and Mitch, wanting to see what they chose. “Hey guys, what did you get? Do you want any help to put on a new outfit?” she asked “Mitch, you’re still wearing a bunny sleeper. Do you want to get out of those pyjamas?” she giggled.

[baby frost]

Aurora was still looking over the clothes grabbing a cute pink onesie that had white ruffles on the bottom when she heard Castile and nodded happily toddling over to show him what she got. She got over to him and held up her choices so he could see them.” Me do good” she asked having never got to pick her own clothes she hoped she did a good job. She plopped down on her padded Bottom and saw all the things Castile made with the blocks.” You make lots of nice things” she said to him admiring what he made. She was gonna let him pick the clothes not really caring as they were all things she liked. She went back to finishing her castle and in a few minutes was all done and stood up happily” Aw done” she said clapping at her creation 

[YunicornSparkles]

Castile looked at the pretty things she had chosen approvingly as she held them up, his ears twitching softly “You did great. Very nice. They’re perfect for a little princess” he smiled, giving her a thumbs up and a smile. “You’ll look super sweet in them. I love the ruffles and ribbons; so darling! You have wonderful fashion sense, my Dear” 

He watched as she sat on her puffy rear and looked at what he’d made, giving a small chuckle at her words. “Why thank you. I thought the princess might like to use the train and rocket to travel to new places for her adventures. Or take the horse and carriage to see her friends” he told the little girl. “Playing is more fun when you use your imagination” he tapped a finger to his temple knowingly. “I really like the castle and wand you made. Everything’s balanced neatly. That’s amazing for someone your age” he praised her. “You’re very creative and I can see you have good motor skills” 

He looked at the clothes spread on the floor and across her lap. They were charming. Dollies and Barbie would approve. 

“Would you like to put on one of your new outfits? I can help you” he offered, tail slowly twitching. He saw her go over and finish the castle. “Oh you wanna finish that first. Okay” 

Castile took the clothes and got to his paws “I’ll go and put these safely on the shelf to take up to your room later. That way they won’t get lost” he told her. He went and put them on top of his pink duffle bag, selecting the pink onesie with white ruffles on the butt and returning. 

Aurora stood up, telling him her castle was all done. “Yayy! Good job, Sweetie. It turned out really cool” he cheered for her, looking at the colourful blocks. He really hoped no other kids knocked them over. He didn't know if Aurora would be upset.

"How about we put this on and I can make some bubbles for everyone” Castile took a few steps forward and knelt down, reaching to gently pull her t-shirt off over her head and arms, then pulling the onesie down onto her and clipping the snaps at the crotch. He took one of the ribbons, tying a small side ponytail in her hair with a bow then taking a step back to take a proper view. “There. Aww, you look so cute in this!” he practically squealed, placing his hands to his cheeks as he looked at her. His tail swished animatedly, rising into the air like a cat’s would when they were happy.  His paws danced on the spot, up and down. “Kyaaaa! Look at how adorable you are!” 

Everything matched; pink onesie, pink diaper, pink hair bow. She looked super cute. 

[Grumvakk]

(Sorry, I got busy)

 

Samuel looked over at the racks of clothes and walked over shyly, he started looking at them and pulled a pair of red shorts and a shirt with a whale design on it. He blushed showing lily what he found.

[doorset]

Tanya says " your fine  take what you need  "

Mitch says " im good " he chose a bunch of kigurumi onsies  of different animals

Milly got a few things but hid them all under a  blanket she grabed then  darted to her room put them away then came back

[baby frost]

Aurora smiled from behind her paci as she took in Castiles praises of her clothes choices. She listened to him talk about everything they had both made and was happy as ever from all the positive talk.

aurora let him dress her in the new onesie and once she was all done and he complimented her she toddled over to him for a good snuggle happy and content with where she was now with such nice people.

for the moment she just wanted this to last happy as she could be. She stayed snuggled against him content in his arms after a good lunch and some play. She let out a yawn and snuggled closer

[YunicornSparkles]

Lily saw Samuel head to the racks of clothes after she had put her haul with her tote bag. She walked over and crouched down to see if Samuel needed any help picking what he wanted. When he showed her what he got, she smiled. “Ooh, good choice. Those will look great together. You’ll be nice and colourful too. I like the smiley whale” she praised him. 

“Do you want any of the more babyish clothes, like the onesies or rompers, maybe some shortalls? They have t-shirts with other animals on them too” she said, showing him one with a grinning tiger face on the front and another with a teddy bear pattern. “Or maybe you have a cartoon that you like. Otherwise we can go back to designing your new bedroom!”

Lily heard Mitch say he was good. She looked to see what he had gotten and laughed a bit “Those are all kigurumi! You really like dressing up like different animals, I see. Did you get a frog one? I like frogs! You could wear it while playing leapfrog” she questioned curiously. “What’s your favourite animal?”

She almost hoped he would say he liked frogs but they were not most people’s favourite. 

She saw Milly hiding some new clothes under a blanket and was confused by that. Why did she feel like she had to hide them? Maybe the new clothes were like treasures to her. Or she just didn’t want any of the other kids to steal what she had picked. Yeah, it was probably that. Milly left the nursery all on her own, carrying the blanket and clothes. Lily figured she must know her way around the mansion well enough to not get lost. She was still relieved to see the girl return to the nursery once she came back though. "Welcome back, Milly! I'm glad you made it all right. Let me know if you want help with anything, okay?" 

======================

While Lily talked to the other three kids, Castile’s attention remained on Aurora for the time being. He saw her smile behind her pink and blue paci, brightening at his words. He was glad to see her so happy and internally thanked Tanya for her new surprises. 

Castile returned the hug she gave him, giving a soft laugh as he wrapped his arms around her and swayed her back and forth playfully while they snuggled. “Aww, hehe. Someone’s being a snuggle bug~” he commented, purring softly while he held her. She yawned and snuggled closer. “Are you ready for the bubbles? Or do you wanna take a cat nap first? I'll still be here when you wake up” he offered. 

Most little ones had a nap or two per day and after lunch was a common one. “Tanya, do they have sleep mats and blankets in here? I did see that there’s a nap room somewhere in the manor. I was just thinking that anyone who wants to should take the after lunch naptime” he stated. “Was gonna make some bubbles for the kiddos to chase but Aurora seems a little sleepy”

He didn't know how things worked here yet. Were naps mandatory or just for those kids who wanted to? "How do things usually work here? I was thinking the kids could use a bath too. Samuel's hair is dirty and hasn't been brushed for a while"

[Grumvakk]

Samuel looked at Lily and nodded to her at the mention of more baby like clothes and looked over at the rack. He stayed quiet when she was attending to Mitch and Milly and just stood off the side as she talked to them.

[YunicornSparkles]

Lily saw Samuel’s nod to her questions. She was still crouched nearby him. She just raised her voice and looked at Milly and Mitch from her spot while talking to them. Lily helped Samuel pick out some shortalls, a few more t-shirts, two rompers and three onesies to his liking. She draped each piece of clothing over her left arm. “All right, Honey, I think you’ve got a good collection here now. I’ll go put your new stuff on a spare shelf to take to your room later” she told the quiet boy.

Lily took his stuff and put it beside hers in a pile. She then went back to Samuel and lightly took his hand, leading him back over to the cute apple table and helping him take a seat in one of the kid sized chairs. She pointed at the tablet, which was still displaying the catalogue for designing his room here at the manor. “Okay, let’s keep going. Just tap on the things you want and the workers will make your room just like you picked”

She glanced at the blue rose in the bubble that followed Samuel around. She gently poked it and it floated backwards then came back to hang out at Samuel's shoulder height. "Hee hee!" 

Lily didn't have any such powers, but she did have froglike abilities. 

[baby frost]

Aurora enjoyed the snuggling with Castile but then heard him talk in about naps and shook her head.” No nap no tiwed” she said before another yawn escaped from her small body. She was trying with everything she had to stay awake but the warm gif and gentle purring was overwhelming 

[Grumvakk]

Samuel looked at the tablet again and hesitantly swiped the screen looking at the rooms. He stopped on a firefighter theme and pressed it, he picked out some toys and other kid/baby items for his room before showing the frog woman looking down a bit nervous wondering if he did it right.

[doorset]

Tanya once every one chose what they wanted takes the cloths back to the storage room  then sits in a large chair  and watches and waits till shes needed

Tanya looks at Castile and says " there is  many places for that the tv room  has mats  then theres  a nap room   the outdoor  play area has a nap area  , just use you tablet and  search nap and it will show all the locations and options "

Mitch says " no real favorite"

Milly " im Kay " milly gets a  few stuffys and starts to play  on her own

[YunicornSparkles]

Castile listened to Tanya’s replies to his questions, nodding as he absorbed the new info. “Okay. TV room, nap room, outdoor nap spot, got it!” he gave her a thumbs up “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that. How silly of me!” 

He reached into his uniform’s apron pocket and took out the tablet, quickly searching for the locations of all the nap areas. Once he was sure he knew where each was, Castile slipped it back in his pocket and picked up Aurora, snuggling her close to his warm body, against the clean fabric of the uniform. “I know where I have to go now. I’ll be back in a little while. I’ll trust you and Lily to hold the fort till I get back” he winked at the ladies confidentially. 

He turned his head to look at the girl in his arms, his long whiskers brushing her cheek lightly “Aurora, I need your help! You’re going to come with me to check out the new nap rooms. We have to know where they are since we’re new here, so let’s go for a little walk to find them so we can come back and tell everyone” he told her, watching the pacifier bob in her mouth, “I need your help on this, since I might get lost if I go around this giant mansion all on my own. Come on, let’s go!” 

With that, he started to carry Aurora out of the nursery and playroom, taking his time walking through the building and down the halls towards the nap room, bypassing the TV room and the outdoor one to find the indoor nap space. He continued to purr happily and hum a playful lullaby while his large paws treaded silently across the floors, the booties barely making a sound.

Castile peeked into other rooms and looked around, being curious and nosy like the cat he was. He was kind of hoping Aurora would fall asleep in his arms on the way to their destination but if not, he had a plan B. He would ask Aurora to test out the nap beds/bassinets/cots/cribs with him and then maybe read a picture book to her by way of seeing how other kids would feel lying on the cot, being read a story. His plan was sneaky but it just might work. 

After some time of walking, he peered around the door frame of a room and announced “Well, here we are. We found the nap room. Let’s tiptoe inside and look around” he said, keeping his voice low but still a pleasant and friendly tone. 

It was then that he suddenly realised that Tanya didn’t answer about whether all kids had to take a mandatory nap after lunch time, or whether each kid just slept when they got tired. He would have preferred them to all do it as a group at the same time, like with diaper changes. But he’d roll with whatever for the time being. The kids already living here were obviously used to how things were now. And he didn’t want to upset their daily schedules. As for bath time? He’d make sure everyone had a bath before bed, with plenty of bubbles. 

==============

Lily heard Mitch reply and chuckled “So you like them all? Well, that’s good. Animals are great” she said, “Maybe you can work with animals some day when you’re a big boy” 

She then looked at Milly, watching her play with stuffed toys. “Okay, well, I’m right here if you change your mind” she told her. “Enjoy your plushies, Little Miss”

Lily remained sat with Samuel at the kiddy apple table and watched him choose and design his very own room. “Wow, that looks cool. A fireman room! Is that what you want to be when you grow up?” she asked with a smile. “That would be an exciting job”. She watched him pick out toys, furniture and other stuff, giving him small prompts in case he forgot anything. She reminded him to choose what kinds of diapers he preferred too. Once he was done, she looked over the choices and submitted the form for him. “Yep, that looks great. Well done, kiddo!” she told the boy, pleased with his efforts. 

She took the tablet back but placed it in front of herself at the table “Now that that’s done and out of the way, I’ve got to finish choosing MY bedroom here. You can go and play now. There are lots of toys here. I’ll come and join you in about ten minutes but I’m right here if you need me” she told him, giving herself that long to pick some stuff. Lily quickly entered her part of the app, tapping on the selection and choosing some very basic free furniture and stuff in shades of green for her apartment/living quarters. She then went to look through the paid stuff and favourited a bunch of green, tropical and frog themed stuff; lily pad tables and matching chairs, flooring for her bathroom that looked like tropical water and would be covered by clear resin, tropical leaves for the wallpaper, cane and rattan furniture for the bedroom and kitchen, a few hammocks, potted rainforest types of flowers and plants, insect wall decorations such as butterflies and dragonflies, a bunch of pillows with tropical decor such as pineapples or frogs for a mint green cushy sofa. She chose shades of green and white for the walls as well as rainforest tapestries and for the floors, some rooms with carpet, others with polished wooden floorboards and colourful rugs. She got some hanging wicker basket chairs with green poofy cushions that would hang from the ceiling and rock when you swung on them. 

Lily got excited as it all came together. Her house was gonna make her feel right at home and remind her of the one she left! It was gonna be great! Of course…she was gonna have to work hard to afford all the pay-for stuff that she made a big list of. But her apartment/quarters would be good once it was all paid off. 

Lily sent in the completed form and put the tablet back away. She looked around to see what all the kids were doing, having been glancing up every so often to keep an eye on them while picking her stuff for the apartment. She got up and walked around to see what each of them was doing. “Anyone need any help? Maybe I can play with you” she offered. She looked at Tanya "Unless - Tanya, is there anything I could do to help out?"

[baby frost]

Aurora perked up hearing they were going to go on an adventure in the house. She listened to what he said about all the other rooms and nodded as she nursed her paci.” Otay” she said as he Carried her out of the room and they went about the manor trying to find all the rooms. She stayed nestled against Castile the nice lullaby his gentle ours and soft fur making it hard for the girl to stay awake. As they found the nap room aurora looked around. Aurora looked at the different areas with different beds and such. She looked over to the crib area and they did look super comfy. She waited for castiles reaction to the room but the room wasn’t doing to help her stay awake. The room was colored a dark blue with low powered yellow lights to make it feel like a starry night. The room was complete with multiple areas all with rocker chairs and by the cribs and bassinet's there were mini fridges with brittles and bottle warmers 

[Grumvakk]

Samuel didn’t go far from the small table, only going a few feet away and not near the other two kids. He sat on the floor and pulled over a small bucket of foam blocks. As he started to pull the blocks out and stack them he looked up at Lily as she finished up. He didn’t say anything but continued to stack the blocks in random order and colors with the bubble next to him.

[YunicornSparkles]

((I'll reply with Lily once Doorset posts Milly, Mitch and Tanya's replies))

He saw the little girl looking around the room. “It looks peaceful, doesn’t it? And there are lots of comfy beds, all different kinds. I love the star lights they put in the ceiling and walls. They are so pretty. It’s like floating in the night sky” he said, tail slowly swishing to and fro as he looked around the room, walking in a big circle as he craned his head to view the walls and ceiling. 

He stepped further inside after that, walking around to look at the toddler beds, then the different kinds of cribs and finally, the bassinets for the smallest babies. “Hmm….which do you think would be the most comfortable? The toddler beds, the cribs or the bassinets? Maybe we should try them out to see which is best” he told Aurora. 

He then pointed to the rocking chair “But first, we have to do the nap time routine and see if it’s good enough to put kids to sleep. Let’s try a rocking chair and I’ll read you a picture book. You can try one of the bottles and tell me about how the formula tastes” he told her, going over to the crib and bassinet area. 

He let Aurora pick a book from the low shelves around the room, then placed the girl in the padded rocking recliner chair and covered her with a quilted lap blanket for babies. He sat beside the chair and used a big paw to make it rock. He grabbed a bottle from the mini fridge and put it into the warmer, then took the book and opened it with his human hands, beginning to read it to the girl, showing her the pictures. “Cat Nap by Toni Yuly” he started, beginning to read slowly. As he read, he kept an eye on the warmer, grabbing the milk after a minute and testing it on his wrist. Castile handed the bottle to Aurora as he wiped his wrist on his uniform. “Will you tell me how this tastes?,” he asked her. "You can be the bottle tester" 

Glancing around, he saw a music player on a shelf above the cribs and realised he could put some music on. There was also an air purifier and a white noise generator. 

[YunicornSparkles]

Lily watched Samuel move a small distance from the table, avoiding going near the other two children. She saw him choose a bucket of foam blocks and glanced up from her iPad every now and then to keep tabs on him.

Once she was finished, she, of course, got up and walked around to see what all the kids were doing. She asked if anyone wanted her to help them and if Tanya had something for her to do.

Her attention was mainly back on Samuel though because he seemed isolated, even though he was acting content right now. Lily looked at the stacks of foam blocks he had made and decided to try to engage him a bit “That looks interesting, Samuel. What are you making there?” she asked, crouching to be closer to his eye level.

“Do you know your shapes and colours yet? What’s this colour?” she asked, reaching out to gently tap a blue foam block. “It’s the same as your rare rose”

((Or not XD))

[Grumvakk]

Samuel looked up at Lily as she kneels down and he stacks another block. He looks at the block she pointed to and trembles a bit at the question think for a second and mumbles quietly so no one will hear him. “B…b…bue”. He tries to stack the last block on the tower but accidentally knocks it over and starts to tear up whimpering.

[doorset]

Tanya watches Mitch and milly humming a old tune , all that hear it feel energized and happy

Mitch says " we will see "

Milly Says " Kay " milly keeps playing with stuffys

[baby frost]

Aurora nodded agreeing with Castille the room was nice and she could totally get used to it. She looked over all the beds before seeing a crib that looked particularly comfy. It was black and dark green and had a forest style motif. She pointed to that one as he got her in the chair with the blanket and  bottle. She nursed gently while he read to her. Slowly but surely she started to drift off about midway through the bottle she was fast asleep

[YunicornSparkles]

((Sorry for the wait. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed with all the rps I'm in. It can take me a while to post))

Lily watched Samuel carefully stack each block, balancing them so the whole project stood without falling. She noticed him trembling and hoped that eventually, he’d become so used to and comfortable with her and the others here that they’d feel like family and he wouldn’t be so scared any more. She waited patiently for his answer, a small smile on her lips. She didn’t push him or try to rush him. Lily leaned forwards and down towards Samuel so she could hear his soft answer better. She sat back up and smiled brightly “Yes, that’s right! It’s blue. Clever boy, knowing the answer. Great job” she clapped softly, her hands barely making a sound. 

She watched him attempt to stack the final block but knock into the tower instead, sending it crashing down in seconds. Foam blocks tumbled around them, falling randomly. At least there was no chance of sustaining any bumps or bruises from the soft material. “Uh oh, all fall down!” she stated, noticing how Samuel began to tear up afterwards. 

“Aw, Samuel, it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to knock it over. You worked hard on it. It was a good tower. You can make another one if you want to. Or you can play something else. That’s part of the fun of blocks; you can always knock them down and make all kinds of new things” she said, trying to help him feel better as she reached out and rubbed his back lightly. “Do you want a hug?” she offered. “What would help you feel better right now? I could help you build a new tower. Or we can do something else. There’s lots of toys in here” 

She giggled at Mitch’s reply to her words as she sat beside Samuel. “Of course. You don’t have to think about it now. You can choose to be whatever you want” she told him. He didn’t have to work with animals but he did seem to like them a lot or why else would he have so many kigurumis? It was kind of funny that that’s all he chose. No normal kinds of outfits. 

As for Milly, the girl seemed perfectly happy interacting with her plushies on her own. Lily didn’t want her to feel bored or alone though, so she would check on her from time to time as well. “What’s your favourite kind of stuffy?” she asked Milly, looking at the ones she was playing with. 

Lily didn’t receive a reply from Tanya about whether she needed help, so Lily assumed Tanya had everything covered. She was content to let the older, more experienced woman watch two of the kids while she spent some one on one time with Samuel. He seemed to need a lot of attention right now, since it was early days for him and he would be on his own otherwise. 

Lily began to feel more energised when Tanya started humming. It must be a magic melody. Seemed like the other kids wouldn't be needing naps for a while. 

================

There seemed to be various designs for the cribs in here. He noticed Aurora’s gaze stick on the one that was forest themed, looking at it when she pointed. Realistic and vibrant green leaves and plants were painted over the black background. It was like the crib was plucked straight out of a fantasy forest.

While he got her to try out the padded rocking chair and read her a story, he watched her drink her bottle, seeing that she grew sleepier with every passing minute. His little plan seemed to be working. Castile kept reading the book until the end, looking up only to see the girl sleeping. He snickered quietly to himself. He hadn’t even noticed when she’d fallen asleep.

Castile then very gently stopped rocking the chair and scooped Aurora up, trying not to wake her. He carried her to the forest crib and pulled back the blanket and top sheet, laying her in it slowly and gently. Castile lightly covered her back up before raising the side of it, locking it in place. He curled up on the floor beside the crib and started reading more of the staff guidebook, trying to memorise everything he could. Castile purred at a low volume, hoping it would comfort the child as she dreamed.