House of the lost ( any can join in)

[Grumvakk]

Samuel tensed up a little as they entered the medical wing of the manor and curled up as much as he could to try and not be seen. He waved to Miss Darla as they met her before he was taken into a room full of chairs and beds. He looked up at Miss Darla as she asked him which arm he used the most and he held up his right one slightly.

[YunicornSparkles]

((OOC: sporry for the wait, guys. I'm tired tonight but plan to do a reply on here tomorrow morning. Was gonna do today and got sidetracked by other things))

[YunicornSparkles]

Lacey wheeled over a trolley with some medical tools on it, keeping it out of Aurora’s line of sight so the tools didn’t scare her. She heard her whine and gave her a friendly smile, hoping to make her feel calmer. She waited while Castile sank down on his haunches beside a padded chair, placing Aurora on it and wrapping a caring arm around her shoulders. He kept up a low purr the whole time. 

Lacey pulled up an office chair and sat down, “Alright, I think we’re ready to begin. I’ll just look in your eyes, ears, nose and mouth to make sure everything is good and then you can have the game to play” she stated, showing Aurora the VR set that was decorated with lots of stickers. Lacey picked up a funny tool and brushed some hair away from Aurora’s ear. 

“Okay, I’m looking inside your right ear now with this instrument. It might feel a little funny but it won’t hurt” she explained, putting the end of the scope in her ear and pushing it in the slightest amount before peering through the eye part, using a small light to see the inside of her ear canal. She did the other ear and changed the cap part of the scope, then began to look in Aurora’s eyes. “Okay, I’m shining a light in your eyes. It’s okay to blink” she told her, checking them over too. Once they got to the mouth, she got a long, flat stick “This looks like a giant ice cream stick, doesn’t it? Can you open your mouth wide and say Ahhh? I will use this stick to press on your tongue so I can see all the way down your throat” Lacey told her with a smile.

Once the basic checks were over, nurse Lacey took a stethoscope and began to listen to her breathing and heartbeat, telling Aurora to take slow breaths in…and then out. She also asked her to cough a little. Lacey used a funny rubber hammer on Aurora’s knee, making her leg flinch. The nurse was recording all the info in a paper chart. “And soon you can play the video game. I will put some cream on the back of your hand now” she told her, opening an anaesthetic patch “Which hand would you like it on? Do you use your right hand or left hand when doing things?” she touched each hand as she said left and right. 

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

Over in the other room, Darla was doing the same routine. She performed the basic health checks, being very calm and friendly. Lily rubbed Samuel’s upper arm in a comforting gesture, hoping he would begin to calm down once he realised nothing that nurse Darla was doing was hurting him. She was happy that he waved at Darla. He was usually so shy that it was pretty amazing he would wave back. 

Nurse Darla smiled as he held up his right hand “Okay, then we’ll put the cream on your left hand. That way you can use the right one as much as you want and the cream won’t get in the way” she said, sticking the patch of numbing cream on the back of his left hand. Normally they took about an hour to work but these ones were specially developed for the manor so they only took 10 minutes.

Darla picked up the stethoscope and showed it to Samuel “Samuel, this is a stethoscope. I’m going to use this to listen to your heart and your breathing. Is that okay?” She placed the end of it on his chest, and the earpieces in her ears, asking Samuel to take some deep breaths and let them out, then cough a little. Darla frowned in thought “Ah. It seems you have a slight congestion in your lungs right now. You must have a cold” she told him with a smile. “I see Dr Wong has given you some of his medicine candy. I hope you get well soon. Okay…now I’ll just look in your eyes, ears and mouth” she explained, doing the actions, showing him each tool and telling him what she was doing at each step. She tested his reflexes and a few other things. Eventually it came time to do the blood test. Darla showed Samuel the VR headset. “You’ve done really well, Samuel. Your check up is almost over! And I keep my promises. It doesn’t hurt. Now for the last part, you can play a game while I finish up. I just put these funny glasses over your eyes and give you the gaming controller. You will be able to play a fun Disney game. I’ll tell you when to take it off” she said "But you might be having so much fun you want to keep playing" she chuckled.

The game was set in Disney World, with lots of mini games and the famous characters to talk to. 

[Grumvakk]

Samuel remained still and quiet as he was examined. He looked at the patch on his hand confused as he lost feeling on top of his hand. Samuel looked at the VR headset and he nodded as it was put on his head and he held the controllers starting to play a small game. He was moving around a bit more but stopped as someone grabbed his left wrist to hold still.

[baby frost]

Aurora let nurse Lacey do everything she had to do trying to be a big girl and not be afraid, Castiles putting kept her calm but she was still pretty nervous.  As nurse Lacey asked about her hand she held bout her left hand for her.” Dis one” she said not really knowing what was about to happen as she held her arm out and turned away hoping she would be ok fresh tears starting to fall from her eyes due to her overthinking about why would happen 

[YunicornSparkles]

The instruments may have looked weird yet thankfully they didn’t hurt, even if some of them felt a bit funny. Castile made sure to praise and reassure his tiny patient, “You’re doing so well, Aurora. Such a good girl. I bet nurse Lacey has never had such an easy patient” he said, as he continued to keep up a soft purr, one arm around her back. He would seat her in his lap between his big cat paws but then the nurse would have to get down on the floor to reach the little girl. So even though she was sat in a chair, he kept physical contact so she felt calmer.

Lacey noticed how nervous she was and commented “It’s okay to be scared but everything is fine. We are almost done. See, I promised you nothing will hurt. I just have one last thing left to do and then you can go” she told her, hoping that knowing it would be over soon would put Aurora more at ease. She gently took hold of Aurora’s left hand, “This one? You want me to put the cream here? Okay. Here, it might feel a little bit cold” she said, sticking the anaesthetic patch on. “Alright, now you get to play a game little lady and test out our brand new VR set. Aww, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Nothing bad is going to happen. I just want to monitor your brain activity while you play a game. That’s all” she said, telling a white lie.

She brought out a children’s sized pair of what seemed to be funny goggles and the case was decorated with a pink 'skin', stickers and glitter. She also brought out a matching game controller. “Look, this controller has a little teddy bear face and paw prints on the joy sticks. Isn’t it cute? I’ll put in a princess game for you, how does that sound?” she asked, crouching to show Aurora the items, holding them over her lap. “All I want you to do is play this for ten minutes. And you’ll be done. I might ask you to keep your hand still at one point and that is all” 

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

As Samuel’s character ran around talking to Mickey mouse and playing all sorts of fun mini games, collecting items and exploring a virtual version of Disneyworld itself, Darla wasted no time in wheeling her cart closer to her and taking a fine butterfly needle. She removed the sticker patch on Samuel’s hand, which was quick and didn’t hurt, then gently wiped the cream off with a tissue and began to feel around for a good vein. He could probably feel her lightly holding his wrist while she studied and prodded the back of his hand. She noticed him freeze up. “Hey Samuel, it’s okay. I’m just having a little look at your hand to see how my special cream is working. You won’t feel anything” she explained, sounding as comforting as she possibly could. Her tone was friendly and casual, letting him know that everything was okay. 

Lily saw what Darla was preparing to do and gave him a little squeeze, cuddling him on her lap, rubbing her hands on his tummy in a soothing motion. “That’s right. You just focus on your game. Tell me, what do you see in those goggles? Is it good? Can you tell me about it?” she asked, “I noticed the VR set is even customised which means someone decorated it with stickers and rainbow colours and glitter. It’s very cool. You’re a lucky boy getting to use such an expensive piece of technology” she said, trying to take his mind off other things. 

“Just hold this hand still. Can you do that for me? Keep it as still as you can until I say so” Darla pierced the vein and began drawing up some vials of blood. It didn’t take very long and it was over in about a minute. Once it was done, she placed a colourful band-aid on the back of his hand to hide the tiny pinprick and moved all the full vials into a special storage container to be taken to the lab. “Okay, Samuel, I’ve got some good news for you; we are all done, you can move your hand as much as you want. You can go whenever you are ready or stay and play the game for a while” she offered with a smile. “Good job completing your first medical check up. You can get a special toy once you leave my office. Miss Lily will know where the cart is” 

[Grumvakk]

Samuel kept still playing the game as Miss Darla worked and when she told him he was done, he took the headset off slowly and handed it back to her. Sam looked up at Lily and hugged her. “It over? No more?” He looked back at Darla as she mentioned a toy before noticing a bandage on the back of his hand.

[baby frost]

Aurora listened to castiles praise and let out a small whine but nodded at him. She heard what nurse Lacey said and gave her a weak smiled before kissing at the hand she would give her. She cheered up a bit hearing she would be able to play the game and once she saw how cute the giggles and case were she smiled. She nodded as she was told about the princess game and was ready.” Ok i do it” she said calmly to nurse Lacey ready to get to playing for a  it before the rest of the appointment went down 

[YunicornSparkles]

((Is there anything you guys want the nurses to discover about your characters, like health conditions, allergies etc? If so, just let me know and I will have the nurses pass the information to the nannies. You can google conditions if you want. And do you want me to pick out a cool power for the blue rose? It might give Samuel a magical ability or super power. Anything you want. Also what flavour of oral hydration drink would Sammy and Aurora prefer?))

"Thank you. Was that a fun game? I hope you enjoyed playing" Darla told Samuel, taking the VR set and putting it back on the shelf. "You were such a good patient, you made my job super easy" she told him with a small laugh. "Yes, you are all done, Sweetie. You can go. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day" the small, pink haired lady told him, her green eyes sparkling behind her half moon glasses. "And if you ever fall sick or get hurt, I will always be here to make you all better. Remember that. We're here to make sure all the kids are happy and healthy. Just like mommies who heal booboos and kiss owwies" 

Lily listened to Darla and smiled. "Thank you so much, Ms Darla. You were great. I'm sure Sammy would be comfortable seeing you again". Lily liked her. She was a very caring and upbeat kind of person. She was calm and had lots of experience. The frog girl looked down at Samuel, feeling him hug her, and returned the hug with a soft, loving squeeze, twisting from side to side a little, rocking him in her arms playfully "Yaaay! All done! Fantastic! Now let's go and get your reward. There's a special cart with expensive and rare new and vintage toys that comes from storage room 11. Kids at Balverk manor earn them after every medical procedure and you definitely earned yours, Mister Cutie Pie!" she said, booping the whale on the chest of Samuel's onesie. 

Lily scooped him up in her grasp as she stood, taking hold of his hand to bring it closer to have a look at the bandaid "Oh look, you got a sticky plaster with Mickey Mouse on it! Isn't that neat?" she said, and began to leave the room. Just as she got to the door with him, Darla came over, holding a disposable baby bottle filled with coloured liquid.

"Wait, I forgot to give you this! It's an oral rehydration solution. It's important for kids to stay hydrated after the procedure, so please get him to drink this" she said, putting it in Lily's hand. "It's a fruity flavour. See you next time" 

"Oh, thank you. I'll be sure to encourage Sammy to drink that. He's probably gonna be thirsty after playing outside earlier. Bye, see you around!" Lily took the baby bottle and handed it to Samuel, waving goodbye to Darla. She walked out to where the display cart was waiting, filled with stupendous looking toys. "Okay, Honey, it's time to pick a toy. Here, I'll put you down so you can look in the cart and choose whatever you want!" she stated. 

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

Castile rubbed Aurora's back soothingly and kept purring, "It's okay, you're okay" he murmured softly to her with a caring tone. "You're doing fantastic. Good girl, Aurora". He praised her again when she nodded and bravely let Lacey do her job. Castile was glad to see her smile a little, knowing she was trying her best to stay calm and do as she was told. He chuckled when she kissed her hand to indicate which one. Cute. 

Lacey helped fit the VR goggles on over Aurora's eyes, making sure it was comfortable on her head and tightening the elastic strap to the correct fit. She placed the controller in her little hands and helped her fingers and thumbs find the buttons. The game soon loaded, showing the princesses from the Nintendo game franchise. Aurora could choose which princess to play as and then do little mini games such as fairground games, as well as talk to magical animals similar to the ones on Animal Crossing. She could play dress up with the princesses, collect flowers and make bouquets, play food making games, decorate a bedroom for her chosen princess and so much more. There was even magic and obstacle course levels like on Roblox. Everything in the game was in pretty colours and there were lots of sparkles and cute music. 

While Aurora played, Lacey prepared the needle and vials, waiting about ten minutes and then peeling off the anaesthetic patch, wiping off the cream and gently taking the girl's tiny hand in her own, holding it still. "Alright, Sweetie, I need you to hold your hand very still for me now. Just keep it verrrrry still" she coaxed her, while prodding the numb area for a vein and then inserting a butterfly needle, drawing up some vials of fresh blood. She finished up as quickly as possible, wiped the small dot of blood and put a Disney princess bandaid on the site. "Perfect! You are all done, Sweetheart. You can go whenever you're ready. And I have a special yummy drink to give you. Then Castile can take you to get a brand new toy from storage room 11. Good kids earn rewards!" she told the girl, "If you want to keep playing some more, feel free to. I'm just going to save your information in your chart" she told her, taking the vials and storing them, clearing away the medical trolley and items then sitting down at the office desk with the open paper file and computer to update all Aurora's details. They'd have to wait for the test results to come back on the bloods.

Castile had to look away when the needle was going in, feeling a swoop of dizziness when he saw the blood. He let out a breath of relief when it was over, congratulating Aurora on getting through her first check up with flying colours. "Hurrah! You did it, Aurora! You were amazing. Nurse Lacey finished the check up and you even get a prize for being so brave. That's pretty good! I've got a baba with some yummy juice in it when you're ready. Let's go pick out a toy" he encouraged her. "And we should figure out what to do after this. I'm thinking some play time with your new toys then dinner and a bubble bath, unless you or Sammy have other ideas!" 

[Grumvakk]

Samuel held onto Miss Lily as they left the infirmary, he looked at the bottle of juice and took a little sip of it struggling to hold onto the container it was filled with some mango flavored juice. Samuel looked over all the toys on the cart finding a hippo stuffie and hugged it. He thought it over before showing it to Miss Lily nervously.

[baby frost]

Aurorasmiled seeing the cute vr setup and once the game was started sshe was happily playing and giggling enjoying what she was doing and not at all paying attention to what nurse Lacey was doing with her hand. As she heard she was all done she nodded” ok it was fun thanks” she said as she let Lacey take the helmet off. Aurora smiled at castiles reaction and reached for the baba” hab baba” she asked him a bit thirsty at the moment. She then listened to what he said and nodded his plan sounding good.

[YunicornSparkles]

((Well, I can’t help if you don’t answer my questions))

She looked at the toy he had chosen “If that’s the one you want” Lily said with a smile. She lifted him back into her arms, hefting him up on her hip. His puffy padding crinkled under his blue onesie. “You had better take good care of your new friend. I think there are not many more of him around” she told the boy, seeing it was a vintage toy that was no longer manufactured. Samuel was holding the hippo in one arm and the baby bottle of juice in the other. She was glad to see him drinking it, not wanting him to feel weak or get a headache after the blood draw. 

“Well, what should we do now? How about we go and show your hippo pal your new nursery. Since you haven’t even seen it yet. It’s decorated like a fire station, just how you wanted” she reminded him. “It would be fun to pretend to be a fireman. After you kids play with your new toys, we’ll go and have dinner and then a bubble bath” 

She carried Samuel out of the nurses’ station and headed towards the place where all the bedrooms were. Once they got to his room, she slowly nudged open the door, letting the room be revealed. Lily walked in and bent over, placing Samuel down on the carpet. “Well, go on; have a look around!” she ushered him with a smile, waiting to see his reaction and watch him explore the nursery. The bubble with the blue rose inside followed him like a faithful sprite. "This is where you're going to sleep tonight" She would have to go get his new baby clothes from the playroom they'd been in before so they could put them away in his closet and dresser. Castile would grab Aurora's too. 

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

“Yes. Here’s your baba. Drink up, baby girl” Castile said, placing the bottle in her hand, encouraging her to drink. “So, what game were you playing? Was it fun?” he asked her as he carried her away from the nurses’ station. “You were giggling so it must have been alright. I like games, too. Playing with you kids is fun for me” he said with a smile. Castile recalled entertaining his own children in the past, how much he enjoyed watching them be happy and seeing their imaginations go wild. 

Castile let Aurora pick out a toy, seeing her grab something. 

He began to follow behind Lily, though he turned down a different hallway, heading to Aurora’s room. He peeked in all the doors until he found the one he thought was hers. It had her name in painted wooden letters on the front of the door. “Aurora. This must be it. Your very own nursery. Are you ready to see your brand new room?” he asked the little girl, wondering just how it looked in real life. 

Castile pushed the door open with his front cat paw, his human arms busy holding the girl while she drank and held onto her toy. He strode into the middle of the room and slowly turned around in a wide circle so Aurora could take in the entire view. “Wowww, look at this! Here, kiddo, get down and explore” he said, placing her feet on the carpet. “You’ve got new clothes in the closet, a changing table, lots of diapers…we’ll need plenty of those” he chuckled to himself. A crib, soft pink walls, a fluffy rug for the floor,  bedding adorned with hearts and stars, a rocking chair and a comfy changing table along with some princess decorations made up her room.

"Hey, what new toy did you get? Want to show me?" he asked her, looking at the box she had taken from the storage room 11 cart. 

[Grumvakk]

(Sorry, I meant to tell you that chat but I forgot, I was thinking Samuel could have mild narcolepsy, which is a neurological disorder that makes someone prone to falling asleep during the day. I couldn’t really find anything else, and maybe the blue rose could start making his it happen less often when it’s around?) 

 

Samuel looked around the room feeling kinda intimidating as he was set in the carpet, he hugged the new stuffie before crawling over to the crib which had a firetruck frame and pointed to it wanting Lily to look. He then moved over to look at everything else wondering how it looked so accurate to what he picked out.

[YunicornSparkles]

((That sounds good. I added the info to my Google Docs notes.  Okay, how about the blue rose releases a magical pollen as a mist that helps energise and refresh someone's brain and acts as narcolepsy medicine, or perhaps he can eat the petals which taste good and dissolve in the mouth, tasting sweet and slightly medicinal? And the petals always regenerate.))

[baby frost]

Aurora happily took the bottle and took a sip smiling as she tasted a nice blueberry cherry flavored liquid. She listened to Castile and nodded.” Lots fun with princesses” she said before hearing him say playing with the kids was fun and she smiled. Thinking back to the other families kids who didn’t want to play with her because she was a baby. As they made it to the storage room aurora looked around at all the cool toys they had and was more than happy to get to pick one. She toddled about looking at all the toys before finding a crib toy with fishes that caught her eye she plopped down with a squish in front of it and played with it for awhile before clapping and pointing to it.” Can i take da one pwease” she said nicely.

As they headed back to her nursery she smiled seeing her manner on the door and was appalled when they made their way in and she was set on the comfy plush rug. She was so happy even letting out a giggle before blushing at castiles diaper comment. 

[YunicornSparkles]

Lily quietly watched the little boy explore his surroundings, taking his time to look around. There were a lot of new things to see at once. But it was all of the things he picked out of the catalogue that he wanted, so it should be to his liking. She smiled seeing him hug the stuffed hippo and then drop to all fours and crawl around. That was very cute. His diapered bottom crinkled with every movement, wiggling side to side, making her stifle a soft laugh. Lily watched him point to the fire truck crib and walked over, looking impressed “Woooow, is that your brand new bed? It’s really cool. I didn’t know they could make cribs like that” she enthused, admiring the paint job and handiwork. This was definitely custom made. “You’re going to be so comfy in there tonight, with all the soft blankies and pillows. Maybe you’ll drive it around in your dreams” she said, sparking his imagination. 

Lily enjoyed watching him look around some more. “Did your nursery turn out good? Is this what you wanted?” she asked him, checking to make sure. “I know they can always add or change things if you ask nicely” she informed Samuel. “Looks like there isn’t many toys or clothing in here yet. But that’s okay, you got some new clothes back in the playroom that I can bring here. And you’ll get more new toys when you go on shopping trips with Mr Goodie. You haven’t met him yet but he is the one that takes kids shopping. He will also give you phones and your own credit card with $500 on it. We might meet him tomorrow” she explained with a smile, “Do you want to sit and play with your new hippo friend here, or leave him here and go back to the playroom? After that it’ll be dinner and a bath” she told Samuel, letting him know what was going to happen. “Make sure you drink as much of that mango juice baby bottle as you can” she said, noticing it on the floor. “Keeping hydrated will help with your little cold” 

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

He watched her drink the ‘juice’, glad she seemed to like it. It was important to replenish the fluid lost from the earlier test. On the bottle he read the words ‘blueberry cherry’, a rather odd flavour combination he had never tried before. But they were both fruits so they were probably nice together. “That’s good, Sweetie” he replied, “I’m glad you had fun playing the virtual reality set and meeting some other princesses. Maybe you can pick up where you left off next time we see the nurse. I hear there’s a games room where you can play more video games too. This place seems to have everything” he grinned. It was nice to see her smile. Something she probably hadn’t done for months if not years before coming here. She had to be comparing that life to this one and this one was definitely better. Castile waited patiently while she looked over the toy cart from Storage Room 11, not wanting to rush her. There were so many cool toys it would be hard to choose just one. When she picked the crib toy that looked like a miniature aquarium that babies could play with on the side of their cribs, he smiled approvingly “Ah, fishies, those are always lots of fun. Looks like a super cool toy you got there!” he told her. “What a lucky girl” It was either the Fisher Price Aquarium Wonders Crib Toy or the Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother Crib Toy. He couldn’t make out what it said on first glance. He watched her take it out of the box and start playing with it, noticing how her diaper squished as she plopped down onto her bum. Looks like another change was due. Castile let her play for a while and then nodded when she asked to take the toy “Go right ahead, Sweetheart. You earned it” he replied. “We can get you more toys maybe tomorrow. When Mr Goodie shows up. That’s the man who takes kids out on shopping trips” he said. “I think he has a gift for new kids too. Your own kiddy phones” 

He took her to the nursery with her new vintage toy in hand, along with her cherry blueberry Pedialyte. The name on the door was in pink and purple wooden letters with glitter sprinkled through them. “Now you’ll always know which one is your room, because it has your name on the door” Castile told her as they stepped inside. She seemed to like the rug a lot. He saw her looking around the room “This is all the stuff you picked out earlier today. Are you proud of how it turned out? I think you did a good job” he told her in a friendly manner. “It suits you to a tee. Oh and I’ll bring your new clothes in here from the playroom later. Now, I think it might be a good idea to test out your new changie table. What do you say?” he asked the little girl, pointing to the padded table that was fully stocked with diapers and changing supplies. “Somebody had a visit from the sog monster during their nurse checkups~” he said, teasing her playfully.

[baby frost]

Aurora listened to Castile as he spoke and nodded she would be happy to get to play the vr games again and to meet the Mr goodie guy he mentioned. As he commented on how she made her room she smiled and nodded.” Like lots” she said before hearing what he said about testing out the changing table and her being soggy. She didn’t think she was that wet was she? She looked down at her diaper before crawling over to the base of the changing table and looking over all the diapers before picking up one of the luvs diapers with the star prints and a saying on the back and held it up for castile

[Grumvakk]

Samuel nodded to Ms. Lily that it was everything he wanted and smiled yawning slightly before hugging the hippo again and reaching up for her “I…I…nu knuw what I want, nu one ask”  he looks down and starts to bite his fingers slowly. He nodded to her and slowly picked up the bottle and sipped it again.

[YunicornSparkles]

She was glad to see him nod at her questions. “That’s good, Sweetie. I want you to be happy here. Your room is your own private place where you can feel comfortable and escape to any time you need some alone time” she explained. “I know talking to others wears you out, so it’s okay to come here whenever you need a break” 

She watched him yawn and wondered if he needed a nap. Aurora had one earlier. The day was probably catching up to him. He also still had a cold, so that was probably sapping his energy too. Lily walked over and picked him up when he reached out to her, making sure he didn’t drop his hippo. She glanced at the Mickey Mouse bandaid on his left hand. Blood tests make you tired sometimes as well. She decided he would be getting an early night. 

Lily listened to the little boy as she cuddled him in her arms. He was soft around the bottom and warm due to having a higher body temperature than the amphibious Lily. “Oh. Well, I’m sorry to hear that no one ever asked you what you wanted. That isn’t very fair. From now on, me and Castile will make sure to ask. That way, you can make choices about what you want” she said, not sure if he understood. “And if you don’t know, we will try to make the best choices for you. Right now, I think a little playtime in the playroom is a good idea. Leave hippo here so he doesn’t get taken by another child".

She rubbed his back as he drank from the bottle, walking over to the crib and gently taking the plush toy from his arms, putting it on his pillow. “Hippo will be right here waiting for you when you go to bed” she told him. “Let’s go get your new clothes from the play room so we can put them away in your bedroom” 

Lily carried him back to the playroom and grabbed her tote bag along with Samuel’s clothes; two pairs of shortalls, four t-shirts, three onesies and two rompers. “Anything you want to play with in here before we drop by your room and then go for dinner?” she asked him, giving him the choice of more playtime. 

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

Castile had a feeling that Mr Goodie would introduce himself tomorrow morning. After all, he was going to be the one driving them all to the aquarium, so they’d HAVE to meet him. He thought it was a good idea to give the kids kid-friendly phones. They’d have the number for the nannies, nurses station and Mr Goodie himself preinstalled on them. And they’d be handy if the worst happened and a kid ever got lost or even kidnapped. Though that would be hard with two otherworldly caretakers. One who used bubble magic and the other having frog abilities. The phones likely had tracking chips in them as well. 

He smiled as she declared her liking of the nursery that she had designed. “Me too. You did very well” he told her, knowing most kids her age would probably pick random things that didn’t match. He saw her look surprised and start checking her diaper, making him chuckle a bit. She was funny. Once she was assured that her diaper was in fact, very soggy, she crawled over to the changing table, her puffy butt wiggling cutely and making him chuckle some more.

Castile readjusted one of the paw booties covering his paws while watching her pick out a new diaper. He wandered over in an unhurried manner and crouched down to see what she picked. “Oh, how cute. A Luv’s diaper. Okay, we’ll put that on your little tushy” he agreed, taking the diaper and scooping Aurora up with his other arm. He felt her padding squish against his uniform as she was set on his hip.

He gently lay her down on the padded table with higher sides that prevented little ones rolling off. Castile set the diaper aside and pulled open her pink onesie, the snaps clicking open with nice pops. He then pushed it up her tummy out of the way and easily unhooked both the tabs with each hand, peeling them back. Castile pulled the diaper open and grabbed a handful of wipes from the cute warmer container. He began to wipe her down, lifting her legs once her front was done and raising her ankles in the air to clean her bottom. The old diaper got tossed in the diaper genie while Castile grabbed the Luv’s diaper and opened it up, smoothing it out. “Oh look, Aurora. Do you know the colours on this diaper? We have purple…green…blue and white” he said, holding it up where she could see it and pointing to each colour. He'd have to talk to Mr Balverk about schooling the kids tomorrow. There were things they needed to learn. 

He then slid the nappy underneath her bum and applied baby oil and powder, lightly rubbing it in. Castile taped it closed and reclosed her onesie, tugging it back down and sealing the poppers with small clicks. Last, he wiped his hands with a wet wipe before scooping her back off the table. “And we are alllll….done!” he pronounced, booping her nose and bouncing her in his arms slightly. He picked up the bottle of blueberry cherry juice from the floor, putting it back into her hand. “I think we should go grab your other new clothes and put them away in your new nursery. Then go have dinner. What do you feel like eating?” 

He asked her as he began to carry her towards the playroom. Samuel and Lily were currently there too.

[baby frost]

Aurora smiled as castile complimented her choice of diaper then giggled happily as Castile lifted her into her his arms always liking being close to the snuggly cataur. As she was laid down for her diaper change she relaxed and played with the bottom half of her onesie while Castile did his work. She looked up in infantile bliss as he went over the colors on her diaper and gave him a happy gurgle back before clapping her hands. As the diaper was taped back up she laid on her back and just looked around the room happy with everything and how much better her life was here. As she felt the Jose boop and lifted into castiles arms once again she giggled happily before taking her bottle back and starting to nurse it while she listened to castile. She nodded accepting his plans and thought about what tummy food she would like. 

“ uh noodle” she asked him cautiously not knowing if that was ok or not 

[Grumvakk]

Samuel listened to her nodding as she explains how his room could be a place of privacy. He finished half the bottle and hands it to her as she takes the hippo placing it on the pillow in the crib. He fusses at first reaching for it but quickly quiets down and lays his head on her shoulder. He looks at the doors as they walk to the playroom from earlier shaking his head to more playtime as Miss Lily picks up his clothes and her bag and he tries to see what’s in the bag.

[YunicornSparkles]

He liked her positive response to being taught colours, expecting her to try to repeat the words, only for her to react like a much younger baby would. It didn’t bother him, though it gave him some idea of where she was at mentally, development-wise. He wasn’t sure if her foster families ever organised any schooling. The employee guide on the tablet Mr Balverk gave him did tell of there being school rooms, either in the mansion or somewhere nearby. This was a good thing, as kids in diapers and with special needs would find it much more accommodating than a regular school. Aurora would probably have to start at the preschool level, since she didn’t know the basics most 4 year olds mastered at this age. She was either neglected or overlooked by the foster families and/or teachers, or too stressed and unhappy to learn while living with them.   

Being treated like a baby did seem to make her incredibly happy, though. So he would continue to do so, even if she increased her educational knowledge. Learning was important for kids. That way, they could read, write, and do more activities. Not to mention learning crafts, hobbies, magic skills for those with powers, and other such things. Castile would try to find out where her interests lie. She didn’t have to have a career when she grew up but it was always fun and helpful to learn stuff. Heck, if she or any of the others simply wanted to live here and be babied, then he wouldn’t say no. They deserved to be happy and to choose how they lived their own lives. Either way, he’d be supportive.

The change was soon done and she was obediently drinking her bottle again, settled snugly in his arms. She seemed happy to go along with his plans. He smiled when she got uncertain about being allowed noodles. “Well of course you can have noodles! Noodles are super yummy. We’ll go put your clothes in your room then go see what flavours the kitchen can whip up for us” he said, carrying her back to the playroom to fetch the clothes then looping back in a quick side trip to drop the clothes in her nursery. He took her into the kitchen and dining area next, going to one of the touch screen menu boards that displayed all the food choices. Castile swiped through options till he saw noodles, then showed Aurora all the different choices. 

“Okay, do you want ramen? Or stir fry noodles with veggies? That sounds yummy. Or maybe you’d like spaghetti bolognese, chicken, pork or seafood noodles, or Asian noodles. You tell me which one you want” he said, “If you try it and you don’t like it, we can put it on the Do Not Eat list and pick something else” he explained. 

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

Lily took the bottle and popped it in one of her uniform pockets for safekeeping. She noticed him fussing over the hippo being left in his room, which she thought might happen, but he thankfully calmed down once she reassured him his new buddy would be waiting for him when he got back. “We have to leave Hippo here to wait, otherwise he could get lost or get dirty eating dinner” she explained to Samuel. “You wouldn’t want another kid to take him, would you?” she asked, patting Sammy’s back as she walked with him.

They made it to the playroom and she gathered her bag and his clothes, which she put in there with her other stuff. Noticing the little boy in her arms leaning to get a look in the bag, she chuckled and held it open for him, reaching in to move stuff around to show him the contents. “You wanna see what’s in my bag? Okay! Well, there’s nothing much exciting here. Just a 2 dot keycard for humans, my work tablet, 2 apartment keys, my ID card and…a spare uniform!” she told him, “Pretty boring, huh? Then of course we got your new clothes. Let’s swing on by the firetruck nursery and then wee woo wee woo all the way to the dining room” she grinned, making good on her word and taking Sammy to deposit his clothes safely in his nursery. She then put him on her shoulders, holding onto his ankles as she walked towards the kitchen and dining, making firetruck siren noises to make him laugh, walking in a wiggly line down the hallways till they emerged in the dining room to delicious cooking smells. 

Lily inhaled a big breath, sighing as she breathed out again “Man, that smells good! What do you want to eat? Let’s go look at the menu” she said, walking up to the touch screen board right in front of Castile and Aurora. “Hey, what are you guys having for dinner?” she asked. 

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

Castile turned to greet her with a friendly wave. “Oh, hey, you two. Finally made it to the kitchen, I see. We’re having noodles! I think... Aurora’s just choosing now” he explained happily. “What about you, Kiddo? Are you a noodle man? Or something else?” he asked playfully.

[baby frost]

Aurora looked up at Castile in an infantile bliss. These diaper changes were completely different from what she was used to. No screaming and rough wiping or slaps on her thigh or bottom just nice words and comfort. As she was back in his arms nursing her bottle she snuggled into him lovingly as they dropped the clothes off on her nursery and quickly found herself back in the large cafeteria. She listened to Castile talk about all the different types of noodles but didn’t know what they were other than the pictures shown. She was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed from all the choices and just buried her self into him not wanting to choose 

[Grumvakk]

Samuel clang to Miss Lily while they were in the playroom and he looked in her bag as she explained what was in it. When she put everything back in his room he smiled and laughed as she carried him to the dining room. He looked at Castile when he asked what he wanted to eat and shrugged hiding his face in Miss Lilys neck.

[YunicornSparkles]

Castile was touched to see Aurora look so carefree and full of joy while in his care, reinforcing that he was doing something right and not messing this up. The diapers and baby treatment seemed to be a huge success with her. It was only her first day but there was already a massive difference in the girl’s behaviour. Some genuine TLC sure went a long way. He’d do everything he could to make sure that this place, this new home, felt like a true home should. Not like all the others she’d been in. 

If babying her was what made her happy, he’d do it for as long as she wanted. Along with the other orphans here. He loved babying others because it brought back memories of caring for his own children. And in a way, it was like they never left. Because their memories were stirred up all the time. 

Castile noticed the little girl having trouble choosing what type of noodles to eat. Well, there were a lot of options. Even adults had a hard time picking from that many. He pointed to the noodles with the red sauce, meatballs and melted cheese. “Hooowwww about spaghetti bolognese? It’s soft and very tasty with a yummy tomato sauce and tangy cheese. Kids usually love it” he told her.

He knew the red sauce from the dish would probably end up all over the kids but they were gonna have a bubble bath after tea, anyway. So it didn’t really matter. Let them make a mess. 

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

Lily was glad to see Samuel in a happy mood. He had been pretty quiet and didn’t smile much on first arriving but it looked like he was starting to feel more comfortable and free to express himself with her assistance. Castile talking to him seemed to send him back into a flap, though. She chuckled and sighed as he hid against her shoulder, rubbing his back “It’s alright Samuel. Castile’s just trying to help. He’s not scary” she paused to flash a smile at the cat taur.  

“We’ll be copy-cats and take the same as you two. I don’t know if Sammy has tried spaghetti before but it’s usually a hit with the kids, like you say. Once they’ve tried a bit of everything from the menus they should have a better idea of what meals they enjoy here” she said, thinking out loud. Lily pressed the picture of the meal on the electronic display and then brought Samuel over to the high chairs “Do you want to pick a high chair to sit in? Or maybe you want to sit at the toddler table like a big boy” she offered, pointing the two areas out to him. “Or sit in a booster seat at the grown ups table. You tell me which one you want. The kitchen is cooking your food now so it won’t be long. And I’ll go get you a bib once you’re seated. Spaghetti is very yummy but it tends to get everywhere” 

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

Castile pressed their display to put in an order to the kitchen, then followed Lily and Samuel. He pointed to the highchairs. “Do you want to sit in a highchair, too? Or the toddler seats and table, or a booster seat at the big table?” he offered her, giving the same options as Samuel. “Your food will be ready in a few minutes and I'll sit with you”