Quite the Informal [Topic/Open]

So much could happen in a year. A year ago, he did not have an infant to take care of, and his only worry was finding Aleta an awesome Christmas present. But now, he had a 4 month old who had made a hobby out of rolling across the floor to reach objects he wanted. Things happen that people would least expect. Wow, it was actually true. Christmas was the time of year when people got santa-mental. The father smiled at his own joke.

Which was why Leo had opted to not go to formal. Not just because of Shepard, but because of Keirsta and what had transpired since. He had already won the crown before anyways--although he was too drunk to remember the majority of the event. Hopefully no one spiked the punch this year. Leo had made an effort to remind his sister not to go near it just in case.

At the moment, Shepard was sitting up in the middle of the room. The child wobbled as he sat up, clearly unsteady in his ability to do so. It did not seem to bother the baby, as he lifted up the rattle he was playing with and shook it from side to side. A toothless smile and rosy cheeks adorned his face. He wore a christmas themed sweater with socks that were made to look like reindeers.

The nightstand nearby held the old baby tux he promised to put on if the others stopped by. It had been Leo’s own when he was younger and his mother liked to hold onto baby clothes for the oddest reasons. Yet, he was thankful for that as he wouldn’t need to buy Shepard any. With a gaze cast out of the window, light snow fell, slowly beginning to pile up. A particularly large snowflake touched the window. Yet with all of the chill, it did not melt on contact and instead stuck to the window, letting the student stare at it in childlike wonder. Against the streetlamp he could see the one of a kind design it had. It seemed like they would get a white Christmas.

Leo’s phone buzzed in an alert, notifying that others would be arriving soon. With a swoop, he lifted his son from the playmat and began to tickle, make silly faces and even plant kisses on his head. Once the child was distracted, Leo got to work. It took some effort to change the diaper-- but Shepard seemed to be quite the good sport about diaper changes. His temperament was very easy going, with the blond was glad for. The hardest part of the clothing change was getting Shepard to cooperate with the mock suit jacket. There was a pout on the baby’s face as Leo was able to fasten the button, completing the look. Amused, he pulled the child on his hip and smiled at the boy. ”If it is any comfort, Shepard. You look very handsome.” Obviously, the baby was unable to understand his father’s consolation and instead leaned over with eyes set on the rattle he had left on the ground.

So they sat on the ground, and the father began to tell jokes to his son, who couldn’t quite understand what they meant. They continued from along the lines of;

”What do you call a snowman’s offspring?”
No response.

”Chill-dren!”

Que drums.

As if possibly saving Shepard from a horrific fate of dad joke telling, a knock resounded at the door of the daycare. Scooping up his son once again, Leo left the nursery and left into the main room. There were only a few kids left in the daycare. Joanna was napping in the nursery, Linh was in the napping area, but Leo didn’t think she was actually sleeping. Seren was creating a masterpiece of a gingerbread house at the art table, sprinkles and powdered sugar were everywhere.

The entire Daycare was ready for Christmas. Walls were plastered with Children’s artworks. From the paint blobs of the one year olds to the crude drawings of Santa’s sleigh by the four year olds. Tensil was especially overused, framing the walls. All of it leading up to a small tree on the far side of the room. It was almost like the Charlie Brown tree. Such so that a child had decorated it.

Yet it still brought about a feeling of Christmas. It was something that faded away the older they got, and it was the children that seemed to bring the magic back to it. Their excitement was enough.

With a tux clad baby on his hip, the door opened and the blond smiled warm enough to melt the snow outside. ”Come in~”

Having read the Esper post about the Informal, Hannah made her way to the DayCare, almost getting lost along the way. It wasn't that she didn't like formals, but dressing up and being social in that sort of way just wasn't her thing. Besides, here she would be able to immerse herself with little kids, for who didn't love children? Well, a lot of people didn't but that was besides the point. Although they could be annoying and spastic at times, they were still so innocent and adorable, she could never hate a small child. Back in Ukraine, she'd spent loads of time with younger children and would feel absolutely horrible if she ever acted angry towards one, especially if they started crying.

Walking through the snow in skinny jeans and a skii coat, she finally reached the building and unraveled a fluffy grey scarf that sat on her neck and stomped her boots on the welcome mat, not wanting to bring in snow. Knocking on the door, someone quickly opened it with a snazzy looking child in his arms and she couldn't help but let out an "awe" towards the adorable child. A child in a tux, what next, men in diapers?

Walking into the DayCare, Hannah was smacked in the face with the oh so wonderful smell of children. It was an odd yet strong scent but she assumed she'd get used to it sooner or later. Taking off her boots and placing them in a cubbie and resting her coat on a coat rack revealed her ugly Christmas sweater with a happy reindeer face in the middle. Perfect for the occasion.

"So, uh, how does this informal thing work?" the Summer asked the blonde haired student who'd let her in. He seemed pretty nice, maybe she could hang with him since she didn't know many people.

"Oh my goodness! He looks so cute!"

Harmony had poked her head out from one of the nursery rooms, immediately catching sight of the small baby babbling on the side of Leo's hip, the most handsome one in the room in the woman's modest opinion; the infant that was, not the angel. Not to say that Shepard wasn't an angel either, not literally anyways, he was as much of a sweetheart as his father and - oh, you know what she'd meant...

She'd already spent hours dolling up Maisie for her big evening, and Serenity had already had her winter dress on (and surprisingly was still unstained by frosting). Harm thought it only fair that little Joanna get her own formal outfit as well, and she'd already had a few mini-gowns to pick out from that her parents had kindly delivered; it'd taken her enough time just to pick out a single one. By the time she'd reappeared for the start of the party, the sleepy child was already dressed in a fluffy red dress, carried in her arms.

The blonde smiled, taking a seat by Serenity by the miniature table. "A friend of yours, Leo?" Hopefully, they wouldn't mind her crashing the party. She was a cool Mom. ;A;

She had remembered how her parents always talked about how the people in America had all of these parties and fancy clothes they could wear whenever they wanted to, all because they had the money for it. Pretty dresses that could hit every color of the rainbow and sparkles marking every centimeter of the fabric, twinkling like the stars in the night sky with the brightest smiles onto those who found themselves enamored and gazing; high heels, slim and hourglass figures to be the epitome of beauty, and white teeth that seemed to reflect the light to be just, well, beautiful. That was for the girls anyway. Most of what daddy had told her about what the guys wore always flew over her head because she didn't really care about that. It seemed like a dream, to be in those long, flowing gowns that cascaded back. Whenever she asked about when she could wear one of those dresses, mommy had told her that when she was older, they would buy her the most beautiful one they could find. Four years ago was when it happened.

Her age had hit double-digits recently, but for some reason, Linh didn't think it mattered all that much. Being ten was something that she considered akin to the greatest accomplishment in her life, to be that old, but it really wasn't that big of a deal in the end. She hadn't told anyone it was her birthday about a month ago, and she hadn't really bothered to celebrate it. At least her friend said something to remind her since she legitimately forgot, and time was off in more ways than one. Back at home, it was almost an entire day off, and if it was night in America, it was daytime where mommy and daddy were. Even though she had been around the academy near-approaching a year now, it didn't feel very home-like. Sure, the staff was nice, and the women who worked in the daycare seemed to like doting on all of the children there, and as warm and kindred as they felt, she felt homesick with a terrible case of jet-lag. Or maybe it wasn't that she couldn't tell when the sun was up and the moon wasn't or vice-versa, but because she always spent so much time talking to her friend and the local spirits. There seemed to be a lot of those around the academy too, though not as much as at home.

Still, besides her friend, Linh could always feel the presence of two more ghosts inside the building she stuck around - after all, being blind meant that it was dangerous, and she wasn't allowed to venture out for too long in fear that she ran into something she shouldn't be running into; it didn't seem like there were any cliffs or anything though, so it wasn't like she would fall to her death... she so desperately wanted to go on more adventures and to enjoy the outdoors more, to be able to see the green of the trees or the purple flowers or the yellow sun. Being able to see the colors of everything made her feel more energetic. At least, that's what she would like to think. She didn't realize how much fun it was to be able to distinguish each and every hue or shade of colors until she couldn't anymore. So that had to be what her father meant when he kept telling her not to take things for granted. But, at the same time, she still didn't understand it.

Her fingers ran over the textured papers, each bump and nick being patterned to represent specific letters. Blind people read through this style that they call Braille, however that was supposed to be pronounced. desu-ail? Brah-ail-le? Brah-ill-ly? English was too complicated. The words never made sense, and while she could recall someone saying it before while trying to explain to her how to read again, the pronunciation completely slipped her mind, frustratingly enough. It had been months since she last heard it, and it bothered her to no end. Asking for help seemed so silly; it was embarrassing enough that she couldn't speak the local language well, but to be stuck on some word for that long? Some of the other children probably wouldn't let her hear the end of it if they found out. Linh had questioned her friend about it a few times, but they didn't have much luck with the term either. Once in awhile, they would sit down to try and tackle it together, though they only came up with the same thing over and over again.

On the contrary, her English wasn't as bad as it used to be. Being surrounded by people who only spoke that language certainly helped a lot, and she didn't sound as terrible like she had at the beginning or when she talked to that big man on the way to the general store. He had tried to make her lie, and she didn't really like that because it was bad to fib, and her parents always told her she had to be honest and tell the truth. But at the same time, speaking all of this English was making her forget some of her very own tongue. Speaking it with her friend was fine, yes, though her friend was the only other person who could speak Vietnamese. Everyone else was speaking English, and only English.

At least, with the Formal around, it wasn't likely that anyone would be visiting and she would have to speak it even more. It was just her friend and her, and since pretty much everyone else in the Daycare was asleep, she could talk as much as she wanted without someone staring at her - she could feel it really easily, despite what people may think - and not hear comments about how ugly-sounding her words were.

writing this post on mobile, so i didn't bother with putting the actual vietnamese translations; if it's in italics, it's in vietnamese

"What happened next?" Linh said curiously, the phrases rolling off her tongue smoothly without the clumsiness and hesitance it did when she spoke English.

"The prince defeated the evil witch, and cut down all of the thorns blocking his way to the castle," her friend replied, moving its translucent arms in dynamic motions that only made the small girl giggle. Being able to still see ghosts and talk to them like this was nice; it beat being blind completely. "He ran up the tower and found the sleeping princess. She was really beautiful. He had to break the curse, so he leaned in and--"

Creaking, the door to the daycare opened and an unfamiliar voice spoke. Linh's head turned towards the source of the sound. Wasn't the school's really big party today? Why would there be visitors? She glanced back at her friend, who only shrugged. They didn't know either then. Getting up and onto her feet, she walked towards the other two spirits in the Daycare, the ones always by Leo's son. Though she wasn't really sure if they would respond to her - they looked like angels, and not much like how she saw other ghosts -, Linh gave them a small wave before stopping. She liked Leo; he was around a lot, and though her mom had always told her that she shouldn't have children early because it would mean she was bad, Leo wasn't anything like that. He was very kind, and always took care of his son, even if the mother was nowhere in sight.

Her fingers reached for the fabric of his sleeve, gently tugging once she managed to find it. "Hi, Anh Leo." It was too bad he couldn't speak Vietnamese... Linh figured he would be a really good older brother, and he was. He had a sister, but she didn't remember the name; she did remember the voice since they visited enough, though. "Good evening, Cô Harmony. Is Serenity and Joanna here too?"

"Oh, uhm, who come in?"

Leo recognized the girl who he answered the door to. They have not actually met before--but Leo knew a vast majority of the students who have been in Beata for a while. Hannah, if he remembered correctly. The blond closed the door against the almost blistering cold, sparing a glance at his son to gage his reaction to the temperature. Not even a flinch. Rather, Shepard turned his head towards Harmony, whose voice he also recognized.

"Kinda--Hannah, Right? We just hang out for the most part, kids love playing with the teens." Leo responded to both Harmony and Hannah, feeling a tug at his open hand's sleeve. One of their little residents, Linh stood at his side. Her broken English was easier to understand after a while of being there. Be it from him learning the speech style, or by her learning better English. Whichever the cause, Leo squatted to her level. He fully knew she couldn't see him, but his voice being nearer may help communication. "Hey Linh, it was Hannah. Do you want to say hello to her?" Leo offered, taking her hand gently from his sleeve and pointing it in the direction in which the newcomer was standing.

While Leo was doing this, one of the two spirits around the infant took the chance to give a small wave back to the girl, while the other stayed close to the child--not looking at Linh.

Giving a nod to Leo, Hannah was glad that he was so welcoming. Not everyone was like that but by the looks of it, this guy was used to dealing with people, which was definitely a good skill to have.

Looking to the blonde girl, the Summer gave a curt smile and looked back to Leo who was now talking to a shorter girl. Listening to her accent, she was surely not from America and it peeked Hannah's interest to find out where she was from, not being from the U.S. herself. In her opinion, it was always so much fun to learn about other countries and their cultures, even if they weren't from anywhere particularly exciting.

"Nice to meet you." Holding out a hand for the girl, she wondered what the deal was with this guy needing to be her guide but then it hit her. She must have been blind! Well that cleared up a lot. Hoping that the dark haired girl wasn't scared of cooties or something out of the ordinary like that, Hannah kept her hand out, hoping a handshake would happen so she didn't look like a total looser who got rejected.

~~~~~

He was planning on going to the Winter Formal but upon seeing the Esper post he quickly changed his mind. Why go to a boring dance when he could have fun at the Daycare?

So here he was, a four year old boy, walking down the dark and cold Roseburry, all alone. It wasn't that he was scared of being kidnapped per say, but what child wouldn't be scared of the lonely dark with only occasional street lamps to light his path? Of course he had to admit that the snowfall was beautiful, but even with his beanie, his head was still freezing and walking in his clunky snow boots took ages, especially with snow dripping down his socks.

Finally reaching the DayCare, Chance reached for the door knob, just barely reaching it. Trying to open it, his mittens made his hands slip off the knob a couple of times but after a few moments he held on tight and swung the door open. Taking off his little knitted scarf that his grandma gave him and beanie, he entered the room. Taking off his boots and jacket in a clumsy sort of way, he left them lying on the ground and looked around. He wasn't able to see over a counter that blocked his way but hearing voices, he knew he wasn't alone.

In tan khaki pants, a long sleeve blue plaid shirt, a navy blue bow-tie, and dress coat, the child made his way around the counter and into the DayCare. Winter decorations hung from the walls and ceiling, the aroma of hot cocoa filled the air all around him. It was almost... magical.

Standing a little ways away from a group of people that stood chatting, he watched as a few girls conversed and stayed quiet. For the time being, he didn't really know what to do or who to go to until he spotted Leo. Letting out a gasp of excitement and joy, he sprinted as fast as his little legs could carry him towards the blonde. "Leo!"

With a bright smile on his face, he ran into the older student's legs and wrapped his arms around them, hugging the Autumn. Ever since he'd helped him get used to the school, Chance never really had any time to find the older student and he was so glad that he was here or else he wouldn't have had anyone else to hang out with except the DayCare kids.

Ah, so that was it. Harmony shifted around in her spot on the floor, bouncing the small infant around in her lap, who seemed somewhat restless now that she was awake. So long as she didn't get into the cookie mess, the blonde supposed that it was alright to let the child wander. She picked up Joanna and set her aside, watching as she stood on her own two feet, in small, shiny black heels, clinging onto the side of the table and staring eagerly around the room.

"Linh, I'm over here!" The younger girl piped up enthusiastically from across the room, waving her arms around, as if that would somehow help the blind girl track her down. "And Jo too! We're making houses, did you wanna help - oh - wait, where did he come from?" Serenity's voice trailed off, easily distracted as Chance made his way into the room, wobbling over and hugging away at the Angel's leg. He was so small, she'd never seen any other kids here before!

The caretaker was just as confused, if not more-so. "Ah... Another surprise, Leo?" Surprise brother? The child looked nothing like either of the Herman siblings, as far as she knew.

In the corner of the room, sneaking out from behind the group gathered around Leo, another child, hardly twelve, snuck around the room and making his way into the kitchen; his feet creaking against the carpet. But hey, they were all so distracted, he doubted anyone would notice them anyways. Really, he should have been acting casual, but on the slim chance luck wasn't on his side...

That wasn't worth the risk, right? His warm eyes darted around as he took step after step.

Oh, so that's why the voice was so unfamiliar. The name wasn't one she ever heard before, and from the sound of it, they haven't really visited the daycare before. Linh tilted her head to the side, blinking as though there would be any difference if her cloudy eyes were open. Someone, Leo it seemed, had directed her petite hands into an area that she wasn't quite sure of; it was like someone had snatched the book she was reading out of her grasp and began flipping the pages to a point in the story she hadn't gotten to yet, spoiling and treading into unknown territory. For a few moments she hesitated, taking a quick glance towards her friend, who only nodded, and took Hannah's hand with both of her own. Slowly, she bowed her head, speaking with a clumsy tongue and fiddling with the words she spoke. "Naisu to mee-tuh chu, Hahn-uh." Withdrawing her fingers slowly, Linh took some steps back in retreat, keeping her additional part of the introduction terse. "Linh."

Another person joined the fray, this time, someone she heard on a daily basis and had become accustomed to recognizing their specific cadence for awhile. Serenity was around then, and if that was the case, she could assume that Mrs. Harmony brought Joanna too. Focusing on trying to remember where the voice came from, Linh only sighed when she couldn't pinpoint it. She shot a glance towards her invisible friend, who pointed in one direction. "Ở đây, em." For someone so blind and directionless, she was glad to be able to know where to go by just watching the spirits around who guided her every step of the way. But before she could take any steps towards Serenity, who had faltered in her speech, another figure loomed in the general vicinity she was in.

And Linh felt the corners of her lips turn downward. More people... It wasn't that she was unsocial or that she didn't like being around other kids or anything - no, it was the opposite, really (or so she fiercely tried to convince herself) - it was that it was so hard to talk in English already. Anymore people, and she felt more self-conscious about her poor pronunciation. Which was why she hurriedly moved towards Serenity, not bothering to greet Chance with anything more than a quiet "Hi". Once her friend signaled for her to stop walking, she spoke up again to the more familiar girl. "Linh can help, yes."

Blue eyes went wide at the sudden grip on his leg. Mouth open partially in a partially formed word, and with a quick glance down at his leg, the young man realized who it was. Small brown haired boy--who doesn't go to the daycare--and the exceptionally clean condition of his clothes this late in the day. Who also knew his name... It wasn't hard to put them together. His shocked look melted into a smile.

Leo gave Harmony a glance and a slightly sheepish look. "Guys, this is Chance. He is a student at Beata." He introduced the boy--teen--???? to the group, laying a hand on his head. Prying himself from the boy's grasp, Leo bent down to talk. "How has it been trying to settle in? Have people been giving you a hard time about...?" The trailed off portion of his question was implied with a look over from head to toe.

While the father was having a conversation with the older boy, Shepard slid out of his father's arms. Unable to stand on his own, the boy sat on the floor near by. His father didn't pay much attention-- as the boy was just barely able to sit up himself. It wasn't like he was going to go anywhere, right?

Wrong.

Shepard had his eyes set on a caterpillar toy just under Harmony's seat. He couldn't actually see it was a caterpillar. The plush toy was very vibrant in its colors. Needless to say, he wanted it. There wasn't any reason why other than the fact that it was interesting looking. With that goal in mind, the child went onto his back--taking his sweet time-- then rolled to his stomach. Then to his back, then to his stomach. Over and over again until he got better at it. By the time the baby had reached the table, he had gone pretty fast for a baby. Before he could reach the toy, the last roll put him right into the leg of the lady's chair.

The boy rolled onto his back and looked around with wide eyes.

What was that?

Happy as could be, Chance was glad that Leo was so nice, especially when he was kind enough to introduce him to everyone else. Looking to the blonde with a smile as he lowered himself down to his level, he watched as the baby slipped out of his arms and started crawling away. Well, what ever, it wasn't his problem. Besides, what trouble could an little baby get into just by crawling around?

Turning his attention back to Leo, he nodded at his question. "S'been little hard," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head and giving the Autumn a lopsided smile. "But I manage!" the little boy squeaked cheerfully though it was somewhat of a lie. Getting used to the new school had been a challenge for him and finding friends had been even more of a challenge, seeing that he was usually bullied by simply trying to talk to people. At this point, the boy had somewhat given up trying to make friends, for it seemed pretty pointless. But he wasn't going to tell Leo all his worries, tonight wasn't about that.

Sniffing, the scent of hot cocoa wafted through the air. Looking around, he soon turned his gaze back to Leo, a big grin on his face. "H-hot cocoa?!" he gasped, clenching his fits tightly together, almost bursting with excitement. The delicious chocolaty drink was his favorite thing in the world and if it came with mini marshmallows, he was going to be the merriest kid on the planet.

Damn, coming to this get together was way better than some boring dance!

He... was a student? If Harmony had to place a number on the boy, then she supposed that he couldn't have appeared any older than three or four, and yet there the faux child stood - having dressed himself, walking himself through the snow and to the daycare, and was having complete, normal conversations with the older boy - or she supposed, they were of the same age? She really had no idea.

While the woman smiled, there was that slight unease in the pit of her stomach; an unpleasant feeling that she could never place a good name for other than sometimes, gifts just weirded her out. That nagging old feeling that had stuck with her for more than twenty-five years now, ever since her sister found her gift, since she'd found her own, when she'd first moved to this chaotic Academy. And just when she'd thought she'd seen it all, something like this happened.

"Oh!" Harmony's thoughts were interrupted by a small bump against her chair. She peered over, a grin quickly spreading across her face as she saw Shepard laying there, staring up with wide eyes. "You're just on the go, aren't you? How does poor Leo keep up?" The blonde reached down, scooping him up into her arms and sitting him up on her laps, letting him bang his hands away on the table. She hadn't even noticed the toy under her seat.

---

She hadn't, but little Joanna had. The toddler had fallen back on her butt, pulling herself up, and falling again. Her second time around, the colorful caterpillar under the small seat had finally managed to catch her eye. She was far quicker to make a grab for it, falling back and making a desperate crawl for the little toy. It was hard work, and she bumped her head a bit during her retreat, but it was well worth it. Jo held up the toy against the light, her crimson eyes brimming with delight at the marvelous stuffed creature...

And then, she was soon distracted, once again. The familiar coos of her little care-mate had caught her attention and Joanna managed to waddle up out of curiosity, a goofy smile on her face as she held out the toy to him.

---

Serenity was far more forgiving with Chance than her mother, accepting whatever answer was thrown her way and forgetting it immediately all the same. So much weird stuff happened around all the time that it hardly phased the child. She was far more excited for her new friend to join her in her serious cookie architecture session. "Yaaaay!" The girl beamed, reaching over for a box of small rectangular shaped gingerbread. "I don't think I could use this all by myself!" Carefully, she slid the box in front of where Linh sat. You didn't have to see to be able to build stuff, right? She could just feel it out.

"Here's the bag of frosting...!" She slid that over next, just short of the girl's hand. A simple plastic bag with a metal tip attached to the end to squeeze out. "And there's bowls of candies in the middle of the table for you! And stuff! And ooh, this is gonna be great!"

---

Phase one of his mission accomplished. Everyone was too preoccupied for one reason or another that none of them had even noticed them pass right on by. Berlin smirked, darting his warm eyes around once more, seeing if everything was in the clear before he creaked an old door open, slipping into the kitchen. It had taken him no time at all to drag up a chair and start digging into the cabinets.

Cookies. Candies. Puddings. Crackers. Chips. Soda. You bet your ass they were all his now. He grabbed as much as he could, pulling out his shirt and using it as a make-shift basket to stock up on the goods.

And here was where she made a mistake when it came to leaving Leo.  

All things considered, Serenity was super fun to play with and she enjoyed the few times they've hung out so far. It was always enjoyable and very different compared to the games she played back at home, but at the same time, there was a nostalgic factor, something very familiar about how it was to what she did with her own family. Linh really definitely, without a doubt, loved to hang out with the other kids, and Serenity was someone who had stuck out in particular because of how enthusiastic and exciting she could be. At the same time, how delightful she can be and well, full of energy was a tiny bit bothersome as well. She spoke too fast...! Her mind had trouble matching every word the other girl said to what she could actually understand in her own language. Something about use and self and... frosting? What was that again? Where was the candy?

Just as Linh was about to put one hand down onto the table, something had slid underneath her palm. Catching herself in the nick of time, she didn't put enough force on it for it to be smashed to what could've been smithereens. Cold and squishy were the first terms she could think of about what it could've been. Was this what frosting was? Holding the bag - plastic it seemed - in both hands, the corner of her lips curved slightly downward, carefully tossing it up and down to get a feel for its weight and other features that she couldn't distinguish with her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, ever so often, a tiny bit of the icing sputtered out in spontaneous bouts. "Uhm..." She turned her head in the direction she believed was where Serenity was sitting; and she was pretty sure that was where Serenity was because her presence was a little hard not to feel. "What to do?"

Mikaela had left the Formal as soon as she found out she wasn't the Princess. She wanted to see Shep in a tux. The girl headed to the daycare and upon arriving she noticed that there were quite a few people there. It wasn't so crowded that she couldn't get passed anyone but more people than she had thought would be there. She finally got to Leo and noticed the cutest little Shepard trying to get to a toy near Harmony and Jo. She wondered what was going to happen once one of the other students' kid gets here, a little boy named Joseph. Two Jo's/Joe's wouldn't work. Maybe Seph? That could be cute.

The Summer noticed the small child pulling on Leo's leg and knew that that was Chance. She waved to the both of them and continued to watch the two young ones by Harm. "Shep is sooo cute!" she told Leo after Chance had finished speaking.

Amusement was written all over Leo's face as the boy could smell hot chocolate in the air. They had made some prior to the party for the kids. He wasn't too shocked as Chance picked up on the smell. With a large smile he responded "I'm guessing you want some. It's in the kitchen, we've got mini marshmallows to go with it." He stood up, eyes landing on Mikaela who had entered while he was talking with Chance.

Leo was about to greet her, but paused when he gave her a once over. His face turned a reddish hue, and looked down at himself to gauge his dress compared to her's. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a gray jacket that hung unzipped, jeans and red socks. And Mikaela--she looked very fancy. Most likely just from the formal if he were to take a guess. Sure it was an informal here, but he did feel slightly underdressed. Even the kids were dressed up, but it seemed he didn't put that much effort into his look that day.

At her mention of Shepard, the father casted a glance toward the boy who had magically made it over to Harmony and Joanna. He seemed to be enjoying himself, reaching for the toy offered to him by the older girl. With it in his hands, the boy began to chew on one of the ends of the caterpillar, occasionally shaking it to hear the bells jingle. A toothless smile was given to the older girl, as if saying thanks for the toy. But Leo brushed off the idea, as it wasn't exactly in Shepard's repertoire at this stage. Hell, the boy was just learning about object permanence. Yet alone social interaction with younger children.

His eyes were pulled back to Mikaela, softly smiling. "You look really nice today."

Chance's wish for hot chocolate resurfaced on his mind, Leo gave her a slightly apologetic smile. "Sorry, I have to go grab Chance some hot chocolate." He slipped away, leaving Shepard to be taken care of by Harmony while he got Chance his drink.

As soon as he entered the kitchen, the caregiver froze at the sight. Berlin cramming everything he could into his shirt, ranging from the puddings to crackers. Leo didn't react right way, and instead watched the boy scrounge up as much food as he could. It was almost as if scavenger's rights was in place. "Berlin." Leo spoke in a sharp voice, head tilted as he stared the boy down in a scolding manner. Admittedly, Leo didn't have much practice scolding well. His face probably looked hilarious rather than serious. How do adults get that look? The blond resigned himself to practice in the mirror when he was alone.

Looking up to Leo, he watched quietly as the blonde haired student chatted with a girl who'd just arrived. Hm, did they have something going on between them? Was all the child could wonder as he listened, itching to get his hands on some of the warm drink that was promised. After what felt like ages (in a child's eyes), Leo finally started heading towards the kitchen. Deciding not to follow, he stayed were he was, about to explode from joy. Hot chocolate and marshmallows, his favorite! Just thinking about the delicious, warm and chocolaty drink made his mouth water.

Having the attention span of a four year old, the boy looked around the room, amazed by the amount of toys the daycare was equipped with. From rubber animals, Matchbox cars, to bouncy balls, they had it all. But something bigger and better than those other items caught it attention. A plastic doll house, almost taller than him. Around the toy set sat a dark haired girl and a blonde girl, probably around the same age as him, focused on what they were doing with some toys that sat on their laps. A dollhouse... not the manliest thing he could've chosen to play with, but for now, it would suffice.

Making his way over to the girls, he stood above them and watched as they cared for the dolls like they were living, breathing babies. How was it what girls could be so weird and mysterious, yet wonderful at the same time? That must have been one of the hardest questions he'd ever asked himself and although he wanted to find the answer, he'd save that thought for later when he could think more in depth on it.

After a few moments of watching them play and obviously ignore his presence, the child finally decided to speak up, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere if he kept quiet. Besides, the least they could do was say no, right? "Can I pway?" he asked, a smile on his cheery face. Unfortunately, these girls were more snobby than he would've liked and continued to ignore him, keeping their heads facing the toys. Okay then, he'd just have to be a little more assertive.

Leaning down to grab a guy doll, out of no where, one of the girls whacked him upside the head with a plastic couch. "Ow!" he cried, standing back up and rubbing his head. What the hell, did she seriously just do that?

"No!" the dark haired girl yelled and looked back down to the toys, continuing to softly hum something as she brushed the doll's hair with a small plastic brush. Within a couple seconds, the two were back to playing, acting as if nothing had happened. They couldn't share? What jerks! If that's how they wanted to play...

Beyond the point of caring about trying to being polite, Chance grabbed onto the Barbie doll in one of the girl's hands and when her head snapped up to him with anger burning in her eyes, their gazes locked.

"Chance. Want. To. Pway!" Pulling the doll with as much strength as he could muster up, he soon realized that he should've kept a better grip on the toy. Watching the doll soar through the air, Chance stumbled backwards into the dollhouse. Not able to catch his balance, he knocked over the large toy and fell down butt first onto it before he was able to react, a loud 'crash' sounding throughout room. Little accessories and plastic furniture were scattered all over the floor and at this point, playing the doll was the least of his problems. Sitting on the toppled over dollhouse, he watched as both of the girls that had been originally playing with it started to tear up. Standing up, they both started crying and ran to the other side of the daycare, apparently not wanting to be anywhere near him. Note to self; don't mess with girls and their dolls.

Trying to get up while attempting to hold back the tears, Chance let out a huff as his hand pulled him back down onto the artificial house in which he uncomfortably sat on. What the... looking down to what had pulled him back, he quickly noticed that one of his hands was stuck inside on of the house's windows. Great, just great. Now he wasn't going to get any hot chocolate!

Not caring about what had happened with the girls or the fact that everyone was staring at him, tears quickly made their to his bright red cheeks as he sat wedged in the backside of a dollhouse, silently sobbing. All he'd wanted was to play and wait for his hot cocoa, was that so much to ask?