Text message: Hey Minty, it's Steel, Void just teleported into my room. He's currently taking a nap, I'll bring him back shortly.
The phone buzzing startled Mint out of her trance and she adjusted her newborn kit in her arms to grab the phone. The den mother sighed at the message. Voids powers were certainly more troublesome the older the baby got! She texted back hastily.
““Thank you, Steel! I’m so sorry he’s been coming into his element lately and it’s been hard to track! I will pay you back in cookies if you can bring him later!” Mint set the phone down and looked at the kit in her arms. At least this one wasn’t another aether child…
Steel scooped up the young kit, doing his best not to wake him before leaving to return him to the denmother.
“Come on, little guy, let’s get you home.” He whispered as they slipped out the door.
Getting the kit through the ghoul’s lounging area was relatively easy, he only had to threaten one ghoul’s life to make him be quiet. As they approached Mint’s den, he gently knocked on the door and let himself in.
He called out in a hushed tone “Minty? I’m here with the kit wonder.”
Void had yawned loudly as he was jostled before settling back down onto Steel’s shoulder. his tiny kit claws dug into the older ghoul’s uniform as he was taken from the cozy nest. Void groaned a little as they stepped into the den, not wanting to wake up.
Mint eventually poked her head around the corner. She smiled apologetically to Steel and used her free arm to reach for Void. The aether kit was crabby and almost dug his claws into Steel- but relented when he smelt the scent of his surrogate mother. Void yawned once more and let himself be snuggled into Mint’s embrace. She sighed at the two kits in her arms before looking to Steel.
“Thank you so much- I’m so sorry he bothered you.” she whispered. “I have those cookies I promised. Would you like some and a nice cup of tea?”
“Oh, he’s fine Mint, he can pop in whenever he likes, so long as I’m not too busy to look after him.” He smiled, letting her take the sleeping child. “Here, I’ll get the tea and cookies, two of them seems to be enough of a handful, you just sit and rest.”
As he stepped away to grab the snacks, he gently rubbed both kits’ heads. “So, this one’s yours and Ifrit’s, right? Gonna be a little spitfire.”
He sat a tray on her coffee table, pouring tea for the two of them. “How do you take yours, as sweet as you are or bitter like Dewdrop?” He asked, putting two spoons of sugar into his before taking a sip.
“Ooooh you are an unblessing, thank you!”
Mint sits down on one of the chairs, adjusting the two babies. Had she been a new mother, and not gotten her instincts in check decades ago, she might have been tempted to try and bite Steel’s hand. But instead she relaxed as rubbed both of the sleepy babies. Mint smiles down to the smaller of the two kits- with dark hair like her father’s.
“Yes, and yes. She’s definitely a fire ghoul already. Hopefully her and Void won’t be too much of a handful!” She smiles as Steel fetches all of the tea cups and the tray of cookies.
“Extra sweet, please. I could use all the sugar.” She jokes.
“How are you Steel? It’s so lovely to see you. I feel like it’s been ages ever since Kala was born. Are they still treating you well over in the ghoul wing?”
Steel snickers a little, thinking of what kind of trouble a young fire ghoulette could get into with a best friend that teleports. “Hopefully they won’t get in too much trouble, if Imperator gets any more stressed out she’ll go bald.”
“Is four spoons enough, or should I just pour yours into the sugar bowl?” He joked back, trading her the tea for the tired quintessence kit. “Here, let me take him so you can have a free hand.”
As Void settled in in the crook of Steel’s arm, slightly kneading his sleeve, Steel took a bite from one of the cookies.
“They’re treating me well enough, I suppose. When I’m actually there, at least. Void was lucky to catch me there, I was folding clothes when I suddenly heard something squeak ‘Eel’ behind me.”
“Is it possible for the good Sister to be more stressed?” Mint jokes as she trades Void for the hot cut of tea.
The den mother scoffs playfully. “you know I love sweets, don’t get cheeky!” She grins as Void settles down. The kit buries his face in Steel’s arm and breathes softly as he stills. Mint smiles at the story.
“You are one of his favorites, you know? He probably wanted to help!” She laughs.
Truthfully, Void always had a habit of crawling into warm clothing baskets and did the same when he found Steel.
“Come on, Minty, what’s the point of being friends if I can’t give you a little hell every now and then?” He laughed, licking crumbs from his thumb.
“As for Void here, I don’t really know why he took to me like this, but part of me feels like he just likes that I’m warm. Or maybe my size reminds him of Aether.. Who knows.” Steel’s brow furrowed a little as he pondered and gently rubbed Void’s back.
“Either way, I like the little guy enough that I’d take him off your hands permanently if I wasn’t always off on missions. I’d have to get Lillian to agree too, of course.” He took another sip of his tea, relaxing a little and popping his knuckles against his knee.
“A little bit of both maybe?” She giggles as the kit in question burrows deeper in Steels arm. “He’s just a little loving baby-“ She took a long drink of her warm tea and sighed at the taste- peppermint, her favorite. “How is Lillian- by the way? I feel like I haven’t seen her since the last big sermon. I hope she’s doing well, too! We really need to have another tea together. I’ll even bring cuddle bug over there.” Mint laughs, gesturing to Void with a cookie.
“Hm.. Maybe.” Steel sipped his tea, sighing with a gentle smile. “That, he most certainly is.”
“Lillian’s alright, she’s been keeping herself busy between her duties and researching every possible cryptid around.” He laughs a little, scratching the back of his head. “I think she’s happy there hasn’t been another super bloodmoon. That was a fun night, I’m sure, trying to keep people away from the giant demon in the middle of the woods.”
“She’s braver than most of us,” Mint shuddered.
“I only heard about that demon... Remind me to thank her for keeping us all safe. We’re just lucky the moon didn’t send half of us into frenzy, either!”
Mint cuddles her kit closer at the thought of having their whole abbey in an uproar.
