January Catch-All

[tempredmental]

🧙 WHO: Keith, OTA
⚔️️ WHAT: TDM Prompts, Quest Board, Events
🕒 WHEN: Throughout January
🗺️ WHERE: Many places! Will note in prompt.
⚠️ WARNINGS: Potentially things like violence against monsters, bullying from fairies, checking bodies for signs of life, and whatnot. I'll update as needed.

Links to Prompts:

• Winter Solstice - Arrival (Tree), Dance, Inn, Elphame Traders (food)
• Don't Say Neigh - Blessing
• Gravestone Faced - Fight, Search
• Yelling Yetis
• Frosty Forest Glamp - Igloo, Ingredient Search
• They Grow Up So Fast - Egg Baby, Baby Bear, Release Time (own release in Camelot, will assist with releases in Elphame, open to multiple co-parents)

Comments

[chatwithdeath]

And I imagine until he was fed, he must have been raising a fuss. Be aware that it will cry for other things such as exhausting itself or wanting attention. Try to be patient with it.

[Of course, there's a reason she doesn't work in certain sections off hospitals.]

[tempredmental]

[Uh-oh.]

Patience was never my strong suit.

[chatwithdeath]

[She'd like to say she doesn't know that... but...]

Hm... and how has it been getting them to take a nap?

[tempredmental]

It uh... no. [Keith shook his head.] It's stubborn about that.

[chatwithdeath]

That's not surprising. What have you tried to do in order to get it to sleep?

[Just so alternative methods can be suggested.]

[tempredmental]

Just putting it in the basket I'm using for a bed and hoping it falls asleep eventually?

[Which was why he was looking kind of strung out and stressed.]

[chatwithdeath]

...

[It's... an approach.]

Have you considered rocking it at all?

[tempredmental]

[Keith shook his head.]

Wouldn't that keep it awake?

[chatwithdeath]

A gentle rocking motion can encourage sleep.

[Though now the keyword is 'gentle'.]

[tempredmental]

Oh. [Welp. He'd have to give that a try next time.] Thanks.

[chatwithdeath]

You're welcome.

Are you starting to get a picture of how to care for an infant?

[tempredmental]

Kind... of...? [Keith cringed.] It sounds like a lot. [Which then had him wondering...] Why did it pick me?

[chatwithdeath]

It is a lot.

[She's not going to sugar coat that.]

Hm... why did any of the eggs pick us? We still have no idea where they came from.

[tempredmental]

Or what they're going to hatch into...

[After all, the assumption here would be some sort of bird... but Keith was fairly certain that it wouldn't be that simple just because this was Avalon and Avalon did nothing simple.]

I hope that's... well, yeah. It's gonna be something weird, isn't it?

[chatwithdeath]

[She nods. They really have no idea. They could assume a bird or reptile, but ere? It could easily be anything.]

Yes, it's highly probable it will be.

[tempredmental]

Oh... man... [Keith took a deep breath.] So... uh... about those books...? [Might as well make the best of it.]

[chatwithdeath]

Right, this way.

[At some point during their conversation, they'd reached a bookstore.]

[tempredmental]

[By now, his squirmy little egg had calmed down somewhat, cradled in Keith's hands against his chest. Keith followed Naomi into the bookstore and glanced around.]

Not normally a place I'd find myself...

[chatwithdeath]

Perhaps not, but starting with reading materials will prepare you for the next store.

[And it's ever-dreaded... infant section. And since she'd already been by herself, she can lead him over to the books he'll want to look at in order to care for his egg baby.]

[tempredmental]

The next store?

[Keith stared at the books in question. There were... so... many...]

I don't see any about caring for mystical eggs that act like infants... [He sighed. This was so over his head. How the heck were "normal" baby books going to apply? Plus, he was terrible at learning from books. He was doomed.

He scanned the titles, trying to see if anything stood out to him.]

[chatwithdeath]

You'll see.

[Yes, there are a lot...]

We'll start with the ones that are taking care of your infant in general. Meanwhile, a book on fostering eggs could provide some incite as to what temperatures to keep them at and what other hazards to avoid.

[tempredmental]

[This was getting more complicated by the minute. Keith sighed, closing his eyes for a second to reel in his frustration.]

Okay, okay... [He frowned a little, and then looked for the most general baby book he could figure out... no special intricacies, because he was going to have to add egg care anyway, and he had a feeling baby books weren't going to talk about take care of eggs... or vice versa, for that matter, so generic seemed the way to go.]

[chatwithdeath]

[Nope, the most egg talk those baby books might have is in regards to... well, where babies come from if he doesn't flip through those sections fast enough. Meanwhile, Naomi's trying to pick out the simple care books covering things like putting a cranky infant to bed.]

Hm...

[tempredmental]

[Keith frowned a bit, noticing the number of books.]

Do I really need more than one?

[chatwithdeath]

I would say at least pick two.