dumb idea

[Fitzy Patricks]

((For anyone who cares... I've decided that I'm tired of Melody being ten months old, since she has been since June, and be really cool by aging her up a bit to almost two.))

This was a really dumb idea, I think when I've reached the local park.
It's the middle of winter, for one thing, and although it's not unreasonably cold it still doesn't make a lot of sense to do anything involving touching metal outdoors.
Second, there's the fact that my wonderfully idiosyncratic daughter is never really interested in anything except for staring at the ceiling and occasionally playing with faucets until I realize she's about to drown herself, so I don't see why she'd care about being here anyway.
And finally... it was just a dumb idea. Just because.
"Right...." I say finally, after looking around for a moment. "And now, we're turning straight around to go back where we came from."
Melody, who made us take ages to get here because she didn't want to be held and really is not all that great at walking because like a true Patricks she's slow about everything normal, laughs as if that was really clever, while I haul her up in my arms and turn around. At least I'll have a comeback the next time I'm accused of not trying hard enough to be a parent.

[Riley Pearson]

[[yay for two year olds! ]]

Once again, the girls were out playing in the park. I didn"t really want to be out here today, seeing as it was quite cold. But I realised that it was just easier to let them out like this. If they were off playing with their friends, then I didn't have to deal with them. And I could get some time to myself. I don't know why I hadn't thought about it sooner. The only thing I had to sacrafice was being warm. Which wasn't too bad.. even if I did quite like being able to feel my hands.. and nose.

As I was sitting on the bench, I heard a couple loud yells and laughs and I looked up, seeing Ella... or maybe it was Lottie... being tagged and then going to chase more kids. I laughed a little bit, glad that's all that was happening and I looked around my surroundings. Even though it was freezing out, I had to admit that it was pretty nice.. There was snow covering most of the ground and even though I'm sure the trees looked great with leaves, I quite liked them without them. Everything was neat, clean and in it's own place. But as I kept looking I saw something.. or someone, that looked a bit out of place. Fitzy and Melody. They looked like they were about to turn around and I raised my eyebrows slightly, standing up.

"Fitzy.. wait up.." I said walking toward him, not sure what I was going to say to him, but for some reason trying to stop him. Maybe I was a bit more lonely than I thought.

[Fitzy Patricks]

For some reason, it didn't register immediately that there actually are some children crazy enough to be playing out here, and so it's rather startling when I hear a shriek of laughter.
Well... to each their own, I think, shrugging. And all the more reason not to be here.
Maybe I'll go over to Lilith's and let Melody and Isobel have a silence contest or something. It would give me someone to talk to as well, since I guess I'm feeling almost social today.

But I guess I don't need to go anywhere in that case.
"Riley," I nod in greeting, turning around. I'm not sure what else to say beyond that, since it's not as if we talk much and I have no idea why he's come over to chat. But then I remember the last time I ran into him, and nod at Mell with another shrug. "Found her."

[Riley Pearson]

I smiled a little bit and nodded. "I see that.." I said back to him, as I stopped near them, glad that he's turned around instead of just kept walking or something. But now that I'm standing here, I sort of wish that I could just.. go. But now that I've said hi, I couldn't much just say, 'well, I gotta go..' and leave... well, maybe I could, but I don't think that I will. "That's really good.. Something I can stop worrying about then.."

"Were you two leaving already?" I asked a moment later, wondering why they were just going to turn around. "I mean.. you just walked here and now you're walking back?" I asked a moment later, slightly confused about it.

[Fitzy Patricks]

"Well, in case you haven't noticed it's kind of cold," I shrug. "Stupid idea anywy, so yeah, I guess we were leaving."
I glance in the direction of the laughter I heard. "I take it your small ones are over there then?"
I seem to remember he has twins, or something like that, that Arden likes to refer to as her more-or-less nieces, but I don't have a clue how old they are.

[Riley Pearson]

"Well, yeah, but besides that, you guys already walked all the way out here.." I said with a small shrug. "But I guess I can't really stop you if you want to leave." I said with a slight sigh, glancing back at the twins again. I shook some hair from my face again. "It's not stupid if Mel here wanted to come." I said with a small smile over to her.

[Fitzy Patricks]

"Maybe it wouldn't be, but Mell here doesn't even talk yet, so whether she wants anything I have no idea." Except for right now, of course, when she first looks at the sky, then at me, and points down until I set her on her feet. "That's about as talkative as she gets."

[Riley Pearson]

"Really?" I asked looking back over to Fitzy. "Isn't she two already?" I asked a moment later, feeling like she definitely should've started talking by now. I nodded faintly. "Wow.." I said as she pointed down to the ground. "That's really all she does?"

[Fitzy Patricks]

"Yeah, pretty much," I shrug, eying her a moment. "Although I'm pretty sure her birthday is in February, so she's not quite two yet. Besides which, she's a Patricks, so she's probably autistic."

[Riley Pearson]

I nodded a little bit. "Still though.. I would've thought that she would've spoken by now." I said nodding a little bit looking up to him again. "Does that run in the family?" I asked a moment later, glancing back down at Mel again.

[Fitzy Patricks]

I laugh slightly, then shrug. "Well, I'm pretty sure we all have mild cases of Asperger's or something. Characterized by 'difficulty in social interaction' and... I don't remember what else but I'm pretty sure a lot of it fit. Trisha didn't speak until well past two; that's why she got locked in the basement."

[Riley Pearson]

I nodded a little bit. "Ah okay.." I said, unsure of really what to say to that. Not really knowing at all of what to say to him. Which is funny because usually our conversation go the other way around. That is, until something he says catches my attention. "Trisha got locked in the basement?" I asked raising my eyebrows faintly. "How was that supposed to help her speaking?"

[Fitzy Patricks]

I raise my eyebrows faintly, wondering if he's really that dense. "It wasn't supposed to help her speaking, it was supposed to keep her out of the way as if she didn't exist. She was slow at magic as well, so they figured she was a squib." My voice has turned slightly bitter at this point, and Melody is looking upwards, so I shake my head at her. "Don't worry, small one. I don't care if you're a squib. Probably be better off."

[Riley Pearson]

"Sorry, I just... don't understand how your family works." I said shaking my head a little bit with a faint shrug. But I nodded at what he said. "Ah... alright... that.. sounds really terrible." I said eventually, frowning slightly. But still giving a faint smile when I heard what Fitzy said. That was good to know he wasn't going to do something like that because if I ever found out that he did, I would go and take Mel away myself.

[Fitzy Patricks]

"No, I guess you wouldn't if yours is sane." I shrug slightly. "But then again, are they? Or do you have any particular mental defects tht run in the gene pool?"

[Riley Pearson]

I laughed slightly, "Well.. Half of them are." I said with a small smile and shrug. "You know Shelby, so I'm not sure I even have to answer that."

[Fitzy Patricks]

"Should I find that insulting on her behalf?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. I'd forgotten they're related.

[Riley Pearson]

"Actually, yeah.. probably a little bit." I said nodding slightly. "You know her though.. Not the most sane person... it's not just her though.. there's a few on that side of the family I'm sure.." I shrugged a little.

[Fitzy Patricks]

"I've never found Shelby all that crazy, honestly." I shrug. "Maybe a little bit weird, but not insane. Particularly considering she's inbred just like the rest of us."

[Riley Pearson]

I raised my eyebrows faintly, actually sort of surprised that he doesn't think that, but nodding a little bit anyway. "Really, never?" I asked, not really asking him to reply to that. I was just a bit puzzled. "... Maybe I just catch her at bad times." I shrugged a little bit. "True... I think there are more sane people though..." I commented with a faint shrug again.

[Fitzy Patricks]

"Well, not that I can think of." I shrug slightly. "Ever think you might be biased considering that you dislike her?" I don't remember how I know this, but I'm pretty sure it's the case.

[Riley Pearson]

I shrugged a little bit. "I know I don't have the best record for liking her.. but I mean.. the whole split personality thing doesn't seem too healthy." I said shaking my head a little bit. "This's just my opinion.. for all I know, I'm the crazy one."

[Fitzy Patricks]

"Oh... hm. Well, yeah, I guess there is that." I shrug slightly. Funnily enough, I'm not sure I ever have actually met Rubalyn, so I never really think about that aspect of her.

[Riley Pearson]

I shrugged a little bit. "That's all that's really coming to mind right now... but um.. mind if I ask why you seem a bit defensive about what I've been saying?" I asked a moment later after a small pause from the first thing that I said. Normally people just sort of agreed with me about Shelby.

[Fitzy Patricks]

"Defensive?" I repeat in some surprise, immediately feeling slightly so but not sure about what. "And why would I be that?"

[Riley Pearson]

I shook my head a little bit. "It might've just been my imagination.. and I dunno, that's what I asked you.." I said with a small shrug towards him.

[Arden Patricks]

True....
I shrug slightly. "Well, she is a friend. You defend your friends when people declare them insane, I hope?"

[Riley Pearson]

I nodded slightly, "Yeah, I do.. I just feel like even her friends feel like she's a bit mental." I shrugged slightly.

[Fitzy Patricks]

"Hm...." I think about that for a minute, then shrug. "Maybe I'm just not the best judge of sanity. But then again, neither are you."
I don't know where the hell that comment came from, when I'm trying to be civil today and not mutter resentfully about the guy's ex-wife.

[Riley Pearson]

I rubbed the back of my neck slightly at his comment, feeling like I may have winced slightly. I should be able to recognize something like that in my own wife, and I think on some level I think that I did.. I just didn't act on it.
I sighed and shrugged. "Guess you have a point there..."