Introducing Taralani [Early in the Intro Mingle]

[itsananimalthing]

Hey. Riddick here. Just wanted everybody to know-- if you ain't figured it out already from the crying and shit-- Vilari had her baby.

[The network gets a brief video of a newborn-age child laying on the fur-covered shelf of his bed, kicking her feet gently and making curious baby-noises. She's darker than Vilari, about Riddick's skin tone, with fuzzy black hair and pale eyes, and little pointed ears.]

Promise I won't flood the network with her like Wash does. But still wanna introduce everybody to her. This is Taralani. Our daughter.

[There's a pause while he just enjoys sending that, before adding,]

Wash says it's gonna be a couple months before she's on the network, but the network and liminal space has gotten more involved since Rose was her age. I figure everybody should probably start filterin' now, just to be safe.

Comments

[vrepit_no]

She's beautiful. [From the warm, enchanted tone, you could probably pretty easily rope yourself a babysitter in this one, Riddick.] Congratulations.

[whatsina_name]

[aaaaaaaaaaaah it's a baby!!!!]

Oh my gosh she's so tiny.

[reallymean]

She's lovely. And so tiny.

[Are all human babies this small? She's never actually seen one before.]

[canbebrave]

[the tiniest happiest gasp]

She's wonderful.

[dino_zarf]

Hey when they're that cute you've gotta share them.

[itsananimalthing]

You might not say that in a year when she's runnin' around making portals and scramblin' your skills, but right now, yeah, I'll agree with you.

[He sounds more amused than anything else.]

Never thought I'd have a kid.

[itsananimalthing]

I know, right? It don't seem like such a great idea to me to be born so little and defenseless.

[itsananimalthing]

Everyone keeps sayin' that. Glad it's not just me.

[He sounds like he's grinning, though.]

According to Vilari, she's actually pretty big. For her people, anyway.

[itsananimalthing]

[He sounds somewhere between pleased and embarrassed when he answers. Friends chiming in are one thing. He doesn't really know Sansa very well.]

Thanks. I'm just hopin' I don't screw anything up.

[itsananimalthing]

That's your motto, pretty much, ain't it?

[canbebrave]

[It’s a baby! She can’t resist. He’ll probably see her more often now, even if it’s just beaming across liminal space at his daughter.]

Oh, I’m sure you’ll do just fine! Babes are stronger than they look, it’s difficult to ‘screw up’. [She still stumbles over the modern words like they’re a foreign language, even through psychic communication]

[itsananimalthing]

I just don't have a lot of experience with this "family" thing. Pretty much just infiltrating. Wash did give me all his books on it, though, and I've got Vilari who knows a little more than I do.

[At least, you know, she had parents.]

[whatsina_name]

No, it really doesn't. But I think she'll be ok.

[god help anyone who tries to mess with Riddick and Vilari's child.]

[canbebrave]

You will grow accustomed to it. My father wasn’t prepared for children, but before he knew it, he had five trueborn children, and he was the greatest of parents.

You need only call if you should need only help. In the North, older children help with their younger siblings, rather than send them away with nursemaids. And I had plenty of younger siblings.

[vrepit_no]

[Shiro just chuckles.] Yeah, maybe. I don't know - Rose is still pretty cute. I can't imagine Taralani being any less adorable just because she's a quick learner.

How's her mother doing? Everything all right?

[unapologeticallyaffected]

Oh my god, we're being overrun. [Though Eliot's tone is, despite the words, more amused than aggravated. He likes Vilari, and he's happy for her that she's had her baby. He may even be sending gifts that direction.] When's the shower?

[itsananimalthing]

Yeah, we got through it all okay. Wash apparently picked up some baby delivery skills on one of these Jaunts, he helped out.

[Which was good, because Riddick had never even dealt with an animal birth before, let alone a human-ish creature.]

[itsananimalthing]

[That's the only thing that keeps Riddick from worrying too much. He's pretty sure nothing can get through the two of them.]

Yeah, probably. At least until she learns to escape.

[itsananimalthing]

Somethin' tells me I'm not gonna want for babysitters.

[He says it with a grin in his voice, though. He's pleased that liminal space abounds with people who love children.]

Thanks, Sansa. I appreciate it. Might need it-- probably better to get her used to other people, around here. We're all gonna be in her head. Might as well have faces to go with psychic voices.

[itsananimalthing]

When's the what?

[Riddick is entirely unfamiliar with the concept of baby showers. Enlighten him, Eliot.]

[whatsina_name]

I can come help out if you guys ever need the extra hand.

[He's not great with kids, but for Riddick and Vilari he would sure as hell do his very best.]

[itsananimalthing]

[Riddick chuckles.]

Thanks, brother. You ever dealt with babies before?

[vrepit_no]

Did he really? [Amused~] Well that's useful. Bet he never thought he'd have call to use that again, but it's a good thing he did. Well, I'm almost always up in the middle of the night, so if you need someone to spell you so you can get some sleep, let me know, I'd be happy to come over and help out.

[unapologeticallyaffected]

The baby shower. Traditionally they're before the baby comes, but standing by tradition seems a little ridiculous here. It's when Vilari gets to bask in the attentions of all her friends and you get a lot of gifts for the baby. Half useful things, half the kinds of things you would never in a million years buy for your child, let alone put on them in any shape or form. Hideous outfits, creepy stuffed animals, terrible curtains for the nursery, that sort of thing.

Or so I'm told, I've never actually been.

[whatsina_name]

...Not really. But I can learn?