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Alyx is a woman of many talents. Sewing is not one of them.

This became especially unfortunate today when her daughter's plush dragon toy--the one Kanaya made for her, the one Hope loves more than anything--lost one of its button eyes. Hope panicked, and so did Alyx after a few minutes of fruitless searching for the lost button with her daughter growing more and more frantic.

Then Alyx, out of desperation, grabbed her husband's spare eyepatch and strapped it onto the toy dragon's head.

This? Turned out to be a fantastic idea.

We now find Alyx in Milliways, accompanied by her daughter and the now-cyclopean plush toy, which Hope has dubbed "Dragon Daddy." Woe betide you if you try to take it away from her.

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"Oh, hey," says Ellen, who was passing by with Dogmeat at her heels. "Hi, Alyx. Hi, Hope. How're you doing?"

"Not too bad," says Alyx. "Hi, Ellen."

"Hi, Ewwen!" echoes Hope, waving with the hand holding the plush toy.

Ellen grins. "Who's this, now?" she says, gesturing to the stuffed dragon. "He looks pretty dashing."

"Iss D'agon Daddy!" says Hope.

"Dragon Daddy, eh?" says Ellen. "That's a good name for him. I don't think I've ever seen one quite like him."

"Kanaya made a pair of them for the twins," says Alyx. "Its eye came off and I couldn't find it so I just slapped Gordon's spare eyepatch on it and..." she trails off with a shrug and a wry smile.

"Hey, if it works for her then that's the important part," Ellen says. "I had to mend Marie's teddy bear several times to keep her from wailing her head off when she was with me, so I have an idea of what it must be like."

"Have you heard back from her family lately?" enquires Alyx.

(Hope, meanwhile, is quietly singing 'Dragon Daddy' to herself over and over.)

"Just in the usual dispatches they send back with the robot deliveries," Ellen says. "Lord Ashur and Sandra are doing all right, and Marie's taken to wriggling out of her mother's grasp and running around Haven and hiding every time they try to take her to the lab to check up on her. Apparently she thinks it's funny, though. Ashur said in his last dispatch that a number of his raiders've gotten bored without slaves to push around, so they've made a sport out of hunting trogs..."

Alyx grimaces. "I... guess it beats the alternative?"

"Something like that," Ellen says carefully. She'd be inclined to think of it as a mercy killing, if she hadn't seen what most of Ashur's raiders were like. 'Mercy' is not really in their vocabulary. "The Pitt's been a horror for a long time. Making it something else... they're going to have to do that themselves. The best we can do is make it more practical."

(She's not going to say anything about the Hole. Apparently the gladiatorial games are just as popular as ever.)

"On a brighter note, we're going to be getting sheep into the Capital from Milliways soon- oh! Oh, that's right, I almost forgot. Do you know a young man here named William Evans?"

Alyx looks thoughtful for a moment. "I don't--oh, right, he was one of the people who helped Shephard when his houndeye was in heat. I only met him the one time, though."

"Well, we wound up talking the other day about cattle, and about the situation in your world," Ellen says. "His family is cattle ranchers- not big ones, but they do raise them and sell them. He said they'd probably be able to sell you guys a cow or two. I know you don't have actual money going in your world yet, but I thought I should let you know- maybe we could arrange something."

"Hm. It's a definite possibility..."

Anyone who would try to take a little girl's toy away - except another child, of course - would fully deserve the Wrath of Alyx. We're just saying.

Gavroche gives her a smile and wave in passing.

Alyx? No, you misunderstand. It's Hope's wrath you should be afraid of.

Hope waves back. "Hiiih!"

"Hi!" He stops and grins, because who could resist that face? "That's a nice dragon you've got there."

"Iss D'agon Daddy!"

"Dragon Daddy?" Gavroche reaches out, careful not to make it seem like grabbing, and pats Dragon Daddy's head. "Interesting name."

"He Daddy, but a d'agon," the toddler explains.

"Her father is also missing an eye," Alyx clarifies.

"Ahhh." It all makes sense now. He smiles at the little girl again. "So he's Daddy for you when Daddy isn't here?"

This had not occurred to Hope, but judging by the way she squeals and hugs the plush dragon tighter, she is absolutely delighted with the idea.

He laughs, pleased to be of service.

"I think that's a yes."

"And then when he's around," says Alyx to her daughter, "you get double Daddy!"

Hope giggles.

"Even better!" Gavroche grins. "I hope he'll be pleased to hear he's got a dragon substitute."

"Oh, he's already seen it," says Alyx. "I had to tell him I used his spare eyepatch to fix the doll, didn't I?"

"True", he says with a nod. "Or he might be looking for it. Easily replaced, though, here."

"Up to a point, yeah." She thinks of Kanaya, trapped in God-knows-where for another three years, and her smile fades a little.

"The eyepatch", he clarifies. "Not the toy. She probably wouldn't think that's replaceable at all."

...replace Dragon Daddy??

D: goes Hope, clutching the plush toy tighter.

"It's all right", Gavroche tries to reassure her quickly. "I didn't mean anybody was going to take it."

Hope shrinks back a little. Her eyes are looking dangerously moist.

"No, please don't cry." He looks at Alyx pleadingly. "Not what I meant at all."

"Shhh, it's okay, honey," says Alyx soothingly. "No one's gonna take Dragon Daddy away from you." She wraps her arms around Hope, who leans into the embrace.

"There, see. Your mother wouldn't lie to you."

...this is not remotely true in his own experience, but Hope is tiny and also has a good mother.

Hope makes a noncommittal noise, but seems to have calmed down considerably.

"That's a girl," says Alyx gently.

"She's very clever", Gavroche says. "Understands more than she can say yet."

"Mm-hm." Alyx smiles fondly at her daughter. Then: "Her name's Hope, by the way. And I'm Alyx."

"Gavroche." He offers a hand to either or both of them. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Alyx leans over to shake the offered hand.

[ooc: Fade?]

[ooc: works for me!]

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