mon ordinateur

[beheld_beauty]

Belle is with Luc, going over the differences between the four enchanting power sources (a pentagon could give him skill, but would not allow her to evaluate his trustworthiness and responsibility en route, nor would it do him any favors if he wants to teach students of his own one day), when the Janepoint begins to make worrying sounds.

Beast is likely nearer the beeping than Belle is. Mon cœur, do you know what is making that noise? she asks.

Comments

[pythbox]

Dominique is very talkative and outspoken, and when her little sister is born, she takes it upon herself to teach Céleste how to talk. She does this mostly by chattering endlessly at her, sometimes by reading to her like their parents did for her when she was very small.

[beheld_beauty]

Céleste follows Dominique around like she has somehow managed to become Dominique's tail, and listens raptly to everything, and learns to talk, and whenever she learns of the existence of a new language she runs right to Maman and asks for it and gets it.

[pythbox]

Dominique frequently announces that Céleste is her favourite little sister.

[beheld_beauty]

Dominique is Céleste's favorite big sister!

[pythbox]

That works out very well for both of them, then, doesn't it?

[beheld_beauty]

It does!

Céleste likes asking Maman for things. When she gets a little older she is a little more creative. She reads a story with griffins in it and she wants one. Maman dithers over magicking her a live pet, but eventually comes up with a design that will happily run wild if Céleste should ever tire of it. (Céleste of course insists that she will not tire of it.) Céleste names the griffin - which is just about her size, and will not get any larger - "Rainier" and teaches him to fetch and do flying tricks and heel behind her when she goes places.

[pythbox]

Dominique thinks Rainier is adorable, but does not want one of her very own.

[campanas]

Time goes on. Céleste sits at the Janepoint sometimes, talking to it with Rainier's head in her lap, like the lost Jane person who once lived there can hear her.

And one day, when she is seven (and Dominique sixteen) -

it can.