The days that passed were spent in silent reflection. Elodie proved herself a talented pianist. She immersed herself ... not so much in grief as in confusion. She didn't seem to understand why Freddie wasn't around anymore. When Clover explained death, Elodie insisted that she could reverse it with her green thumb.
Clover suspected it was better this way.
And besides, their mourning was about to take a big backseat.
Elodie was the only one home when Desi went into labor. She found it ... alarming.
She did take Desi to the hospital, but walked a safe distance behind her, unsure how the sprout would eventually emerge and at what speed.
As it turns out, it took a very long time. By the time Desi finally emerged from the hospital with her squalling bundle of Cordelia Clojo, Elodie was bored senseless.
"Can you turn that thing down?" she asked distractedly. "I can't hear my game."
Desi didn't answer.
Shawnya's grief lifted the minute Cordelia came home. And after a festival of snuggles and kisses, she completed her lifetime wish of being super popular. Her granddaughter was her 20th friend. How perfect is that?
She aged up looking JUST like her grandpa. She also inherited her mom's imaginary friend powers.
Having a little Freddie doppleganger in the house definitely served to comfort Shawnya.
And everyone else for that matter.
She was a delight.
Sam had no idea how he'd gotten so lucky.
Desi wondered when her maternity leave would end.
But really she loved it. Every minute with her baby made her feel full of life and accomplishment.
Cordelia was a light in a house that had briefly gone dark.
Meanwhile, Clover called Kyle nightly. She had everything done except for two levels at her job. Sadly when the game opened today, the settings had reset so the watcher had to move her lifespan back to medium and lost three whole days off of her adulthood. Clover is pretty sure she'll manage anyway. She's found a way to get her boss in a great mood.
Cordelia aged up sooner than the family could even process her toddler cuteness. Desi looked forward to sleeping a full night.
She became a pretty kid.
Though her first moments of child-level sentient thinking was unfortunately thrown into trauma by her aunt in lingerie honking at her with a party horn, petals flying from inside. It was an image that would stick with her for the rest of her days.
Her first best friends were her mother and her grandmother. Grandma could be a bit much sometimes.
But really, Cordelia knew grandma was special and on borrowed time. So she put up with it.
Her best kid friend was Dylan Pereria. He was bald.
Cordelia wondered at dinner the night after she met Dylan what it would be like if she were bald.
"We'd love you a little less," Elodie said, causing several family members to choke on their dinner.
Cordelia couldn't even make out a sentence in the following buzz of dissent. Her mother was fiendishly delighted.
She didn't so much mind bald Dylan though. He was fun and he liked the same colors as her.
She found out that his name means "son of the sea" and hers means "daughter of the sea." Her aunt Clover taught her that. Aunt Clover is really smart.
"You were named for a warrior queen, little bee," Clover said before bed right before Cordelia's first day of school. "You'll have no problem riding into battle."
Cordelia just hoped she was ready.
