Friday, September 25th
It had been a couple of eventful months since Daniel was home. While he wasn't able to crawl just yet, he always smiled when he was with his mother. Ahsoka brought him downstairs for his morning breastfeeding session. After he was sated, he soon dozed off in her arms. She rose from the rocking chair and moved to the couch in front of the TV. She used her free arm to look up into the VHS shelf for that golden cartridge Lux surprised her with slightly over a month ago. She set the volume low enough to not wake her son. She couldn't be any more pleased. The Legend of Zelda, this game was called. It was a very nice change of pace from the simplistic Super Mario Bros. game she played every once in a while.
This new game was more involving than she had expected. On her very first session, she managed to find the sword, fight several Octoroks and Tektites and figured her way to the first dungeon. Packed-in with the game manual was a map of the Overworld, which helped her find the first couple of dungeons. She used the map sparingly as she preferred to figure things on her own. She explored the Overworld and soon found there were much more powerful enemies lurking everywhere. Despite being on maternity leave, she didn't have much time to play games. She also had a puppy to look after. But on this particular morning, she wanted to complete the first dungeon. During her trek of the first dungeon, she became familiar with the bat-like Keese, the drop-like Gel, the boomerang-throwing Goriya, the Stalfos skeletons, last but certainly not least, was the menacing Wallmaster which would bring her back to the beginning of the dungeon if she was caught by them.
She managed to find the Bow deep into the dungeon, but not before taking a hit from the Blade Traps surrounding the stairway. She soon figured out that for most cases, all she had to do was defeat all enemies in a room to advance further. When she came upon Aquamentus, the boss of the first dungeon, she was at full heath and was able to "shoot swords" from a safe distance. All she needed to do was position herself between its fireballs and fire away. After 5 hits, the monster was defeated and a large heart stood in its place. As she touched the item, another "heart" was added to her "life meter". And she acquired her first piece of the Triforce of Wisdom. There were 7 more to go. In due time she would eventually complete her quest by defeating the evil Ganon and saving Princess Zelda. Not the most original plot, but it was good enough.
After she cleared the first dungeon, she got careless and was "killed" by Moblins. She then saved her game and shut off the console. Obi came to her, definitely in a playful mood. She tugged at Ahsoka's socks.
"Hey ! Obi. Don't do that. My socks. Oh, you little..." She used the Force to manipulate Obi's favorite toy : A small, yellow ball that Mina used to play fetch with. She tossed it around the living room, getting Obi's attention and finally getting her to leave her poor socks alone. After several minutes of Obi chasing her ball around, she got bored and went for a snooze in her little bed in the kitchen, near the door leading to the backyard. That was her spot. Ahsoka would let Obi out when Daniel was sound asleep in his crib upstairs. She would keep an eye on the dog, never really losing sight of it. She made that mistake once, and found a mess in the bathroom with the washer and dryer. Obi had pulled at the toilet paper roll and shred it to a million pieces. Ahsoka and Lux were not pleased with her at that moment, and she was soon denied access to the rooms unless they were present.
Over the afternoon, she tended to the laundry, always keeping her montrals on full alert in case Daniel woke up crying. He was getting slightly better with sleeping. Instead of waking up every couple of hours, he would sleep a good 3 before he woke up. By 5 pm, Lux was arriving with Mina. As Ahsoka greeted them, she and Lux shared a quick kiss. "Good evening, beautiful. How was your day ?" He asked.
"Typical weekday, Lux. Nothing exciting. Just taking care of Daniel and Obi like always."
"Mommy ! Where's Daniel ?" Mina looked around for her little brother.
"He's still asleep, Mina. You'll see him later tonight. Now, it's time for dinner." Ahsoka reached into the fridge and brought out some hot dogs and reached in the cupboard for hot dog buns.
Mina's eyes grew as wide as her grin. "Oh Boy ! We're having hot dogs ! Yay !"
The parents laughed at their daughter's easy contentment.
Mina quickly hopped to her chair, just waiting to dig in. Mina quickly developed a liking for ketchup, she would ask for her hot dog to be completely smothered in the condiment. After a quick dinner, Ahsoka reached in to the fridge again and pulled out a large chocolate cake.
Lux sat next to Mina. "Mina, do you know what today is ?"
Mina shook her head.
"It's your birthday today, Mina. You're 2 years old already. Goodness, how time goes by." Ahsoka offered her daughter a piece of cake with a small glass of milk.
"Oh Boy ! Chocolate Cake ! Yummy yum yum !" She was about to dig in, but Ahsoka pulled the dish away.
"What do we say first, Mina ?" She queried.
Mina thought for a moment. "Oh ? Um. Oh ! Thank you, Mommy. Thank you, Daddy."
"Good girl. Here you go. Dig in !" Mina was handed back her plate.
As Mina took a piece, Daniel's crying was heard from upstairs. Ahsoka quickly raced up the stairs. She entered his room. Obviously, he had soiled himself and it was reason enough to make any baby uncomfortable. A quick diaper change later, Daniel was content to be once again in his mother's arms. He was brought down to join in the festivities with the rest of the family.
Daniel was placed on a couple of blankets. Obi came to see him and proceeded to lick his face. Daniel squealed in joy. Mina looked down from her chair and was quite amused by the sight. "Hee hee hee ! Obi likes Daniel !"
Ahsoka picked him back in her arms, giving Daniel a break from Obi's constant licking. "Ok, Obi. You did enough licking for one day. Go to your bed." The puppy didn't need to be told twice. She knew what that meant. She quickly raced to her bed, wheeling around several times before finally settling down for sleep.
Over the night, a couple of curious people were looking around several properties.
"Hey ! Hans ! Come here ! Look at this ! A Mercedes !" One of two car thieves called out.
"Yes, Lars. We have this lock pick here, open her up !"
Obi was able to hear the discussion between the two men. She growled as she walked to the window and saw what was happening. She then barked up a storm, hoping to wake her masters.
One of the thieves heard the barking. "Come on, hurry it up, Hans ! There's a dog in that house !"
"Yeah, yeah. Stupid mutt. Probably just a Chihuahua." The other brushed off the possible threat as insignificant.
Ahsoka was quickly woken up by Obi's barking. She looked to the window and saw what was happening. Sparing no moment, she called on the Force to drag her lightsabers to her hands and rushed out to the door, in her kimono.
The two men were shocked to hear the ignition of the blades, they looked up to see a very irate Togruta. "Can I help you boys with something ?" She snarled.
Hans dropped his tools, mouth agape. "Holy. Shit. What the HELL is that thing ?! Where's that damn gun ?! Shoot her, Lars ! Shoot her !"
Before Lars had a chance to pull the trigger, Ahsoka quickly leapt in front of him, cutting his gun in two. "It's over, slimeball !"
Before the thieves could get away, she jumped over them and cut their escape. "You boys aren't going anywhere... except in the company of police."
Hans spat at her. "Screw you, you insane bitch !" She had to keep herself in control to not use Force Choke on him.
Lux came out in his pajamas. "What is going on here ?!"
Ahsoka turned to him. "It's all right, Lux. They had the mind to steal our car, it's a good thing Obi's barking woke me up. Get a rope, we'll tie these two goons and hand them over to the police."
She shut off her lightsabers and shoved them in her pockets. Lux arrived with some rope, Obi by his side. She kept her distance, growling at the thieves.
Lars took a good look at her. "Woah, woah, woah ! You've gotta be an alien ! Those things on your head, that ain't hair or my name is Abraham Lincoln !"
"You better keep your mouth shut, if you know what's good for you." Lux threatened.
Suddenly, Ahsoka got an idea. "Hold on, Lux. I have a way to convince them. She approached them. "What are you gonna do to us ?"
She waved her hand in front of them. "You will forget this encounter. You tried to steal our car, but you got caught."
"We will forget this encounter. We tried to steal your car, but we got caught." They repeated.
"You will go to sleep now." The men soon nodded off. And just in time, the police arrived to bring them to the nearest precinct.
The officers were very pleased. "Hans and Lars. Professional car thieves. Thank you both for stopping them."
"We owe it to our dog, if she hadn't woke us up, they would have likely succeeded." Ahsoka pointed to Obi, who was wagging her tail and looking proud.
The head officer patted Obi on the head. "Nice job, little lady. Perhaps you could join us someday." He joked.
Thursday, December 24th
Ahsoka and Lux were celebrating their 3rd Christmas since they've crash-landed. Daniel, now over 5 months old, was switched to semi-solid foods. He actually enjoyed carrot puree, unlike his older sister. They were having fondue, Ahsoka took care of Mina's plate, setting up her meat and her sauces. She had some juice while Ahsoka and Lux were enjoying a bottle of wine.
"As of April next year, it'll mark our 4th anniversary since we've arrived here, 'Soka. I'm still in awe of all the accomplishments we've made since." Lux was cutting through a piece of beef and placing a couple of chicken pieces in the broth.
She nodded in agreement. "Aside our "interesting" encounter with those car thieves, it's been smooth sailing for the most part, Lux." She turned to Mina. "Mina, are you enjoying your meal ?"
Mina seemed to enjoy every bite. She quickly took a fancy towards Lux's homemade Sweet BBQ sauce. "Yeah, Mommy. This is so good. Can I have more beef, Mommy ?"
"It'll be ready in a moment, Mina. You didn't eat your salad. Greens are good for you. Eat up." She pointed to the full salad bowl by the side.
Mina pouted. "Why do I have to ? You don't have a salad."
Ahsoka sighed. "Mina, Mommy told you before. I can't eat vegetables or fruits because they make me sick. It's not because I don't want to. I just can't."
Mina's meat was served and cut up into bite-sized pieces. "So that's the last of your meat. Once you're done, please eat your salad. After that, we'll open up the presents Santa brought for us, ok ?"
Mina raised an eye marking. "Huh ? Santa won't be coming ? Why ?"
"Santa is busier than usual, I guess. He brought them to us while you were at daycare. He told us you'd be very happy with your gifts." Lux explained.
After everyone finished their plates, the dishes were placed in the dishwasher. As the family gathered around the Christmas tree, Lux took out a camera. "You know, we haven't taken a picture of us all together since Daniel got born. Let me set up this tripod a moment."
Lux set the camera to wait 10 seconds before taking the picture.
"Ok, everyone, smile ! Say "Cheese" !"
The picture came out even better than expected. Ahsoka, holding Daniel in her arms, stood by Lux. Mina was smiling greatly as Obi sat by her side. It was the perfect picture every family strived for.
Daniel was the first to have his presents. First off, he got a brand new pacifier, to replace the one that he used in full. And he also got a load of baby clothes.
When Mina's turn came, she didn't know what to expect. She received a Pound Puppy plush toy and a Talking Alf doll. The family were very fond of the hit sitcom under the same name. Lux adored Alf's snappy comebacks to Willie Tanner.
For Ahsoka, Lux really caught her off guard with a beautiful little Pinktoe tarantula she named Poopers. The name was given when she tried to handle her and she got sprayed with spider poop on her shirt. At first, she was somewhat shocked and insulted, but she ended up bursting into fits of laughter, causing the entire family to laugh with her. Her second gift was King Diamond's Abigail album, which Lux knew she was on the prowl for but never came to actually buying.
Lux got himself a major surprise. At first, he was given a 1000.00$ gift card to the Mercedes dealer she bought her car from. The second gift was expected, a bottle of Amarone, a high-end wine from Italy.
Overall, the evening went very well and everyone appreciated their presents. Obi was simply given some chew toys, to which she eagerly took interest in.
Monday, January 25th, 1988
It was Lux's 26th birthday. After his work shift was done, Ahsoka brought the kids along for shopping for his birthday gift : his very own car. He settled on a sleek black 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500SE. Slightly different from Ahsoka's 1984 190E model, the black and ocean blue vehicles contrasted greatly. They both made their way back home. Mina rode with Lux while Ahsoka took Daniel with her. When Lux arrived the following day with his own vehicle, he surprised his co-workers a good deal. He was really fitting in with the "working family" lifestyle.
Monday, February 8th
It was Ahsoka's 25th birthday. Lux surprised her with an exquisite dinner at a high-end steakhouse restaurant. Her worries about the kids were put to rest once she knew Kayla volunteered to babysit the kids. If anything, Mina, while being in her "terrible twos" phase, wasn't too much of an issue. Kayla made chocolate cupcakes, which everyone enjoyed, Daniel included. Being almost 7 months old, he was beginning to really take a liking to sweets like his sister. By the time Ahsoka and Lux got back, both children were asleep and Kayla was snoozing on the couch with Obi by her side.
Saturday, February 20th
It was a typical lazy weekend for the family. Lux was feeding Daniel, Mina was playing with Obi and Ahsoka was watching TV. She tuned in to MTV and caught a new music video titled "Close Your Eyes Forever".
Ahsoka blinked a few times. "What the ? L. Ford. O. Osbourne. A collaboration between Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne ?! Can it really be ?!"
She saw Lita playing a two-necked guitar and singing some verses. She definitely sounded better here than when she tried to mimic Cherie Currie on "Cherry Bomb". Ozzy's voice brought an interesting contrast. While they both sounded very different, they really mashed well together. Lita's guitar solo was amazing as she expected. By the time the video was over, Ahsoka huddled herself against the pillows. "Wow ! That. Was. Awesome." She spent the rest of the afternoon just watching random music videos on MTV.
Thursday, July 21st
Ahsoka couldn't believe it. Daniel was already a year old. By now, he was capable of talking as well as walking on his own. His first word was "Mina". He took a liking to his sister and followed her everywhere she went around the house. They would play hide & seek together. For his birthday, he was provided a rich chocolate cake like Mina had during her first. Of course, by the end of his dessert, Daniel was coated in chocolate all over. After a quick bath, he was good as new and ready for bed. Things would definitely get more interesting as both children would soon voice their thoughts all the time.
Daniel really enjoyed it when Ahsoka would feed her tarantulas. Just the sight of them pouncing on their meal got little Daniel giggling. And the occasional "poop" attack by Poopers was always worth seeing. In time, Ahsoka would stop trying to handle her, seeing how she reacted to being taken away from her enclosure. With Obi, it was even more amusing. She kept running after him and he would be running around in circles, laughing constantly. Neither Lux nor Ahsoka ever felt any ill coming from Obi. She was the perfect dog for the family.
And we are done. Things will be more interesting from here on out. Over the next chapter, we'll see brother and sister adding their own little comments to everyday life. You can expect some hilarious observations. As for Obi, she gets better. Feel free to leave a review.
