Chapter 10: Rainy Day Babysitters
Today was not a good day to go see Peridot. There was a heavy rainstorm happening on Earth and in Heaven. And much to the young angel's disappointment, she was stuck inside for the day.
"Do I really have to stay inside for the day, Rose?" Lapis asked her guardian as she watched the rain fall from her window.
"Yes, I can't let you go outside in this weather." Rose Quartz answered. "The storms we have here are just as bad as the ones on Earth. Besides, you don't know how to use your powers to shield yourself from the rain. And I don't want you to catch a cold in that downpour."
Lapis made a childish pouty face as she continued to stare out the window.
"Oh, I think you'll be fine going for one day without seeing this mystery person of yours." her caretaker said as if she were reading her charge's mind. "Now, I have to go out and run a few errands."
"NO!" the young angel bawled, tears starting to flood her eyes. "It's bad enough that I can't go outside for the whole day, but now I have to be home alone too?"
"Don't worry." Rose consoled her. "I'm not leaving you here by yourself. I asked a couple angels to come and watch you until I get back."
The caretaker led the younger angel to the front door where a pair of angels were waiting, who kind of looked a lot like Rose. Lapis instinctively hid behind her guardian's back in shyness.
"Lapis, these are two of my friends Joy and Rosie." Rose introduced the two guests. "Ladies, this is my charge Lapis Lazuli."
Joy had messy dark pink hair, gleaming black eyes, and glowing fair skin. She wore a glittery white dress held up by a bright pink bow and gold slippers. Her wings were tinted a flashy, vibrant pink.
Rosie had lavender colored hair that was more straight, tan skin, black eyes, and noticeably bushy eyebrows. She wore a shimmering white dress with long sleeves that showed her bare feet and a long, dark pink suede vest with fringe held by a light red sash. Her pink wings had a much softer tone.
"It's so nice to meet you, Lapis." Joy said enthusiastically.
"Greetings, fellow flower child." Rosie added coolly, making a peace sign.
As friendly as the two angels were, Lapis didn't say hi back. She just stayed behind Rose and clung to her dress.
"You'll have to forgive her." the caretaker told the two visitors. "She's very shy."
"Oh, that's fine." Joy replied, ruffling the young angel's blue hair. "Besides, she's so cute."
"Lapis, Joy and Rosie are going to be your babysitters while I'm out." Rose said to her charge.
"But I don't want you to go." Lapis squeaked.
"I won't be gone long. I promise you." her guardian reassured her. "And I know you'll warm up to these two in the meantime. Have fun."
Rose took some time to say goodbye to two babysitters before leaving and the young angel saw this as an opportunity to hide from them. The first chance she got, she made herself scarce.
"So Lapis, what should we do first?" asked Joy, only to find that Lapis was gone. "Hey, where did she go?"
"Whoa, she's like, gone with the wind." Rosie commented.
"Oh, I get it." the perky babysitter said. "You want to play hide and seek. Well ready or not, here we come."
Meanwhile, Lapis had decided to hide behind some dark curtains in the den. She figured that if she stayed hidden long and quiet enough, then Joy and Rosie would leave her be until her guardian came back.
That was when the young angel heard the two babysitters come into the den. They were walking right by the curtains like they didn't know that Lapis was hiding behind them.
"Where are you, kitten?" said Rosie.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Joy called out.
All of a sudden, the young arrival felt her nose start to tickle and she realized that the curtains were very dusty. If scratched her nose now, it rustle the curtains and give her away. Instead, the itchy sensation just built up until the young angel let out a big sneeze, "Achoo!"
Lapis prayed that her two babysitters didn't that, but no such luck. The curtains were drawn back to reveal the two older angels.
"Gotcha!" Joy giggled.
Now on one hand, Lapis didn't want to be found and smothered by a couple of strange angels. On the other hand, she couldn't stay stuck under her bed until Rose came home. It was time to stop playing games. The young angel needed help now.
"Somebody help me!" Lapis yelled, sounding like she was on the verge of crying. "I'm stuck!"
Right on cue, two sets of footsteps echoed from down the hall and the two angel babysitters entered the bedroom.
"Here she is." Rosie said.
"How did you get stuck under the bed, silly angel?" Joy chuckled.
"Mistakes were made." Lapis admitted, feeling embarrassed. "Now I can't get out."
"I think you can." the fun babysitter disagreed. "And I have an idea of how to help you."
"How?" the young angel asked.
Unknown to her, Joy was ogling the blue-haired angel's bare feet. And then, she wiggled her fingers and started to tickle Lapis' creamy arches.
The young angel started laughing within milliseconds and started regretting going the whole day without wearing her sandals.
"No! Stop that!" she screamed through hysterical laughter.
"My, my." Joy cooed. "What wiggly, ticklish feet you have. Gitchy gitchy goo."
The babysitter's tickle attacks sent tingly electricity throughout the younger angel's body, causing her to wriggle like a worm on a fishing hook. As it turned out, all her squirming was enough to get herself out from under the bed. Joy ceased her ticking once Lapis was free, but the little angel was still giggling from the ticklish shivers. She practically looked breathless.
"It looks like you could use a catnap." the chill babysitter suggested.
"But, I'm not tired." Lapis disputed.
"She's right, Rosie." Joy agreed. "She hasn't even had lunch yet."
"No worries, man." the laid-back angel replied. "I've got that covered."
The three angels left the bedroom and headed into the kitchen where a hot cup of tea and bowl of soup were being prepared. The soup had a golden yellow color that reminded Lapis of Holy Nectar.
"Here's a cup of Heavenly Bliss tea to help you mellow out." Rosie presented to the waiting charge. "And then, you can enjoy a groovy bowl of Golden Tomato soup."
"Well, the soup does smell yummy." the young angel commented, sniffing the soup.
She took a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and popped it in her mouth. The little angel also sipped her cup of tea while taking in it's relaxing aroma. As she was consuming her lunch, Lapis found herself rubbing her eyes as they started drooping uncontrollably. She had no idea why she suddenly felt so tired.
"Rosie, you didn't happen to have put anything else in that soup, did you?" Joy asked her friend.
"Nothing except for Dreamy Dill." the chill babysitter answered.
The two babysitters watched the young angel propped her head on her hands to keep her face from falling into the soup bowl. That's how sleepy she was feeling.
"I think somebody's ready to hit the hay." Rosie smirked.
"I don't need a nap." Lapis attempted to argue between uncontainable yawns.
"Can't really believe that when you're yawning like a hippopotamus." Joy giggled. "Come on. Off to sleep with you."
The young angel was laid down on the cloud like couch and Rosie covered her with a comfy blanket as she fell fast asleep. The two angel babysitters watched over the sleeping little one as if she was a human baby. About a quarter of an hour later, Rose Quartz came into the living room.
"Welcome back, Rose." Rosie greeted her friend. "We just put little Lapis down for a nap a while ago."
"Oh, look at her." the angel caretaker cooed as she rubbed her charge's head. "Thank you both so much for looking after Lapis while I was gone. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."
"Trouble?" Joy echoed. "Not at all. Lapis has been an absolute dear."
"Preach, sister." her chill cohort chimed.
"Would you mind if we stayed a little longer?" the fun babysitter asked. "The little one looks so cute when she's asleep."
"You're right about that." the motherly angel smiled. "Of course you two can stay a little longer."
The three of them overlooked the slumbering Lapis as she secretly dreamed of snuggling with the demon Peridot. She did not want to go for any more than a day without being with her secret boyfriend.