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Veah was confused. Daddy had explained that she was getting another sibling, a sister this time, but that she couldn’t meet her yet. Daeira she had been told had been rescued by uncle Aax from a ‘bad place’ and was joining the family. That made sense. What made less sense was that Daeria was going to be a bigger little sister than Cari. Veah was here first so she was the biggest than Cari was here so they should be the next biggest than Daeria. Daddy had said the mix up was because Daeria was found not made and that someone else had made her first? Veah wasn’t sure how that worked because she was fairly certain that only Auntie Thena could make babies for people. But oh well that while confusing was fine. What was not fine was that she couldn’t see her new little sibling yet. Even when Cari was really small she had been allowed to see them and if Daeria was bigger than Cari why wasn’t she allowed to see her? Daddy had said it was for her safety while they got Daeria settled but Veah was plenty safe- she was big and strong and she could do anything! Papa had told her that. He said she could do anything she put her mind to and well she was putting her mind to this. She had to show Daeria who the best big sister was and teach her all the important things like books and Birdie and flying. And if Daeria was already bigger than this was going to be much easier than trying to teach Cari these things. Cari didn’t understand her words yet and just slept alot. If Daeira was bigger than she could get it!
And so the plan was hatched. A new room had been added to the house for Daeira. A new room that Veah hadn’t been allowed into which wasn’t fair at all because she had been let into the room made for Cari and even been able to help decorate it. Uncle Aax had been in and out of that room a LOT the past few days but currently he was out. Something to do with Grandpa Ulysses. Daddy had been going in there more frequently since Uncle had briefly left but then Cari had started crying and with Uncle Cas out working with Auntie Ari Daddy had gone to take care of Cari. This meant Daeira’s room was unguarded so no one would stop her from going in like the first three times. So very carefully and very quietly she had crept to the mangrove door. There were vague splashing and gurgling sounds from the other side. With one more quick glance around for Daddy or any one else who might stop her, Veah slipped in.
The room was well lit with sea lanterns and glow berries and glowly sea stuff. Bio-lumi-sent she was pretty sure Uncle Aax had called it. The sea stuff lit up the little ponds that were scattered about as half the room was taken up by a small waterfall that went into what she recognized as tide pools from the cave Daddy and Uncle Aax had shown her when she had asked about what it was like when they were young. There was what she thought must have been at one point a bed but the mattress was shredded and all the fluffy insides had been arranged on the floor in a circle-ish shape with blankets and pillows galore. Scattered around the room was a variety of objects weirdly dented including but not limited to at least six metal buckets, huh, and was that one of her old sweaters? As she observed the room a flicker of movement caught her eye and she turned back to see dark eyes shrouded by pearly white hair blinking widely at her over the edge of one of the bigger pools.
“Daeira?” She asked.
“Pah,” who she assumed was Daeira replied, tail splashing behind her.
Veah, not one to be discouraged, continued.
“Hi Daeira, I’m Veah. The bestest big sister.”
“Mahph,” said Daeira. Veah closed the door behind her and stepped farther into the room.
“You have a good room, not as good as mine but I like it. You should see mine though, there’s room to fly! Can you fly? Oh well I’ll teach you, even if I have to steal some of Daddy’s wings to do it ok? And then we can share my room because we’re sisters now! And you’re bigger than Cari so we can have bunk beds like Uncle Bruin and Easton did- oh Cari is our little sibling ok? They’re not big enough for a real bed, that's why we don’t have bunk beds. Once they are big enough though we can get tripe-le bunk beds. I’d get the top because I’m the biggest and can fly the bestest but you could probably have the second top,” Veah rambled happily. Daeira slowly blinked again then wiggled her way out of the water to get closer to Veah. She was wearing a modified version of one of Veah’s old swimsuits. Particularly the one that was a bright purple with a colorful navy skirt with stars on it that Uncle Malitae had made her. The skirt part flowed through the water like shooting stars in the night sky and she had been so sad when she outgrew it even though Uncle Malitae had promised to make her a new and better one. She was glad to see it being used again by her new sister. “You like water huh?” She voiced her thoughts out loud again, “I guess that's why you’re Uncle Aax’s baby.”
“Paah,” said Daeira.
“Ah he’s your papa. I guess that makes my Papa your uncle and then we share Daddy. Cari also shares Daddy but then has a second Daddy, our Uncle Cas.”
“-as?” Repeated Daeira.
“No! No!” Veah panicked, “Cas! Cas! With a ‘C’ Daeira! Otherwise it sounds like you’re saying a bad word! Daddy didn’t like it when Uncle Violet said that word, especially around me and Cari. Didn’t want him teaching us bad words first. First! Oh, have you said a first word yet? If not it should tot-ally be Veah.”
“Eh-ah?” Repeated Daeira.
“Close, Veah. With a ‘V’, Veh-hah, see?”
“Eh-ah!”
“Ve-ah.”
“Eh! Ah!”
“Know what, close enough. You’ll get it one day. Uncle Cas, with a ‘C’, says some sounds are harder to say than others. Said not to get too disappointed if Cari couldn’t say my name right away and I mean you’re already ahead of them in that sense. Not that it’s a competition. You’re both my siblings and I love both of you okay? I’m just excited that you’re bigger like me! But I’m still the biggest okay?”
“Ahhy.”
Veah glanced around again. It was a good room but she had gotten to help decorate Cari’s room and it wasn’t fair to her new sister if she didn’t help decorate her room as well. She’d helped Gran’ma with Cari’s blanket, surely she had a blanket she could give to Daeira as well.
“Daeira, wait here a minute okay? I have a blanket I want to get for you!” She exclaimed. She turned to leave when pain surged through her arm, she yelped in surprise as she spun back around to see her new sister gnawing on her arm.
“Daeira no! That’s mean! You don’t bite sisters!” She scolded. Daeira blinked back, not releasing her hold on Veah’s arm. Veah tried to pull away but sharp teeth were sunk deep into her skin. “Daeiraaaaah,”
Daeira shook her head like Veah’s arm was a chew toy, pulling the older girl to the ground. “Daeira!” Veah yelped again. “How’d you like it if someone bit you!”
Daeira didn’t respond, still holding steadfast to Veah’s arm. Veah paused for a second, was this her best idea? Probably not. Was she about to do it anyways? Probably. She didn’t know how to get Daeira off her arm and she didn’t particularly like being a teething toy, a fact her sister didn’t seem to understand. So carefully, ever so carefully, Veah bit back. Just a gentle nip. She didn’t actually want to hurt her new sister but according to some of the books she read when trying to learn more about animals to convince Bruin to let her make one some older animals would nip the younger ones to teach them lessons. And words clearly were not working in this situation. So yes she would admit later, she did bite her sister.
Daeira startled, teeth releasing as she flinched back to stare at the matching bite on her arm. It was a small crescent of little pink indents that at the end started to bleed- wait what. Crap. Veah hadn’t thought she bit that hard but apparently her pointy teeth were sharper than she realized. Thankfully Daeira didn’t cry, otherwise Veah would have felt even more guilty than she already did, but she just kind of blinked blankly at it in surprise. Veah quickly checked her own bite and yep to no surprise it was much worse, a full cresent of little puncture marks that bleed lazily. Right, that wasn’t good. Ok she was a big girl, she could patch both her and her sister up. Daeira clearly did not want to be left alone but she could work with that. Veah using her non bitten arm grabbed Daeira’s non bitten arm and quickly led them out of the room towards the med bay. Or well, as quickly as she could, Daeira was not particularly good at walking it seemed. That was fine. It was just one more thing she could teach her sister. In the meantime she waddled alongside the shark girl and then showed her how to crawl up the stairs and eventually got them both to the med bay. She grabbed the fun bandages that were brightly coloured and had little pictures of flowers and animals and held out the options to Daeira. Daeira stared for a minute before grabbing the teal with pink axolotls roll. Veah grinned.
“Good choice! I like the yellow one with little cows like Martin and Impossible Whopper best but that’s a good choice too! It’s like Uncle Aax- oh it reminds you of your papa huh. Don’t worry they’ll be back soon. I know I like having my Papa and Daddy when I’m hurt too. But never fear big sister Veah is here! And I’m really good at bandages. I fell a lot when practicing how to fly but look at me now! All better!”
“Wah!” Daeira agreed.
“Wah!” Veah replied, laughing. “Here let me just wash that off okay?” She reached out for Daeira’s hurt arm only for the shark girl to flinch away. Veah paused. “Hey- it’s ok. I’m not gonna hurt you. Well hurt you again- I shouldn’t have bit you to begin with, I’m sorry. I know better, it was in the big sister books I borrowed from Auntie Ari. Being a good role model and all that. I’ll read them to you later because you’re going to be a big sister too and I’m the bestest at it but you can be the second bestest. I’ll read you fun books first though ok, after I bandage us up. All better alright?”
Daeira remained curled in the spot she flinched back to.
“Is this about the bad place? Daddy said you got saved from the bad place. And he knows alot about bad places- him and Papa and all our Aunts and Uncles and- and everyone sometimes goes to their bad places. Sometimes stuff just reminds them of it. But they help each other! That’s how you get out of the bad place. And I can help you!”
Daeira peered over her tucked in knees.
“What if I go first? Show you what I’m doing so it isn’t scary? That’s what grandpa Ulysses does whenever I have check ups. Here Daeira, watch. I wash off the blood see? Then I dab a little healing potion on this cloth and use it to put the potion on the skin so that I don’t accidentally use too much or spill. And see, it already looks better! But just to be safe and because it’s fun then we get to put the pretty bandages on, give me that?” Veah held out her hand for the teal roll and waited. Daeira seemed to debate for a second before turning the requested object over to the wolf pup.
“Thank you! Good sharing! See you’re going to be just great at being a sister! The books said sharing is really important but you’re already good at it! But here, watch again, I wrap the bandage around and then I cut it carefully so that I don’t cut the axolotls because these aren’t real ones that can regenerate- not that you should cut real ones either ok- but here look then I take the end and stick it down and allllllll better!”
“Can-can I do your arm now?” Veah asked. She carefully held out her hand for the injured arm and waited. She didn’t want to scare or hurt her new sister anymore. Daeira blinked back, gradually uncurling as Veah held out the roll of bandages and showed off her own patched up arm. Careful, ever so carefully Daeira relinquished their arm to Veah’s care. Veah smiled.
“Ok see, same as me. We wash it off, and look it’s not even nearly as much blood. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Then this might sting a little but you’re brave and strong like me okay? Ready, three, two, one- good job. All done. Now all I gotta do is wrap it annnnnnnd we’re done. We match now, see?”
“EeeeE!”
“Eeeeee!” Veah laughed. “See you’re alright now! One more thing, you gotta get a kiss to make the boo-boo better! Here!”
Veah leaned down and kissed the bandaged arm like Papa and Daddy did for all her boo-boos.
“See mouths can be gentle too, not bitey,” she explained. Daeira blinked at her arm then at Veah’s arm then slowly she leaned towards Veah. Veah tried to stay still, she didn’t want to freak out Daeira by flinching and she wanted to give her sister the benefit of the doubt about biting again. Daeira ever so carefully smushed her face into Veah’s arm. Just full lower face pressed into arm. Know what, close enough. Daeira didn’t pull back so Veah just leaned forward to kiss than nuzzle her forehead. This proceeded to make Daeira perk back up extremely quickly, nearly whacking Veah with her fin. Veah laughed. Then Daeira tackled her. For being extremely small and light she was strong. Fortunately they were already sitting so Daeira just knocked Veah onto her back as she pounced on top of her sister to smush her face into Veah’s hairline. Veah laughed again then rolled them over so that she was on top and nuzzled back. Daeira laughed as well, a bubbly gurgling sound. Veah sat up and leaned against one of the med bay pulling Daeira with her so the shark girl was leaning against her shoulder. They caught their breaths and Veah surveyed the mess around them. In the impromptu wrestling match bandages had been thrown and water splashed and while the vial was fortunately not broken the last half of the healing potion she had used was spilt.
“Come on, I’ll clean this up later- I have a blanket to get you.” Veah reassured as she pulled herself then her sister to their feet. She led the slow process back down the stairs and to her room. She went inside and grabbed the blanket she had been practicing embroidery on with her Daddy and Uncles Cas and Aax. Their little pictures were a lot neater than hers but hers was a little bird for Birdie. She grabbed the blanket and then after a second grabbed two books off her shelf before grabbing Daeira’s hand again and heading back to the younger’s room. She plopped the both of them down in the makeshift nest and spread the blanket over them. Veah relaxed as Daeira nuzzled into her neck and she opened the first book. Daddy was silly for worrying about her and Daeira, they were going to get along just fine.
“One fish, two fish. Red fish blue fish,” she began.
Extra:
Rae fully fell asleep with Cari while trying to calm them down, hence how Veah had so much time and no one noticed the noise because two about five year olds are not quiet in the slightest. When he did wake up Rae freaked out about leaving Veah and Daeira alone for so long and freaked out more when he couldn’t find Veah but found the med bay is disarray. When Rae checked on Daeira he found the two girls curled up together under Veah’s practice embroidery blanket. He freaked out when he saw the bandages so much that he woke Daeira who’s a light sleeper from being an experiment who immediately stood protectly over her new friend who was small like her and because Daeira hadn’t been able to save the other five experiments that were part of the same project as her. Rae calmed down when he realized that Daeira wasn’t a threat to Veah because as much as he loved his newest daughter that was a big fear in his mind and backed up and made himself smaller and less threatening and gently called for Veah to wake up until she did and was immediately pounced on by Daeira immediately freaking Rae out until he heard Veah laughing at having Daeira pressing her face into her cheek. Veah explained what happened and apologized but Rae was just happy to see both of his girls doing well.