Time Warp: Bang My Head

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

June, 2021

Shopping was always, and always would be, considered something of a chore for Penny. There was hardly anything wrong with the task itself, but dealing with the surrounding people was always a taxing process, one that the pyschometrist preferred to avoid.

But it was also necessary. A new dress; one needed for dinner with her parents. Since the birth of their first child, Penny had yet to buy a new set of clothes. It didn’t seem important in the grand scheme of things, but the occasion called for it. Even so, she still brought her wife and child along. She could use a new pair of skinny jeans, and the Brit had yet to completely trust anyone to actually take care of their young child.

Lincoln remained safely within her arms. The three-month old kept his arms around the Brit as she supported him with a single arm, the other sifting through a series of dresses. Protective by nature, she had no intention of letting him go, even if the process was made harder by continuing to hold him.

Which was exactly why dark eyes widened when the sales associate offered to hold him while she tried on something. Quickly, Penny turned her attention to the woman, putting back the dress she had been looking at and using her now free hand to press a palm into her son’s back, lifting him up and closer to herself.

“Pardon?” The word came out with venom in her tone. Shock was quickly replaced with anger over the idea of some stranger holding her baby, eyes narrowing on the young woman.

“I just—” The poor girl never stood a chance as Penelope straightened her back with, sucking in a quick breath before cutting her off.

“How in any universe is that acceptable?”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

A lingering five seconds. Lucy was sure that was all it was. A slightly less brisk walk and she got just that little bit distracted by a candy stand out the front of a neighbouring store. Teeth sunk into her lower lip. She thought about the pact she'd made to avoid bad food for the duration of her wife's pregnancy. If there were certain things they couldn't have, they were things not to be had together.

But it'd been three months. And she so missed processed sugar.

A few spare steps and she bypassed the addictive need in order to follow along with her counterpart's first request. Strolling into the next store, she adjusted her beanie idly as she made her way over to her beloved.

Just in time to hear that one word she so rarely liked to hear. Pardon.

"Pah-dehn." She mouthed, towards the little baby with his cheek squished so intently against Penny's shoulder. He seemed to like it; the widening of features, she'd guess, as the Brit's volatile nature took form in her tone.

As she got close enough, she momentarily dashed fingertips through his very prominent dark hair. But she physically stayed upright. Late to the party, but definitely intent on grabbing the gist of the situation.

"What?"

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Five seconds or not, it was a lot to miss. She kept her arms protectively around their son, completely unaware of the ink manipulator who came late to the party. Rather, sharp eyes focused on the sales associate; a young woman whose roots didn't match her hair color by three shades. It was revolting.

It wasn't until she caught sight of a hand reaching for Lincoln; had it not been a familiar hand, she likely would have swiped it away with a similar hostile nature as she took with the store worker. With a quick glance towards her wife, her expression read perfectly. Penelope Blaise was ready to breathe fire; a dragon at heart.

"This-" A pause as she searched for the appropriate word; or rather to hold back a colorful vocabulary as Penelope often did; "-woman wanted to take our son." She stated, as tone keeping every ounce of its edge despite her hushed voice. Penny's tongue crossed her lower lip just before she tried to speak again, but parted lips didn't give through to another sentence, but rather a small shake of her head.

And she was already turning back to the woman in question. "I do not know you, therefor you have no business trying to hold my baby." Penny shot harshly, "I don't care if you work here or not, that is completely inappropriate behavior."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

A brief moment with a stare like that was all it took. Lucy Serrano was well on par with the terms of the moment, and with raised eyebrows she quickly shot a look to the person in question. She hardly needed two pissed off mothers giving her attitude, but in a brief moment of support, that's what she got.

Still, she listened. It was important to do so, after all. Opening her mouth briefly, she thought to argue, or maybe just gently point out that such a phrase was likely misleading. Taking their son seemed a little harsh, but then, she'd barely caught the actual request at all. Fortunately for herself, Lucy had learned by now how to step around her counterpart's newfound nature; no one could do it quite like she could.

The hand idly tracing delicately through their son's hair quickly moved to press to her shoulder lightly. A gentle squeeze for the rattled psychometrist who wasn't about to stop breathing fire within the presence of the first born, and they both knew that.

With a smart side step, Lucy ran her hand along the trajectory of her arm slowly.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny hadn't missed the glance her wife gave to the sales woman, and she was thankful for the moment of support. It proved that the mother wasn't being unreasonable with her anger. Although really, even without it the Brit was positive she was in sound mind. She held Lincoln close, a palm still protectively pressed at his shoulder blade to help articulate her point.

"Ma'am, I was not trying to take your child, I promise." The girl responded, evident stress within her tone. "I was offering to hold him while you were in the dressing rooms. I apologize if I've offended you in any way."

The hand on Penny's shoulder kept her quiet for the moment, giving the other an opportunity to speak, but her steely expression remained just that. Unwavering and certainly not amused. Had anyone other than the ink manipulator touched her, she wouldn't have allowed it, but her fingertips gave a tickling sense of relief for the raging psychometrist.

"That is no excuse," A glance towards her name tag, threatening within itself. Andi. With an i. No doubt short for Andrea, but the Brit couldn't bring herself to even accept such a spelling, even if shortened. "It does not matter if you work here or not, you do not know my child or me. Just offering to hold him is offending."

Penny could feel the ash burn in her chest as Lincoln shifted just slightly in her arms, a tiny hand reaching for the one that traversed the line of her arm.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Like clockwork, a little movement of her hand played out as well as Lucy imagined it would. She didn't need to reach for the little boy who found himself so intently pressed against his mother. He was looking for her instead. And that was the point, really. Had she made a play for him, she would have so struggled to let go.

"Little man," She said lightly, quietly so she didn't so much intrude on the moment at hand. There was nothing that could rightly deter Penelope Blaise when she was in such a mood, and Lucy wasn't about to save the life of a casual worker in a shop by putting herself in the firing line.

Hands worked slowly with another small shift, easing past the psychometrist's grip in order to take a slightly defined hold. "Lincoln Michael." The secondary request filtered through her tone in much the same way, but she wasn't about to take him. Not without consent from the fire breathing Matriarch.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

"And I apologize for offending you." The young woman tried again, and Penny could hear something of a plea in her voice. Likely desperate to stop a scene, but now that the Brit was already angry, nothing could stop her. "Is there anything I can do to amend this?"

As focused as Penny was with the worker, she was highly aware of her counterpart's hand, and the way Lincoln's own responded to it. It held in the back of her mind, because as her wife had guessed, nothing was going to deter her before she was finished. But Lucy's voice still caught her ear. As light as it was, she couldn't deny the way she lightly called out to their boy, and then again.

"Have you any idea the amount of trust and consideration that goes into letting someone hold a child?" She continued regardless, allowing Lucy's hand to slip under her own with ease. A shift of her own, and she silently started to ease her own grip away so that she might take him. The only other person Penny would let hold him at any given moment. "It's not as simple as apologizing; that does not change what you've done. Who is to say you would not just leave with my baby the moment my back was turned? Or drop him? You can barely manage folding clothes, let alone taking care of a child."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

To herself, Lucy chuckled lightly. She kept her head momentarily down-turned over the fact, but there was nothing this girl could do over what had transpired. Lucy supposed trying to amend a situation was the best she could offer; at least she was showing she was trying. It'd bode well for her when a manager was inevitably called over.

Without much delay, she took their son into her own arms and pressed his little form lightly against her chest. Secure by the nook of her elbow, she curled a free hand around his.

"Who could blame her, hmm?" Lucy asked him, as if he could genuinely understand a word she was saying. That was hardly the point. A slight pull to his arm and she was drawing him closer still, lips pressed against his cheek once. Twice. And on the third connection, she lingered with a defined smile as he seemed to offer his own in return.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Lincoln slipped out of her arms with ease, and she found comfort only knowing that Lucy was the one to hold him. With free hands, she crossed her arms, venomous expression remaining in tact even as the manager made his way over. Good. Let him try to put an end to this. The idea that he could was laughable.

And the three of them bickered. Or rather, Penny continued with her argument, in the process gaining various coupons for the store. Anything to apparently shut her up, and even then, she wasn't done.

Until, at some point, she looked at her wife. Catching sight of their baby boy and the Australian made her chest tighten on a sharp inhale. The threat of a smile that wouldn't come out in front of the manager and his worker. So she faced them again, expression clear of any affection that she might have held. "I expect you have learned something from this." A typical teacher response, and she couldn't help it as she turned back to the ink manipulator and their child.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

For Lucy, allowing a situation to run its course was the best thing to do. Since giving birth to their son, Penny had been a relative mass of indescribable emotions. One minute she was as collected as she absolutely could be, and in the next she was... Well, this.

One would assume ample amounts of banging would have calmed her down once they reached - or stood within reaching distance of - that proverbial six week goal.

One would be wrong.

But the one thing remained was her protocol over their son. How defensive she protective she got over the most minor notion. There was a reason too few people were allowed to hold him, and that reason was the draconic side of Penelope Blaise. Those instincts that well and truly had her running this household. All she could do in the mean time was be a focus for their son.

She talked to him, instead. Held his attention. Stepped away with him and let his curious little fingers reach out to whatever strange fabric he wanted to touch. Hell, they'd already gotten a rip roaring serve from the psychometrist, it wasn't like they could panic over whatever he wanted to do.

A particular dress slipped through his hot little hand, and he smiled so broadly about it. The texture, maybe. Or the bright coloured. What Lucy offered were wide eyes and a wider smile. Like there was something so completely magical about something so stagnant. A slight bounce to the way she held him as he twisted in her arms; searching for what she assumed to be the familiar form he'd just been clinging to. She was still there, and when that was obvious, he seemed comfortable enough to draw his attention elsewhere as they waited.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Finally done with both the manager and the working girl, Penny took careful, quiet steps back to Lucy. Although her strict posture never changed, there was a definite ease of her features; the muscles loosened in her limbs upon new proximity. Even so, she paused enough to watch the faces Lucy made to their son. How fascinated she looked with whatever he had to play with. Humoring him in the best of ways.

Finally, she smiled. Back turned to the employees, she cut through the remaining distance between them. One hand lightly brushing his dark hair to the side, and the other moving to Lucy's waist, fingers idly brushing across the material of her shirt.

Although public affection was rarely something Penny indulged in, the Brit leaned forward enough to kiss Lucy's cheek, lingering just a moment too long before drawing away. Dark eyes looked to catch hers briefly before looking back to Lincoln, and back again to her wife. "I'm just going to wear the blue dress." Really, Penny had several blue dresses, but the meaning behind it was enough to make her point.

"Tea before we head back?"

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The moment that snapped Lucy from a daze was the moment she felt a familiar hand brush along her waist. He seemed ecstatic; the person he'd been looking for was back, and all was right within his world.

But Lucy found herself in the lingering notion of a set of lips against her cheek. It was easy to allow her counterpart the means to bite the head off some random girl for some random suggestion. More to the point, it was painfully enticing to see her be so overprotective over something so minor. But they were in public. It wasn't the place.

Still, she listened. Her eyes might have dwindled down to her mouth at one point, but that was solely to pay attention to what she was saying.

"Sure, but," Lucy glanced back up, "He likes this one." She replied, bouncing him lightly in her arm for the sake of a smile. His hands had grazed the material of the dress in question. The one that just so happened to be red.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

As Penny turned her gaze towards Lincoln, the expression he offered did everything to wipe clean any negative connotations she might have been holding onto. It was so easy when innocent dark eyes looked at her with excitement, even more so when her dark eyes didn't quite meet Penny's gaze. The Brit didn't have to question where she looked to know.

Eyebrows rose at the conjunction put in place. She was hardly expecting a but to be within her counterpart's response, but a meet of her eyes gave away clarity with an explanation. As if on cue, Penny looked as he played with the material of a dress. A red dress. Of course he'd like it; he was just as much her son as he was her own.

Taking hold of the material herself, fingers traced along to feel it, scrutinizing eyes taking in the design. Finally, a look to the tag. It was her size.

"I'm not trying it on." Penny offered finally, connecting with Lucy's gaze again. "If it doesn't fit correctly, you're returning it."

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy knew that he could be far more convincing than she ever could. Interest in something so seemingly insignificant spoke louder than any explanation she could have given. Pointing out that her counterpart looked bangin' hot whenever she wore red couldn't be more than a single step in comparison to his interest.

And there. Conviction. A perfect landing, all thanks to Lincoln Michael and the fact that he really had no idea what he was doing.

"Errands. For you? Bring it." Lucy offered, shifting a free hand to her back pocket in order to fish for her wallet. It took little effort, but there was a total point to it all, "I'll get it." Y'know, so she didn't need to spend another second of time with anyone who worked in this particular place.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Despite the obvious notion that their three month old had no real idea that he was contributing to this, Penny couldn't help but to give in to anything that he wanted. Lucy could have argued whatever she liked, but Penny had decided she was done. She had been ready to walk out without a second look at the store or its occupants, but once the idea that he liked it, she caved. How could she resist when his tiny little fingers brushed across the fabric of the dress so perfectly?

Carefully watching Lincoln as Lucy grabbed her wallet, Penny gave a hum of a response, holding up a plastic card of her own towards the Australian. "It's a discount." She explained shortly, suddenly glad she hadn't informed the manager or his employee that they had lost a sale.

But before she'd let her wife slip away, Penny slipped a hand under Lucy's that supported their boy, not daring let him go anywhere near the woman despite the stern scolding she gave her. She'd get it, and Penny wouldn't argue, but he wouldn't be there.