Razor's house
"Razor" Jeff yelped for the third time that day. It seemed that, whenever he got himself comfortable on his bed, something on it would poke at him at some point, painfully, too.
The Moon
The training in magic was finished for that day. Cass was preparing some tests. Lucas watched from her plot of land and waited for Razor to lay down once more, and then opened a small rift to the surface of his mattress.
Razor's house
For the fourth time that day, Jeff felt a pain on his backside as if something poked at him from under the mattress. Getting up, he saw nothing.
The Moon
"Bored, are we?" - Asked Selene, smirking. Given what she, as the Moon, had seen Jeff do, she didn't really mind what Lucas was doing at the moment.
"Yeah, well." - Said Lucas, smiling as she twirled the stick she was using to poke Jeff - "He's an asshole. It's a lazy Sunday. It's nice, really. You wanna try?"
Celine - right now far more human - shrugged.
"Eh, what the hell."
Lucas handed her the stick.
Razor's house
Three guesses as to what happened next, reader, and the first two don't count.
The Moon
Celine/Selene/Neruite smirked a bit.
"You know, I must admit it, it is strangely gratifying. Your turn." - She said as she handed Lucas the stick.
A house in the poorer area of Lakeside
Robert looked at the baby and at the man who now watched her. He didn't look like any of her parishioners. The house itself seemed like a periphery place in Lakeside.
"Ginger, get in here!" - The owner of the voice shouted. He was a human in his earlier twenties at the latest, and clearly poor. The redheaded woman that came out of the bedroom was pretty, yes, but she herself didn't seem to have much money - and she looked young herself.
They were looking at the baby, who had flown to Ginger. It had an effect too, as Ginger hugged her child tightly and began crying, both happy and sad.
The man sighed, seeming both happy and at a loss on what to do.
"I... I assume you are the... priest, right?" - He said.
"Yes." - Said Robert - "And you are the parents? Why did you...?"
The father sighed.
"We couldn't afford her. I'm unemployed, so is Ginger. We met less than two years ago and... Well... It happened. We got married, but I couldn't find a job... Ginger's parents were against us getting married, they wanted her to get an abortion and wouldn't help. My father is a widower and lives in a retirement home. She got hit by the light by accident one day and... Well... We figured she'd have an even harder life as the poor child of a couple looking like a demon in this kind of place. We thought we'd leave her to the care of someone her own... species..." - He said - "I'm Tim, by the way. Tim Hilton."
Robert's gaze softened. She had been expecting prejudice, not, well, this.
"This is wrong..." - She said softly. "You can't do this to the kid. Or to yourselves..."
"But what will we do? I've been looking for jobs for months now. We have no way to study and work because at least one of us has to watch the baby, even if we could afford it..." - Said Tim - "I'm a high school dropout, so is she... Nina is better off under the care of someone that can take her in, and we know how long it would take for her to be adopted given her... looks."
Robert sighed.
"Listen, Mr. Hilton... We can help you. I'll be glad to try and get you a job through my parishioners and... If you accept, I'll even help take care of the baby so you two can look. And, well... We have ways. We can make it work..."
"Why would you do that for us? I mean, we aren't even your parishioners... We left a huge problem at your doorstep..." - Said Tim.
Robert smiled lightly.
"One, because everyone deserves a second chance. Two..." - She gestured at Ginger, who was now cuddling her baby, besides herself with happiness - "This. Look. I came here through some... portals the devil-changed can use. And I can offer the help of some others, too... There are at least two friends of mine that will be able to help, even before we get you a job. I'll make a call."
Robert pulled her cell phone.
The Moon
"Yello. Hey, Robert, how goes? Nothing much, just repeatedly poking a guy with a stick. Oh, there's a reason. Anyways, how may I help? Oh, fantastic! Of course I can still help. Yeah, sure, she's here. See ya."
Lucas handed the phone to Selene.
Selene handed the stick to Lucas.
"Hello, Robert? Oh... I see. Can I still help?" - She blushed a bit when asking that - "Ah, good. So it was due to lacking cash... Mmm. I know someone who can get him a job, yes. I'll tell him. Plus, well... I'll help regardless, but I can still visit, right? Good. Sure. Thanks. Bye."
Context.
A house in the poorer area of Lakeside
"Uhm... So, how will they help?" - Asked Tim.
"Oh, given the people I talked to, you can expect nearly anything. But at any rate, you can count on the Church's aid and on me and even friends. Of course, we will be here only with you or Ginger until you get to know us better." - Said Robert - "A woman named Celine Andrews, for example, that took a shine for little Nina..."
Robert's phone rang.
"Hello. Oh. Sure... I'll tell him. Okay."
"Tim, you're a trained carpenter, right?" - Asked Robert.
"How did you know?" - Asked Tim.
"Er, I was told." - Said Robert, not really wanting to tell Tim that Hermes said as much - "Anyways... There's going to be an opening tomorrow in a workshop not far from here. They're about to receive a huge order and will be a bit desperate for help, so your price will be their price. Go visit them first thing tomorrow night. I'll give you the address." - She did so.
Robert pecked the sleeping Nina, said her goodbyes and left through the front door. Nina slept in the arms of her elated mother, her dreams, as assured by Selene/Neruite, filled with the peace and happiness of a baby that was very, very loved.
