Who: Veronica & Lina with Backup What: Lina gets a sneak peek at Veronica’s new home When: Mid April, before the housewarming party Where: LoVe’s house Rating/Warnings: Low. Lots of cuteness from Backup and some giving birth talk Status: Complete!
Veronica and Logan were still getting settled. Neither of them had a ton of stuff, but combining it was more difficult than expected. There was also the fact that they had more space now each going from an apartment to a house. And they were both workaholics which didn’t leave much time for unpacking. But it was slowly coming together. Eventually Veronica would invite her all her friends over to see it at once. But for now she was giving Lina a sneak peak. Who knew if the place would be ready before Lina popped after all.
There were still unpacked boxes strewn throughout the house. The walls were bare, the furniture was a mix match of what the both of them had. Mostly things from Logan’s apartment considering a lot of Veronica’s furniture was shared with Sharon. The fridge was full of leftover takeout neither of them having time to cook with the move. Not that Veronica ever cooked. It was a bit chaotic but it slowly getting there.
Backup’s barking alerted her to Lina’s arrival before the doorbell actually rang. “Backup sit!” she commanded of her dog. It probably wasn’t the best for him to jump up on a very pregnant Lina. Once he obeyed she opened up the door. “Hey,” she greeted her friend stepping back to let her in. “Welcome to my humble abode. Excuse the mess.” Backup remained sitting but wagged his tail in excitement at the sight and smell of one of his favorite humans.
Awww, puppy. Lina’s face lit at seeing the sight of Backup - and his owner, sure - but she gave him a greet first with an affection scritch behind his ears. “Heeeey, handsome, long time no see,” she cooed, grinning cheekily. And, yeah, she was kind of very pregnant, almost eight months now, with a very active baby Amelia doing tumbles in the comfort of that waterbed known as a womb.
There was a little gift bag hanging from her arm. An early housewarming present for the new home Veronica was sharing with Logan. “Boxes are hardly a mess but whatever, mess excused. Logan still alive?”
At Lina’s greeting Backup’s tail wagging rapidly increased, he stood up ready to pounce. “Stay,” Veronica commanded. Sure he was an excitable dog but he was obedient. “I think he missed you,” she commented to Lina a grin on her face.
“Still alive,” she confirmed. “Haven’t even used my taser yet. I feel like that deserves a reward.” Her eyes fell to the bag on Lina’s arm. “I think that will do.” Whatever it was, Veronica was assuming it was for her. Although she wasn’t expecting or requesting gifts she wasn’t going to turn them down.
“Come on,” she added with a wave walking further into the house. “I’ll show you the rest of the place. Unless you need to sit?” she remembered Sharon doing a lot of sitting. Backup took a tentative step forward and sniffed Lina’s stomach. He had been around a pregnant woman before, lived with her even so this wasn’t anything new for him, but it was definitely new for him to see on Lina.
D’awwww. Lina missed Backup too, she very much liked the pup - he was well-behaved, and he sort of made her want one of her own in the future. Right now she had the spoiled-rotten cat known as Guess who kneaded testicles, and would probably have to adjust accordingly once there was a screeching baby in the house. Hell, all the times the feline slept on her stomach she usually jolted and ran the fuck away when she felt that weird nudge in the stomach. Already she didn’t approve of the tiny human, but tough shit, cat.
“If I sit I’m not going to get up for awhile,” warned the sorceress with a snort. “But show me around, Detective Mars. And this is youuuuurs.” The bag was outstretch, and in it was something a little...heavy? It was an amethyst cluster, a medium-sized one, enchanted. “I’ve been messing with wards around the house since I can’t go around and do my usual thing of blowing shit up, so this was good practice. It’ll trigger a protective barrier around the space in case the OC loses its marbles, like we know it does. I don’t want you and Logan going homeless this soon.”
Lina was more than welcome to visit Backup anytime she wanted. Veronica didn’t mind. She knew she had one hell of a dog. She really lucked out in the dream gift department. And now she was getting an actual gift. A magical one at that. Veronica accepted the gift pulling out the amethyst cluster. “This is perfect,” Veronica commented. What beat a housewarming present that protected their home from crazy OC magic? “Although Backup will be disappointed you didn’t get the mat,” she quipped leading Lina out of the entry way and into the living room, Backup following.
Veronica set the amethysts cluster on the coffee table for now. She’d have to find the perfect place for it. Unless. “Is there any place you recommend putting it? Where it would be most effective?” She didn’t think it mattered too much but just in case. “So this is the living room,” she added in her best tour guide voice. It was pretty basic still. Couch, coffee table, TV, bookcase that had yet to be filled (all the books were still in boxes). But it was a start.
“Window’s probably the best spot, I think,” Lina suggested, but hey, where ever worked too - there were built in triggers ready to pop up once an immense force of energies invaded the surrounding vicinity. Sometimes she’d make protection amulets in the dreams, usually from imperfect rubies and a couple symbolic cards, and she applied that same ritual to this cluster with a few variations from different pots of magic. Gods bless the OC and it’s variety of sorcery - it helped tweak things she had trouble with before.
Back to Tour Guide Mars, though! There wasn’t much to the space yet, but everything looked cozy already. Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long for the two lovebirds to make their lovenest theirs, so they can get on each other’s constant nerves with twitchy habits. “I liiiiiiiiiiiike so far, it’s roomy. Home felt different from when I went to having roommates to just Pete. It felt less...shared? And more ours, if that made sense.”
There were good memories in that old house, but it’d been forever since she’d seen it - most who inhabited that home left anyway.
Window did make more sense. Being the perimeter of the house and all. But she’d move it later. There was still a lot of arranging to do anyway. “It is a lot bigger than my apartment. I don’t think I have enough stuff to fill all this space.” Veronica said as she lead Lina throughout the house. The kitchen was very standard, same for the bathroom. There was the master bedroom and another room they’d use for an office. And a yard that led to the beach. Backup’s favorite part.
“I know what you mean. You had more roommates than me, but I still get it. This feels like the both of ours, not two people sharing an apartment. Even if it was with one of my best friends.” Weird how that worked out but whatever. Backup followed the pair around for the tour. Well he followed Lina around. Once it was done they headed back to the living room area. “Okay, should I trust you to sit?” Really veronica could always help her back up.
With roommates the line for things had to be drawn somewhere, but with a partner the rules were different - more along the lines of ‘your shit is mine, my shit is yours.’ At least when joint bank accounts were involved, christ. Lina sounded infinitely old, but it was probably more of a sign that, for once in her life, everything was in place and she had her shit together. People had to get there at some point in their lives.
“I’ll sit on the edge of the couch,” she snickered, doing just that - no leaning, even if her back was sore. “Otherwise I’ll get sucked into another dimension between the cushions. But anyway, don’t worry about my current fat ass - you’ll get more stuff as time passes. And hopefully have better luck keeping it in tact than we do? I finished warding the crap out of our house for that reason alone.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me if that literally happened,” who knew with where they lived. Although if Veronica’s couch was some type of portal to another dimension she’d have to get a new one and she really liked this couch. It was comfortable, although poor Lina couldn’t fully enjoy it without getting sucked in. Reason #37 why Veronica would never have a baby.
“Well,” Veronica said as she sat down herself. “Considering neither Logan or I can create fire I think we are safe.” No magic at all over in Neptune. Backup jumped up onto the couch sprawling out on Veronica’s lap and resting his head on Lina’s stomach. “We just have to worry about this one tearing shit up,” she said petting Backup on the back. But knowing her dog that would never even happen. They were safe.
Holy fuck, Backup, could you get any cuter? His head was welcome on that stomach, and of course she’d give him those scritches behind his ear for being such a damn good boy. Lina wanted that tail to wag, or at least one of those leg kicks to happen! “I meant against outside forces, it’s a crime to make anything to ward against this little dude here,” she cooed, nose crinkled with a smile.
“But it never hurts. I used to make protection amulets in the dreams for cash, and it’s a skill I haven’t really focused on here - and considering I’m benched for the best parts, well. I get bored, and boredom yields to magical productiveness.” It’d be a little cruel to charge an arm and a leg for these kinds of things, too - everyone was on the same boat here when it comes to being ravaged by OC bullshit. Unlike a world she dreamt of that was used to threats of the otherworldly sort, and not only was magic a trade to learn but also a business. People charged for their services; it was a common line of work there.
“You already got the baby talk down for Little Veronica,” yes Veronica knew they were actually naming the baby Amelia but she would always be Little Veronica to her. Well at least until she was actually born. Veronica had some respect. “It’s not too cutesy woodsy,” she teased in a mock tease her voice rising way too high. It was weird how similar baby talk and talking to pets could be though. Even Veronica was guilty of it when it came to her boy. Backup however was enjoying every minute of Lina’s pampering, rolling over onto his side, head still on Lina’s stomach.
“You know if you make me pay for the ward it doesn’t count as a housewarming gift,” Veronica quipped with a smirk. She was perfectly aware that wasn’t at all what Lina meant. “At least you can do something magical while you’re stuck to desk work,” she offered without any sarcasm in her voice. “And if I can benefit from it all the better.”
“Maybe if I get requests in the future I’ll ask for payment - in the form sustenance,” Lina retorted, wagging those auburn brows at Super Duper Detective Mars. Froyo dates up the woo-hah. But, nah, this version of that fireballing sorceress strutting around medieval times for treasures (and running into demon trouble) was less...greedy? Or just maybe more understanding of their crap circumstances. Different worlds, different dynamics, so forth.
But now that Backup was getting all comfy on her, she guessed it wouldn’t hurt for her to lean back against the couch - even if getting up was going to be bitch. Veronica would have to lend her a hand later. “When’s the shindig going on? I will try and make sure my water doesn’t break before or during it, don’t want to mess up your floors.”
“Friends and family should get a discount. As in free. Charge everyone else on the network,” she was joking… mostly. But whatever she got this ward for free hopefully that’d be enough for now. Who knew with how insane Orange County could get.
Veronica may be tiny, but she had a feeling she’d still be able to get Lina off the couch. If needed. If not well Logan would be home soon enough. “Please don’t have a baby in my house. But if your water has to break make sure it’s not on the carpet at least,” she smirked before actually answering Lina’s question. “As soon as we are mostly settled. Probably the end of the month. Hopefully. You think you are gonna pop before then?” How pregnant was Lina now? Veronica had lost track, all she knew was her friend was huge.
Ahhhh, well. Lina glanced down at her stomach, head cocked to the side. “I’m in the early thirty-week range, and her due date is technically projected to be in the beginning of June, but the doc’s guessing she might make an earlier appearance.” Had something to do with her very small bone structure, though as long as the spawn made it to thirty five weeks in utero, she wouldn’t be considered premature or anything. That’s what they were aiming for.
Things were exra achey nowadays, and uncomfortable, and the movement could actually be seen from her stomach (literally, it felt like she was harboring an alien child), but things were well - she was healthy, Amelia was healthy, Pete was still greying out of concern but ever vigilant. “I mean, basically, I’m guessing it’ll be a surprise when she decides to pop up so if it happens here, it’s not like I did it on purpose. Blame her.”
Veronica eyed Lina’s stomach warily. Yeah she definitely never wanted to go through this. “Well if you end up having a c-section make sure Pete doesn’t look around the curtain,” that was the only piece of advice Veronica could give. “It seriously looked like someone had taken Sharon apart. I’m not sure I’ll ever get the image out of my mind.” But she definitely wanted to. “Although I don’t think watching her be pushed out will be all that pleasant either,” maybe Pete wouldn’t be as traumatized as Veronica had been. After all it was his baby.
“Maybe we should just keep you on the tile,” just to be on the safe side. “But yes, I’ll blame your child for her entire life,” that was obviously a joke. Veronica wasn’t that cruel. Deep down she was a softie, a marshmallow. And even though she didn’t want kids of her own she would still adore Lina’s little one.
Thanks for the imagery, Veronica, that’s exactly what she’d been trying to avoid. It’s not like they hadn’t been given the rundown or seen the videos, but Lina personally preferred to keep it out of mind - as long as the squirmy demon spawn was safely out of her, she didn’t care for the methods. “Pete’s there for his hand to get broken. He’s got specific instructions to not look elsewhere,” she snorted. It’d just be them (and the professionals, of course) in the room. Audiences weren’t necessary; she’d kill people.
But enough of the childbirth talk. It was killing her appetite and right now, that appetite was rumbling. “You know, as another housewarming present, I’m going to order you a pizza. But I’ll probably end up eating half of it.”
Hey now, Veronica was just warning from her experience. They could thank her later. And she had no doubt that Pete’s hand would end up broken. As for the delivery room, Veronica had no desire to be there. Once was enough. Hell she didn’t even care to be in the waiting room. She’d just show up after the kid was out with a balloon or something.
“You know we have leftovers in the fridge,” she told Lina. It was what they had been living on with the whole move. No time to cook. Not just pizza either. “But if you want to order a fresh one don’t let me stop you. I’ll help you eat it.” Because yeah she had a feeling Lina would devour most of it. Probably even more than half.