"Mommy. Mommy." Linda Rose wasn't certain which woke her first--J.D.'s deceptively quiet announcement that his whirlwind day had officially begun; or the soft whirr of a small machine somewhere in the hostel, mixed with the muted strains of Valerie's Jekyll & Hyde CD.
"Is that a mixer?" she asked the bright-eyed toddler beside her, pulling herself out of bed and grabbing her robe. "You think someone's making pancakes?"
But no one was in the kitchen. Quickly and efficiently she pulled together J.D.'s breakfast and started the coffee. It was a trifle too early to start cooking grownup breakfast--most of the 'Pack wouldn't be ambulatory for a while--and that sound continued intermittently, always accompanied by the CD and occasionally by Valerie quietly singing along.
Keeping on eye on J.D., who looked to be contemplating what artistic creation he might be able to wreak with his cereal, Linda Rose located the source of the sound in a small corner room. "Valerie?" she asked, tapping lightly on the door.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing?"
"Sewing."
"Sewing what?"
"Suitable Raven attire."
"Why?"
"Because I wind up there underdressed every bloody single War, and I'm going to plan ahead this time. No Ravenettes snickering behind their hands at me!"
Linda Rose chuckled at this. "Then you better not tell them you made it yourself. I don't think that quite fits their standards."
"No kidding." The grin in her voice was evident. "Besides, with my luck they'll probably start putting in orders if they find out. And after dressing 22 Puritans for Crucible, I don't wanna sew for anybody else for a while."
Considering this a moment, Linda Rose noted, "Well, sewing for Ravenettes would be a distinct change from sewing for Puritans."
"Uh, yeah. Now where did I put that other bit of fishnet mesh...?"
At that point Linda Rose decided it was best to leave her alone. At least it would keep her off the streets and out of trouble...