Hiya Citanul!
In honour of your comment, here is a little snippet i wrote when stuck at a public event.
No prises for guessing what job i was stuck on
The open day:“Whose stupid idea was this?” Buffy said, looking annoyed.
Hordes of tiny tots bounced and screamed their head off all around.
Willow raised one eyebrow, Tara-fashion.
“I assume you’re being ironic? Because we both know this was your idea.”
Buffy huffed. “Yes. I was being ironic. I would like to make an amusing point without someone bursting my bubble. For once.”
“Let’s have a bouncy castle, you said.”
“Yes, I know and-”
“The kids need to be socialized with other kids, you said.”
“Yes well that was Fai-”
“We should have an open day you said.”
“Hey, it was a good-”
“It will be good PR you said.”
“Hey! It is good PR!”
“I don’t wanna be like those stuffy queens you said.”
“Yes! And queen Beatrix is awesome! She goes shopping for groceries and everything!”
“Which is why you are manning… womaning… queening, the bouncy castle,” Willow said.
Buffy poked out her tongue.
“Very regal.”
Buffy grinned.
Willow shook her head in amusement. They said that people eventually started to look like their pets. Or partners.
Looks like it was true.
She looked over Buffy’s shoulder, and her heart melted.
It was a big bouncy castle. The biggest they could find.
And it was covered in kids.
And yet despite that she had absolutely no trouble picking out the two strawberry blondes and their honey blonde BFF/sister.
And they were shrieking louder and jumping higher than anyone.
A lot higher.
The sheer joy almost poured off them.
And they seemed to like heights.
Absolutely fearless, the trio.
And up above, taking excited kids for a spin around the campus, Tara and Faith.
“Mommy look! We flying!” Hope shouted.
Faith and Tara both dipped their wings to show that they’d heard.
There was no possible way they could have heard, but the ‘family phone line’ had its uses.
And oh boy, Willow was dreading puberty. Things tended to ‘leak’ when emotions ran high.
She shuddered. Luckily, that was a few good years away, even at the rate their little darlings sprouted.
Even with their active lifestyles, none of the three munchkins ever wore out even their favourite clothes.
Willow sent a silent prayer to the Goddess, for just a couple more years without flying kids.
Apparently the Goddess was listening, because despite their impressive bouncing powers, they all three failed to fly.
---
Buffy groaned as she lost. Again.
Willow shook her head. “How are you so bad at rock-paper-scissors? You can read her mind!”
“She’s sneaky!” Buffy protested.
“Pfft!” Faith said. “More like I know you can’t help but peek,” Faith responded.
“Oh dear. Our Queen is a sneak. Well, Empress really,” Willow said.
“Hey, I can barely deal with being queen!” Buffy protested. “Empresses are all old and stuffy. Like dowagers or duchesses and stuff.”
“Sorry your Imperial Highness,” Willow said with a cheeky grin.
Buffy’s eyes narrowed in mock outrage. “Hey, your Queen says knock it off. I’m not above adding some more superfluous ‘Esses’ to your title, o ‘Sorceress Supreme of the Summer Lands.” Buffy said. “I’m pretty sure I can add ‘super-supreme’ or maybe just ‘silly’ to the list.”
“I’m impressed you got ‘superfluous’ right,” Willow said cheekily.
Buffy’s eyes narrowed to a squint.
Willow poked her tongue out.
“What’s the penalty for disrespecting the Queen by poking your tongue at her?” Buffy said to Faith.
“According to the post-it note stuck to the big book-o-law, a good tickling,” Faith said.
Willow’s eyes widened. “Nononono!”
Buffy wiggled her fingers.
Willow shrieked and ran off, with Buffy in hot pursuit.
“Run mommy!” squeaked a strawberry-blonde figure from somewhere in the castle.
…
Xander wandered up with some balloons, and started passing them to giggling kids.
Though even helium balloons did not attract as much attention as the Queen of Summer hotly pursuing the Sorceress Supreme round and round a bouncy castle at high speed.
“What was it this time?” he asked an amused Faith.
From the bouncy castle, all bouncing had stopped as the various tots and kiddies shouted encouragement to their favourites.
Three little blondes dangling from the netting at the top of the castle shrieked the loudest encouragement of all.
“Run mommy!”
“Get Willow mommy!”
“Empress.”
“Again?”
“Yep.”
They made a number of high speed circuits of the bouncy castle before Slayer stamina won out and Buffy successfully pounced Willow.
“Noooo!” she shrieked in tickle terror.
“We’ll save you mommy!” shouted a pair of tots as they piled out of the castle to rescue their mother.
Only to be tackled and tickled by Buffy.
“Noooo!”
“Wanna?” Faith said, nodding to the shrieking mass.
“Sure,” Xander said, and tickled Faith.
“Yipe!”
…
An interminable number of minutes later, the red faced Empress of Summer lay on the grass surrounded by her family.
All still breathing somewhat hard.
“Still feeling stuffy, Empress?” Willow said between breaths.
“Queen.”
“Don’t start.”
There was a click sound and Buffy lifted her head, to see Tara taking a photo.
“I’d say you’re safe from stuffiness,” Tara said.
Buffy patted the grass next to her.
And Tara joined them.
And that was to remain the most iconic photo of the royal family for decades.
+++
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