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Rosie was overjoyed upon spotting some familiar little deer ears in the crowd. The overlord immediately put up a “Be back soon!” sign on the counter of her shop before snaking her way through the crowd and towards her dear friend.
“Alastor! Oh, darling, am I glad to see you! What brings you here? Nevermind that. Come, come. Let us talk over a cup of tea and some fingers!”
Without giving Alastor a chance to answer any questions, Rosie grabbed his arm and dragged him through the crowd and into her personal quarters. She let go of his sleeve and guided him through the large halls, chatting away about the weather and such before she felt a hand grip her dress. In an instant, she knew, but she didn’t comment on it, letting Alastor feel comfortable. In all honesty, Rosie was beyond thrilled that the regressed kiddo came to her of all people, seeking help. They had a long history of a caregiver and regressor relationship, but since he’d been gone, there seemed to have been no return of that. Rosie never brought it up, but she was glad she didn’t need to.
Instead of turning into the kitchen, which she originally had planned to sit in, she led him down a smaller hall into one of her lounge rooms. It was tiny. She remembered that Alastor felt intimidated by large spaces and preferred the comfort of a small, controlled room.
“Alrighty, my little one. Would you want to sit on the sofa,” she pointed towards the small, pink couch that was doused in the sunlight, “or the table?” She then pointed to a small table by the window. It had two chairs, both with small heart cushions.
To her surprise, Alastor quietly pointed at the carpet. She smiled softly. “Ah! You would like to sit on the floor, yes? Do you want to color, perhaps?”
Rosie lifted her skirts to settle onto the rug properly. She watched curiously as Alastor slowly sat down, pulling his legs criss crossed. Finally, he nodded to answer her question, his ears drooping slightly. Rosie leaned over to gently pet the little deer before standing.
“Will you be alright alone for a second, my little darling?” she asked softly. Alastor seemed hesitant, but he eventually nodded, to which Rosie smiled. “That’s my brave boy. I’ll be back quicker than you can eat flesh!”
As promised, Rosie left the room and returned only a few minutes later. Upon her arrival, she noticed Alastor chewing on his hand quietly, standing at the window and looking down at the street. Careful not to alarm him, Rosie made sure he could hear her close the door.
“You see somethin’ interesting, darling?” Rosie approached, her expression soft.
She stood by Alastor, looking down at the street and at her people. There wasn’t anything particularly interesting happening, but the kiddo seemed entertained.
A smile spread across the overlord’s face when Alastor made a small noise, turning towards Rosie to tug on her skirts.
“Yeah? It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Her question earned another small sound from the non-verbal boy, which warmed Rosie’s heart.
Distracted, she then clicked her tongue and gently pried Alastor’s fingers from his mouth, which resulted in a whine. Rosie coddled the kid when his ears drooped. “I know, baby, I know. I brought your favorite paci! Tada!” She pulled out a pink paci with a small bow on it. She remembered always giving Alastor a red one, until one day he had softly admitted he liked the pink one with the bow.
Thankfully, the deer-like demon’s ears perked up with interest and he immediately leaned over to take it in his mouth. Rosie smiled, petting his head. “See? You’re alright. I brought those coloring books. Would you like to color, or keep watching outside, hm?”
She watched as Alastor’s gaze flickered from the coloring books to the window. After a moment, he pointed at the coloring books, settling back onto the floor with some happy noises. Rosie chuckled, drifting away from the window to sit down with her dear friend. She opened up her coloring book, her heart aching with happiness upon flipping through the old colored pages. The poor books had been untouched and dusty for too many years, but now, the colors seemed more colorful and the air felt a little warmer. The happiness felt almost physical.
Rosie rolled to lay on her stomach, mimicking Alastor, who laid on his tummy and kicked his feet. She didn’t care how uncomfortable it felt with her clothes. All she cared about was keeping the little deer happy.