Chapter Text
Stolas had checked everything off of his list for the day.
Sunblock - check.
Hats - check.
Baskets - check.
Stolas hummed to himself as he got Maisy's stroller and baby bag ready. He and the sheep were going to a strawberry patch at the Wrath Ring for Mother's Day. He wished he could bring Via along with them, but she was at Stella’s place for the weekend and was forced to celebrate the holiday with her.
Maisy was sitting on Stolas’ hip, playing with Hazel.
“Baa, baa (“Via comin’, Mama?”)?” Maisy asked.
“I wish she could, honey, but no. She's at her mother's for the weekend,” Stolas explained gently.
Maisy frowned at this, whimpering at the mention of Stella.
Stolas nuzzled Maisy gently to soothe her. “I understand it’s upsetting, darling. I’m sad that Via can’t come with us, too. What if we saved some of the strawberries for her to enjoy later? That way, she won’t be entirely left out.”
Maisy nodded at this, but they still felt a bit upset.
“Let’s do some belly breaths,” Stolas said. He and Maisy took a few deep breaths together, the latter now feeling better. “There we go. Shall we get going then, my dear?”
Maisy nodded again as the Goetic prince applied sunscreen on their face, ears, and arms and placed their hat over their head. He placed them inside the stroller and created a portal to teleport them to their destination. Once they arrived, Stolas and Maisy made their way to the entrance so he could pay the five-dollar-admission fee. Stolas carried Maisy over to the patch entrance so they could pay the admission fee.
The receptionist — a koala sinner demon named Lavender — looked and couldn't help but coo at the sheep in the stroller.
“Who's this little sweetheart?” Lavender asked.
“This is Maisy,” Stolas answered. “I adopted them, and they just turned two. Can you say hi, Maisy?”
Maisy looked up at Lavender shyly and gave a small wave.
“Baa (“Hi.”),” Maisy mumbled quietly before hiding their face behind her hedgehog stuffie.
“They’re a bit shy,” Stolas explained as he pushed the stroller back and forth.
“That’s alright. Some tots can be that way at times,” Lavender understood as the Goetia paid her five dollars.
“Has it been busy here today? My little one’s not the biggest fan of crowds and loud noises and I don’t them to get overstimulated.”
“It has because it's Mother's Day, but we do have a section that's sensory-friendly right over there,” the koala stated as she pointed at a quiet section of the patch.
“That’s very generous of you. Thank you so much for doing this,” Stolas smiled.
“It’s not a problem,” Lavender replied as she stood up from her place behind the admission booth and handed Maisy a little white basket. “That’s for you, sweetie.”
Maisy looked up and saw the basket that was handed to her. It had a pink blanket with a satin trim inside.
“Oh, that’s lovely!” Stolas marveled, his talons brushing over the soft fabric. “Did you make this yourself?”
"I did! I run my own online crafting business, which includes blankets for people of all ages," Lavender explained as she handed Stolas a flyer, which advertised her job. “The blankets in the baskets are on the house today.”
Stolas took the pamphlet from her and tucked it into Maisy’s nappy bag.
“That’s very kind of you! I’ll be sure to check out your website.”
“Baa (“T'an' you.”),” Maisy spoke quietly as she nuzzled their face on the blanket.
“You’re welcome! You have such good manners,” Lavender praised. “You two have a good time!”
Stolas took Maisy to the sensory-friendly section of the strawberry patch.
“Looks like we have some extra storage,” the prince said as he placed the white basket in the stroller.
Maisy was too busy cuddling the blanket to hear what he said. It was just as soft and fluffy as Via's childhood blanket that the sheep sleeps with during naptime and bedtime. They looked down at the blanket and saw that there was a mama turtle and a baby turtle embroidered on one corner.
"Baa, baa (“Mommy, loo'!”)!” Maisy exclaimed as she held up the blanket. “Baa (“I's you an' me!”)!”
“I see, dear,” Stolas hummed. “How lovely.”
When they reached the designated location, Maisy's eyes widened at the plentiful amount of strawberries.
"Would you like me to show you how to pick strawberries, sweetheart?" Stolas asked.
Maisy nodded as the Goetia set her down on the ground and kneeled down next to her. He found a ripe strawberry and grabbed it by the stem. He then gently twisted it until it fell out.
Maisy grabbed a berry and twisted it themself. They struggled a bit during to their hoof coordination.
“Good job,” Stolas praised. “That was a bit tricky, wasn’t it?”
“Baa. Baa (“Yeah. Ca’ you he’p me?”)?” Maisy asked.
“Of course I can, ladybird. Which strawberries would you like?”
The sheep pointed at a few strawberries that were the perfect shade of red.
As Stolas helped Maisy pick the strawberries she wanted, they spotted some green-colored strawberries.
“Baa (“Wha’ kin’ of s’awbe’ies are t’ose?”)?” the sheep questioned curiously.
Stolas looked to where Maisy was pointing. “We can't pick those ones yet, darling. They aren't ripe enough.”
“Baa (“Why a’en’ t’ey ri’ yet?”)?”
“It's like everything, from produce to flora, dear. Strawberries take time to grow,” Stolas explained.
“Baa (“T’a’s why t’ey’re g’een?”)?”
“Correct. No need to worry, though. Give the green ones some time and they’ll be ripe and red enough for future berry pickers.”
“Baa (“Ca’ we co’ back?”)?”
“Yes, sweetheart, and I promise we’ll bring Via next time so she can join in on the fun,” Stolas replied.
Maisy and Stolas spent a good twenty minutes filling up their baskets with strawberries. By the time that was done, the sheep was starting to get sleepy. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning constantly.
“Is it time for us to go home so you can nap?” Stolas crooned.
Maisy responded with a big yawn. So, the Goetia picked her up and settled her into the stroller. He then headed to the entrance and created a portal to return to the palace. When they returned, Stolas picked the sheep up again and cuddled her.
"Let's get you changed into something comfy for naptime," he said as he kissed the top of Maisy's head.
Stolas was about to walk when Maisy started whining. The sheep pointed at the stroller, where Hazel and their new blanket were resting. He used his magic to levitate the comfort items into Maisy’s arms.
“There you are, poppet.”
Maisy calmed down and cuddled the stuffie and blankie while the Goetia took them to the nursery.
"Did you have fun today?" Stolas asked.
The sheep nodded tiredly.
“Baa (“T'an' you fo' ta'ing me.”),” they muttered.
“You're welcome. I’ve had so much fun myself.”
When Stolas reached the nursery, he laid Maisy on the changing table and changed her Pull-Up. He also dressed them in some pajamas. He then grabbed two children's books — Counting Sheep and You Are My Happy — from the bookshelf and settled into the rocking chair with Maisy on his lap. He used his magic to close the curtains, turn off the ceiling lights, and switch on the side-table book lamp and white noise machine. He levitated a pacifier over to him and placed it in Maisy’s mouth.
After making sure Maisy was comfortable, Stolas began to read while rocking back and forth. It wasn’t long before the sheep fell asleep. The Goetia carefully moved to lay Maisy down and tuck her in their bed. After doing so and raising the toddler gates, he kissed their forehead.
“Sleep well, my little turtle,” Stolas whispered. “I’ll see you after your nap.”
When Stolas turned off the side-table lamp and left the bedroom, he went into the kitchen to put the strawberries in the fridge. He then got an idea. What if he turned some of the strawberries into treats and they had a tea party in the backyard? It was really nice outside and Stolas knew that Mother's Day was about mothers — well, in this case, caregivers — being together with their little ones.
The Goetia washed his hands in the kitchen sink and began to looking up strawberry recipes on his phone.