Please Don't Kill My Baby

[Leo Vandermolen]

What had Leo gone and gotten himself into this time? It wasn't another criminal den that needed to be single handedly taken down, he hadn't been thrust into the midst of another sector wide battle between two major rivaling faction. No, it was much worse... babysitting. He was manning one of the Outback's stations by himself, the rest of the crew had gone to Kal'Shebbol to deal with some 'bandit trouble,' leaving the entire outpost in the capable hands of Leo.

As he sat alone in the station's bar, eyeing his half-empty glass of whisky, he heard the telltale noises of a ship docking in the hanger. A few moments later, who else but [member="Joza Perl"] strutted through the open door, cradling her newborn close to her chest. Upon seeing the kid, Leo quickly pushed the whiskey back under the bar. Wouldn't want to be a bad influence now. Could babies even comprehend alcohol? Why was he even debating this in his head?

Leo snapped back to reality, his eyes focusing back on Joza, "Ah, Ms. Perl. Welcome to Casa de Leo. population, me." He grinned. "If you're looking for the others, I'm afraid you just missed... well, everyone."

 

[Joza Perl]

Yes, she had seen the whiskey.

It was hard to hide certain things from a mother’s sharp gaze. Joza’s upper lip nearly curled when she saw that the outpost was nearly empty, save for the young man at the bar. “Yes, well, Leo.” She scrutinized the young man for a second before adjusting the squirmy toddler in her arms. Alan was excited to be in a new place, his head turning this way and that. “Sorry to do this on such short notice, but bandits tend not to give much of a warning. So,” She shrugged one shoulder, letting the strap of her bag slide down her arm before holding it out to Leo. “This is his bag. It’s got three changes of clothes, what I hope will be enough diapers, toys, and his food—there are crackers and bananas for snacks, make sure that he goes down for his nap around 11, and then again at 4. There’s a schedule in there, try to make sure that he sticks to it. Any questions, and I mean any questions, contact me. So, any questions?”

She arched a brow at [member="Leo Vandermolen"], mouth set in a firm line while Alan babbled away in her arms.

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

"Wait. You're leaving the baby... with me?" His glare only intensified and he let out a sudden burst of laughter at the mere thought. "Well Ms. Perl, your kids in... uh, safe hands." He tried to make a mental note on the information she had given him, and promptly forgot everything. Perks of ADHD. He stood from his seat and started towards the pair, extending his arms towards the baby. "I used to look after my cousin back on Coruscant back in the day. I know the basics of babysitting... kinda." He eyed the child and admired his curious nature, cracking a grin at his wandering eyes. "So, what's the kid's name?" He asked.

| [member="Joza Perl"] |

 

[Joza Perl]

She met his glare with a harsh look of her own. There was no nonsense with the mama bear where her baby was concerned.

“Unfortunately, yes.” She sighed as he burst into laughter, some of the severity fading from her gaze when Alan took a cue from Leo and started into a fit of giggles. If there was one thing Joza was grateful for, it was the fact that her child was as normal as possible. While he did have the Force sensitivity of his parents, he was just a simple, happy child hitting all of the milestones. It made Joza happy, but she was wary of what the future would bring.

Still, things would be fine for now.

“You know how to change diapers, right?” A brow arched and then lowered as she looked down to the babbling baby in her arms. He seemed alright and not clingy in the moment, which was good. “This is Alan. He’s almost a year old. Crawls very fast, so don’t let him out of your sight—and when he’s tired or hungry, he might bite you.” She paused, pressing a kiss to the child’s forehead. “You’re going to be alright, sweetie. Uncle Leo is going to take good care of you.” Her eyes would flicker sharply up towards the smuggler, as if to imply that not taking good care of the child was a punishable offense.

Perhaps begrudgingly, she handed the squirming child over to the waiting arms of Leo.

[member="Leo Vandermolen"]

 

[Leo Vandermolen]

Uncle Leo. Yeah, he kinda liked that. Leo recalled all the knowledge he could about looking after a child, making sure to support the kids head as he held him. "Ahh. this should be a cakewalk, no problem." Leo gazed down at the baby and crossed his eyes, making the kid smile. At least it looked like a smile. "Well... uh. I guess now that I've got the kid, I'll try not to kill him." He chortled. "You have fun with those bandits now." It was gonna be a long day...

| [member="Joza Perl"] |