Duke was very excited to be at the circus with Rowena and their neighbours Sean and Robyn. Billy was being baby-sat while they were on this excursion.
"Oooh look!" Duke was pointing around and saying this to just about every display in the preshow.
He pointed towards Pyro.
"That's so cool!"
"Hot, you mean," Robyn smiled.
She still wasn't over the disappearence of her sister, Sophie. How long had it been now? Robyn feared she was dead.
Duke chuckled.
They wandered throughout the stalls and shows, oohing and ahhing until they would be allowed in the tent. Duke and Robyn pestered their parents to let them have a got at some of the sideshow games. Neither won anything.
At one point, they found themselves at Rogue's stall, and watched incredulously as she turned another pile of sand into a glass flower.
"That's amazing," Rowena breathed.
"Would you like one?" Sean inquired of her.
"Are you an alien?" Duke asked.
"Duke!" Rowena exclaimed, then softened her voice. "They're all mutants here."
"I know they are," Duke defended. "But that looks like atom manipulation."
"That could be my mutation," Rogue responded.
Rowena made a mental note to talk to Duke later. He should know better than to go around asking people if they were aliens.
"Suppose," Duke conceeded. "But those are fuzzles."
Silence, and Rogue turned to see some of the baby fuzzles had escaped the adults custody.
"True," she said. "You know a fuzzle when you see one?"
"I'm half alien," Duke said proudly, then looked down. "But I don't have any powers."
Rogue nodded.
"Powers aren't always what they're cracked up to be," she replied, remembering her own history with hers.
Robyn chewed her bottom lip at that comment. Sophie.
"So, are you an alien?" Duke pressed.
"No," Rogue replied. "I am a mutant. But I do have a similar power, as you can see."
Rogue preferred not to go into the details of her power - especially with complete strangers. Admitting to people that you were effectively a leech didn't tend to go down too well.
"And you must know aliens if you have fuzzles. They are your fuzzles right?"
"Yes."
"Have you got a lot?"
"Nineteen."
"Wow!"
"But tweleve of them are babies, and when they're old enough, I'm going to find new homes of them," Rogue considered for a moment. "Actually, they can leave their mother at 3 to 4 months, and they're 3 months now."
"Can I have one?"
"Duke!"
"Please mum?" Duke begged. "I wanna fuzzle! I wanted a fuzzle ever since I visited Oli on the station and I saw them! Pleeeeeeeaaase? Pretty please?"
"Duke..."
"Are they difficult to take care of?" Sean inquired.
"No, not really," Rogue replied. "Just need to keep a small supply of food and water for them. They can be rather mischevious at times though, so you need to be able to discipline them. Moreso in groups, though. One on one isn't so bad."
"And what do they eat?"
And Rogue found herself getting into a discussion on how to look after fuzzles. The expression on Rowena's face was looking less and less apprehensive. Lot easier to take care of than a dog, and cheaper too.
"Mum?" Duke asked hopefully. "Please can I have one? I promise I'll look after it all by myself! Please?"
Rowena paused, then glanced at Rogue.
"Are they for sale? I know you said you were going to start finding homes..."
Rogue smiled. She was a little annoyed that the baby fuzzles had made their appearence (seeing as the world at large didn't know about them, and the YIRAAS had an annoying tendancy to cough up a fuss at any little thing), but eventually trading, selling or give away the babies was part of her plan. (As much as she loved them and would like to keep them she knew she couldn't). Besides, Scarlet and Oran were now expecting. She turned for a moment and called for Liberty, Caleb and Azure. Naturally all seventeen showed up.
"Wow!" Robyn exclaimed. "Hey Dad, can I have one too?"
"I suppose..." Sean said.
He so knew Robyn was going to ask (hence why he asked Rogue about taking care of them!)
"Yay!"
"How much?"
Rogue hadn't thought that far ahead, but randomly named an amount roughly the equivalent of $10 in English currency.
"I like the blue one!" Duke said.
"Well, that's Azure," Rogue smiled. "You can't have her, but she had two babies that are also blue - or aquamarine."
Rogue paused and looked at Azure.
"You don't mind if these two kids adopt a couple of your kids, do you?" she asked of both her, Caleb and Liberty.
The three fuzzles seemed to consider the question, then each bounced over to Duke and Robyn as if inspecting them. Soon they bounced back cheerfully, signaling their approval. Rogue grinned.
"It's only polite to ask," she explained.
"Sure," Rowena smiled.
"Yay," Duke said, moved his face to the table, and reached out for one of the baby aquamarine fuzzles. "Are they boys or girls? I wanna boy."
"Hmm," Rogue paused for a moment. "Okay the one nearest your left hand? He's a boy. Just reach out and ask him to come to you."
Duke reached out for the fuzzle.
"Hey little fuzzle," he said. "Come to me. Please?"
The fuzzle seemed to approch Duke cautiously, then bounced onto Duke hand, and bounded into the air a few times before jumping off. Duke looked up at Rogue.
"He's just saying goodbye," she explained.
"Oh!" Duke beamed.
"What about you, Robyn? Have you decided yet?" Sean asked.
"Ummm... I like that colour," Robyn pointed to a magenta. "Are any girls?"
"Sure," Rogue said.
She considered the table for a moment, then pointed out one of Caleb and Azure's magenta children. Robyn smiled and followed the instructions Rogue previously gave Duke.
"They're littermates," Rogue said. "Meaning they're brother and sister and were born in the same litter."
"So, no children between them?" Rowena asked. "Or are they..."
She hesitated to ask if they wer incestuous, but Rogue got the idea.
"Nope," Rogue replied. "Oh, and you can't desex them either. Not that I would."
She patted Liberty affectionately, and Rowena nodded, accepting this piece of information.
"Do you know what you're going to name them?" Rogue asked, as the adopted fuzzles explored their new owners.
"I'm going to name mine, umm, umm... Buster," Duke nodded.
Rogue grinned and looked at Robyn.
"Have you got a name?" Sean asked, "or will you decide later?"
Robyn paused.
"No," she said. "I know exactly what I'm going to call her."
Robyn stroked the little magenta fuzzle, and she made delighted noises.
"Yes?"
"Sophie."