She waited outside the class, enamored of just how damn adorable all the kids were.


From a distance.


Up close kids weren't nearly as cute and practically savage. But Riley handled them with an adept hand. She wondered suddenly what Riley the Mom would be like? Would that tame the wicked lash of temper that always hid beneath the surface? Whenever she was working with the kids there was never a hint of the volatile person within, she was serene even.

Huh, maybe she should talk David into knocking up---whoa, totally none of her business.

In fact, her business was right there in her hand, the flyer clutched happily as she waited for one of her nearest and dearest to emerge so that she could ambush her.

She really was hoping to get her claws into David as well but she knew if she got one of them she'd get the other.

Rolling on the balls of her feet in her excitement she grinned impishly at some of the other moms waiting to pick up their kids, when one of them smiled and asked, "Which one's yours?"

"One what?" Fiora furrowed her brow.

The woman nodded through the window toward the gaggle of children surrounding Riley.

"One of them?!" Horror widening her cerulean eyes, "Like no way in a hidden level of the Abyss!"

Offended the woman sniffed and the other moms eyed her with something akin to disdain as one bold soul uttered, "that's no way to talk when children are present," dragging her precious young to safety away from the crazy realtor.

"Oh, well I didn't mean, I mean to say, my language, well, see I just," She scoffed and laughed, "Me? Children?! The idea is ludicrous, and I just, well, I'm not as seriously awesome as you all are." Nodding with a weak flash of dimples.

They had formed ranks and shunned her effectively. So it was with an extra dash of eagerness that she latched onto Riley as soon as she came through the door, "Quick, save me, I think they're gonna lynch me." Hissed.

"The maker of the little people." She shamelessly stole that beautiful line as she looked over at the angry mommas who regarded her with continued disdain. Though they were content to gather their children and rush back to their mad dash of life that seemed to coincide with offspring.

Riley's unexpected flight after inquiring about the flyer had Fiora hollering after, "Wait! I promise it'll be fun!" Though her quick return and subsequent surprise had the dumbounded realtor stuffing the flyer at her as she took the gift with something akin to awe.

She squeaked, "for me?"

And tore into it with a frenzy that may reveal that gifts were not something she were entirely used to, though Dr. Shilo was going a long way toward changing that.

"Ye didn't have to sit on a dirty old man's lap to get this, did ye?"

Awestruck.

No, seriously. Like speechless.

And it actually lasted a full minute.

Her mouth opened and closed and tears sheened her cerulean eyes to a glistening hue of undersea treasure.

"For me?" She finally managed.

"Oh Rileyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" And it was time for a hug again. An embarassed sniffle as she quickly wiped at her eyes. "I love it! I wish I'd known to get ye a gift, this was my first Christmas ever."

A greedy little grin suffused her features, "Y'know, speaking of CheeseORourkes I should probably have a tester run, just to see how it goes and all." The idea of sandwiches had her stomach rumbling.

"We could do sandwiches at yer place and ye could get me out on the ice a bit. I stopped by last week to give it a whirl." She winced and rubbed her still bruised bottom. "I honestly think that's where I got m'cold."

Determination wreathed her features, "But I'm gonna do this ice hockey thing if it kills someone."

Beamed.

"And on the way back to yer place I can tell ye all about the Business Showcase Gala and ye can tell me what ye'd like to donate to show off this place and of course whether or not ye'll let me put ye up on a Date Auction."