Tang clan scraps

==Heart==
Ms Wei wakes, rolls over--
Bed's cold. 
She snags her mobile, texts kisses, and sits up. 
Her mobile receives kisses. 
She smiles, surveys her master bedroom--
Armoire door is ajar. 
She attends--
Sock drawer?
Nestled ontop is a tiny box, and nestled inside is a mother-of-pearl locket. 
She settles the chain around her neck and the locket against her breastbone. 
Lulu's safe. 
== Borrowing ==
January 2016
"Hey, guys!"Jin skips up to Cheung and Hu. "Look what I found!" 
The baby's head flops forward. 
Cheung has a mild heartattack and eases the baby away. 
"You /stole a baby?" Hu didn't mean to squeak. 
"'course not." Jin tickles the baby's nose. "I borrowed it." 
"From who?!" 
"I'd say Taller Sasha, but it doesn't really look all that--"
"You stole a baby from /Taller Sasha?!" 
"/Borrowed!"
"You don't just /borrow babies without permission!" 
"I never said I didn't ask permission." 
"Did you ask permission?" asks Cheung. 
"That's kinda what 'borrowing' entails," sniffs Jin. 
"Did. You. Ask." 
Jin squishes the baby's cheeks. "May have neglected to do that."  
Cheung groans. 
"We can fix this," says Hu. "We just find Taller Sasha and return the kid." 
. 
Cafeteria. 
No Sashas. 
Cherno's bay. 
No Sashas. 
"How hard can it be to find a seven-foot-tall blond?" grumbles Hu. 
"It's starting to smell," warns Cheung. 
==Icing==
(originally part of "Judgement Day" to show Chau's place in the Tang clan but because fandom's got a radically different idea of who he is, I thought it would be too cuddly on top of the scenes with the kids and cut it)
A woman draped in blankets and shawls sits in a wheelchair by a window nook. 
"Leilei!"
She attends--
"You look like the weight of the world's been lifted." Hugs her head, "All six kilos of it." 
She giggles through her tears, wipes under each eye with her hand. "Thank you."
"May I see?"
"Oh, of course! I'm sorry." She shrugs away blankets and unwraps her shawl and then a tiny, mulberry and bruise, flat and puffy, sleeping face peeks out.
"She's beautiful." Hugs her again. 
She awkwardly reaches up and hugs back. "Thank you." Draws away. "I'm sorry I'm being so familiar." 
"Leilei, you just had a baby. You have eighteen years to be hysterical." 
She laughs harder at that. 
"Just don't expect me to clean throw up." 
Lei goes bright pink--"Did you have to bring that up?" 
"Yes, because /I told you not to have that third piece of cake, your mother told you not to, your father told you not to, but you did anyway, threw up, and panicked when you saw the green, neglecting to remember that you had a green birthday cake." 
==The Dragon and the Devil==
They weren't sure what the Bitties had heard and they weren't sure where they'd heard it, but they'd somehow gotten a partial idea stuck in their heads and their boundless imaginations had made it a thousand times worse, so, nearing bedtime, Ori and half a dozen parents do their best to console a nursery full of inconsolable children. 
"They're just being babies," sniffs the seven year old, sitting as far from the door as she possibly can. "I'm not scared. I can go to bed whenever I want." 
Ori looks at the door, toddler sobbing into his shoulder, looks back at the seven year old. 
Her arms tighten around her knees but she sneers, "Princess Nebula's in the wash." 
 
"Lord of the Ducks won't do for tonight?" 
"Of course not."
A tap on his unoccupied shoulder. 
One of the dads says softly, "It seems someone in town told one of these guys that the devil's in them and that they're going to hell." 
Oh. 
/Oh. 
The dad continues, "I believe you solved a similar problem a few years ago."
"That I did. Excuse me." Heads across the room to the largest gathering of blubbering, nudges a few aside for himself and the toddler. 
Bitties coalesce as back into their original places as best as they can. 
"You guys have /nothing to worry about," he assures. 
""But the person said--""
"A lot of mean stuff that isn't true."
""But Cousin made a deal with the devil!""
"The /devil made a deal with your /cousin."
.
A change in air pressure and a wash of sulphur, and Wei strolls from the washroom wearing too much makeup, leather, and lace. 
"Does your wife know you're wearing that?"
"Does /yours?"
"I'm not married."
Wei frowns, looking more and more /wrong.
== Tin of Biscuits ==
(Formerly, "The One Time Liu Laughed", then "Undignified Laughter"; Originally uploaded 17:49, July 27, 2015‎ as "Tin of Biscuits")
"And you just happen to carry a towel," says Jin. 
"Of course," says Setsuko, dabbing at the cut on Hu's forehead. "A towel is about the most massively useful thing an international traveller can have." 
Liu bursts out laughing. Not a chuckle, not a snicker (or even a sniggle), but a deep laugh that springs tears to the eyes and makes one double over. 
Setsuko's mouth twists and she appears pained. 
"I'm sorry," gasps Liu, and starts laughing again. 
Jin catches Cheung's eye and glances from Liu to Setsuko. /Did she break Dai Lo?
Cheung's nose twitches. /I don't know. 
Liu swallows and blinks a few times. "I did not expect you to know that."
Setsuko breaks into a broad grin. "And since you obviously do..." She stands and holds out her hand.
"What?" 
"Aren't you going to lend me a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space suit, or any of a dozen other items?"
"Is that a thing," Jin begins, "and if that's a thing, did you memorize that entire thing?"
"Maaaaybe?"
Liu speaks after a brief pocket examination. "I think I have a mint."
"I'm game."
Liu tosses it over. 
Setsuko sticks the wrapper in her bag. "Mmm. Minty." She basks for a moment, then continues. "Though Ah gotta say, y'remind me a bit of mah mom."
"In my defence, this is a one-time thing." 
"Really?" says Jin. 
"Do you realize how easy it is to tamper with those things?" 
Hu makes a pained noise. 
"Hu eats them all the time," explains Jin. 
"More like a couple times a month," Hu clarifies. 
"He basically lives off them," says Cheung. 
"How are you three still alive?" wonders Setsuko. 
"I take it you've had this conversation before?" 
"Oh, hell yes. Turns a few someones didn't know what an appendix was." 
"We're never living that down, are we?" sighs Cheung. 
"I got a neat scar though!" Jin yanks up his shirt. 
"Nope," grins Setsuko. 
"What Heaven help me," mumbles Liu, and then glaces at the street. "Car's here. You guys can fill me in on the way home." 
"Please don't," mutters Hu.
== December Babies ==
"Mimi, we're the same age!!"
"For, like, two months." 
"But it's awesome! We're mature like you--,"
Min snorts
"Yea, gonna hafta agree with Min on this one."
"Yup, never woulda believed it, don't want to admit it, but 10 months does wonders for being more ma/ture/." 
"Seriously," Min deadpans. 
"You didn't wake up with a whipped cream beard." 
==Sanity==
(Dates may be wrong)
They said goodbye to the ghosts on the 27th, Min had all Shatterdome mail forwarded to a storage facility on the 28th, the last three Shatterbucks employees moved into Liu’s apartment on the 3st, and on the morning of the 4nd ...
“You’re up early,” greets Liu. 
Min grunts, “Too hot, too cold, too hot, too cold, gave up.” and plunks into a chair. 
"Cereal?"
"Thanks," she croaks.
Liu hands her a bowl. "Do you know Jihu sleepwalks?"
Min nods and swallows. "We all do. 'Cept Seti 'cause she's sane." 
"I don't think it's a problem of sanity."
"I display semi-refined problem solving skills and can make 300 cups of coffee; Liong reenacts battles as seen by LOCCENT."
"I think that's unusual but not grounds for insanity."
Min shakes her head and went back to her cereal. 
.
By lunchtime, stars sprinkle her vision, sounds feel like nails, and the sore throat spreads down into her lungs into a deep, wet chest cough. Around supper, nasty, green stuff starts coming up, everything hurt, and each time she jostles her head, red-hot tent stakes drive themselves deeper into her brain. 
“You feeling OK?” Setsuko asks finally. 
“Think I’m gonna go to bed early,” Min rasps. 
“Mind if I take your temperature first?” 
Min waves dismissively. "I’m fine," she insists. “Just a little tired.” She stands, steadies herself on the sofa, and walks carefully to the washroom. Two aspirin, a cool facecloth, and clean teeth later, Min plods to her (and now Setsuko’s) room and Liu flips her onto her bed, Setsuko ducks around, plants a knee on Min’s chest, and sticks a thermometer in her ear. 
“Can you get-?”
Liu leaves in search of pillows. 
The thermometer beeps. 
“101.4.” Setsuko frowns. “How were you yesterday? And I want petty complaints.” 
Min wheezes. 
“Right. Sorry.” Setsuko sits down beside her.
“Lights were bright.”
“Like ‘stab-y’ bright?” 
“Yea.” 
Liu retures with two pillows, one with racecars and the other with clouds--
“Put them back!” Min snarls. 
Setsuko forces her back down. 
“I will tomorrow,” says Liu. "Once I can buy more.” 
“Would it help if I loaned you my pillow?” asks Jin. 
“I don’t mind if you use mine either,” adds Hu.
Min stops struggling. “It won’t smell right anymore.” 
“I know,” says Liu, switches with Setsuko, and gently lifts Min’s head. “You’re a bit clammy.”
“Facecloth,” croaks Min. 
Setsuko eases it away and stacks bedding under Min’s pillow. “I’ll come check on you in a couple hours, OK?” 
Min just sighs. 
== Camera ==
Inspired by "An AI who can transfer themselves between electronics and transfers themselves into their human’s phone" source and the camera aspect of "AI who lives inside of a computer getting really upset when the webcam breaks because they can’t see their human until it gets fixed so their human makes sure to upload a few pictures of themselves every day to make the AI feel better" (source)
"Holy smokes!" says Ming. "The camera on your mobile is /fantastic. What're your settings?" 
Min fiddles with her pen. "I just let it do its own thing."
Category:Ficlet
Category:Ficlets in need of language stuff
Category:Tang clan (ficlet)
Category:Tang clan
Category:Tang Min
Category:Tang Min (ficlet)
Category:Cheung
Category:Jin
Category:Hu
Category:Cheung (ficlet)
Category:Jin (ficlet)
Category:Hu (ficlet)
Category:Scraps
Category:Tall Sasha (mention)
Category:Taller Sasha (mention)
Category:Weis vs Kaidanovskys
Category:Fei Yen
Category:Fei Yen (ficlet)
Category:(possibly)
Category:Tang Min's sleep-coffeeslinging
Category:Heavy Metal Kids play with technology