[Audio]

[coimiceoir]

[By now everyone's familiar with the crying sounds going on in the background, and even Aisling is sounding a bit frazzled and impatient.]

I can't get anything done - and there is much to do before Samhain. I'm no mother, but even so--

Comments

[audio]

[thneed]

You take the bottle and put the end to its mouth and it should make like it's eating. Easy.

[audio]

[coimiceoir]

It hasn't stopped.

[audio]

[thneed]

Change its clothes?

[audio]

[coimiceoir]

This takes too much time. That didn't work either!

[audio]

[thneed]

Babies are like that. Is it sitting up? It'll cry if you have it upside down.

[audio]

[coimiceoir]

It's lying down. But not on its face.

[audio]

[thneed]

Hmmm... Did you burp it after it got fed?

[audio]

[coimiceoir]

How will burping at it help? This doesn't make any sense.

[audio]

[thneed]

Just trust me on it. You have to feed then burp or it'll never shut up.

[audio]

[coimiceoir]

How does it work? Do you need to belch in its face, or will burping near it be enough?

[audio]

[thneed]

[ little laugh ] What? Oh no no. You don't burp. The baby burps. You hold it and pat on its back and it should do it.

[audio]

[coimiceoir]

[There's a long pause and then the doll makes a little burp noise and settles into hiccuping whimpers rather than all-out screams. Even without her saying anything further, the relief is palpable. Later that day he'll find a trio of leaf packets on his windowsill - truffula berries, an assortment of other berries, and a collection of cooking herbs - her way of thanking him.]

[audio]

[thneed]

There we go. [ It worked. He knew it would. Problem solved! He's so proud he is this awesome at figuring out baby robots. Go him.

And later. Nobody's thanked him for something they weren't paying for like that. She didn't have to do that but she did. He's just going to go ahead and mentally give her a best-friend title now just for the gesture. That's how friendship works, right? Right? ]