Weird Eldritch Dad

Sinaloa woke up with a yawn, wriggling around and getting herself tangled in the blankets. It took a moment for her to realise: she wasn't being carried, nor had she been left at the community center. This was not her nest at home.

Sinaloa shot up, attempting to stand on the matress, but she was so tangled up she immediately plummeted forwards. Ashamed, she wriggled free and immediately collapsed on the floor with a thud.

"ow."

Sinaloa deemed it safer to stay sprawled across the floor, one foot still tangled in the bedsheets, rather than to go looking for the eldritch creature that had apparently brought her home. At the least, she hoped it was Altizica who had brought her home and tucked her into bed. Otherwise, there would be a whole lot of explaining that needed to happen. She lifted her arm to check on the power nulification bracelet, and was relieved to see that it had turned itself off. Which meant someone was nocturnal, and didn't mind a little company, or the bracelet had been off from the start and she hadn't just mindlessly wandered in.

@Arcadia

Sinaloa wriggled out from the blankets, struggling towards the mist that was solidifying into Altizica. Her ankle was still caught in the sheets and she pitched forward, collapsing for a second time at Altizica's feet. She blinked up at him, grinning from ear to ear like a child.

"Hi el-dad-ritch friend!"

Sinaloa sat up to wriggle her foot free of the sheets. Once freed, she tackled Altizica backwards onto the bed, hugging him tight.

"That's okay. I'm not much for beds either but yours is comfy. I like it."

Sinaloa clung to Altizica, basking in the feeling of security. The feeling of being wanted. Altizica knew that she wasn't some sort of eldritch abomination, but he still took care of her. Let her do things that weren't normal for two friends, but might be considered normal for a child and a parent. Altizica hadn't opposed to her dad pun, either.

"I don't wanna leave. Ever. But I gotta cause I need to be an adult but still..."

Sinaloa pulled away, grabbing a corner of the sheets and wrapping herself in the blankets.

"I'm not adulty enough to be an adult. I wanna just stay here forever."

Sinaloa squealed and giggled beneath the blankets, squirming to hide the most ticklish spots from Altizica's reach.

"I'm supposed to be growing up. Learning to be an adulty adult. I don't really wanna. But either name works."

Without removing the blankets, she shimmied herself towards Altizica, resting by his side.

"I like that feeling. It's a good feeling. Matthew explained that feeling to me. It's called bonding. Or maybe pride? Something like that I guess. I've never had a real dad, so I guess I wouldn't know."

Altizica sounded sad. Like he was lonely. It made her think back to the first encounters with Matthew. How he always seemed to be annoyed by her presence but had never sent her away, not once. Doctor had shown her Matthew's letters to the school, all of the discussions about Sinaloa's future. He was supposed to have been there with her. Sinaloa was no stranger to the lonely kind of sorrow.

"We can be family. No one cares enough to ask why. And no one knows what I am so I guess they can't say I'm not an Eldritch cause Eldritch are like, super weird, right? We don't even need to sign paperwork cause I'm too old to be legally adopted."