Chapter Text
“Umm… Miss Nahida, you are the Goddess of Wisdom, right?” Yaoyao asked nervously.
“You could say so.” She calmly answered. “But you already knew that.”
“Yeah, yeah… Sorry”.
Yaoyao’s cheeks inflated like a pair of balloons, making the most adorable pout Nahida has ever seen. Then, she sighed, defeated. Of course she already knew, but she wanted to be 100% sure before splitting the real question. Was it really wrong trying to test the waters?
Nahida dropped a soft chuckle and started walking again. Took a few seconds for Yaoyao to realize that she was just standing up, Archons were so confusing! She started running to reach Nahida. What started as a walk to collect herbs for dinner, was now a question game that Yaoyao was clearly losing.
“I have… I have another question.”
“And that is…” Nahida turned around to face Yaoyao and the view she saw almost made her chuckle again. The little girl in front of her was messing with the hem of her blouse and, at the same time, trying not to drop the plush she always carries. The red face she had was enough for Nahida to confirm, Yaoyao was incredibly cute!
“It’s just that… Mmm…” Yaoyao took a breath and decided to start again. “Yesterday, mommy and I visited a friend of us and her little newborn baby, he was really small, and… Mommy said that once I used to be that small too, can you believe it?!” She happily explained, cradling Yuegui as if he were the small baby she met yesterday. The uncommon shyness Yaoyao had a moment ago had totally disappeared.
“We helped with the dinner, some cleaning, and watched the baby so she and her husband could get some deserved sleep. Then before we went, mommy gave them some advice and offered our help for a possible next occasion… Here is where I think I miiiight mess it up”.
She finished not exactly knowing how to finish story. Fortunately for her, Nahida continued:
“What did you do? You woke up the baby?”
“Not exactly. It’s not what I did, it's what I said…”. Yaoyao said, lowering her voice the more she was talking until it was a little whisper. “Or what I asked, to be precise…”
They fell down in silence, Yaoyao still thinking about how to continue. She didn’t want to make Nahida uncomfortable like she did when she asked the question to her mom, but she wanted an answer. They continue to pick mints, herbs, and even some mushrooms for dinner, still in silence. The sun started to hide and before Nahida could suggest going back home, Yaoyao suddenly spoke again.
“Miss Nahida… Where do babies come from?”
The question took Nahida off guard so much that she even dropped the set of mint she had just picked.
“Sorry!” Yaoyao quickly said, helping the Archon with picking up the herbs. “Mommy put the same face as you. Mommy said that I’ll know the answer when I get older, but I just don’t know why I have to wait that long. Why can’t I know, like, right now!?” She pouted, again the adorable face. “Sooo, I thought, since you’re the Goddess of Wisdom, theeeen… You should know!”.
Yaoyao laughed, waiting for Nahida to continue. This time, it wasn’t Yaoyao who took the time to give a proper answer.
Nahida was the Goddess of Wisdom, that’s true, but even a Goddess of Wisdom like her has to think twice when a child asks the question. She could easily get a way to tell the little girl the truth, but she wasn’t sure about it. Not because Yaoyao wasn’t older or smarter enough to get the idea, but because her mom didn’t want her to know and she had to respect that will.
After a brief moment of analyzing the situation, Nahida found a way of calming her curiosity but not telling the truth.
“Would you like a story?”
They were heading back home and Nahida used the walk to start.
“A story?” Yaoyao asked, confused. “Can I really get the answer with… A story?”
“You are smart, Yaoyao, I'm sure you will get it quick!” Nahida affirmed before starting.
“Once upon a time, in a sunny meadow full of colors, the flowers stood gently swaying in the breeze. Every day, little bees buzzed happily from one blossom to another, carrying tiny bits of golden dust on their legs. They didn’t know it, but each time they visited, they helped the flowers share their secret dust, and soon, the flowers began to make little seeds that turned out to bloom into new pretty flowers.”
Nahida finished, satisfied with her story. It wasn’t perfect but it’ll work. At least, she thought that until noticed Yaoyao hadn't said any word about it.
Trying to break the ice, Nahida spoke: “What do you think? Do you like it?”
The girl blinked twice, still confused. She expected an answer, but not that type of answer. Yaoyao forced herself to continue the conversation.
“Yeah… Was, good, I think.”
“I don’t see you convinced, Yaoyao.” Nahida replied with a sight of worry in her tone.
“It's juuuuust… I don't see where are the babies in this story.” Yaoyao said, feeling defeated. Was the truth some kind of top secret information she's unable to know?
She started walking again, eyes on the floor and hugging Yuegui tighter than before; Nahida couldn’t help but laugh at the little girl's reaction. She didn’t expect Yaoyao to fully understand the concept, but she thought that maybe she'd be able to get the similarity between the new flowers and the baby.
“My apologies, Yaoyao. Just forget everything we talked about today, can you?”
“Thank you for helping me with the dishes, Yaoyao.” Lisa said with her soft voice.
“You're welcome, Miss Lisa. Mommy says that I always must help!”
Lisa ended up with the last of the kitchen cleaning and, after that, hugged and carried little Yaoyao from the kitchen to the living room. “You're so adorable!”
“Umm… Miss Lisa? Can you take me down please?” Yaoyao asked, amusingly. “I'm not… I'm not a baby!”
Lisa let out a chuckle while leaving Yaoyao on the couch. “There you are sweety."
The little girl lay down and started playing with her plush, Yuegui, while Lisa took her place on another sofa and grabbed a book. Just before Lisa could start focusing on her reading, Yaoyao talked again:
“Talking about babies… Miss Lisa, can I ask you something?"
“You're already asking, dear” Lisa smiled. “Joking, go ahead."
Yaoyao sat and tried to ask. She could even feel herself blushing, but didn't know why. Why is it difficult to question the same she asked Nahida? Was it because she didn't want another weird answer like Nahida's one? Yaoyao decided to stop overthinking and simply blurted out.
“Do you know where do babies come from?”
Yaoyao didn't like the small silence that came after at all.
“Oh, my” Lisa laughed, nervously. “Why all of the sudden? Have you asked your mom?”
“She said I'd know when I grow up.” Yaoyao said, a little frustrated. It was a simple question, why do adults have to act like that? Can't they just answer like they do with all questions? “And I don't want to wait til that” She added, presaging Lisa would try to avoid the question again.
Lisa hummed, thinking on how to answer. After a couple of seconds, she talked:
“You have a mommy and a daddy, don't you? Well, when mommy and daddy love each other so, so, so much, they have a baby!”
Yaoyao went blank for a second.
Lisa didn't even try.
It wasn't even confusing like Nahida's one to just stop talking about it.
Nu-uh.
Not enough for Yaoyao.
“But my mommy and daddy already love each other so much, doesn't that mean I should have a sibling by now?” She asked, impatiently. “Or is that… Perhaps I don't have a sibling because they don't love each other that much anymore?”
If Lisa would have been drinking tea as usual, she'd have spit it out.
“No!” She almost yelled. “Heh heh, sorry... But don't think like that! Your mommy and daddy love each other so much because they have you!”
“But that was years ago.” Yaoyao complained. “Maybe they don't love each other anymore… Wait! Does that mean I'd disappear if they start hating each other?”
Lisa sighed, feeling abruptly exhausted. The “parents love each other so they have babies”, was enough answer for other kids Yaoyao's age like Klee! Why wouldn't that work with Yaoyao herself? Maybe she underestimated her.
“No, dear.” Lisa made a pause. “It's just that parents decide when they want to have a baby. Your mommy and daddy love each other so much but they don't want another baby, that's why you don't have any siblings. You make them happy enough!” She concluded, smiling and really hoping the little girl would go with it.
Yaoyao had a difficult expression. She wore a slightly pout, but didn't complain about Lisa's answer. She has just reached another dead end. Looking at that adorable face almost made Lisa tell her the total truth.
“Umm, Yaoyao?” Lisa asked. “Are you alright?”.
The little girl slowly denied with her head.
“It's just… I don't understand!” Yaoyao complained. “First I asked Miss Nahida about it and she said that babies come from flowers and bees, but then you're saying that babies come from parents' love! It's so confusing, I can't get it!”.
“So, you asked Nahida first?” Lisa received another nod from Yaoyao. Now she understood. It wasn't that her answer was good or not, it was that it was contradictory to what Nahida told her. “Oh, Yaoyao…”.
Before Lisa could continue with her answer, another figure appeared in the room.
“You two are here?” A soft voice belonging to another Archong asked. “I thought that at least you, Yaoyao, would already be asleep. Nahida is sleeping right now”.
“I'd be already asleep if you adults weren't complicated!”.
An unusual behavior from Yaoyao. She wasn't the type of child that raises the voice whenever they want, especially if it was towards adults, but the poor thing was frustrated and just wanted an answer in order to go to sleep.
Ei was slightly surprised. “But Yaoyao, what's the matter?”.
The little girl made another pout, rubbed her eyes with one hand and rested herself on the couch.
“It's just she's confused about the answer of a question, she received different opinions and now doesn't know what to believe” Lisa explained calmly, sighing.
“And the question may be?”
“I just wanted to know where do babies come from…” Yaoyao whispered, defeated. She already gave up. “I asked mommy and she said I'd know when I get older… Miss Nahida said that babies come from bees and flowers, and…” She yawned. “Miss Lisa said that they come when parents love each other so much”.
“That's all the problem?” A now relaxed Ei asked. “But that's so easy to answer! You know, when parents love each other, they do…”.
A worried gaze coming from Lisa made Ei stop. Something was true and it was that, even when Yaoyao was mature enough to accept the real answer, they weren't the ones that should tell her.
“They do…” The little girl continued.
“They do… When parents love each other they do…” Ei was trying to make up an answer. “That’s it! They make a letter. T-They write a letter! Yes, they write a letter to the stork.”
“To the… stork?” Yaoyao was a kid but she wasn't stupid, the stork thing was more unbelievable than the flowers and bees stuff.
“Yes, the stork! Parents write a letter to the stork and it brings a baby!
“So… It's just a letter? I-I don't believe you!”.
“It is in fact a letter Yaoyao” Lisa intervened, trying to go with Ei's excuse. “When parents love each other that that that much, they send a letter to the stork asking for a baby”.
Yaoyao was sitting again, looking at Lisa, then at Ei, and then at Lisa, and then at Ei.
“If that's so… Then it means you wrote a letter to the stork and the stork gave you the Raiden Shogun? That's kinda strange, she looks exactly like you and… She doesn't have a daddy at all!” Yaoyao protested. She instantly knew they were totally lying to her.
“That's different Yaoyao, I created the Raiden Shogun and…”
“Did anyone call me?” A cold, monotonous and serious voice talked. The Raiden Shogun was the last person appearing in the living room.
“No, nobody called you.” Ei answered. “By the way, what are you doing here?”
“What are you discussing?” The Raiden Shogun totally ignored her creator.
“That's not what I asked you—!”
“Do you know where do babies come from?” Yaoyao quickly asked, seeing in the Raiden Shogun an opportunity to finally give an answer for her questioning.
“She doesn't-!”
…
Yaoyao was silent, making her almost closed sleepy eyes, open widely. Lisa was also surprised because of the brute —and detailed— way of telling a child how a baby comes to this world.
“Raiden Shogun, you!” Ei started. She was far from furious after hearing such an indecent answer from her own creation. “No way I will accept your indolence when I specifically said we didn't require your presence nor your comments here”.
“So, little girl, when you hear your parents making strange noises in the middle of the night when they think you are asleep, they're making a baby” The Raiden Shogun ended.
“I-I… Well… It was… I think I prefer the bees and the flowers or the stork letter…” Yaoyao whispered, still surprised because of the graphic and not child tolerable answer.
“Okay. Bedtime Yaoyao!” Lisa interrupted reading the room easily and taking the kid with her.
Ei continue, annoyed:
"Yes Raiden Shogun, bedtime!"