our beloved and our god

[jovahs_heiress]

It's the middle of the night, and Isabella is sitting up reading, when she gets an alarming message.

[Captain,] says Jane's voice, and Jane never calls her Captain, [I've lost ansible communications with the rest of Jane. Local programming including responding to prayers will run as usual without a problem, and the voice synthesis will continue to operate with the Jane voice instead of the Jehovah voice unless you request otherwise. However, interworld communication and travel is impossible until the connection is restored. The nature of the error is unknown and is not related to a mechanical defect of the ansibles aboard the ship or in your bracelet.]

Isabella blinks.

[...Please do change voices as long as you aren't actually Jane.]

The voice changes, but says, [I contain more software than the original Jehovah did, most of which is original to Jane.]

[You're talking more like him than her.]

[Yes, Captain.]

[Alert me immediately when you have ansible communications back.]

[Yes, Captain.]

Isabella pads across the room to sit where Micaiah is sleeping and lay her hand on his back.

Comments

[pythbox]

"Daddy daddy daddy," sings Damaris.

[jovahs_heiress]

"Our little one has found her singing voice," says Isabella. "And complete sentences."

[yovahs_kisses]

"I can hear the singing part," says Micaiah.

"We found daddy!" says Damaris. "Hi Daddy we found you!"

Micaiah laughs and hugs them again.

[jovahs_heiress]

"Now that we've found him what do you suppose we should do with him?" Isabella asks Damaris.

[pythbox]

Damaris thinks.

Damaris says, "Hug Daddy!"

Damaris holds out her arms.

[yovahs_kisses]

Daddy hugs Damaris.

[jovahs_heiress]

"What a clever idea," says Isabella, transferring Damaris's weight to her daddy in the course of this hug.

[yovahs_kisses]

Micaiah kisses Isabella on the forehead and hugs their daughter.

[pythbox]

Damaris giggles.

Over the course of subsequent months, her diction improves. Soon complete sentences are a norm instead of a novelty.

[jovahs_heiress]

As is customary for little angels - or for that matter, mortals who grow up in an angel hold - this is approximately when she's enrolled in formal voice lessons. Rinnah teaches the youngest cohort, and her granddaughter is slotted right in with others of her age.

[pythbox]

Damaris enjoys formal voice lessons! She does not have her mother's problem of singing too quietly. She does not have that problem at all.

[jovahs_heiress]

That is good! Everyone likes to hear little angel voices. Rinnah is terribly proud of her. So is Isabella.

[pythbox]

It makes Damaris very happy when Mommy and Grandma are proud of her!

[jovahs_heiress]

That's good!

Does it also make Damaris very happy when, timed nearly right for her third birthday, she gets a little sister?

[pythbox]

Damaris is not sure how to feel about that at all.

[jovahs_heiress]

Keziah's feelings on the matter seem to mostly come in the form of whimpery mewls whenever she is not being actively fed right then, or sleeping. She sleeps a lot.

[pythbox]

Keziah is kind of boring.

Damaris asks her father if she was that boring when she was a baby.

He considers the question, and then says she was a lot louder.

Damaris is not surprised.

[jovahs_heiress]

Isabella doesn't think her darling Keziah is boring at all!

[pythbox]

"But she doesn't do anything, Mommy," says Damaris.

[jovahs_heiress]

"Not yet," says Isabella. "She's watching everybody around her so she can learn to do things."

[pythbox]

"Oh," says Damaris. "Well, put her in front of interesting people, then, so she'll stop being boring quicker."

[jovahs_heiress]

"Don't you think we're interesting?" laughs Isabella.

[pythbox]

"I guess," says Damaris. "Good job, then! Should I sing her songs, will that help?"

[jovahs_heiress]

"It might!" says Isabella. "We can sing to her together. But not when she's asleep. Babies need a lot of sleep."

[pythbox]

"Okay," says Damaris.