Fantasy- Updates Exist Sporadically

Day One

T/W: Cor almost has a panic attack.

Cor watched Fred wake up. The process started with slight shifts in position—his limbs realizing it was time to start moving before he did. His eyelids started to flicker, then he opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He focused on Cor, and his expression went from confused to recognition in a split second. Fascinating.

"Hey, Cor," he mumbled.

"Hello."

"'m s'prised you're up a'ready."

"I'm not used to falling back asleep once I've woken."

"Hmm," his eyes closed. "Wake me when Mom gets up, 'kay?"

"I can do that."

"Thanks," and he was asleep again.

Cor watched the parents' door, listening for any movement. He didn't know how long he waited, but eventually small sounds began to come from the room. Then, Fred's mother appeared in the doorway, her eyes immediately latching onto him.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning," he repeated, not knowing what the greeting meant exactly. Was it a foretelling of a good morning? A sign that this morning was already good? Or to have a good morning?

She moved into the area on the opposite side—with the long tables and storage areas. He couldn't see what she was doing, but there was a lot of shuffling and she appeared rather concentrated. He reached over and gripped Fred's shoulder.

"Fred, your mother is awake."

Fred mumbled something unintelligible.

"Fred," he repeated, firmer.

"I'm up, I'm up," he sat up and rubbed his eyes, then stretched. He stood up and joined his mother in the other area. She asked for water and Fred disappeared out of the door with a long, narrow, bowl-like container on a thin metal piece. The mother reappeared, and Cor could see she had a box in one hand and a large bowl. He watched, curious to find out what she would do. However, she only placed them on a long table before disappearing into her room. Then there was only silence.

Cor didn't move as he waited for Fred, or for his mother. He didn't want to do something wrong and be forced to leave. Fred was the first to come back. The cylinder— "a bucket, Cor," he was told when he asked—was full of water, which he put on one of the long tables. Then he joined Cor on the floor, "We're waiting for Mom. She'll make breakfast."

He didn't know what "breakfast" was, but he assumed it had to do with the box, the large bowl, and the water.

Eventually, Fred's mother came back and poured most of the water into the bowl, then shook out powder from the box into it. Next, she started to move it in strange circles on the table-like thing, until she stopped to put her hands in the mixture. Cor didn't know why, but when she removed her hands they were covered in a strange white substance. She used the rest of the water to rinse off her hands in the sink, then grabbed three small bowls and a cup from another storage area inside the table things. She poured the white stuff into each, gave a bowl to Fred, the cup to Cor, and carried the last two into the other room. She re-emerged with just one and joined Fred and Cor on the floor.

"Thank you, Mom," Fred said.

"Thank you," Cor repeated.

His mother nodded, then both her and Fred lifted their bowls to their lips and drank the weird substance. Cor copied with the cup and tasted "breakfast". It was thick, and he had to chew it a little bit. There was no taste. But he knew what is was.