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Early morning was peaceful at the house where Topaz and Breeze had their residence at Sunnyside Royal Academy.
Or it would have been if it weren't for the clink of metal and the muffled cursing coming from the living room as Topaz sat cross-legged on the floor surrounded by cardboard boxes, protective wrapping, and various pieces made of metal, crystal, or fabric, a plain white sheet of instructions sitting in his lap and the usual cup of coffee near at hand.
His fourteen-month-old nephew, Amethyst, was seated next to him so he could watch the small and curious child. The perambulator Topaz was attempting to construct was meant for him, but he wasn't having a great time with it. The instructions were confusing him.
'Attach the wheels to the bottom legs,' he muttered under his breath, picking up one of the bottom legs and then immediately getting lost as six different wheels of various sizes met his view.
'Oh come on,' he said, picking up one of the wheels and inspecting it to determine if it would fit. 'Why does this thing need six wheels? It's for one child.'
There was a sudden noise behind him, and Topaz swivelled around to see his roommate and best friend, Breeze, the groundskeeper, simultaneously catching up Amethyst in one arm and with the other snatching up the cup of hot coffee the inquisitive toddler had just been reaching for.
'You should really get rid of that,' admonished Breeze, setting the coffee down next to Topaz and sitting on the couch with Amethyst, bouncing him on his knee to keep him entertained.
'I haven't finished it,' complained Topaz absentmindedly.
'Well then drink it before somebody gets his hand burned,' said Breeze. 'What are you even doing anyway?'
'Building a pram for Amethyst. I thought it would be easier to take him for walks and things, rather than having to carry him in the front carrier the whole way.'
'And how's that going?' asked Breeze, a hint of amusement in his voice.
'I just started!'
'Liar. I know how early you got up today. You ought to sleep more.'
'Glass houses, glass houses, Breeze.'
'Touché.'
'Anyways, can you help me? I'm lost.'
'What if I do it and you handle your nephew?' said Breeze, kneeling next to the taller man and exchanging the young child for the instruction sheet.
Topaz stood up, stretching his stiff muscles and switching Amethyst to his other arm so he could grab the coffee cup, and walked outside. Taking a sip, he watched the sun slowly rise higher in the sky while Amethyst grabbed onto the fabric of Topaz's shirt in his fist and resolutely started chewing on it.
'Hey, hey, little one,' Topaz said, drinking down the last of his coffee and hastily shoving it into one of his trouser pockets. 'Don't do that...'
Picking up his nephew in both of his hands and setting him down on the pathway, Topaz let the child toddle along, holding one of his hands, the sunlight sparkling over the crystalline purple strands of his hair and matching the bright lustre of his eyes.
Such a beautiful boy.
Topaz felt a glow of paternal pride, then sobered as he remembered his brother-in-law, Malachite, and the reason he had to care for Amethyst and the man Malachite would never see him grow into. A mood that was broken by the sound of Breeze manoeuvring the completed pram down the front steps.
'I finished it,' Breeze stated, perhaps a little too obviously. Topaz raised an eyebrow as he realised his friend was gently teasing him, but decided it wasn't fitting to antagonise him about it.
'Thanks, Breeze,' he said simply, picking Amethyst up and clicking him into the seat.
'Do you want to go for a walk, Amethyst?'
'Hǎo!' babbled the child, waving his arms around.
'Okay, okay,' said Topaz. 'Say goodbye to Breeze before we go!'
Amethyst waved a fist vaguely in Breeze's direction and then the two of them took off. Topaz took a rather long route, scenic and full of hills, thoroughly enjoying himself, when suddenly the small musical chime of his chryslyt sounded from his back pocket.
Taking his hands off the perambulator momentarily to swipe the code to open it, he saw the incoming call was from his sister, Obsidian. His eyebrows contracted in a frown as he pressed to allow the call through, hoping that this wasn't about anything serious or urgent.
The moment her hologram appeared, Obsidian started talking:
'How's Amethyst? I've not been able to sleep wondering about him...'
'Sidia, Sidia... relax,' said Topaz. 'Amethyst is perfectly fine, Breeze and I built him—' Topaz cut off suddenly as he noticed the terrifying sight of the pram starting to roll forward and down the hillside.
'I'm going to have to call back; something came up. But trust me, everything's okay.'
'No, don't just—'
Quickly terminating the call, Topaz shoved the chryslyt into his back pocket and sprinted after the perambulator, which was rapidly gaining speed even on this gentle hill. His heart in his mouth, he ran after it, trying to catch up.
Meanwhile, Amethyst laughed and waved both arms around, kicking his feet with excitement at the fast-moving sensation. Topaz weighed his options; though constructing a barrier would be the simplest plan, having Amethyst smash into a wall was not ideal. The best option was just to run after it and hope his physical conditioning was enough to keep pace with it before it tipped or ran into something.
Taking deep breaths, he tried to focus on lengthening his strides and maintaining control of his arms as he chased after the runaway pram. Anxiety felt like an additional weight pulling him down, and he knew he couldn't let it affect him, at least not right now.
Tranquillity of mind and emotions so he could pour all his energy into the physical exertion. After several minutes of running, however, even he was flagging. He had gained ground on the pram, but there was no way he could keep this up for much longer.
He had to, anyway, to keep his nephew safe.
Maintaining his pace, he noted that the pram had reached the bottom and was rolling along the flatter part. Keeping after it, he reached the bottom of the hill just as the pram's momentum tried to carry it up the next hill and stopped.
And, ever so gently, started to roll backwards.
Lunging forwards, Topaz grabbed onto one of the handles, but his haste slipped him up, his poor balance jerking the pram off to the side. Reacting more on instinct than conscious thought, he twisted his body under the pram and landed hard on the ground, the pram and the child landing on his chest.
'Ouch,' he said tiredly, just lying on the ground catching his breath while Amethyst, protected by the straps of his seat and Topaz's body, just looked at him in silence, those big purple eyes showing not fear, only utter confusion. Topaz managed a weak smile and unclicked Amethyst from the seat, sitting his nephew on his chest.
'I got you, little one.'
Lying there, flat on the ground, Topaz suddenly became aware of a sharp object poking into his side. Pushing the pram off him, he reached down and encountered ceramic.
Oh right. The coffee cup he'd shoved into his pocket; he'd forgotten about it, and it had broken in his fall.
Maybe Breeze was right and he ought to give up coffee…?
Then he shook his head and dismissed the thought.
No, Breeze was definitely wrong.