In Jennie's definitely unbiased opinion, Jisoo has too many habits that make her the cutest girl in the world.
Here are just a few of her favorites:
one:
Mornings aren't the best, the vampiress especially can attest to that. But luckily, they have 'Sunshine Time' before school. Just as the gentle morning rays peep through the curtains, Jennie dutifully rouses little puppy, peppering kisses over soft ears, feeling her actions prompt a string of tiny yawns, one big stretch, and the groggiest little mumble of "luv u mummie". Jennie's heart sings at the sound of her title, and she tells her Jichu that she'll never stop loving her too. They brush their teeth, but before they even think about getting ready for the big day of learning ahead, Jennie's bent forward with Jisoo's both hands around her wrist as she toddles over to the window.
She's aimed for her favorite spot in the house, other than the play room, of course. It's a homemade bed thing that Jennie had crafted from an old duvet and some spare blankets. Jennie thinks it kind of looks like a dog bed, but she only smiles when Jisoo gravitates towards it, knowing the penny will drop when little puppy is older. Within minutes, they're in their routine position; Jichu snuggled into her blankies and the vampiress sitting right where the light draws the line into darkness. Jennie's knees hurt sometimes from the strain of how she's sitting– staying in the dark but also reaching over as much as she can to give Jisoo the head pats she deserves (and whines if she doesn't constantly get).
Because it's still relatively early in the morning, Jennie more often than not finds that Jisoo's checked into Dreamland yet again. An adoring sigh leaves her as she detaches herself and lightly pads over to the wardrobe to get her uniform out while her snoozy puppy snores lightly in her puddle of sunshine.
They'll pack lunch together.
. . . . .
two:
Jisoo's sense of smell is vigorous, which is great because it's also how she shows affection. Sometimes, Jennie will find herself with a chestful of mopey puppy in the middle of the day while she's doing whatever she's doing. She presses her nose into Jennie's clothes, or even just her collarbone and takes lungfuls of her mommy's scent.
"What's the matter, puppy?" she coos, gently tilting her sniffling Jichu away from her.
Jisoo's too upset to talk. She wriggles, wanting to latch on again. But Jennie won't give in. Not yet.
She takes the tip of a velvet ear between her fingers, giving it a few soft rolls and watching erratic breathing calm down. Truthfully, there's no need to even ask what the matter is. Those teary eyes can hide nothing from her.
So she resigns, letting Jisoo quietly cuddle into her front.
"It's math homework, isn't it?"
There's a small nod against her followed by heavy inhales. The vampiress whispers to her baby until the hiccups even out and Jisoo is sound asleep. They'll work on those equations later on.
Jennie swears if math was a person, they'd rue the day they ever hurt her Jichu.
. . . . .
three:
On a slightly more serious note, Jennie has had to have some talks with her baby about self-assurance and dignity. It was on a walk one afternoon, and Jisoo had seen some other kids over by the swings.
"Swings! Push Chu?"
Jisoo is always this excited about swings. Swingy Time gets her Jichu just as hyper as Swimmy Time. Jennie holds her hand as they approach the swingset, ready to wait their turn. She looks down to see a tail held high, poking from underneath the seam of her puffy winter coat, something she learnt puppies do when they're feeling friendly and happy.
That is, until Jisoo realizes that, on second thought, she... didn't really want to go on the swings after all.
As they near, the vampiress swallows a surprised gasp when Jisoo just... anchors herself to the ground. It takes her a while to figure it out, but when she observes closer, the problem shows itself larger than life.
They're not hybrids, just regular children.
A pang of heartache twists into her chest as she watches tiny hands move at the speed of light, furiously tucking her tail up and under her coat so it's way out of sight before making grabs with outstretched arms at the baseball cap on Jennie's head.
She knows what Jisoo is doing, but she asks anyway, ready to teach her. "Why, baby?"
Guilty ears flip back and sadly droop down. Jisoo knows she's been read, but she can't help it! Those kids are going to run away if they see gross dog ears sticking out of her head!
"G-gib Jichu," she pouts, quickly remembering her manners when Jennie raises a brow down at her, "pl-please... mummie."
"You're hiding your ears, aren't you?" The vampiress crouches. "Chu-ah, don't do that. Don't hide those cute ears and that happy tail. mommy loves those so much."
Jisoo is all but convinced. "You may like it, mummie, but– "when they see, they say Jichu's weird."
It's time to be firm, and Jennie holds a pouting puppy still. "Look at me, baby."
Teary eyes meet hers.
"Those kids are not going to make fun of you. And if they do, then mommy won't be happy with them. And you know what that means, right?"
Jisoo can't hide her evil smirk. Extra brussel sprouts for their dinners.
"You're not weird for having these," she emphasises her point by smoothing a warm, chocolate ear and Jisoo's eyes begin to close. She squeaks when Jennie moves to untuck her tail from the base of her coat. "Or this."
She'll save the real talks about self-esteem and insecurities for when her puppy is older, but for now, Jisoo just needs to know that her mommy will have her back, come what may.
Hand in hand, they make their way over to the swings and the playing children. And aside from the initial blatant questioning about where she got those added features, Jisoo made a few new friends at the park that day.
(Jennie was ever ready to pounce at the slightest hint of mean-spiritedness she felt– but she realized that it was just that no beating around the bush way that kids ask questions).
. . . . .
four:
Oh, oh, okay. So Jisoo is a nervous little puppy as much as she's a friendly one, right? And Jennie finds that hilarious and heart-wrenching all at once when she watches her pup trying to make new friends but can't seem to find the right way to introduce herself. It takes all her cooperating brain cells to not either roll about laughing or scoop the little thing up and smother her in reassuring kisses when the 'I'm Shy, It'z Me' stance comes out.
Ears pressed flat, eyes burrowed into the ground, tail stiffer than a wooden plank.
The other hybrid kid pokes unsure, searching sniffs at the air around her, clearly very interested in becoming friends.
"Aigo, you need a boost, don't you baby", Jennie coos, coming up with her magic hands to help her relax. "Jichu, come on. Say hello."
She gives her shivering puppy a few butt pats to ease the tension. "Aigo, Seulgi won't bite. Look, she's curling her tail! She wants to play with you, Jichu!"
A coffee-coloured ear springs back up, curiously folding over as Jisoo cocks her head. Seulgi wants to play too? She quickly glances back up at her mommy, as if double-checking with her that that really was the case.
"Mhm," the vampiress assures with a few more tail pats of encouragement. "What have we said about manners, Chu? What do we do when someone's happy to see us?"
Jisoo pauses for a second, but eventually looks up with soft, shiny eyes, whispering, "wag tail, mommy."
Jennie thinks Jisoo's innocence in situations like these is astounding, but she knows she's got the right idea. She smiles and nods in affirmative praise.
"We show them we're happy to see them too–
– so yes, puppy, wag tail."
"Good girl! Go on, you can do it." Her comforting presence takes a flame to the frozen fluff, and it begins to swish back and forth. Tentatively at first, but then like a speedboat motor, a couple hours later when they're frolicking in the park, playing tag and one hundred percent best friends now.
Jennie and Irene watch from afar, wondering how those silly kids were ever so shy in front of each other in the first place.
. . . . .
five:
If Jennie has one complaint, it would be the misfortune of physical growth. The vampiress misses the times where her arm span alone was enough to wrap puppy in a burrito hug during movie nights or... whenever a set of curious eyes spied her mommy's arms lacking in... well, her. Unfortunately nowadays it's a bit harder to cocoon her baby like she used to so easily do, only because Jisoo's sprouted a few inches skywards. But Jisoo doesn't know that. She still thinks she's as little as she was when her mommy had spooked her and taken her home that night.
And Jennie'd be damned if she ever changed that.
. . . . .
six:
Turns out that one way ticket to Nibble City was actually an All Seasons VIP Pass, because Jisoo is unstoppable.
Whenever she finds something she really, really loves, she does these little nibbles on them to show it. And it isn't just limited to her dino-shaped butter biscuits or Dalgomie either. There are many things she loves! mommy the most, of course. And then there are the inanimate objects.
As much as Jennie doesn't mind it, Jichu's habit can prove to be a challenge. Especially when she finds the corners of pillowcases suspiciously frayed when she's having guests over, or when she's trying to stir Lisa's favourite kimchi soup, only to pick up the wooden ladle and find its handle all wet and indented with tiny teeth.
"Jisoo-ah!" she calls... in that tone.
That tone that soon has muffled, panicked thuds reverberating through the house as a little someone makes a break for her toy fort where she'll be safe from the dragon's wrath.
She thinks she's so slick until the dragon herself barges through that door, effortlessly bypassing all Jisoo's meticulous booby traps and her blue blanket moat. Her castle, her safehold has just been ruined! All lines of defense defeated by the monster herself!
Her fort is under siege, so like any good ruler, Jisoo resorts to playing the deadest of dead. It's never very effective though, because with just a few tickles, the dragon is able to conjure an innocent little puppy back to life.
"Jichu...."
"Yis, mummie?" she replies, giggling softly.
And then the dragon's gone and her mommy is back all of a sudden.
Jennie shakes her head at how easy it is for Jisoo to make her forget why she was mad in the first place.
. . . . .
There are so many more things to list, and the vampiress could go on for centuries about Jisoo's endearing quirks.
So perhaps she will, but for now, it's time for a dino-shaped butter biscuit and some cuddles.
See you soon!