[PRP] A Quiet Surprise (FIN)

[Seth_Avi]

Well, this was certainly a rare occasion. Unprecedented even, if he though about it. A small while ago when Seth was outside he had gotten a mental prod from his teacher saying to make sure that he and Dacj stayed home (of course, she hadn't specified 'which' home, so he assumed she'd meant the treehouse that they were currently at). When he'd tried asking 'why?' back he'd received no response, and a curious attempt at prodding back yielded a shielded mind. He could only assume that she was coming their way, but what news might she have that she would need to make the trip over for rather than just tell him from a distance?

To pass the time a bit more effectively, Seth was currently helping to tidy up the 'living room' a bit. Since he was back inside of the shielded home there wouldn't be any further telepathic communication until once the merwoman was here and inside, but if she were to have trouble getting up the ladder for some reason she did also have their phone number. Even if the thing seemed to be rarely used.

[AnimeEyeshime]

Dacj was practically bouncing on her tentacles with excitement. After Seth had relayed his conversation with Reira some weeks back, she'd been very hopeful that finally they would get the chance they'd wanted, to raise a child. Of course, there'd been some worrying too - yes, she'd tackled Seth as a project, but helping Seth come to terms with his past was rather a lot different than helping an orphaned child, let alone one she wanted to come to see her as a mother... And now that Reira had contacted him again, even if she wouldn't say why, Dacj was sure it had something to do with that promise to help them find a child.

Still, while Seth was helping tidy, she couldn't help but sneak over to the windows periodically to glance through the curtains, hoping to see the merwoman's familiar form walking across the backyard from the Cottage out to them. And after some time, Dacj was rewarded with that sight...and something following her that looked to be small and white. Hmmm... "Seth? I think Reira's nearly here..."

[Seth_Avi]

Honestly part of the reason that Seth had chosen to start tidying up was to keep him from constantly peeking through the window himself. He rather preferred not to feed his curiosity to the point of distraction... Of course, just how well that plan worked was debatable, as he was most certainly still distracted as he cleaned, wondering what news the merwoman might be bringing them.

It seemed that they might not be wondering for much longer. "Ah?" he replied, turning off the hand-held vacuum and setting down the pillow he'd been working on (his paws and tail could shed a surprising amount most times; their need to vacuum fabrics was fairly often). "Well then, we should go ahead and welcome her, yes?" Seth put away the small vacuum again before moving to open the front door and step outside. [Hello, Reira,] he greeted from a distance. [Hope the trip over here wasn't too rough.] Traffic could be quite a pain most times. The cheetah Hyte's eyes were drawn quickly to the small white form following behind her. Was that a... wolf pup? Briefly his mind was drawn back to thoughts of Haevan, but no, that definitely wasn't a de-aged version of the wolf Hyte. The eyes were a different color, for one thing, and for another he doubted that his teacher had ever even met his old friend. So did that mean that was an actual wolf puppy that was following her, or... an Arrouna? Suddenly Seth's mind was a small explosion of excited and nervous thoughts, though he tried to shield the worst of it away. Best not to jump to any conclusions just yet.

[You know Gaia has pet stores too, right?] he remarked as a meek joke, but still, he was almost painfully curious now. Certainly he could check and see for himself just how 'sentient' the small canine was, buuuut he also didn't wish to pry, just in case it actually was a shape-shifter and not just an ordinary animal. Hm, that did leave a slight dilemma with the ladder though... Unless Dacj were to carry, but then they had to be cautious of her tentacle hooks. Well, actually, he supposed she didn't technically need both hands to climb, so that could maybe work after all.

[AnimeEyeshime]

Dacj followed Seth outside onto the porch of the treehouse, raising herself to see over the railing a bit better as Seth handled the greetings. Her thoughts led her almost immediately to the conclusion that Seth had reached as well: was that wolf pup...an Arrouna? It wasn't like the merwoman had any reason to bring them a wolf, of all things, even a small and very cute one. Her fingers itched to touch the new fur, but to curb the impulse she reached for Seth's hand instead, stroking it lightly to reassure him, and herself. She didn't think Reira would come back with a possible child so quickly...and wasn't it asking a lot of the child to come all the way here? What if they didn't hit things off well?

---

Reira stopped at the foot of the ladder, stooping slightly to touch the top of the white pup's head. She was silent, but an exchange had seemingly occurred, the way she nodded to herself and the wolf yawned and curled up at the foot of the tree. [Obviously it does. You came from one,] Reira replied to Seth with a mental smirk, starting to climb the ladder. [Tobin will be staying outside for the moment. I would like to speak with you and your wife inside.]

[Seth_Avi]

Some of Seth's thoughts wandered along similar, shielded trails as he gave Dacj's hand a very light squeeze. He was pretty much sure by now that the young wolf following her was an Arrouna (or at least some other type of shape-shifting race), but if that was the case then it did seem rather sudden to be bringing him or her here to Gaia. He assumed there was some sort of special circumstance going on? [Touché,] he replied with a vaguely amused smile at her return pet-store quip. Granted, it was more of a lab than just an average 'store', but still, the point remained the same. [And of course. Please, come right in.] So his name was Tobin? (At least, he assumed a 'he' by the name itself.) That was good to know. He stored the name away for later as the three made their way back inside the tree house.

"So... you wished to speak with us?" Seth asked once the door was closed, speaking aloud for his wife's benefit. Sure, he could technically relay any telepathic conversation to her, but speaking aloud was just as easy in this case. It wasn't as if they had to worry about anyone eavesdropping through the shielded home.

[AnimeEyeshime]

"Mm. As I told you before, it was likely a child in a position to be adopted would have certain setbacks," Reira began, one of her arms cradling the other. "But I felt the child's personality in this case would match quite well with both your temperaments, and so the risk of transporting him all the way here was merited. If the 'adoption' part of this does not quite work out...which I feel is a quite slim risk...at the least, I think being around loving, supportive adults will be helpful for him, and your situation offers unique advantages to taking care of him. Tobin refuses to shift back to his humanoid Arrouna form."

-----
Dacj hadn't had the benefit of the exchange prior, so the wolf's gender was itself a surprise, and she listened quietly to Reira's quick explanations. She was so confident in having found the right child, she'd decided to bring him, seemed to be the gist of it. And while she fervently hoped, for her own sake and more importantly for Seth's, that adoption would prove to be the path by which they could get the family they desired, she would resign herself to perhaps letting him go if that was what he needed...once they'd helped him?

As Reira got to her final point, the kraken's mouth opened slightly in an 'ooooh.' It did make rather more sense that way. Dacj wouldn't be offput by parenting a puppy, Seth's telepathy made more than rudimentary communication possible... She imagined the 'solution' then, was getting him to shift back eventually. By then he'd probably know whether or not he'd want to stay with Dacj and Seth. "So are you asking if we're capable of handling the situation? I think we could make it work," Dacj said, tilting her head to one side as she glanced to Seth. This was their chance, right? She trusted Reira to be right about the personality meshing.

[Seth_Avi]

Ah, that explained quite a bit, actually (such as why the other was even in wolf form at the moment in the first place). It was true though, awkwardness of the tree-house ladder aside, they were in a fairly good position to handle such a situation. The obvious telepathy and fur advantages aside, both he and Dacj were more than used to dealing with animals with human levels of intelligence (hello Hyte babies + over half of his 'siblings' back at home). "Tobin is welcome here for as long as he wishes to stay with us," Seth replied with a small smile. [Um, concerning language though... I'm assuming he doesn't speak Imperial Common?] Not that Seth minded 'learning' another language if necessary, but it couldn't hurt to get the matter squared away. [... Or does he already know English?] If so, then ouch. The poor thing. Language acquisition in one false swoop was not a remotely fun thing...

[AnimeEyeshime]

[He does not,] Reira confirmed. [Understandably, he wanted to meet you both himself before committing to having a language dumped in his head. He does know mainlander Threadinian, which Dacj might know a few words of? Thoughts do surpass language.] And she suspected Dacj as a physical person would come across just fine without Tobin being able to understand quite what she was saying, though Seth could always translate until he picked up on more of the language naturally. "I am glad to hear it. Now, as for the meeting...the ground may be a good place to start."

Dacj chuckled. "There is a rope and pulley system in the back for hauling, but if he's afraid of heights...well. That might be another consideration, we'd best find that out quickly."

[Seth_Avi]

[If it would help the transition any I would not mind learning some of his own language,] Seth offered, though he couldn't necessarily make the same claim on Dacj's behalf. Even if the language barrier wasn't strictly an issue for telepathy... well, it might help to hear some more of his own tongue on occasion as he tried to adapt to life on a foreign world? This wasn't exactly a small thing for any of them, but especially not for the boy.

"For now it may be better to just go down to ground level," he agreed. Pausing at the door, he asked, "Ah, just out of curiosity, about how old is Tobin exactly?" That he was young was obvious from his puppy form outside, but that didn't really tell them how young he was. Nor did he have any idea how Arrouna aged in comparison to humans.

[AnimeEyeshime]

[I will keep that in mind as well,] Reira thought back, with a small smile. It would have to be in shifts, if both of them wished to acquire it fully, unless perhaps Philomena would watch during the brief incapacitation and the ensuing headaches. "And he is about ten years of age. The Arrouna's wolven bodies age at the slower rate of their human ones, though their inherent magic does offer them a bit of a 'youth freeze' once they reach full maturity, for a few decades." So he was older than both of them by quite a lot, but it would be a long time before his emotional maturity would reach theirs.

--
Dacj led the 'charge' out the door, tentacles roiling over one another as she surged to the ladder, taking a little more care on the climb down so as not to fall on her rump. Any fears she might've had about making a fool of herself in front of a prospective son were for naught though; the wolf pup was still soundly fast asleep. And adorable. She pulled away from the ladder with something of a muffled whimper/squee. So cute...so rude to touch a sleeping person when you were a total stranger. Dilemmas...

[elfgurl1234]

So essentially he would grow at the speed of a human and then stay appearing as a young adult for a while, sort of how Hytes (presumably) did. Good to know. "Understood." Well, time to get going then.

Seth followed Dacj out the door, letting her climb down the ladder first before following after. He wasn't quite sure what to do though when he saw that the wolf pup was asleep. Poor thing must have been exhausted from the trip... He ventured to give the other the lightest of mental prods before thinking better of it and pulling back again. [Should we just let him sleep for now?] Seth asked, looking to Reira with concern. He wasn't sure how good of a fist impression it would make to be waking him up from a potentially much-needed nap...

[AnimeEyeshime]

Reira chuckled at the concern. But perhaps she should not laugh too much; he did not know the boy at all. [This is his fourth quick nap today, and he spent most of yesterday catching up on the sleep lost from the journey. He sleeps to pass the time, I think, and from what I have observed, he can sleep near about anywhere.] The temptations of the pillows in the treehouse's living room would prove dangerous, she was guessing. Or perhaps Tobin would build a tolerance.

--
The featherlight mental touch was enough to send the wolf pup yawning, shields warily going up as his mind regained consciousness. Though the merlady had 'shown' him these people she was taking him to, and he'd glimpsed them up above when they'd come out to greet her, this was his first time seeing them so closely...though he caught their scent long before he bothered to open his eyes. The woman smelled a bit...fishy, like ocean fishy, but the scent was mixed with some kind of light perfume and a faint sort of spicy smell mixed with...smoke? It was different than the way the merlady smelled for sure. The man of course had a distinctly feline undertone to his scent, mixed in with a sort of homey earthiness that reminded Tobin a little of the forests back home. His blue eyes blinked open, curious. Their scents hadn't bothered him, and they looked okay. The wriggly things on the woman were a bit strange even to his experience, but he'd seen Mau'vri before.

--
Upon seeing the wolf wake, Dacj inched ever so slightly closer, hand somewhat extended. For him to sniff, of course. Not at all for stealth pettings. Nope.

[Seth_Avi]

So, he was sort of like a bigger and furrier version of Mirth then. Got it. The cheetah Hyte's attention turned back down to their 'guest' as he yawned, surprised that such a light poke had actually woken him. Well, at least they wouldn't have to worry about having trouble waking him. "Hello," he greeted with a meek smile before remembering that the young Arrouna didn't understand any English. [It is a pleasure to meet you, Tobin. My name is Seth, and this is my wife, Dacj. I'm sorry that coming to meet us has brought you so far away from home.] Even if a trip through a portal made travel infinitely easier, that didn't mean that they weren't still very very far away from any of the lands of Phanes right now. He eyed the kraken Hyte beside him, vaguely amused at the hand extension. It was killing her not to be petting him right now, wasn't it; he could tell as much even without checking her thoughts.

[AnimeEyeshime]

The wolf's head tilted slightly to one side in a vain attempt to better 'hear' the phantom 'sound' of a voice in his head. Though the merwoman had spoken to him plenty in this manner, it was different hearing a man's voice instead of hers. But it gave him names. "Seth." "Dacj." The second was slightly more familiar to the tongue he knew, and he blinked. Was she from Phanes? The merwoman had said they didn't know much of the language, but they knew something of the culture, but he'd been too shy to ask why or how, though if they were all friends... [Hello,] he thought back, the way the merwoman had taught him to in order to 'speak' with her. [It's okay. I wanted to go someplace new.] A bit cautious, he inched forward slowly, one paw following the other as he edged towards these people who had offered to take him in. He wasn't really sure what the woman--Dacj--was trying to do with that hand of hers... Maybe she thought it would be like a handshake, to let him sniff? Then it would be polite to do so, he was sure...

--
Closer...closer...her tentacle tips twisted in a tiny circle in anticipation, as the wolf pup 'took the bait', scenting her hand and getting just barely within reach. She didn't want to frighten him with a sudden touch, but at the same time, seeing the fur so closely... Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission, right? She touched the tip of his ear, stroking it softly, and the pup froze beneath her hand. Her own breath stilled - crap, did she scare him?

A tense moment passed, before Tobin lifted his head just enough to put the ear properly back in petting reach, and she breathed a sigh of relief, reaching to scritch him under the ear very gently. [Tell him thank you for me, Seth,] she mentally murmured, sounding rather enraptured.

[Seth_Avi]

Seth's ears gave a light twitch automatically at the sound of the new voice addressing him. He would need to remember to let Dacj 'listen' later since she wouldn't be able to hear any of this conversation firsthand for herself. He had to admit he was vaguely amused by the Arrouna's reply though. [I imagine it's hard to get much more 'new' than traveling to a foreign world.] Not that he hadn't done the same himself on several occasions now, but never with the intent to stay. That was a bit more than he could ever see himself doing.

He stayed quiet and watched as the wolf pup hesitantly approached Dacj's hand, and sure enough the kraken Hyte just couldn't keep herself from reaching for his ear. Fortunately, after the tense moment had passed, Tobin seemed to be amenable to the petting. [Will do,] he replied to her request before turning his thoughts back toward their guest. [She says thank you. If the petting is making you uncomfortable though, please let me know and I'll ask her to stop. ... If it makes you feel any better she's been doing the same to me pretty much since the day we met. And with basically any other furred person she meets...] Or feathers. Or any kind of texture that she might deem interesting. No need to really go into the details just yet though.