[PRP] Mum and Son ((Loveless & Corsant)) -fin-

[Tweekend]

Motherhood was a remarkable thing. Despite all of her foul behavior towards Antony, whether truly in grumpiness or for general fun, Loveless always found herself completely infatuated and loving towards her children.

Perhaps it was her own upraising that kept her from playing around too much with her children, or fear of them leaving her out of spite or misunderstanding.. either way, she loved any time she could spend with them to catch up on their exciting lives. As she and Antony got older they were finding happiness and solace in just being around each other, but sometimes it was fun to hear what the 'young' ones were up to.

Today she was lucky enough to catch up with Corsant, who she was patiently waiting for near their living quarters. Instead of dragging Antony who was content and comfortable resting by their stream today, she walked up the trail and told Corsant they could have some privacy as they walked along the forest. She was interested to hear what he was up to these days.
 

[Cajmera]

If asked, Corsant would be proud to acknowledge his kalona blood. He was proud of his wings, and his horns, and the large body that he was still growing into. He loved learning to fight, and few things made him as excited as the chance to practice his skills on one of siblings or his cousin. But although he was a cliched teenager when it came to getting into as many fights as he possibly could, he also loved his mummy!

At the moment, he was in a very good mood. He'd had a great fight with Guirien this morning, which he'd won; he'd then caught up with his best friend, Mariasha, and they'd had a great time together hanging out, even if she DID make his take a bath first thing. Mari was cool in lots of ways, but she was weird when it came to cleanliness. The upshot was that he was very clean for getting together with his mother, though; even his mane was in a pristine state!

He had been hopping from one foot to another as he waited for her, and even now that they were on their way he was still bouncing along. It was such a good day! "Mom, did I tell you that I totally beat Guirien today? He was all like this, and I was all like that, and I WON! Mari didn't think it was that big a deal, but it so for sure was!" Adrenaline and energy were Cor's dominant traits right now, but this shouldn't surprise anyone who knew him.  

[Tweekend]

Loveless missed that youthful energy. That feeling of overtaking everything in the world, feeling limitless and invincible. Even if her world was more chaotic as a youth, she remembered all the emotions that came with feeling the strength Corsant was proud of. Their blood was the best, after all. What a beautiful mix her children had become.

"Wow- I'm not surprised that you did." Even knowing her son's strength, she felt a bit of nervousness at the thought of him being so active... "Why didn't Mari think it was a big deal? You must win a lot, then." She chuckled at him and then scanned her brain for who Mari was and felt herself blanking.

"Is Mari a new friend or training partner? I don't think I have met them."
 

[Cajmera]

As a matter of fact, Corsant had never discussed Mariasha with his mother in specific. She wasn't a secret, of course, and hadn't been since her initial novelty had worn off after their first meeting back when they were foals. Now, he would happily discuss his best friend with anyone and everyone, though most often with Guirien. But the opportunity hadn't really come up before to talk to his mother about her, as he tended to get distracted by other concerns before they crossed paths again. Today, with him having come straight from hanging out with Mari to spending time was Loveless, was a novelty.

He hadn't realized the novelty to his mother, though, so he was happily chattering away in response to her first questions as they walked along. "You only say that because you're my mom, but Guirien is still pretty big compared to me, you know. I can't wait until I'm full grown, and bigger than. Maybe even bigger than Dad!" This was accompanied by a grin and another hop. Although Corsant was the size of a regular Soquili, his gangly limbs and oversized feet were clear indicators that he still had a ways to grow, and he secretly aspired to be bigger than anyone else in the family. Maybe time would tell...

But he continued, with enthusiasm. "Guirien is usually better than me. Dad says it's because I tend to get too caught up in my thoughts and don't react fast enough, but I'm working on that, I am!" He bounded ahead a few paces, then back to his mother's side. "I don't really win too much, but Mari thinks I'm too caught up in fighting, and I don't think she really likes the blood and sweat and things that come with fighting. She's kinda finicky." He wrinkled his nose at that unfortunate trait of his friend's; only today she'd called him to task for being too sweaty and likened him to a hobo!

But he broke off, surprised, at her next question. Really, she didn't know who Mari was?? Puzzled, he stopped moving. "Mari? You know, my friend Mariasha? We met when we were foals, and she's my best friend." This was said with a return to his previous energy, and he beamed as he described her to Loveless. "She's kinda small, but she's pretty smart and fun. We had our own language and everything when we were kids, and even now that she's got this weird thing about sweat, she's still pretty cool." It might sound like dubious praise at best, but it was high honor indeed coming from Corsant!  

[Tweekend]

The thought of Corsant being bigger than Antony really made her feel old... but in a weird way it also made her feel proud again to wash away those ugly thoughts. All of her children were remarkable not only in looks and personality, but also in genes. It would not surprise her to see Corsant grow even more, judging by his size already she was expecting him as big as his father.

"I know you are eager to keep growing but enjoy these childhood moments, your body and mind are most remarkable in these growing stages. Continue to master them and you will surely win every battle." She may have been fluffing him up a bit, but every mother was allowed to do that to their sons. "You have lots of time to keep growing, no rush."

As she listened to him continue on and then discuss Mari, it was a relief to hear he was making close allies and relationships. Lanzo was a bit of a different story, always keeping to himself and judging others that it made her very concerned. Lanzo had yet to make a friend outside of the family and give anyone the time of day. But to hear that Corsant already had a best friend? Even a best friend that kept her son in line? That was kind of wonderful. She had lacked close relationships growing up and had paid for it painfully in her teen years. Corsant was going to be just fine.

"She sounds great, do you two still have a secret language?" Loveless chuckled at the thought before continuing on. "And not everyone loves blood sweat and tears as much as our family, so I'm glad you are seeing both sides to the issue and bathing every now and then. I love a good fight but if you don't smell nice every once in awhile you may lose all of your pals." And she didn't want that. She had enough trouble already with Lanzo. "What else do you two do for fun?"

 

[Cajmera]

That was a mother for you, Corsant thought with a not unkind smile. Always telling you to step back and slow down and enjoy the present, when the future was being so darned enticing and interesting! It was fortunate for his mother that he was such a good mannered Soquili, otherwise he might be tempted to laugh at how silly she was. As if it wouldn't loads better to be fully grown and not have to deal with being a klutz anymore! Because everyone knew that adults were the epitome of grace, at all times.

"Well, I might have lots of time, but I think I'd rather speed up the process and get there faster. There's no fun in having things all of of proportion to each other like I do now." This was said with a somewhat baleful glance at his long, somewhat gangly legs, and the large wings that had only lately been coming into their own. In terms of size, his actual body was lagging behind his extremities something awful...and then there was the hair. "You know, I don't get why it's so important for me to have long hair. It just seems awfully in the way all the time." His hair continued to be a sore spot, right now quite literally, as Mariasha had taken a comb branch to it earlier. If he didn't know her better, he'd suspect that she like inflicting pain on his poor, unprotected scalp!

In spite of possible sadistic tendencies, though, he liked Mari, and he was happy to talk her with his mother. "We sorta still have the language, but we don't use it too much anymore. Probably because now we're older, we got more freedom and don't need to be so sneaky about things." This was accompanied by an unabashed grin at his mother, almost a challenge for her to ask what he was talking about. Not that there was really much to tell, to be honest; he was, sadly, still an inherently good child.

He ignored his mother's commentary on baths, but mentally made note than cleanliness seemed to be a female trait. He might never understand that point of female physiology, and that was probably just as well. "Hang out, mostly. Swim, talk, argue, stuff like that." Much as he loved fighting, he loved the time he spent just relaxing and being a youth with his friend, as well! He loved his family, but sometimes he just needed to get away.  

[Tweekend]

Loveless could understand his eagerness to be grown, she was exactly the same way at that age. She was grateful he was having a much more normal upbringing, mostly thanks to Antony's guidance as her other half and savior. Living the Kalona way as a child was an experience she would never forget, and before she could think on those crazy memories anymore, his comment on hair torpedoed her attention. "Now now. If your grandfathers heard you say that they would faint in response." She nuzzled him gently on his beautiful mane. "Don't you like having the same bangs as me and dad?"

Maybe her son would know and learn one day what their genes meant. Loveless herself was never that fond of her long locks and bright blonde color, but beauty for them was its own category, Ariston and Guilian had made that very clear and out in the open. "When you are all grown up you can make the decision on how to wear your hair. And you know who to go to if you need some advice." Corsant's grandfathers may not have been like other grandfathers, but at least they were good at some things.

She perked up a bit when she watched him open up about his friend. She wondered what adventures they had, as it sounded like they were together a lot. She then wondered if this was a relationship that would stay with him as he continued to grow. She'd have to get Antony's advice on that front. Although having any allies in this land was better then surviving on one's own.

"Sounds like you two have a lot of fun. I hope to meet her some day." Loveless wondered what his friend would think of their family. Would she be afraid of her? Her children had definitely been born with unique traits, but they also had Antony's and her work-in-progress kindness. Loveless was hoping to improve her 'happy face', even if her mate would be the last to admit that with a chuckle. "Does she have any siblings or family as well? How did you two even meet?"
 

[Cajmera]

Ah yes, his grandfathers. Corsant loved both of the senile old stallions to bits, but their thoughts were particularly at odds with his when it came to matters of aesthetics and appearance. He was pretty confident that it was their influence which had conspired to keep his hair long, and would keep it long for some time to come. Darned impractical, tangly, get-in-everything hair. He gave a huff at his bangs as he replied to his mother, "Isn't it enough I have the same color hair? I don't think I'm meant to have long hair, for real." Though he was willing to fight that battle at a later date, he would not let it slide!

It was much more fun to talk about Mari than to fuss about his hair, though, so he was willing to keep indulging his mother as they walked along. "You probably will, she met Dad ages ago and wasn't too traumatized." That had actually been the same day he'd first met Mari, when Tony was letting him indulge in a little unsupervised running amok and Mari was indulging in a little unauthorized running away without permission. They'd had a great long chat, which ended when Tony had come to take Corsant home. In retrospect, Mari had conducted herself pretty well when one considered she'd never seen a kalona before!

Though he hadn't had the chance to return the 'parent meeting' moment. They always met up in the same general area, which was pretty removed from Mari's home. Ironic, when one considered how much scarier his family was than hers! But he knew a bit about them, even if he'd never met them. "She has a brother and a sister, I think, and a pretty giant family. Lots and lots of aunts and uncles, grandparents, the whole thing. I thought our family was kinda rare in having so many Soquili in it, but I guess I was wrong." He grinned, continuing, "And we met when we were both pretending to be totally alone! Ironic, huh?"  

[Tweekend]

She could only chuckle again at his statement about his long locks. Oh well-she had tried explaining as best as she could, but luckily if it was the only thing he was complaining about at the moment, she could easily deal and understand his concern. All teenagers would be teenagers, with their woes and diehard struggles. She was the exact same way, but probably fifty times more dramatic about everything growing up. Those were fun times.

Loveless was relived to hear Mari had already met Antony. She made a mental note to ask him how that was and get his perspective. "Well, she must be tough if she is able to handle both dad and you." Loveless smiled at her son. It was interesting to hear she came from a family as large of theirs, and potentially even bigger. Loveless wondered if she knew anyone else in that family and perhaps she had met a relative of hers before. As big as this land was, she was always amazed at her close encounters and the dozens she met constantly.

She wasn't sure what he meant in his final statement. Had he had a bad day or something when he met Mari? "I guess that would be ironic." she answered calmly. "Why were you pretending to be alone?" Perhaps there was some concern in her voice, but she kept her face composed as not to freak him out. To continue to talk with a teenager, she knew she couldn't be too overbearing as a parent!  

[Cajmera]

Whoops, he'd gone and stuck his hoof in it now. The truth was, he hadn't been pretending to be alone, he'd actually been alone; basking in a little solitude. His father had been confident he'd be able to handle himself, so he'd allowed Corsant a few hours of unsupervised time, on condition that Corsant not breath a word of it to Loveless! Corsant had been much younger then, but he still honored that promise and knew that it was probably best for his father that he remain silent on that subject as well!

So he just shrugged noncommittally in response to her question. "Don't really need a reason, do I? Our family is awesome and all, Mom, but sometimes you just want some space, you know?" And then he was quick yo change the subject, lest he make any more slips. "Do you ever miss us being little foals?"  

[Tweekend]

Space. She hadn't had space in a long time, so maybe that's why the concept felt weird suddenly? Not having space was almost comforting, and having so many children had changed the game for her. The family was getting pretty huge, and the more everybody got older the more she would most likely have space again... perhaps that would be good for her and Antony. "I understand, and am grateful you think we're awesome. I think we are pretty neat, too." She winked at him gently.

At his comment about foals she could only ponder for a moment. "You all had so much energy, it was a lot of fun.. maybe a bit crazy at times. But I wouldn't say I miss it, I love watching how big you are getting." Maybe she was equally excited to see what would become of him and his siblings as they also embarked on adulthood. "Watching you all, it means everything. Even if you like running away from me some times." What teen would he be if that didn't happen at least some times?

"So what is your plan for today? Anything exciting going on?" She wondered if she was asking too many personal questions again. She kept telling herself moms were allowed to!  

[Cajmera]

Truth be told, it never really occurred to Corsant that having their kids off and occupied with their own adventures could be as enjoyable for his parents as it was for himself and his siblings. While his mom and dad could be ferocious at times (more his mom than his dad, though!), they were, in general, very kind, very loving parents who had never once told him to get the hell out. With six children, it was completely logical to imagine that there was always at least one coming and going, particularly now while the younger three were still growing. It wasn’t that Corsant was intentionally being an intrusive presence from time to time, it simply hadn’t occurred to him he was intruding.

That right there was one of the downsides of being a bit thick.

Besides, how could he be anything but thrilled to be home when his parents were so awesome and welcoming? At his mother’s comment about his size, he laughed and flexed his wings. “Just you wait, Mom; it won’t be too long before I’m bigger’n you, for sure! And I don’t think an increase in size is going to lead to a decrease in energy, at least not for me.” How could it, when he was so enthusiastic about everything? There already weren’t enough hours in the day for him to do all the things he wanted to do, the last thing he needed was to lose his drive!

“You should try running away from things once in a while too, Mom; who knows, you might like it! Maybe get up to some new and crazy capers. Maybe you could ask Lessia to take you cliff diving!” The fact there wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm in his tone meant he was perfectly serious; his oldest sister’s adrenaline-fueled hobbies had always been fascinating to Corsant! “I don’t really know what I want to do the rest of the day. Now that I’m all clean, I suppose I shouldn’t get into any more fights or any other messy activites. Hadn’t really thought about it. Do you need anything done I can do or help with, maybe?”

Occasionally, he was struck with a desire to be helpful. Not super often, but sometimes!  

[Tweekend]

Loveless was not fond at all of Lessia's cliff diving. She never understood what compelled her daughter to go to such great heights and put herself at such risk, so she could only swat her wing gently at her son. "I better not hear of you doing the same thing. Lessia knows I'm not a fan of her actions." But just as it was with her daughter, soon she wouldn't be able to control her son. There was a point with her first batch of children where she knew she had to let go. Soon it would be the same for Corsant and his siblings. Was she ready for that again? She really didn't have a choice and needed to start prepping herself.

When he responded about the rest of the day and activities, Loveless pondered and was also surprised with his kind offering. "Well I agree you should keep yourself clean, especially after all you went through to get to that point." She smirked at him and thought up some scenarios. "Lucky for you I don't think I need any chores done, so you are off the hook." She really hadn't had anything too crazy going on herself. Corsant was lucky she didn't have any stupid chores or items to send his way.

"I will admit though, I am interested to see some of your fighting moves. Do you have any you can show me?" She surveyed the area around them and didn't see any threatening or messy landscapes. "Maybe you can teach me a thing or to." Or perhaps her to him, but she hated bringing back some of those violent tendencies she tried to lock away so long ago.
 

[Cajmera]

Ok, so for a note to himself, Corsant needed to avoid any mention to his mother anything he did while in company with his oldest sister. From Loveless’ reaction, it was apparently a bad idea to mention that he himself had indulged in cliff diving on a couple occasion; he hadn’t gotten nearly the satisfaction or benefit from it as his sister, but he found it overall to be a fun and interesting diversion. So it might also be a little dangerous. But really, when you looked out to the world at large, what activities weren’t dangerous, in one way or any other? Given his tendency towards clumsiness, anything could be a danger.

As if on cue, Corsant caught his foot on an exposed tree root and promptly pitched ground-ward, letting out a startled yelp as he did so. Fortunately, he was able to right himself before he smashed into the ground, knowing from many experiences that that was not an enjoyable experience. And definitely not one he would want witnessed by anyone, not even his mother.

Dusting himself off with what he felt to be a suitably blasé manner, he continued with their conversation as if nothing had happened. “Well, don’t say I didn’t offer, at least. You might have…I don’t know, needed something collected or something. But we can fight a little, if you want!” For all his big words about staying clean, Corsant loved to fight and wrestle; therefor, by extension he was quite comfortable being dirty. Working with Loveless would be a very fun and interesting experience, he was sure, because he knew his mother was a fighter. Had been a fighter, he supposed was a better word. Dad was the one who trained he and his siblings how to fight, and had squelched the idea of Loveless assisting in their training sessions on more than one occasion. In fact, Antony had gone so far as to say they shouldn’t ask their mother to fight, ever…or bring the subject up in her presence at all.

Darnit, he’d been the one to bring it up, hadn’t he?

After a few moments of panic, Corsant decided this couldn’t be a bad thing. After all, to practice together was his mother’s idea, right? What could possibly be wrong with what he'd said?  

[Tweekend]

Loveless kept herself quiet as she watched Corsant's almost tragic tumble, but was relieved to see he had caught himself. She also proceeded as if nothing bad had happened as she would have hated to embarrass her son. There were some things better left unnoticed, and someone tripping gently was one of them.

At his response she too felt a bit at panic. How long had it been since she had trained or rather fought in any manner? Becoming a better creature and raising a family had made her a bit... lazy.. calm.. and rusty on the battlefront. She may have been a bit horrific at this very thing. But she also supposed it was worth a try, and could be a bit fun.

If she was to embarrass herself, at least it would be in front of her children and not strangers.

"I suppose we could." She said, while locking her eyes on him and facing him oppositely in direction. "I don't really know how you'd like to start though. My techniques haven't been used in awhile." She smiled at him even if from a motherly point of view. "I just wanted to see your skills, maybe you can teach me some new things you've learned?" Why not allow her son to bask in his glory for a bit!