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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2015 5:42 pm
Casseth yawned as he settled back in the rocking chair on the deck. The morning was still early, the sun only just beginning to peek out over the ocean and rocky cliff side. Even without the light from the rising sun, Casseth could still have seen every little detail of his daughter as she snuggled up close to his chest. The nightly crying had slowly started to ease away and sleep became something him and Lithian were soon enjoying more soundly. It also helped that the girls had been moved to their own rooms not too long ago.
This morning, though, it seemed it was destined that Cas would rise with the sun. Laying in bed, he’d tried to force himself back to sleep but only managed to toss and turn until he’d heard a fussy little girl wanting attention. Unsurprising, Tala had been up and ready for some attention from one of her daddies. With a bottle and a blanket Casseth had set himself up out on the deck to enjoy the show.
Now, belly full and the warmth of daddy, Tala was resting peacefully against Cas’ chest as he stared out over the ocean and thought about the past year and what all had happened to bring them to this point. He had been so scared at first — afraid that he wouldn’t be father material. Lithian had encouraged him and with the two of them working together they had done it (with the help of Cas’ father and Valla, of course). No longer did Cas worry. He knew he was one — along with Lithian.
Cas let his eyes close against the rising sun and he smiled. He relaxed almost enough to let himself drift off slightly as he imagined the girls older, grown and making lives for themselves. So much still needed to happen but he couldn’t help but dream of the future and what it might bring for his small family.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 12:09 pm
Lithian stirred atop his sheets.
In the habit of rising early almost irregardless of circumstance, he was alert enough to be aware when Casseth stirred, and ready to get up himself when the first infant cry came. Then, however — much to his surprise — his mate was moving ahead of him, slipping off the bed and out of their room to their daughters’ in order to hush her upset. A small smile teased the corners of his lips, and Lithian let his eyes rest back shut, his body stretching to fold a fraction over Casseth’s portion of the bed and the warmth he left there as he listened: to the soft pad of his mate’s footsteps, to the soothing murmur of his voice as he lifted and quieted their daughter, and the gentle creak of the house’s floorboards as he carried her out towards the deck.
Lithian let the moment stretch for a time, savoring the quiet and comfort of his bed as the morning unfolded. But then, restless, softer fussing came from the other room, and Lithian conceded to rise, following in Casseth’s footsteps as he moved to the other room, gathered Tanarah to him, and then trailed out after his mate to the deck.
By the time he arrived, the air was warm with blooming morning, the sky aglow with the rising sun and ocean ripples guilted gold with its light. Tanarah cooed, small fingers feeding into his hair and then clinging as she tucked against him, and Lithian smiled as he moved up to still at Casseth’s side.
“You’re up early,” he said by way of greeting as he leaned over, pressing a kiss to Casseth’s cheek. “To what do I owe that pleasure?”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 12:18 pm
Casseth blinked his eyes open to half mast as Lithian leaned in and kissed his cheek. He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face and turned his head to catch Lith in a kiss before pulling back to answer his question. “Mmm, just couldn’t sleep. I suppose these two have me used to being up early enough now.” He gave a small chuckle and brushed the back of his fingers against Tala’s cheek.
The gesture earned him a coo and his finger was promptly gripped and tugged towards Tala’s mouth. “This one also decided that it was time for breakfast.” Cas glanced back out over the ocean and smiled. “The mornings here really are beautiful.” He glanced back to Lith, eyebrow raising a fraction. “So, now that you have me up early, what plans do you have for the day?”
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 1:57 pm
Lithian raised an eyebrow. He had rarely been enough on his own to get Casseth up early — barring him being especially persistent in ‘convincing’ ways — so to hear that their little ones had gotten Casseth into the ‘habit’ was amusing enough on its own, but Lithian let it slide with a smile and shifted his weight, propping Tana over to a hip as he glanced out over the water.
“Oh, nothing especially unique…breakfast, a check over our mail — I received another letter in from Father yesterday that I’ve not had a chance yet to read. I think he would like to visit again, and my littlest sister, Iwana. She may be back down on Eowyn at least briefly in the coming weeks…”
A burbling hum from Tanarah drew his eyes downward, and Lithian let his wings stretch slowly before folding back in as he eyed her.
“We should show them our true forms, while they are still young, so that it is not a shock when they’re older. I know we’ve discussed it briefly but…do you think they are old enough yet? I would not want to terrify them…we could start with walking lessons, perhaps. Though I am not sure they have the strength yet, either of them, to stand on their own, it helps to get in the habit of the motions.”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 2:19 pm
Cas smiled at the mention of Lithian’s father as he returned his attention back to Talanah. “You should invite your father for a visit. We always have plenty of room. Besides, the girls’ first birthday is coming up soon. We could throw them a party, invite everyone down. Your father could come down early, spend some quality time with you and the girls before things pick up.” Casseth stood, setting aside the blanket he’d used to cover Tala and padded over to Lithian. Leaning in, he first placed a small, quick kiss to Lith’s lips before placing another kiss to Tana’s forehead. “And I think today would be perfect to show them our true forms. The sooner, the better I think.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 9:32 am
Lithian smiled, relaxing at Casseth’s words. In contrast to Casseth’s relationship with his own father, Lithian still stood on relatively uncertain ground with his parents, but his mother in particular. His father had, at very least, come to attend their mating ceremony and given his blessing then, accompanied by a wedding gift to attest to it. He had visited on more than one occasion after, also, and been in written correspondence with Lithian since, giving him an eye into the goings on in the family he had, technically, been disowned from.
It comforted him, though, to have that contact, and further so that Casseth seemed to hold no heavy grudge against his father. It was one less thing to concern himself with. He followed in his mate’s footsteps, out onto the sand in search of an adequate place to both settle the girls and give room for a shift. Once found, and after brief discussion on the matter, Lithian settled to a cross-legged sit, and Casseth handed over Talarah so that he could hold both while Casseth prepared for the first shift of introduction.
Lithian arranged the girls, careful to have them solidly balanced in his hold in case there was any upset at the sudden revelation, before glancing to Casseth and giving his nod of go-ahead. “Are you watching Papa?” he murmured, brushing his lips over the wispy, wavy dark hair of Talarah’s head. “Papa is going to show you a trick, hmm? Watch carefully…”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 9:43 am
Tala cooed and gurgled out a laugh as her father bent to place a kiss to her hair. When she saw bright blue hair fall into her vission she grabbed, tangling her fingers into the locks and pulling it towards her mouth to chew on.
Casseth chuckled at the sight, shaking his head as he stepped back away from the his family. “You sure you can handle them both?” The corner of his lips twitched up into a small smirk as called on his magic and started to shift. By now the change was essentially effortless and it didn’t take much thought for Casseth to call forward his true form. In a matter of seconds he had shifted from his hybrid form, to his dragon form. He spread his wings, stretching them out as his attention focused in on his daughters. When Tala’s lower lip started to trimble, Cas folded his wings in close and crouched close to the ground, trying his best to make himself seem smaller.
He moved closer, slowly, testing both of the twins’ reactions carefully before nosing in close to Tala. “It’s just me, little one.” Cas gave a small lick to her cheek and nuzzled carefully. This act earned him a small giggle and a hesitant touch that could only be interpreted as a pet.
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:08 am
Tanarah was perfectly content in her father’s lap. Warm. Safe. A perfect vantage point for observing the outside world and grabbing at nearby objects which came within reach for potential taste testing — as her sister was currently engaged in with their father’s hair. This was all acceptable. Even sharing the lap was acceptable.
When Papa moved away, however, her curious, pink-violet gaze darted in that direction. Curious. Unassuming. Then, everything about him changed. His entirety swallowed up as it contorted and grew, and everything that was Papa was gone, replaced by something the size of their house. For several long, breathless seconds, she stared, her eyes blown so wide they barely fit her face. Then, after the initial frozen shock wore off: she wailed.
This — whatever it was — was absolutely unacceptable, and she would let her daddy and sister know with every ounce of breath in her lungs.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:37 am
The moment Tana started to wail, Tala joined in. No longer wanting to pet at Casseth’s snout and instead shoving away at him. In an instant, Cas was moving back and shifting back. Once his true form was gone, he stepped back towards them, crouching and murmuring softly. “Shh, shh. It’s just daddy, hm?” He glanced back up to Lith, a small frown marring his face. “Do you think we should try again?”
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:48 am
Lithian nodded, shhhing one, and then the other as he rocked and bounced them gently in his lap to quiet their crying. “They’ll be alright…it’s a big shock, but I think to see you come back to the form they are used to, and shift again, will be a reassurance that you’re not gone and won’t be gone anywhere. And they’ll have seen that form once already. It may take them several rounds to get accustomed to it, but…they will, I’m sure. It’s in their blood, that form.”
So, they tried again. And again.
Tanarah was slower to cry on the second round, and only gave soft, uncertain throat-fusses on the third round, her eyes narrowed suspicious and speculatively at the strange thing which continued to insist on taking the place of her father. Each time, though, he came back, and by the fourth attempt, she was huffing and reaching for it, touching her fingertips curiously to the massive, rocky brown scales.
“Mmmbaba-rarara…” She poked at a nostril.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 11:02 am
Casseth snorted at the invading hand and shifted so that he could press his snout into her hand and nuzzle. Tala, after much more hesitance than the first time, finally reached out to join her sister in pets. Cas rumbled happily as he licked Tana and pulled back. Before shifting, however, he moved away far enough and stomped on the ground. The action sent a shiver through the earth and sand moved into motion, forming into a giant sand castle that, when he shifted back, was just as tall as Casseth himself. He grinned at Lith and moved forward. “Your turn?”
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 10:46 am
Lithian blinked, glancing towards the towering sand castle before shooting Casseth an amused look. “Show off,” he murmured, though his voice retained a teasing lilt to it. “And yes…” He moved, carefully transporting Tanarah and Talanah over as Casseth settled himself and made room to take them before moving out himself. After dusting off the sand from his clothes, he took a step back, leaving space and drawing a breath before pushing into the shift — effortless now as exhaling — and feeling the sand sink between his talons.
He stretched his wings slowly, eyeing his family — strange, how small it became through these eyes — before hesitantly nosing forward. Having been exposed to the treatment already several times, Tanarah reacted with less immediate trepidation, though she gave a simper of a dissatisfaction as she eyed him initially, the sound petering out to a huff as Lithian let the form drop, and then shifted again and nosed in.
«My beautiful children…and my beautiful mate. One day soon, you’ll be able to fly with us, little ones. But for now, there is no reason to be afraid…with us, you will be safe always.»
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 2:56 pm
Casseth settled down, smiling at Lithian as he took the girls from him and held them close. He watched as Lithian shifted a few times. The girls, already used to it, seemed to accept his shift a lot easier. Tala, still, was a little hesitant as she patted at his snout and gurgled. She pushed up, clumsily — toes sinking into the sand — and fell against Lithian’s snout. She giggled, clinging tightly as she tried her best to get a better footing. Cas laughed and used his magic to make the sand beneath her feet more solid. He glanced up to Lithian, eyebrow raised as Tala patted more. “I think she’s used it now, hm?” He glanced down to Tana and tilted his head. “What about you? What do you think of dragon daddy?”
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 3:01 pm
Tanarah huffed. “Mine mine — Daddy, Daddy!” She bolted forward, attempting to grip at her father and fumbling.
Lithian moved, though, supporting both of his daughters with his snout and snorting softly, eyes soft, before shifting back out of his dragon shape and returning to his more ‘natural’ form, much to the babbling of Tanarah.
“Bababababah—dragoooooooo…” Tanarah flopped into his lap, huffing before crawling up and tugging at his hair. “Miii…no drago.”
Chuckling, Lithian gathered her into his lap before leaning over to kiss his mate. “Accustomed enough for now, I think…”
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