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 Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 7:51 pm
It was a day, a very nice day in the Spring in fact. Or better than what had become the average. What with it having been just over a year since the princesses had been lost and his father and family disgraced in the process. Even still, relatively speaking, today was a very good day.
Why you might ask?
Kel had invited him over today~♡
While he did visit her often enough, and she him, it wasn't like either of them generally went out of their way to make a date of it. Usually it was a more spontaneous thing or, if not that, spurred by the members of the family. Pearl and Autumn in particular still liked to plan get-togethers; they usually involved the kids - his grandkids, now fully grown and adults in their own right - so perhaps it was their way of checking in and making sure everything was going well.
Upon arriving at the little abode, he brushed his hair a bit to the side - had to make sure he looked nice and dandy - rolled, his shoulders, and gave the door a light knock.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:28 am
Kelebek wasn't typically a master of deception, but she wanted to surprise Hjortur. She was thrilled to bits to give Zoran the afternoon off from what she knew was the exhausting job of childrearing, especially ones so young as these.
She absolutely doted on her new grandtadpoles, and took great delight in tickling their fins and having them hide in her hair, just like her children used to do. It simultaneously filled a hole in her heart, and made her heart ache. It had been so long, ever since Pax and Xoana had grown up, since they'd had babies around. It made her grotto feel so much more joyful. And yet....she couldn't help but be a tiny bit jealous of Zoran and these new little ones in his life.
Hjortur's knock gave her a bit of a start, as she'd been absentmindedly twirling Kelee's hair in her fingers, and the girls both swam into her hair. "It's only Hjortur," she reassured them softly, and swam slowly to the door.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully, if a bit more quietly than normal as she greeted her love. "Come in, come in!" She wondered when he'd notice the little faces peeking out from her pink locks.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 12:54 pm
Naturally, Hjortur did not know that there was anyone else expecting him in the home: only Kel. She had done quite well in keeping the entire ordeal a surprise. As far as he'd surmised, he had quite a fun day of, well, play ahead for the both of them and was eager to see what was ticking her fancy for the moment. She'd shown him an aggressive side at the party a little while ago - perhaps she'd awaken to the enjoyment of taking life by the reigns. He, for one, was on board with her taking his reigns for a ride:figuratively or literally.
"Afternoon~" He returned, his tone highlighting the giddiness he was currently feeling. "You need not tell me twice," he playfully embellished his words as he followed her in. "How has your day be--" his voice caught as he noticed something unexpected.
"Uh... Kel... Your hair is... giggling?" He blinked twice before narrowing his eyes; now he thought his vision was usually pretty good, but he was second-guessing himself right about now. "Have you done something with your hair recently? It appears to have gained even more of a mind of its own than usual." Was that an eyeball in it?!
What.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:38 pm
Kelebek couldn't help but titter in response. "My day," she began to answer his prior question casually, "has been amazing." With a little flourish, she fished the two tiny tadpoles out of her hair and brought them into her arms.
"I wanted to keep it a surprise!" she said gleefully, almost a little squeal in her voice. "This is Peaches and Kelee." She lifted each gently in turn. "They're my new grandtadpoles!" She nearly vibrated with excitement. "We get to watch them for a few hours this afternoon while Zoran....honestly he's probably going to take a nap." She cuddled the tiny fish close to her chest and made soft swishing sounds at them.
"Aren't they adorable?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 4:37 pm
Hjortur stared very, very directly at the cute pair of tadpoles that were quite literally pulled from Kel's similarly pink hair. His expression betrayed his own intention to keep his feelings to himself was a combination of disbelief, confusion, and outright shock.
His thoughts upon seeing them, naturally, went something like this:
'Tadpoles? Are those mine?! But when...? And she didn't say anything...? But there's no purple... Was Kel seeing someone else too?! I suppose that's fine and all but I kind of wish she had at least told me... How did I not notice?!'
A large breath of water escaped from his gills as he let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when she explained that they were, in fact, not her tadpoles, but her grandtadpoles. Whewwww... The color returned to his face as he offered a laugh. "Well, you surprised me." Pulse returning to normal, Hjortur swam a bit closer to give the tots a closer look. "Peaches..." he looked at Peaches, then to her sister, "...and Kelee." He crossed his arms and nodded once in satisfaction. "Yes, they are quite cute, as are their names." From here he simply voiced his thoughts along to make sure there weren't any other hidden surprises that were going to just pop out at him. "Look at those little wings~ so their mother is the angel we met at Las Venus? What was her name again....?" Guess Zoran hadn't lied when he said he was her favorite food.
That said, he'd gotten more than a few strange looks from Zoran while at the party, and the reason didn't take much insight to guess. It was probably nothing, but he felt he needed to bring it up anyways. "Are you sure it is okay for me to be here? I mean..." He stopped just short of finishing the sentence with, well, he wasn't sure what he'd want to finish it with.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:23 pm
Kelebek had attempted to put the business at Las Venus out of her memory, as she did every year. She bristled only slightly at the question. "Yes, I suspect she's the same. Fraise, I think Zoran called her." Her eyebrows went up. "Tell the truth, Zoran hasn't told me much about her, other than to extol her many virtues. The boy is besotted." She wasn't ready to unpack her feelings about another of her sons courting a land Pae, and one of those dreadful winged Pae at that. She'd much rather focus on her new sweet grandbabies.
"Oop!" she exclaimed as Peaches began to fuss. "I think it's time for them to eat. Here, you hold Kelee," she passed her to Hjortur as she spoke, "And I'll go prepare their food. They can eat soft food now, can you believe it? How quickly they grow!" She moved them toward her kitchenette, and took out two packets of pureed seaweed. It was a deep green color, but not unpleasant. Kelebek handed one to Hjortur for Kelee, while she took Peaches. She shushed at her and bounced her as she opened the packet. "Here you go, little one," she said with a warm smile, feeding the contents to her charge. She gave no instructions to Hjortur, but figured that since he'd raised children of his own he'd remember how to do this.
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Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 9:37 am
"She seemed to have quite a lot going for her. So her name was Fraise..." He kept his arms crossed and nodded with a series expression. Yes, she seemed to have been the whole package... a part of him wondered if the pair of tadpoles before him would take more like their mother or grandmother as they came of age, but time would tell. He might have said that also to try and get a reaction out of Kel. "Those land pae'il certainly have different bodies than us."
His teasing came to an end by way of angry baby noises. He was quick to accept Kelee, though to be honest it would have been fine even if he hadn't been. Living in the water left a large room for error with these things. Not like he could 'drop' a floating, swimming child; they'd just keep floating and swimming. "Already? How old does that make them..." He was musing to himself, but it hadn't really been that long since Venus Day - he assumed that's when they were conceived - had passed. Or had it? Sometimes he lost track of time. He deftly opened the packet and, in contrast to Kel's gentle way of feeding, was being much more playful. He wiggled the food object in front of the tot before softly cooing, "Here comes the current~~~ Swoooooosh~!" and popped a small puff of food into her mouth. It was a naiad-variation of how the land pae might reference a bird or caravan or something when enticing their young ones to eat.
Sometimes, he found himself wondering if he wouldn't be better suited to (or perhaps more enjoy) serving as a music teacher rather than just a musician; actually, he probably could have done both if he didn't hesitate.
"It's been some while since I did this..." Not since Autumn, Pearl, and Pippin's had grown. It was a bit nostalgic. "By the way, her name sounds quite similar to yours" He motioned with his head to the now-eating Kelee.
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Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:36 pm
Kelebek couldn't help but snort. She certainly did... She briefly wondered if Toli's angel had had similar...attributes. Maybe that was an angel thing?
She'd been spending entirely too much time contemplating angels lately.
"I can't argue there," she agreed with Hjortur's next statement. Her fins twitched with the memory. "Poor unlucky souls..." It wasn't like Kelebek to speak ill of anyone, not even land pae'il, but she'd had a real balancing act of emotions lately. Better to focus on the sweetness in front of her. No conflicting emotions there, only love.
A giggle bubbled up as she watched Hjortur feed Kelee. She'd forgotten how playful he was with children. The sight gave her jellyfish in her stomach, a fluttery feeling that made her all at once want to etch this scene in her memory forever, and made her almost wish they weren't watching the girls so they could indulge in other activities. And then there was that achy feeling in her heart, some combination of longing and jealousy. She was all-too-familiar with that feeling, though it had been some time since it had bubbled up.
She bit her bottom lip and turned her attention back to Peaches until Hjortur addressed her again. The comment made her blush, a deeper pink coloring her cheeks, neck, and chest. She, too, had made the connection. "Yes," she agreed sheepishly, "I suspect that Zoran did name her after me." She wondered about Peaches, then. Perhaps a family name on the mother's side. "I can't tell whether or not to be flattered." Alright, that was a lie, she was deeply flattered and absolutely tickled, but didn't want anyone to know it.
As the girls finished their meal and Kel put away the packets, she suggested they move back into the main space to lounge against what would probably pass as a sofa for land pae'il. It would be more comfortable to support the little ones, and she felt snuggly and wanted to cuddle against Hjortur.
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Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:04 pm
Hjortur had to stifle an eyebrow raise at Kel's comment regarding the land pae'il. There was a lot to unpack there.
Of course, if she was simply talking about the limitations their bodies brought - namely being unable to come spend an extended amount of time under the water if they so wished - he would have to agree. Especially considering the case where one parent was a naiad and one was a land pae'il; while the naiad could experience the land pae'il's culture at their leisure, the reverse was not true. It must have been hard to be unable to experience such an integral portion of their beloved's life. It was such a shame.
Course she could have meant any other number of things by that, but he chose to stop his musings there.
"He must be more of a mama's boy than I thought," Hjortur playfully teased as he finished feeding little Kel Jr, "If you would like my opinion - and I'm going to say it regardless if you want it or not - I would think something like that is the highest form of flattery." He wiped off some of the mush that had stuck to the outside of Kelee's mouth before cooing at her, "You better become as good of a girl as your grandma, you hear me?" And after a pause, "Actually, now that I think of it, I never named any of my own children. They all came with a name already attached." He'd never given much thought to the process of naming a young one as a result.
Deftly taking her cue, Hjortur made some more swishing noises as he brought the tot with him into the other room. He held her under her armpits and carefully swam her around as if she was a fish... well... an older, slightly faster fish.
"Do they have an after-meal routine?" Napping after meals, for example, had been something all four of his grandchildren frequently did.
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Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 9:55 am
Kelebek was somewhat shocked, and it came through in her tone. "Not even Daedalus and Calliope?" She didn't know much about Hjortur's "biological" children; they mainly lived with their mother on Mount Whatever. They came around to visit occasionally, and Kelebek typically made herself scarce during those times. The children came to spend time with their father, not with her.
She settled on the couch next to Hjortur, cuddled against his side, with Peaches, who already looked drowsy, snuggled into her chest. "I expect they'll fall asleep here directly," Kel agreed. It would be nice to have some slow, mellow time together. Almost like napping, but awake.
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Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:12 am
Hjortur tilted his head curiously at Kel's tone, his own taking on a note of confusion. "No...? Is that really so strange?" He paused as his eyes wandered upwards and he thought back to when he'd first met them. "...I think they were a bit older than Kelee and Peaches the first time I met them. Thalia named them... Or I presume she did. I never asked." His eyes narrowed slightly as he mused aloud. "Well, I suppose I was just a side character of sorts for them, so it's only natural my opinion would not have been warranted." It was something he tried to not dwell on much; the topic always brought this uncomfortable, suffocating emotion. Had he made the right choice in forfeiting them to their mother's line with nothing but a smile? Sometimes he wondered. "The other three - Pippin, Kerriana, and Autumn - were children when they found me."
Sure enough, it looked like the tot was already yawning and drifting off. What cute kids. It didn't look like they would probably give their parents much trouble at all... well... at least not until they grew older. He gently ran his hand through her hair as he pat her head and coaxed her into sleep.
Looking over at Kel with a decidedly more cheerful expression, he continued. "How long do you suppose we have until they wake? An hour?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 10:22 am
Kelebek swallowed her emotion a bit sheepishly. "I suppose not..." She blushed, embarrassed at her outburst, especially because he was right. "I...I guess when the parents aren't together it makes sense for the mother to name the children." She sank a little deeper into the sofa. "After all, I named Toli, Zoran, and Moana." Well she'd certainly made a fool of herself, hadn't she?
What was wrong with her? She was always so at-ease with him, but today she felt jittery and....awkward.
"Perhaps a little more or less," she agreed with his question. She should have been grateful for the change of subject, but she couldn't get her mind off the question of names.
".....If you had more children, what.....what do you think you might name them?" She said the question slowly, but to Kelebek it felt like the words were falling out of her mouth, and she couldn't tell yet if she regretted asking. The truth was that she was curious, and she felt like they were secure enough with each other to have this conversation, and she very much liked seeing the paternal side of Hjortur.
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Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:13 am
Hjortur laughed lightly at her response, as if to say 'see, not so strange at all.'
He blinked at her sudden question, an eyebrow raising. "More children?" He had honestly never given that much thought either; Kel really had no shortage of unique questions for him today. "Mmmmm...." He leaned his back against the 'sofa' as he thought about it. "Hypothetically speaking, of course..." This was more difficult than he'd thought. "For a boy, perhaps... Sindri? For a girl, Eir? Nanna could be quite cute too though... But those might be too simple... I could see my father shrugging them off as being 'land pae'il influenced,' whatever that means.... Lindita? Luljeta...?" He furrowed his brows before sighing and shrugging.
"Wait, those are all girls' names. What a disparity."
He glanced over at Kel with a playful smile, turning the question back on her. "And you? Any names tickling your fancy these days?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:53 pm
"Hypothetically speaking," Kelebek agreed vaguely. She wondered what might happen if they un-hypothetical-ed the conversation, but sidelined that thought to hang on his names, to commit them to memory. Just in case. "I like Sindri and Luljeta," she said warmly, leaning down and putting her head on his shoulder. "They sound musical."
"Me? Mm, I haven't given it too much thought recently. I've named three already. But...hypothetically speaking...for girls?...maybe Ayla, or Seda, or maybe Derya....for boys....mm...maybe Kadri, or Haluk, for my father."
Almost absentmindedly, she added, "Kadri and Sindri would be nice for a boy and a girl." A hot blush sprang to her face as she realized she'd un-hypothetical-ed the conversation. But perhaps, without seeing her expression, he'd continue to think she was speaking merely aesthetically. After all, Kadri and Sindri would make nice names for any boy-girl pair.
She wished sorely she could control her mouth better!
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Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:17 pm
Hjortur nodded along with her suggested hypothetical baby names - they all sounded very Kel-like. He had to keep from blatantly grinning as she praised his own choices. He wasn't quite sure why her thoughts made him feel all bubbly inside, but he'd be lying to himself if he didn't admit that they did.
"Oh..." A light bulb seemed to go off in his head at her slip-of-the-tongue, but for a different reason than she'd probably expected. "Fair point; they do seem to come in pairs more often than not. It would be better to consider names that suited each other as well - though I would think giving a girl a name meant for a boy would cause her to become quite the handful. In that case..." a pause, "They would make a fine pair for two boys as well though. An Ayla and Nanna together would just make you want to endlessly dote upon them... that might be bad. We wouldn't want them spoiled rotten... Ah... But I could see a pair called Eir and Derya being quite the little troublemakers." Another pause, his eyes drifting down to look at each of the sleeping tots before he offered a solemn nod.
"A pair of girls might be too much. At least one boy would be easier."
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