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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:20 am
(1/10)
With all the years Padma had spent visiting with her sister's children, she'd come to think that she was pretty decent with them. While she had little experience with babies at the start, she wasn't horribly unprepared, right? Or so she thought. Living in the middle of nowhere came with its blessings and its curses, and... unfortunately, the lack of civilization did very little for Eujanie's upbringing.
Here Padma was, with an aldabuck and a cart full of children and her husband, feeling ready to pull her hair out by the roots. The trip to Sauti, then to Belrea, was a long one - but one that her father had made frequently throughout the years coparenting with Maritza before they finally married. If he could do it with triplets, surely she could with two children, right?
No. Nooo. Nonono.
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:24 am
(1/10)
Trips to town were never Eujanie's favorite. They were exciting, fun even, but she'd long since grown sick of the people there, and how close her mama kept her so she didn't run off and DO things. She wasn't like her papa, who was wary of leaving their land for the short few months it would take to make the trip and visit her grandpa, but -
She still found herself grumpy most of the time, unhappy more with how she had to stay in the cart with Valerian, and couldn't just run alongside it - or climb onto the aldabuck to ride, or ask her papa to ride on his shoulders--
She'd jumped out of the cart no less than four times, having to be chased down in the surrounding craggy rocks by her father, but now that they were at a proper settlement she was tempted to try again, even if she'd been tied by the wrist to Valerian with a ribbon from her mother's bag.
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:42 am
Uzumati was on edge. He had thought that living alone in the wilds was truly challenging, but after having children the father understood there was another level to survival that came with plenty of risks and rewards. He had managed it somewhat well, handling showing his children how to survive in nature fairly well in comparison to the trials he had endured while learning how to better interact with earthlings in a more civilized manner, but this trip was definitely pushing his limits. Uzumati was constantly alert, his attention not only on their surroundings but constantly going back towards his daughter who wanted to keep running ahead before getting carried back to the cart. Thankfully even though Valerian confused him at times, Uzumati could rely on the younger child to stay in the cart. The quiet boy much preferred just studying their surroundings as they traveled, staying away from the chaos of his sister while only on occasion asking about some plants and animals they saw along the way.
Uzumati found himself lingering closer to Padma now that they were in the town. His gaze was constantly moving about, his body tense as he waited to see what their next step was for this trip to go visit Padma's family.
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:50 am
Valerian was actually interested in their trip to town. While the young boy enjoyed exploring the forests and learning all about plants and the like from his parents, he was always intrigued by the things that you could only find at the shops in town. Apparently Belrea was a completely different world compared to the smaller settlement in Tale that was near their forest home and Valerian was actually excited to see what he could discover there. He was quieter about expressing his excitement while his sister made certain everyone knew about her feelings the boy simply kept to himself and only asked questions to make certain he was properly prepared.
Even though he kept rubbing at the ribbon on his wrist, Valerian didn't protest and simply only made a slight grimace every time his sister tugged them forward after something. "Is this where the ships are?" He found himself asking as he glanced about, his steps following his father and mother through the town.
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 11:59 am
(2/10)
Spirits, but Ujana would die of laughter if she could see Padma now... using a sort of leash was something her father had rarely resorted to, back when Ujana was the daring little runaway of the family. But she was at her wits end, and not sure what else to do!
Padma adored Eujanie - she'd loved the girl since the moment she and Uzumati realized they were expecting. As a baby, she'd been so easy - easy to sleep, easy to feed, quick to learn. But it was as if all that energy now went into making her mother age prematurely!
She absent mindedly pet Valerian's hair, silently apologizing for making him his sister's keeper. "Yes - though I'm not sure where, exactly..." She bit her lip, looking around. After years in near solitude, it felt disorienting to be around so many people - and she knew Uzumati would be even more nervous.
"Let's try and find somewhere to tie up the cart, and get some food, hmm?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 12:02 pm
(2/7)
Tugging lightly at the ribbon, Eujanie padded alongside her little brother. They were close enough in age that, for now, they were similar in size - with her only a bit taller - and, at least, he moved just as fast as she did most of the time so she didn't have to heave him around OFTEN.
She liked her brother, but being tied to him put a damper on her sibling affections. Her eyes turned to take in all the people, the familiars and other carts, businesses - large trees, even bigger and fancier than THEIR home--
"M'not hungry though... Can't we go look for the ships, daddy?" She wheedled, reaching for his hand so she could shoot him a plaintive look.
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 7:06 pm
Uzumati hesitated as Padma glanced about. He was completely lost but the leaf earthling did not want to reveal such a weakness, especially not in front of his family. Instead all he could do was straighten his shoulders and continue on boldly as if he knew where to go. Thankfully his steps were halted at the suggestion of food and Uzumati let out a breath of relief. "Mmm." He nodded in agreement with Padma's suggestion before Eujanie's voice caught his attention. The ships?
It was like being dropped into a pool of icy water. Uzumati felt his anxiety rising but after a moment he had to swallow down the tangled feelings. If Padma's family had survived these ships then surely he could! The last thing Uzumati wanted to do was disappoint his wife, not when she seemed to look forward to the trip. All he could do now was brace himself for their voyage through the....the air. Okay, so maybe he didn't have an appetite now that he thought about how they were traveling again. The thought made him wince before he slowly nodded at Eujanie's suggestion and took her hand. He could easily tie the ribbon from Valerian to his own wrist in case his daughter had any other ideas, something that he did without hesitation before glancing towards Padma.
"Meet up?" He suggested, not willing to go forward without Padma's approval.
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2022 7:09 pm
"But food." Valerian made a face towards his sister. Getting nourishment before any journey was a must and he already knew his sister would be wanting food later if they didn't eat now. He wasn't usually one to whine but even his stomach was grumbling and he looked towards his mother pleadingly before his father's suggestion had him pausing. Meet up? Valerian was accustomed to his father not speaking many words and so he could already piece together most of what Uzumati intended.
"So we can find food and bring it to you guys at the ships?" He offered though the thought made him worry. Was his older sister up to something? What if they lost her before getting on the ships? They were flying so it wasn't as if she could simply swim and catch up!
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 3:52 pm
(3/7) It was probably a bit unfair, that she was pretty much sending her husband and daughter off to find the ships for her. She didn't like the idea of sending him off in a strange, large city that she already knew made him uncomfortable. ... But she could only hope that Uzumati wouldn't have agreed if he wasn't okay with it, and it did at least keep Eujanie busy.
"... Alright... but you have to promise to stay close to daddy, and help him find the ships!" She held Valerian's hand, now that he was freed of the ribbon, smiling reassuringly down at him. "My little man will help me carry the food, isn't that right?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 4:09 pm
(3/7) He agreed! Eujanie perked up happily, only to wilt, tugging poutily at the ribbon as he transferred it to his own wrist. It was better than Valerian, but she didn't like that she was still on a leash! "Yes, mama. I'll find 'em, don't worry!"
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 5:41 pm
Uzumati gave a small smile as he watched his wife with their son. Hopefully they could find food easily so that they could all meet up again soon. Those two were the ones that he wasn't worried about, but on the other hand....Uzumati felt his stomach twist as he glanced towards Eujanie. Surely he could keep them both safe while they navigated this strange place. "North." He advised with a glance back towards Padma. Surely the ships would be on the northern side of town since they hadn't seen them near their entrance that was on the southern edge. At least that was his hope.
Uzumati felt almost guilty when he saw his daughter tugging at the ribbon but he knew it was for the best. He simply reached over to ruffle her hair with his free hand, almost like an apology, before carefully giving a tug and moving forward. They could browse some shops along the way and he would make certain to linger by anything that seemed interest. Oh. Already his hands were curving around a small wooden ball that separated into pieces almost like a puzzle. It was colorful and could be fun to fiddle with, right? Uzumati reached over to give the merchant some coin before handing it to Eujanie. His head tilted in curiosity as he waited to see what she would think about the gift, a small token to keep her interest as they wandered closer to the ships.
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 5:44 pm
"What should we get to eat, mama?" Valerian found himself tugging on his mother's shirt as he watched his sister and father venturing away. He was just eager to find the ships so that they could continue their journey but the rumbling of his stomach reminded him that food was pretty important too. "Would pastries be good?" Or sandwiches or something that they could easily walk with and eat at the same time? Soups or something like that would surely be too messy! Valerian pressed closer to Padma as the crowds shifted around them. Maybe they could just settle for whatever they found first and make it quickly to the docks to meet up with the others.
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 4:41 pm
[4/7 Padma]
Bless her sweet husband. Padma nodded, her worried expression smoothing somewhat at his last call of directions. As half of her family disappeared into the throng, Padma inhaled deeply. Once, she'd been so much more comfortable with bustle and crowds, thanks to traveling with her father - it seemed like years out in their peaceful little sanctuary had dulled her nerves quite a bit!
"Yes, my blossom, let's get going." She squeezed his hand, setting on a path towards where the crowd thickened, but the scent of things cooking hit her nose, glancing down at her child when he made his suggestion. "Pastries for lunch, hmm?" She responded, amused. It was a practical enough suggestion, but she still couldn't stop herself giggling at how sweets were the first thing he'd thought of. "Let's find a good lunch food and - if we have enough time, we'll snatch up some pastries. Ooh-- this looks promising!"
Padma turned them onto a row of little shops, shaded by tarps strung overhead. At one stall she saw an old woman, mixing a huge pot of spiced stew - which a younger attendant skillfully portioned into a rolled up, flattened and fried dough. It looked interesting, but she couldn't imagine transporting two extra servings --
The next few stalls offered fried balls of dough on sticks, and freshly cut sweet fruits - delicious, but again not as filling as she'd hoped for. ... Maybe the pastry suggestion hadn't been a bad idea.
"These all look so different, don't they? How exciting!" Padma said, fretfully, though she infused a theatrical excitement into her voice in hopes her nervousness wouldn't contaminate her little one, beside her.
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Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2022 4:43 pm
[4/7 Eujanie] Unlike her father, Eujanie didn't so much as glance back at her mother and sibling as they separated. Instead, she turned her head every which way, taking in the wonders of the city, eyes bright. She giggled as her hair was ruffled though, shooting a fond, beaming grin up at her dad. She LOVED her daddy- he was WILD and cool, and people in the village respected him. Another kid in the village said it was because he didn't TALK as much as she did, which probably was supposed to be mean, but it made sense to her!
Now, she pattered along, happy with the quickened pace, stopping only when the ribbon on her wrist tugged and alerted her that her daddy had stopped. She huffed, but looked up at him, curious about what he was buying.
A... ball? Eujanie took it with a chirped 'Oooh!', her tiny brow scrunching up as she turned it this way and that, pushing - it slid! But only a little - not all the way--
... Yes, she was thoroughly distracted - even if she wasn't as clever or patient as her brother, with puzzles. "Is it hiding a treasure, d'you think? Ohh! What if-- it pulls apart into other toys?!"
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 2:39 pm
A small, sly smile crossed Uzumati's lips at his daughter's question as he simply gave a small nod before moving forward. It appeared that he had found the perfect distraction for her while they explored the town. He had hoped that a physical puzzle, something that she could hold in her hands and fiddle with, would be much more fun than a simple mind puzzle on paper or the like. Now he had his own puzzle to figure out and while Uzumati didn't actually talk to any of the strangers in town the man found himself watching carefully. Those that seemingly had larger travel satchels walked with purpose up a path that veered towards the northern edges of town and it seemed the venders were gathering closer to that area as well.
Wouldn't large crowds be around a ship about to depart? It was like if a group was gathering for a hunt with some of the merchants trying to make coin from those unfortunate or foolish enough to forget some crucial gear like a bow or spear. There was a trio of foreigners too, the shockingly orange hair catching Uzumati's attention, and so he nudged Eujanie to point them out. It looked like they were on the right path indeed! Eventually Uzumati's steps slowed as he saw the large hovering ship, the strange contraption making his stomach curl. "Hm." He made an affirmative grunting noise as he simply lingered and watched for Padma and Valerian to arrive.
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