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 Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 12:02 pm
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Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 12:04 pm
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 9:57 am
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 9:58 am
4.XXXI Hide And Seek Zero Dream After returning to the pantheon, life had more or less become life as usual, through as Cosine already knew, it was hard to keep a Spirit Guide still for too long. Even more so when said Spirit Guide was eager to spread his wings. Ankou had only lasted a week before wandering off, as he so often did. However, it was obvious that he had something planned, if only because of the strange coming and going pattern he had developed. Still, it was in one sunny afternoon that things became a little stranger, in the form of a scrap of parchment that Infinity would bring to Cosine. When asked where it had come from, the crow would not say anything, but the uneven handwriting was definitively Ankou's. A cherry blossom and.... a hint ? midnight_medea Cosine had been in her office, working on transcribing the journey when Infinity appeared, a note in her hand.
"What's that?" she reached out to take the piece of paper and glanced it over, the handwriting was Ankou's, though the message was rather unlike him. Cryptic and almost playful.
Cherry Blossoms. She leaned her arms on the desk and looked over to Infinity.
"He wants me to go somewhere?" Well, there was one place she could think of ... he had really gone there? One way to find out.
It did not take long for Cosine to find the open door. She peered through and smiled. Clutching the note in her hand she made her way down the path, that had been tidied up and towards the temple. Zero Dream And yet Ankou was quite obviously not there - he would certainly be hard to miss, shape shifted or not. There was something different in the gardens, however - mostly the rows of drawers. They had all been re-painted, and the ones that had been damaged either repaired or replaced. The hexagonal box had also been restored, but the stick was already placed into one of the slots - the number two. And when she would look in the second drawer... Clearly Ankou was hiding out somewhere a little more... private. midnight_medea The change in the state of the boxes did not escape Cosine's keen eyes. It made her happy to think that those they had left behind really had worked to restore some kind of order to the temple. She spotted the stick and reached out to pull the drawer open, yet another note.
Crowded, so she needed to go somewhere less crowded ... Cosine glanced around and finally looked back at the forest. That was less crowded, in fact very much not crowded.
She took the note and wandered off towards the trees, that she had to admit looked much healthier than before. Zero Dream It was not long before the next note would be found, not-so-carefully hidden into a low bush. Really, the point of it was to be seen, and clearly he had not intended to send her on a complete wild goose chase. That would have been cryptic if not for a telltale, brightly glowing feather to her left, and the dimmer glow of others like it which more or less made a path up the small hillside. midnight_medea Cosine laughed a little as she found the next, rather vague letter. It was only after she read it that she spotted the feathers. One by one she collected them as she followed the trail, thorough the trees and to wherever he wanted her to go.
"Ankou?" She called out as the bunch of feathers in her hand grew. Zero Dream The steps were easy to retrace, and what she would find... was a waterfall.
It was so cleverly hidden that it was possible that the mortals of the temple did not know about it. Truly a beautiful sight, with the pure, pristine water running along the hillside and gathering into a rather inviting pool formed by natural rock. The pool had a faint dusting of cherry blossom petals that had been blown there by the wind.
"What do you think ?"
Sure enough, Ankou had not been there a second ago, but more or less seemed to manifest out of the blue. He stepped to stand beside her, careful to keep his wings out of the way. "I found it when I came back here." It was obvious that he knew many of such spots, scattered along many worlds. Incredible sights that most did not see... or simply could not reach.
This one was different, through. This one, he figured, was likely to be more personal, being so close to her temple. That was exactly why he had looked for it. midnight_medea The scene before her was truely beautiful. The crystal waters and the sprinkling of cherry blossoms. Cosine held the feathers in her hand and smiled. Ankou's sudden appearence did not make her jump. She was getting used to this new skill of his.
"We might have to have some rules about this sneaking up." she grinned, turning to look at him. His appearence was something she was getting used to too. It was not a bad think, she like the change very much, he was himself, truely himself. It gave him a bearing and confidence he had not had before.
"it's beautiful. Truely beautiful. And i quite enjoyed this little game." She waved the notes and feathers. You have me suitably intrigued." Zero Dream "Ah, but rules like that are no fun." Really, no fun at all. Rules ? Psssh. He would find a way to get around that. Probably get points for creativity at the same time.
Suitably intrigued, then ? Well, it would be a lie to say he was not a little nervous. Not enough that it truly showed, but really, if he did not feel a least a bit of nervousness at what he was about to do, then he would not be taking this seriously, It was a good kind of anxiety, this time around.
"Better cut down to the point before you simply decide to figure it our yourself, then." He said, rather amused indeed. "Close your eyes."
When she did, he remained still just for a few seconds, teasingly so. Then he did move, resting a gloved hand on her cheek. She was... beautiful, so beautiful in all the ways possible, and sometimes Ankou wondered if she actually knew it.
Something was slipped over her head carefully, something light was settled to rest to her front, and the object had the feel - and scent - of leather.
"...Thank you for putting up with me. All this time." Everything. Everything she had done, and everything she would ever do. Ankou was certain anyone else would have given up on him long before that.
"Will you stay with me... Until the end ?" Because this would end. It was inevitable. Eventually, one day, it would simply be time, and that would be that. All they could hope was that this time was not going to come anytime soon... And would not be brought forth by outside interference once more.
It was not a ring... But it meant much the same thing. And he had never been traditional, anyway. midnight_medea Cosine did as she was told for once and closed her eyes. She trusted him of course, she would trust him with anything. Those few moments of nothing seemed very long. She half wondered if he was about to push her in the pool for a joke. His movements were soft and gentle, she felt something slide over her head, smelled the leather and felt something rest cool against her chest.
She opened her eyes as he spoke and looked down at the carved bone. It was beautiful. His words even moreso. Cosine was, for once, lost for words, she reached up and touched the bone gently as she watched him.
"Of course." Her reply was simple yet laced with as much meaning. She did not have to think about her answer at all. She would do anything for him, follow him anywhere. "I love you Kou, I want to be with you till the end." Zero Dream He could not help it - there was some smug satisfaction on how utterly speechless she became. Usually Cosine always had a witty retort or two up her sleeve, and at the other times where he had made her speechless, well...
Usually it had been for the wrong reasons.
"I am glad for that." He smiled, and for a moment longer was silent - content to just enjoy her presense. The wind picked up, sending more light pink and white blossoms fluttering along... And those which passed through his wings came out a faint, glowing blue, as if charged up by touching the barely substantial feathers.
It was obvious that this was not the only thing he wished to talk about, but he was certainly taking his sweet time voicing himself. This was, actually, the part he was a little anxious about - he would have been the first surprised if Cosine had turned him down.
This... Well, he actually was not sure if she had been serious with it, or if she had only been bringing up a possibility.
"I have been thinking. About what we talked about before we left to Daelyth."
He left it at that, pondering if she would guess what he was talking about. midnight_medea Cosine too enjoyed the comfortable silence. She never minded being in silence with him, so often they did not need words. The blossoms floated over them, she moved closer and reached to take his cool hand in her warmer one.
She smiled at his words, looking into his eyes, they too were different, piercing, though it was still easy to get lost in them.
"Yes?" She asked, she was not going to be hopeful, he had not seemed keen on the idea and well, if that was his choice then she would accept it. "What were you thinking?" Zero Dream "Well... I think-"
No, not really.
"...No, I know. I know that I can do it." Really, everything was clearer now, now that he was not caught in-between, now that it did not feel like his awareness was being stretched thin and pulled in all direction. Oh, he still felt it, felt the presence and the faint whisper of the dead - all of them - but now it was perfectly manageable.
It had been the biggest reason why he was re-thought what he felt about it, though he had started to loosely ponder it before that.
He could balance everything now. Maybe not perfectly, but... Now he had the faith that his attempts might not end in utter, complete failure.
That was certainly more faith in himself that he had before, at least.
"And if you are willing... I would like it. I miss the wisps... Their laughter." It had been endearing... And perhaps one of the things that had helped him pull through, ultimately. And the laughter of his own children could only be even sweeter, really.
It was a very important responsibility, and he knew it. But he had seen it in her reaction to the wisps, on how she herself had been endeared to them... worried for them. However, this was not only for her sake. It had taken him a long time, a blink of an eye for an immortal but... Ankou felt like he had, finally, found out who he was, and what he wanted.
"So I will ask." He smiled again, bringing her hand up to kiss it tenderly. "Would you give me the honor to be the mother of my children ?" midnight_medea Cosine listened to him, tilting her head to the side, a smile on her lips. When she had brought up the subject she had not been entirely sure herself. It had been testing the water, something that seemed like the next step in a relationship as tight as theirs.
"Yes." She said for the second time since he had appeared. "I loved the little sprites too. It was hard to leave them and to know where they had come from. It would be nice to have our own children to take care of and teach things too." She smirked a little and leaned forwards, her hand on his chest. She looked up at him, sure he had grown even taller.
"Besides I think we have a duty to the Pantheon, in the name of rebirth and rebuilding." Zero Dream "Duty, uh." It amused him a bit, but he could see the point. If that had been the only reason, well, this would have been where he might have backed out, but thankfully that was not the case.
That done, however...
"...So do you have any idea how to do this ?"
Well, he had a clue - he honestly was not that dense, but he was certain there was more to it than well... the mortal way, or it might as well have happened already. midnight_medea What could dhe do but laugh at his question. Even if it was a valid one it still seemed funny.
"I'm not sure." She replied, glancing off to the waterfall. "I'm assuming not um, the obvious way. If I were to think logically it would have to be a merging of ourselves? Though how...? I imagine it is different for each of us." Zero Dream ...What was so funny about what he had just said ? Oh well. If it made her laugh, he could deal with it. He loved the sound of her laugh.
"Well, Echo was not pregnant, technically." Well, not in the mortal definition, really. As for how exactly her children were made, well, there were some things you just did not ask. At least not as far as Ankou was concerned.
Beside, he had been too busy laughing at what he had more or less considered the most amazing 'whoops' moment in the history of gods reborn. Really, the timing had been a little train-wrecky.
"Most likely." Through how... ? Well, there was really just one thing he could think of. Gloved hands travelled to his wings, pulling out the brightest feathers, the bigger ones, full of mana, They would grow back, so even if that did not work... Well, it was not that big of a deal.
"Well, that is the only thing I can think about." He offered, sheepish, and now definitively glad they were alone, with no curious mortals, aoidei, or valkyries eavesdropping on them. midnight_medea "Oh, I hadn't thought about that." She admitted. "How they will be born. Spending so long as a human it's easy to assume everything will be the human way."
She watched him pull the feathers from his wings and reached out to take them from him. Cosine studied them for a moment then brushed them against her cheek whilst she thought about it. How to merge.
"Can you braid them into my hair?" She asked, looking up at him. "Perhaps I can aborb the mana." It was a long shot but worth it perhaps. Zero Dream Braid it ? Well, it was worth a shot. "I can try..." He was not that good with hair, but he definitively did know how to braid, at least.
The gloves were taken off, and combed through her hair with his fingers, making sure it was good and tangle-free before he started the actual braiding part, making sure to space the feathers evenly. Probably would not make a difference, if this actually worked at all, but well... It would look nicer that way.
"Like this ?" He asked, careful not to accidentally pull on her hair too much. midnight_medea Cosine closed her eyes to the feel of his fingers in her hair and nodded.
"Yes, like that. It seems silly, I know, but it is a symbolic joining perhaps, a statement of intention?" She breathed in slowly. "Coupled with the physical act." Of course she still had no real idea, just a vague memory of casting joy on Nergal before his children must have been concieved. Zero Dream Oh, he did feel rather silly, which is why it was such a blessing that they were alone. But really, Ankou figured that he should just trust his lover's instinct on this. Because otherwise, well... He had no idea, beside the obvious.
Would that stop him from trying the obvious ? Of course not.
Still, he hoped this would work, because he really... really.... reaaaaaalllyyyyy did not want to go ask advice about this. Xun Jiang would most likely laugh his scaled butt off, and the Spirit Guide would not even be able to blame him.
It was not long before the braid was done, and all the feathers waved in. Some leftover leather cord and this was about as secure as it could be, really. "It does look good on you." Proud ? Well.
Maybe a little. midnight_medea The situation was awkward really, but as it were just the two of them, that did not really matter. If it did not work then she would have a new charm for her hair, something personal. She would have to watch her collecting, soon she would have a whole head of feathers.
"They feel nice, cooling." She fell silent a moment and closed her eyes. She could feel the mana in them too. In the background the sound of water from the waterfall and the sounds of the birds made her smile. This really was the perfect place and she did not want to go back to the bustle of the Pantheon any time soon. A playful smile crossed her lips as she opened her eyes.
"This water looks quite inviting doesn't it?" Zero Dream "Hmmm." He pondered out loud, eyeing the waterfall with a rather mischievous look on his face. That could certainly be fun, would it not be ?
"Would you like to go for a swim, then ?" He offered. It was not such a hard climb - or jump, really - down from here. midnight_medea Cosine grinned and nodded.
"Well, it's uch a lovely day and a beautiful setting. It would be a shame to leave now." She raised an eyebrow and reached behind herslef to loosen the tie at the back of her dress ...
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 5:31 pm
4.XXXII Parenthood midnight_medea In the days after the waterfall a lethargy took over Cosine. When she managed to drag herself out of bed she made it about as far as the sofa or the couch in Ankou's work room where she curled up and watched him work. The strand of hair that his feathers were braided to turned grey and then white, when her energy returned she spent time with the Aoide, organising their rooms, especially the bedroom. The number goddess soon became almost obsessive about making sure that room in particular was tidy, clean and comfortable. She added extra quilts to the bed, more pillows making sure it was warm and cosy as possible.
Then, one night Cosine found it impossible to sleep, impossible to get comfortable. Restless would probably be the best word. She got up and wandered the apartment, she knew Ankou would be working but she didn't want to pester him so she went to get a book from her study and headed back to the bedroom.
The pain came later. As a goddess she could not remember physical pain, though she was sure that Lien must have gone through plenty of it. This seemed to come from deep within her and spread throughout her body. The goddess cried out, curled in a ball and wondering what was happening to her.
Her aoide came first, Zeta stayed with her and Zero went to fetch Ankou.
When it was over three perfect, white eggs lay next to an exhausted goddess. Zero Dream Cosine's lethargy was worrying him. The change in hair colors was... strange, but they were gods. Appearances were, after all, a completely mutable thing for them. The lethargy was more worrying.
He was especially thankful for the aoidei right now, as they could keep an eye on her while he was away. Ankou was making sure not to leave for days at a time on purpose, but nonetheless he continued to work. It helped him ignore the worry for the time being.
He had, indeed, been away when Zero had come looking for him. He had been worlds away, but it had been easy enough for Hrist to call for his attention, and it was only seconds before he was there again, not even bothering to shift back to his normal form when he was physically there.
And then it hit him.
Cosine looked like crap.
But more than that...
Eggs.
If Cosine had not looked so tired, he would have been certain that this was all a practical joke. But sure enough, the three eggs were alive, and had a distinct feel of power to them.
"Are you alright, love ?" He moved to crouch near her, careful not the disturb the makeshift... nest. He leaned to run his hand through her hair, trying to soothe her.
But still. Eggs. He sure as hell had not seen it coming. midnight_medea Cosine looked up at Ankou and gave a half smile.
"Yes and No.". She did feel like crap, like she had been dragged to hell and back but it was worth it. Yes, there were eggs. She had not expected that either, though she supposed on some level it made sense. She patted the bed beside her, inviting him to join her.
"It worked." She was happy, very happy, exhausted, but these eggs would be their children. "We need to keep them warm. Zero, Zeta, get some more blankets." Zero Dream "I can see that." Yup, the three eggs were a little hard to miss in the seemingly ever-shifting sea of colored blankets and pillows. "Is there anything I can get you ? Something to drink ?" Sure, the aoidei could have handled that, but he wanted to take care of her, personally.
For now, however, he took place next to her, peering at the three eggs with a rather wide-eyed look of wonder that was rarely seen on him. It really took a lot to truly surprise him, but this had done the task really. And three of them... He had not really expected three. Could he really handle three ?
A little too late to ponder that, really. He reached out carefully for one of them. They needed to stay warm, yes, but since he was wearing gloves, Ankou figured that his colder body temperature would not spread.
He paused then, blinking, reaching for the egg next to it with his other hand. "...This one is colder than the other..." Definitively alive, but... The temperature drop was noticeable. midnight_medea Something to drink? Cosine shifted so she was sitting up and nodded.
"Some hot tea would be nice." Very welcome, her throat felt dry and sore. She watched him reach out to touch them and smiled, his words surprised her, though she supposed that they shouldn't have. He was cold after all.
"Maybe we shouldn't keep that one warm then." She suggested, looking up at him as she reached out to run her hand over each one in turn. "I wonder how long it will take for them to hatch." Zero Dream He reached out for the third egg, once again comparing temperature in between the two. "This one is warmer, too." So two to keep warm, and one to cover a little less. Maybe.
It was not like he had any idea how eggs worked, really. Good thing Cosine seemed to know what to do, because Ankou was more or less in the dark.
"I am not too sure..." It could happen very quickly, or it could take some time. "Echo was hit by time dilatation... I have no idea how much it took in her case." But again, these were completely different situations. Could one even be used as comparison's sake ?
For now, however, he simply nodded at his lover's request and left to brew her some tea. midnight_medea Whilst she waited for him to return Cosine made sure the two warmer eggs were covered and shifted closer to them so that her body heat would help. It would be a case of waiting now. Keeping them comfortable and waiting.
Still, the goddess was excited. They were immortal, what was a bit of time to them? She curled around the three of them and waited for Ankou to return. Zero Dream Ankou was not gone long - he simply picked one of the blends Anima kept around for guests, lacking the knowledge to create something himself. He returned with both teapot and teacup and brought a side table closer to her so that she could reach both without having to actually get up, and then took place with her again on the bed.
He found himself wondering what was hiding behind those three thick shells. Sons ? Daughters ? Probably a mix of both. Three of the same gender seemed unlikely, at least. Ankou was... well, happy, yes, but a little dismayed. He really had no idea how to deal with eggs. Lifeflames, yes, he could have dealed with that just fine. But eggs ?
He could barely bring himself to touch them beyond the lightest brush, scared that he might break them, or harm them somehow. midnight_medea "Thank you." Cosine was getting some of her strength back, she watched Ankou, his awkward, almost nervous posture.
"It's okay Kou." She spoke softly, reaching for his hand. "They're strong. I can feel it. Healthy. I will stay with them, make sure they stay that way." Eggs were strange, though having observed the crows she knew they needed to keep them warm and watch them. "Though, in the bird world the mother and father share egg guarding duties." Zero Dream "It is just... strange." He admitted. Not that he had known what to expect, really, but... this certainly had not been it, of that he was certain.
Well, he was certain of one thing, through, and he shook his head lightly. "They are as much mine as they are yours." He pointed out. It would not be her sole job to watch over them until they hatched, no. He might need pointers, really, but there was no way he would let her have the sole burden of their care.
He certainly was at a loss, through. Should he talk to them ? Sing to them ? Would they instinctively know who he was ? He knew, more or less, how to deal with young children, thanks to his nephews and niece, but while they were in this state ?
"...You might just have to tell me what to do." He admitted, a nervous smile on his face. midnight_medea Cosine brought his hand to her lips and kissed it gently.
"I have just about as much knowlegde as you do. I'm just following instinct I suppose. I'll help you, though just do what you feel. What you think is right. I'm sure it will be the best thing to do." She smiled warmly. "We should start thinking of names whilst we wait. Pick a few for each gender perhaps." Zero Dream "There you go, being all logical and making sense again." He said, amused. His hand reached to run through her hairs after it had been kissed.
Then he found himself reaching for the colder egg again. Really, if there was one he was unlikely to harm by contact, it was this one. All three looked so identical at first glance, through with time he started to notice tiny little differences in between them.
"I wonder what influence they hold..." He pondered out loud. Would they know when they hatched ? Echo had seemed to know, at least. "Do you think they can hear us ?"
Names... Right. They would need names, would they not ? The first names those tiny godlings would come to know and hold, so they needed to be carefully chosen. "Kyrie for a girl, maybe ?" He was not sure where he had heard it, but it stood out in his mind, for some reason. Really, he heard plenty of things and names as he passed through various worlds... midnight_medea "I think they can. As for their influences i have no idea. I think perhaps this one might be close to yours." She said, reaching out to touch the cooler of the eggs. "Kyrie, I like that. It's pretty. How about Caelia for another girl's name? I read a book once with a character called that in it. It's pretty too. Maybe when I am rested I can see if I can sense genders, maybe influences." Zero Dream "Hmm." That was true. Maybe she could get hints of what was to come through her cards... However, she certainly needed to recover first. "That is possible... Through perhaps it simply takes from me physically." It was hard to tell. He reached for another egg then, feeling the soft, smooth shell. He could have sworn he felt something move, just a bit, within...
"Watch them all be boys, since all we seem to be thinking about are female names." He grinned, amused. "For a boy... Aenas ?" Hm. He was not sure he liked that, and that was evident in his expression. midnight_medea Cosine laughed at his expression and shook her head.
"No, I don't like that one. Hmm, oh, another name I have read before Isidore. I like it. It can be a girl's name too. Isidora. I also like the name Kyriakos. Though it is very similar to the girls names." Zero Dream "These are quite nice." He liked Isidore, really. The other he was less partial on, mostly because of the similarity, but also because it kind of sounded like Kios - which could be confusing as these two would likely to be in each other's presence... At least he hoped.
"Signy could be a good girl name, too." Really, it was hard to think up names like this, out of the blue. He figured that once he did see them, things might just click. He hoped so, anyway.
"Maybe you should rest a bit." He proposed, gently. "I can keep watch on them... I will wake you up if anything happens." midnight_medea Cosine nodded and sank down into her nest of covers. She really wanted nothing more than to sleep. She pulled the duvet up and cuddled closer to the eggs.
"I won't need too long." She mumbled sleepily as she put her head down and promptly nodded off.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 5:54 pm
4.XXXIII Mothers Meeting midnight_medea Having recovered from her the rather traumatic ordeal of laying eggs Cosine decided to pay Echo a visit. She knew the goddess would be pleased with the news and also Cosine wanted to ask some advice on raising mini gods. She had left Ankou with the eggs, it was his first time alone with them but she knew he would be okay.
She walked up to Echo's door and knocked. She was quite aware of the fact that she looked a little wild in appearance. Now there were three lots of feathered braids framing her face. Her old ones on the left and the new one on the right, her hair white where she had absorbed Ankou's mana, the feathers pale and glowing in contrast to the dark crow feathers on the other side. Zero Dream It was not long before an aoide, this time Alto, came to open the door. He seemed rather surprised, curious even, but the mute aoide only nodded and led Cosine to Echo's work room, where the goddess had been holed up for a few hours now.Echo had been content to leave the more in-depth research to Kios, really. Pouring over star charts certainly was not her forte, no, and as far as she knew, Exalla was still having her headstalks talked clean off her head by her youngest, and no one had found Shiana yet.
So instead Echo was doing research, about Exalla's kind... And so far she had not found much. She might need to bother her youngest again.
The few knocks on the door dragged her nose out of the book she had been studying, and Echo finally looked up. "Cosine !" She greeted with a smile, through the braid of white hair had her quickly yurn curious. Music rose to meet up with her sister instead of inviting her into the room, as there were definitively better places where they could talk. "How are you ?" midnight_medea Cosine followed Alto through the comfortable apartment and smiled as they walked to Echo's work room. She liked to watch Echo at work.
"Good, good. I have a lot to tell you and some things to ask." She should have brought something with her perhaps. Some flowers or cake, though she had not had time. Hopefully Echo would not mind.
"Ankou has fully ascended. Whilst we were on the Journey to find forge. Gave me the fright of my life of course." Zero Dream "Oh ?" There was deep curiosity in her tone, but she let Cosine start to explain... And she could not help but laugh.
"Sounds familiar..." Definitively amused there, through if Cosine had not needed to more or less crawl her way down Yggdrasil to kick Ankou in the a**, she already had it better than she had.
"How is Forge, by the way ?" She asked, making her way to the garden. There had been no need to bring cake - by how Alto angled to the kitchen, it was obvious he was about to provide something similar, and drinks as well. midnight_medea "He was taken down a soul path to the underworld. i thought the worst, but he returned of course." She shook her head a little and followed Echo out to the garden. One of her favourite places to pass time in good company.
"Forge is growing stronger. Glyph is searching for a suitable host. One that is strong and I hope willing. it will enure they do not reject her again." She looked up at the sky and smiled happily. "There is some more good news I have to tell you. Or maybe I should make you guess." Zero Dream "That is good to hear..." The trip had not been in vain, at least. She would have to keep an eye out, see if she could spot the host once it had been found... See if there was anything she could aid with, any questions she could answer.
"Anything to do with the sudden style change ?" She teased. The white braid had not escaped her notice - it was hard for someone not to see it, really. midnight_medea Cosine laughed and examined the end of her braid. She had not expected it to change colour though she had to admit she liked it.
"Yes, I think so." She smirked and looked up at Echo. "Ankou and I, we're bound to each other now I suppose." Mortals might call it marriage, though as gods it felt like more than that. Eternity was a long time. "And ..." Cosine paused and gave Echo a grin. "You are soon to be an Aunt." Zero Dream ...That seemed surprising in itself. Ankou had never seemed the 'settle-down' type, at least not to her... Through Echo had to admit she did not know Ankou as well as she perhaps should. They certainly were on good terms, yes, but the Spirit Guide more or less remained a mystery to her. It always seemed to be impossible to tell what he was thinking, in those long bouts of silence of his.
...And she was going to be a what ?!? Echo might as well have been a spliting image of her son right now, with those wide eyes. "Really ?!" Hee ! midnight_medea Cosine nodded and grinned broadly. Was she a proud mother to be? ... very much. "Yes, really. It's a little crazy. Especially when i tell you what happened. Ankou and I ... we decided that we would like to have children together and well, certain things fell in place. Ankou is with them now ... the eggs." She glanced back at Echo, surpressing a smirk as she waited for her sister goddess' reaction to that nuugget of information. Zero Dream "...The eggs ?"
Blink. Blink blink. Really, Echo seemed just a little uncertain as to weither or not Cosine was pulling her leg or not. Eggs were not that far fetched, not really, when she did think about it, as she had more or less carried her own children to term as lifeflames.
But still.
"...You've laid what now ?" That... could not have been a fun experience. midnight_medea What could she do but laugh at Echo's surprise. Really was it that shocking?
"Yes, eggs, I am a counting crow after all?" She did not really care what anyone thought about it, they were her children and any way they came to be would be natural for her. "It's good really, it means I do not have to do all the work." Zero Dream Really, part of Echo's shock was most likely due to her still rather human-like mindset. No matter what happened, it seemed like she could never completely shake off mortal perception. "Well, that makes sense." She admitted, amused.
The idea of Ankou babysitting eggs was, well, amusing, she had to admit. And really, she kind of wished she could have seen his face when that had happened. If his expression had been anything near Nergal's when he realized the lifeflames were his, that would have been completely worth it. "How many, then ?" She asked, curious. midnight_medea "Three. I am pretty sure there are two girls and a boy. Influence I am still working on. One is definitely an Underworld connected realm, the boy. His egg is cool, the other two warm." She really could not wait for them to hatch so that they could meet them
"You should come and meet them. We've chosen names already." Zero Dream Well, that was more than she had been able to decipher before the actual birth of her own children, which Echo had to admit was impressive. Was Cosine seeing this through the numbers ? Highly possible.
"I would certainly like to do so, but it would probably be more interesting for the little ones once they are no longer eggs." She grinned. Alto returned with a tray of tea and cookies, and Echo accepted it with a nod. midnight_medea Cosine shrugged a little.
"I think they can hear things. Mortal babies hear things when they are inside their mother so why not within eggs. They might enjoy some of your music?" She and Ankou had taken to talking to them, singing to them sometimes. "I had a few questions for when they join us. Are they like mortal babies? What do I feed them? It's as intimidating as it is exciting." Zero Dream "I can certainly come whenever." Really, Akakios was so taken with Exalla that she would be surprised if the andalite would manage to wriggle her way out of her son's attentions anytime soon. One tea cup was carefully poured out and handed to Cosine, with the cookies ending up somewhere in between them.
Ah, the questions. She was not surprised when they came. After all, just because Echo had not had any bearing did not mean Cosine had to leap in this blind. "If they are anything like mine... They will probably hatch looking more like toddlers than actual babies. They might know a few words, but... They'll have to learn to talk and to walk, for the most part. They'll need to learn everything, really. But they learn pretty fast." Heaven knows it did not take Sotiris very long to start to get in, well... everything.
"And I think it depends on them, really. They are gods, if tiny little ones." It was easy to forget, sometimes. "There is no mortal element to them. They do not need to eat, but they may like it." Sotiris' infamous love of cookies and Akakios' similar liking of peaches came to mind, and well... Thankfully Lacrymosa had moved from eating bugs to eating all sort of things once she had discovered a passion for cooking. "Try different things, and see what they like, if anything ?" midnight_medea Cosine listened intently, taking mental notes. As a logic goddess she wanted to be prepared. She liked to teach so that would be no problem for her, she was looking forward to it if the truth be told.
Food, experimental, well that was fine too. Perhaps they would be much like Ankou and not want any at all.
"Thank you, I think I will be coming to you often for advice." Zero Dream "That certainly will not be a problem." Echo smiled. She was certainly eager to help... Especially since these three were her nephew and nieces.
Three to three, but mirrored. That was... kind of ironic, when she thought of it. "I imagine I will have some children eager to see their cousins soon, as well." midnight_medea "You are the first we have told." Though she imagined there were several friends and family who would like to visit the youngsters when they were born. "I imagine Glyph and Xun will want to meet them too. And Kios, I think he will be a good big cousin. He can answer all the questions that they will have." She smirked a little. Some might call that karma. Zero Dream "Most likely." She did not know Xun that well yet, she had to admit, through she had found the dragon to be pleasant enough. And Glyph ? Glyph would probably adore being surrounded by a small horde of children, really.
Echo seemed to think a similar thing, really - or at least that was what her amused smile told. "Oh, indeed..."
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 5:57 pm
4.XXXIV Sunny Side Up ? Zero Dream The days blended together, as they tended to do in his mind. The concept of time was one that he found harder and harder to keep track of. He could not tell for how long exactly his bed had turned into a nest, and really, he found that he did not mind it that much.
Cosine had gone out for some fresh air, and he had been left to egg-sit again, which... Well, was kind of boring. It involved a lot of laying around, and there was one thing Ankou was not particularly good at...
He figured it would be more interesting when he had to actually run after the kids, oddly enough. Still, he was absentmindedly tracing shapes on one egg with a finger, humming some random tune while half of his awareness flung somewhere or other across All That Is up until one tiny, dreadful noise would have him do the mental equivalent of coming back running, so to speak.
Craaaaaaaack...
That was not a good egg noise. That was not a good egg noise AT ALL.
Sure enough, he saw it - a rather nasty looking crack on the egg he'd been touching. Oh, of course, of course he would find a way to somehow... !!!
"s**t." s**t. s**t. Shitshitshit. What was he supposed to do ? He had not meant that ! He hadn't...
Wait.
The egg was wriggling. The cracks were deepening. As if alerted by the cracks and snaps, the other two were quick to join in.
On one hand, there was relief. He had not broken the egg.
On the other hand... They were hatching where the hell was Cosine ?!
He reached out for Hrist, and it was quick, lightning quick. Find Cosine. As quickly as you can.
He had no need to elaborate. midnight_medea Cosine had not wandered far, just to the gardens of the pantheon. As soon as Hirst found her she bolted back to their rooms as fast as possible. She was not sure what was going on, though she knew what she hoped it was. Hatching ...
"I'm here." She called, as she ran through the doorway to the bedroom. There was Ankou, sat on the bed with the eggs. Nothing amiss there, though then she saw the movement and the cracks. All three of them.
"Oh." A grin spread across her face and she crawled up onto the bed next to Ankou. "Should we help them?" Zero Dream Ankou looked rather relieved when Cosine arrived - it had certainly felt like it had taken Hrist forever to find her... But that was probably the nerves speaking.
"Well, this one seems to be doing just fine..." Indeed, the egg that had cracked first seemed to have quite the headway of the other two, and he could see a flash of black feathers and purple... And... Wait, was that a beak ?!
Uh.
Well.
They were coming out from eggs... At least one of them seemed equipped accordingly. The other two, however... He reached for the colder egg in attempt to aid the little one within to pry its way out. midnight_medea A beak!? Cosine peered down at the egg that seemed to be the most advanced. Her thought much like Ankou's, they were eggs, so bird gods they might be.
Smiling she turned to help the other egg nearest her, breaking part of the shell and grinning as a tiny hand reached out towards her.
"Ankou, look." She said, lifting the purple haired little girl from the egg and onto her lap. Zero Dream Sure enough, the bird-like child within the first egg was doing just fine without them, She was the first to make her way out, and Ankou belatedly did catch her, busy with the other egg as he was.
That had indeed been a beak. And more than that - the rest of her head, aside from the blue eyes that peered up at him, the feathers... Everything about the tiny goddess screamed crow. This one, at least, seemed rather obvious.
It was not long before he did manage to get the third child free from his egg. The resemblance was a little uncanny - through this one seemed to have the blue hue to his skin that he had lost in transition. More than that, however... He could feel it, that kind of convergence. Similar purposes, but not quite the same.
Both children, the little crow and the boy - his son, his daughter, it seemed to truly hit home now - were brought closer, away from the mess of egg shards and into the softness of the blankets, to rest against him, close to him.
Then he looked up and saw the other girl - Cosine had been right, one boy and two girls - and she looked a great deal like her mother, only with soft purple hues where Cosine was green.
Three little miracles. He wanted to ask Cosine which names should go to which, if she had managed to see domains through the numbers, but as hard as he wanted to say something... anything... The words simply did not come out.
He could only look at his son, at his daughters, and smile. Nothing else mattered right now. midnight_medea Cosine, too was rather lost for words. Just moments ago they had been eggs, now there were three tiny gods, blinking, wide eyed at the room and their parents. She hugged her little girl to her and reached out to run her hand over the feathers of the other, then touched the pale cheek of the boy who looked much like his father.
They were all so perfect.
The little one on her lap reached up and grabbed a lock of her hair tightly. Like Ankou Cosine was trying to figure out what their influences might be. Crow seemed obvious, though the other two ...
She looked down at the girl in her lap and shifted her in her arms.
"Caelia. I think that suits this one." Zero Dream It was nagging at him. That similarity he felt, and yet... it was most likely a case of thinking to hard and missing the obvious, he knew.
And yet...
Ankou was busy giving his son a thoughtful look, and ironically did not notice that the little boy started to mimic it. Most of the effect was lost on something this small and cute, however.
He was distracted from his thoughts by Cosine's voice, and he nodded. "Yes... it does fit her." And her eyes... kind of like a sunrise. All manners of pinks with an orange-yellow that, while different from his own, was similar enough.
"Kyrie for this one, then ?" One hand ran to the side of her beak and he laughed when he was playfully snapped at. "Keep that to yourself, missy." Daddy is neither delicious nor edible.
"And Isidore for him ?" He looked at the boy in front of him again, and it finally hit him. The feeling around the little one. He remembered it quite suddenly, that foreignness. He had felt it, once, when he had put the mortals who had died in the clearing of the catacombs to rest, at Echo's request. He had found it awkward. Ankou worked with souls, not bodies.
This one, however... It was that kind of feeling that clung to the boy. "...Funeral, hm ?" He mused out loud. midnight_medea Cosine laughed at Kyrie's playing and watched her son mimick his father's actions. That was adorable. Funeral, it suited himand she hoped that would put him close to his cousins. Especially Lacrymosa and Akakios.
"Crow, funeral ..." she looked down into the colourful eyes that stared up at her and smiled. Something close to her own domain but not number ... divination of some sort. She pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead and smiled.
"Augury." Zero Dream "Augury..." He was uncertain what that meant, but perhaps similar to Cosine if she had been able to guess, much like he had done with their son.
For now, well... He would be content not to move an inch anytime soon, which was perhaps a world first in his case. He reached for a stray blanket to help dry out Kyrie's feathers first, and then Isidore's hair. He had egg goop all over him by that point, but he could not care less. midnight_medea Cosine watched Ankou with a grin on her lips. She knew he would be a good father, even if he had been in denial about it. She grabbed the other end of the blanket and rubbed Caelia down before setting her with her brother and sisters so she could move in closer to them and lean against the headboard. She too was content to sit, watch and play as the young ones explored their immediate surroundings.
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 6:02 pm
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:20 am
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 7:21 am
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:57 am
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:58 am
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 3:59 am
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 4:02 am
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 4:03 am
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