Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lewis shook his head and scooped his little tom-boy up into his arms. "sweety," he said softly as he carried her into her room, "you know, Oliver's been hurt pretty badly for most of his life." he got some of her usual pants and a shirt and helped her dress. "he's probably still scared, i think he's probably hiding somewhere right now, thanking the gods you didn't beat him. that's what the people he was with before would have done." he cupped Martha's cheeks and looked into her eyes, "you are wonderful child, and i love you, but you seem a bit drawn to Oliver so i'll warn you now. stay away from him. you only get frustrated and yell and he'll get scared and hide. if you want to be his friend, you need to be kinder, gentler, or you're only going to hurt him." he kissed her forehead and stood up, "understand?"

Tsume shook his head as they walked into the kitchen, "you need more than that. it's not healthy, Kash. just because you can survive, doesn't mean it's good for you. at least make a little something for yourself, even if it's left overs."

Oliver heard a voice and felt himself tense. did the princess send someone after him? he scoot back as far as he could in his cubby and curled up, hoping they didn't find him.

Lewis chuckled, "that's my girl. love you. but if you are around him, be nice, ok?" he rubbed her head, messing up her hair and then patted her bum, "go on, go play with your sister. i bet they are fighting again, and you are a miracle worker when comes to making them stop. or should Dad come in and throw a few tickles?"

Tsume was hit by the scent of fear the moment they walked into the kitchen. he frowned, but Kashi seemed to smell it too. the hare was looking for the source when he suddenly stopped and went back to the food. "that? oh, it's a hatia berry. very good, a bit sweet. you just need to pry the top off and you can scoop out the insides." he looked into the cubby that KAshi had found and saw the little Retan boy inside. he snuck his hand in and caught a foot, but Oliver screamed and started to beg to forgiveness. Tsume ignored him and pulled him out, grabbing his arm. Oliver had stopped begging and was just hanging limply from his grip, sobbing. "hey now," he said gently as he sat down and lifted the boy into his arms. he hugged Oliver close and ran a hand up and down his back, "you aren't in trouble, Oliver. we just didn't want you to be alone and scared." he smiled and continued to hold the boy, "you're alright, it's alright." he met Kashi's eyes and shrugged a little. "we were going to eat something, want to join us?"

Oliver curled up tighter as he heard cupboards being opened. his heart was nearly beating out of his chest as it got louder, but soon there was silence and he hesitatly looked to the opening of his cubby. there was the servant with rabbit ears, moving away, but he wasn't grabbing for him or anything. Oliver sighed in relief, but his foot was grabbed and he screamed. it was the wolf, the princess sent the wolf after him. he knew begging was useless as soon as he was pulled out, so he hung from the man's grip. warm arms wrapped around him as he was hugged and sat on the wolf's lap. relief washed over him when the wolf said they were getting something to eat. so they hadn't been looking for him. at the question, he shook his head, not wanting to move away from the hug, to eat. it felt-it felt nice. this man belonged to master. he was safe in his arms. Oliver remembered that now. "can i stay here?" he asked softly.

Tsume nodded, "sure you can, kid. sorry, Kash. i'll help next time, ok?"

Lewis shrugged, "i was born with pink hair. wierd, huh?" he ran the hand not holding Martha's through his hair, "caused me no end of trouble when i was younger too. a boy with pink hair!" of course she would have no idea what kind of trouble it caused, and he wanted to keep it that way. "i dyed it black, once. your father wasn't happy with me, he likes it pink." they arrived at the toy room and Lewis stopped, "sure you don't want me to come in and tickle?"

Tsume lifted an eyebrow at Kashi's wariness of him, "you do know i raised Nix pretty much by myself, don't you?" he shook his head and adjusted Oliver, sitting him more comfortably across his lap, "yeah. i used to tease him that his mother liked food. Hasta and Pasa, sounds like hatia and pasta, don't you think?"

Oliver was moved a bit, but it only settled him further into Tsume's arms. he closed his eyes and just relaxed. he wasn't tired, but he pretended to sleep, hoping it would mean that Tsume would hold onto him longer.

Lewis shook his head and kissed Martha's cheek, "i love you, you silly girl, so there. dying your hair is just part of who you are and i love that too, so there." he smiled and waved at the two girls, "hello there. everything alright?"

Tsume huffed, some day Kashi would figure out he had a brain and wasn't just an animal. "you can try, but last time i did that he dropped me in the shadow realm for a couple days. wasn't fun." he would never admit it, but he still occasionally had nightmares about that place.

Lewis rolled his eyes, "Anna, dear? who cares? she's wearing them to keep her hair out of her face, not to show off. and even if she was wearing them as a pairing to that dress, does it effect you? hmm?" he walked in and gently tapped Anna on the nose, "you are too demanging, my dear. just because you think it is right or wrong doesn't mean everyone has to agree. if Elliot put on a dress with lots of frills, would you get mad at him? or glare at him the way you are your sister? what if wearing that dress made him really, really happy? would you tell him it was wrong and break his heart?" he lifted an eyebrow, "i would hope you are loving enough to not do something so cruel to someone else. if you want to dress in what you think is nice, go ahead, but let other people wear what they think are nice too. or i'll just have to start making fun of your frills." he fluffed Anna's dress with his hands, grinning teasingly.

"Naw, i got it." Tsume was pretty sure Oliver was faking, but he didn't mind. he adjusted the boy so his head was on his shoulder and then supported him with an arm under his butt, which freed his other hand to eat. "this smells amazing. did you get anything for yourself?" he eyed Kashi, frowning, "don't make me eat alone."

Lewis chuckled, "yes, i know. but that doesn't matter. it serves a purpose, and that's all." he ruffled Anna's hair, knowing it would bother her, and walked over to Emily, "so what are you doing that needs your hair out of the way?"

Tsume grinned, "good." he ate hungrily, keeping Oliver balanced on his shoulder as he did so. he didn't know how many times he'd eaten with Nix like this when she was a baby and right now Oliver was pretty close to that mentally. "this is delicious, Kash. thanks."

Lewis smiled, his ever thoughtful genius of a little girl. her sister were smart, but they didn't look outside of themselves with their intelligence. Emily was always helping others which is why he felt that she and Justin were a perfect match. not that he'd tell Elliot or Al that, they would freak out if they knew how much their little girl loved the boy. "that's very kind of you. did you try pillows? or maybe a pile of rags?"

Tsume shrugged one arm so he didn't move Oliver, "i'm a wolf. no matter what you may think about them just being violent creatures, they aren't really. only on the hunt. the rest of the time we're focused on the pack, the family. we care for the young as a group, because they are family. so it comes naturally i guess."