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Smolder leaned against the wall of the hallway, arms folding over his chest as he waited for Cassie to unload in to him. He was expecting the absolute worst -- expecting for her to lay in to him like she had never laid in to him before. But when the fallen finally spoke her piece, he found himself blinking, a bit shocked by how passive her aggression was. He had been expecting much worse. Or was this just some kind of trap that he was being lured in to that he hadn't quite spotted yet? Was there a right or a wrong answer here, and where did the line lie between what he felt he could say and what was allowed to be said? Smolder didn't know, and he assumed that any answers he could possibly give Cassie would just make the situation far worse than it already was. He had not set out to alienate or make an enemy of his girlfriend, but he felt perhaps his attempts to bring them all closer together had backfired.

With a heavy sigh, Smolder dropped his arms from around his chest, reminding himself to keep open body language during their argument. He didn't want to seem closed off or like he was tuning her out.

"I know, Cassie ... I know." he started. "Honestly, I don't know what to say. I don't know what I can say that's going to make an ounce of difference. Yes, I suppose I could have waited to wake the stone. And yes, I should have definitely waited for you before I even considered having a child or imbuing a stone on my own. I know I shouldn't have done a lot of what I did, but I did it anyways, and I can't exactly change what has already happened. I know I tend to do some really stupid things when left to my own devices ... and that. This was probably the last stupid thing you were expecting me to do, but .... I dunno. I was lonely at Asterion. At least you had Aten here ... I dunno. I can't really rationalize it to you. I don't know how I even rationalized it to myself to begin with. But somehow, I did. And maybe it was just the Universe directing me to something more. Some greater path that I'm supposed to be on. My life has felt a lot more complete and full since awakening Rhys ... and I wanted to share that with you. Can you really blame me for that ... ?"

Smolder just watched on in silence. He watched her ride through her own emotions, and each new point she raised left his heart aching and sore, and eventually he couldn't look at her anymore, eyes dropping to stare down at the tiles on the floor. He. Had been stupid. And he was beyond sorry.

Bolting his eyes to try and deny the fact Cassie was crying in front of him, he stepped forward and scooped her up in to his arms and clamped her smaller body against his tightly. He hugged her so fiercely he thought, for just a moment, he might crush her. But she needed to feel how sorry he was, because his words would not be enough.

"I love you, Cassie-birb. I promise you. I won't do anything this irrational without letting you do it with me or talk some sense in to me if it's so stupid even you wouldn't do it. And ... no more kids. Unless they're all three of ours."

Smolder's eyes suddenly went large. "Vespercat?" he said almost hesitantly. He suddenly wondered what would become of his four familiars back at Asterion ... an wondered if he had remembered to ask someone to feed them for him. Otherwise he was going back to a house full of dead things he was going to have to dispose of.

But he didn't want to admit that to Cassie ...

"Ahahahaha, yaaaah! Yer probably right, love! Totally would'a been easier than a baby! Hahaha ... haaaa. Hoo." He loosened his grip on her, still looking terrified.



If she ever finds out, I am so doomed. I will never live it down.

Smolder leaned in and kissed each of her cheeks, trying to kiss the last of her tears away, but instead got a mouth full of smeared make-up he hadn't intended on sampling and tried his best not to grimace so close to her face.

He pulled away and tried to grin despite the weird flavour in his mouth. "Unfortunately, I get the distinct impression he's too much like me. He has probably puked up his lunch everywhere by now. I can only imagine Aten lost in a sea of disgustingness by now ... good thing Rhys isn't part chimera or we'd probably have some fire breathing issues, if the child has my sense of luck at all. And by 'luck', you know I mean -- babahahahah WHATLUCK."

The fallen's face grew serious again. Almost deadpan before he suddenly bolted back in the door in awkward, long strides. His child wasn't part chimera, right? Aten wasn't burnt to a crisp? Ohdeargods. Please let the child only be part litch and part fallen. Why couldn't he remember what races they were!?

The door swung open as Smolder burst through the room, panting heavily in his panic. But just as soon as he burst in, he felt suddenly at ease.

Over on the couch, Aten was lying down, his long, tall body stretched over the length of the couch and limbs draping off the ends where they didn't quite fit. And nestled in his fur was little baby Rhys, napping angelically in his warmth, clutched protectively between Aten's arms. The rise and fall of Aten's chest as he breathed had soothed the child in to sleeping.

It had been quite the eventful day for the new family, and Aten himself had been feeling emotionally exhausted. The waiting, the conclusion to what would become of the three of them, and then the introduction of a baby ... ? It had taken its toll on the tower of an imp. During his trials with Smolder and Cassie he had learned to become outwardly unaffected by things when in the public eye. But when left alone to his own devices and unwatched, the Imp usually let his negative feelings truly show in whatever way they might manifest.

This time around, Aten was exhausted. After Cassie and Smolder left for their talk, the caretaker who Smolder had called in a favour with had to return to their duties with the Freshlings, and Aten told her that he could handle one child.

And it was true. The two lying there looked perfectly happy, and all the worries that Aten had previously had easily melted away when the two finally got a moment alone together.

Smolder couldn't help but to smile to himself as he heard the low, barely existent rumble of Aten's snore. Yes, it was true he did not love Aten romantically. But seeing Aten connecting so well with his child filled him with hope that maybe their group dynamic really would succeed.

Leaning up against the door frame, folding his arms, Smolder just watched, beaming with a soft, warm, and quiet pride.