|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2023 2:09 pm
Elka 6 "Elias!" Elka kept screaming the boy's name, hoping he'd eventually turn around and come back to her. He never did. He continued to run towards the water, until he suddenly veered off, using his small boy agility to make a quick turn and disappear into the fast growing shadows of darkness, his dark coloring easily helping him blend in. Frantically, she continued to chase after him, seeing the shapes of trees against the horizon. Trees and no small hybrid, leading her to believe he had used the distraction to hide or maybe to veer off in yet another random direction. She stopped, leaning down as she attempted to catch her breath,, one palm flat against the trunk of a tree.
She was not returning to the house without her son in tow. Even if she had to stay out here all night looking for him.
"Why would you say that?!" she repeated between gasps as she heard the heavier steps of Kayde approaching her location. "You know how sensitive he is."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2023 5:46 pm
Kayde 6 Having been the last one out of the house, Kayde was relying on Elka to know where Elias was running off to. He could just barely make out a small shadow in the distance, with the much closer flapping of his wife's skirt more easily in view. He watched as she raced towards the water, panic spearing his heart at what the youngling was planning on doing near the ocean at this hour of night. Even if he just wanted to feel the water around him to calm him down, it was far too difficult to see anything else that might be lurking below the surface or that might come out at night.
Fortunately, Elka suddenly veered off back towards land, meaning Elias had turned sharply and started to run where Kayde knew were a small cluster of trees that the child liked to play in during the day, using the trunks as sparring partners. It was here that the woman stopped and doubled over.
And also started yelling at him when he finally approached her.
"I'm sorry," he replied, all the anger that had been so thick in his voice before now gone, replaced by nothing but concern for his son. If Elka had stopped, that meant she'd lost sight of him. The Leaf looked around, trying to find a fast moving shape in the growing darkness and saw nothing, "I...I wasn't really thinking." Not letting her answer with her own snap back, he moved beyond her, trying to peer around the trees. "Did you see where he went? Elias, please come back! It's dangerous outside after dark!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2023 7:23 pm
Elias 6 Elias was thankful for the darkness and how quickly it came as soon as the sun started to set. He was directly in front of his mother, crouched down behind the very tree she was leaning against. He kept as still as he could, barely daring to breath and trying to slow it down for fear one of them should hear it. Waiting for them to resume yelling at each other. Which his mother did, but surprisingly his father didn't snap back at her as he had been doing so much lately. His voice sounded tender, soft like it always did for all the years of the youngling's existence. Since fighting for longer than 5 minutes was such an uncommon thing in their household, he allowed hope to blossom inside his chest. He trusted his parents enough to instantly stop worrying as much. This part was normal. His mother yelled and his father tried to comfort her.
Did he move from his hiding spot, however? No. He still needed to wait and make sure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2023 5:50 pm
Elka 7 "No, you weren't!" Elka shot back, shoving Kayde in the arm. Taller and stronger, the man barely swayed on his feet, seeming to not even notice as he ran a hand through his hair. A sure sign of his distress, it was a common nervous tick he had had ever since they were really young. She'd always find herself reaching up with a hand to smooth the now stuck-up brown locks. As she now found herself doing, her hand already in the motion of doing so before she realized she had even moved. Quickly snatching her hand back, she glared at him, as if it had all been his fault she had done that. Not that he could really see her expression in this darkness.
"But this really isn't the time to be talking about this."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2023 6:28 pm
Kayde 7 The movement caught Kayde off guard. He stood still, letting her pat down his hair that he knew would be now sticking up more than it usually did, her fingers sending shivers down his spine. But before he could think of how to react, she was pulling her hand back with such speed and looking at him that he could only imagine the look on her face. He had seen it enough times over the years. Normally this would have prompted a smile off him. Not this time. Not that she would see it, anyway.
"Yes. We can find Elias and....Than I suppose we do need to have a talk." It surprised him, how quickly he was now letting go of some of that anger that he had held on so tightly for the past week. As exhausting as it had been, Kayde had not wanted to give in to her demands this one time. But if it was affecting their child this much, maybe it would be a good idea to try and talk about it in a more peaceful manner than they had been. He felt so guilty for causing his family so much stress. Elenora must also be feeling just as badly as Elias. He would have to find her later and explain things to her, too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2023 5:58 pm
Elias 7 Quietly still listening right behind the tree, Elias shifted his position, raising his head from his arms. Since he was sitting on sand, he made no sound as he moved to face where he assumed his parents were standing based off the direction of their voices. He titled his head curiously, sensing no anger anymore with his child's perceptiveness.
"Do you mean it?" he asked quietly, both palms against the trunk as he peered around it, barely being able to make out one figure against the sparkling of stars behind. "Are you going to talk and fix whatever this is? You're not splitting up?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 10:19 am
Elka 8 The sudden voice in the darkness made Elka jump. She of course hadn't expected him to have been so close to them, in what sounded like just behind the current tree she had been leaning against. This confirmed her suspicion when she went around it and knelt down, reaching hands out to grasp the young boy and pull him closer to her, eliciting the usual "Mom!" when she squeezed just a little too hard.
"You must never do that! I was so scared."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2023 5:14 pm
Kayde 8 Elias speaking out from the darkness also had the same reaction to Kayde of making him jump. He, too, had expected the youngling to have gone further into the wilderness, maybe even doubled back to the house while the two adults were gone from it. But no. He had hid here in the small covering of the trees. Probably it was he didn't want to return to the house at all and it was all his fault. All this tension was because of him and his inability to put it aside long enough to have a normal conversation about it with his wife. He felt ashamed of himself.
Going around to the boy's other side, he also knelt down, reaching out with his hands until he could feel the small shoulders under his fingers. "Elias....Of course we're not. Why would you think that?" Because all they'd been doing the past week had been arguing, not touching each other, or barely even sitting next to each other. How else was the child supposed to feel when his parents were suddenly behaving like that? "Adults fight like this sometimes. That's all. It'll be fine."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 11:22 am
Elias 8 The youngling squirmed in his mother's arms, trying to dodge her kisses and cheek caresses to no avail. Than his father was on his other side, making him feel even more stuck between them as he, too, took a hold of the young boy. He should have made for the house while they were confused on where he'd gone. If he walked carefully until he was on the sand, he should be able to make it. Now it was far too late to sneak away, he was in their grasps.
When the two adults finally calmed down and gave him some breathing room, he leaned his back against the trunk of the tree and stared in the space he figured was between them. "But I've never heard either of you talk the way you had been. It...Made me afraid." He didn't like admitting that. Swordsmen were brave. Not scared of everything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2023 11:44 am
Elka 9 Much to the youngling's annoyance, this admittance of the truth only made Elka cuddle him all the more once again, not caring how much he wiggled to get away. Most didn't like it when their parents showed them so much affection, but it was the parent's job to do it regardless. She wouldn't have her children growing up wondering if she really did love them or not.
"We're sorry we scared you, sweeting," the Ice woman cooed, stroking the boy's hair. Turning golden eyes on her husband, she added with a tiny bit of extra venom, "Aren't we?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2023 4:12 pm
Kayde 9 A small silence hung in the air at the accusatory tone in Elka's voice. Kayde could feel the anger surging back up to the surface at the nerve of her implication. Which normally wouldn't have bothered him much at all. She was always getting annoyed about something or other, while he rarely ever did. He was sure he could count on one hand if he tried to remember all the times he knew he had. But not enough time had passed since there had been together, sitting silent across from each other in the house for his feelings to settle down into a once-again controllable level.
"Of course we are," the Leaf reassured, patting the boy on the shoulder. "This wouldn't be the first time. No matter how happy two people seem to be, everyone has moments where they fight. You fight sometimes with Elenora, don't you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2023 5:45 pm
Elias 9 Elias listened to the both of them, glad to have parents who listened to him when he expressed how bad he was feeling over something. It made him believe them when they said everything would be fine. Not that he had ever had any reason not to believe them. Far as his young mind could tell, they were always honest with him. At least his father always was. Honesty was an important trait Kayde had always made sure to teach them about growing up, putting a lot of emphasis on how important it was. Honesty, but not rudeness.
"Okay," the boy responded, rubbing a little at his eye. Now that his emotions were calming down, he was feeling drained and tired. Was it past his usual bedtime? It sure seemed like it might be. "Can we go inside now? I'm tired."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2023 1:09 pm
Elka 10 "Of course, baby." Elka snuck in another kiss on the youngling's forehead before standing up, pulling him up with her by the hand. He leaned against her, now too big for her to pick up, his fingers twined around the folds of her skirt like he'd do when he'd been a toddler and staring out at the ocean on visits to the beach. Nowadays, he was old enough to go down to the water and play without her watchful eye. It made her nostalgic for those days, when she had tiny babies she could carry around with her. Maybe once all this blew over and they were more successful dancers they could consider having more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2023 4:11 pm
Kayde 10 "Sure thing, kiddo." Rising to his feet, Kayde bent down to scoop his son up in his arms, still being able to easily carry him in one arm. One day soon this would no wonder be possible. He wondered if Elias would outstretch him in height. Not that he considered himself a very tall man. Average height. Elka was short. Shorter than most women. Her brother, however, was taller than Kayde. So Elias should have a good chance of turning out tall, unless he got his mother's genetics. Which wouldn't be a bad thing, either. Short or tall didn't really matter all that much in the long run. Unless he wanted to take an Aishan for a wife.
Cradling Elias in his arms, one hand rubbing the youngling's back as he felt the boy slipping off into sleep, the Leaf lead the way back to the house, hearing the soft sound of Elka right behind him. He could feel her reaching up a hand to lay across the boy's arm that was wrapped around his father's neck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2023 4:14 pm
Elias 10 Elias felt comfortable. Sleep was clouding his brain and making him forget for the moment what the past few hours had been like, with him trying his best to avoid the tensions in the house by playing on the beach. But one could only run for so long from certain situations. He snuggled up against his father's neck, feeling his mother's hand resting on his arm while the man rubbed his back, putting him more to sleep than his own body was doing. He felt the love from both adults radiating from them, like the sight of a sunrise after a long, dark night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
