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Shiromaru

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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 8:00 pm

Leaving the wand shop, Shiromaru had been left in a bit of a daze, the wand in his hands as he made his way down the street. Another child... But it wasn't like he could say no, the word wasn't in his vocabulary when someone told him that he was supposed to take a child -- or a pet -- or a companion -- or any other creature in need -- home with him. He was far too soft-hearted for his own good, really, or at least Abishai and Jouvart had told him on more than one occasion.

Well, now Abishai had a lover, almost-step-children, and a child of his own, so Shiromaru felt justified in his mental pointing-and-laughing.

"Well," he started, glancing down at the wand in his hands. "I... wonder what your mother is going to think. And I wonder what you're going to be like when you're here..." He got the feeling he was going to be talking to the wand quite a bit. Maybe it was like chattering to an infant in the womb.

And then, the cellphone rang.

"Shiromaru here," the demon said when he answered, juggling the wand over to one hand. When Karma explained what was going on, Shiro stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening. "Uh... Right. Yes. I will... be right there." Two in one day.

When he was done at the centre, over an hour later, he held in his arms an infant rabbit-child and the wand, dazed and smiling like a loon. The infant snuggled into his arms, sleepily playing with the tea ball on the wand. "I don't think you should be doing that," Shiro cautioned, pulling the tea ball out of reach of the little paws. Light blue eyes looked up at the demon, then the boy yawned mightily and nestled in, falling asleep.

Belatedly realizing he was smiling infatuatedly, Shiromaru cleared his throat, then made his way home. It was time to get the baby supplies back out.

And pray Trio wouldn't be upset.

After all, their family had just grown by two. ...One and a half? Soon to be two. It was such a good thing they had extra rooms built at the new house...

Posted: Sat May 27, 2006 2:57 pm

The setting sun found Shiromaru in the living room of the new house, settled in a rocking chair he'd pulled out of storage. The wand was settled in a sort of sling over one shoulder, close where the demon could keep an eye on it -- Ianna had said it would start Doing Things, after all -- and the rabbit infant was in his arms, sleeping peacefully, its ears hanging out over the blanket.

Now, all Shiro could do was wait for Trio to get home with the girls.

"Shiro," Trio called out, as the door opened. "You home? We brought dinner!"

Instead of calling back, for fear of waking the baby, Shiromaru stood carefully and made his way over to the front door. "Right here," he offered quietly, once he was close to the others.

"Papa!" Etain zoomed up to see him, then stopped in mid-air, wings buzzing. "...Papa has a baby."

"Has a...hmm?" Trio blinked, looking up from where she'd been supervising Annora toeing off her shoes. "...Shiro? Is that...?"

"Karma called me," Shiro confirmed with a megawatt grin. "Told me to come pick him up. I haven't even named him yet, I have some ideas, but I wanted to see what you thought. And he's not the only one -- this wand will be summoning an infant at some point, a goddess, apparently. I got... pulled to the shop today where they were." The baby in his arms blinked awake at the talking, and blinked big blue eyes up at Trio.

Annora padded forward, eyeing the baby and wand with faint wariness. Was she going to have to share her parents with even MORE kids now? One hand slipped into Etain's, squeezing lightly.

Makana, on the other hand, moved forward toward the rabbit and sniffed delicately at him, a paw coming up to adjust her new glasses. "He smells nice," she admitted, peering up at Shiro with a shy smile.

Trio chuckled. "You look happy," she noted, leaning in around the various children to kiss him on the cheek.

Shiro carefully extricated a hand, stroking Makana's hair. "And you look nice," he informed her, grinning. "Those glasses are a good fit." Trio's kiss and comment were met with a kiss in kind. "Of course I'm happy. I'm over the moon, to be honest. You know I've always wanted a big family."

But just how big? Finally planting her feet on the ground, Etain squeezed Annora's hand in return, cuddling close to her sister. Things were getting crowded.

"Can I hold him?" Makana asked immediately, beaming now. Compliments were nice, but the bunny looked nicer...

Trio chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm glad Az offered to move in with us and help watch over things. Too many more, and things will get crazy. Er, not that they aren't already. Well, girls? Say hello to your new brother," Trio added, nudging Annora.

Annora withdrew slightly, tugging Etain with her. "Hi," she murmured, obedient and soft.

Etain willingly moved with Annora, though her 'Hello' was a bit louder than Annora's -- but not by much.

"Things are already crazy," Shiro agreed. "Makana, if you want to get settled on the sofa, I'll let you hold him over there, okay? He's had a long day, so he might sleep a lot for a while."

Makana nodded, her smile staying bright as she moved to curl up on the couch and arrange herself in what she thought would be a comfortable position for the baby. Already, though she didn't realize it, a faint purr was coming from her.

"Can I go play?" Annora asked abruptly, just as Makana opened her mouth to tell Shiro she was ready.

Trio blinked at the near-demand from her siren. "...Annora?" she asked, and Annora looked over at Trio, her eyes big and wary. "Are you okay?"

"I just wanna go play," Annora informed them firmly.

Shiromaru paused when Annora made her request, taken aback at the tone in her voice. Blinking, he looked up at Trio, brows furrowed. This one was Trio's call, he decided, then moved quietly over to the sofa so he could arrange the baby carefully in Makana's arms.

"...I wanna play too," Etain decided after a moment, still holding on to Annora's hand. She wasn't letting go of her big sister for anything!

Trio frowned at the two, looking up to Shiro before sighing. Clearly, he hadn't been any more oblivious than she was... which meant she wasn't just imagining it. "You can play in Etain's room," she informed them both, before looking up at Shiro and raising an eyebrow, her head tilting slightly toward the other side of the room.

Makana frowned faintly at the two, but the expression was gone in moments, as the soft weight of Nico settled into her arms. "Thank you..."

Etain tugged at Annora's hand before letting go and flying off to her room. At least it was mostly set up now!

Shiro nodded softly back at Trio, then arranged the rabbit infant's ears before kissing Makana's forehead. "Just be gentle with him," he murmured. "He likes having the bridge of his nose rubbed." That said, he made his way over to Trio, a worried look stealing over him.

Makana nodded, curling up tightly around the baby and purring softly. He was so tiny, and soft...

Trio waited until Shiro was with her, her eyes on Makana. When she spoke, her voice was pitched very low. "You're worried too?"

"Yes," the demon agreed, very quietly. "I am. She's been acting off for a while, and now this... It's just not like her."

"It's been ever since that day she came into Az and I sobbing, and wouldn't tell us why," Trio said, frowning and sitting down. "And she's still not talking."

Shiro followed after, sitting in the chair next to Trio's. "Should we push, or wait a bit longer to see if she tells us?"

"She still seems very close to Etain. I've... I've been kinda hoping that maybe she's talking to Etain if she's not talking to us," Trio admitted.

"I'll talk to Etain, see if Annora's said anything to her," Shiro decided with a soft sigh. "I miss the old Annora, you know?"

Trio nodded, chewing on her lower lip. "I'd suggest you talk to her, but she hasn't seemed particularly like curling up with you lately any more than she has with me... has she?"

"No," Shiro confirmed, frustratedly. "No, she hasn't. I'll talk to Etain, and if she hasn't said anything to Etain, then... we'll figure something out from there, I think. Okay?"

Trio nodded, reaching out to take Shiro's hand. "It'll work out. She's got two loving parents, plus Etain who practically worships her. She'll be okay, you know."

Shiro laced his fingers through Trio's, smiling a little over at her. "I know... I just worry. Annora's pretty special to me, that's all. But I know she'll be okay."

Trio lifted the hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles before looking over at where Makana was still curled up contentedly. "So... what's the bunny's name?"

"Actually, I had an idea for a name, but I didn't want to settle on one unless we agreed on it," Shiro confessed, his thumb running over the side of Trio's hand. "I was thinking about Nicodemus."

"Why Nicodemus?" Trio asked curiously, squeezing lightly.

Shiro shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's just a name I've always loved. I know it means 'victory of the people,' and it's Greek, but beyond that... I don't know, it just seems to fit."

Trio nodded, saying the name again softly. "Nick, hmm? Or Nicky?"

"Nico," Shiro decided quietly. "I think 'Nico'..."

"Like Necco wafers?" Trio teased softly, grinning at Shiro.

That earned a blank look from Shiromaru. "Necco wafers? What are those?"

"I'll get you some when I go to the store next," Trio promised, snickering softly. "So... tell me about this wand?"

Excitedly, Shiro pulled the wand from the sling he had it in. "Ianna said children come from wands like these. I met one, actually. Apparently, they emerge first as ghosts, then completely solidify, or something like that."

Trio blinked, holding out a hand to see if Shiro would let her hold the wand. "Not the strangest story I've heard," she admitted. "But getting up there, definitely."

Shiro willingly passed the wand over to Trio. "I know, it's pretty strange, but considering some of the things I've heard and seen..."

"Yeah, I know..." Trio admitted easily. "Like stones that summon strange animalistic humanoids and save them from a plague?"

The demon couldn't help but grin. "Speaking of strange animalistic humanoids, Hun Min said that his offer still stood to watch the kids whenever we needed a break."

"No," Trio corrected. "That's a BLESSED animalistic humanoid."

Shiro's grin grew impish. "Considering he talks to his deities and can summon monsters and miracles, I'd say he's pretty blessed, yes."

Trio chuckled, rising and handing back the wand. "C'mon... you'd better see if Makana's ever gonna give him up, and I wanna check on the girls."

Shiro carefully tucked the wand away, making sure the tea ball couldn't swing free, then leaned over and stole a kiss from Trio before rising. "Makana, sweetie, mind if I take Nico back?"

Makana hesitated, eyeing Shiro almost sadly before looking down at the sleeping rabbit. "His name is Nico?"

"Nicodemus Kalyan Maxwell-Chang," Shiro confirmed. "But Nico for short. Don't worry, you'll get to hold him all the time!"

Makana perked up a little at that, leaning in to lick Nico's cheek gently. "Promise?"

Nico opened his eyes, blinked sleepily up at Makana, then reached up to pat at her cheek. She was soft, and that was nice to touch.

Shiromaru grinned down at the pair. "I promise. It'll be really good if he has a big sister to look up to, too -- think you'll be willing to help us take care of him?"

Makana nodded vigorously, beaming down at Nico. "He patted me," she told Shiro softly, as though the demon had somehow missed it.

"I saw," Shiro agreed, and reached out to lift Nico carefully out of Makana's arms. "He likes you."

Makana clung to him for a moment, then sighed, letting him go. "I like him, too," she said quietly, reaching to pet one long ear.

Nico waved one arm at Makana cheerfully, then snuggled into his father's arms. "That's good to hear," Shiro murmured, his grin softening to a smile.

Shiromaru

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Shiromaru

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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 4:44 pm

Things were nearing completion on the house -- all the outside painting and nearly all the inside painting was done, the roof was finished, and there were fewer and fewer things to finish every day. On that list was the personalization of Nicodemus' room, something recently tacked on when the infant had joined their family, but Shiro knew it wouldn't take much to finish that.

Today, however, they had another project.

Lugging home bags of quickcrete, pretty rocks and colored spheres of glass, and several molds, the demon made his way out to the backyard and plopped everything down next to the small pond before turning around and going right back inside. "Trio? Love? Where are you at?"

"In the library," Trio called. "Almost done with this box." The library was the one room Aziraphale had absolutely insisted on. It linked to his room, and he'd taken pains to ensure it was on the large size, citing what good it would do each of the children, but with an oddly greedy look in the angel's eyes as he spoke.

"Here, let me help you with that." Shiro entered the library and reached down to help put the books away. "I brought home a project," he offered with a warm smile. "It'll take everyone to do it. I have all the supplies outside."

"Hmm?" Trio blinked, peering curiously at Shiro. "What've you got up your sleeve?"

Shiro just grinned, shaking his head. "You'll see, once we get this box done. Where are Az and Kiku? We'll need them too."

Trio paused at that, turning to peer at Shiro. She was used to him thinking about the ieldi, but... "Az too?" she asked softly.

"Aziraphale's part of our family too," Shiro pointed out, looking up at Trio in turn. "And this is a family thing."

"I... didn't expect you to think of him like that," Trio admitted quietly, smiling.

Leaning over, Shiro kissed Trio lightly. "Of course I do. How could I not? As far as I'm concerned, he's been part of this family from the beginning."

Trio kissed Shiro back, then tucked the last of the books into the shelf. "Okay, love. What are we doing?"

"Making handprint stones and putting them in the garden," Shiro explained cheerfully. "I got enough for everyone."

Trio blinked at him before her eyes lit up. "Can you round up the girls and Nico while I go get Kikuei?" she asked softly.

"Of course!" The demon turned and headed out of the room, scooping up Nicodemus before peeking into the girls' rooms. "Etain? Annora? Makana? Come on, sweethearts, we have a project for you outside."

Makana was the first to arrive, cupping Mouse in her hands as she looked around. "What project?" she demanded, bouncing a little before setting the kinoko down on a nearby earth-filled urn.

Shiro grinned, tweaking Makana's ear gently as Nico waved his hands down at the kitten-girl. "I'll tell you once we're all out there," he promised.

Etain was the next to arrive, wings buzzing as she flitted over curiously. "Papa? What're we doing?"

"You'll see once we get outside," Shiro explained.

Annora was soon after, carrying a notebook and pen. "What's going on?" she asked, looking at the others for a moment before moving to stand under Etain. "It's not time for the show yet."

Shiromaru resettled Nico in his arms. "Show?" he echoed, curiously. "And we all need to go outside. We have a project to do." Leading the way, he headed outside, stopping next to the quickcrete bags.

"But we're not ready yet," Annora started to say, then paused, peering curiously at the bags. "What's that?"

"I'll explain it when your mother gets out with Aziraphale and Kikuei," Shiro promised, and settled Nicodemus down on the grass next to him. "It'll be fun, don't worry!"

Etain blinked at her father, then touched ground so she could take Annora's hand. If Papa said it would be fun, then surely it would be!

Annora wasn't quite so ready to change mind tracks just yet. "Daddy? Can you make it rain?" she asked instead, grinning to Etain.

Makana glanced over and perked up as she saw Nico set down. Scooping Mouse up and tucking him into her pocket, she moved to sit down next to Nico, petting him.

"We're here," Trio called, stepping outside. Kikuei was right beside her, holding her hand with a hesitant look on her face, while Aziraphale trailed behind them.

Nico brightened when he recognized Makana's smell, his hands patting along the part of her arm that he could reach.

Shiro peered at Etain and Annora in confusion, one eyebrow raised. "Yes, I can," he confirmed. That was an odd question. He decided to ask later, however, instead opening up the molds so the others could see them. "Everyone gets to make a stone and put their handprints and name on it, and decorate it with smaller stones. When they're all dry, they'll be put in the garden."

That made Annora abandon the show for the moment, her eyes lighting up. "And people will see our hands?"

"Yes," Shiro confirmed, waving Annora over. "Why don't you do the first one? Here, I'll show you how." He picked up a bucket, dropoping in a bit of the quickcrete powder and adding water, mixing it.

Annora hunched over the bucket, peering inside curiously. As she watched, Aziraphale set one hand on Trio's shoulder, leaning in to murmur something in her ear. She smiled brightly at it, nodding to Az while Kikuei moved forward, releasing her hand to stop next to Annora.

Makana seemed less interested, her attention firmly on Nico.

Nico's attention was on Makana in return, trying to grab onto and grip Makana's hand.

Once the quickcrete was mixed, Shiromaru poured a bit into the mold, then nodded to Annora. "Now, press your hands into the mold," he directed, "and leave them there for a few seconds before pulling them back out." Etain was at Annora's shoulder by that point, on the other side from Kikuei, watching intently.

"Both hands?" Annora asked, pressing them both in before he could answer. "Tell me when. Can I decorate it with shiny stones? What is this stuff anyway?" she asked in quick succession.

"'This stuff' is called quickcrete," Shiro explained. "Go ahead and pull your hands out now. And I got the stones so that you could decorate it and add your name. Etain, Kiku, why don't you two try it?" Carefully, he filled two more molds, offering them to the sylph and the ieldi. Etain glanced up at Annora, then knelt and pressed her hands into the quickcrete, nose crinkling comically at the feel of it.

Kikuei was a bit more hesitant, glancing over at Nico and Makana. "Are you sure you want me to do this, too?" he asked Shiro softly.

Shiromaru smiled gently up at Kikuei. "I told you," he murmured. "You're part of our family."

Kikuei nodded, kneeling down and pressing his hands into his own mold. "...Trio said she wanted me here." Hesitant eyes lifted to Shiro's. He didn't offer anything more, but he suspected Shiro understood nonetheless.

He did, and the water demon beamed up at Kikuei. "I'm glad. Makana?" he called, raising his voice slightly. "Why don't you come over and make one? Nico will still be there when you're done."

"Is Nico making one, too?" Makana asked, not letting go of the little rabbit.

"He'll need you to help him," Shiro noted, making his way over so he could lift up Nicodemus. "Why don't you show him how to put his hands in?"

Makana lit up, nodding and moving to her own mold. "Nico?" she asked, swishing her tail in front of him to catch his attention.

Nico's gaze fixed on Makana, tilting his head up so he could sniff the air a bit better, then reached up towards Makana.

"Nico, do this," she said, planting both paws firmly in the quickcrete.

Grinning to himself, Shiro carefully put a mold close to Nico, then helped him press his little paws into the quickcrete. "There we are," he said quietly. "Now your handprints will all be in the garden." Looking up, he waved Trio and Az over. "Your turns!"

"Our tu... wait, what?" Trio blinked, eyeing the quickcrete a little more warily now that she realized her OWN hands were going in it as well.

Aziraphale took one look at her and laughed, catching her arm and drawing her to them. "Come now. It won't be so bad."

"Oh, yes, your turn," Shiro caroled, grinning with delight at her expression. "Come on, you."

Etain was already decorating hers, with her name at the top and lots of pretty bits and baubles pressed into the quickcrete around her handprints.

Annora had hesitated, but seeing Etain start decorating hers, Annora went to work as well, gathering what she could find that she liked from the bits Shiro had brought. A moment later, she grinned and carefully drew a clumsy fish and butterfly on either side.

Etain beamed up at Annora, then patted the last colored glass sphere into her stone before connecting the musical notes. There was already a bird feather pressed straight into the left side.

"What's the feather for?" Annora asked, while her mother tugged lightly at Az's grip. Trio was laughing, as was the angel.

"Birds fly, too," Etain pointed out cheerfully. "An' Kikuei's kind of a bird. Kind of."

Shiro took a moment to make his own stone, pressing his hands into it before following Annora's and Etain's examples, sketching in a single wing to one side of his name. "There we are, there's mine... Trio, Az, come on, you two! Trio, I'll tickle you if you don't!"

"But that's so simple," Trio argued, looking over his shoulder. "Look at how impressive the girls' are. You're not done yet, mister!"

"I'll add more if you come make yours," Shiro caroled, grinning.

Trio blushed, peering at the quickcrete. "Okay... what do I do?" she asked quietly.

Shiromaru daubed in a few other images, then added a few flower petals. "Pour the quickcrete into a mold," he directed with a smile, "then press your hands into it and leave them in it for a few moments so it'll set nicely. Then add your name."

"Why one wing?" she asked, as she did as he directed. As Annora finished, she made her way toward her mom, peering over into the mold.

"You need shinies, mama."

"You're right, sweetheart -- your mama needs lots of shinies. Why not this one?" Shiro offered a polished piece of rose quartz. He didn't answer Trio's question, not certain of the answer himself.

Trio blinked, hesitating over the crystal. "Is that... the way I seem to you?" she asked, faintly curious.

Uncertain of just what Trio meant, Shiro merely blinked at her, nonplussed. "What do you mean?"

"Like I need a lot of... shinies," Trio murmured, hesitating uncomfortably. "Am I shallow?" she finally finished.

Shiromaru stared at Trio, then reached out, cupping the woman's cheek. "You, love, are the furthest thing from shallow. The only reason your stone needs lots of shiny things is to try to measure up to your personality, because you're wonderful."

Trio blinked, blushing as she leaned into the touch. "Thank you," she whispered, a moment before Annora offered up HER opinion of it.

"Shinies are pretty," she explained patiently, already sticking a few glittering stones into Trio's block. "They light up when it's sunny!"

Shiro grinned up at Trio, then laughed delightedly as he watched Annora decorating her mother's stone. "Annora's right, you know."

Trio blinked down at her daughter, then smiled softly before looking up at Etain and Makana. "What about you two? Wanna help?" she asked, scrubbing at a bit of the rock that had solidified on her cheek after Shiro's touch.

Makana hesitated, glancing at Etain shyly. She was older...

Etain looked over at Makana, then offered a hand to the catgirl with a cheerful little grin. "C'mon," she chirruped.

Makana beamed, taking the hand and moving to the stone. "Can I put in something red?" she asked.

Trio chuckled. "Of course, sweetie..."

Etain added a green stone of her own, smiled happily up at her mother, then added a stone to Shiro's stone as well. There, everything was perfect now.

Makana followed with a red stone for each, and Annora yelped, adding a blue stone to Shiro's. "Water," she chirped, wrapping her arms around Shiro's.

Trio glanced over all three faces, then looked up at Shiro smiling. "Looks like I'm not the only one with shinies."

"Looks like," Shiro agreed, laughing softly. Moments later, he added a yellow stone and a feather to each stone in honor of Nicodemus and Kikuei, then glanced up at Az to see if there was anything the angel would like to add.

Az hesitated, then moved forward, looking at Shiromaru. "May I?" he asked softly, warmth in his eyes.

Shiro nodded to Aziraphale, nodding gently. "Of course."

Az reached out, murmuring something. As his finger left each stone in turn, a faint pulse of light settled into it before fading. When he was done, he turned happy eyes to Shiro. "They're blessed."

"Thank you," Shiromaru murmured, reaching up to touch Az's arm lightly. "That means a lot to me. And you need to make yours! Then we'll have everyone's done, and can get them in place."

Az smiled quietly. "They'll offer some mild protection here," he noted. "And to all who live in your home." Rolling up his sleeves, he presented his hands to Shiro. "Lead the way."

Quite contentedly, Shiromaru showed him how to pour the mold and add his prints and name, smiling happily all the while. Everything seemed perfect, lately... They truly were blessed.

Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 4:45 pm

"... and there's gonna be horses and fairies and I'm gonna sing a big song but I'm not gonna break any glasses yet..."

Trio had to admit, the chatter was nice, but so very tiresome. She glanced down at the little siren whose hand she held, and smiled quietly, squeezing the tiny hand. Somewhere in the last few days, Annora had made a complete turnaround, going from the girl that had everyone in the family worried back to her old, happy self. At the moment, they were returning from a visit to the music store, and Trio carried a bag of CDs in one hand, while Sankouri padded by her side, just below them.

Opera music. Such an odd choice for a little girl, really. Perhaps she should look into Italian language lessons as well as singing lessons...

"Mama!" Annora said abruptly, jerking her hand free and darting up the worn path they'd been about to pass. "Maybe Jaden's there today!"

Trio chuckled, turning to follow Annora. It would be good to see the satyr, if he were there.

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A small figure slipped into view near the cottage... not on two legs, but four. Aeriel stared towards the approaching ones with narrowed eyes, the zurui's pose NOT one of welcome. She was hunched forward, the fur along her spine lefted as if she were making herself less of a target and more of a threat. She didn't seem to realise that they weren't approaching her yet... and that they likely hadn't even seen her. All she knew was that they were still coming closer, and the zurui bolted towards the corner of the cottage, to disappear around the side.

Well, Angie was alive. At this point, it could be debated on the 'well' part of the saying, but at least she was alive. After glancing Dulcinea over and determining the little girl's room needed to be redecorated, Angie had undertaken quite the job to fix up the place. Plants here, a small koi pond INSIDE the room, and a few other major renovations, the fox-girl was rather exhausted STILL from what she'd done. But to see the little bouncy curls swing happily every time the toddler moved around the room, was more than worth the lost energy.

Today was a break however, a chance to get away and get outdoors for a change of pace. Angie herself had been locked in the home doing the fix-ups while Dulci was being taken care of by friends, so now it was -her- time to get out with the little girl. Curious though, about why her daughter remained silent most of the time, she figured a visit to the satyr's home might be in order, so that she might ask him the specifics surrounding Dulci.

A voice were heard nearby, a silver ear pricked up at the sound. It sounded familiar, yet...unfamiliar all the same. As Dulci Lynn toddled along beside her, the fox-girl scooped her up and quickened her pace, wondering who else was coming for a visit.

Trio was oblivious to the dark zurui who'd bolted, but there was one who was not. Sankouri's gaze lifted toward Trio, then looked back in the direction of the scent he'd caught, and he tapped her leg briefly before breaking out in a run. Perhaps he could yet catch this zurui, and find out just what was going on.

Trio almost called after him, but her thought was immediately derailed when Annora caught sight of Angie and Dulci approaching. "Mama, look!" she called, running back to Trio and grabbing her hand before tugging her toward the new people, a gleam in her eye. "Hi!~" she called out, her voice loud and singsong.

Sankouri's greeting upon rounding the corner was a sudden snarl and the snapping of jaws a scant inch or two from his face. Aeriel was there, almost as if guarding something, her front paws spread wide as she planted herself directly in his way.

Whatever was behind the house... she was NOT letting him by.

Angie peered curiously at the young girl calling out to her, trying to place where she looked so familiar. And it didn't take but a moment for it to hit her. "Ahhh hello there!" Waving a hand at the pair, the red-head smiled, hiking Dulci up a bit higher on her hip. "Glad to see someone I know out and about today! How are you all this fine day?"

She was not the observant one, and so didn't even notice Trio's companion run off. So it was safe to say she hadn't seen the darker form disappear either.

Trio grinned at Angie, making her way over while Annora bounced up. "Who's that?" the little siren said, with unabashed curiosity, and pointed at Dulci. Trio snickered, reaching out to shake Angie's hand.

"She's gotten so big," she said, admiring Dulci. "We haven't seen you in forever. You oughta bring her by the house sometime."

Sankouri jerked back in surprise, eyes widening. It took a moment before he placed the Zurui - he'd never been particularly close to her mother, after all, and rather pitied her father. But this...

He edged forward, ears flat and tails low as he tried to keep from threatening her long enough to see what was beyond. Why would a zurui act this way?

Aeriel was having NONE of it. She darted to the side, snapping at him again as she growled low in her throat. "Go away..." she hissed, the zurui's eyes swirling in a mix of violet and jet black. "Leave him alone!"

The words sounded normal to Sankouri... but all anyone else would hear was a series of sharp barks coming from the side of the house.

Chuckling, Angie smiled down at Annora. "This is Dulcinea, but you can call her Dulci." Taking Trio's hand, smokey eyes rolled in amusement. "She's big, and I'm exhausted. Redoing her room with a little more 'flair' that before sure took a lot out of me. You know me. I get an idea in my head and I gotta run with it. You guys should come over to our house as well, and come see what I've done with it. I'm sure our little friend here," she reached out to ruffl Annora's hair, "would like the koi pond Dulci has in her room now."

Now, the koi pond hadn't been part of the original plans Angie'd had for the room, but seeing as she herself had wanted some more fish in the house, besides the several tanks strewn around already, she figured another, really shallow one couldn't hurt. There was a rather strong mesh screen over the top, to the little one, at this age, could crawl on top of it, without fear of getting wet, or somehow risking the idea of drowning. Later, the screen could be taken off, once Dulci got older for more enjoyment.

"Koi pond?" Annora immediately latched onto that idea, her eyes gleaming. "Mama, can I? Pleeeeeease?"

Trio just lifted a hand to rub one temple, her eyes shifting toward Angie with a 'see what you've done now' expression in them. But there was a smile on her face all the same. "Just lemme know a good time. You have my number," she pointed out, as Annora grabbed Dulci's hand.

"You like water, too?" Annora demanded gleefully, utterly ignoring the parents now in favor of far more interesting people.

Sankouri froze, eyes narrowing. He? Trio had delivered Aeriel here as a small kit, giving her to... Could Jaden be back there? Once more, he edged forward, doing his best to see beyond Aeriel.

The warnings then turned into actual threat, Aeriel lunging forward and snapping her jaws down hard on one pointed ear. Almost immediately, she had pulled back and moved again, this time aiming for his front feet. "LEAVE!"

She had been charged with protecting him... and protect him, she would. From ANYONE who came too close.

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Two other zurui heard the ruckus -- Izumi and her son Solstice. The pair trotted over to the source of the barking, coming up to flank Sankouri on either side. This one was part of the new pack, after all, and packs had to be defended. "What's going on here? Is someone hurt?" Izumi kept her voice low, trying for 'soothing'.

Not that she figured Aeriel could be soothed, but hey. It was worth a shot.

Away from the zurui, two figures appeared, one with a pair of wings that vanished as the two newcomers touched ground. Shiromaru shifted Nico in his arms, where he had been settled in a sling, then let Etain hop up onto his shoulders as they approached the others. "Now there's someone I haven't seen in a long time! Angie, how are you?" he called out, smiling warmly. And was that Dulci? He hadn't seen her in an incredibly long time.

Silver ears seemingly tipped in inky black twisted in the direction of the barks, as Angie tilted her head slightly. Something... someone else was here? Wow her attention really was shot. But her attention was drug away momentarily once again, as she smiled at Trio. "Of course. I need to clean up some last minute finishing touches on the room, then I'll be inviting plenty of people over for a "room-warming" party, so to speak. At least, I'm planning on it anyway." Laughing, the fox-girl glanced down at Annora and Dulci's reaction to the girl.

Dulci glanced, wide-eyed, at Annora, not sure what to think of her, before shyly smiling and burying her face in Angie's neck. But, even as she pulled her face away, it was obvious she wasn't pulling her hand away. Strange, Angie mused at this, but intriguing all the same. "See Dulci, here's a new friend for you. She likes the water a lot. Soon you can show her your fishies, doesn't that sound like fun?" Reddish curls bobbed as the head nodded, two blue eyes peered from around her 'mom's' neck at Annora once more.

And it wasn't but a moment or two more before both Angie and Dulci's attention wavered towards the newcomers. Angie shifted her weight, settling Dulci on her hip a bit more comfortably before waving at Shiro and Etain, and the new little one. "Hallo there! I know, I know, I just keep finding reasons to disappear." Reaching up to bring Dulci's chin around gently, so that she was facing everyone again, Angie plucked a stray curl out of the girl's eyes. "Indeed this is little Dulci. Only...not quite so little anymore."

Dulci blushed and quickly retreated to hiding her face in Angie's neck again. "She's quite shy I'm afraid, but should warm up to you guys soon."

Annora lit up as Shiro and the others appeared, and turned back to Dulci. "This is my daddy, and my sister," she said solemnly, tugging on Dulci's arm. "Come down and play with us! I bet we could find lots of neat bugs around. Flying bugs like Etain." She ignored the barking, too busy trying to get Dulci to come down.

Trio snickered softly. "She's... um... rather bossy," she said, as she leaned over to peck Shiro on the cheek. "Didn't know you were coming out, too, sweetie."

As the new zurui approached, Sankouri bristled slightly. This... could end very badly, if he didn't do SOMETHING. He drew a breath, then rushed Aeriel, doing his best to pin her so that the others could get past. They wouldn't hurt anyone who was dangerous, and Shiro and Trio could help whoever's in trouble.

The snarling suddenly turned into the sharp, high pitched warning cries that an animal sounds when it's in danger. The piercing yelps could be heard nearly EVERYWHERE by that point, and Aeriel tried to fight off the larger zurui. "NO!! This isn't your house, it's MY house, LEAVE US ALONE!"

"You should stop vanishing," Shiro informed Angie, then grinned at Dulci. "Hello, there. It's nice to see you again." He returned the kiss on the cheek to Trio, his grin spreading. "We were just out for a walk and Etain heard your voice," he explained, then paused when he heard the sound of a zurui shrieking. "...What in the blazes is going on?"

Etain blinked down at Dulci and Annora, then very solemnly tugged at a lock of Shiro's hair. "Papa, something's wrong. That's not one of ours. Someone's really upset."

Izumi and Solstice blinked at each other, then at the grappling pair, then ghosted past, low to the ground. They couldn't see anything in the immediate vicinity, so Izumi peeled off to the left and Solstice to the right, going around the building. What was Aeriel hiding?

Dulci wasn't sure what to make of so many people in one spot at the same time. Nor was she able to figure out Annora. Those thoughtful blue eyes trained onto Etain as Shiro and the little girl wandered up, seeming to admire the little girl's wings. It was a moment or two longer, however, before the bouncy red curls nodded and she eased up her grip on Angie's shirt, allowing herself to be put down beside Annora.

Angie gasped as she straightened up, turning in the direction of the yelping, her body poised to step in front of Annora and Dulci, and retrieve Dulci from the ground if need-be. But a crashing of twigs and bushes nearby nearly drove a heart-attack of her. Fortunately, it was only Simaria who'd apparently been trailing a good ways behind them, and only now catching up as she too heard the shrieks. Keeping a close eye on the other's and Dulci especially Angie pulled the siamese colored zurui aside, excuseing herself from the group for a moment, and conversed softly with her companion, easing the femme zurui's worry about whether or not Dulci was alright.

Annora blinked as Dulci was pulled aside, but shrugged, reaching out to catch Etain's hand instead. "Let's look for butterflies," she suggested, her eyes bright and happy as she tugged her sister along. A moment later, she grinned widely. "Hey! Let's have butterflies in the opera!"

Trio missed that, her focus on the ruckus behind the house. "Stay here," she murmured to Shiro, noting that he had Nico with him. "Keep yourself and the kids safe, okay?" she added, eyeing the back yard warily. What was there? She edged forward, moving to the corner of the house and peering around.

Sankouri's body twisted and shifted as he tried to keep Aeriel pinned. She'd definitely inherited something from her mother, at least, he realized, and wondered if he'd leave there without picking up a scar or two.

The young zurui was all teeth and claws as she lashed out at Sankouri. She had to get him OFF her so that she could get rid of the others. "LET GO!" she yelled, snapping at his throat and chest, as well as the front paws that were closest to her teeth.

Behind the house, all seemed quiet at first glance. It wasn't much different than the front, except for the fact that a small garden was there... or it would have been a garden if it hadn't been neglected thusfar in the spring. Beyond that was a circle of trees that seemed to thrum with power. Only one of Fey blood could enter that circle and hope to stay conscious... but it wasn't a concern at the moment. There was a figure laying on the ground just outside of it, crumpled in the grass. Unkempt black hair trailed over and around the form, splaying on the ground. Two sets of horns could be seen poking through, one larger than the other... and the figure's legs seemed to be covered in fur...

...with hooves, instead of feet.

With Trio checking on the commotion, Shiro stayed where he was, petting the dozing Nico's long ears. The fighting zurui (and the thought distressed the demon mightily) didn't seem to be waking up the infant, and Shiro could only wait for Trio and hope she didn't get hurt in the process of checking things out.

When her hand was taken, Etain brightened, letting her shyness vanish in the face of Annora's enthusiasm. "Yeah! Butterflies in the opera! An' fireflies too! We could have butterflies and fireflies all over!" She flew after Annora, only occasionally touching ground long enough to take a few steps.

It was Solstice who reached the figure first, calling out a warning cry before starting to sniff anxiously at the figure on the ground. Was there a pulse? Was there breathing? Was there any life inside the body?

Angie turned back towards Shiro and the children after a moment, watching Simaria stay with them instead of going to investigate what was wrong. As she set the curly haired child down again, Simaria carefully stood in a guarding position, watching carefully over the other two girls as well.

Dulci wasted no time toddling over to the other two girls, her blue eyes speaking the volumes that her voice would not. Or was it that she could not? Angie wasn't sure yet. Watching Etain flutter around for a moment or two she raised her arms up, gently trying to catch a gentle feel of the strange wings. She knew of these butterflies the girls were talking about. Several of many sizes and colors were painted upon the murals of her walls.

Angie watched Trio go, one of ears swung forward, listening for anything that might signal her friend to be in trouble. The other ear stayed cocked towards the children, keeping them under surveillance as well.

Annora grinned as Dulci joined them again, and watched the little girl reach toward Etain's wings. They seemed so normal now, she wondered if she'd reacted that way, too. Her own fins weren't nearly as pretty, she sometimes thought, but that was okay, because she could still make people pay attention to her. "Do you talk?" she asked bluntly. "Or is your voice dangerous, too?"

Sankouri was getting rather desperate now. Aeriel had opened up quite a few gashes, and it HURT to continue pinning her, especially since he was trying to do as little damage to her as possible. Only the sound of Trio's softly gasped word kept him from just bolting now.

"...Jaden?" Trio breathed, the word not nearly loud enough to carry to the others - even those with exceptional hearing. She scrambled forward, dropping to her knees beside him and reaching out to touch his throat, checking for a pulse.

Etain held still as Dulci touched her wings, blinking over at the other little girl, then smiled invitingly. "Do you wanna look for butterflies with us?" she offered, holding her free hand out towards Dulci. "We were gonna look for all kinds. We're writing an opera." She said it as if the poor girl would have any clue whatsoever as to what in the world an opera was.

Dulci tilted her head at Annora, not understanding what the girl said at all. Silently the little girl smiled and reached up, finally catching sight of the blue girl's fins, and gently fingering them as well. Her eyes lit up in delight, feeling the difference in textures between the wings and the fins. She was lost in her own little world, oblivious to anything that was happening with the zurui.

Angie, however, was paying just enough attention to catch Annora's question. She wished she had an answer to provide the little siren, but was out of possibilities herself. Instead, she let the question slide, figuring on asking Trio about her thoughts on it later.

Dulci, with Simaria at her side, joyfully took Etain's hand, nodding to the girls and already looking around for butterflies. It didn't matter that she had no clue what the girls were talking about, she was having fun regardless.

Annora froze as Dulci explored her fins, shivering slightly with it. But she beamed as the girl smiled, reaching up to pet the curly brown hair. "C'mon. You can play with us," she said quietly, grinning at Etain.

Etain nodded at Annora, then tried to tug at Dulci's free hand. "Butterflies," she repeated, then kicked off into the air, floating about a foot above it. It wasn't much of a height difference, but maybe it would still help her see them better!

"...She's quiet," Shiro noted as he padded closer to Angie. "Has she always been like that?"

Dulci didn't seem to notice or mind as Etain floated in the air, her hand not currently occupied with Etain's reaching out to snag Annora's hand as well. She seemed rather happy with the two girls, which both pleased and relieved Angie at the same time. The little girl's silence seemed not to bother her in her quest for friendship.

Glancing over at Shiro, the red-head nodded. "Mmm yes, she's yet to utter a sound, I'm afraid. I'm not sure whether it's normal for her, or something I should be concerned about. She doesn't seem to notice, thankfully, but it does worry me a little bit." She peeked at the silky ears in Shiro's arms. "And who do we have here?" Angie smiled, brushing off the worry and concern that the subject of Dulci's silence always brought on.

Wasabineko approached the shop, peering about for recognizable faces but coming up short. Well, that was to be expected. She hadn't exactly been around much. There was a slight hiccup from the basket strapped to her back, a sure sign that Casimir had woken up at the perfect time.

She wasn't entirely confident that this was a good idea. Everyone at home knew the rules when it came to the blindfolded bundle of joy, and those who were too young to understand such mandates were watched carefully. How exactly was she going to be cool about this in new company?

"Hello there!"

'Hello?' More people? Annora's head whipped around at that and she grinned. "Hey, more people," she said, tapping Etain's arm. "Let's go see who, huh?" Tugging the other two girls along with her, she turned and headed back, curious about Wasa and the hiccuping basket.

"Hi~," she called out without reservation, bouncing a little. "I'm Annora and this is my sister Etain and this is our friend... our friend... This is our friend and she's really nice," she finished, too busy being friendly to worry about a little thing like forgetting a name.

Little people? Not a problem. Big people? Squeak! Etain ducked behind Annora, now that she didn't have Papa to act as a barrier between herself and the new big person. Shyly, she looked up at Wasa, peeking over Annora's shoulder.

Shiro waved to Wasa as the woman joined them, smiling warmly; Angie's question, however, was met with an infatuated grin. Yes, the demon was one proud papa. "This is Nicodemus," he offered, as the bunny blinked open his eyes and yawned mightily in Angie's direction.

Dulci blinked as she was tugged in the direction of the new voices. Her eyes went wide, but she went along with the girls anyway. Looking up at this new woman, she tilted her head, not quite sure what to think of her.

Angie chuckled softly as she saw the big yawn, gently extending a finger to touch a silky ear. "Awww he's so handsome. You're a lucky one indeed." She caught Dulci being tugged over to the new person and perked her ears up, watching the siamese zurui as Simaria padded closely behind her charge. Angie couldn't remember if she'd seen this woman before, but she seemed friendly enough. In fact, Angie'd met quite a few nice people since gaining the crystal tipped wooden wand.

Wasabineko waved nervously as the attention was turned to her. "Hi!" She crouched down, resting her elbows on her knees to make her masked face level with that of the little ones. "Those are all very pretty names." She replied, giving a soft smile particularly to the face in hiding. "My name's Wasabineko... but that's a pretty big word. You can call me Wasa if you like." She pointed over her shoulder. "And over here in my basket is Casimir. He's still just a baby." She raised her eyes to the surrounding parents, giving them a nod.

"Can I see?" Annora immediately asked. "Daddy has a new baby and he's a rabbit and Makana really likes him." Clearly, the little girl was lacking the shyness her sister and friend showed. She moved closer. "Is your baby a rabbit, too? I remember when Mama brought Makana home and she was a baby and she was called a kitty." She stood on her tiptoes at the basket, trying to peek over the side. "I like the name Wasa. It's easy to say. Like Etain."

Nico reached out, patting Angie on the hand cheerfully. Unlike Etain, this little boy was not at all afraid of strangers, offering up a bubble of sounds as he woke up a bit more. "I'm incredibly lucky," Shiro murmured to Angie. "I have Trio, I have beautiful children, and I have a home. I'm incredibly lucky." That was more than he thought Angie meant, but still, it had to be said!

Etain relaxed a little when Wasa smiled at her; when she lost her guard as Annora peeked into the basket, she flitted over as well, flying up slightly to get a better view inside. "I like the name 'Wasa' too," she offered quietly. "Almost as much as 'Annora'."

Smiling sweetly at Shiro, Angie gently clapped her hand on his shoulder. "There's many who would love to be in your shoes, I'm sure. It's good to know friends are happy." If anyone had brought it up with Angie, she wouldn't admit how she missed having someone to lean on, being that she was all alone on Gaia, but she had more than enough friends to make up for the loss she'd suffered elsewhere.

Dulci, being the shortest of the three girls, tried her best to see into the basket, but was having trouble, at best. Unlike the other two, she made no attempt to try and say Wasa's name, or try and speak at all. Hopping up and down, but careful not to bump into the lady, she did her best to catch a glimpse inside the basket. And it apparently worked because within a few bounces she smiled and stood back so that the others could get their fill too.

Wasabineko chuckled and eased the straps off her shoulders and turned to sit on her rump, the basket settled in her lap. She picked at the lacings until the blankets were loose enough to let Casimir kick free. The feather-dappled baby twitched his talon-feet and gave a curious chirp. It was certain that he sensed the children near, even though they could not be seen through his blinder of cloth. He open and closed his hand in the air, trying to make contact with one of them. "Ah-coo?"

"How come he's got that funny cloth over his eyes?" Annora asked, reaching into the basket to let him hold one of her hands. She showed no ready fear of him. He was just a baby, after all, and rather cute, in an odd-looking way. "Can't he see?"

Aeriel's ears went straight up at Trio's voice... coming from BEHIND the house. She braced both paws against Sankouri's chest then and SHOVED hard, squirming out from underneath him. "Oh no you don't..." she growled, racing towards Trio with fangs bared.

Jaden showed no sign of hearing the woman... or any movement at all. His pulse was present, however, and strong. Whatever had happened to him... it didn't appear to have caused him any true harm.

The moment Aeriel started after Jaden, Izumi and Solstice abandoned their own investigation of Jaden and put themselves in front of Trio, their own fangs bared. "She's trying to HELP, you idiot," Izumi snarled, while Solstice just put his head down lower and prepared to spring at Aeriel in case he needed to.

Etain giggled at the sight of Casimir twitching his feet. "Are his eyes hurt?" she asked shyly, reaching down to take Casimir's other hand.

Shiro watched the goings-on, though Angie's words left him beaming. "Thank you," he offered to her quietly. "And what about you? Are you happy?"

Oh that was a loaded question, one without a real, or right answer. Angie simply nodded, offering a smile to Shiro. "Of course I'm happy. With friends like you and Trio, and a beautiful home, who wouldn't be happy?" Without realizing it, the girl began fiddling with the ring upon her hand, rolling it around on her finger. It was the same ring that'd caught Catta's eye, before Dulci was born.

Dulci again stepped forward to peek into the basket, simply admiring the baby within. As she saw the blinders that were the subject of the other two girls' chattering, Dulci raised a hand to her own eyes as if asking the same questions as already been asked.

Peering in her daughter's direction, watching as the zurui next to the bouncy red-curled child didn't seem to mind the woman, Angie chuckled softly, changing the subject. "I suppose I better go introduce myself, and the little one. I never remember to do that sort of thing."

Wasabineko did her best to hid her unease, trying to think of the best way to word it for young ears. "He isn't hurt. He just doesn't see the same way that you and I do, like fish can't walk on grass or how you can't hug a cactus. So he wears this little scarf so he can make friends without having to worry about his eyes." She bounced him on her knee and he gave a delighted squeal, jiggling Etain's hand that he refused to release until Wasa gave his fingers a gentle stroke.

"...Iiiit's about meal time for Nico here," Shiro decided, with one last glance towards where Trio had vanished to. "Etain, hon, let's get home. Annora, you stay put and do as Angie tells you, okay?" Etain let go of Cas and darted over to her father, and the pair took off into the air.

Annora waved once more to Casimir before Wasa wandered off with him, answering a cell phone, then turned to her dad. "Okay," she called brightly, giving Etain a big hug before turning to Dulci. "Still wanna go lookit butterflies?" she asked brightly, tugging the silent girl along.

"Solstice... get Jaelle and Isyr," Trio murmured, watching Aeriel warily. Sankouri was growling deeply from behind the other zurui, and Izumi was standing guard in front. "Aeriel? What happened to him? He needs care. Do you know where... Talis... Talistan is?" she asked, trying to recall the other fey's name.

Aeriel didn't answer... the irate zurui was pacing in circles around them, her gaze shifting back and forth between her 'charge' and the ones that were keeping her from him. Dammit, it wasn't supposed to happen this way. SHE was supposed to be keeping THEM away!

Jaden was still limp in Trio's arms, the satyr looking as though he'd been through quite a bit. The normally kept, braided hair was matted and flecked through with leaves and twigs. His skin was bruised here and there and looked as though he'd crawled through the mud on at least one occasion. About all that was left of his clothing was enough fabric of his shorts to be considered decent, and the necklace he never removed.

Dulci blinked as Wasa stood up, taking the little one with her. Then Etain and Shiro had to go. Turning to Annora, her eyes went wide, and her hands clung to the other girl's arm as if to keep her from leaving too. Hearing about butterflies again, the young dryad nodded exhuberantly and hopped up and down a few times.

Angie waved to Shiro and Etain as they left and turned towards the girls, to watch them as they played, her silence giving a chance for thoughts to permiate her mind.

Sankouri hunched down, waiting until Aeriel's attention wasn't on him before he leapt, pinning her to the ground once more with his weight. "Izumi, go to Angie. Tell her to take Annora to her house, please," Trio said, standing and lifting the dead weight of the satyr as best she could. "San, keep her there," she directed the dark blue zurui, and she made for the small house, praying the door was unlocked.

Finding it to be so, she shoved it open, pushing Jaden inside and ignoring the neglected state of the place. As soon as she could manage it, she shut the door firmly behind her, locking Aeriel and Sankouri out.

Angie kept a wary eye on the girls, watching Simaria's current state of alertness. As Izumi came over and told her what Trio had said, Angie nodded. "Annora, Dulci, c'mere please." Angie thanked the zurui messenger and held her hands out to the girls. "It looks like you'll be coming over to see Dulci's koi pond sooner than you thought, Annora." The fox-girl smiled, and glanced back at Simaria, quietly asking her to follow them back to her home, instead of wandering like the siamese normally did.

Daddy had told Annora to mind Angie, so Annora nodded cheerfully. "You can show me all over your room," she told Dulci, as the they headed off, her eyes bright and unshadowed. Izumi fell back, trailing behind them warily, nervous of Aeriel.

Shiromaru

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Shiromaru

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Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:50 am

Dear Clementine:

See, I named you. You can shut up about it now.

The sounds have begun.

I don't mean the screaming and wailing for parental attention or anything like that -- I mean the constant stream of babbling that means he's clearly trying to figure out this 'language' thing -- and more importantly, how he can use it to his advantage to get what he wants. Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that he'll get along famously with Efios' little boy Tosamah?

Dear gods above, save me from hyperactive little children.

But he's started to babble, and is sounding out different things more and more. His current favorite seems to be a repetitive 'bababababa' over and over, usually accompanied by gleeful gurgling and much proud squealing, usually at the expense of my eardrums. Why do I get the distinct feeling that when he finally figures out Japanese and English, he's never going to shut up? It's bad enough that he babbles in one language, I have to go and institute two as a necessary part of life in Kailas (and it's spilling over into the joint house now), which means he's going to have two whole language sets to assimilate, use and abuse.

If Koumyou tries to teach him bad language, however, I will have that dragon's hide and use it for a coat.

Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:51 am

Saved for Efios' visit.

Shiromaru

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Shiromaru

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Posted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 12:52 am

It wasn't often that Shiromaru went by Youko's and Envy's place, the demon usually swamped by the chaos in Kailas, but when the running of the household had been given over to Hun Min (one of Shiromaru's oldest and dearest friends, a Juusanshi that had been with Shiro's household for years now) and Shiro and Trio had moved themselves and the children into a house of their own, things had -- perhaps conversely -- settled down a bit. However, with the addition of Nicodemus, the wand, and now Trio's necklace -- soon to be another child -- Shiro could feel that relative calm going straight out the window.

Usually every time Etain zoomed out of it after another butterfly or dragonfly.

At the moment, however, Shiromaru was taking advantage of what time he had to go visit Youko, and potentially get an insight into a bit more of what he should expect from the wands and the children within them. It was a good thing he'd found out at the wedding that Youko had a wand of his own to deal with.

Taking the last few steps up the front porch and to the door, Shiromaru resettled Nicodemus in the front carrier he wore, checked on the wisp curled around the end of the wand he carried in a sling attached to Nico's carrier, then rapped on the door and waited for an answer.

"Yeah?" Kaeru pulled the door open, the frog boy staring at the water demon and the infant in his arms. The wand wasn't even noticed at the moment as the fourth wall teen got a rather exasperated look on his face and called over his shoulder. "DAD! Someone's at the door with another baby. For a gay guy, you sure have a lotta kids." It wasn't that he didn't LIKE kids... it was just that it was kinda hard to get chores done and leave in time to get good surfing in when there were a bunch of rugrats around.

The call from the frog brought Youko peering around from the hallway, into the kitchen and towards the door. "Huh?" It was as 'creative' as he could get when he'd barely slept any.

"Um... Actually, these two are both mine," Shiro announced, trying desperately to keep a straight face. "May I speak with Youko?" And maybe make the poor man some coffee.

"OH! Sure, c'mon in." Kaeru's demeanor immediately changed, and he stepped aside to allow the man in. Things changed drastically once he realised that this particular fuzzball would be going HOME. "Coffeepot's on the counter." He turned then, grabbing hold of a surfboard that was nestled in the closet. "Dad! Chores are done, I'm gone."

"Be home by dark," Youko said, yawning and waving to Shiro as he moved into the kitchen wearing a pair of sleep pants and a rumpled expression. "Mornin' Shiro."

Shiro nodded to Kaeru, then padded along after Youko. "And Trio accuses me of not being a morning person..." The demon grinned impishly, shaking his head. "You look like you haven't slept a wink. Should I come back at a better time?"

"There IS no better time," Youko answered, snickering softly. "This is about as good as it gets in the mornings around here..." He looked at the clock then, frowning faintly. "Noon. Whatever." As he puttered around to make coffee, he managed to catch a glance of Nico and then all preparations STOPPED as he reached for the fuzzlet. "Oh my lord, he's ADORABLE," Youko cooed, the grumpiness vanishing for the time being. "Is he from the Fourth Wall?"

"Meet Nicodemus. Yes, he's from the Fourth Wall. Careful, let me get... Hold on..." Shiro unhooked the wand from the sling and set it down on the table, the little wisp shifting about before settling down again, quite content to stay where it was. With the wand out of the way, Shiromaru was able to get Nico out of his carrier, the infant starting up a cheerful babble of nonsensical sounds as he looked up at Youko and waved both arms cheerfully. "There we go. Want to hold him?"

The question was already answered as Youko scooped up the boy and cradled him close. His hair was still braided from sleep and he let the tail end drape over his shoulder. It had fascinated every other baby he'd ever encountered, after all. The wand hadn't gone unnoticed either, and Youko nodded to it, and the little wisp. "Ah, seems like you managed to find the same shop I did," he said, a rather amused and knowing smile on his face. The reason for it became clear a moment later as Shiro felt a light tap against the back of his head. A tiny wand was hovering there, grasped tightly by what could only be called a purple puff of a ghost. "Meet Shavri."

Nico was no exception, and he immediately reached up, tugging on the braid for a moment before trying to shove the end of it into his mouth. Shiro's attention, however, was on the ghost as he turned around, his eyes widening. "You mean they can start moving around on their own when they get bigger?" he asked, stunned, then broke out in a grin. "Nice to meet you, Shavri. My little one doesn't have a name yet... I was thinking I'd wait a bit longer before deciding on one."

"So far... I'm the only one that can hear her." Youko settled into a chair, watching Shavri interact with Shiro. He hadn't quite determined if Shavri was a he or she yet... or both, even. He still had a nagging suspicion about THAT, but rather than call the ghost an 'it', he'd settled on female for the moment. If that changed, then he'd just adjust accordingly. "She laughs and giggles and sometimes cries. But it's all in my head." The fox let one ear drop as he gave Shiro a wry smirk. "Hence why I'm not sleeping much. It's hard to do when you've got an infant babbling at you."

"...You can hear them when they get bigger?" Oh, this was going to be interesting. "And I thought life on five hours of sleep was bad enough. Oh well, I did want a big family..." Reaching up, Shiro wiggled a finger in the general direction of the ghost's hands, head tilting slightly. "Her wand's quite pretty, though, especially with all those jewels... I have yet to figure out WHY there's a tea ball attached to my little one's wand." A pause. "...About how much longer do you think I have until she starts keeping me awake at night?"

"A couple weeks," Youko said, smiling as Shavri latched onto Shiro's hand and clung like a ghostly burr. "Watch it. She doesn't like to let go." Unlike the strange, almost nonexistant feel of the wisp clinging, Shavri had now gained a bit of substance, and the water demon would feel a definite tug when the ghost tried to pull. "Be prepared for most people around you to think you're insane. As Kaeru's fond of saying, 'The voices are particularly loud in your head today, eh old man?' and next stage, you get diapers."

Shiromaru was fascinated, however, and didn't seem to mind the clinging, willingly tugging and playing a bit with the little ghost. "I don't mind the diapers. I'm used to diapers. It's the voices part that's going to take some getting used to. ...Oh, hey, did Trio tell you? It's not only wands that are doing this -- apparently the necklace that found Trio will end up doing something similar. A fallen angel, apparently, that's getting a chance to be reborn, and the necklace is part of it." In other words, the Maxwell-Chang house was growing at alarming speeds. Much like Youko's place, apparently.

"Good lord, you two are making like rabbits..." Youko said, snickering and reaching down to ruffle Nico's ears. "Figuratively, anyway. So how many does this make for you guys now?"

Then again, it wasn't like he had much room to talk. Raven and Omi were both teengagers now... Raven was getting to the point where she was old enough to get her own place, and had been making noise about it. Omi was starting to spend more and more time away from home... Kaeru would rather be ANYWHERE except the house lately, and Yeande had her own family to worry about. "Honestly though..." he said, turning reflective for a moment. "I'm glad for Shavri. It was starting to get lonely around here."

"Annora, Etain, Kikuei, Makana, Nico, the wisp and Trio's necklace," Shiro dutifully reeled off, then settled down in a chair, quite content to drag Shavri along if the little ghost continued to cling -- he certainly wouldn't mind. "I'll be happy to bring my girl around whenever you and Shavri like. And SPEAKING of making like rabbits, just how many kids are you at, anyway?"

Snorting softly, Youko just smirked. "Raven and Kendall are mine by blood. Omi, Kaeru, and the wisp. Yeande's KINDA, but she was never really a kid, and now she's got a kid of her own."

By blood. Ah, now there was something Shiro longed for... but with Trio unable to bear children, that was a dream better left undreamt. "Trio and I clearly need to come over more often, and bring the brood. The kids need more than each other to play with -- I'm a little worried about Annora -- and it'd be good for them to meet more people and see you and Envy more."

"You guys are welcome over here any time, you know that..." Youko said, toying with Nico's ears. "It's always been that way. If I'm not home, SOMEONE usually is."

Nicodemus burbled up at Youko, trying to grab onto the fox's hand and hold on. His ears were kind of ticklish, in that 'whee! fun game!' sort of way. Shiro watched the pair with blatant affection, the demon himself letting his own little wisp weave in and out through his fingers. "Definitely going to have to come over more often, then. We miss you."

"We miss you too," Youko said fondly, reaching over and brushing his hand against Shiro's arm lightly. He couldn't help it, really. Kitsune liked contact of any kind, and he showed affection that way, no matter who the person was. Most of his friends had gotten used to it by now.

Including Shiro, who was as tactile as Youko. He reached out at that touch, lacing the fingers of his free hand through Youko's, then grinned up at the other man. "We did get a van not too long ago. We'll have to load up and come invade soon. And bring you all over to see the new place! Do you like barbeque?"

"Love it," Youko said, Squeezing Shiro's hand lightly. "And that sounds great! There's fewer of us, it would likely be easiest for us to come over there."

"That's true. And the backyard's huge, we have a big jungle gym and everything for the younger kids, plus the pool," Shiro enthused. It was clear that he loved the new house.

Just then, however, Nicodemus started to fuss a bit. While Youko's hair was quite tasty and would have to be chewed on again at a later date, right now he was hungry. Shiro, well-used to the sounds of hungry baby bunny, started poking through his diaper bag before he found the bottle and the formula he was looking for. "He's about ready for lunch... Mind if I use your microwave?"

The wisp, in the meantime, had finally decided to actually pay attention to the rest of the room, now that is source of entertainment was doing something else, and that was when it spotted Shavri. Curiouser and curiouser...! It didn't do much, save essentially sit back and watch, but its focus was undeniably on the ghost.

"Sure..." Youko pointed over behind him but was in no way letting go of Nico yet. He had no problem feeding the baby.

Shavri seemed entranced as well, the ghost wrapping around the wisp for a moment and inspecting it. Youko winced faintly as he heard a gleeful shriek of baby laughter in his head, his ears flattening against his skull, despite the fact that it would do NO good whatsoever.

Getting the hint, Shiro made and warmed the bottle, then tested it before handing it over with a quirked grin. "There you go."

The wisp reached up towards Shavri, patting at the ghost, seemingly fascinated by how much more solid Shavri was than the wisp.

"Thank you." Youko took the bottle and brought up one leg to fold over the other so that Nico had a place to lay. He was used to this, obviously, and didn't seem to have the 'baby jitters' that mose of the male persuasion had when encountering a newborn.

Shavri wound around the wisp, giggling aloud in Youko's head as she poked back at the wisp.

Shiro watched as Nico settled in comfortably, perfectly at his ease even with this stranger holding him and feeding him. The infant immediately started in on the bottle, proceeding to try and drain it dry.

"...I think these two are going to get along just fine," Shiro added when he glanced at the wisp and Shavri again. "At least, for now. I can't wait to find out more about her. That lady, Ianna? She said that this wand was a goddess from China, but she didn't know anything else, really..."

"Yours too?" Youko smirked, one ear swivelling towards Shiro even though his gaze was on the baby. "Shavri is as well. As far as I can tell, things are going to be very... interesting with her." He looked towards Shiro then, smiling faintly. "I believe that she's the goddess known as Kuan Yin. Kannon, from Japan."

Shiromaru blinked at Shavri, then stared, eyes widening. "Kuan Yin? Really? Yeah, I can expect things will be really interesting, if that's Kuan Yin... How'd you figure it out? Maybe you can help me figure out my little wisp, as well."

Sighing, Youko leaned back in the chair, watching ghost and wisp as he kept Nico from inhaling the entire bottle. "The wand was found in the South China Sea. I was told that she was a Chinese goddess. After that, I met a kitsune boy who's also from a wand like they are... and apparently he can tell whether a wand will be male or female." Looking to Shiro, Youko let one ear fall to the side. "He got so frustrated, he broke out in tears. He kept saying that it wasn't either... that it was both."

But Nico WANTED the entire bottle! That was carrot-flavored formula in there! Hungrily, he kept sucking the formula down, both hands on the bottle. Shiro, meanwhile, watched Shavri and the wisp, chin in one hand, his gaze thoughtful. "Yeah, I can see why that would be the assumption, then... Who was this kitsune boy? I think I'd like to meet him. I've only met Coailiann, and that was at the shop. I feel kind of bad for the boy, though, if it upset him so much..."

"His name is Yashima..." Youko began, watching Nico so that he didn't inhale it all too quickly. "His guardian is Patrick, I met them both in the HQ one day. We've become pretty good friends since then. I was actually trying to get hold of them to have them over for dinner one night. But Shavri frustrates Yashima so much, that I don't want to upset him."

"Understandable." Shiro continued to watch Shavri and the wisp, pensively, then reached out to 'tickle' Shavri's side. "Maybe once she's reached baby form, she won't frustrate him so much? Or one can hope, at least."

Nicodemus was finally done with the bottle, and pushed it away as he smacked his lips contentedly. Full belly, warm arms, and ooh, look at the hair! Reaching up, he tried to stuff the end of Youko's braid in his mouth again, threatening to smear it with orange-tinted formula.

Youko didn't seem to mind at all, he was used to baby spit-up... and worse things in his hair. He did, however, pin his ears back out of reflex as Shavri let out a shriek and tried to wrap herself around Shiro's hand. "I can't wait til everyone else can hear her too... then I won't be the only one with a migraine."

Shiro looked up at Youko, then acked and tried to pull his hand free from Shavri's grip. "Sorry... I think I'm going to go ahead and head out, though, and get back home. I have some work on the house I need to do now that we need to expand -- " Already. " -- the building, and I don't want to be taking more than a few days on it." Thankfully, he had a whole crew worth of household companions willing to help out.

Chuckling, Youko nodded and moved to reluctantly hand the baby back. "You need to come visit more often. I hardly ever see you anymore, other than when I happen to run into you with Trio." He moved to Shavri then, unwinding the ghost from the demon's hand and letting her stick her wand through his hair like she normally did, to 'ride' around.

After wiping Nico's face off with a towel, Shiro settled the infant into his carrier, tucking Nico's ears in so they wouldn't dangle when the demon flew. "I'll definitely be by more often. I guess life just likes to get carried away..." He settled the wisp's wand into place in its sling, then smiled up at Youko. "And don't worry. I'm hauling you, Envy, and the kids all over to a barbeque at our place. We'll have to make it a regular thing or something like that."

"THAT would be great," Youko said, reaching up to his hair to toy with Shavri lightly. "Of course, you'll have to let ME have a turn at the barbeque at some point." Smiling sweetly, the fox tried his best to look innocent. "I promise I won't put you to shame."

"Oh, you're on," Shiro informed him, grinning impishly. "You are so on. You better be able to back those words up."

"I always back up my words," Youko drawled, leaning one elbow on the counter as he grinned to Shiro. "Just ask Envy."

Shiromaru smirked up at Youko, reaching up in an attempt to playfully poke the man on the nose. "You know, having a ghost over your head when you say that kind of ruins the effect."

"I know. Wait til I try it with a baby in my arms, then it's just hilarious." He leaned in then, swatting Shiro's hand aside and kissing him on the cheek. "Tell Trio that I want to see you both over here more often, okay?"

Laughing, Shiro returned the kiss with one on Youko's cheek in turn, then nodded. "Okay. I will, I promise. I'll talk to you later, okay?" That said, he turned and cheerfully started out of the kitchen -- he knew the way out, after all, and could let himself out.

"Take care," Youko replied, grinning as he moved to head back towards the still-waiting coffeepot. It had been a good visit, and he looked forward to more of the same.

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:44 am

Dear Diary -- Clementine -- Whatever:

Why am I not surprised that when I went over to Youko's, he wouldn't put Nicodemus down for a single instant? I think it's the ears. When Nico gets older, those ears are going to be the death of me and his ticket to dates. That and the big blue eyes. I wondered if his eyes would settle on a different color like so many baby eyes do, but his just settled on a pretty sky blue. He's such a cutie. And he knows it, too. When he's not asleep (which is more and more now -- and I thought I had it bad before! At least he napped on occasion before, when we would put him down in his crib!) he's hamming it up for the audience or crying for myself or Trio or Makana.

There are teeth marks in his little carrot plushie now. I'm not sure what I can do to save the poor thing from being completely torn apart, but I ended up getting him some other plushies to snuggle with as well. He seems to have taken a decided liking to the rabbit, when I fully expected him to decide that the odd little poof was more to his style. Maybe it's a comfort issue...

I've discovered that this child has absolutely no fear, which is destined to give me grey hairs within the year. He'll try to jump off everything -- the sofa, the changing table, my arms -- I'm reminded of Annora, who used to do much the same thing, and gave me a heart attack every time. You know those tests that people do, where they'll put a child on a table that has a glass cutout in one part of it, with another half of the table under the glass about three feet below, and try to get them to go to their parents on the other side of the table, across the glass? Most kids won't crawl across the glass, they see that there's a drop-off and some part of them instinctually knows that it's not safe.

Nico, however, I think would crawl straight across, fully expecting that he could fly or something and damn the consequences, he doesn't care. I thought rabbits had self-preservation instincts! What, was Nico last in line when they were being handed out or something?! This child will be the death of me...

Shiromaru

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Shiromaru

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Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 3:18 am

Dear Clementine:

For such an active little baby, Nicodemus seems to settle down oddly quickly whenever I play the piano for him. I'm not sure what it is about the instrument that he likes so much -- maybe it's just that the authorities were right all along and classical music helps children grow just as much as other forms of input and nourishment. Still, I have to admit that I'm glad for the means to calm him down, because otherwise this child just goes and goes and goes and doesn't want to stop for anything except food, occasional snuggles, or Makana.

And there is something I can't quite seem to figure out. While Makana and Nico would seem to be natural enemies, at least in the wild, here it's quite the opposite. Makana's become completely infatuated with Nico, and Nico seems to reciprocate -- he'll settle down for her when he won't even settle down for Trio and I. It's a blessing, really, in many ways, because if he's wailing, sometimes she's the only thing that can get him to calm down enough for one of us to figure out just what it is that's set him off.

Which tends to be a lot of things. He seems singularly unimpressed with his current lack of reasonable mobility and tries to crawl everywhere, but with those big feet of his, crawling tends to be more of a stomach-surfing, even at this stage. Which just gets him tangled up in his ears, and the frustration becomes overwhelming, and the wailing and the waterworks come on. I can understand his frustration, though -- with as much energy as this boy seems to have to burn, being stuck in one place would have me wailing my fool head off, too.

So would teething. And we're going through that stage with him right now, as well. Thanks to Anatoli's quick intervention, we've discovered that frozen carrots are the absolute perfect thing for him. The shavings he manages to gnaw off aren't big enough for him to choke on and he can swallow them quite easily without risking getting them stuck in his throat, and the cold helps to numb his mouth enough that the pain goes away for a little while. It's incredibly helpful. There's just the problem that there are carrot bits everywhere, and certain parts of the carpets are stained orange. At least it's not overly noticeable, except in the area where Nico usually is, in one corner of the living room.

That's okay, though, it's just one more thing I get to renovate later on down the line.

I noticed, though, that he seems to have something in common with Etain in particular -- they're both incredibly enamoured of having the windows open. While I know the reason why for Etain, I'm not sure what it is for Nico. Maybe he just likes the fresh air, or maybe the closed windows make him feel even more stuck in one spot. Whatever it is, for such a little guy, he certainly has his own views on things already, and the windows are one of those things.

Still, I'm already glad that we had the big jungle gym installed in the back yard. I think he's going to need it.

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:46 am

Nicodemus was crying.

It wasn't just the usual 'I want a snuggle' crying, no, this was full-out squalling of the 'my mouth hurts I want a carrot and a snuggle and some attention and I want someone to make it all better RIGHT NOW' type, the type that Shiromaru was in absolutely no condition to deal with. The demon was huddled up in bed with a splitting migraine, having just taken medication in the hopes that something could be done to take the seeming axe out of his forehead. Trio wasn't around, at least he couldn't seem to sense her nearby, so rather unwillingly, he raised his voice. "Makana? Sweetheart, can you go see what Nico needs?"

Makana barely heard Shiro over the squalling, but she got up, setting aside her book and gathering up Mouse from where he'd been sitting on her lap sucking on a peppermint. The peppermint stuck to her paw for a moment, but she finally got him and it into her pocket and made her way to her father's bedroom. "Daddy? You wanted me?" she asked, licking at the sticky fur as her other hand lifted to adjust her glasses.

"Hey..." Shiro smiled weakly up at Makana, though his gaze was fond. "I have a bad migraine, sweetie, and just listening to Nico's making it worse. Is there any way you could go find out what he needs? He quiets down for you so quickly..."

Makana nodded slowly, head tilting. "I can try," she promised, hesitating a moment before offering Shiro a smile and turning to head to Nico's room. She hesitated in the doorway, then stepped inside to move to Nico. "Hi," she murmured, reaching out to pet his chest softly. "What's wrong?" she murmured, looking worried.

Nico stopped his wailing, his arms waving as he leaned against the edge of his crib. "Muh," he said insistently, a little sniffle capping the sound. He wasn't too heavy to be picked up, blast it!

Makana hesitated, then scooped Mouse out of her pocket, placing him and his peppermint in a nearby potted plant before reaching out to wrap her arms around Nico. It was extremely awkward, lifting him out of the crib, even with the stool nearby that she always used, and when it was done, she struggled a bit before sitting down on the floor, Nico in her lap. "What's wrong?"

The little rabbit sniffled a bit as he cuddled up on Makana's lap, one carrot-stained hand reaching up to pat at her cheek. How to express that his mouth hurt? There were all these sharp bits poking through the backs of his gums and everything hurt! He wanted one of his frozen carrots. Too young to make more advanced associations, he simply settled for anxiously patting her cheek, then his, clumsily.

Makana wasn't doing much better. She didn't really remember the pain of teething, so she settled for petting his fur gently and stroking his back slowly as she started purring for him.

Well, that helped a little, and Nico settled close to Makana as he listened to that soothing purring. It wasn't enough, but if he couldn't figure out how to make her understand that he hurt --

Another figure entered the room, and this one bore the treasured frozen carrot, which was presented unto Nico with a small smile. "When he's squalling like that," Hun Min explained gently to Makana, "it means he's teething badly and needs something to gnaw on and numb his mouth."

Makana blinked up at the Juusanshi, smiling shyly at him and snuggling Nico a little closer. "Can I come to you for another carrot when he's done?" she asked softly, afraid to start Nico up again. In the plant, Mouse looked up, then scooted forward, toppling out of it to head to Hun Min's feet, wondering if the newcomer had any new candy to nibble.

He did, and it was a gumdrop that was presented to Mouse, for the Juusanshi could smell the peppermint on the little creature. "There you go," Hun Min murmured, then the tiger offered Makana a warm smile. "Of course you can. If you don't see me in the kitchen, though, just ask Etain to fly up and get one of the carrots out of the freezer."

Nicodemus, for his own part, was perfectly content. He had a carrot, he had Makana, and he wasn't in that stupid crib any longer. Life was good!

Makana smiled wider. "She can do that?" she asked, scooting back into a nest of pillows in one corner.

"She's gotten them before," Hun Min pointed out. "So she knows where to get them if I'm not around."

Makana nodded, grinning softly. "Daddy says he quiets down for me quickly," she noted, settling against the wall with pillows to cushion her and hauling Nico fully into her lap. "Do you think he likes me?"

"Muh," Nico said gleefully, snuggling into Makana's lap as he proceeded to shred the carrot inch by inch. So what if he got bits everywhere?

Hun Min grinned at that, then nodded to Makana. "It's obvious he does. You're his favorite sister."

"I am?" she beamed, nuzzling Nico a moment before starting to groom one cheek clean of carrot bits. They tasted a little weird, but she wanted him clean.

Nico blinked in blatant confusion as Makana tried to groom his cheek, then cooed and patted at her before trying to reciprocate. Laughing, Hun Min backed out of the room, intending to leave the two be while he attended to various chores around the house.

Mouse had dragged his new gumdrop back to his plant, and was sitting under it, happily nibbling away at the gooey treat.

Shiromaru

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