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2-20-05

I'm so tired, these days. We've added four more children to the house- Aduthule- and half of the time I feel like there's not enough time for me to do anything, let alone spend time with my children. Keita has maintained his cheery attitude, but there was a little while where he was starting to use more words...now that's tapered off again, and he's gone back to using 'mrr.' It's a happy sound, true, but it makes me worry.

Winter is fading, fortunately. More sun means more rapturous days in the warmth for my little Legend; Aureli seems happy enough, too, which helps. In general, the house is stillupbeat...so why do I always feel like crying, these days?

Storyline: Sunny Smile Boy

"Oof."

Brit opened one lazy sage-green eye to frown balefully at the smiling Legend leaning on her stomach. With baby Ransom being a puddle, Steele had shooed the little redhead out of the house to nap in the sun; it did not, however, look like her chosen companion was going to let her be so lucky. She'd given his babysitter the afternoon off, too, so she had no one to turn to for help. Keita plopped down next to her head, nuzzling close and rubbing against her with his soft ears...even she couldn't resist that. One hand came up to scritch his ears, and he made a little noise of bliss as he melted against her.

"Okay, okay," she murmured. "I?m up." The little boy responded with a happy giggle, pulling himself to his feet with the aid of her shirt; Brit sighed, sitting up to support him with an arm around his waist. "Little noisemaker," she muttered, pulling him in her lap to tickle him mercilessly. Above his shrieks of laughter, Brit found herself smiling; it wasn?t like Ransom wasn't responding, after all. She still didn't understand most of this magic stuff, but if Steele said the baby would be okay...maybe she should listen.

She released her fluffy-eared son, watching him take a few careful steps before going back to his knees. He stalked leaves like a predator, making Brit smile, and she wondered if he remembered he was supposed to be a harmless forest creature. A ladybug buzzed out from under one leaf- he turned his attention to stalking it, moving with a quiet efficiency that surprised Brit just a little.

"Mama," he said softly, and she felt the tingle of warmth she?d had ever since he learned the word a couple weeks before. "Bug!"

"Mmhmm," she agreed, pulling her knees up to wrap her arms around them. They sat deep in the forest behind the house; only the roof of the Koshi house was visible, and since the centaurs were elsewhere today they had the quiet woods to themselves. "Pretty bug?"

"Preee bug," he agreed. He still couldn't quite manage the t's in pretty, but it remained one of his favorite words. The sun caught in his deep green eyes as he turned back to look at her, making her breath catch- there was a wildness in him, framed by trees, that escaped the boundaries of what she had seen before. For a stretch of time, it was as if she stood alone, facing a creature that could be frightened off if she moved too quickly, but then he sat down hard and offered his hand. The ladybug crawling over his fingers distracted her from the uneasy feeling, and she shook her head as she leaned close to complement his catch. She had come to grips with a lot of things since she?d met Steele, but one of her own children being a creature of the forest was a little far out there, wasn't it?

Says the woman whose biological son just turned into a puddle of water.

Lifting her head away from the thought, she was again caught by those wild eyes. They watched her calmly, almost protectively; with a gentle nudge, he gave her an unbelievably sweet smile. The expression said that even if she didn't understand, everything would be okay...she pulled him close again, relishing his warmth as she closed her eyes and hoped that he was right.

Storyline: Moving Again!


When Steele woke up for the day, late afternoon casting long shadows over the property, everything seemed quite calm. All of the kids- even the Aduthule- seemed to be playing peacefully, while the house went about it's normal routine; Britain was not, however, interacting with any of them as she usually would be. The elf checked Morion's room, since she had been spending a lot of time with him, but found only a sleeping dragon-teen; it took Vitree's discreet gesture towards the office to lead her to her mate.

Seated behind her desk and peering at a large area map that pretty much covered the entire surface, Brit nearly jumped out of her skin when Steele cleared her throat. She had not, of course, heard the elf coming. Dainty fingers hovered over the paper, then settled on it gently once she realized who it was. "Hey," she said, offering a guilty little smile. "Are you up early, or am I running late?"

"Late," Steele replied with a yawn, shaking her head. "What are you doing...?"

"Well...umm," the little redhead replied, looking very much like Ladanya when their older daughter was caught in something she shouldn't be doing. "Well...since Morion arrived, and Lada's growing up, and Synge and Cori have become real members of the house, and Ailes is so BIG, I thought...the house could use some renovations."

"Right," her wife replied dryly, and tapped to map with one long finger. "So why are you looking over an area map of Durem?"

Brit's voice dropped to a whisper, and she bit her lip. "Because...I told Valance that one of the conditions to me coming back to the department was a change of residence if I wanted it, an entire research team of my choice, and he was paying for it?"

Slightly stunned, Steele stared at her a minute before shaking her head. "You're crazy. I mean, Durem's a good place, but Gods..."

"The only problem is moving again," Brit sighed, relaxing a little as Steele failed to bite her head off. "We just got to Port Gino, I'm not really looking forward to packing up again..."

A moment of silence met this statement as Steele turned to pace. She glanced over her shoulder at the worried Brit, weighing the situation. "This is important to you, isn't it?"

"A little," Brit admitted, eyes straying to a modified floorplan of the house, peeking out from under the map. "The older kids really could use the space...I feel bad about cramming them all in like sardines. They deserve their privacy, and a chance to grow."

"Well...it's not impossible," Steele sighed, returning to lean against the desk. "I have a few favors I can call in that would make packing pretty unnecessary. The question is, is this worth it to you? You've been moving around a lot lately. I don't want to call in favors and make changes if this is going to be temporary."

"I think we can officially settle this time," Brit told her decisively, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear. "I like the look of Chatres; I think you'll be happy with the security, too."

"Chatres? Isn't that the road that runs by the big cathedral?"

"Yep! The land's really cheap right now, since Gambino's tower fell on it. I...took the liberty of purchasing a few blocks."

That was...a bit bigger than Steele had expected. Just a little. "So we're talking moving the entire property- what other army are you planning on bringing in?"

"Ogre and Fyre," Brit replied cheerfully, standing to point out the property she had obtained. "See, we go to either side here; Aoshi might be taking a place of his own here, too, but he's not sure yet. There will be a set of offices, too. I'm not sure if Ogre and Fyre want to join yet...but at the least, it might be fun for everyone to live in the same place!"

"You're crazy," Steele muttered, but she nodded once. "Okay. I'll see what I can do- you make your plans."

* * * * *

The tall, thin man that made his calm way up to Brit and Steele's front door didn't seem like anything special. He was a handsome man with amused green eyes and brown hair that fell frequently into his eyes; pausing at the gate that seemed happy to let him in, he examined the house with intent. Not too bulky...the rest of the property might prove a bit difficult, but what was life without a challenge?

He whistled low as he approached the house, drawing the attention of a few of the little dragons and his sister, lurking inside. As the dragonlings swirled around him, a window above opened; he and Synge watched each other for a long moment before the newcomer nodded silently, turning back to his little friends. He wore his simple clothing as if a king needed nothing better, and his gestures were elegant- Steele smiled at him as she slipped out of the house.

"Long time no see, Jerin."

"Indeed," her brother murmured, smiling one last time at Nifrit before turning his full attention to her. "Looks like this should be a pretty big project. I need to see the destination, before I can get anything done."

A flick of her fingers and a reproving look from Steele had a wave of magic tugging them to a street in Durem. The area was empty and overgrown- perfect cover for the moves Jerin would be making. He walked the area for an hour, his cheerful disposition gleefully tackling the challenge with silent plans, before he returned to where she was taking a nap in a tree. "Do you have a particular location in mind, sweetling, or shall I just work with what I have?"

"Have fun," Steele yawned, waving a hand at him. "Be careful of all the people, though. Most of the Koshis and Tahnees are pretty mobile around the property, so don't lose anybody. Brit's out of the house, so I'll call her when it's time for her to come home...so she doesn't get lost."

The wicked smile that touched her older brother's full lips could have melted strong hearts. He flashed it happily, running both hands through his hair as he turned back to his project. "Very well then," he purred. "Let's get this show on the road."

* * * * *

Back at home, the various members of the household looked up in alarm as the earth-mage's magic washed over them. Most all of them could feel the change, though they might not know what it implied; Tahnees around the house grabbed their charges as the house shifted. In his room, Morion grabbed his new computer to stabilize it, ignoring the fountain pen that rolled from his desk to splash ink across the carpet. Those with more of an earth influence laughed or shuddered in terror, feeling the ground shift beneath them. As suddenly as the chaos began, it stopped- with the notable exception of a loud grating sound making the walls tremble. Sittng by the pool, Coritani was the first to see what was happening; not only had the entire house and pool changed location, but the roof was remaking itself as he watched!

"Relax," Synge stated dryly, appearing next to him and dropping an armful of baby Tam in his lap. "Steele made arrangements to move the house without packing- looks like she's getting Jerin to make the renovations Brit wanted, too. Everything will settle down in a little bit."

True to his word, the shifting and rumbling ceased about an hour later. The mystery man disappeared, leaving the altered house- and all of the other houses, too- relocated to the new property. With a tiny smile of anticipation, Steele called Brit and told her she'd have to take a different route home.