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 Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:06 pm
Cedric nodded politely, pausing a moment to deposit Alexander in what turned out to be a double stroller - he just...loved holding the little redhead, even though he knew he wasn't supposed to play favorites - and then began to walk, glancing over his shoulder at the other two.
It really was curious, these two. They somehow seemed...a close, if not perfect match, and yet...and yet is was still odd. More notably, Mordred was odd. He made Cedric inwardly shiver. There was something...old about him. Old and very, very strong.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:47 am
He wanted to say something. Whisper, shout, either or - Mordred tended not to distinguish. Words were words, no matter the volume you put them in. But if you shouted them then everyone could hear you! And the more people who knew what Mordred had to say the more people either stayed out of his way or responded. That was convenient. Shouting. But he doubted Edmund would appreciate if he pointed out in high amounts of decibels that his friend was afraid of him.
It wasn't anything new, certainly. Maybe a little disappointing. But there were an unstartlingly few number in the worlds and time who could claim to be unafraid of the Lord of War and fewer still who actually hadn't been. That was one of the reasons he liked Edmund so much. And the babies!
So he shouldn't expect too much out of Cedric. There were some things about the other angel he sort of liked already, after all. Like the way he actually seemed to know what he was doing with his own babies. That was... fascinating. It was then that Mordred realized he'd been trailing closer and closer to Cedric, Damocles and Perseus unconsciously carried with him - though the realization didn't come hand in hand with a desire to pull back. Instead he peered at the sleeping boys in the stroller before looking very seriously back at Cedric. "Do they like that?" he gestured at the stroller, "Wouldn't they rather walk?"
.....not again. They'd been over this hundreds of times. Babies weren't born walking. Neither were they born able to hold swords, especially not ones larger than themselves. Though... though admittedly, he had to wonder sometimes about these children, as sometimes it had felt as though they only hadn't walked at birth because Edmund insisted that they couldn't.
...Hm.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:40 am
(It occurs to me that Cedric with a stroller really is an amusing image. lol Poor princling. S'good thing that he doesn't hold so tightly to his pride anymore, I think he'd just about die if he did.)
The prince felt rather than saw Mordred drawing nearer and nearer to him as they walked, but with true decorum and composure, he didn't make any mention of it. And when Mordred spoke up, Cedric merely turned his head, as if unaware or unruffled by the other's nearness. He paused for a moment at the question, a slight smile quirking on his lips before he composed himself, thinking it rude to be amused. Only one of the boys was actually asleep - peaceful little Alexander - while Merle continued to bounce and peer around him curiously. "I'm sure that one would rather" He gestured towards Merle with a fond smile "if he could. But it's a fairly long distance back to the house."
The fear of Mordred, however, was something...latant. Not active, but there.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:01 pm
The sooner they start the better, Mordred wanted to point out. Except for that Edmund was giving him that look that made him want to wilt again. Wilt? No! He wasn't a blushing flower! He'd ask whatever he felt like asking! Only he wouldn't. Just because... he liked making Edmund happy. It was a good feeling. Admittedly, one that'd bothered him a little more acutely than before of late... but still good, nonetheless.
He liked that giggling one though. Far more interesting than a sleeping baby. Sleeping babies just drooled, and that wasn't productive at all. "Why don't you let him fly?" he asked instead - admittedly (again) neither he nor Edmund had been really ready for their own to start flying... but their children had to be more rambunctious than usual, right? Other people's babies always seemed so much better behaved!
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:51 pm
There was the instinctive reaction of "o_o Because he's a baby, for crying out loud!" which Cedric most certainly did not voice. He seemed to think about it for a moment - flashing a quizzical look back at Edmund before turning back to Mordred - and then replied. "He hasn't really shown much of an interest, to be honest. Besides, I don't think that the principle with avian offspring really applies to angelic children - you don't push them out of the nest to test whether or not they can fly."
...Mordred had some interesting ideas, that's all he could say.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:46 pm
Managing to maintain enough composure to actually meet Cedric's eyes when he looked back, the look Edmund returned was for the most part neutral, communicating something along the lines of 'It's safe to indulge his eccentricities'. ...Which it actually wasn't, come to think of it - but surely talking could hold no untoward dangers.
He hadn't pushed the babies off of tables! They'd figured it out perfectly well on his own! Mordred only wished he'd been there to see it, the first flight having occurred on one of those not infrequent days when he'd left the little rabble-rousers to his dear brother to watch for the afternoon. Arthur, he remembered fondly, had tried to gut him. Ah, family!
"But they must want to," he insisted, "Haven't they tried?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:44 pm
"Ah...no, in fact..." The prince frowned a little, wondering if perhaps...they should be trying. If he should be encouraging the little ones to attempt flying...he tried to be a competent father, but...it wasn't as if he had ever had much of a model for it. And...added to that, this extra burden of appendages he had never had to deal with before this. "....Your children have?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:27 pm
"Oh yes," Mordred announced rather proudly, "All the time." As if to accentuate the claim, Perseus flapped his own wings a couple times, though remained perched between the crook of his father's arm and armor. Mordred blinked once. That had tickled.
"Why don't yours?" An innocent enough question - which was part of what made it unsettling, coming from Mordred of all people, especially as the question had been posed in such an unassumingly curious manner.
There were times when Edmund wished his Lord would just stop talking about flying. It gave Roderick too many ideas and Castor... was already too far gone. One of the reasons Edmund kept a strong leash on that particular boy, carrying him if he had the chance or standing with his hand on his shoulder otherwise.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:59 pm
"I'm...not entirely sure." He murmured softly, peering down at the two babies in the stroller. Perhaps he should be encouraging them, then? They just seemed so...young. Barely walking, except when they took two steps and then stumbled. A long piece of hair was pushed out of his eyes - escaped from the bow he had tied it back in - and then he withdrew slightly, thinking. Questioning.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:07 pm
Hm. Cedric didn't appear to have an answer. How disappointing. That was one of the reasons he liked asking Arthur things. He always got an answer. Whether he liked and/or was satisfied with it was up in the air, but that was brotherhood for you.
Oh well. That just meant his children were more precocious, didn't it? And Mordred liked that idea. It suited his world view.
Edmund frowned slightly, for benefit of an invisible crowd. He hadn't caught the entire conversation, only enough to puzzle out the root of the exchange. Trust his Lord to ask after something mundanely puzzling. Supposed common knowledge that turned out to be not so knowledgeable. Not unlike... Socrates. ....A disturbing parallel, one he'd stow away. For a very, very long time.
He did nevertheless draw up closer to his Lord even as Mordred fell back, such as they walked closer in tandem though still as ever in Cedric's wake, giving him the benefit of time and space.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:58 pm
For the next minute or so, the angel remained somewhat withdrawn from his two companions, thinking about what Mordred had said. He knew that...not every child was the same, of course. He'd had a close study in that, what with having 5 other brothers and sisters. And yet...and yet he'd hate to think that he wasn't doing something for his children that should be done. And there was no one he could go to to figure this out. Frowning, his eyes flickered down to them again, although is softened quite a bit when it actually landed.
...And then there was that nagging little bit of pride that wanted his children to be just as good as anyone elses, just as capable and outstanding. Something he tried to squash, because he did love them, and they were outstanding and amazing in their own way. Just because they were his, of his flesh and of his blood.
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:25 pm
((*is... so entertained* Mordred's... playing to his element, inciting conflict. Oemgee xD))
It started in his eyes, a glimmer of triumph that echoed in a smile for a moment so brief even one staring at him and him alone would've been hard pressed to catch it. Satisfaction in his work, however unconscious it had been.
The sort of brevity Edmund had no trouble discerning in his Lord. A single eyebrow arched though the rest of his expression remained bland - rather, neutral. What exactly did his Lord have in mind? To what purpose? ...As it concerned Cedric, the coon felt a certain responsibility to take charge from Mordred, Lord or not. If this was the man deemed worthy enough to care for his children in turn, than he would rather not have him toyed with. Though it was likely Mordred was unaware of his own influence.
Still yet.
He approached purposefully, intent on turning the subject to less troublesome matters - though he'd found most subjects to do with children to be at least a little trouble. "Cedric," softly, to alert the other to his presence at first, "I am... truly sorry to thrust this proposal upon you." A safe differentiation in the topic. "If there had been any other in the world in whom the same trust might be laid... I should not have thought to trouble for your attention."
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:13 pm
(XD Yes. Yes, he is.)
At the first word, the angel turned back to his friend, immediatly drawn out of his contemplation. Ironically, he had become more of a courtier the moment he had stepped outside his father's court, but only because while there, he had been so sullen about the whole affair that he had refused to play their game. He smiled, shaking his head. "Not at all. If I truly objected, I doubt I'd be inviting you back to my home to discuss it further." He was so much more on his level with Edmund, but that was to be expected. They had known eachother for longer.
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Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:34 am
He smiled then in turn, as a friend does. Not necessarily soft nor even understanding, but making a comforting attempt at both. "Nevertheless, your graciousness in the matter should not be taken for granted," he shook his head once in firm decisiveness, "I place myself in your debt, friend though I may call you." The glance he spared the other then was truly warm - for of all the things in the world that might chance to actually open the coon's mind to others, this... peculiar circumstance had become foremost. It would certainly take more than this to have him sharing secrets, certainly, but it was debatable how much even Mordred knew about his mate - not because Edmund was particularly manipulative or close-minded... well, perhaps he was. But certain values took precedent, and he was beginning to find friendship with Cedric to be something approaching valuable beyond whatever advantage it might lend him.
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Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:44 am
To tell the truth, Edmund was probably one of only two reasons that Cedric hadn't withdrawn from the Anthro society shortly after arrival. The other reason had been Ari. One companion to protect, and another to keep him from dispairing that he'd find appropriate companions here, at least until his opinions had become somewhat more relaxed due to the kitten and his mate and simply living here instead of in a courtly culture. As such, his feelings towards the racoon were quite warm, which was...saying quite a bit, even with his relaxed standards. "If you insist." Cedric murmured again, eyes ahead of him.
After a moment's pause, his smile became somewhat amused. "I have to wonder how Vasu is going to take this. I understand perfectly, but he and I come from such different backgrounds..."
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