Selona made her way slowly down the steps of her temple. Mulan had come home for the weekend to help tend to all the children. Recently the overabundance of little ones was starting to wear out the usually enthusiastic blonde.
Genevieve had kept her up most of the night, while her brother had slept so peacefully. Unlike the night prior where it had been reversed. But the twins were not her concern on this morning. No. In fact both were off sleeping up in her room, Malachi keeping a watchful eye on them.
This morning, she was looking for the most recent addition to the family. Cheche. A yellow-spotted... salamander.
"Cheche?" her voice called out as she made her way down the garden path. "Cheche where are you?" her eyebrows knitted together in frustration. Not again...
Continuing her calls, and her walk, the cleric came to a cross-section. Instincts drove her to make a right, towards the back of the house, and the pond that was there.
As she wandered from the gardens around the building, she could see the treed area off a ways, the path winding furthermore towards it. Minutes passed and Selona found herself watching a over-all's clad little girl clambering up onto a large rock and hooking a worm to her fishing line.
Content as could be, and off in her own little world, Cheche was preparing to go fishing. It seemed like a good idea. There was a pond back here and all, and Selona hadn't said she couldn't fish there. Mind you, Selona hadn't mentioned that there even was a pond back there.
Maybe she had forgotten. Yah, that was definititely the case, as per Cheche anyways.
Moving closer to the girl, Selona quietly sat herself down on a nearby rock. The child had yet to realize she was being watched as she flicked back on the rod, flicked forward, and cast the line into the water.
"So, Cheche," Selona started, "enjoying this fine morning?"
"Ack!" Cheche felt herself losing grip on her fishing pole. Sliding from her fingers it landed in the water with a 'plop'.
"Selona!' those two, large black eyes stared at the older woman. For a moment she forgot to blink, or breath.
But it all came back to her with a quick gasp of breath, and a slow exhale. She seemed to realize she was losing her fishing rod at that point as well, and scrambled madly to get it, shoving her hand down into the water and dragging it back up.
"Y... yes, it's nice out today. I found this pond and..."
"And thought it would be a good place to catch a fish, hmm?"
"Yah." Cheche placed the rod to her side on her rock, and placed her hands together on her lap. "Was that a bad idea?" she felt inclined to ask as the watchful eye had not left her.
"Normally, I'd say it was fine. You can go fishing, and that's alright." Selona gave a quick nod of her head and leaned back where she sat a bit, holding herself up with her hands.
"You see Cheche, I have a lot of children. Most of which still live with me..." Cheche shifted where she sat, not liking where this was going at all.
"And that pond, my dear, is where two of them live."
A pause.
"Huh?" Cheche blinked. "They live in the pond?"
"Mhmm. Well, not all the time. I think they're currently gone out for the day. But Nimue, who I believe you've spoken with, and Irenes. Who's a pretty big fish herself." she chuckled.
"Really?" Cheche thought for a moment.
"Is she from my home?" The little girl's eyes opened wider, hoping, but her shoulders soon fell when Selona shook her head.
"No, she's from my home actually. But I think you'll like her. You just may not want to go fishing in her pond. No fish for you to catch in there anyways. Just a bunch of frogs."
"Frogs?" Cheche grinned, standing up, "I've seen those. Kili and I were catchin' them the other day."
"Really now?"
"Yup! It was a lot of fun. Hey, Selona?"
"Yes?" the woman was starting to get up from her rock, brushing herself off from the bits of dust that had fallen.
"Is there somewhere I can go fishing? I'd like to go do that sometime."
"How about this, you promise to leave that pond alone, and tomorrow I'll take you to the best fishing spot I know."
"Really?"
"Yep."
Cheche snatched up her fishing pole, pulling the worm off the lure and sticking it back in a bucket that she pulled out of a large basket sitting at her other side. It was crudely labled "Fish Bate" with a large blue marker. Once satisfied that it was safe in the bucket with, god only knows what else, she stuffed it back in the basket. Lifting the strap attached to it, she slung it over her shoulder, wrapping an arm around it and began to make her way towards the temple again.
"I can do that then." she beamed, blonde pigtails bouncing as she walked, her tail swaying back and forth. "I'm gonna catch the biggest fish ever!"
"I bet you will." Selona stiffled a laugh. Cheche was a good girl, much easier on the head than Kili. She didn't go breaking things.
But something told her she was still going to be a handful. Ah well. Nothing she couldn't handle, right?
"Hey Selona, I forgot to ask." Cheche stopped suddenly, "I was talking with Malachi yesterday about the babies. I asked him where they came from, and he said to ask you."
"..."
"Hmm?" Cheche watched Selona expectantly.
"Oh good good..." Selona murmmered under her breath.
"I'll tell you when you're older." with that, she picked up her pace a bit, making her way back to the temple.
"But... but!"
---- End
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