Lifting her head, she cast about her for another. With a defiant nod at her companion that evening who was, as it turned out, the happy father of these three, she pronounced her decision. "Definitely. These are definitely the fiends that stole my apples."
Vatican hadn't been paying too much mind to his mother, as it were, as she had been calmly poking her nose at the baskets of his foals. Foals. He still wasn't sure if he was ready to believe it, or, well, ready period. Why foals? No, his attention had been on the surrounding area, trying to see if Ryuki was anywhere near. She disappeared so easily, and at random. One minute she was there and if he looked away for a second, sometimes she just upped and left. Tricky little thing.
"What?" he said, blinking away his thoughts as he turned to look down at his mother almost unbelievingly. "Mother, there is no possible way that they could have stolen your apples." He didn't even know what apples she was going on about. When did she have apples? His words, however, weren't said with any degree of coldness or cruelty, but rather as if he were trying to explain to, well, someone that learned things rather slowly.
"Did they? Fiendish things." The Pegasus stomped one hoof in defiance and returned to looking down at the baskets with an almost uncharacteristic glare. Of course the few moods she ever got in never lasted too long, and if anyone really understood this it would be Vatican; he'd been raised by her after all. ... assuming one could call anything Cassandra was capable of "raising."
Her expression cleared as she tilted her head in some confusion, directed once more at the baskets, then abruptly forgot their presence and pranced over to her son. Leaning against his frame she rubbed her head against his neck and cooed lovingly, "The sky was blue today."
He sighed rather lightly at her stomping foot, though said nothing more of it. Her mood would pass quickly, and it wasn't as if his foals would be suffering any long term damage from her simply glaring at them. It wasn't as if they would remember anything at all from their time within the basket. Of course, what damage her mentality did them once they'd hatched might be different. He wasn't sure Ryuki would be any better for them, though.
"Isn't the sky always blue?" he said softly, leaning his head slightly down to n** lovingly at his mother's ear. His wings shifted, stretching just slightly, as he glanced up at the sky. It was blue, as always, though he wasn't quite sure what his mother saw. Maybe to her it was different, or maybe the different hues of blue weren't really blue to her at all?
"yes, but it was particularly beautiful to day," The female nodded again. Once more she glared at the baskets. "If they didn't steal my apples, then who did?
"It isn't as if they got up and walked off...."
There was a long pause, and then her eyes widened, "or did they?!"
"That would be just like them! Decietful little fruits."
He smiled as his mother actually managed to surprise him. Here he was thinking it was another of her delusions, and she was simply being particularly sweet. "Yes, it was very beautiful today."
"I have no idea-" he cut off, though, chuckling as she began to talk about them getting up and walking away. She never ceased to make him smile. As a foal, she had been the most amazing person in the world for all the laughter she induced. "Maybe they did, or they could have rolled away. It's particularly hilly around this area, it's a great spot for them to plot their escape plan."
She gasped, looking about as if the apples would come flying (or rolling, rather) out of no where. They didn't, of course, and she snorted with disappointments. "Dastardly things. Never turn your back on an apple, Vati, you'll go hungry."
That bit of wisdom imparted, the baskets caught her eye again. "what are those?"
"I won't momma, I won't," he said with a little smirk, glancing down at her. She was amusing, he had to say. As much as he saw her as his mother, part of him felt.. protective. At least when his fathers weren't around to look out for her.
As he glanced up to see what she was talking about, part of him feeling he already knew before he even had to look, he let out a slow sigh. Letting his smile falter slightly, he glanced back towards her. "Those are my baskets, remember? Ryuki and I had baskets together, and soon our foals will come out and you get to be a grandma."
"Oh that's wonderful dear! Are they edible?"
He chuckled lightly despite himself, realizing that he probably shouldn't be amused over the fact that his mother was talking about eating his children. He turned his head away so she wouldn't see it, coughing, and finally managed a straight face by the time he looked back at her. "No, mum, you can't eat them. There are babies inside of 'em, my babies." He gave her an odd glance, stepping closer to nudge one of them. It was an.. affectionate gesture, which was odd for the male that had been sure that he didn't want foals at all when Ryuki had been going on about being pregnant. "They'll come and play with you when they're ready, you'd like that, right?" Well, try a different approach. She liked to play.
"oh," There was a vague disappointment there and Cassandra hung her head slightly. Her ears perked then, "Next time you should have apples. Those are good. ... but playmates are good too. Why can't I play with them now?"
He frowned slightly as she hung her head, feeling quit bad that she was disappointed for a moment. Like all his mother's moods though, this one would probably pass quickly. "Well, you might hurt them if you play with them now, they're very tiny. You don't remember when I was too tiny to play with?" Probably not, he was willing to bet.
"You were tiny?!" Her eyes got huge, "But you're so big! When was that, Vati? Was I there?"
He snickered lightly to himself as he turned around to trot back to her, nipping her lightly on the ear. "Yeah, mum, you were. When I was born, you don't remember? It was just you, and both dads, and then you had me and Descence. We were real small." He knew he was likely to get no where with this, but her reactions were amusing all the same.
"Hm.. no, I think you must be thinking of someone else." Cassandra nodded again. She shoved her head up under his jaw and rubbed herself against him in a loving manner, anyway, then bent to look at the baskets. "These smell like you.. that's good. They're lovely."
That was about as much recognition as he was likely to get from her at the moment. "I miss Ickie. I wish he were he.. He'd like to see the little apple theifing baskets." She snorted defiantly.
"... do you think they'll be bigger soon?"
He smiled, despite her words, as she leaned to rub her head up under his jaw. Well, even when she was confused, she was still at least affectionate. "I'm glad they smell like me, I'd be confused if they smelled like someone else."
"I'm sure he'll come and see them," he said with a little grin, leaning to n** at her mane with a pleased smile. At least he was pretty sure that he would - he hoped both of his fathers did. He wanted them to see too. "I dunno, momma, these are my first babies. I don't know how long it's going to take for them to grow up and be strong enough to come out."
"Well they'll be strong like their daddy, whoever that is." Cassanda replied in a confident manner that belied the pure idiocy of her words. She sighed happily, wings fluttering a little on her side as they brushed up against his. "I should bring them apples! They'd like that."
He smirked lightly at her, his wings brushing back against hers playfully, though he was beginning to realize it might take forever or longer for his mother to actually realize that she was going to have grandfoals. "I thought they already ate your apples," he said pleasantly, his tail flickering behind him, deciding it was probably just best to let her mind wander as it wanted to now. Forcing her never got any results as far as he could tell.
"They DID?!" She gaped, horrified then sniffed sadly. "How rude. They didn't even ask."
"I don't know, that's what you told me earlier," he flickered his tail behind him slowly, then moved to give another one of the baskets a slight nudge with his nose. "Maybe they thought their grandmother wouldn't mind." If she even remembered that, which she probably different, which meant she'd only likely be more confused.
"Well their grandmother probably wouldn't." Cassandra thrust her muzzle into the air, effecting a haughty look. Her ears perked a moment later and somehow she managed to look sheepish. "But they are only foals.. even if they are hiding in baskets. I suppose I can forgive them, too." She nodded, "Would you like an apple, vati?"
He smirked again as he realized, no, she didn't remember. She might later, though, as that did seem to be how things went with her somehow. One moment she'd act like she didn't even know, and the next she'd surprise you by knowing it all. "Well, I'm glad that you can forgive them. They might would feel bad otherwise." He leaned up to look at her at her question, quirking a brow a bit. "I suppose, but didn't you want an apple for yourself?" She didn't even have any apples.
"Yes, but you should have one too." The mare whinnied happily, then trotted away to a nearby treat. She lowered her head to its base and picked an apple up from between its roots, then brought it back to him. Her tail even managed to wag a little.
He laughed slightly under his breath as she came back with the apple, shaking his head lightly almost in disbelief. She had spent all that time fussing over apples, and that's where she had gotten them. "Alright, I guess," he muttered happily, his tail brushing against the three baskets behind him as he flickered it.
The mare left the apple near his feet, then went and retrieved another which she ate herself. Only when she had apple juice running down her chin did she bother saying anything else. She looked to the baskets. "They don't talk much, do they?"
He busied himself with chomping down the apple as she went back to the tree, though he made sure to lick up every little bit of juice that managed to splatter anywhere on him. He hated to get messy, and apple juice left him feeling sticky. He hated stickiness too. At her words, he chuckled, glancing up at her from where he was leaned over. "I think it's because they sleep a lot, they're tiny and weak."
"Oh." Was all she said. The mare nodded to herself again then sighed, turned and trotted off. Her wings unfolded but she didn't bother lifting off despite their flapping. Of course, she probably thought she was flying.
He simply shook his head as his mother walked off, looking rather odd to boot, and lay down admist his baskets to wait for Ryuki to return. Had it been any other day, when he didn't have baskets to look after, he might have walked after her - but at least he realized foals were more important than his grown mother right now.
