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 Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 6:32 pm
The house was finally clean, not that any of the inhabitants had done any of the cleaning, but thanks to Stazja's prodding, a maid had been hired (and tipped very well). With the clutter and discouraging smells finally gone and wafted through the open windows, the matriarch had regained a sense of sanity, and it showed.
Her hair was washed and tied back in a lose, half-pony tail, leaving some to fall around her shoulders, and she wore a deep purple dress that flowed to just above her knees. A black, button up cardigan covered her shoulders but stayed open to reveal the front of the dress. The most vibrant feature, however, had to be her eyes, which practically glowed with a nervous excitement that hadn't been around for a long time.
As she paced the den in front of the fireplace, her daughter sat with her back straight and followed her mother's movements with her eyes. Stazja, who had become accustomed to wearing the clothes traditional to her Greek sister, wore a shortened black toga-esque top with a pair of black laced capri pants. The pants were made of a matte leather, and she had adorned herself with silver bangles on her arms and wrists. Since she remained inside, her feet were in simple sandals.
Despite the comfort of the clothing and her training, Stazja couldn't help but feel tense and apprehensive. It had felt like forever since she had been able to live free and be herself like that. She severely missed being part of a family. Granted, she had been with 'family' members the entire time she had been training, but she really missed being with HER family. Her mom and her dad.
Come to think of it, she also missed piggy back rides. Those were the days.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:20 pm
He hadn't been home in a while.
It was intentional, he often told him. At least, not completely. He had been quite busy in the Village doing...whatever there was to be done. It had started genuinely enough, aiding Kyros with various Council work now that Soyala wasn't letting him anywhere near her cabin, but over the course of a few weeks the tasks had degenerated into fixing this person's sink, or that person's roof. It kept him busy, and he felt productive, and useful, and needed.
He had been staying with Raechel, and visiting often with Satou and the Sargtlin who, in his typical manner, was attempting to apologize without apologizing by being generally pleasant to the once-Uuthli. It was certainly a nice change of pace.
But it had been Lysius who had finally drawn Jack aside and called him out on his behavior, Lysius who had pointed him home and seen him on his way. And if Jack had been reluctant in his return, after Lysius's words, it was more for the guilt of having been away for so long.
He left himself in through the back door and made his way through the quiet house to pause in the doorway of the lighted den. His eyes fell on the woman pacing before the fire, turning briefly to his daughter in her chair before moving to settle on his wife. He offered a small, apprehensive smile in greeting. "Sorry I'm late."
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:41 pm
The sound of the door opening caused her to quickly suck in air, her heart beating more loudly if it could. For a moment, X felt lost as to what she should do and instead simply stared at him as if she had seen a ghost. His voice, deep and familiar, snapped her out of it, and before she knew what her feet were doing, the distance between them had disappeared and she was now burrowing into his chest.
It was all overwhelming in the best possible way. His smell flooded her lungs and brought back memories that she had tucked away in the back of her mind. The vampire barely managed to keep enough resolve to not cry.
Barely.
"I miss you," she finally whispered softly into his chest.
Stazja watched the exchange with slight apprehension. Though her mother had not explained details, the teenager was more than bright enough to have pieced together how delicate the situation could possibly turn out. However, she had faith in the pair.
Quietly, she waited on the couch till she didn't feel as if she were interrupting.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:55 pm
His arms automatically encircled her as she reached him, and he held her tightly to him, burying his face in her hair. "Miss you, too," he quietly assured her in response to her soft words, and only held her all the tighter for it. He had missed her, truly, from the very beginning. He had just convinced himself otherwise.
Drawing back ever so slightly, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, slowly, reluctantly pulling his arms away to instead place his hands on her upper arms. He smiled down at her, giving her a quick squeeze, and managed a small laugh that did not quite disguise the relief in his voice. "I'm sorry. For worrying you, for making you wait."
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:14 pm
The relief was more than mutual, and X took a long, deep breath to steady herself as a pale flush sprinkled across her cheeks. Still in a surreal state of mind, his words floated around a moment in her head before sinking in. "You're here now," was all that she said as she reached up to take one of his hands in hers, slowly pressing her lips against his palm.
At the moment, that was a safer kiss to tackle.
With a glance to her daughter, Stazja stood and carefully moved until she stood next to X. "Hey Dad..." She really didn't know what else to say, and found that despite her usual fluidity and knack for articulation, such dusty feelings were untranslatable into words.
At least, not right then.
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Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:31 pm
Glancing up as his daughter joined them, Jack offered a warm smile and transferred one of his hands to her arm, as he had with X. More was said through his smile and that affectionate squeeze than an awkward hug could have ever accomplished. "Stazja. Come," he decided abruptly, and steered them both towards the couch. "Sit with me. I want to hear....everything that has happened. Your trip? And Dari and Zach?" he pressed as he sat, fishing for a topic to lighten the mood. More serious discussion could come later.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:48 am
A relieved and excited smile brightened her features as she allowed herself to be marched to the couch. Once situated with her parents, Stazja took a deep breath and began while clasping her hands in her lap. "Well, I trained with Zanna and her general. The taught me how to ride horses and fight while riding, including archery. And since I didn't have to worry about remaining hidden, I was able to actually practice hunting and tracking." Her proud stance and smug grin told them both just how well she had apparently mastered the aforementioned skills.
"The food and service was amazing," she added, "I'm a little jealous of Zanna being a queen... Only a little." And by a little, she meant a lot.
When X felt that she wasn't interrupting, she interjected to answer the other questions. "Well," she started quietly, her hand finding refuge and strength by resting on her husband's leg, "Naolin's back." There was a pause, as she wanted that to sink in for a moment. There'd be more explanation for Jack about that later, but not now. Naolin and her 'duties' as guardian fell in the "More Serious Discussion" category.
"Dari came home from Europe when his funds and attention span ran out," X continued in her soft and controlled voice. "Zach settled down and got a job, so he's still over there."
There was another pause as she attempted to think of the more pleasant news to discuss. There wasn't much else.
"What's new on your end?" She left it broad, not knowing what topics would be sensitive anymore.
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