Special Places [Nadia and Claude]

[Sweenys_Revenge]

Sweeny: Morning had broken over the horizon, and the light invaded the crystal dream scape behind Claude's eyes. Blearily he opened heavy eyelids, cursing the dawn. His neck cracked and complained as he drew his head up, temporarily disoriented from his dream. His throat was dry, parched in fact, and he carefully drew the wing that kept his mate both warm and dry over the night back to his side before standing, old joints equally displeased at the movements. They got used to the motions, however, as he walked over to the lake, only twelves paces or so from his bed, to quench his thirst. About another twelve paces from his bed in the opposite direction lay his three perfect children. The most comical sleeper being Lafayette, who, for some reason, insisted upon sprawling out like a water bug. He chuckled and slumped over towards them, body still t heavy from sleep. He gently nose his daughters face. "Time to get up love, I have something to show you."

Luna: Nadia stirred awake and she blinked up at her dad. Her eyes still heavy with sleep, and she yawned, not wanting to go. But it seemed she had no choice in the matter. she moved away from her brothers, her head still low and groggily spoke to her dad. "Something... to show me?"

Sweeny: Claude yanwed, still not really awake yet. He nodded his great groggy head and nudged her up onto her h ves. "Yes, and I think you will like it. You and your brothers are old enough that I will now take a day out of each m n and spend it only with one of you. Today is your day. And I have just the place for us to go." He grinned, grooming he lazily as had become his favorite habit.

Luna: She huffed a little as he groomed her, but she was starting to grow curious about where he was going to take her. even though she wanted to see, she wasn't going to complain about this. She wasn't one to ever complain. She moved off to follow after her dad.

Sweeny: "It is a favorite place of mine," Claude explained, moving sluggishly as he tried to walk off what was left of his sleep. "My mother used to bring me there when I was just a foal, and tell me one of her fantastical stories. She's very g d at that, you know. I believe she told one to your mother about Angenis once..." He blinked away his memory with a smile. "In her old age she can no longer descend the mountain to visit there, and I thought that the glen needed to hear the laughter of a child once more."

Luna: Nadia blinked at him, and really didn;t understand what he was saying, but went along with it. She yawned again, a bit interested in the idea of strories though  

[Sweenys_Revenge]

Sweeny: Claude grinned at Nadia. "Now, I'll leave the decision up to you today, Nadia. Would you like to walk there, or would you like to fly?" He did feel bad, for some irrational reason, that only Lafayette had wings. He wished they all had them. He wished there was a way he could give Istas wings. He knew it was out of his hands, but it didn't stop the guilt.

Luna: Nadia looked at him, and blinked. "I think talking would be best... I'm to old for you to carry around you know." She smiled at him a little, and remember as a foal how he would carry her and Chev. But she didn't mind not having wings, because then she could walk with her mother.

Sweeny: "So you think your old dad is t old and brittle to carry you? That hurt, Nadia, that hurts." Claude laughed and nudged her cheek. "Besides, I don't expect I'll allow you or your brothers to get much bigger." Nadia was right. Already they were all so big. They were growing before his and Istas's eyes, and they were helpless to stop it. It made Claude frantic, wanting to put rocks on their heads to keep them from growing anymore.

Luna: Nadia smiled a little at her dad. Man he was mushy in the mornings. But she could understand where her dad was coming from. She yawned again. "Oh you know that I'm just to big." She nudged him back

Sweeny: Nadia often shocked Claude with how mature she was. With Lafayette as his normal, dramatic self, and Chevalier anatagonizing him at every turn, it was nice to have Nadia to referee. "I know you are. Well in your way to adult h d." the words came hard from his throat. It was odd to say. The idea of his children as adults didn't really sit with him just then. "You'll be a beautiful mare, just like your mother."

Luna: Nadia smiled. She loved her mother very much, and found that she took to likeing being told she would be lovely like her mother. She puffed up when it said that, Nadia wantes to be the embodiment of beauty and strength. "Shall we go?" She asked her dad, as the sun was starting to get higher in the sky

Sweeny: Claude didn;t realize they were not moving. His face t k on a l k of suprise as he l ked aruond. "Ah, yes, lets." He laughed a little to himself and swung a wing out before him. "Ladies first," he sung, bowing deeply for her.

Luna: She blinked at him, she had no idea where they were going, but she walked first down along the path. Mornings were nice and quiet. She liked it.

Sweeny: Claude fell into step easily beside his daughter. The silence that fell was comfortable, and needed no breaking. He was perfectly to walk next to her, lsitening to her tiny h f beats.

Luna: "So you were going to tell me the story?" She looked over at him. He had something about him and her mother.

Sweeny: "Well, I could. What kind of story did you want to hear love?" It'd been a while since Nadia had asked to hear a story. He wasn't really sure he had the knack for it anymore.

Luna: She looked over at him, she had herd tid bits, but never the full story, because she had always been to young.

Sweeny: Claude grinned at the memory. It was one he visited often, if only to make sure it really happened. "We met when we were very young. About your age, actually. She was out wandering around, and so was I. I was on one of my adventures. Little stories I'd make up, saving towns, and vanquishing demons. And then your mother showed up. She l ked a little hesitant, but I was always l king for new friends. I asked her to come on an adventure with me and she seemed shocked. Apperently, she wasn't often asked to play. Well, we went on our adventure and had so much fun we kept meeting up."

Luna: Nadia thought about it, so they had been friends since they were little. "Did you know that you moma were going to be together forever?" She had no idea that her mother would grew to have a mare lover that took off.

Sweeny: Claude laughed a little. "Uh, together? Yes, I knew I'd always be with her. As a mate? I only knew that for a short time. You're mother originally t k a mare for a lover. She was what you would call a lesbian for a time. Normally, it's a permanent mindset, but sometimes it's a temporary phase one goes through. I don't doubt that she loved Misti, however. I know she did. One day, however, Misti t k off and left her." He'd tell Nadia about his palce as a surrogate when she was older. He really didn't think he was ready for the birds and the bees just yet. "Anyway, when she did your mother grew upset. After a while she grew fond of me while I was involved with another mare. Eventually she confronted me about it. She asked me to be her mate and I just... I said yes. I didn't even think about it, really..."  

[Sweenys_Revenge]

Luna: Nadia looked over and thought. For a foal the mindsent was so simple, not fully understanding things. "Are you happy you picked moma? "

Sweeny: "I can't imagine why I ever considered another," he assured Nadia. He knew it was probably a little unsettling to think of your parents with anyone else. It really was the truth, though. To even have considered anyone else seemed ludacris to him. He often beat himself up for not falling in love with Istas s ner.

Luna: Nadia blinked a couple time, and shrugged some. "How much longer until we for to this place?"

Sweeny: Not t much longer, really. I wouldn't make you walk that far. Maybe a few more paces." He shrugged, pulling himself from the memory. "You might be able to see it. IT's just past that line of trees there, actually."

Luna: Nadia gallopwed further ahead, and she peered around the trees, she wasn't to sur ewhat she was looking at, but it certainly looked like a place her dad would take her.

Sweeny: Claude extended his neck the push aside some brush. "Carefully, Nadia, don't hurt yourself," he said, nudging her forward. It was only a few trees before the surrounding opened up into a glen of flowers. The trees held in the scent, but once they passed them the aroma was almsot overwhelming. "Here we are, love!"

Luna: Asshe got nudges in, she was able to inhale the flower scent, and she instantly started to sneeze. It took several minutes for the sneezing to calm down, so she could look around and see all the flowers

Sweeny: Claude laughed at his daughter. "Are you alright," he asked, coming up beside her. "I hoped maybe we could come here more often to talk, or something. Like our own special place." He grinned lightly.

Luna: Nadia looked up at him, her eyes a little teary and she nodded. "I think that sounds like a good idea." Though she didn't understand why they would need a special place. But she was just to young to know.

Sweeny: Just like her mother Nadia was never t excited about anything. Claude knew, however, that a reaction like she recieved was just as g d as a gliry squeal. "I'm glad you agree, love." He walked pased her, into the flower beds. He settled down into the petals and motioned for her to follow. "Come, tell me about your adventures. You're odl enough to go out on your own, and I'm curious."

Luna: Nadia settled next to her dad in the flowers watching some bees. "Well actaully I spend most of my time with Laya and his friend Arthur, they've been teaching me some things. I can almsot whoop their butts!"

Sweeny: "I'll bet! I'm glad they're teaching you. I'm sorry I can't, I just can't be as hard on you as I should be." It was only one of several fields in which Claude saw himself as a failure. Still, he smiled and watched as someone else t k Nadia on as a student. "How is Lafa taking his inevitable defeat? Pitching fits, I expect."