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 Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:49 pm
Crackle.
Crackle.
Pop!
Fire danced in the hearth, warm and glimmering. It sent long, active shadows skipping and twisting across the varnished floorboards of the living room. In front of it, a large, thick baowi fur lay in wait, already stretched out in preparation for the events to come, and off to the side of that, a few simple wooden toys waited, too. Tidy, welcoming, and warm, in sharp contrast to the heavy, howling snow outside their doors.
Three months had passed since the twins’ births, making winter in full swing and fires all the more inviting. Though the first several months had been an exercise in patience, diligence through exhaustion, and rapid on the job training so far as parenting was concerned, the hours had been duly rewarding, nothing catastrophic had happened, and both Ataya and Akara were growing rapidly and healthily.
A soft, happy gurgle — that might have been a lazy giggle — sounded, and Detraeus glanced down to the bundle in his arms: Akara, swaddled in warm blankets and making a variety of creative noises as she wriggled. Always the more active of the two, so far as he could tell thus far. When she managed to grip hold of one of his braids and cling, he raised his eyebrows and chuckled as he crossed over towards the fireplace.
“Good, little princess,” he said. “If you keep working on a grip like that, you will have your brother beat in wrestling before you can walk, mm?” Resituating her slightly as he prepared to settle by the fire and giving her a small bounce of encouragement, he glanced back over his shoulder for his mate and the aforementioned sibling. “Ara…is he even awake?”
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 1:25 pm
Though the wind was howling outside and blowing about the snow, it was sort of soothing to Araceli. It was her element and it brought a sort of peace to her to hear it. Though, as cold as it was up in these mountains, she wouldn’t dare go outside in it. She watched Detra as he interacted with Akara. A small smile seemed to be a permanent fixture on her face these past few months. Even through the exhaustion of caring for twins she couldn’t help but to smile when she looked at them or her mate.
At Detra’s question she glanced back down to Ataya. The calmer of the twins, he seemed to like to sleep and generally be less enthusiastic about things like his sister was. She brushed the back of her fingers over his cheek, eliciting movement out of him and a flicker of his eyelids raising but not quite opening. She laughed lightly and bent to kiss Ataya’s forehead before moving over to the furs in front of the fireplace. “Halfway there, it seems. He does like his sleep.” With a bit of adjustment to Ataya’s position, Ara managed to settle down onto the furs.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 2:05 pm
Ataya stirred as his mother moved, making a soft fussing noise at the disturbance but soon quieting again and nestling back against her, his fingers bunching in her shirt front. Mother was warm, and safe, and if moving about was absolutely necessary, at least he had a solid base of support. As she settled, he, too, calmed, only just barely stirring and keeping his eyes shut as he drifted back towards sleep.
Across from him, Detraeus hummed, carefully disentangling Akara’s fingers from his hair before holding her out and setting her gently on the furs in a spot to herself on her belly. “Come now, Ataya,” he said, glancing over as he did. “Your sister is ready to go. You don’t want to leave her all alone, mm?”
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 2:40 pm
“Come on, Ataya. Time to wake up. Your sister’s waiting for you.” Ara rubbed the backs of her fingers up and down his cheek, rousing him again. When his eyes opened she smiled down at him. “There we go.” She shifted, moving to set Ataya down, on his stomach, next to Akara.
As soon as he was there, Akara was wriggling happily and cooing. She was happy to finally have her brother back next to her and with enough wriggling she managed to move so that the two of them were touching. At that point, there was no hope for Ataya and sleeping. His sister wouldn’t hear of it.
Araceli laughed as she watched them. Warmth spreading from her heart through to her whole body. It amazed her, that she had helped create such wonderful lives. Her gaze flit up to Detra, head tilting to the side. “Thank you for giving me such a wonderful gift, Detraeus.”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:08 pm
Ataya murmured when he was roused, burbling disgruntledly at the movement when his mother lifted him off of her and then starting to fuss outright, on the verge of tears, when she set him down on his own. No, no, no, this wasn’t mother and it wasn’t warm, and he couldn’t sleep and—
Halfway into the process of building up to a good cry, though, his sister’s cooing distracted him, and he quieted, large eyes going wide with curiosity and seeking her out. On spotting her, he stared, holding still and keeping quiet in order to listen to her variety of sounds and watch as she moved. So much moving. So much effort. He yawned wide, tiny fingers gripping lazily at the soft furs beneath him. It wasn’t mother, but at least it wasn’t hard or cold. When Akara made it to him, giggling, wriggling and touching, Ataya gave a lethargic murmur and a huff.
Detraeus watched on in amusement, and almost opened his mouth to comment when Ara spoke up. At her words, he blinked, flushed, and then shook his head. “No. You, and they, are the greatest gifts my life has ever brought me. You…” He hesitated, and eventually flushed warmer, reaching out towards Akara half to distract himself ran his hand gently down her back and then placed a toy off to the side, between the two of them. “You saved me,” he said at length, “…from everything I fully intended to become…”
As Ataya’s eyes shut again, Detraeus huffed quietly and lifted him himself, ignoring his son’s fussing and holding him in an upright position.
“Come, your mother worked very hard for you…appreciate the world, mm?”
Ataya made a high, whining sound, bunching his fingers aimlessly and then squirming, trying to glance back towards his sister. Detraeus sighed and conceded, laying the boy back down and contenting himself with the fact that at least now he was attentive again, attention fixed to Kara.
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:15 pm
Araceli shifted her weight, moving over a fraction so that she could lean against Detra and watch as her twins interacted. If one thing was certain, the two of them already had a bond. “I saved you, hm?” she repeated, curious. She leaned away from him a bit, glancing up to study his features for a moment. After a time, she brought her fingers up, brushing them against his cheek and smiling. “Well," she said at length, "I’m glad I could and I’m glad you shot those arrows at me that first day. Even if I didn't seem it at the time. Or you, for that matter.” She gave a teasing smile. “Imagine where we’d be had you not.” Her eyes flit back to Akara and Ataya. She didn’t like the thought of not being right where she was. It wasn’t a fun one. She settled back against Detra as Kara started animatedly gibbering at her brother.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 4:37 pm
“Mm…we would have found each other,” Detraeus said. ‘Or, my life would have gone to far darker places…’ He pushed the thought from his mind and turned his focus back to their infants, pressing a gentle kiss to Ara’s shoulder as he watched them. Whatever might have happened, this was the now, and for it, he was eternally grateful.
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