[PRP] Matters of Paternity (Genesis, Gyousei, Grigori, Eden)

[Lady_Ourania]

It had taken a great deal of time for Grigori to decide to make the journey to his father's gardens, longer still for him to actually follow through. The prospect of leaving his own plots unattended introduced a ripple of unease in his belly, a sensation that gradually worked it way up to a full fleet of roiling waves as he set the plan into motion. He paid special attention to his defenses over the next few weeks, and spoke predominantly in monosyllables to both his offspring and his guest. If they had some inkling of the reason behind his shortness, neither of them mentioned it. Not that he had given them much to suspect. Once he was satisfied that no one would be able to stumble their way into his home in his absence, he took Diriel aside to explain the circumstances. It would not be an exceptionally long journey, half a day of travel or so at most, but expecting to lead him blindly into an unknown situation would have been unfair. Better to give him the option to remain than to deceive him of their true destination.

After all, Grigori hadn't encountered his father since he'd left all those years ago to cultivate his own patch of earth. Genesis had been preoccupied with others things, and other, more dependent children. It had proven simple enough to shed that life like a second skin. His rearing, from what he could ascertain, had not been typical in that respect. But he felt no enmity toward his family, did not carry some secret resentment coiled around his heart. Still, it made matters more... complicated than he would have preferred. What would Genesis think of him arriving unannounced - with a child of star-flesh and a guest of unknown origin, no less. His father appreciated interlopers roughly as much as Grigori, and had been known to treat his roses with blood to keep them healthy.

Surely his father would find it in himself to make an exception in this case, for his granddaughter if nothing else. Still, Grigori held out hope that Genesis would not force him to break his word to the other stallion, and perhaps even share in his interest. Diriel's unique lineage afforded him certain privileges among their kind, even in the eyes of the Multitude. They blinked in unison upon his back, monitoring both Eden and the other stallion's progress and tracking potential pitfalls while Grigori kept his stare forward. Diriel seemed less at ease out on the plains, the creamy blue grain of his pelt made obvious by the sun beaming overhead. Beside him, Grigori felt the flesh and blood boundaries of himself acutely, its presence vaguely cumbersome. How fulfilling it must be to become one with the very guardian he bore. If not for his rocky childhood, Diriel might have appreciated his position more. But this was neither the time nor the place to press the issue. Later, when they were back in familiar territory, and Grigori could rest easy with a familiar knot of greenery on all sides. Until then, they traveled mostly in silence, only his daughter's erratic bursts of song and chatter coloring the air.  

[Lady_Ourania]

Eden whirled hummingbird-quick around her father's heavier tread, eyes opened wide to drink in all the sights being permitted to her. It was the first time in recent memory that her da had allowed her outside the bounds of the gardens, and the giddy thrill of it buzzed all the way down through her roots. Grigori had been strangely reticent about the purpose of their departure, and she hadn't pressed, afraid that reminding him of the unusual circumstances might make him call it off altogether. Even if it turned out to be just another lesson in the badness of the Barren, at least she had a chance to absorb the landscape on her own terms. The grass was hardier underfoot than it was back home, more capable of standing up to a trampling. There were also fewer trees than she was accustomed to, and that alone afforded her an uninhibited view of the sky. Light, fluffy clouds chased their counterparts across the sky, their shapes ever-changing and liable to scatter into different drifts. She tripped more than once while watching them, so taken by the maneuvers that she missed the way the ground dipped in places, or the unexpected introduction of a small stone to her tiny hooves. Once, she lost her balance entirely, only to find that her father had moved so that she could rebound harmlessly off his leg. Eden giggled under his heavy gaze, a little nervous and excited by the attention. When it became clear that he didn't intend to scold her, she took off again, this time in Diriel's direction.

That he had agreed to accompany them made her joy burn all the brighter, and she circled the other stallion to illustrate as much, muzzle held aloft to attract some dry, serpentine kisses from his familiar. It was good, having Diriel around. He provided her da with someone else to enlighten, to praise and guide in equal measure. And - though he would never admit it - he could also stand to learn from someone with Diriel's background. Eden had only caught slivers of their soft-spoken conversations, and quickly hustled away when she realized the sensitivity of the topic. Grigori had firm opinions on eavesdropping, and she did not want to hear them listed out again any time soon. But what she'd pieced together of Diriel's life before he'd very literally stumbled over her had seemed sad. Eden knew how burdensome judgments like the ones that had befallen him could feel, the heft of them creaking in her bones even now. Still, she liked to think that being with her and her da made it weigh him down a little less. Eden hummed happily at that, a quick little ditty that she'd made up on days when lessons ran overlong, though she lost the tune halfway through.

They came up on the forest just as night was falling, and Eden's energy had begun to flag. She angled her head to look at her father expectantly, and was surprised to find that his brow had furrowed, the tight press of his mouth highlighted orange in the last rays of sunlight. He nodded his great head once to Diriel, then continued on without a word, slipping beneath the tickling boughs of what Eden knew to be a willow tree. The filly hesitated for a handful of seconds, her legs twitching with the need to go either forward or back. Her father's rapidly vanishing figure made up her mind for her, and she charged into the long-hanging tendrils, eyes closed to avoid getting slapped by long leaves. She bumped into her father almost immediately on the other side, and had to bite back a soft yelp. Grigori barely appeared to notice, ears already angled forward, intent on something else.  

[Leez0rz]

As night fell around his garden, Genesis grew more wary to his surroundings. The soft chatter of his plants died down as slumber overtook most of them. He smiled gently, knowing that his babies needed the rest to grow more efficiently. It did not help the unsettling feeling deep within him. As most of the plants quieted for the night to come, so did the chatter of any intruders coming into the garden. It was time for him to take a stroll along the border of his garden and check on the more nocturnal flora of his garden.

As his massive form moved along a trodden down path through the garden, his ears flickered towards noises that livened up the area. The sweet chirp of crickets and the deep croaks of frogs gave the garden some kind of background sound. The awakening of lightning bugs littered the air with their flickering lights, giving him some kind of guidance to the darkening area.

A curious noise made Genesis quite… curious. It wasn’t a noise that belonged. An intruder perhaps? The soft yelp was a noise that didn’t belong. Gin was more stealthier than that when she came in and out of his garden. Gyousei was further inside the garden, either having a snack or taking a light nap. He knew Gershom was taking a nap on a bough closer to the center of the garden, having finished his daily tasks. His brows furrowed together as he approached the noise with caution. He was not one to rush into things in case of an ambush. Not too far from the sound, his head craned up to let his heavy bangs fall to the side to reveal his dark eyes. A large figure appeared first, walking through the weeping willows as the branches morphed around the figure as if to devour it. Beyond the first figure, more ripples in the branches alerted him to multiple companions. Displeased that someone would try to enter his garden, he moved forward to the inner exit of the tree. His massive form blocked any passage further into the garden. “State your business.” He said roughly, his eyes almost wild at the idiocy of someone trying to invade his lands. The plants that surrounded his body reacted to his anger and snapped at the intruders.
 

[Lady_Ourania]

He felt Eden join him on the other side of the leafy partition, his gaze directed forward while the Multitude absently surveyed her for signs of injury. The star-child appeared more startled than anything else as far as they could tell, and he murmured a quiet bid for her to be still. Shortly thereafter, the plants in front of him parted with a ripple of dark green to admit a hulking silhouette. Behind him trailed a procession of fireflies, flight patterns looping lazy and unaffected by his haste. In the inconstant light, Genesis looked much the same as he had in his youth: imposing, wreathed in guardians that were similar to the ones he himself had inherited, the stallion acquired an almost messianic quality.

The impression suffered slightly when his plants snapped in unison, a sharp question ringing in the air between them. Grigori's beaked horn clacked its jaws in response, and he winced at the increasingly ludicrous tilt to the situation. Behind him, Eden cowered with her face pressed into his leg, her own horns digging unbidden into vulnerable tendons. It was unlike her to be shy, but he suspected that she had long since worn through her initial curiosity. Escorted to a dark, unfamiliar forest with no explanation, even a clever child might be frightened. No matter, all would be made clear to her very soon.

Grigori let the silence grow between them, weighing his words to the best effect. He cleared his throat after a handful of seconds, and pulled himself up to his full height. "Hello, father," he intoned gravely, surveying the other from beneath the heavy drifts of his forelock. Eden's horns came away from his leg in an instant, and he issued to her a wordless command to wait. "I regret that I did not send word of my visit ahead of time, but I've delayed too long as it stands." He hesitated, tongue wetting his lower lip. Practicing this explanation in the relative silence of his gardens was no match for the real event, apparently. Still, it seemed best to do it quickly, lest he falter and disgrace everyone assembled. In one smooth step, he heaved his bulk sideways, revealing his child in all her small, afflicted glory. "Introductions are in order. Genesis, this is Eden," he offered softly, glad that she visibly resisted cringing away. "Your granddaughter," Grigori added in the interest of removing any doubt, his tone purposefully composed despite the unease that ran the length of his guardian's trunk. Even the ebb and flow of firefly light could not hide her unblooming state, brown as the earth from which she had not spawned. Only the roots nestled about her spared everyone assembled a taste of true embarrassment.

Her da named the stallion across from them, and Eden's eyes grew huge in the mahogany panes of her face. Grigori had never mentioned a father, though she supposed it was silly to think that a bond gone unspoken meant that it didn't exist. Still, she didn't have a mother, so not so ridiculous, maybe. The filly froze when her father's shadow fell away from her, the last, tickling traces of his warm tail tugged free of her horns. Eden stared up at the stranger - her grandfather - and tried not to fidget. He was the same chestnut color as her, but that was where the similarities ended. Plants ran amok along his frame, weeping eyes and pincer-like mouths held securely in place by thorn-covered braids. Beyond them was the long, tousled hair that he shared with her father, his eyes peering from beneath the fringe of his bangs like inquisitive beetles.

"Um," she began, then bit her lip, knowing that her father disapproved of such vacillations. "Hello," she blurted to cover up the mistake, tucking her chin in a slight bow that Grigori had insisted she use to address other guardian-bearers. "It's very nice to... meet you?" She hadn't meant to make that a question, but it came out with a lilt to the end. Eden swallowed, and the ends of her roots fluttered in a mirror of her own nervousness. Why had Diriel stayed at the outskirts of the forest? This would have felt a little less weird if he was being unsettled right next to her.  

[Leez0rz]

As the willow tree branches parted to make way for the intruders, Genesis silently watched to make out the figures. There was no response to his words so he could only stand on guard for the strangers to make a move. The branches slid off the figures to reveal a familiar silver color. His eyes widen by a fraction, realizing that it might not be a stranger at all. His mind made a connection of who might visit and went straight to his beloved mate, Gin, but he knew that was highly unlikely since she was away on business. The only other logical answer was his other son, Grigori. As the figure emerged fully out of the foliage, the stallion took in the vision that was his son. No longer was he the young stallion that left his garden to forge his own path. A small smiled melted onto his face as he was always to be one to welcome his offspring back into his garden, but he realized it too late and his harsh words had already left his lips.

As his guard went down, his plants seemed to respond in a similar manner. His ‘babies’ recognized his son’s plants and shifted towards his son as if to pull him closer to the plants. The pull of the plants caused the thorns that adored the vine-like plant to dig into his abused and scarred flesh, making him wince at the movement. The largest of his babies, known as Eve, appeared to be excited at the arrival of his son’s plants, snapping at them like she was chatting with them.

His attention went back to his son, noticing the slight movement in his posture. His brow quirked up as there was a pause in silence. A small smiled appeared back on his mouth at the word father, knowing it’s been a while hearing it from his son, Grigori, but he couldn’t help notice that his son appeared uncomfortable or maybe he was hiding something. The stallion only listened further to what his son was saying, having his curiosity piqued. As soon as his son had finished with what he had to say, the stallion remained silent and could only take in a deep breathe at the surprising news. It was definitely not something he expected, but he knew he was grown up enough to make that decision. When his son stepped away, his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the young filly, but felt his heart melted almost falling in love with her in an instant. Her eyes reminded him so much of his love, Gin, but he wasn’t always so sure what was passed down between father or mother. The young filly also had so many similarities to him that he could tell that she belonged in his family. He gave her his attention as soon as her father gave her the spotlight, easily noticing the unease of the meeting.

Genesis addressed his son first. His gaze met his with an approving look. “She is beautiful, son.” He paused to look over his grandchild again, wanting to do nothing more but to coddle her. “I apologize about the rather… rude welcome. I suppose you could invest in a companion to run the message to me. I would trust the plants to tell me about it, but sometimes those messages don’t get heard.” He suggested to his son with a slight shrug. “I appreciate you coming to visit and bringing my grandchild out to see me.”

His attention turned to the young filly, craning his neck lower to try to look less intimidating. His babies have long gotten over the excitement over his son’s plants and redirected their attention to his lovely granddaughter, snapping their jaws at her in an excited manner. “Hello my lovely little flower. It is very nice to meet you. I would have been mad if your father tried to keep a pretty filly like you away from me” He smiled softly, reaffirming her question. “I wanted to apologize to you if I scared you at all. Grandpa would never want to scare his lovely flower. Please know that you are welcome here any time.” He nodded his head, exaggerating his features a bit to look apologetic.

Lady_Ourania

 

[Lady_Ourania]

The tension dropped off quickly after Grigori had confirmed his identity, and the stallion allowed himself to relax a little, the tree that rested in the divot of his spine resettling into a less ramrod straight position as a result. It had been a concern that his father might not welcome him back so easily, though their parting years before had not been unamicable. The passage of years did not appear to have warped Genesis' perceptions of him - if anything, it had made him more receptive. Those guardian-parts of him that were endowed with mouths rattled their jaws at his father's own plant-children, the Multitude blinking rapid fire code in an effort to keep up. Grigori allowed the inaudible communications without complaint, accustomed to such exchanges since foalhood. It was one of many things he regretted being unable to share with Eden. Her roots appeared featureless, largely involuntary in their movements; they reminded him of nothing so much as amputated limbs.

And yet the warmth in his father's gaze when he looked upon her was undeniable. Grigori had to work not to react to the words directed at him, laced as they were with both praise and reprimand, though not in the quantities or for the reasons he'd expected. Perhaps Genesis was merely attempting to be diplomatic in the face of her disabilities? A frown flitted across his mouth, but quickly dispersed. Best not to question his father's reasoning so early on, especially given their initial reception. "A messenger would not go amiss," he agreed, though he did not pursue the thought further than that. The only "companions" he allowed in his gardens were Eden and Diriel, neither of whom were suited to such tasks. Eden was his daughter, whatever else she happened to fall short of being, and would gain no useful knowledge from run-ins with the Barren. By contrast, Diriel had spent too much of his life on the outside already, and endured much on the whims of inferior beings. Even now, Grigori felt a keen unease leaving him on the outskirts. His only consolation was that few would dare wander close to Genesis' territory unless invited, and the other guardian-bearer stood only a fractional chance of encountering anyone else.

That left him and his daughter to serve as the sole means of distraction. Still, Eden's reception was going suspiciously well, all things considered. He eyed his daughter sidelong, her self-consciousness fading by degrees the more Genesis spoke and pandered to her. "I had hoped to bring better tidings," Grigori interjected after a time, watching his sire closely. If Genesis was upset by his granddaughter's glaring flaws, he was hiding it better than most. "But I am glad that you are not disappointed."

The stranger - her grandfather, she mentally backtracked - seemed to have shrunk slightly now that his anger had deflated. No longer was he some random guardian-bearer that she was expected to kowtow to and hide her imperfections from. She listened to him and her da speak over her head, trying to keep up without making her interest apparent. His appraisal of her tripped Eden up enough that she stumbled a little in place, surprised by the earnestness belied by his statement. Beautiful? That was new, and she wasn't really certain what to make of it in the moment. Diriel called her all manner of pretty things, but she suspected many of them were driven by sympathy, an olive branch that no one had bothered to extend to him as a child. But this was different, this was her father's father acknowledging her, appraising her and finding something worthwhile. Her roots squeezed around her until she was practically breathless, the thrill of acceptance so unexpected that she wanted to headbutt Genesis with joy right then and there. But her father's heavy presence at her side kept her in line, waiting patiently until she would be allowed to speak again.

It wasn't long before Genesis bent to address her, the beetles that lived in his eyes twinkling at her with something that was almost fond. She felt a similar warmth kindle in her breast, a bashful smile creeping across her mouth. His plants, too, seemed intrigued by her, and she stretched up her nose to greet them in kind, a tendril of her own roots mimicking the gesture by unfurling from her throat and reaching.

"Hello, granddad. Hello, granddad's guardians," she offered softly, a flush going unseen beneath her dark coat at the nickname he granted her. That he could call her such a thing, even in her petal-beggared state, made her chest swell with something difficult to pin down. "It's okay," she said brightly, a full-blown grin dissolving the last of the reticence from her face. "I wasn't really all that scared. Da just didn't tell me where we were going, and, um. I don't get out much," she said with a hint of awkwardness toward the end, feeling her father's stare boring into her. The unconditional offer to visit had her glancing surreptitiously in Grigori's direction, wondering if it might be permitted. When she could read nothing in his expression, she redirected her attention to Genesis' vigorous nodding. "Thank you. I'd like that, I think. Can I -" She swallowed the 'um' that wanted to pop out of her mouth, "Can I see your gardens, too? Please?"