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 Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 4:57 am
 (Art by Scarlett Arbuckle)
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 10:57 am
Table of Contents / Rules / Contact Information
ToC
Staff Post
-Cert, Link to Official Uncert & Inventory
Table of Contents & Rules
News/Updates
Basic Info
History
RP Log
Art (Official and Non)
Familiar(s)
Growth Requirements
Rules
Do not post in this thread unless you are staff, myself, or invited first. By posting this I am agreeing to follow ToS and shop rules, so I would invite the reader to do the same.
Contact Information
I am always open for plotting/rps! That being said, some ways you can contact me are listed below;
PM
Discord: PaintedMoose *1121
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:00 am
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:12 am
Siel
Pronunciation: See-el
Race: 1/2 Shifter 1/4 Ice 1/4 Alk
Gender: Male
Occupation: Traveling Bard (Handpan drum)
Significant Other: N/A
Parents: Nimueh & Callum
Siblings: Sol, Ygraine, Lutana & Morain
Personality:
Siel is extroverted by nature and doesn't seem to understand personal boundaries. Like his papa before him, he's charming and kind hearted with the type of aura that brings other to him. Siel allows himself to be drawn in by others and in turn, brings them closer to himself to the point where if he's deceived or betrayed he feels it very personally. Still, it seems like no matter how many times he's let down he always springs back up with a bright smile. Although he isn't aware of it, being part of such a close family has left him with fears of being alone. It's because of this that it's so easy to gain his forgiveness, even if he doesn't feel it completely in his soul.
He loves exploring and can't seem to keep his feet still. Perhaps it was his nomadic upbringing or his fathers' stories, but Siel just isn't happy staying in one place for too long. There's no better feeling than traversing the jagged craigs of Sauti or the snowy tundra in Zena. Getting up to no good with other groups they meet along the way is part of the fun, and hasn't done anything to calm his wild spirit. If anything it pushes him to seeks out more dangerous spots just to gain favor and have a bit of fun, even if his family would rather he didn't.
Siel is bold to a fault. He's loud, more willing to take risks than he should, and dresses in a way that you almost can't help taking him in. The world is only what you can make of it, and he's turning it all into one big party!
Interesting Facts:
-has a crystal/gem collection. Most are worthless, but he likes the pretty ones.
-is a vegetarian.
-has a pet albino alol named Shrimp
Music That Reminds Me of Him
oops! - Yung Gravy
Perception Check - Tom Cardy
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:13 am
RP Log
Youngling
[Matori] Wild Encounter - Lutana
[Matori] Mid-Season Harvest Festival - Morain
[Matori] Ocean's Edge - Lutana/Morain
Prentice
[Matori] Some demands - Nykinae
[WE] New Year, New Me - Nykinae
[WE] Celestial Omens - Nykinae
S2
[WE] Treasure Hunter - Nimueh
[Matori] A Different Sort of Tune - Tali
[WE] Legendary - Fam
[Tale] Drifters - Zumei
[Zena] Visits - Fiadah
[Matori] Dancing Queen - Quiana
[Matori] Paper Moon - Quiana
[Matori] The Day After - Quiana
[Matori] Imagine That - Quiana
S3
[WE] The Aftermath - x
[WE] Trees in Bloom - Quiana
[Belrea] It's all relative - Colm
[Pale'iko] Room to Grow - Quiana
[Pale'iko] The Hand of Fate - Nimueh
[Pale'iko] Acclimating - Morain
[Pale'iko] Exploration - Fam
[Pale'iko] Grianstad Sona - Fam
[Pale'iko] As Four Becomes Six - Quiana
[WE] Stuck in a Storm - Lutana
[WE] Truth or Dare - x
[WE] An Honest Accident - x
[WE] Strange Gift - Quiana
[WE] Cold Snap - Quiana
[Pua] Snowdrops - Quiana
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:15 am
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:17 am
Stage 2 Growth Form Character Name: Siel
Class Promotion: Bard [Minstrel]
Current Location: Matori
Journal: x
Growth Point Links: [52/50]
[5] Solo 1
[7] Solo 2
[5] Treasure Hunter - Nimueh
[5] Legendary - Fam
[5] Drifters - Zumei
[5] Visits - Fiadah
[5] Dancing Queen - Quiana
[5] Paper Moon - Quiana
[5] The Day After - Quiana
[5] Imagine That - Quiana
Growth Blurb: [Tell us how your character has grown this stage!]
Physical Description: Ref 1, Ref 2
Looking for a celestial bardic design for him. Blues/purples/golds/silvers and some starry designs. No reds please~ I'd like to keep his ear piercings, but change up the jewelry. CC on actual design and feel free to add others!
Hairstyle is mostly CC. I'd like it to stay shoulder length [or longer]. As far as accessories/style go nuts. Just keeping with the mystical/bard look.
Body Type: Little leaner now, less physical work now that he's traveling and performing more
Preferred Artists: Any!
WIPs: Sure!
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 12:25 pm
Class Choice Solo - Minstrel
As a child, Siel romanticized the life of a warrior. He remembered the apparent ease his fathers’ displayed when hefting three squirming children out of the sand and into bed, watching as the muscles in their arms flexed and dipped with little struggle. If they’d ever found it taxing Siel hadn’t noticed, or rather, had trained his mind to block it out. When his papa danced so many thought he wasn’t nearly as strong as baba, but Siel knew better. Callum trained day after day, perfecting his craft and keeping his form in top physical condition so that the weight of his swords wouldn’t stop him from moving as seamlessly as a bird in the sky. Each step was as light as a seafoam gracing his toes, but as powerful as the tide. And baba...Siel knew that Nimueh’s strength came not only from his physical form but of the shape of his character. He knew when to use his size to intimidate, but more often than not he put it to more practical uses. Siel’s earliest memories were of riding atop baba’s shoulders to get as close to the clouds as possible and feeling as if he could go from Matori to Zena with one massive step while being so tall.
Siel was never as smart as his siblings; he’d always known that. While he never seemed to lack the ability, the patience required for more studious thought tended to escape him. He was witty, cheeky even and a terrible flirt, but smart enough to grasp Nimueh’s teachings on mercantile economics? Not a chance. Once lessons tended to slip away from practical self-defense into the inner workings of bartering over Jauhar delicacies Siel just mentally checked out. If he deemed something ‘boring’ he no longer cared for it, and thus, let it slip from his brain as easily as the wind itself. Callum for the most part tried his best to coax the boy into learning the basics at least. He’d even gone so far as to bribe Siel at one point, saying that if he would help his baba out with transactions once in a while that he would buy Siel a new carrier for Shrimp. His little albino alol was Siel’s most prized possession and he absolutely spoiled the creature. Of course it worked, at first; he was much more attentive and seemed to be grasping the concepts rather easily.
….And then once he managed to nab the carrier Siel stopped caring all together.
The one thing that remained a constant motivator for Siel was his need for attention. While seemingly inheriting it from his more flamboyant father, Siel didn’t crave the eyes of others for validation like Callum did. He didn’t need their approval to feel loved or worthy of life; he simply wanted it because it was fun. Siel’s antics always brought him to the center of attention and no matter where his nomadic family settled he was sure to make friends. Even if a few disliked him for being simply what he was, an openly proud hybrid, just as many flocked to him. He had a natural gift for bringing others closer and that was perhaps his biggest flaw as well. It led him to being hurt more than a few times, but Siel could never seem to give it up. How many times had he made friends, only for them to deny inviting him into their home because ‘their parents said no’? How many times had he followed through on a foolish dare, gotten injured, and been left to rot because the other kids didn’t want to take responsibility? The lessons were harsh, if not cruel, but Siel wasn’t a quitter. He wasn’t bitter, but rather just accepting of the fact that sometimes people were hateful. His fathers’ own backstories were proof of that, and yet, what did that have to do with him? Why should he carry around their hate and live their legacy when he had his own?
So, he carried on. At fourteen he was a likable figure to boys and girls alike, at fifteen he was a troublemaker and by seventeen Siel was a flirt. He’d already gained a reputation for leaving broken hearts from the shores of Matori all the way through Jauhar and into Tale. While he found himself to prefer pretty women he’d never really turned down a handsome boy.
In his late teens Siel had found out that being physically stronger could balance out his lack of intellect. No one really cared that he couldn’t barter well if he could deadlift several stones at once. He made himself useful to his family by helping out with the heavier, more menial tasks and while a part of him in his youth would have been happy just for that there seemed to be something missing. Wasn’t a warrior’s path always what he’d wanted to take? He’d trained with baba, trained with papa, spared against his siblings against their will and yet…
He still watched Callum dance with a sort of admiration that was hard to quell. The way the crowd looked after him was like Callum himself was a star on the verge of burning out because he was just that bright. Siel, however, knew he could never do anything close to that. He was nimble in a fight, but not so coordinated that dancing was an option. His looks weren’t nearly as exotic as Callum’s, or even Morain’s, so the appeal just wasn’t as strong when in motion. This was another fact he’d known since his youth and that was something that wasn’t likely to change.
And yet, something had changed when he turned eleven that set his life in motion.
Callum’s performances required music and more often than not the sword dancer would strike up a deal with local performers to help out. At first Siel had been content just to listen, but over the years he’d expressed interest in learning and had gradually started picking up different instruments.
In Matori it had been the steel drum and the teacher was an older man with one eye and a bad leg. His passion had rang as rhythmically as the chimes coming from the instrument making him a perfect tutor.
In Jauhar it was the lyre. His teacher there was a squat old shifter who was as wide as he was tall. When he played, however, he seemed to transform into some legendary warrior who could strike through the despair of one’s heart with music alone.
In Tale it was the lute. Something so delicate had no right to sound so mournful and the woman who taught it to Siel was as kind as she was beautiful. A widow, mother of three, and the hardest working woman Siel had ever known, she had given as much time as she could to show him the craft. Her passion became his and soon enough he’d grown to love it just as much as any other instrument.
At seventeen when they’d returned to Jauhar it was Siel who was playing for Callum. Depending on the dance he could shift into deeper, more sorrowful tones or something more lighthearted, even jovial. He was by no means an expert in his craft just yet, but the passion Siel had for life was pulled through to his music. It helped that it tended to draw a crowd, and every pretty face that looked at him instead of his papa was just enough boost to his confidence. While at times he may make mistakes Siel was quick to learn from them and it seemed like Nimueh’s gifts with mercantile tactics had come through in other ways. Siel’s mind was sharp when it came to song construction. Many a night he would find a little spot all his own and pluck at the strings of a lyre while murmuring lyrics to a song under his breath. It may have annoyed his family in those early years (after all, what musical prodigy started out sounded like anything other than a dying animal), but now he could play the soundtrack to their lives. He was constantly strumming, picking, playing; music had become such an unconscious habit of his that Siel no longer noticed as much anymore.
If anyone thought his physical escapades were going to stop after he’d taken a much more relaxed hobby they thought wrong. He still enjoyed cliff diving into impossibly deep lagoons, soaring high on the back of kinfa with little more than his thighs to keep him steady in the saddle and coming home late from intimate nights with sweet faces. His music simply gave Siel a sort of depth he’d never really had before and set him apart from his siblings in a way that was only his to grasp.
One day his siblings would find their path, but for now Siel knew where his was taking him. It wouldn’t pay the best, he would likely walk hand in hand with poverty, but for the young finances didn’t matter. He was simply in it for the good times.
[1527]
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:50 pm
Prentice Growth Solo
[Siel has led a blessed life up until this point. He's grown up happy, well fed, and taken care of by his parents. He knows vaguely of the hardships they faced growing up, but because the world has shifted hasn't had to face them personally. That is, until today. In this solo Siel learns first hand that some members of the world still carry a harsh prejudice against others, but that while they still exist so do those eager to fight back.]
It was evening when Siel wandered back to the settlement where his family currently resided. An old lyre rested comfortably in the crook of his arm as his hands passively stroked Shrimp’s spine, relishing in the contact the alol allowed. He’d been out for the better part of the evening with some friends he’d met in the little Jauharian village and was happy enough to spend the time shirking his chores in favor of social pleasures. They laughed together, danced, dared one another to climb as high as they could in the trees and eventually the group decided to return home. Surrounded by shifters one might have forgotten that Siel was a hybrid at all. Of course he was taller than them, but not so much as to look suspicious. If it weren’t for his golden eye he may have passed for a pureblood. It kept an almost feral gleam to him, especially when he found himself in fights with others his age. When that goldeneye gleamed it was a sure sign that his ire had been raised and Siel, despite his preference for the arts, had a solid left hook.
Up until that point Siel had faced little in the way of hardships. The world he’d grown up in was vastly different from that of his fathers’, or even his elder siblings. Hybrids were much more common now, even accepted in some areas, and weren’t looked on as disdainfully as they once were. His fathers had done their best to keep the children in areas that were kinder to them and so Siel had never known prejudice based on his looks. Of course children had tossed out comments from time to time, but they were just as likely to tease him over his big ears or the crook of his smile as they were about his eye. So when he came across a true, bonafide jerk in Jauhar, Siel found himself at a loss.
His little posse was on the edge of the settlement when they were approached by several shifters. They were grown men, maybe a little older than Siel’s fathers’, and decidedly crueler than anyone Siel had ever come across. One grabbed the girl at Siel’s side and dragged her away. At first he was panicked, thinking she was being kidnapped, but it was clear enough that the man was her father.
“Papa, please! We weren’t doing anything-!”
“Then why were you out so late with a boy like that? Are you trying to disappoint me?!”
“Sir, please, you’re hurting her-” Siel took a half step forward, raising his hand towards her only to be cut off by the other adults. Somewhere along the line his ‘friends’ had abandoned him and left the young man to the mercy of the much beefier adults.
“Let’s make something really clear here, mutt. As long as you and your mess of a family are staying here you’ll stay away from our kids, got it?” The older shifter pulled his lip back into a sneer. “I could overlook the fact you’re mixed with a Zenan but an Alkidike? Did you think we wouldn’t find out?”
“Who cares if I am? What does that have to do with anything?!” Siel found his ears burning with righteous indignation. He wanted so badly to lash out, to punch them in their smug faces, but he was smart enough to realize that if he did that it would only make things worse. That didn’t mean he didn’t clenched his fists, though. “The Alkidike have done nothing wrong and neither has my baba.”
“Nothing wrong?!” The older shifter barked out a laugh and was cruelly joined by his compatriots. They snuck in closer then, pressuring Siel to take a step back. He didn’t like the gleam in their eyes, not one bit…”Must be nice to be part of the generation that can forget. Just running around, playing nice with everyone, pretending like the world is full of sunshine and happiness-”
All at once the shifter sucker punched Siel in the gut and he felt the air escape his lungs in one great rush. Siel gagged, instantly feeling himself get sick and dropping to his knees.
“Get real, kid! Just because we’re forced to play nice doesn’t mean that anything has really changed. They're nice now because they have to be, but you just wait. One day another big wars going to start and you want to make sure you’re on the right side of it.” When he tried to get up, to defend himself, he felt a foot connect with the side of his head. Siel recovered quickly enough, snatching the ankle before it could pull away, but it didn’t last long. One lone teenager didn’t stand a chance against several adults.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try, though.
Siel fought back with every ounce of courage he could muster. He didn’t understand why adults of all people were fighting him, but he knew that he couldn’t give in. It was terrifying, enraging, and all together confusing. What did the alkidike’s past have to do with him? What had he ever personally done to these men? Or his baba, for that matter? What if they went after Lutana next, or Morain? I have to stop this, right here, right now-
“Fritz, stop it right there!”
Siel groaned when he was punched yet again, but his eyes caught the sight of several shifters coming their way. It seemed like he hadn’t been abandoned after all. The other teenagers had run off all right; run off to get their parents! Several armed adults had shown up, each as angry as the last, and when Fritz let go of Siel one rushed forward to his side.
“Hey, kid, stay awake, okay? Just until we get you to a healer-”
“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? HE’S JUST A CHILD-”
“-A FILTHY, HYBRID b*****d-”
“-NO OLDER THAN YOUR OWN DAUGHTER-”
If it weren’t for the adults screaming in his ear Siel might have found his hearing drowned out by the panic in his ears. His friends had crowded around him, each doing their best to perform temporary first aid and to help get him to his feet. One said something about telling his fathers, the other ran off to warn the healer and the rest, along with a few adults, helped get him there.
It was foolish of him to ever think that things had really changed. He’d grown up in a ‘bubble’ of sorts. A safety net created by the love and care of his fathers. It had been a blessed childhood, one that had allowed him to become something much brighter than the pair of them, but also one woefully ignorant to the harsh realities of the world. Everything hurt in that moment and it was so much more than a physical burn. The world may not have been as vocal in their hatred anymore, but it was still there, just simmering under the surface, just waiting to pop out.
[1191]
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2023 1:45 pm
S2 Solo 1
Despite the lighthearted atmosphere of the tiny tavern one table near the back remained bitterly quiet. The older wooden floorboards, so saturated and warped by years of exposure to sea air, groaned under the weight of passing barmaids. Occasionally one might bump against the table, offer a litany of apologies, and flitter toward their destination. With the wooden windows tossed open whatever sweat may have collected on the back of Siel’s had long since cooled, though his skin remained as warm as ever.
The dinner had been Amaya’s idea. She’d decided that if her father was keen on meeting Siel that sitting down and having a ‘chat’ would be in their best interest. The entire ordeal was surreal for Siel. He couldn’t remember going to sleep last night let alone how he’d gotten into this situation. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He remembered a festival as far South as one could go and still claim to be in Matori. Something to celebrate a god. The days had been long, the nights longer still, and Siel had come out of it with more gold than he’d ever had in his life. He’d also woken up more than once in the bed of another and there had been one time he’d even woken in a cove with many others… At the time Siel hadn’t thought much of it. Festivals were meant to be fun and if everyone felt the same there wasn’t a need to think!
Or so he’d thought.
Now that he was here, sitting side by side with a heavily pregnant Matorian Siel was rethinking his philosophies. Amaya had been a fellow performer during the festival and someone that Siel had enjoyed being around. Her family was local so to her seeing someone so obviously not was exciting. She’d been taken by his looks, he’d been enticed by her songs, and somewhere along the line the two had found one another physically. He’d never expected to have her turn up one night during his performance at the tavern, and Amaya never expected her father to track him down. Apparently as carefree as Amaya was about the whole thing her family was not.
Which brought Siel to Brevyn; Amaya’s father. The man sat across from the two of them with a furious scowl etched onto his face and his meaty arms folded over a thick, barrel chest. If Siel hadn’t been Nimueh’s son he may have sat lower than Brevyn, which was obviously something the other man was used to because he kept adjusting the way he looked at Siel multiple times. His skin and hair was just as dark as his daughters, but where her eyes were a deep amber his were a haunting, ethereal gold. Siel was reminded of stories he’d heard of Kahikina creatures. Dark, terrifying beasts that hid in the deep water and used glowing bits to lure in prey.
With neither of the men speaking, Amaya broke the silence. “Papa, really, this isn’t necessary.”
Brevyn snorted. “The hell it’s not. I told you I’d find whoever did this to you and snap his neck. If you weren’t here he’d already be in a ditch.”
Oh, that’s charming.
“Papa.” Amaya hissed, adjusting her body enough so that she could attempt to lean over the table. Unfortunately her stomach prevented it. “Stop it. Siel’s not to blame; neither of us are. We had fun, a lot of us did and –“
“Amaya.” Now it was his turn to hiss. Siel thought he saw a blush sprout on in between the mottled fury on Brevyn’s cheeks. “I don’t want to hear it. Bad enough that the whole village heard about my daughter involving herself in that….that lascivious group, but to have you with child after it…I’m sick enough as it is.”
“Uhm…” By all rights Siel should have kept his mouth shut. It would have been safer that way, especially since Brevyn’s attention was turned to his ‘wayward’ daughter, but Siel couldn’t help it. Something wasn’t settling with him. “Have you found any of the other potential fathers? My memory isn’t great from that night, but I remember a few other men.”
Siel’s entire body went rigid after Brevyn turned back to with whiplike speed. If the man clenched his fists any tighter he was going to break his own bones, but Siel wasn’t going to say a thing about it.
“You’re the only one he could find.” Amaya supplied with a roll of her eyes. “Sorry; you just don’t blend. Everyone else was a traveler too, but most already absconded from the area or are Matorian so it’s harder to pick them out.” For a woman in the middle of the entire ordeal Amaya looked perfectly at ease with her condition. Pregnancy had brought a little thickness to her cheeks that made her look almost impish and her limbs no longer looked frail. She had a strength about her that Siel had been able to pick up in her songs, but hadn’t seen physically until then.
“And you didn’t think to come find me? Just your father?” He had to ask. As much as he didn’t want to be on Brevyn’s bad side the behavior was typical. Expected, even, and in some communities, he might be dragged back by his ear to marry the expectant mother. Was that what would have happened if she hadn’t come along?
“I don’t even know if the little one is yours, so it seemed impulsive.” She placed her hand atop her stomach and smiled.
“That seems impulsive?! Finding the father of your child and making him responsible for your care is impulsive?!” Brevyn’s voice raised to a pitch loud enough that the closest barmaid stopped in her tracks, and turned to give him a stern look. They’d asked for as much privacy as possible, btu this was still a very public area. He needed to watch himself or out they’d go. “Amaya, your mother and I will do all we can for you. You know that. But we’re fisher folk, we don’t have much coin. Your songs are lovely, but they don’t earn to keep a child. You need the help.”
“I know, Papa, I know,” That was the only time Siel saw worry cross Amaya’s face. Her eyes darkened, a pinch cropping up near her dimpled check, and her shoulders seemed to droop. Siel had seen the state of the village before the festival started. It was modest and well kept for what it was, but poor. Life would be hard enough with a partner, but as a single mother…Amaya would struggle.
“Brevyn, Amaya.” Siel took a deep breath and looked between the two. “I don’t know what either of you think of me, but I’m not going to abandon this child if it’s mine. I’ll be there, however I can.”
“And what can you do to support them? You’re a wastrel; don’t try to tell me otherwise.”
“I have other skills. I’m strong, I can take jobs, and I know a thing or two about swordsmanship. I can learn more if I need to.” It wouldn’t be his first choice, but a hired thug sometimes paid more than a hired hand. “But – and I want to make this clear, Brevyn – I will not be marrying your daughter. If that’s what you’ve come here for then you may as well leave. I won’t abandon her and I’ll stay by the – my – child, but just because we’re parents together doesn’t mean we’ll make a match. I’d rather parent as friends then as spouses who resent each other.”
In truth Siel had no idea how he was going to make this work. He’d had a few days to get used to the idea he might be a father before this dinner, but his heart was still running fast. Letters needed to be sent to his family – What am I going to tell them?! – but maybe he should wait? Amaya couldn’t even travel home now because she was so close to her due date so waiting it out sounded best. Of course that meant that Siel was that much closer to maybe being a father and it made him sick.
Anxiety, worry, fears, regrets, also a thread of excitement? Sometimes, when he was contemplating it all, strange thoughts would come over him. What would a baby look like, between he and Amaya? Would it have her curls and his nose? Would it be a little boy or a little girl? Maybe it would even have eyes like his baba or an affinity for spices like his nephew? There were worse things in the world than having a little one run up to him and tell him he was loved.
It didn’t stop the worry from eating Siel alive, but there wasn’t much else he could do for now. All he could do was make sure Amaya was cared for, get in touch with a healer for when the time came and wait. A long, long brutal wait.
[1503]
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:01 am
S2 Solo 2
The night Amaya went into labor that of a full moon. Siel remembered stretching out on his back atop the sand, waves cresting up onto the soles of his feet and around his calves as he basked in its glow. As much as he loved the vibrancy of day the night had always held sway over him. Maybe it was his shifter blood, maybe it was the taverns that only opened after sundown or maybe it was just the way the moonlight seemed to bring out the ‘real’ versions of folks. They didn’t have to hide anything under cover of darkness and while that meant a fair amount of crime was committed so too were moments of passion and freedom.
It was a true hedonistic paradise and even with the current situation in mind he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it. Nights like that with Amaya and the others were rare so why shouldn’t they be cherished? Whatever moments of guilt had come across him were quickly doused after his discussion with Quiana. There was nothing wrong with being open and vulnerable with others, even Amaya told him so, and Siel just needed the reminder. If a treasure happened to be born from their nights together then he should treat it as a blessing instead of something to fear. Siel didn’t have so much as a single gold to his name, but laying there, with the sea free rustling his hair, he felt as comfortable as any King.
If only the peace could have lasted.
“Siel! SIEL!” He heard his name long before seeing Kara. The healer’s daughter was tearing across the docks, looking this way and that, in alley ways and atop buildings for any sign of the shifter. Most decent folk were asleep, but she knew him well enough to know he was far from decent. He rose up and waved a hand, hoping to catch her attention, and when it fell flat Siel called out her name. “It’s time!” Kara cupped her hands in front of her mouth. “Amaya’s having the baby!”
“Now?! She wasn’t due for another month!” He hurriedly picked himself up off the sand and ran to the edge of the dock to meet her. The distance been the well-worn food and the beach meant that his head barely met Kara’s calves. Instead of backing up to properly see him better the child dropped down to the deck, nearly smooshing her chin against the wood in her excitement.
“You gonna go or not?! We can’t keep talkin’! Come on!”
“Yeah, yeah, alright, let’s go!” Siel ran up the beach alongside the dock and for a moment he thought about outrunning the girl. She was slower because of her little legs and slower still because she’d already run to find him. That and with her being out on her own at night…Once they were on level ground Siel dipped down just enough to scoop the girl into his arms and keep running. “Where is she at? The inn or your mother’s house?”
“Mama’s! Her papa brought her!”
s**t. If Brevyn was there – why wouldn’t he be? – he was probably cursing the air Siel breathed. A babe born early under the full moon’s light? Must be shifter blood; why else would that happen?! Siel brushed past one ramshackle hut after another until coming across the one lone decent home in the bunch. The village had made sure that Yuuey’s hut was taken care of because she took care of them. The woman made no money that Siel saw, but chose to trade her skills for food and goods. She’d always done him well so it was no wonder that Amaya had taken to her so quickly upon arrival.
And spirits above how he could hear the screaming. At first it was just groans, muffled by the ocean around them, but the closer Siel got the louder they became. Cursing, shrieking, crying; it was enough to slow him. It was the first time he was going to see a birth and he just…Gods, why couldn’t this be one of those villages that barred the menfolk from entering?! It was childish, he knew, but still!
Little Kara wasn’t scared though. She squirmed in Siel’s arms until he was forced to drop her and she pushed open the door. “Got him, mama! He was a sleepin’ on the sand like a rat.”
Thanks Kara.
“Thank you, Kara!” Yuuey called out from within, “Can you start boiling the water now? We’re almost out.”
“Yes mama!”
Siel took a deep breath just outside the door. When he looked down at his hands they were shaking like leaves in the wind and no matter how much he tried to push it down his fear just wouldn’t go away. Was this the night he became a father? What if the baby hated him? What if he hurt it? What if he couldn’t give it everything it needed? What if -?
“Siel.” He raised his head sharply to see Brevyn standing in the doorway. His normally dark skin had paled considerably, but his eyes – those terrifyingly bright eyes – were bright with fire. For a moment he looked like he wanted to say something cruel, something biting to leave a mark, but standing in the face of a young man’s fear calmed him. Instead, Brevyn held out his hand. “She needs you. We need you.”
And that’s all it took. Siel nodded, took a deep gulp of air, and walked into the home. As well kept as it was the space was tiny, with barely any room to maneuver under normal circumstances. Now that most of the furniture had been pushed away from the lone bed, however, it was even more cramped. Yuuey had thankfully opened the windows to let in some of the night air and give Amaya all the breathing room they could afford.
Amaya herself looked wretched. Her hair, normally so full of thick curls, lay plastered against her skin with sweat. Tears were streaming down her face and while one hand was gripped firmly on the headboard behind her the other was grasping wildly at the sheets. Yuuey had the blankets pulled back to check the condition of the child and despite the cries of her patient she remained calm. “Everything looks good, Amaya. You’re doing well.”
“I don’t feel well.” The soon to be mother snapped before closing her eyes on a groan. When she opened them the nighttime it was with gritted teeth, but something in her face lightened when Amaya saw Siel. “Papa didn’t kill you,” She gave a breathless laugh and reached a handout to him.
In two steps Siel was by her side. “No, he didn’t.” A nudge at his elbow had Siel turning to see Brevyn there with a bowl of cool water and a rag. Rather than dabbing her skin himself he motioned to it and waited. Siel gave a wan smile before reaching for the cloth with his other hand. He’d barely begun to cool her off before another contraction claimed her and Amaya’s entire body started to tense up off the bed. When it passed she dropped back onto the sweat soaked blankets with an exhausted huff.
Most of the night carried on in the same fashion. Amaya would scream so bloody loud that Siel thought the child was tearing it’s way through her only to fall into a brief sleep seconds after. Yuuey assured the men that she was in no more risk than other mothers, just that her pain tolerance was low and she even had the gall to say it with a laugh. Siel thought he’d have to keep Brevyn from throttling the woman, but the man kept his hands to himself.
Just before sunrise the final moments of birth came upon Amaya. With Siel at one side and Brevyn on the other, little Kara running to gather supplies for her mother, Yuuey delivered the babe. It’s screams were nearly as loud as it’s mothers and as soon as Yuuey was sure the child was healthy she handed it over to Amaya’s exhausted arms.
“Congratulations, Amaya. You have a beautiful son.”
A son. He had – Wait, was it his? When Amaya had initially bundled the baby Siel himself was crying out of exhaustion and joy, exchanging looks of pride between Brevyn over the whole thing. Amaya fought so hard for this child and the babe itself was healthy, despite the early birth and now….Did he look? Did he dare break through the moment?
Oh, but it wasn’t hard to find the truth. The babe may have held Amaya’s two-toned skin and her speckles, but they were varying shades of yellow. A bright, brilliant color that contrasted with the bits of orange hair atop his head. The little ears were finned, but curled a bit after birth and would no doubt straighten as he aged.
The child had lightning blood. He wasn’t Siel’s.
Amaya, unable to see past the beauty of her newborn, reached out for her father’s hand only to have her smile fall when he hesitated. “Papa…?”
But it was only for that moment. Brevyn, too wrapped in love and fear for his daughter, reached out for her hand with tears in his eyes. “Don’t worry love, I’m here. I’ll always be here.” And his eyes looked down at the babe nestled on her chest. “For both of you.”
Siel’s own hand hesitated before quietly pulling back to his side. He softly sat down on his chair next to her bedside and just…watched. He wasn’t a father. Wasn’t this what he wanted in the beginning? He wanted to keep playing the part of a flirt for years to come, to play around and have his fun with no consequences. And yet, when it happened he found himself wondering what this next stage would be. Would fatherhood be so bad? Even if he and Amaya weren’t in love wouldn’t it have been magical?
Quiana had made it seem like it would be. A community of love and trust surrounding the child…Why did he feel so sad now?
“-el? Siel, you with us?” When he looked up Amaya was attempting to lean over the bed, reaching a hand out for him with Brevyn looking on. Yuuey had already come for the babe to get him cleaned up and sensing the moment Amaya’s father moved to leave as well. “…I’m sorry, Siel. I don’t know if you wanted this or…I just…”
“No, no, you’ve got nothing to apologize for Amaya. I’m just glad that you’re both healthy. Are you…Do you know where the father is?”
“He was at the festival but I didn’t even catch his name. He was there that night, in the cove. Remember the lightning with the-?”
“-tattoo of a duruf on his a**? Yeah, I remember.” Siel gave a half-hearted laugh and reached up to wipe a tear from his eye. The whole thing had been a traumatizing, horrifying experience, but there was something about birth that was incredibly beautiful as well. The tears hadn’t stopped the moment everyone’s screams for her to keep going shifted into praise for a job well done. “Do you want me to find him for you? I don’t know if I can but-“
“No, no I don’t want him.” She settled back onto the pillows with a contented smile. “Honestly? I’m happy. All I’ve ever wanted was a healthy baby of my own and a nice place to raise him. I’ve got that in spades, Siel. We won’t be rich, but he’ll be loved and that’s all he needs.” Now that she’d been given the okay to sleep Amaya’s body was taking over for her. She’d already closed her eyes, with one hand still clenched in Siel’s. “Thank you for being here. It meant a lot…”
“You’re welcome, Amaya. You’ll be an amazing mother.”
“I already am,” she murmured with a grin before slipping into sleep.
Now that he was left on his own Siel looked down at their hands and then across the room to where Brevyn held his grandson. Despite the drama surrounding the pregnancy there was no shortage of love in that man. He was a burly, cross-looking brute whose heart was utterly dominated by that little babe. Early or not it was a good weight, that much Yuuey had assured them, so she had no doubts he would grow well.
Siel would have so much to tell his family, more still to tell Quiana, but…spirits, he couldn’t help mourning the moment. A part of him had wanted that for himself, but…maybe this was for the best? He didn’t have his life together, not enough to raise a child, but one day….Oh one day it would be him.
[2132]
[7]
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