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 Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 12:45 pm
Considering how their last interaction had gone, Lioe was slightly more willing to spend time with his sister. Ujana was still unintentionally intimidating, but she had shown a side that the boy had finally responded to. Still, he wished that Zadia or Isaia would have been able to come along and run interference. Instead, it was once again one on one time, and he needed to warm back up to his company.
So here he was, following along and dragging his heels. His focus was on fiddling idly with a toy lyari his mother had brought for him when she had been home recently. He knew the way to town well enough that he didn't need to watch the path, and he was perfectly happy not paying any attention to his surroundings.
Instead, he was imagining a world where the lyari was real. It wasn't Tale, and it certainly wasn't Belrea. It was a nice world where things like family relationships weren't so complicated.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 12:51 pm
Spending time with her younger brother was something of a novelty these days. Ujana hadn't honestly thought he would want to be with her after that, but she had hoped for the best. To hear he was willing to go with her was enough to bring a smile to her face.
"We won't be out long, but I thought it might be nice to pick up some things for dinner. Eurig's supposed to be coming through the area and I think we should be ready for a big family dinner, don't you? Padma might even come; that'd be nice." Her hair swung behind her like the thick tail of a legendary beast. It bounced with every step, so deceptively soft but strong enough to hurt someone should it make contact.
Every time she looked back at him Lioe was looking at everything except her, but Ujana was just starting to realize that was normal for the boy. "So, Lioe, what do you think we should make tonight?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 1:14 pm
The names made his little brow knit sharply, and the toy was hugged even tighter. All of them would be there? Ujana and Eurig and Padma?! Well, looked like it wouldn't matter what they got, because he certainly wasn't going to be there! His steps dragged even further, eyes lifting to cast a doubtful look at his sister. His lips moved the slightest bit as though to say something, but no words came out. After a moment, he dropped his eyes back to the toy and tried to go back to that imaginary world he had started.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 1:41 pm
That...certainly hadn't helped matters. She thought he might be excited to see his family, but with a little sigh Ujana looked back to find he was anything but. "You know, I bet Eurig would love to hear about your books. He might even recommend some to you." She slowed her pacing, just a touch, as if afraid the moment she kept walking she might lose him. "And Padma likes to cook. I think she taught Isaia how to make candy so maybe if you ask her to make your favorite dish she could." Maybe that would entice him? He'd seemed pretty motivated by food the last time. It was a starting point, at least. As the pair got closer to town Ujana kept stealing sidelong looks at him, the tips of her ears flickering. It was killing her not being able to shake some kind of emotion out of him, but she was trying her best to be respectful.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 2:57 pm
The mention of books did catch his attention, but only briefly. This was a dangerous path he had walked onto, apparently! The slightest sign of letting Ujana in, and he was going to be expected to get along with all of them? He certainly hadn't agreed to that. He picked at the lyari's soft cotton hooves and chewed on his lip. Eurig was supposed to be his nephew. Half-nephew? Did he even have a favorite dish for Padma to make? What if she didn't like what he picked out? What if Eurig didn't like his books? What if he upset one of them and then that got papa upset? Whose side would papa pick?! The others had all been there first! "I'm okay," he managed to murmur. It was best to not risk so much. "Pick what papa likes." There, problem solved for tonight's dinner!
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 3:59 pm
Ujana sighed and stopped in her tracks. She turned towards her younger brother and bent down so that she could be more at his level. "I'm not asking about what papa would like; I want to know what you want." He reminded her so much of a younger Eurig that it made her heart ache. How long had it been since he'd been this small? Or this impressionable? And yet, even he hadn't been this socially awkward.
"Would it help if they didn't come? We could have a smaller dinner if you wanted." Gently, she reached out as if to touch his hair and hesitated at the last second. Maybe I shouldn't... And yet, Ujana went in anyway and brushed her fingers lightly over his hair. "They love you Lioe, same as me, but no one's going to force you to spend time with them if you don't want to. Except me." She smiled, "You're stuck with me."
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 7:10 pm
Lioe tensed up, but he couldn't help giving Ujana a curious look. 'What I want?' Really? She wanted his thoughts over papa's? That didn't seem right. Why..? He picked at the hooves of his toy some more, as though he might find the answers somewhere in the fine thread. Was she picking him over papa? Oh, but that was a tempting offer. He would have been more than happy if the others didn't come. They could have stayed away forever in his opinion! Yet, his father was at the forefront of his mind. Surprisingly, the gentle touch to his hair actually seemed to calm him a little, and his eyes were able to lift for the briefest moment before dropping back away. "Papa will want them there," he said with a resigned slump of his shoulders. "I don't wanna make papa sad." Besides, he could easily just hide in his room. Then everyone would be happy, right?
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 7:31 am
"Do I look like I care about what papa wants?" Ujana grinned. They hadn't even made it into town, but she was already setting her basket down and turning just a bit to really get a look at Lioe. "He'll be fine. It's your house too, Lioe, and if you don't want people hanging around that make you feel uncomfortable you should just say so." It was a hard truth to accept, but facts were facts. If the boy didn't want his half-siblings around then Ujana wasn't going to push it. In her youth she might have; she'd even gotten a little angry over it, but now? Now she was just resigned to it.
He would either come around or he wouldn't. There was no use in pushing.
"What if it was just you, Zadia, Isaia, your mom, papa, Padma and me. Does that sound okay?" It was just two extra people to their table and while it would be undeniably awkward to have all of Uquin's children present Ujana hoped the smaller number might coax him to come around.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:31 am
Well, now that was just an incomprehensible notion. Not caring what papa wanted? Downright crazy talk! ....yet also such tempting talk. It was so much easier to just let everyone else do what they wanted around him. So much easier to avoid making himself or someone important upset by letting things flow around him. What Ujana was suggesting might ruffle some feathers, surely.. but it sounded so much better than having everyone over. His knuckles turned pale from how hard he held his toy, working up the gumption to speak his mind. Ugh, this couldn't be worth the effort! If it was really okay... "Just you." That was right. No Padma. No Eurig. No big family circus. He just wanted his family, and dared to let Ujana begin to toe her way into that group. Was he feeling.. relief?
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:49 am
"Come on kid you gotta breath. Keep squeezing the toy like that and you might pass out." She tried to play her concerns off lightly, but seriously, it was starting to worry her. At the very least he was going to tear the poor things leg off! And then...he finally said what he wanted and she sighed with relief. "Okay, just me. I can work with that." She reached up to run her fingers through his hair once more and this time paused just long enough to brush his forehead crystals with her thumb. "Well if I'm going to be around for dinner I say we have beetroot juice. What else do you think would go with that?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:11 am
Lioe let himself lift his face, looking over his sister curiously. Was this really okay with her? Would this really be okay with papa? His eyes closed slightly with yet another gentle touch to his head. After years of avoiding her as much as he possibly could.. Ujana was turning out to be okay. Now that the guest list was settled, he allowed himself to consider the dinner. Beetroot juice? He wasn't one for working in the kitchen, but maybe he could help. "Cheese?" he proposed hesitantly.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:15 am
He worried so much for one so little. He's the exact opposite of me as a kid. Ujana hadn't worried about a thing this young. She'd always been too concerned with how high she could climb or where she could run off to to even consider her parents feelings. It was only when her sister ultimately got in trouble for something that she'd done that Ujana would take pause, but now... "Cheese? That sounds great. Do you want to cook with it or just eat it in little blocks?" Motioning back towards town, she started to walk again, encouraging him to follow along. At some point the boy's mother would start to worry about him and she didn't want to have that conversation.
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:21 am
The encouragement was enough to get Lioe willing to follow again. "Blocks," he decided. Giving his toy another squeeze to brace himself, he scooted so that he was walking a little closer beside Ujana. "With ham?" How far was he really going to be allowed to go with this? It was like a fantasy in a book, having the power to make such big decisions like what would be for dinner! He could do this!
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:31 am
She wasn't so sure how her father and his girlfriend would enjoy having finger foods for dinner, but surely with three little ones they would be happy just to have dinner prepped for them for a change. Besides, if it was just little things like this then they could help her out and it might help Lioe's nerves. "Okay so that means we need to go to Midna's shop and pick up a cheese wheel, then we'll need to go to he butcher's and see what ham he's got..." Ujana was mentally ticking off her list all the while checking out town itself. Thankfully it wasn't so busy that it was hard for the two of them to get around, but it was just lively enough to make her think she might get away with a few bargains. "What about desert? We'll need something tasty to top off the evening!"
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:46 am
So it was that simple? Lioe chewed on his lip excitedly. "And some redleaf salad?" That would be it. Surely he couldn't ask for- Desert!! "Plumby cake!" he announced without hesitation. He giggled and bashfully covered his face with his toy. That would really round out the dinner and give it a lovely ending. "They make it good at Hashar's Bakery," he suggested through the stuffed animal, pale eyes peeking over the cotton form hopefully.
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