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 Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 12:06 pm
The whistling melodies of bird calls echoed throughout the jungle as Quiana walked along the familiar path from the cove towards her childhood home that she now shared with her little family. The hut itself was nestled in a little clearing along the far edge of the isle, far away enough to not disturb the community living within Kiros but close enough that she could quickly get to the area as needed. It had been nice knowing that there was a group of Sisters in case she wanted help with her children, even better knowing that it took quite a hike for any of the nosier Sisters to come visit, and Quiana was content with things being like this since it afforded her family some degree of freedom. She still missed traveling, but she understood it was for the best since they wanted their younglings to take some time here before venturing out into the world to see all the other countries and visit their families. And admittedly it was nice knowing that she could return to a place and find Siel nestled up with the children or playing around with them, the sight always bringing a small smile to her lips.
Today though she thought it would be nice to take everyone out across the isle, more into Kahi territory, so that they could explore and see the different types of flora and fauna that flourished in this area. It would also help ease her mind if no one was picking up poisonous plants or mushrooms to try eating in dinner, not that she had thankfully dealt with such a thing yet but just in case. “How long do you think before they appear, Quetzal?” She asked, a small smile on her lips as she emerged from the path into their yard. As usual her son was lingering around, patiently waiting on the rest to gather as he worked on tying some feathers together for some sort of accessory.
[Quiana 1]
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 12:06 pm
While Quetzal had thought about joining his mother on her morning walk towards the cove, the youngling had instead decided to work on some accessories for the family. There were so many colorful birds and creatures in the area that he enjoyed collecting their feathers and thought it would be nice if he could somehow twist them with twine and some of the shinier gemstones he had found around the isle. It was a nice, harmless and far less annoying pastime than someone who spent too many hours finding ways to prank everyone in the family. The very thought brought a sigh to his lips before his mother’s approach had Quetzal quickly moving to tuck everything away, the boy having found some loose boards to hide away precious belongings in fear of his sister’s interference, and by the time Quiana got to his side the boy was already up and standing as if prepared to go that very moment. “Maybe a few more minutes?” He mused, glancing around before his mother let out a whistle which nearly made him jump.
[Quetzal 1]
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:00 pm
Siel 1
Siel would be lying if he said he didn't miss the chaos of a busy village. Towns, cities, villages, and waypoints; they all had their own charms that he didn't get much of now. In the beginning some of the nicer sisters had ventured away from Kiros to visit while their more prudish counterparts steered clear of the little home. The novelty of their children wasn't quick to wear off, even to the Kaha'iko that Siel interacted with most when he ventured into the nearest village for work and trade. Sometimes he would have a little one strapped to his chest - sometimes both - and if his strange appearance wasn't enough to strike up conversation then they were.
Today, though, he was supposed to go into nature with his family and - spirits getting the children ready was a pain. Well, one child.
"Tsisia! One two, one two, let's go! We're late!"
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:05 pm
Tsisia 1
Tsisia appeared in the doorway, gripped the edges and made a great, gurgling roar before disappearing back into her room. "I'm TRYING." Where was it?! She needed to find the sticky sap to put in her bag or she couldn't do half the pranks she'd planned! It should have been in her basket, right next to her hammock and -
He took it! It had to have been Quetzal! He had to have known what she was going to do and - With another growl, the little halfling stomped her foot and curled her antennae. Of course to her it couldn't have been lost or misplaced; no, no, there was clearly only one answer.
Well, fool on him, she still had plenty prepared in her satchel and by the time Tsisia emerged she was ready for him. Her papa took a moment to fix her hair, a moment longer to try and calm her, before heading out to meet the rest.
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:36 pm
Gently patting the top of Quetzal's head, Quiana quickly fixed a few stray locks of hair before giving a final pat and waiting for the others to join them. "Five, four, three, two and there they are." She mused with a soft laugh, the Elidae raising a hand as she greeted her partner and daughter. The movement made the colorful wooden bracelets around her wrist clink lightly, Quiana being dressed just as vibrantly as ever with various colored silks also twisted together for today's attire. Not that it truly stood out that much in Kiros, everything was colorful and vibrant here in the tropics. Most of her children's outfits were also vibrantly colored, some resembling sunsets or the night sky which Quiana adored.
"Well, are you two ready to join us?" Quiana asked playfully, her gaze focused on Tsisia as she spoke. Like usual it was the satchel at her daughter's side that made her slightly uneasy. It wasn't a question of if there was going to be mischief today, but rather how and when. "Have any ideas of what we could encounter today?" She began, trying to lighten the mood even though it seemed there was a bit of an atmosphere already around them.
[Quiana 2]
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:43 pm
Quetzal pursed his lips in protest at the attention before standing to the side as Tsisia and his father entered the area. He was content staying silent, fiddling with his feathered necklace, until his mother asked about what they could encounter today. There was part of him that was wary about what could be lurking in the jungle, but another part of him was eager to see what they could actually find. How could there be trouble, especially with their parents tagging along? His mother seemed so relaxed but even she had a dagger sheathed on her leg and a bow tied to her back with arrows in case of emergency. It was rare to see Quiana fire arrows outside of training, but Quetzal had full confidence in her ability ever since she had introduced them to archery.
But since Quiana had asked the boy decided to answer quietly. "Maybe some lakinas? It would be nice if we could find a shell or two." He remembered some of the older Elidae visitors talking about them, the shells of the smaller creatures apparently bringing good luck to anyone who found them.
[Quetzal 2]
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:55 pm
[Siel 2]
Siel's own attire may have covered more skin, but the fabric was loose and flowed with each passing breeze. He answered Quiana's wave with one of his own, the brightness of his smile a firm juxtaposition to the determined one of his daughter.
"A lakina? I can't remember if I've ever seen one." The wildlife on the isles was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, and while Siel had grown to remember shapes the names tended to fall away. As he thought it over he moved closer to his partner and son, taking a moment to put his hand on the boy's shoulder with a smile before reaching up to kiss Quiana's cheek.
"Your daughter is a menace," He murmured quietly before pulling back.
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:01 pm
[Tsisia 2]
"Elder Sasasoo said that if you crush their shells you can make a powder and put it on your eyes so you can see in the dark." Tsisia stated with a bounce in her step. Sasasoo was a Kaha'iko performer that their father had gotten to know during his stay on the isles and, despite being five years older than Siel, the man was certainly not old enough to be an elder. "Like eye paint."
After a moment's thought Tsisia gave a little hmm, "I don't know if I would do that, though. I'd probably just keep the shell." What if it didn't work? Then you wouldn't have a shell and you couldn't see in the dark! How stupid would that be?
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:10 pm
"Lakinu are so small and shy, it would make sense if you haven't seen them." Replied Quiana lightly. "Apparently their empty shells can be considered lucky charms, but we'd have to find a stream somewhere nearby in hopes of catching one." Her gaze only brightened at the kiss, her lips curling up with amusement as she stifled some laughter. "She's half yours, you know. I'm innocent~" She whispered back as she rested her head against Siel's shoulder for a moment to enjoy the warmth of his body before moving away again. Quiana wasn't truly judgmental like most of her sisters, but it was still fun to sometimes blame the earthling blood for hijinks even though they both knew it was simply their child's own nature regardless of her mixed heritage.
She did frown at the idea of putting powder on their eyes. "I don't know about that, but I do know there's some rare flowers that you can crush up into a mixture to paint your arms. They glow in the dark so the paint will do the same, for most of the night actually." Quiana glanced over at Siel thoughtfully. Maybe they could find some alone time later to try something out in the darkness, a very interesting twist of hide and seek? She smirked at the thought before glancing around one final time and starting forward towards another path that went further into the jungle and away from the cove. There would be a stream there and some open areas for them to explore that Quiana felt were quite safe.
"Just let me know if you see anything swinging from the trees since that'll probably be a hanaluke. Those furry beasts are good at stealing supplies, so keep an eye on your belongings."
[Quiana 3]
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:14 pm
"Really?" Even Quetzal was intrigued by the powder idea before shaking his head. "I mean....yeah. The shells are important charms, we could make necklaces or something with them." That would probably be for the best, especially if the powder didn't work out. And then his mother also had the good idea about the plants! He was both intrigued and worried....what type of pranks could happen if such a paint could be made? Seeing in the dark and glowing things both had options, either one making him wary and more inclined to take the risk of the paint over giving his sister the ability to see in the dark.
The very mention of the hanaluke had him clutching his own satchel tightly in his arms as he walked behind his mother, the child looking up towards the trees as they started along the path. "I don't have much to worry about...what about you Tsisia?" He found himself asking, a gleam in his own gaze as he realized that maybe a hanaluke stealing belongings could be in their favor today. That was as long as it stole from the right person.
[Quetzal 3]
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:32 pm
[Tsisia 3]
"That's what he said," She nodded to Quetzal before turning her eyes up to Quiana. Until her mother proved otherwise she was going to believe him, simply because Sasasoo had told her first, but the idea of glowing body paint....Well, that caught her attention. "Ooo! Do you think we can find any?" She had said they were rare so they might not, but Tsisia wanted to hope. Maybe if she could get a good enough look at one then she could go out and look for them later, too?
"Hmm?" She angled her chin up at Quetzal and her tone dripped with drama. "Me? Nope. I don't have anything to worry about. You should keep an eye on your feathers, though. They're so pretty a hanaluke might just snatch them up."
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2023 3:11 pm
[Siel 3]
The bard flashed a crooked smile and leaned his head against Quiana's. "Uh huh, sure~" He had a feeling that even if their children had been born pure Elidae that Tsisia would still be as explosive as a star. Her brother, in contrast, was more akin to a summer sky. So full of life and wonder while keeping as much hidden as it possibly could. It still took him aback from time to time that these were his children, but Siel had taken to fatherhood in stride.
Oh, but the moment Quiana looked to Siel when it came to 'glowing paint' his eyebrows danced. It wasn't what she intended, spirits knew that, but how could he resist? A night's romp, chasing after each other with only 'glowing parts' to guide them...- Ah, but they'd have to find a sitter for that.
"Yeah yeah, I've got those little devils memorized." Siel casually placed a hand over his satchel as they walked and waited for the children to pass to take up his position as rear sentinel. "I've lost more lute picks and earrings to them than I'd care to admit."
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Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:18 am
Quiana smiled. "We might be able to. I think I remember a grotto that had some growing when I was younger, surely the plants are lingering there." It would be their goal for today then, to find some of those plants and make that paint. It was hard not to be inspired when Siel had that type of reaction, Quiana already guessing that they were on the same page about what type of activities they could have with such things. A laugh nearly escaped her lips at the dancing eyebrows, the Elidae simply winking before brushing past her partner and guiding the way. She could always ask Chantara to babysit a night or two...thankfully she also lived on the outskirts, her hobbies as a nocturnal herbalist keeping her away from most.
"Let's try to disappoint them today then." Quiana replied, pausing to gaze back at her children for a moment before moving forward again. She did not want to get into the middle of that, not when she had to keep an eye on their surroundings. They were getting into dense jungle and it wouldn't surprise her if that bouncing tree limb was from a hanaluke. "And there goes one..." She mused, ducking away from a branch and holding it back for the family to pass. "When the trees start to spread out more we'll be closer to the grotto and the stream, both should be fairly close to one another." For the shells and the plants, hopefully at least.
[Quiana 4]
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Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2023 8:21 am
"Mmmhmm." Quetzal's gaze narrowed at Tsisia even though his hand instinctively went to clutch at the necklace. He could replace it with another one by gathering more feathers and shells, but he had worked so hard on this one! It even had little wooden beads that his mother had given him for in between the feathers, to help space them out and make them stand out even more between the darker colors.
"How does one take care of a hanaluke?" He asked, actually moving a step closer towards the others as he too noticed the bouncing limb. "Are they afraid of noise or something like that?" His family was good at making noise, that was for certain. So maybe they would be fine if that was the case then.
[Quetzal 4]
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Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2023 3:27 pm
Siel 4
It was hard not to notice just how much the two were growing when they were directly infront of him. Their Aishan blood was stronger than his own so, naturally, they were bigger than Siel had been at their age. While it didn't stop him from attempting to still scoop them up and smother them in love it did do a number on his back from time to time.
"Maybe you could make a trade with them?" Quetzal's anxious shifting caused his father to take a little step forward, hopefully deterring any rambunctious critters from taking on the smaller boy. "If one gets too close and takes something it shouldn't we could try offering it a snack. Can't think of a reason why it would turn down something like that."
If Tsisia didn't recruit the darned thing, that is.
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