Bits of Peace [Open]

[kysseh]

Your leg is running away.

It was probably a very strange pronouncement to hear from the green dragon that lounged lazily in the shallows, but such a proclamation was all it took to get Hers up and moving with a fluid stream of muttered curses. It was probably unwise for one to curse in front of young children, but the greenrider was slightly too focused on the fact that that her normally clingy offspring had made a sudden bolt for freedom and was toddling blindly down the riverbank in pursuit of something Aliscia could not identify.

It was a lovely sort of day to be outside, though. It was early afternoon, and there was just enough sunshine that any dragon but the fussiest would be content to lounge on the warmed rocks or in the river water. Aliscia had wisely decided to steal those few candlemarks of freedom and take her little family outside for a bit of fresh air. With the cloud of the plague hanging over the weyr, it had been an especially tense time for the greenrider. What would happen if she became ill? Or the twins? Luckily, it seemed all three had escaped the serious illness, and now was a time to celebrate just being alive. Unfortunately, it was not going smoothly.

The greenrider had spread a blanket a smooth part of the shore, and both of the twins had seemed happy to play with their stuffed firelizards and the lazy orange feline that lay purring at their feet. Even enthusiastic Reiscia, who rarely sat still for more than a few breaths at a time, was happily cuddling her "fliff" and awkwardly patting the tolerant Pie, her chubby little hands stained with the berries that Aliscia had brought along for snacking. Her brother had been sitting calmly too, awkwardly humming and snuggling his little firelizard as he kept himself entertained. Aliscia had focused on Reiscia for a split second when the girl started to babble, and it was in that instant that Tanith made her declaration. Silas, who rarely left Aliscia's side if possible and was usually glued to Aliscia's leg, had made a run for it.

"Silas!" Aliscia finally called, catching up with the awkward toddler about a dragonlength down the shore. Tanith was keeping a wary eye on Reiscia, who was viewing the proceedings with nothing less than complete merriment. Luckily, the younger twin was staying put while her brother struggled in his mother's grasp, blindly reaching for something out in front of him. "C'mon, you. We're over here. What're you chasing?" Relief washed over the greenrider as the toddler stopped his squirmings. Shards, but he was heavy now, and it took some effort to carry him back over to the blanket. "At least you're getting brave."

An inelegant snort from the lounging green made Hers glare, but Tanith seemed oblivious to that, amused by the thought of Aliscia's clinging-child suddenly getting brave. The child was still insistently pointing in the direction that he had run in, despite the fact that he was scraped on the knees and arms from his little adventure. Being blind made it hard to navigate jagged terrain. Luckily, his head seemed unscathed, a fact for which Aliscia was extremely grateful. "Pyaaaaaay," the toddler kept insisting, even as his mother dug some bandages out of her bag to start tending to his scrapes. He was oblivious to the pain, obviously more interested in playing with whomever was out there, even when no one immediately appeared. "Pyaaaaaay!" he repeated louder, a call which his sister soon took up with much enthusiasm. Aliscia could scarcely help but wonder if someone would not arrive just to tell her to silence the children. It would not surprise her.

[Requiem]

The boy was wandering after a pretty green bug, his eyes wide with a fascination that one could only assume meant he liked the creature. Maybe. Certainly, he seemed intrigued by it. He bore little enough resemblance to his mother (and even less to the man he'd called 'daddy' since he could begin to speak) but any who had been part of Selenitas for any good length of time would know well who he did resemble, in the slender frame that denied baby fat, the widened blues as unrevealing as the deepest depths of the ocean, his head of black curls falling boyishly - too long, too long - about his ears. Even the quiet solemnity that surrounded him was very much his father's. Unknown father. Miguel wandered, boots splashing in the shallows. Ignored.

Listening, too, as the brief flick of eyes would give away, to the faint sounds of the Loud One. She always said such nasty things, she did. He didn't much like her, but Daddy did...for whatever reason. And so he put up with the brat, because he wanted Daddy happy. Sometimes he was scared, scared that the man would disappear, too, and then he'd really be all alone. Forever. No one would notice him. Few did now, even...he'd be invisible. Shivering, he came to a stop on the bank, waiting for Daddy and the Loud One, sobbings now, coming closer. She shouldn't have hit Daddy. That so was not allowed. Miguel hid his disapproval beneath the sweep of long lashes, peering up at the hulking figure returning from the trees, the evil loud one clinging to his neck...as if she had any right. Worm crooned quietly, rubbing herself against Miguel's wrist, and he obliged by scratching at her.

If Daddy didn't like the Loud One so, Miguel might have unstopped his throat long enough to growl at her. She was hurtful. It wasn't right, when everyone else worked so hard to be nice to her, and the boy was sensitive to S'rei's moods. He pressed beside the bronzerider, twining his fingers in the man's hand unbidden, and S'rei's grip tightened warmly. A familiar glove. He waited till the man's eyes fell, before glancing further upstream, his eyes flicking back quickly in open question. The man nodded, the gesture accompanied by a light squeeze of affirmation. Such was the communication of the pair.

Turning a bend, they found them. Miguel loved the twins (even if they could be taxing at times) and he slipped from Daddy's side, making it to the blanket well before the man. He slid to his knees, frowning slightly as the Worm scurried to drape herself around Aliscia's ankle. Her green, her green. The mandyr crooned.

S'rei approached with more caution...mostly to be sure he wouldn't have to retreat with Shei again...but the child was still upset enough by the spanking to cling to him without reaction to Aliscia and the twins. He only wished there were other ways to render the child mildly tractable. He was only mildly more patient with being struck in the face by his daughter than he had been her mother. "Hey big guy. Where you off to in such a hurry?" S'rei questioned, amusement causing his voice to rumble in a way that was noticeably similar to a dragon's. He crouched near the toddler Aliscia was struggling with, gaze flicking briefly to the familiar face.

All too familiar, as of late. S'rei wasn't much of a one for blushing, but it had been out here, hadn't it? And, despite the slow progression over the past couple of turns, it still blindsided him a little. Not enough to keep him from sliding closer, though, around her back until both woman and son were within the circle of his body. He reached his free arm past her, brushing her shoulders as he did so, to ruffle the child's hair affectionately. "Salenth told me you'd be out here," S'rei murmured to Lish. Shei shifted tempramentally against him, her sniffs coming dramatically louder...but as of yet that was the extent of her protest.

[kysseh]

While Reiscia continued to giggle at her brother’s squirmings, Aliscia made a valiant attempt to mop up the trickles of blood from the thin scrapes. Silas seemed wholly unconcerned with the pain, so focused was he on something further along the bank. Still, once Aliscia repeated his name in a slightly firmer tone, he sat mostly still on the blanket, allowing his mother to clean up his knees. Luckily, a bandage would be unnecessary for all of the wounds incurred. They were just… a tad messy. At least the patient was sitting still for a moment, though Aliscia didn’t know just what had had him distracted until Reiscia squealed “Meeeeeyl!” aloud in the most exuberant voice she could manage. Apparently, the boy had heard his cousin on the approach, and now Reiscia was bouncing with excitement at the sight of a familiar face.

She glanced up at Miguel, offering up a smile for the silent boy as he seated himself on the blanket. His presence was a surprise—albeit a very pleasant one—and probably meant S’rei was nearby, but since Aliscia was busy with her handful of a son at the moment, looking for the man was not a priority. She settled for greeting the boy instead. “Hello, Miguel. Are you hungry? I brought some- Reiscia!”

Aliscia’s exclamation came a bit too late to stop the smaller of the twin toddlers from flinging herself at Miguel. Reiscia, her bronze firelizard doll clutched tightly against her chest with one arm, gave the boy a very clumsy hug with her one free hand. Of course, said hand was covered in sticky berry remnants, but what was a little mess between friends? The little girl, oblivious to this fact, giggled happily and merely gave her mother a cheerful smile. “Meyl,” she said, as if this quite clearly justified her being exuberant. “Meyl pyay? Pyay fwiff?” This inquiry was directed, of course, at the poor boy she clung to, though whether or not it was a coherent question was debatable.

“I think he heard you coming,” Aliscia informed S’rei as the man finally made his appearance, glancing down at the salamandyr that draped herself around her ankle. Huh. What was it doing? Nothing inappropriate, she hoped. She glanced sideways at the man beside her, still dabbing a bit at the last of Silas’ scrapes. Silas had figured out that his father was present, and while Reiscia was busy clinging to her cousin, he had the man all to himself. Or… not. He heard sniffles that were not his mother’s. “In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s where he took off to. Scraped himself up, but at least he’s getting braver.” Was that pride in Aliscia’s voice? Indeed. It could not be easy being blind, and Silas normally was stuck to her side out of fear and insecurity. This time, however, he had gone off on his own. Strange, but… exciting.

Aliscia was aware of the fact that S’rei was coming closer, but it was not until his arm brushed her shoulders that she realized just how close he was going to get. She wanted to warn him, but then it was too late, and Silas fairly jumped out of his skin and then latched onto his mother, crying out in surprise as something touched his head. Only too late did he hear the familiar, murmuring voice, and then the boy relaxed, extending a cautious hand in the direction of it. “Da?” he asked shakily, still clinging tightly to Aliscia’s shirt. “Da?”

Hearing a grumble from Tanith, Aliscia shot a glare toward the green. If she was disturbed by the noise, she could move away. Fussy creature. “Sorry. He’s still really easily startled,” she murmured in response, her gaze drifting curiously over the girl clinging to S’rei’s neck. “We just came out here for the fresh air. As you can see, they’ve been eating.” The blue berry stains spoke for themselves, really. “And hello, Shei.” No sense in leaving out the little girl. She seemed a bit distressed; perhaps a greeting would put her in a better mood…? In any case, it kept Aliscia from meeting S’rei’s gaze. She was afraid of allowing herself to be distracted.

[Requiem]

Miguel rocked back at the impact of the little girl, eyes wide in surprise for a moment. Reiscia wasn't very big, no, but neither was the five-turn-old, and she'd crashed against his small chest. He palmed the ground, returning the hug with his other arm, which snaked up to pet her as he might Worm. Overexuberant little animals liked pets, so why not his little cousin? He didn't really mind the berry stains. Despite how little he looked like the man he considered to be his father, their tempraments were markedly similar; Miguel wasn't particularly exciteable.

Glancing over Reiscia's head, he smiled at Aliscia and nodded. Oh yes, he was quite hungry, although he didn't mind playing with Reiscia for a little longer first. Looking back to his cousin, the hand that had gone to steady him now pushed aside his bangs as he tilted his head to one side questioningly. Play what? He squeezed his young cousin briefly. Miguel talked occasionally when he had to, but most of the time he didn't, and the young cousins especially didn't seem to mind his silence.

S'rei winced. He hadn't meant to scare the lad (and clearly hadn't yet fully gotten used to the fact that his only son was blind) but he didn't fully regret it. Silas was going to have to adjust to life like that. Still, he would rather not startle him at every turn. "Yes, it's Dad." Reaching out, he offered his hand to Silas, not taking it but leaving his hand extended so that Silas could if he wanted to. "You got yourself all scratched up." Amusement touched his voice. It was good to see Silas on the move and not so...needy. Children tended to cling anyway, young blind children especially. Some independence from the lad was heartening.

Now that Silas knew he was here, S'rei felt it was safe and ran his hand up the boy's arm to his cheek, carressing it lightly with a thumb. He hadn't lifted his hand so the child could be sure it was still him. "How's my favorite son? Hmm? Found anything new and exciting in the last couple of days?" One thing S'rei always did with children was talk to them on an adult level. He didn't much believe in the baby talk thing.

The fourth of the children that S'rei guarded over stirred at his neck after her attempts at cuddling him tighter had gone mostly ignored. Her eyes slitted open and she looked down at the daddy stealers. Well, fine then. She could ignore him too. Releasing her grip, she leaned forward, a small hand falling on Lish's shoulder, the other curling around her hair as Shei rubbed her stear-stained cheek against Aliscia's. "Hi Lish," she stated cheerily, the hand on the shoulder moving to snug the woman. "Pretty Lish." She smiled.

S'rei stared at the girl blankly for a moment. Had his daughter finally started acting...nice? His confused expression was probably rather amusing, but who was he to question a good thing? Leaning in a little more, partially to claim the three members of his family he had right here within ready reach and partially to make Shei's position less awkward, S'rei ran a hand lightly down Aliscia's arm. "How have you been since I saw you last?"

For his part...he'd still been a little stunned at how everything had played out, which was why he'd waited as long as he had to seek her out.

[kysseh]

Aliscia’s expression toward Miguel was as apologetic as she could muster with her attention split about six separate ways. Clearly, the boy had not been expecting his overenthusiastic cousin to fling herself onto him. She had been trying to teach Reiscia to control those impulses, but… two-Turn-olds were sometimes slow to pick up on these things. As it was, Reiscia seemed to have realized that she had knocked her cousin off-kilter, and though she accepted the offered affection with great enthusiasm, she immediately followed that by scooting off the boy and plopping herself into a seated in front of him, legs splayed comically. “Sowweee…” she said with an appropriately guilty expression, her nose crinkled up in a childish imitation of her mother’s expression. Reiscia was good at mimicry… in her own amusing sort of way.

Thankfully, she was distracted enough by the twitching feline at her feet to indicate it as a possible source of amusement. “Pie,” she said very wisely, bobbing her head as she released her cousin to pat clumsily at the lounging orange feline. “Meyl pyay Pie?” Before the boy could answer, the toddler immediately dangled her fingertips over the furry creature in question. The feline yawned and lifted a paw, almost lazily batting at the wriggling digits. Apparently, this was a normal game that required little effort for a great deal of entertainment. Reiscia immediately was sent into a fit of giggles. “Piiiiiiiiiiepiepiepiepiepie.”

Shaking her head in amusement at her youngest’s antics, Aliscia sent Miguel a grateful smile. Poor boy. She’d try to distract Reiscia in a minute, so as to give him a chance to dig into the food she had brought. For the moment, though, Cuddles’ rare feelings of dislike (and the blue flit, curled around her neck, was practically radiating distaste for the older of the girl-children) and Silas’s motions had her a bit occupied. She only had two hands, after all.

Silas, however, seemed to relax completely at the sound of S’rei’s voice and the touch on his hand. Yes, he knew this person, and this person was safe, like mother. At the sound of amusement in his father’s voice, the boy smiled, a bit tentatively at first until he was sure it was safe. As the hand slid up his arm, Silas reached blindly for the man’s face. It was how he greeted those he liked. Aliscia had to keep a hold on him and give him a bit of a boost, but he managed it, carefully resting one palm on each of the man’s cheeks. Sure, the motions were a bit clumsy, but he tried. Hopefully, he hadn’t stuck any of his fingers up his father’s nose. “Da.” Utter contentment. That was what he felt. Wait… was he asking if he had found something? The toddler inclined his head, considering. “Hi’ ‘n see’?” Was he asking for a game? It sounded an awful lot like it.

Aliscia nearly jumped at the sudden affection from an unexpected quarter, a bit bewildered but not displeased by the young girl rubbing her face against hers. She wondered if Shei was cozying up, if only because children were often put off by the sight of her scarred face. Strange. Still, she managed a half-smile for the girl, and freed a hand enough to lightly pat the girl’s shoulder. “Thank you, Shei…” It seemed like the appropriate thing to say, even if she was not sure what to make of the little creature. She had had an intense dislike of Shmee, for a multitude of reasons. Being this near the woman’s offspring was not something she was sure she would enjoy. Still, the girl was being… nice. Strange.

The touch on her arm made it hard to focus on the children. While making a show of ignoring Tanith’s rumbles of amusement and splashes in the shallows, Aliscia busied herself with keeping Silas from overbalancing. He was getting better at staying upright, but it was always good to keep an eye out. Caution, ever caution. “I’ve been well. Keeping busy with these two and trying to not let myself worry over them too much… what with the sickness and all.” Her mouth twisted into a wry sort of smile, and she glanced sideways at the bronzerider, not sure why it seemed so… awkward to talk to him all of a sudden. Perhaps it was the audience.

[Requiem]

Miguel smiled at his little cousin. She really had nothing to apologize for. He liked her. Shaking his head slightly, he rubbed a hand lightly down her arm to express his acceptance of her apology. Watching Reiscia in silence, a sly look briefly flickered over his face, one that had been far more prevalent almost a turn ago. As Pie was preoccupied with the fingers, he snuck in and tickled along the cat's belly. Ha.

Patient with the fingers that ran over his eyes and got into inconvenient places, S'rei smiled down at his young son, knowing that, if nothing else, Silas would feel the warm expression on his father's face. He still cupped the child's cheek. It wasn't really that he favored boys above girls - that wasn't at all true - but every man takes a certain pride in his son. This was true enough for S'rei.

Hide and seek? He glanced at Reiscia. She looked a bit preoccupied at present, but S'rei didn't mind playing with the boy. He didn't exactly giggle like Reiscia did, but there were other noises he could make, he was sure. "Do you want to play hide and seek with Daddy, big man? I don't know...you always win. It isn't very fair," he commented teasingly.

Oh, not nice, not nice. Shei was not liking this much. Not at all. "If you played with me I'd win," she piped up, the touch of irritation clear. The little girl, spending more of her time with her father than at the creche, was quite eloquent for her age. "Wouldn't I, Lish?"

"I'm sure you would," S'rei responded quietly. "Here, that has to be uncomfortable." And suddenly Shei was on the ground, the girl looking none too pleased by that development. Fine then. Walking around the greenrider, she plopped into Aliscia's lap and fisted the woman's shirt, glancing over at Miguel and Reiscia with interest. What were they doing? "Does Pie like that?" she asked the greenrider.

"Mmm. The sickness is nearly past now, though. Little enough to worry about anymore. This one gave me a bit of a scare." He ruffled Shei's hair as he said that, the girl sniffing quietly, but she didn't pull away from his touch as the sound might have suggested she would. The girl hadn't liked the sickness much - it scared her - but she almost wished she was sick again, if only because then S'rei paid her the proper attention.

[kysseh]

Reiscia noticed that her cousin rubbed her arm, and she giggled happily at him, though her attention remained largely fixated on the feline. Silly kitty, silly kitty! The feline seemed quite content to just lie there and lazily try to pin her fingers between his forepaws. Since Pie was barely trying and Reiscia was incredibly clumsy, the result was a weird interaction that seemed like an odd series of high-fives. The toddler bounced in place with glee, her little firelizard doll clutched tightly against her chest, as Pie suddenly squirmed about. The feline felt the fingers on his belly, and his response was nothing but a loud purr. A bit of wrangling got the orange feline onto his back, legs in the air, to expose his belly for more attention. Theeeere, now he could be stroked properly. "Piiiiie," Reiscia giggled, leaning a bit against Miguel. "Piepie!"

While his sister was occupied with their cousin, Silas was absolutely fixated on their father, his little fingers running across the man's face. He could feel the upturn of the man's mouth, and, purely unconsciously, the boy imitated it. His smile was punctuated with a soft laugh, and the boy pressed his face against the hand on his cheek. The question posed of him had to wait for an answer, though, for he heard the voice of his slightly less-adored cousin. Hmm, Shei. The girl-one. Her voice sounded not-nice to his ears, and he carefully pressed himself closer to S'rei, putting his arms very carefully around the man's neck. It took a little maneuvering, and he managed a soft noise of apology when he accidentally grabbed his father's ear. But, he got there. As soon as his arms were there, too, it was quite clear, what he was after. "... hug?" Who needed games when they had hugs?

"I'm sure you would win, Shei," Aliscia commented mildly, a bit concerned by the tone that the girl used. It made her wonder if the girl was annoyed with Silas for taking S'rei's attention, and she was worried that there would be retaliation. Being blind put Silas at a severe disadvantage, and he was not a generally aggressive child. She knew he had to be tough, but she hated having to see it happen. Therefore, she was glad when Shei plopped herself down in her lap, surprised though she initially was. "Yes, Pie enjoys being played with and touched. He's very lazy, so if he gets to play without having to get up, he's happy." Typical male... though she did not say that aloud. Instead, she just smirked and shook her head.

At the mention of Shei being ill, a frown of concern flicked across the greenrider's face, and she peered down at the little girl. "Mmm, got sick, did you? I'm glad you're better." For more than one reason, actually, but the greenrider managed a smile for the little girl. She did not want to alarm Shei with her own brief worry that the girl might still be contagious. Obviously, she was fine. No need to be concerned. Her near-gold eyes turned up toward S'rei's face for the first prolonged gaze since he had arrived, her look betraying her thoughts, even as one of her arms draped casually around Shei. "I came down with something right before the sickness really got started. I hope it wasn't the same illness," she commented, sighing softly at the thought. "Glad it was over quickly."

Tanith had a sudden turn of thought, and the intensity of the green's amusement was enough to startle the greenrider out of her depressing thoughts. Her scarred face went a particularly spectacular shade of scarlet, and the woman quickly averted her eyes. Tanith let out a low rumble in response, meandering up the bank to flop on the rocks near the little group, the rapid blue whirl of her eyes betraying her entertainment. "Ahhh... Tanith, there are children present," the greenrider said lamely, as if in the hopes that it would forestall S'rei asking what was awry. Awkward. So awkward.

[Requiem]

S'rei couldn't resist a chuckle. Definitely his mother's son. Even if it was only accidentally, he couldn't help but compare the hand at his ear to Aliscia's interest in that part of his body (weird part to be interested in, but S'rei wasn't complaining). Nor was it unusual for the woman to wrap her arms around his neck when she wanted to be carried somewhere. Yes, they definitely were related.

Even now, the little boy was so tiny in his arms, S'rei wrapping one arm around his son and drawing him up, away from the awkward positioning that had the child spanning both parents. It couldn't be particularly comfortable, and was more dangerous for the toddler than just one holding him. Besides...he was usually commandeered by one or the other of his daughters, so it was nice to have his boy cuddling with him for once. "As many as you want," he replied cheerfully, lowering his head to press his cheek lightly against Silas's.

Shei still watched her half-sister and cousin, a bit perturbed. She snuggled into Aliscia's arm, though, accepting the hug as attention she was due. "It looks like it would be annoying." Especially with Reiscia's sticky fingers. The older girl sniffed pointedly. "Daddy stayed with me," she announced. He'd sent Miguel away, and stayed with her. Clearly this meant she was the more loved.

Miguel wasn't paying any attention to the two people he lived with, instead enjoying Pie. He certainly wasn't as enthusiastic about it as little Reiscia, but the smile was a lighter expression than usually seen on the boy's face. He went from tickling to rubbing the feline's belly, flashing a grin that had his mom and uncle written all over it at his cousin as she bounced against him.

Trust Shmee's daughter to pick up immediately on something people were hiding from her. The girl immediately tugged at Aliscia's sleeve, demanding her attention, and only once she got it did she speak. "I'm not a child. What is Tanny saying?" Because of course she must be privy to all conversations. It wouldn't do for people to be talking behind her back.

S'rei had leveled a faintly amused look at the green, shaking his head mildly. "It probably wasn't the same thing." He'd noticed the woman's look, which made his admittedly still alive and well male pride want to preen a bit, but there were times and places for such thoughts and conversations. In front of four children no older than five turns? Definitely not the proper setting. "Haven't really heard of anyone just getting a touch of this stuff."

[kysseh]

S’rei’s chuckle echoed in Silas’ ears, and the little boy broke into a shy smile, hiding his face ineffectually against his father at the realization that the man was amused by him. Still, the boy was far too young to be truly embarrassed and was instead just delighted in a timid sort of way. He adored his father, really, and that little bit of laughter cheered the often-solemn boy. The chubby arms did tighten their grip a bit when the boy’s body was lifted away from his mother, but all was still well. He felt himself held against the warm, solid form of his father figure, and the boy cuddled in happily, pressing his little face against S’rei’s with honest affection and enthusiasm. “Daaaa…” came the quiet, contented murmur, and his mother was momentarily forgotten. He would remember her in a moment if the Mean One pulled his hair or hit him or something, but unless she invaded upon his daddy-space, Silas was most happy to just be held. He almost never got daddy to himself.

Now that she had herself composed and could (mostly) force the blush from her face, Aliscia flicked a fond smile in the direction of her son, watching him cuddle against his father and not at all resentful that he had momentarily chosen S’rei over herself. It freed up her other arm to tickle at the blue flit around her neck, which kept him from giving Shei a look of utter disdain. Cuddles loved everyone… with only a few exceptions. Shei had earned herself an exception, which Aliscia had to agree with. The little girl was already fraying her nerves, though the greenrider was skilled at masking such things. Too many Turns at Benden taught a person to deeply bury things.

In any case, Shei’s sudden tugging on her sleeve distracted her from brooding over the girl’s announcement and Tanith’s statement. Oh, so the girl wanted to know what was going on, did she? That was just not going to happen. Instead, the greenrider curled the unscarred half of her face into a smile. Only the amused and slightly embarrassed expression around her near-gold eyes kept the half-smile from looking slightly… sinister. “Tanith was just asking me if I remembered something. Her memory fails her at times,” the small woman commented mildly, earning herself a rumble and a snort from the dark dragon. “I think she’s getting old.”

No older than you, LishLove. the green commented back, peeking her head around Aliscia’s body to get a good look at the young girl in the woman’s lap. She snorted again, unimpressed. Ugly little hatchling, that one. Do we have to keep her?

Aliscia was infinitely glad that no one else (except perhaps a nearby dragon) could hear the green’s rude comments. Still, this was slightly less embarrassing than the earlier question. “Well… touch or not, I’m better, and the children aren’t sick. Small things to be thankful for, hmm, bronzerider?” She raised an eyebrow up at the man, her smile an attempt to take the sting out of using his title. “And how have you been? I was wondering if I’d see you for awhile. Was beginning to think you were hiding from me…” Strongly suspected that, she had.

A sudden yawn grabbed the greenrider’s attention, and she suddenly spied Reiscia giving up on playing with Pie. The toddler had flopped down on the blanket and was rubbing her hand over her eyes, the end of her firelizard doll’s tail stuck in her mouth. Clearly, Reiscia had run out of energy. This did not concern Aliscia. The girl would nap for a candlemark and then be up and wreaking havoc again. Best to let her be. “Better grab a snack while she’s not bothering you,” she ‘whispered’ in Miguel’s direction, nodding at the sack of food she had brought. Berries, bread, a few meatrolls and pieces of fruit… surely the boy could find something to nibble on if he was hungry. Pie was just receiving the attention with his usual laziness. Since he didn’t have to twitch a paw to be stroked, he was disinclined to move. Life was very good as it was.

[Requiem]

Shei looked at the ugly scarred woman - why her father spent time around Scarface was beyond her, but that was something she'd have to accept (at least until she figured something out) - her eyes narrowing slightly. Liar. Scarface wouldn't be looking embarrassed and Daddy wouldn't be frowning at the green dragon if it had only been a matter of memory. Shei wasn't stupid. She smiled then, the expression one that was very clearly her father's...though little else but the hair was and, truly, hers was red while his was just a dark auburn. "But you're not losing your memory?" she questioned the woman sweetly.

S'rei had been busy cuddling his son, only half paying attention to what was going on elsewhere when Shei's comment caught his attention. He leveled a stare at her, the girl returning his gaze rebelliously for a few moments before finally flushing and muttering an apology to the greenrider. The man offered Lish a sheepish smile over Silas's head. There really wasn't much to be said about that, was there? Bratty little thing.

Oh, he was 'bronzerider' now, was he? S'rei was almost as formal, but apparently not formal enough. He wrinkled his nose at her. "It hasn't been more than a couple of days," the man stated quietly, his tone blatantly amused. No, he had no idea how to proceed, but that was hardly reason to avoid his kids. Their mother. They'd figure things out. And...anyway...he wasn't sure how serious she was. It was actually a little embarrassing...he was usually far more controlled. Call it masculine pride, but he doubted most people would have argued with him at that point.

Miguel watched his cousin for a moment, silently continuing the petting of the tabby. His eyes flicked toward Aliscia, brief smile touching his lips. He made a sound that seemed decidedly apologetic to Pie before crawling over to the sack and poking inside it curiously. The boy ended up breaking off a piece of bread and munching on it quietly, eyes now intent on the adults, a curious gleam behind them. He ignored the little evil glare from Shei.

[kysseh]

If Aliscia had been a less patient woman, she might have evicted Shei from her lap. Instead, she pretended to not notice the narrow-eyed look that she received, deducing that the child was miffed at her for not sharing. That was... sadly, just too bad. There were certain things that children did not need to know about. At the smile and the sweet query, her eyes slid sideways toward S'rei, wondering what it was all about. A quick series of glances between father and daughter settled her mind that Shei was, indeed, being a pain and S'rei had, in fact, called her on it. At leas the girl apologized... under tension. The un-marred side of her face twitched, and then she shrugged a casual shoulder. "It's all right. My memory is a little better than a dragon's." That was all she intended to say on the subject, mostly to avoid the desire to be sarcastic to a child. Unhelpful. Totally unhelpful.

She did have to chuckle softly at the look the bronzerider offered her, not bothering to hide the mildly shy half-smile that crept onto her face. "A couple of days is long enough," she informed him quietly, lifting her hand from Cuddles to touch S'rei's cheek. Silas seemed to sense her proximity and made a small noise of contentment, turning his face a bit to expose his peaceful expression to both parents. "I guess he's happy to see you," she murmured softly, watching Silas snuggle in close. "Funny. Reiscia is normally the clingy one."

Reiscia would have been clingy if she were not curled up next to Pie and taking a very, very brief nap. Her chubby fingers clutched her doll close to her chest, and the little toddler was the very picture of perfect ease. It wouldn't last. Aliscia was sure the girl would be up and about in very short order. Pie seemed relatively unconcerned with the fact that he was no longer being stroked, instead just lounging in his chosen spot, tail swishing back and forth with almost hypnotic slowness.

Offended by Shei and deciding that even Aliscia's presence was not comforting enough to be able to bear it, Cuddles uncurled his plump little body and took to the air, settling himself on the ground beside Miguel with careful grace. The blue flitter chirruped a greeting and then hopped elegantly up onto the boy's shoulder, curling up as though this were his natural spot to lay. Aliscia spied the flitter's abandonment and smiled at Miguel, almost apologetic. "He won't hurt you; I promise," she said softly, mildly suspicious of the look in the boy's eye. What was he thinking about? It both intrigued and unnerved her. Really, she needed to be less paranoid...

[Requiem]

He was impressed by Aliscia's patience with his daughter, but it definitely made him lean more toward keeping their current living arrangements, even if the greenrider did want to make something of the events of a few days ago. Something he still wasn't sure of one way or another, though she seemed...hmm, better not to assume. At this point he could go either way. One was distinctly less appealing, yes, but he didn't have his heart set on it. Too many burns over the past several turns to jump so quickly into anything, even if it had been building for over a turn, really. She had every right to just consider it a one-time thing and move on. They were both adult enough that such a decision shouldn't effect the healthy relationship they needed to maintain for the twins. That much, at least, he was very grateful for.

The hand on his cheek surprised him. There was no other way to describe it...he'd gotten used to being, well, just the father who came around to see the kids. They were civil, even playful, but the touch was decidedly more intimate. Maybe he'd been a little quick to decide it had probably just been a moment of weakness for the both of them. Loneliness, or something to that effect. Reaching up to trap her hand against his cheek, he held it there as he turned his head, kissing her palm lightly while watching her expression to gauge her reaction. "Feel free to have Tanith contact Salenth if I'm not around often enough," he told her seriously. He was busy, but that didn't mean he wouldn't make time for her and the twins if she wanted it.

Laughing quietly, he released her hand and splayed his on his boy's head, running his fingers through Silas's hair. "I know. I'm not used to him being this affectionate. Definitely not complaining, though." Not at all. A beautiful boy, his son was. All of his children, really...maybe he was biased, but they seemed to him to be the most beautiful of all the little tykes runnng around these days.

Shmee wasn't much pleased with either of the adults - or Silas - but she especially didn't like that Miguel seemed to be getting something she wasn't. Why didn't she get to eat something nice? Well, that wouldn't do. The girl scrambled up out of Aliscia's lap, paying no attention to any discomfort she might cause the greenrider. She fell on Miguel with unrealistic quickness, holding her hand out imperiously. "My food." The words were stated softly, so that her father wouldn't hear - he got upset when she asked for what was hers, though she still didn't know why.

Miguel, for his part, turned it over without a fuss. There was a whole basket right next to him, and he simply fished out a piece of bread. The boy ignored Shmee's continued glaring as he offered Cuddles pieces of the bread, making a soft humming sound in the back of his throat. His eyes met Aliscia's and he smiled, nodding slightly. He wasn't afraid of firelizards...the two his mother used to have had practically helped raise him. They were nice.

[kysseh]

Aliscia was unsure what sort of response she had sought or even expected from the bronzerider when she reached for him, attributing her own gesture to just a moment of boldness. It was not that he intimidated her, but there was.... well, there seemed to be a proverbial fat gold dragon in the room whenever conversation started. Their interaction a few days before had seemed to beat a path around that dragon, but it was still present. Very present and ever-growing, it seemed.

That was probably why S'rei's response surprised her, the expression showing in a slight widening and then brightening of her near-gold eyes. He had not pulled away or sat calmly beneath her touch but instead... welcomed it. Her hand would have molded to the shape of his face but for the kiss he pressed to it, a somewhat shy smile threatening the corners of her mouth. It lacked her usual smugness and arrogance, instead full of hesitance and something akin to curiosity. The blatant affection warmed and yet twisted something in her chest, and she had to avert her eyes after a moment, not sure how to process the strange range of emotions. A long time had it been. A long, long time since she had felt that mix of caution and yet eagerness, mixed with fondness for the strange bronzerider.

When he released her hand, she took it back willingly, ready to wrap that free arm around Shei until the girl took it upon herself to break loose. She winced as the girl clambered out of her lap, a bit bothered by the sudden exit. Still, Shei seemed content to be bothering at Miguel for something, and Aliscia took the opening to carefully snag her sleeping daughter, arranging Reiscia's limp little body in her lap. The toddler twitched a hand and snuffed, making no other response to the change in scenery. Apparently, this was a deep, deep nap. The greenrider chuckled at that and then aimed her smile toward Miguel, watching him offer Cuddles part of his snack. A precious child, that one.

"I wouldn't want to take you away from Shei or Miguel. I know you make what time you can," she murmured softly to the bronzerider, idly stroking Reiscia's hair to soothe the sleeping girl. "I can't say I mind you being around, though. Me or them. Reiscia adores you, and Silas..." That went without saying, really. Silas was responding to the affection of his father by rubbing his little face against S'rei's cheek, one of his little hands cautiously uncoiling from the bronzerider's neck to pat blindly at the man's face. "...guess he has a new favorite parent." It would have been a grumble were it not for the smile on her face, the tender expression in seeming contrast to the brutal scars that marred one half of her visage. Aliscia rarely showed vulnerability to the world, and it was quickly covered by a smirk. "Hope you know how to breastfeed."

Cuddles was somewhat confused by the offering of food, and he sniffed at it curiously for a moment before dismissing it with a polite chirrup, rubbing his head along Miguel's jaw. It was a nice little hatchling, it was, though the blue flit didn't eat the weird fluffy things that humans did. Instead, he perched comfortably on the boy's shoulder, tail wrapping loosely around the boy's upper arm as he proceeded to ignore the irritating girl-hatchling and groom his own foreclaws. He would stay here and guard the boy-hatchling until His called him back. But His was busy being strange, so... he was content to stay put, occasionally tasting Miguel's ear with his tongue. Strangely tasty, that.

[Requiem]

His hand fell to Aliscia's lap, to the little daughter that lay curled there. He didn't see his kids as often as he might have liked, but that would have been true even in the best possible scenario, if they'd been planned and born outside of Flightlust. There was just too much to do around here. Technically, he was only a wingleader (yeah, only) but with Ka'rys as acting Weyrleader, he was basically filling the role of Weyrsecond presently. There wasn't a lot of time in his days, and the wing wasn't even meeting yet. Although, yes, prepwork tended to be more time-consuming than the actual training. His fingers curled through her hair idly. Touching both the twins at once. This pleased him.

The shy little smile was unbelievably cute. It made him want to lean over and taste the mouth, and his eyes half-lidded at the thought, but of course he didn't. There was nothing wrong with a kiss. Still, Shei would likely throw a fit if she saw that, and he wasn't ready to deal with that just yet. He'd rather handle that one in private. But he was fairly certain now that there was something there, though how far that something went was still up for debate.

He yielded his daughter's hair to the mother, adjusting Silas slightly in his arms to make it easier for his son to reach. "Miguel adores Reiscia and Silas, especially Reiscia. He was asking about her the other day." Which was significant, given how little the boy actually spoke. There was no point in talking about Shei. She hadn't been content even when all his attention could be devoted to her, and now that it couldn't? Nor was he going to try to make her happy all the time. She was spoiled enough as it was. How he loved the little brat, but that didn't change the fact that she was a brat. "You'll see me around at least as often as normal...never too busy to see the twins." That he had to say that was open admission that, no, things were not quite the same anymore.

The man snorted outright. "Yeah...I think I'll leave the lactating to you. I'd look pretty weird, and I doubt anyone should be tortured by having to deal with me while hormonal. I can be moody enough without adding to it."

Miguel frowned mildly. The firelizard didn't want the bread? Didn't he trust him? But...maybe he just didn't like it, because the blue clearly trusted Miguel enough to perch on him. He glanced over at Shei, who had pointedly turned her back on him and was poking at the cat. If Miguel was going to have a pet, she wanted one too. The boy watched her for a long moment, nibbling on his bread and idly stroking the firelizard. Suddenly, he giggled. That tickled. Craning his neck to try to see Cuddles, he couldn't resist another giggle. "Like my ear?" he murmured to the firelizard.

[kysseh]

Whether Reiscia sensed the hands on her or was simply having a good dream, the little toddler stirred, squirming around in Aliscia’s lap until she seemed to settle in a more comfortable spot. Now she gave a cute little sigh and then just lay quietly, her mouth hanging open just slightly with the tip of her doll’s tail still tucked inside one cheek. The young girl was quite the picture of contentment, and Aliscia knew it would not last. In seemingly no time at all, Reiscia would be up and into everything again. The greenrider did take the opportunity to snag a bit of cloth from her bag to try to wipe some of the sticky berry mess off the two-Turn-old’s fingers, not wanting to have stains all over her pants from the little girl’s hands. Reiscia was not a clean little creature.

Keeping busy also distracted her from S’rei, though a rumble and silent tendril of thought from Tanith informed her that the bronzerider had seen that smile. Tanith, her dark head inched around to rest almost against Aliscia’s knee, was keeping a wary eye on both the bronzerider and his bratty female offspring. She didn’t like that little girl with the attitude. Not. At. All.

“If he wants to come over to play with her, he’s more than welcome,” Aliscia replied honestly, somewhat surprised that Miguel had asked after Reiscia’s whereabouts. It was not that the little boy cared but that he cared enough to inquire that was pleasantly shocking. Miguel seemed very quiet, and little children did not usually want to be around messy and energetic younger children with little measure of self-control. Despite all her energy, though, Reiscia was a sweet creature. Perhaps that compensated for her lack of control. The greenrider was distracted from these thoughts by his pronouncement of coming to see the twins as often as normal, and she wondered why this was so important. She hadn’t expected that that would change, but… no, that was not entirely true. Not seeing him for a few days had given her some nagging doubts that seemed to be put to rest. It did not settle the issue, but it did settle some of the more worrisome aspects.

She inched over to lean her shoulder lightly against the bronzerider, watching Silas pat awkwardly around the man’s face. Apparently, Silas was just as much of a tactile creature as his mother. This thought entertained her almost as much as the thought of S’rei with large breasts. “Moody? You?! Never.” Was she smirking? Of course. “I doubt you would be that bad. I wasn’t unless someone hit me in the chest hard enough. Make sure you watch his fingernails, by the way. I’ve been meaning to file them. They get kind of sharp, and I don’t think he realizes it.” Silas was patting flat-handed for the moment, but… well, little children did not always understand the ramifications of sharp nails.

Thankfully for all involved, Aliscia had very docile pets. Cuddles had found a new friend and was extending his role as ‘babysitter’ to include the nice boy hatchling that let him perch on his shoulder. He chirruped contentedly, grateful for the affection that was offered and returning it with licks and nuzzles to the boy’s ear. At the boy’s query, he twittered a pleasant affirmative and resumed his odd affection, wholly ignoring the child that bothered the feline. Bad little girl-hatchling, poking poor Pie. ‘Poor Pie’ was far too lazy to do anything about the molestation, content to just lounge on the blanket and tolerate the poking he was receiving. He mrowed once and then purred, just letting the girl do as she wished. She wasn’t currently any worse than the younger kids, after all.