The Idle Nature of Ghosts [Nat]

[Nathalia]

Finistris followed his son inside, still clinging to his Osias after reluctantly letting go of his son. He wanted Morpheus to be free enough to show him around his home.

"Of course son." He chuckled, following slowly and watching the way Mo's hair moved. His son's home was nice enough, black and purple, with silver and glass shards. Fetching. Not his own taste, but it was nice to see that Mo had developed one of his own and wasn't a slob.

"You simply must tell me what you've been doing with yourself, both of you." His voice was still soft, speaking at a greater volume might cause his voice to crack again...he was all for showing emotion...but there was such a thing as too much.

He seated himself and waited eagerly. He was out and comfortably home. He couldn't quite get over the idea. He wanted to cry, to clutch his Rat and his son to him and make sure that their presence never left him again. The feeling of Osias's rough skin beneath his hands made him want to grip him all the tighter, heightened senses...

He loved them. For all the world...he loved them.

[Kitty]

Morpheus was rather proud of his home, every corner of every room just absolutely screamed his name and it was flashy in the manner he liked. Actually he was considering bringing a mirror in every room and exploding it just ot get that same glittery effect in the walls. He had an unhealthy obsession with glass and, well... using it as a decorative material just seemed like a stroke of pure genius in his opinion ... even if it had, initially, been an accident.

Osias was quite happy to let Finistris cling to him, keeping a light hold on the man himself with one arm as he closed the door behind them with a foot. Mo then gestured for them to take a seat on the sofa and he slipped in next to his mate, quite at ease with the world again.... he could tolerate Mo in this sort of setting and mood.

Finistris' question didn't get much of a response from the rat, but Mo's face lit up at the prospect of sharing his little 'project' with his father. Mother didn't quite get his fascination with Khizr, some odd hang up with Highlanders that he didn't quite understand.... but father, father would appreciate it ... right? His tail soon followed suit, curling into it's happy shape as he clasped his hands and turned his attention back to his father, grinning like a fool.

I've been rather busy actually! I have a pet that's better then any bander or Ace could ever be!

He paused for a moment to lean in a bit more, tail tip twitching happily as the rest of his tail remained curled into an 's' shape.

Father ... I own a Queen.... a Highland Queen of Hearts!

Osias nearly choked on his own breath when the boy mentioned the rank of his... ugly little pet. He coughed and eyed the weasel/rat suspiciously, not able to keep the surprise out of his voice.

That ... thing is a Queen now?

[Nathalia]

Finistris watched as his son and mate bickered, it was pleasantly familiar and wonderfully touching.
Just like old times...

The decor of his son's house was actually quite pleasing, calm and quiet without too many colors...at least the boy hadn't taken to Morganberry or Villa schemes, right?
Nothing wrong with a good Torquehelm demeanor, he rather liked what he'd heard about that Realm. If he and Osias became bored, he might request one of his own as a pet...seemed like a nice, demure little thing...maybe he could beg one as a servant?

The mirrors delighted him, it intensified the feeling of home to the point where he could practically purr.
He did not approve of his son's "pet"...however.

He tried to remain upbeat as his son showed the mongrel off...unpleasant little monster. Ugly as sin, and, it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, a Queen...he didn't like to think about what it might do if it ever got loose.
But...his son had such a happy look on his face, and his tail did its tiny curl when he mentioned the thing, he was obviously so proud of.
He complimented it, and kept his snide remarks to himself and his Osias.
He would keep an eye on that thing...as long as it was in the house.

Moving in was simple, and so long as his Rat and his boy had no objections, he would never leave.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eight months later, he dearly wished differently.
Finistris would have loved nothing more at this point than to crawl off to a dangerous land and imitate a gentleman there for a year...then come back and enjoy the fruits of his mate's "labor", as it were.

Osias was being particularity unpleasant, even for him, and the bickering between him and their darling son was trying his nerves.
And yet, as much as he wanted to leave was his aversion to wandering more than half a mile from the place.
The rat was carrying his children. More darling, little loves for them to hold...soon, so soon... He could barely breathe for the thought. Morpheus had been an utter impossible blessing, but this...
This was so real.
They had only realized what was going on about three months ago, when Osias had finally paid a visit to a Corvie about the abdominal swelling (at Finistris's urgings). Granted, it was not unnatural for his Rat to catch a wide array of nasty diseases, but this one hadn't seemed to be abating.
The answer had thrilled him beyond belief, though he did feel poorly that his Rat had to carry twice in a row.

Secretly, he would have enjoyed being "mother" this time around.
It was such a personal relationship, and one his Osias was not as well cut out to handle, for all his wonderful qualities.
Still, Osias hadn't been too bad about the news, and he was so looking forward to it...and trying not to crowd Osias, though that was becoming more and more difficult the more apparent it became that there were multiple children.

He wandered out of the kitchen where he had been conducting his musings, with a plate of grilled vegetables and a slab of half grilled steaks he had actually purchased, using the grocery run as an excuse to get away for a bit.
"Osias? Dear, would you like to eat something? You really should, I've tried to stay bland." He called through the door after knocking. He'd never felt so vulnerable, not only was there nothing he could do, but even if there was, he got the feeling his Rat would rather bite him than accept.

His left leg suddenly shuddered and he bit his lip to stop a small scream of pain, sinking to the floor in an attempt not to drop the tray as the familiar stab of agony hit him directly in the groin. He was slowly becoming used to the pain, but it was irregular and never when he would have desired it...like during a romp with his Rat, but at times like this. It would pass in a moment...he just really wished he knew the cause of it.
Even his "pet" Corvie could tell him nothing.

[Kitty]

Unlike his father, Morpheus preferred to stay away. He hadn't at first, but one lamp thrown at his head was enough to get him to stay away, or, at least, lock himself in the basement. He was looking forward to siblings, but he could definitely quell his excitement until they were here rather then risk physical harm to himself or his mother.

Osias hadn't exactly been thrilled about what his 'ailment' turned out to be, but he wasn't entirely opposed either. He would have gladly given the role of mother over to Finistris, he was well aware of the fact that he wasn't quite suited for the job ... physically as well as mentally, but at the same time ... this was a golden opportunity. His mate loved their first child dearly, but he didn't share any of that sentiment. All he saw when he looked at Morpheus was heaps of wasted potential and frivolous behaviors. The biggest hang up he had, the biggest stab to his own pride .... was the utter lack of respect and care for his heritage that the hybrid very willingly tossed about. He was certain Morpheus could have done something spectacular when it came to the Lowlands .... but the boy wasn't a lowlander, no matter what colors his fur was. He was a fake, in every definition of the word, and Osias hated him for it. He was sure his mate could see it, but Mo seemed either to stupid to, or too unwilling to admit it. No, this time around at least one of these were going to make him proud, he knew.

He'd make it happen if he had too, he'd make sure of it.

When he heard the door open the rat's first instinct was to bristle all his fur and stiffen up his tail, but he relaxed when his mate's voice sounded, he was in a vaguely pleasant mood at the moment ... and he was hungry .... so he made the move to sit up. He hadn't been sleeping, so his eyes opened with little resistance, and he focused in on a blur of blue that was heading toward the ground. His ears flipped forward in concern, it happened all the time, nothing serious ever really came of it, but it was still worrying .... if he knew anything pain like that wasn't good. It didn't make it less alarming that there wasn't a diagnosis either .... nor the fact that he couldn't go over to the love of his life and at least help him up. He was just so bloody tired all the time .... not to mention his present shape made moving around at more then a shuffle speed awkward..... damn little parasites.


If you can make it over here... I could eat.

His pride wouldn't allow him to join Finistris on the floor. No, he didn't want to have to be helped up again...

[Nathalia]

Finistris was blissfully unaware of the levels of dislike between his mate and his son, fortunately so. Had he been, he may not have been able to handle the stress.
As it was, he simply remained on the floor for a good thirty seconds before the pain became slightly more bearable. Everything ached even as the spell receded slightly. It would linger...spiking every few minutes for about ten or so...he knew.
Damn it all, if he knew what was causing this, he would see to it that the source of the agony was thoroughly punished...

"Osias..." He hissed, staggering back up with his eyes narrowed in dislike and determination. "Of course I can...you need to eat...they need to eat...just give me a moment so I don't drop it everywhere, won't you?" He didn't mean to snap...but the frustration at the lack of control was...

An awful lot.

He moved over to his Rat and gingerly lay the tray down, using his arms as opposed to his damn legs to hoist himself up on the bed next to his Osias. "It's a bit bland, but I'm hoping it will stay down better this time, love." He murmured, handing the plate to his Rat. He then leaned forward, twitching slightly at the pain and planted a kiss on the Rat's forehead.

"Thank you, love...thank you for all of this... for everything." He kissed again, brow crinkled from the pain and his desperation for all to go well. "My Queen..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One and a half months later, Finistris was nearly going mad. A Corvie had been brought along with his usual half-Lizard friend...a freakish red mongrel with antennae.
Both had gone into his Osias's room to do a preperatory procedure while they waited for the contractions to begin.
He'd been told to wait outside...his "friend" knew his desperate tendencies too well...
That didn't help with his extreme distraction and fretting.

In five minutes...he was going in.


((Don't forget poor Tamah. <3))

[Kitty]

His ears twitched back for a moment at the snappish tone, but he'd let it slide .... unless it continued. He was silent as he watched his mate get up and move. When the other man spoke his ears came forward slowly and he nodded ever so slightly. That kiss to the forehead though, that brought him back to beign in a good mood and he leaned forward and placed his nose on his mate's cheek and his whiskers twitched forward to brush again his skin.

No thank yous are required love.

Really, he should be the one thanking his King rather then the other way around. Hell, the Spade had probably kept him alive longer then he would have on his own.


__________________________


If the pair of corvies thought it was going to be an easy day at all, they were wrong and would be greeted by a bristled, glaring patient. He was paranoid by design and this situation just tickled every part of that flaw of his. He didn't trust Corvies, not at all, and they were keeping his mate out the room. He didn't like that one little bit. He did know why they'd be here, yes, but that didn't mean he had ot like or accept the situation as it was .... especially when he couldn't defend himself nearly as well as he could on a normal day.

When they got close he'd start to grind his teeth and stiffen up his tail. in addition to to his glaring

[Nathalia]

The Lizard-mixed Corvie stiffened his own tail at the threat he was getting from the patient's presence. Hell if he was putting up with this, not when he was doing it out of the need to redeem a "personal favor"...no payment, in other words...
"Alright, Rat. I know you don't like me, or want me here, but if you want yer kids out an' whole, you'll sit th' feck down, 'n shut the feck up, arigh'?" The Lizard/Mutt snarled, as his antennae-adorned friend began prepping a bowl of hot water with a fire spell and casting nervous looks at the Queen with the missing Suit on the bed.

He'd give the Rat two minutes while they stayed a good five feet or more from the bed to prep...then, whether, the Rat was still hostile or not, he'd whip around, eyes flashing a rather sudden neon blue in the half-light, and the rat would feel a very distinct paralysis begin to crawl up his spine from the waist up.

"Sorry, sir, but if we let yeh git away with attackin' us in th' middle of yer birthin'...there aren't gonna be any babies for you or poor ol' Fin, so jus' lay back an' hold still while I get yeh started on yer contractions, will ya?"

The spell would hold for a good three hours, and the Corvies weren't willing to stay any longer than necessary. The Lizard-mix had just pulled on a rubber glove and made an attempt to wedge the Rat's legs apart when the door made a hissing noise and sagged inward.

"Sorry...couldn't stay out..." The Hisstor muttered, eying the situation his Rat was in and letting his lip curl back, eyes flicking to the Corvie. "I thought we agreed-"

"We agreed, that I would get them all out healthy as was possible. You know as well as me that iffin' I let him up, he'll sink his claws in every chance he gets."

"I find that to be just as untrue a statement as the one entailing me to wait outside..."

The Mongrel looked visibly cowed and whispered urgently in the Lizard-mix's ear, only to have his own ear twisted painfully as the other Corvie ground his teeth. "Fine, whatever, Fin. 'M out-voted here, 'n I don't care, but you hold him still an' don't touch us, or I'll make sure I take 'em all with me, got it?"

Finistris nodded and moved to stand by his mate's head as the spell relaxed its hold.

"Give them the benefit of the doubt, dearest...I would have brought in no one I didn't trust with my own body."

[Kitty]

[[ Still on some cold meds and a little congested .... forgive any ... incoherent sounding bits XD <3 ]]

His narrowed further at being called Rat. The lizard mix knew his name, and should damn well use it instead of his breed. Granted the two of them had never exactly hit it off, there was still a matter of rank and ... well... intent keeping the mix fully in tact. If Osias had his way he'd shred the mix in the most painful ways he could think of ... salt very well could become involved in this ... but his mate wouldn't like that ... and it was useful to have someone in the medical field forced on your side .... But damn it all if he didn't hate the corvie with every fiber of every hair that he had.

And then there was an unexpected paralysis creeping up his spine that simply made his blood boil. Oh ... .when he could move again he'd definitely be paying the corvie a visit of the most personal variety. If he didn't kill him ... Finistris wouldn't mind, right?

Speaking of which .... he was delighted when the blue haired man entered the room, and further pleased when the damned reptile was reprimanded as well. As soon as he was able he sneered at him before turning his gaze over to Finistris. He turned his head and sent another glare in the corvies direction before relaxing a bit, and reaching out a hand for his mate. He'd heard things about how this would be ... and he wasn't looking forward to it, not at all.

____________

In fact ... he much preferred the blinding headaches he'd gotten with Morpheus to this. It didn't make matters any better that the first of the lot decided to be feet first. However, when she was finally out fully, it was a blessing for the rat that she had been ... what with the little bone spikes adorning her neck. She also proved to have a fairly good grip for a newborn ... clinging to her little top hat with all her might.... which wasn't much really .... and the little spider that crawled out of the hat didn't even wait for her to be fully cleaned before taking it's perch on her shoulder. Despite the oddness it wasn't a bad way to start ... bipedal Jack of Diamonds and free of any rot despite there being far more brown fur then cream.

The largest of the lot was next .... relatively easy birth despite his size. Very definitely hisstor .... until his 'other half' became visible. And .... another rank? That was .... quite unusual wasn't it? What was even more unusual was when the boy's 'tail' picked it's head up and spoke.

Quit gawking would you?

It was quite notably intelligent as well, making the Lowland boy all the more bizarre.

And I refuse to be called anything but Boston ....

And demanding as well.... oh joy.

[Nathalia]

[[It all sounded wonderful, no issues. Hope you feel better soon, though. <3]]


Finistris grasped the Rat's clawed hand and squeezed gently.
He'd been reading lately, something he wasn't often much given to doing, in an attempt to find out what he was in for.
It hadn't been presented pleasantly...not unless the book in question was about children. If it was about pregnancy and birth...then it suddenly ceased being about roses and sunshine and became a horror story.
If he were to be perfectly honest with himself...he was absolutely petrified about losing his Rat.
Children were worth many things...but nothing in this world was worth his Queen.
Not even himself.

He would make certain the Corvies did their job right, no matter how miffed they might be at the moment...he'd offered them too much for their pair to simply ignore, or risk spoiling.
He reached out with his free hand and tried to massage at his lover's temples...knowing Osias...he probably had a splitting headache on top of everything else.

The first set contractions were violent and sudden.
They startled the Hisstor out of his terror induced focus on his mate's ill-looking visage and forced him into a slowly building panic...the likes of which he hadn't felt since the pair of rogues in the outer Bazaar had nearly been the death of him.
He gripped the side of the table that was improvising for a hospital bed and felt his nails press backwards from the force.
He reached for his Rat and gripped him tightly.

"You're doing beautifully, love. You'll be fine, I swear it. I promise, I promise. Hang on, Osias...please." He murmured to the squirming rat...even as blood began to pour forth. His entire body was shaking and his eyes wouldn't focus properly.

What would he do without his Queen?

He gazed almost drunkenly toward the Lizard mix as his name was called, until the man held up the first child.
Finistris could only gaze in awe.
Morpheus had been a lovely child...but this little wonder was exquisite. He barely had the time to marvel at her features...and her strangeness, before the next child began forcing its way out.
At least it was going quickly.

Then the front half of the next boy became visible...
And Finistirs's blood went cold.

His other half...
He'd felt the man die only two weeks ago...it had nearly killed him too. It still ate at him at night, why in the name of anything his...hells, his brother, really, had felt the need to...
And then...here he was...?
He wanted to scream...his skin crawled like made and his voice cracked as he tried to soothe his rat further.

"They're beautiful, Osias...not much longer...they're so beautiful."
He whimpered, in an agony of indecision over his own feelings. Varestes...then the boy's lower half was pulled out...and Finstris felt himself hiss without meaning to.
What-?... Was this even possible? He moved forward, unable to stop himself as the "tail" lifted itself and appeared to gaze about.

....Then chastised the doctors.
"Boston...?" He asked, voice still unsteady. He moved forward slightly, extending a hand toward the wriggling child as it was placed down, one hand still holding him behind, trapped in Osias's grip, though the pain of it was forgotten.
"H-hello, Boston...I'm your father." He murmured, reaching out to stroke the skull gently.

He was forced back by the cringing mutt Corvie with a small cry of alarm as the last child almost seemed to fall out in wake of the last two.



His tiny limbs twitched and he shuddered against the chill and open air around him. A small, stifled "Squeak?" Was heard as he was caught and dried off. His tail curled around his body, small skull shining in the limited light as he writhed and drooled excess birth fluid.

It was over.
Finistris moved himself back up to Osias's head as the doctors went about patching the Rat up.
It had been quick, and mostly clean.
The doctors even looked mildly pleased, the lizard mix giving Finistris a slight thumbs up before diving back into his work.

His family...his perfect, little family...was growing.
Finistris wrapped his arms around Osias's shoulders, pressed his face into the musky fur of the Rat's hollowed cheek, and sobbed. His face twisting in futile attempts to make it stop, and shuddering with joy, fear, and humiliation.




(God...this got long...sorry. <3)

[Kitty]

He tried to be gentle with his mate's hand, but all thoughts of that quickly flew out the window when pain like he'd never felt before assaulted him. And he'd already made the decision .... these brats had damn well better make something of themselves or so help them he was going to make them feel this ten fold at the least.

The ear closest to his king twitched at his worry laced words and he turned his head ever so slightly to peer up at him with slightly narrowed, golden eyes. His response lingered on the verge of being a pained hiss, but he put effort into making it sound convincing.

Of course I'm going to be fine rot for brains.

Oh yes, there was a bit of a chastising tone in it as well ... he didn't often do this, nor call the human at his side names.... but damn it all to the marsh and back he wasn't going to let children be the death of him ... and Finistris should know that. Sure he was probably too old for this, and he wasn't exactly in the best of shape.... but there was no way he was going to die outside a fight ... and even then he didn't plan on going without trying his best to take the other person out with him. That would be the only acceptable death ... not this, not now.

After the first child everything seemed to go a lot smoother ... and quicker then the rat had expected. Before he knew it it was all over and thank the suits for no more of those damnable contractions ... he could live the rest of his days without ever experiencing that again, that was for sure. He was tired, verging on exhausted really, and covered in sweat and blood ... but he'd fight the urge to sleep for a little while ... just to make sure. When he was certain they were all out he activated his Jack's ability .... which would probably make the corvies job of patching things up rather easy.

But... .gads .... so very tired ....

But he wanted to at least see them before he passed out ... especially whatever one had squeaked. That one had to be mostly rat at the least ... it hadn't quite clicked yet that one of them had spoken .... or how odd he and his brother were.

Sarahi was relatively quiet, her cries dulling down into little almost squeaks as she made the attempt to bury herself in the soft warmth that was blankets. It was a sorry substitute for what she was used to .... but it was the closest thing to it she could find at present.

Boston tilted his head in a somewhat suspicious manner at the approaching man before he mulled his words over .... his father? Well that certainly made sense so he accepted the petting without biting or moving away ... before he and his obnoxiously loud sibling were whisked over to where their sister was trying to bury herself and failing miserably at the task. The hisstor shoved his face under his bipedal sibling, causing her to squeak in surprise, as Boston stayed alert and took in his surroundings .... and then peered curiously at the runt of the litter when he was brought over as well.

Compared to everyone else in the room .... his siblings were pretty odd looking .... weren't they?


Healing Boost: He is now also able to heal bone fractures, though not severe breaks, over the course of ten minutes. Wounds can now be healed in five minutes unless grievous, they will then take up to a half hour if they can be fixed at all.