Darkness on the Rise (Finished)

[The Jenn]

Lior certainly hoped they didn't have too many. A lot of children would wear on her physically, and both of them mentally. He'd heard what a hassle children could be, taking time and money and attention, and it would be a lot easier to get used to it all if there were fewer. "Maybe they're just big babies?" he suggested, then snorted at what he'd said. That sounded ridiculous, but it made him smile. "Or who knows, there might be a biped. My father was born with his bipedal form. Maybe it passed on?"

He shook his head and smiled. He'd certainly never been called a flirt before. Giving compliments was something he didn't mind doing, so long as he felt the other person really deserved them. Forced compliments stuck in his craw like nobody's business. It all stemmed from his ability to sense the falsehood in others.

...someday he would have to look at her through the eyes of his ring. He didn't want to, but the niggling little thought pestered him at night sometimes when he didn't have anything else to think about. It was like some sort of sick curiosity, to see the worst in people. It showed that no matter how good they were, there was always something that made them a horrible person. Even the people he loved most had that horror buried inside them. He'd once looked in a mirror while wearing it and nearly screamed. For now, though, the ring was tucked safely away in one of his cloak's inside pockets and he didn't have to worry about the horrible temptation.

"I hope the boys take after you too," he said with a smile and a shake of his head. Certainly none of them needed to become like their failure of a father. "That way they're set no matter what they are."

[carcinoGeneticist]

"A biped... Wouldn't that be amazing?[/b]" she whispered, looking down at herself, paws resting on the curve of her belly. His smile made her heart jump just a little bit, and she felt very suddenly warm. She was looking forward to spending more time here with him, even if it was because there were babies on the way. Life seemed calmer and slower while she was with him, completely unlike the tempest of activity that filled the courts. It would be a welcome vacation.

Of course, she would need to return to the court before too long. That was an unplesant thought to be sure, but she had to consider it eventually. If she was lucky, she could just tell her parents and brother that she needed a break. The only hard part to that would be keeping them from visiting her...

The hybrid relaxed against Lior, letting out a deep and satisfied (and maybe a little sleepy) sigh, her eyes closing for a moment and just basking in her relief. It was a rare feeling for Rhiannon, who was so often plagued by nightmares and mindless paranoia. "Lior,[/b]" she said, smiling and reaching up to paw at his chin, then leaning forward and licking his jaw. "I just hope that they will make you proud one day. That I can make you proud.[/b]"

[The Jenn]

The Court had been an incredibly stressful place for Lior to grow up as well, especially as one of the reigning Queen's children. He was always held up in comparison against his sister and found lacking, by his own standards and everyone else's. It was no secret that Linda had been their father's favorite, and their papa hadn't really wanted much to do with either of them after his son had proved to be such a disappointment to him. They'd been too much in the limelight for him to become anything other than the neurotic bundle of anxiety and depression he'd turned into after a while.

Then the cloak had entered his life and put everything into a state of flux...

And here he was now, laying on a chair next to a beautiful girl, the father of an unborn litter of children, with a roof over his head and a steady supply of food. He may feel pathetic and guilty for the imposition, but the fact that she was willing to help take care of him when he couldn't do it for himself because of the curse meant so much. It had only been two months since their fateful meeting in the alley and already he felt... 'attached'.

When she spoke, the words struck him like a brick upside the head and he went pale beneath his fur, unnoticeable with the white. What a way to hit a nerve he hadn't thought about in a while. "All I wanted as a child was for someone to be proud of me," he said in an oddly strained voice. "Mostly because I couldn't be proud of myself. I can't imagine doing that to a child of my own, not after everything. Especially not a child from you." He just desperately hoped they wouldn't inherit any of his insecurities or, worse, something from either of his parents. Her family seemed much more sane, from what little he'd seen, even if they were from an unusual region.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Rhiannon's ears flicked back slightly, her brow furrowing. She might not be able to see him pale, but she could hear the strain in his voice, and she felt her stomach twist slightly with it. She never wanted to make him feel that kind of insecurity, never wanted to be the cause of pain for him. She let out a soft whimper, licking his cheek softly before curling up around him almost protectively, nuzzling his chest. "I'm proud of you,[/b]" she said softly. She was, too. He had been nothing if not a good companion to her since she'd met him, and had stepped up admirably to the task she had presented him with. How could she not be proud?

"You're going to be an amazing father to them, Lior,[/b]" she said softly, a smile dancing across her muzzle as she "kissed" him softly, snuggling in close, her tail beating reassuringly against the chair. "I can only hope that my parenting skills are half as good as I know yours will be.[/b]"

She was tired, and stretched out slightly, yawning a little extravegantly. She felt much better about everything, and just needed to make sure he felt the same way. The one thing that she was sure of was that she wouldn't be able to do this - any of it - without his help. "I'll need to go back to the court to tye up any loose ends,[/b]" she said a little softly, eyes soft. Damnit, what was wrong with her? Why was she feeling so reluctant to let him out of her sight? She couldn't just vanish, her mother would undoubtedly track her down and that just wouldn't do. "But I can stay for a few days now, if you'd like..[/b]" there was a touch of hopefulness in her voice. She was enjoying this far too much...

[The Jenn]

Lior leaned into her protective curl, resting his head on the scruff of her neck in front of her wings. The thick fur provided a good cushion for his bony chin and he sighed, giving the shining fur closest to his tongue a lick. "Thank you," he replied quietly, not quite sure what to say. She meant the compliments, that much was coming through, but he had none of her faith in his own abilities. Time would tell how good or bad a job he did of it all, he supposed. Parents... he was going to be a parent. That was so bizarre.

He felt distinctly uncomfortable with the fact that his uncle still didn't know where he was, and now the fact that he was going to have yet more family members. Some part of him wanted to ask her to tell Bernard, but the larger, meeker part insisted that it wasn't a good idea. Not yet. He had to be able to get hold of himself first before he dared to contact the other King.

The touch of hope in her voice when she suggested staying at the apartment for a little while made him feel warm inside. "I would certainly appreciate the company," he admitted, still comfortably tangled with her. "Especially if you'll have to stay away a little while before coming back. What... are you going to tell your family? If anything?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

Normally, Rhiannon might have found it odd to talk to someone like this, all tangled up with them rather than sitting eye-to-eye. In this case, she found it oddly comforting, hearing Lior's words rumble in his chest, and her leafy nose wiggled contentedly against him. She honestly liked this, liked him, which was completely new to her. She'd felt adoration, yes, and a hatred that somehow became lust... but never this feeling of relaxation and comfort that she got from spending time with the strange feline.

The hybrid woman sighed softly, her ears twitching. She'd been thinking about what she'd do since she had recieved the news, and she still wasn't entirely sure what the best plan of action would be. The safest would be to simply tell them nothing, but that would almost certainly lead to some suspicion, and she couldn't deal with that. Not with her family as it was, someone was certain to check in on them.

"I want to tell them as little as possible,[/b]" she said, shifting ever so slightly as she thought. Lior was an extra pair of ears, and she hoped that he could tell her if her plan seemed sound, or if they needed to change some aspect of it to make sure that they would remain as safe as possible. "I think I'll tell them that I am pregnant, but that I just can't be in the courts while I am, and that I have a midwife-friend working in the Capital who wants to help with the babies, so I'll be fine without their help. That'll even give me a reason to tell them to send notice before they visit because I don't want them stumbling in on my checkups.[/b]" her tail wagged a few times, thumping against the chair. She hoped they wouldn't try to visit. She wanted this time to herself - and Lior.

[The Jenn]

Lior could understand her concerns about her family finding out too much, especially since they would have no idea who the father of her children was... and he would rather keep it that way. Staying as far away from the Court as he could sounded like a very good idea right now. Considering a few things he'd heard about her mother, he didn't want to get anywhere near the woman right now. He didn't know much of anything about her father.

Even though he fully agreed that she needed to tell them something, lies never sat well with him. Again, it was an inadvertent result of his King's ability. "I wish there was some way for us to go about this without having to lie to people," he murmured with a sigh, stretching out his legs and resettling his shoulders so that he could relax his wing muscles and just let them droop. "I understand, though. You know your family better than I do and if that's what will work and keep their attention off of us then that's what works. Maybe you could just tell them that it's a friend, without specifying a profession...? Then everything else would fall into place and be completely true, and you would still hopefully have some sort of alibi?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

Lior's idea seemed to carry more water than Rhiannon's own did, and she considered it carefully. Yes, that would probably work, especially if she assured them that she was well taken care of. If she threw in a comment about court life just being a little too stressful for her current condition as well as just needing a vacation, everything would be fine. She felt sure of it. "That,[/b]" she smiled, licking Lior's cheek. "Is a wonderful idea. I'm sure we won't have any trouble.[/b]"

Normally, she wouldn't have minded her parents knowing that she was pregnant and would likely tell them exactly who was responsible for it - she had never expected that she'd feel this way, so protective of the person who was the cause for her distress. Well, so he wasn't entirely responsible - in fact, she might say that they were equally at fault.

None of that mattered, though, she thought to herself, a lazy smile working its way across her muzzle as she stretched out beside the feline, licking at the fur that her movements had mussed up. All that did matter was that when she was here like this, entangled in the man, she felt happy. The ghosts that plagued her dreams were almost completely quiet and her daytime thoughts were untroubled. The news of her pregnancy had stirred things up a bit, but now that she was with him again... She couldn't remember why she'd been so panicked before.

Her eyes closed and she gave him one last gentle lick before laying her head down with a soft sigh. "'m sleepy, Lior...[/b]" she murmured, letting out a quiet sigh. "Stay here with me until I fall asleep...? I feel so safe when I'm with you like this.[/b]"

[The Jenn]

The fact that she could feel safe beside him despite the aura of coldness and 'wrong' that hung about him was proof positive to Lior of what a generous, kind person she could be. "Of course I'll stay. I don't want to go anywhere." He licked behind her ear and along her neck as she settled. It had never occurred to him because he hadn't thought about it much, but having a loved one with fur like him was... nice. Linda had scales, Vio had scales, Bernard was always a human, and he hadn't been comfortable around Lani since he'd turned twelve. After about half an hour, he grew sleepy himself and settled in for a nap.

- - - - -

She returned to the Court after a short stay to settle things, as she'd said she would. Lior had no idea how things were going and some small, anxious part of him worried that she would change her mind about the pregnancy, decide it was a bad thing because of her family, and throw him to the curb. Or reveal his identity and location. Both would be equally horrible. His fear of that was much less than it would have been earlier, however, and he eagerly awaited her return. He got very lonely by himself, despite the fact that he ended up seeing people every day or other day whether he wanted to or not.

He didn't know when precisely she'd be back, whether it would be weeks or months, and so he went about his business and waited. In the meantime, he'd been trying to develop a hobby, but without hands and unwilling to leave the apartment for long periods of time, his options were limited.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Rhiannon had ended up staying for longer than she had originally planned, but she had been unable to leave before making sure that Xiven was comfortable and happy. She was settling into her new position in the courts very well, she thought, but she knew that she needed to get going before too long. After all, a part of her ached with longing whenever she thought of the white cat who she knew would be waiting for her when she returned. She simply couldn't leave him waiting for long, and so as soon as she'd said her goodbyes, she hit the road.

Of course, her slightly extended stay proved to be more problematic than she'd expected. Though she had only stayed a total of two weeks, one week more than she'd planned, it had been enough time for her pregnancy to advance alarmingly. The trip back to the capital, as a result, was a very slow one, and it would have been slower if not for the help she'd gotten from those who saw the "K" flashing on her chest and decided it would be worth their time to help her out.

When she finally returned, she climbed the stairs slowly, taking care to place one foot in front of the other. Nearly four months pregnant, now, her belly had swollen - but much more than she would have expected. It was looking as though their hopes for a small litter would be shattered - that was the only thing she could think of that would have her showing so much so early. She opened the door, carrying in her mouth a bag that held a roasted chicken that she'd decided smelled far too good to ignore. Once she was inside, she set it down and glanced around the room. It looked almost exactly the same as it'd been when she'd left it. "Lior? Are you home?[/b]"