Good night, parakeet... [FINISHED]

[carcinoGeneticist]

...Good night, my love.

The trio of them was a strange sight all huddled together before the lake, the last rays of sunlight dyeing them with all its vivid purples and reds. Their shadows stretched out behind them, seeming to chase themselves back into the darkness of the world, feeding into its already expansive cover of the lakeshore. Night was fast approaching, and at this point its heavy blanket would cover the world in only a matter of minutes.

They had settled there only a moment before this one, exhaustion from their long journey having taken its toll on the two younger members of their group. Calia, ever the attentive mother, had found a comfortable patch of grass which gave the trio a sublime view of the lakefront which seemed to stretch endlessly before them. Her smallest child, Mori, tucked herself into her mother's soft feathers, letting her little body be covered by a single large wing. Next to the young sparrow and cuddled against her as she was to her mother was a blue-spotted bander.

""Mother, when will we see father again? Dahlia and me miss him and Ez so much." the little one murmured, her eyes already sliding shut with exhaustion. Dahlia, the bander that curled beside the young sparrow, made a soft whuffling noise, her ears erect and eyes alert to anything that could pose even the slightest threat to Mori. She curled closer to the sparrow, slowly lowering her head to rest it atop her white paws.

Calia's eyes were soft as she began to use her beak to stroke Mori's mane, absently preening and detangling it so it hung neatly from her feathers. She was aware of the way her daughter's breathing had changed as the little sparrow gave in to her exhaustion. "Soon, my darling. After you and Daliah feel ready, we will go into town to seek them out.[/b]" There was a twinge of anxiety in her breast as her thoughts swam to Theofilus, her daughter's father. She had not seen him since the birth of their children, as much as she had wanted to seek him out. She had not been sure if she was ready for children when they came into her life, and she had never been sure if he was either.

There was a tightness in her chest at the thought of seeing him again, however, and she closed her eyes for just a moment at the though of his face. Under her feathers, her skin darkened with a hot blush. It... would be good to see him. If nothing else, Mori wanted to thank him in person for his kind gift. Daliah had been an amazing companion for their timid daughter, giving her some feeling of comfort in a world which seemed to otherwise give her little more than worry and fear.

[Kari Muffin]

"Dad, I really don't get it!" The boy whined as he sat with a book in his lap. The young Ezekiel was reading a book about banders, and he still hadn't gotten used to the set up of care instructions. He watched Theofilus run his fingers across the shelves looking for something easier. The man sighed and crossed his arms.

Their house wasn't that big, it barely fit the three of them and their banders. It was built for a family of two--so the brothers had to share a bedroom that Theofilus was throughly convinced used to be a broom closet. This whole parent thing was above his understanding, but he did his best to adapt. Books helped a little, but no book could explain how his sons caused so much trouble and randomly disappear from sight. No parenting book could explain that.

"You should be in bed," Theofilus said with a stern gaze. "Zane already went to sleep. And your sister should be coming tomorrow! Don't you want to be ready to play with her?"

Ez looked thoughtful before grinning madly, "Okay dad! Night!" He set the book down on the table before wobbling off into his broom closet.

When Theofilus heard the soft footfalls fade away he began to pace. Calia was coming with Mori to thank him for the bander. He was going to see her again, and yet there was the tight constricting pain in his chest. Why was he so nervous to see her? Maybe he shouldn't tell her about all the trouble the boys caused... why was he making this so complicated?

Suddenly he stopped pacing to look out the window. The light had died out, and the stairs were already shining. He watched as a faint breeze tossed the leaves of his neighbor's trees. He reassured himself that tomorrow would be fine. Mori would have fun with her brothers and he would have a nice long talk with Calia. The might have some tea, and they could talk about her studies.

He took a deep breathe and sat down at the table. He would study and have some tea to relax before he went to bed. That made him wonder where Calia and Mori were spending the night...

It looked like there would be no sleep for Theofilus.

(OOC: xenon you are an amazing writer. WOW I am intimidate. *bows* sorry about any weird errors, I really need sleep, but I wanted to post for you. <3 do forgive me. )

[carcinoGeneticist]

((awww, don't be intimidated! <33 you're an amazing writer. I just got bit by an inspiration bug and so I've become totally long-winded. XD))

"Mori, Mori my love.." After letting her daughter rest for a while, Calia found herself regrettably nudging the young one back into wakefulness. Darkness had finally swallowed the world, and the group needed to get moving again. The little sparrow's brow furrowed slightly and a musical murmur came from her still half-asleep form, trying ever so hard to ignore her mother's voice, instead snuggling deeper into the warm pink feather-down under her parent's wing. "Come on, now. We need to get to the hotel before the desk closes... Wouldn't you rather be somewhere warm so you can get a good night's sleep before you see you father and brothers?"

Mori's eyes finally opened again at this reminder of the next day's events, and she looked up at her mother. Daliah whuffled at her side, gently nudging the young bird and helping her to her feet once more. The bander wanted to get Mori inside almost as badly as Calia did, though for an entirely different reason - the warmth of a bed was hugely preferable to the cold grass that was underpaw here. Calia smiled reassuringly as Mori wobbled on her feet, and once again the three began to move.

~~~

The conversation that had played out with the innmaster played in Calia's head seemingly on repeat. "Sorry, marm. We're all full up for the night. If you have any family in the area, I'd check in with them for a place to stay. That's just the way of it.[/i]"

From the his last words, she'd had a fairly good idea of what had happened to their room: Someone of a higher ranking had come through, and they'd had no choice but to give it away. She could not help but feel bitter, however, as they made their way through the town's quiet streets and towards Theofilus' house. She had no idea what else she could do. If it had just been her, she would have swallowed her pride and found a suitable place to stay outside, but... Her parental side reared up within her, full of disgust of the idea of her daughter curled up in some tree or something, like an animal of some kind... She had told Mori quickly that no, they weren't going to be staying there anyway, they just needed to check in on some business and would be going to their resting place soon.

"We're going to see Father tonight?!" the exhaustion in Mori's voice bled away entirely when the trio turned the corner leading to Theofilus' house, her eyes shining with glee. "And Zane? And Ez?" so great was her excitement when Calia smiled and nodded, her mother's strange silence flew right over her head. Calia would probably always be grateful for this, since she wasn't sure quite how to tell her daughter what exactly was going through her mind at this point.

As they climbed up to his house, her legs were shaking, and her feathers pulled close against herself. She had to take several breaths before leaning in and pulling back the knocker with her beak, eyes closing as she tried to bite back the last bit of her worry. It was late, she knew, but... He would understand, she was sure.. If nothing else, he would know of a place they could stay.

[Kari Muffin]

He turned the page of the account books. Once again he had brought work home with him against his better judgment. His partner had left on his honey moon, leaving Theofilus and one hastily hired assistant to do the work. Tonight he decided that he needed to double check the math.

Theofilus dropped his book with a slight jump. He shifted to look at the door, was that a knock? He listened again to the broken silence. Yes, someone was knocking on his door at this hour?

A sudden thought hit him from behind. What if Calia and Mori were hurt? He choked as he quickly rose and scurried to the door. He did not bother to ask who it was, he simply unbolted the door and opened it as quickly as he could.

"Calia?" he asked automatically when he saw the sparrow in mid-knock. He spotted Mori and the young bander that he had given to Calia for one of the girls. "My goodness, you're early, in we go!" he whispered the last part allowing the ladies to walk in without him in the doorway. He would pretend everything was all right until Mori went off to bed. "The boys fell asleep waiting."

He remembered he was still in biped form. Gah. He slipped back into his bird form as he slipped behind the door keeping it open. All the while he wondered what had gone wrong in the planning, and why Calia had shown up on his doorstep. He would give her a tender hug and kiss once Mori and her little bander were tucked away with her brothers.

(OOC: <3 *hugs* )

[carcinoGeneticist]

When the door swung open after what seemed to Calia to be eons, though she knew it was only seconds, she felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of Theofilus' mid-form. Her eyes met his, and she froze in place for a second, feeling as though the world was spinning beneath her feet, the once solid ground threatening to drop her into a heap of feathers and emotions. Goodness, had it really been so long since she'd seen the handsome sparrow?

Her dreamy thoughts were broken in a rush of blue and reddish feathers. Mori, upon the sight of her father, let out a delighted cry and launched herself at him, her wings spreading. A collision between the two was unavoidable, and the little sparrow immediately set about nestling in close to her likely-stunned father. Daliah rushed in after her keeper, her stump of a tail quivering in anticipation at entry into her old home. She ran in circles about Theofilus and Mori's feet, whuffling with excitement. Somehow, she managed to be the loudest thing - even Mori's exstatic shout was muffled, as she had heard her father say that her brothers were asleep.

Calia followed her daughter, offering Theofilus a soft smile as she entered his small home. "Hello again, Theofilus... It's so very good to see you. We're sorry to barge in on you like this, but... The inn we were going to stay in was all filled up.[/b]" There was a hint of embarassment in her voice as she spoke, and her eyes carried another meaning that he might understand. It was a longing to snuggle up to him like Mori was now, but the parental desire to stay back for now.

"Do I get to sleep with Ez and Zane?" Mori trilled, looking up at her father with wide and excited eyes. "And can Daliah sleep with me too? She's ever so soft and warm, father, I love her so much! Thank you for sending her to me!" Children were so adorable, with their lack of emotional control. Mori's seemed to be waterfalling out of her, and it was all Calia could do but smile slightly.

[Kari Muffin]

He laughed, it seemed to be the right thing to do in a moment of red and happy feathers. What a darling daughter he had. She would grow up to be as amazing as her mother, he was sure. "Of course you can Mori! They boys and the banders would be disappointed without you!" He hugged her tightly and balanced between the bander and her. "Dahlia and you are going to wake up the brothers if you're not careful! Though I'm so happy you two are a perfect team!"

Theofilus made his way to the boys bedroom, blancing all the way. He slipped the door open as quietly as he could. He was greeted by the head of a curious Zane, who was entirely too alert to be woken from sleep.



"Mori?" He asked as he watched his father crouch down.

"Take care of your sister while I have a nice talk with your mom." He smiled warmly at his son as Mori continued to cling and Dahlia playfully leaped around. Theofilus turned to Calia, a warm smile still across his beak, "The door will always be open for all of you. No need to apologize."

[carcinoGeneticist]

The whole way to their room, Mori clung tightly to her father, her glee seeming to ooze from every inch of her body. She had missed him so very much, this was obvious by her reaction to seeing him. Then there was the promise of seeing her brothers soon - something which she wanted very much, indeed. When the door to their room swung open, the little sparrow transferred the energy she had put into tackling her loved father into tackling Zane as soon as he appeared, knocking him to the ground in a puff of red-and-white feathers. Immediately, words poured from her beak as she looked around eagerly. "Zane! Zane! We're here early and I get to stay with you! Where's Ez?!"

Daliah sped out from between Theofilus' legs, throwing herself into the growing pile of sparrows and whuffling louder now, the energy of the group exciting her more and more. She could smell the other banders that lived there, all of them family to her, and her fur was positively bristling with energy. As Mori finally detatched from Zane, the bander was right there beside her, sniffing at him eagerly.

Calia couldn't help but return the smile as Theofilus returned to where she waited. She felt a fluttering in her chest at the sound of Zane's voice, but decided that she would wait until the morning to see him, as too much excitement at this time and the three children would likely never sleep. "I can't tell you how much it means to me, Theofilus.[/b]" again, that longing look returned to her eyes as she moved a little closer to him. "Or how much it means to see you again. I've... I've really missed you. It seems we have much to talk about, if you aren't too tired.[/b]"

[Kari Muffin]

Zane was a whole level confused as he was crushed by his joyful sister's weight. He watched as she righted her self after knocking the wind from him, and as her bander--what was her name--wuffled and bounced in excitement. Now that they were off him he could explain.

"He's asleep, he can sleep through anything," Zane said with a smirk on is face. "Want to jump on him with me to see if we can wake him up?" His brother would get a kick out of that, after all he would love to see Mori. He would probably be upset if he wasn't woken up for this wonderful occasion.


"Who needs meaning when you're here right now?" Theofilus smile widened. "I was just checking my accounts, so I'm no where ready for sleep. Talk as long as you want explaining what happened." He nudged her over to one of the chairs. "Please make yourself comfortable while I make some tea?"

He listened as Zane and Mori went to wake their brother. Theofilus refrained from sighing and scolding them, they would fall asleep soon enough. Ez, at least, would encourage sleep or Zane would be the responsible one to make up for his reckless behavior. Boys were such a handful.

For now he would be "alone" with Calia. She needed him more than they did for now.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Mori fell back from her brother, gleeful at how excited he seemed to be to see her. Her feathers fluffed around her in obvious pleasure, and Daliah leapt up and sat down atop her feet, still quivering from the excitment of greeting Zane. How delightful this was!

Her small eyes widened at the news of Ez still sleeping - she was sure he would have woken up at the crash that the two sparrows had made when she had tackled Zane! A grin crept slowly across her face as the gears began to spin in her head, and when her brother voiced the very thoughts that she had been beginning to formulate, the grin only widened. "Yes, let's! If he can sleep through that, then we'll need to bring him to the hospital!" a small giggle accompanied her words, and she began to slink towards Ez's bed, head and eyes low as she approached it.

Calia nodded gratefully at the offer of a seat, and she moved into the chair that Theofilus had motioned towards. Her eyes slid shut as she finally, after so many hours, was able to rest. She felt as comfortable as ever in his home and his presence, and she did not admittedly expect that to change. "Thank you so very much... It's been a long trip," she admits with a small grin. "It seems that Mori wanted to stop at every wide spot along the road to see something that just might be there. I will admit that it was a fun trip, we saw many beautiful things along the way."

She could hear the sounds of Mori and Zane talking in what they must have believed were hushed whispers in the other room, and she met Theofilus' eyes, grinning widely. If it went on for too much longer, she too would move to action, but she had no concerns about their children behaving badly.

As the memories in her mind finally came to their refusal of a room, the smile on her face melted away slowly. A hint of it remained in her eyes, but her expression carried a sadness. "We arrived late, and the innmaster had given our room to someone else. It was the last room there, and as much as I hated the idea of catching you by surprise, I didn't know what else to do."

[Kari Muffin]

Poor innocent Ez was sleeping soundly as Zane slipped towards him as quietly as he could. The young mix hesitated when his brother turned over in his sleep blissfully unaware of the adventure about to unfold on top of him. "On the count of three we jump," Zane smirked. "One, Two.... Three!" he leaped up into the air and landed with an ungraceful thud.

Ez woke up with an expression of sheer confusion. "Why?" he whimpered under the weight of both his siblings.

Theofilus heard the crash before he could make any comments to the lovely Calia. He sighed before calling out, "Leave your brother alone!" He shook his head as the tea warmed up and he finally could look to Calia. "I'm so very happy you came. Surprising me isn't a problem, it's more of a gift." He smiled back at her. Seeing her happy was almost more than his heart could take. He felt it break slightly as she explained why she came so early.

"I'm so sorry, that's very unfortunate. Though I can't say I'm surprised. Some of the inn keepers around here are inconsiderate bastards for lack of a better term. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

The tea whistled innocently, interrupting the touching atmosphere. The sparrow didn't let it bother him, he simply walked over and poured the two cups and setting them carefully on a tray with a different selection of premade tea balls. He balanced them carefully and made his way to the table, setting them down carefully. "I was planning this for morning, but now is a perfectly good time," he smiled.