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Post by Jaguara Katial on Dec 6, 2007 16:30:39 GMT -5
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 6, 2007 17:06:45 GMT -5
So late in the evening, Ashwin had already closed his shoppe and locked it up tight, closing the shutters against an early chill and taking care of his banders for the night. Feeding, watering, the occasional grooming... he would work on more training tomorrow for some of the 'fresher' banders, the ones who would need the most work to make manageable pets rather than barely domesticated terrors that ruled a household.
He wasn't expecting anyone to disturb him for the evening and had already taken off his shirt, scrubbing at his face over the sink upstairs when a knock sounded on the door below. He paused, hands full of water from the basin and halfway to his face. There, the sound was repeated. Eyebrows knit in confusion, the water splashing down again, and he grabbed a towel to dry himself off as he walked out and downstairs. Whoever it was, they would have to deal with him shirtless if they wanted to bother him so late.
Unbolting and opening the door, the last thing he was expecting to see was Majida cradling a small blue bundle, bag in hand and pair of banders at her heels. His mouth opened, closed, opened again. "Hello, Maji dear. I'm afraid you caught me by surprise. Can I help you tonight?" He motioned for her to step inside out of the cold, his eyes searching out and finding that blue bundle again. He couldn't quite see... but it looked like a child.
...damn it. Not again.
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Post by Jaguara Katial on Dec 6, 2007 17:28:53 GMT -5
She looked him up and down and suddenly realised just how late it was. She felt a little ashamed as she stepped inside away from the cold night air. "I'm sorry for bothering you so late Ashwin...I...I just did not know where else to go..."[/b] tears threatened her eyes as it seemed she was not here to seek anything else at the moment than a place to sleep for herself and her party.
She was confused and scared and extremely upset and it just eminated off of her blue form. She started to shake a little, nervious that he would turn her away. So many things swam through her head, but that all quickly cleared itself when the small swaddled bundle began to whine. She bounced him soflty and cooed trying to calm him, thinking about the other child she had left in the cave. Her heart broke and the tears flowed down her face as they had off and on since she had left the cave.
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 6, 2007 17:49:08 GMT -5
Ashwin watched her move, cradling the small form so tightly, and closed the door after her banders had followed their mistress inside. She didn't look especially good, fluffed from the cold and shaking like that. No, she looked anything but 'okay' right now. He reached out one hand to place it comfortingly on her shoulder but twitched it back at the last second when a whining noise came from the thing in her arms, which he now had no choice but to consider a child. A baby, even, for how very small it was.
He grimaced a little, then smoothed his expression and placed the hand on her shoulder. Was she crying? Ah, hell... probably expecting him to kick her out on her rear. He knew she lived with someone, though whether it was her family or a lover or just a roommate he had no idea. Had they thrown her to the curb when she had a child? If so, it would be the second time something of this nature happened. The first time had been absolutely miserable. At least Maji looked to have been able to collect a few of her belongings.
"It's alright, sweetheart. You know I can't just leave you out in the cold like that. Why don't you come upstairs and let me get you a cup of coffee." He very carefully didn't mention the fussing baby in her arms. That would be left for her to bring up. She'd never been the most tactful creature, so it probably wouldn't matter much either way, but still.
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Post by Jaguara Katial on Dec 6, 2007 18:00:09 GMT -5
She sniffed a little and tried to dry her tears. The baby had settled down a little but was still slightly fussy. "Thank you Ashwin..."[/b] She started to make her way up the stairs baby and banders in tow.
A part of her wanted to show him their son, but a bigger part of her wanted to just spill every thing to Ashwin. Why she was here, about the other child...everything about her life. She felt like she could not hold it all inside much longer and it was starting to rip her apart. Even though Ashwin was basically her lover, at the same time to her he was more. He had shown her compassion and when ever she wanted to get away from her world she could always come here if he was not busy. She missed her friend, it had been quite some time since she had seen him...actually since the morning that vermin had attacked her. She had avoided the city, hiding in her cave afraid to be found by him again.
Ashwin never even knew that she had been pregnant. She winced as she reached the top of the stairs and opened the door carefully as she stepped inside. What was going through Ashwin's mind she thought silently to herself.
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 6, 2007 18:10:19 GMT -5
I'm getting too old for this, the pine martin thought tiredly, ushering her upstairs and onto the large cushion set not far from the couch, often more comfortable for anyone with wings to manage. He made sure she was settled, her and the child buried in her feathers, before retreating to the kitchen. Well, perhaps it was more of a strategic retreat. He wasn't running. This was his house. He started a pot of coffee, the sound of grinding beans muffled by the door in between the two rooms but still somewhat loud.
In the meantime, Treasach had rolled himself off of the couch and approached Maji's two banders stiffly. He recognized the one, who submitted to him with no trouble in the past, but not the other. With a very definite sneeze, he awaited either their submission or their challenge. The avian and her strange-smelling something could wait until after this very important matter was settled.
Mugs prepped and waiting for the pot to boil, Ashwin returned to the main room, the smell of ground coffee wafting after him. He perched on the arm of the couch, looking down at her and her burden. It looked like a pure Range child. Was it even his?
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Post by Jaguara Katial on Dec 6, 2007 19:29:10 GMT -5
Agnetea looked at Treasach and for a split second it seemed like she was going to challenge his authority if it had not been for her own mother that growled and swipped at her forcing her into submission. Miyako then in turn subbmitted to Treasach. Agnetea sneezed with distaste at her mother but did nothing more. Her mother's "words" were law, she had learned that long ago.
The smell of coffee wafted in from the kitchen and the hot drink was promising. Maji watched Ashwin come over and sit himself down on the arm of the couch. She looked down at the small bundle who had some how manuvered her clawed finger into his small mouth and had begun to suckle. The act calmed him so he was not whinning but the small act broke her heart slightly. "Ashwin...am I a bad person?"[/b] She asked hesitantly as she watched her son. "Is not wanting one of my own children...does it make me a bad person?"[/b] She looked up at the Pine Marten and almost started crying knowing how similar Aeron and he looked.
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 8, 2007 12:07:32 GMT -5
Treasach watched the little play of dominance and submission with a critical eye, then sat down in front of both females and set to grooming Miyako. He remembered her and decided to show favor. The uppity little sprat could stew for all he cared, so long as she didn't challenge him on his home turf. Or at all. He wouldn't stand for it, and neither of them would be able to take him in a flat-out fight, which he knew very well.
As the child squirmed, Ashwin caught sight of his face and winced inwardly. Oh yes, that was definitely one of his. The pine martin muzzle was unmistakable, though he'd also seemed to take after his mothers in the striking blue eyes and feathers department. What an adorable child. Then again, with parents like them, it would be hard to produce an ugly one. Too bad it was his, really... ah well. It was done. And thinking about it, he hadn't seen Maji for roughly nine months, which made a great deal of sense now.
He saw tears shimmering unshed in her eyes and winced inside again, though he kept the expression off of his face. "If that were the case, I'd know an awful lot of bad people. So no, I don't really think you are, my dear. You're saying you don't want this one?" He motioned with his hand to indicate the bundle cuddled so close in her arms. So far as he knew, it was the only one... which struck him as remarkably unusual. He'd never, in all his years of womanizing and siring illegitimate litters, ever had a woman confront him with just one. There always seemed to be two or more.
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Post by Jaguara Katial on Dec 8, 2007 13:32:52 GMT -5
Agnetea watched intently as Treasach groomed Miyako. She attempted to inch closer to the pair, wanting to be a part of the group but her mother sneezed a warning to stay where she was. Agnetea coughed in response.
Maji looked down at her beautiful son and smiled a little, Ashwin's words had comforted her for now. "...It was not this one that was unwanted Ashwin..."[/b] She winced trying to force away the awful memories of that horrible morning. "It was the other...,”[/b] she whispered more to herself than any one else. She then looked back up to Ashwin, "It was awful...ugly and falling apart...a horrible mix...a reminder of that morning, a morning I just want to forget..."[/b] As the memories, rushed back to her tears started to flow down her face. “I…I just do not understand…it seems like bad things keep happening to me...”[/b] She sobbed and continued her words. “When will things get better? Will things ever get better?”[/b] She would have wiped away her tears if she had a free hand but Aeron continued sucking on his mother’s finger and the other hand wrapped firmly around his small form. She was falling apart and this was a side no one had ever seen. Even Sebak, with whom she had spent so many years with, never knew the reasons she cried.
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Post by The Jenn on Dec 8, 2007 14:36:54 GMT -5
Treasach quite successfully ignored the younger bander, busily making sure that her mother smelled more of him than dirt or cave or outdoors.
Ashwin's brow wrinkled in confusion. A horrible mix? This child was mixed breed and certainly not horrible, so she must mean region. But... they were the same region. Which must mean that the unwanted child, this 'other', wasn't his? He'd heard of something like that happening before. It always struck him as very strange.
And if it was such an unpleasant memory associated with it, he could only assume that her time with the other parent was less than willing. The thought made him bristle slightly. He could see plenty of people taking advantage of Maji. She wasn't the brightest young thing. Hell, some people would say that he took advantage of her, but he didn't really see it that way. He'd never pushed anything she didn't seem quite happy to agree with.
He sighed and moved to kneel next to her, pulling her into a loose hug. He'd had enough experience with crying women and she was always the type that touch worked for. If anything would get her to stop crying eventually, even if it got worse first, it would be a hug and a few comforting pets. "They'll get better, lovely. However bad it seems now, it won't be that way forever. What happened to the other child. Did it die?" Normally he wouldn't care enough about such personal things to ask... and really, he still didn't care about the details, but he had the niggling feeling that she wouldn't calm down unless she talked about something. It was supremely annoying, but he couldn't begrudge her a moment's comfort, especially since he was partly responsible for the whole mess of children.
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