All in Perfect Balance (Finished!)

[Nako]

"Ohmigawd!" Zuberi exclaimed, a hand coming up to facepalm herself before shaking her head slowly. "You are just -something else-, Seth. I don't know what you are... but it's surely... something else.."

At Heilyn's comment, Zuberi looked up at her with a grin. "Well he's certainly charming enough, Heilyn.. but taking him out in public must be an ordeal!"

At Heilyn's mentioning of an alternative solution, Zuberi wiggled her ears curiously. "Oh? What kind of a place would that be, if you don't mind me asking? It seems the Capital has something for every need a person has." At that, she glanced around, patting the bag at her hip thoughtfully. "I do in fact need to get some shopping done while I'm in town; my village sometimes lacks certain luxuries and whenever I have extra money I like to spend it on things that -can't- be found in Midori."

((Should we do a time skip or anything soon? XD ))

[carcinoGeneticist]

It was a few days later that they regrouped, Rhiannon quivering with excitement from the prospect of the adventure that awaited them. There would be explorations of the thick jungle surrounding the sea, swimming for as long as she wanted, and eating more of the interesting foods that she had first experienced there. And, with any luck, there would not be a repeat of her little episode from before. With Hadrian close by, things would be far more managable for her. He had always served as an anchor that kept her close to reality.

In a way, he made her crazy but he also kept her sane. What else were siblings for, though?

When Rhiannon's golden eyes fell upon the squirrel's green form, she bolted to the woman, leaping up at her and raining canine kisses on her face, her tail held low but waggling quickly - a clear sign of submission, respect, and love. "'Beri!" she yelped happily, falling onto her hind legs, eyes sparkling. "We're here, we're here!" Seth laughed, catching up to his daughter a moment later, grinning at the squirrel.

"Thanks again for this, Zubs.[/b]" the man chuckled, grabbing the squirrel in a firm hug. "You sure you still wanna? There's plenty of time to back out...[/b]"

[Satra]

Hadrian was absolutely excited about this coming trip. He'd spent the last few days with his sister, bombarding her with obnoxious questions about the Beaches and was anxious to see them. His mother had given him a bone to chew on and keep his mouth preoccupied since his excitement had caused him to start biting people. Playful biting, yes, he thought is was, but height of energy caused him to chomp down a little harder than most people liked...

He charged Zuberi a long with Rhi, but he couldn't bite and lick and yip as he wanted to, considering he refused to relinquish the bone. He just made odd, muffled noises around it as he jumped and wiggled in excitement.

Heilyn, however, was nervous as hell about sending her children off and was starting to have second thoughts. 'What ifs' began to weigh her mind down and causing her odd bouts of her version of panic attacks. She was half hoping Zuberi would take Seth up on backing down. SUITS! What was she thinking letting her children go off with some stranger?! In her hand she had a list of things Zuberi should know about them as well as an address to send a bill should Hadrian break anything. She stood back from the group, and watched them. the hug Seth gave her was reassuring... but it didn't completely soothe her.

She came forward and gave a weak smile and a nod. An odd sound escaped her like a mix between a sigh and a nod and held out the paper to the Squirrel.

"I... mmade a list of things you should know about the kids, especially Hadrian," she said, trying to sound a little more steady than she was. As soon as the paper was taken, she knelt down the Hadrian who came to her immediately, tail flying and body wiggling. She touched his head and he wiggled all around her hand, moving his body underneath the touch, "And, until he calms down, I suggest keeping the bone in his mouth. And... uh I..." she racked her brain for something else to say. There had to be! All she felt was nervousness.

[Nako]

Heilyn was obviously nerve-wracked, and it was enough to even put the cool minded Zuberi on edge. One couldn't deny how adorable it was how she worried. Glancing down at the paper, Zuberi's eyes widened at the long list of various intricacies only a mother could know. No offense meant to the mother of course, but Zuberi felt she could handle the situation.

"Heilyn... stop, and breathe a second!" She couldn't help but laugh just a little. "I've twelve cousins ranging from a year of age up to 15 years old and helped raise most of them; they're in good hands!" Still smiling broadly, she placed a webbed hand on Heilyn's shoulder. "I'm pretty sure I can handle anything that these two can dish out, and the entire village looks out for one another.

And then she paused, as if remembering something very important. The bone in Hadrian's mouth was a very keen reminder. "But Hadrian, there will be one thing you'll have to remember. You are not to chew ANY of the bones in my house. Those are ancestral remains... "

[Satra]

.....

God, that better be the truth.

While it soothed part of her, her paranoia didn't subside fully. What if... what if something else happened? Or This Zuberi woman was a more malicious character than she let on to be?

More deep breaths.

No. She remembered why she trusted her in the first place. She brought back her daughter with no intention of asking for a reward and completely unprompted. Upon questioning her daughter as to what happened while she was gone, she said nothing about mentioning to Zuberi that Heilyn was a Court noble.

Still, she wanted to find something... anything to found her fears on... make herself seem a little more sane to herself. All logic pointed to the fact they could trust the woman, and yet Heilyn was digging for anything to keep them. She wanted them to go and have fun... but something held her back. She could only look up at the woman and nod. As Hadrian peeled away from her to acknowledge the attention he was now receiving from the Green and pink Squirrel, Heilyn put now shaking hands in her lap and watch them intently. There was a mixture of contempt and worry on her face.

Hadrian, on the other hand, was trying to jump on Zuberi for her to pet him as she spoke. ...Ancestral Remains? He paused for a second in his wild antics and tilted his head. He didn't even know what that meant. Heilyn silently tossed the bag she been holding in Zuberi's general direction. In it, Zuberi would find Hadrian's newest favorite chew toys that hadn't been completely destroyed just yet. Heilyn tried to explain this, but ended up just silently opening and closing her mouth and lifting up her hands as if she was speaking.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Seth could see his lover's inner conflict, and walked away from Zuberi to comfort the woman. He didn't want to risk her having another panic attack, and he simply took her face in his hands, pressing his forehead against hers very softly. Red eyes met her own yellow ones, and he held her there until she looked at him, really looked at him. "It's going to be fine, Lyn.[/b]" he said very quietly, rough fingers stroking her smooth cheek. "Zuberi is one of the only people I'd trust with my children. The others are Bernard and yourself.[/b]" he grinned at her very slightly, almost crookedly.

Rhiannon, meanwhile, ignored them, instead circling the squirrel's feet, her entire rear quivering with the force of her wagging tail. "Are you excited?! I'm so excited to go back! And - And I can stay longer!!" she said eagerly, practically bouncing on her front feet. She shot a glare at Hadrian, narrowing her eyes for a second. "...And if he does anything bad just tell me, I'll beat him up." she said, her voice low with a warning.

[Nako]

Between appeasing Heilyn and merely keeping her footing as the children played about her feet, Zuberi was more than happy when Seth came to the rescue. Whatever he was murmuring to his wife, Zuberi was unable to hear. This was partially because of how low he was speaking to the woman but also because at that moment Zuberi nearly lost her balance, grateful only for a convenient coat rack to grab a hold of before she landed flat on her tail.

"Guys! Please, you're going to kill me before we even get out the door! Oh, calm down Rhi.. don't threaten your brother. I'm sure he'll stay out of trouble." Then, she glanced in Heilyn's direction. With all her antics, Zuberi was beginning to wonder if she had a touch of the Bog crazy herself. She was half tempted to invite the woman down if she was so worried, but Zuberi remembered all too well how parents liked to ruin good times. Spending some time away from the kids would probably therapeutic to both parents.

[Satra]

Heilyn shivered and closed her eyes as familiar calloused hands caressed her face and pulled her closer. A shaky, uneven breath echoed in the space between them, then she slowly opened her eyes. She stared back into his eyes as he spoke, breath and nerves calming. Seth would not will harm on their children. He was just as protective of them as she was. She nodded and leaned into the hand stroking her cheek. Slowly, she closed her eyes again and gently nuzzled her nose against his.

While the lovers interacted, Hadrian had gone back to his old antics of running around, getting riled up from his sister's excitement, his rear end mimicking hers. He also circled Zuberi, jumping rather than walking or running. Tripping, he crashed into the back of the Squirrel's knee, causing her to fall backwards. He wiggled himself out from under her, not entirely aware that he'd done something a touch rude. He whimpered around the bone still in his mouth as Rhi threatened him.

Head snapping away from her half-hypnotized state as Zuberi fell, Heilyn caught Hadrian removing himself from the scene of the 'crime'. She snapped her fingers to summon the boy and he came immediately. Unsure if he was in trouble or not, he kept his head and still wagging tail low.

"I think it's time for you two little hellions to go, now," she said, grabbing the back of Hadrian's head and forcing him to look at her, "You," she emphasized, "be. good. If Zuberi tells you to do something, you do it. Same goes for you, Rhi." Heilyn's head lifted up to look at her daughter. "Now come over here and say good bye." She said in a mock commanding voice. She gave her fluffy beast of a son a hug and a kiss on the forehead, then let him go to tackle Seth.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Rhiannon was clearly quite excited, still, but there was a touch of apprehension in her step when she returned to her mother's side, her tail held low and almost curling between her legs. She leapt up, putting her paws on her mother's stomach, and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, tail wagging. "I promise I'll get better, mama." she said softly, her voice nearly a whisper. She gave the woman another kiss, looking suddenly almost sad. "And I promise I'll be good, too. I'll miss you, though."

Seth took the opportunity to return to the squirrel, one hand clasping her shoulder as he tucked a small pouch into her hand, folding her fingers securely around it. He leaned close to her, whispering in an undertone and hoping that Heilyn wouldn't overhear. "As a thank-you gift from myself,[/b]" he smiled, giving the squirrel a quick kiss to the forhead. He knew Heilyn wouldn't mind that, but as for what was inside the bag... Well. Who knew? "It's the best that money can by. Savor this stuff, Zub, and if you like it, you know where to find me. I'll always have some for you.[/b]" he grinned, then turned to his children, catching them both in a bearhug.

"Christ! You guys are getting too big for this,[/b]" he laughed around Hadrian's mowhawk and Rhiannon's licking. He finally set them down, looking them both over, a hint of pride creeping into his expression. His children. They were perfect. "Don't miss me too bad.[/b]"

[Nako]

Zuberi's eyes widened, not at his kiss but at the familiar smell that hit her just as he handed the pouch to her. Certainly it was nothing she could enjoy while the kids were over.. but later.. she'd have to sample this wonderful smelling Herb that Seth seemed absolutely positive she'd like. For a connoisseur like herself, it would have to be impressive indeed.

She very discreetly stashed it into her pouch, finding herself quite giddy at the prospect of something new. With the kids under her watch though, she'd probably end up forgetting all about that anticipation because she'd be keeping the younglings out of trouble.

As Seth hugged and spoke with his children, she couldn't help but grin. "We're going to have so much fun they'll hardly have time to think, much less miss you too much." She grinned all the broader and smiled in Heilyn's direction specifically. "But by the end of it all I'm sure they'll be just as happy to come home as they are happy to be leaving for this little vacation."

"Now, I fully expect mommy and daddy to have fun too while we are gone. So you two be sure to go and do a lot of fun things!" It was so innocent when worded that way, but the implication hardly needed to be stressed. They probably needed to reignite a romance that might have been interrupted way to many times by boogymen and nightmares. Picking up the bags and such that Heilyn insisted on them bringing, she stood back up and surveyed the situation. "Alrighty then... Are we ready to go?"