The Boy Who Lived [Fin - Farewell to Calia]

[The Jenn]

Dozing contentedly in the woman's arms with a grossly distended belly and lumps of food visible through his thin, uncovered skin, Teo was at one with his infant universe. He'd graced her earlier with a wet, slimy poop, and was now simply content to fall into a sleep-coma while he digested his meal.

The quiet singing eventually pulled Parzifal from his exhausted sleep. He had no idea how long he'd been out, but he felt simultaneously comfortable and still tired when he woke. The sound pulled him to consciousness slowly and he rolled a little, stretching unobtrusively until his eyes were open.

Who was singing? And what language was that? "Teo?" he said groggily before his eyes properly focused on the scene in front of him.

...this was what parenting should be, wasn't it? Talk about a scene of domestic bliss. He slowly sat up and watched, then smiled sleepily and braced his back against the headboard. "I think he likes that."

[carcinoGeneticist]

It took Calia a moment to recognize that Parzifal had begun to stir, her focus was much too locked in on the babe in her arms. He was a good child, sweet, well-behaved, and healthy as could be. It filled her heart with a warmth she hadn't felt for - for years.

She was also fixated on the strange tiredness that was beginning to tug at her, body and soul. It must have been linked to seeing how tired the young man was, some sympathetic reaction in her body, but she could feel it down to her bones. She pushed it aside for the time being, forcing the strange haze out of her mind, and her voice slowly tapered off, creating a moment of silence after Parzifal's words. "It's something my mother used to sing to me, when I was a babe like him. I sang it to the other children, too, when they slept.[/b]" The woman shifted, her feathers rustling happily. "If you'd like, I can teach it to you?[/b]"

But there was that exhaustion again, tugging at her eyelids, which fluttered lightly as she tried to suppress a yawn. She was getting old, it was true, and she frequently found herself in need of naps throughout the course of the day just to make it through to a more reasonable bedtime. Her body was probably demanding that, now that the excitement from Parzifal and Teo's surprise appearance wasn't quite as fresh.

"...It'll have to wait, though, I'm sorry to say. I... hope it's not a problem, but I'm feeling rather like I need a nap myself.[/b]" She shifted, then stood slowly, carefully, crossing the room to sit back onto the bed, careful to keep from jostling the boy too badly. "As long as you're here, this is your home. Feel free to get anything you need - the kitchens should be making dinner shortly. I fed our darling Teo not too long ago, but you must be starving.[/b]" She paused, then reached out, lightly touching the man's cheek and smiling at him.

[The Jenn]

"I'd appreciate that, I think, when you have the time," Parzifal agreed quietly. He didn't want to speak too loudly and ruin the moment, which felt fragile in the fading light of the afternoon. It was almost evening, wasn't it? He'd... been asleep for a while then. And she'd been taking care of the baby all this time.

He shifted when she approached, reaching out to carefully accept the child and settle him on the bed next to him. Between them, really, which would probably be warmer and more comfortable. That way he could half lay down again.

"Thank you for your hospitality. It's an unexpected kindness, but very welcome. I'm currently living in Corvistowne with a friend, but I told him I'd be out for a few days. Maybe I could stay here for a week or so, let him meet his aunt and uncle? You have children in the Court, don't you? Do I need to approach the Queen if I'm staying more than one night? Or, no, she probably wouldn't have anything to do with something so minor. Is there something I would need to do?" He really didn't have any idea what happened in the Courts, or what sorts of protocols they adhered to.

But her touch was soft, and affectionate, and he smiled back at her. "I'm hungry, but... honestly, it can wait. If you wouldn't mind my joining the two of you in a nap." Even though he'd just woken up, his body told him that he could quite easily go back down for another few hours if he gave it the opportunity.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The enthusiasm with which he approached the situation was heartwarming. He was so eager, so ready to do whatever was right and required of him. He would make a fine parent, she was sure, especially since he would also have her help whenever he needed it. He'd done so well so far, too, going to such extremes just to save a single egg. And he'd succeeded. Little Teo was all the proof of that she needed. Parzifal could do anything required of him in the realm of parenting.

Calia felt confident. "I'll speak with her at some point. Later. It won't be a problem, though, she's always been very kind in regards to letting me have visitors.[/b]" Especially if they were family, which... Well, Parzifal was, wasn't he? They had a child to prove it. Slowly, Calia let herself relax fully on the bed, indicating she wanted the young man to follow her lead. "Of course you can. We're a family, after all.[/b]"

As soon as all was settled and movement slipped into restfulness, Calia fell into a deep sleep. It seized her almost immediately, pulling her into the darkness of rest. With everyone in the room sleeping, it would be hard to tell when the old woman's sleep changed into something different, her limbs going oddly limp. Breaths evened out, then slowed. There was a short period of time when they were hardly visible, and then, they stopped altogether. A moment later, her heart followed. She wasn't ill, at least not physically. Years of emotional pain had stripped her of so much strength. She was... tired.

Curled in her own bed, with the family she'd hardly had a chance to start, Calia died.

[The Jenn]

Parzifal slept a good three hours and woke sometime in the late evening, groggy but feeling much better. He really, really didn't want to deprive himself of sleep like that again. He wasn't a Club, to be running around for days at a time without any rest. It took its toll.

The soft, muted peeps coming from somewhere around the vicinity of his stomach helped remind him where he was, and with which people. His son and the boy's mother. Father. Whatever - other parent. How long had he been asleep? Did the boy need feeding again? He seemed to make those little noises all the time, sleeping or awake, so they probably didn't mean anything in and of themselves.

He was hungry, though. He just didn't want to disturb either of the other two as he got up. Very carefully, he extricated himself from the bed and crept out of the room to visit the kitchens, satisfied that he hadn't disturbed either bird.

-----------

Roughly an hour later, he returned after eating and chatting with one of the men in the kitchen. He had a bit of softened food with him suitable for the baby and he placed it on the table while he went to rouse Calia.

When he couldn't... he ran to get someone. Anyone. The first person he saw.

She felt cold. And he felt sick.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Ceren had been sitting at her desk, going through paperwork and mentally plotting out an evening with her Queen, when the servant had crashed in without knocking. First, she'd been angry at the disturbance. Then, when her mind had finally caught up with the words the man was gibbering, she'd launched herself out of her seat, pushed the unfortunate soul onto his ass, and raced for her mother's room.

There was nothing anyone could do. The doctors shrugged, shook their heads. She was too old, too frail, too tired. It was a wonder she'd made it as long as she had - almost as if she'd been waiting for something, holding on to one last dream.

Parzifal and his egg must have been that dream, Ceren realized as she cast her gaze over the distraught looking Corvid. The room was filled with people, all of them talking, but the sparrow heard none of it. She just walked towards the man, hesitating for a breath and then reaching out to him, lightly resting a hand on his shoulder. She knew nothing of him, of course, only that her mother - her dear, sweet mother - had spoken fondly of him, that her father had bestowed upon him a favor that his egg - her half-brother, she supposed - would live to hatch.

But she couldn't think about that now. Her mother - for the love of the Suits, her mother! - was dead, and they were carrying her body out of the room on a stretcher, lightly covered in the sheet off her bed. It had flowers on it, a print of tiny blue forget-me-nots.

Ceren's breath caught in her throat like something solid. That was just... too much. "Please, stay as long as you need,[/b]" she managed to choke out to the man that had found her like that, the man that had carried her mother's egg for so many months. Then, so that no one could see her, she fled to her room and cried.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Jenn and Xenon both receive 1 token each, to be redeemed in Ashwin's Shoppe. This will automatically be added to your recorded totals in the shoppe. Congratulations, and keep up the good RP!