Nobody Loves Me [Nat]

[Nako]

The Capital was such a scary place. So many sights and sounds.. flickers of light and shadow. Xolani found herself flinching more than once at the sudden bark of a vendor or a person setting their laundry out to dry. She'd probably have been a complete wreck... had Charlie not been there.

A nervous hand reached out to hold onto the lustrous feathers on his scruff, pulling the small ace closer to herself. The little avian gave a surprised sound but relented, bumping his head against her shoulder. He knew that the girl wasn't intending to be rough. When she was scared, sometimes she really couldn't help what she said or did.

She flicked her tail, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Sure it was frightening, but she just -had- to get away. Mother had yelled at her again and.. and.

Xolani would brave the fears of the outside world if it meant not having to look at the disappointment in her mother's face. She'd just gotten in a fight. A simple fight with that little brat of a sister of hers. A sister she tried to love. Wanted to love so Uluani so her mother would consider the Hisstor girl family. She was met with nothing but torture.

What was a Hisstor without a family? Nothing. Nothing at all.

[Nathalia]

"Tournoc? Jethro? Aben? Do you like any of those?"
Finistris strolled down the cobbled walk, his normal suit discarded for somehting less liable to stick out in a crowd, and his hair hauled up and tucked back in a ponytail. The rather plain white shirt and slacks didn't call too much attention, and...as his mate had been so kind to inform him, made his appear as: "A goddamn Selkie chit."
Perfect.

"I rather favored Yggdrasil, but no...Osias already told me that was right out... You're the only child I'll ever have the pleasure of naming, my boy. What would you want? Fechin? Fargin? Tabin? What?"

He continued to rattle off names playfully at the tiny Rat held cradled against his chest in a sling. With all of his scars hidden by clothing and his normal outfit and look retired for the day, he remained fairly inconspicuous, especially in the main Capitol and cooing at his son.
He wasn't in the least bit worried about anything but making certain that his Osias got steak tonight.

His mate was finally feeling well enough to really sink his teeth into a meal, so Fin was going to make certain that he got his favorite.
Osias deserved anything he wanted from now on.
He had earned it.
Their lovely children, all so beautiful and unique, all ready to take on the world! They would be great, his children, great like his Morpheus.

He'd headed out two hours ago, leaving his first-born in charge and bidding Boston farewell. Hell, but he adored that boy far more than he had assumed he would. The fact that he could already speak balanced out his somewhat surly nature, besides, so long as he was treated civilly, he was an absolute angel of a son.
And Finistris did have to admit that it helped that one of them could already speak.

The tiny Rat in the sling burbled and drooled a little as it bounced along in the soft cloth. He was the unwitting reason that Finistris had pulled his hair back, and was happily flailing at a few loose strands of blue.
The smells were driving him batty, and he wanted nothing more than to be let out on the ground to sniff until he fell over exhausted.

Finistris happily patted his son's skull and ruffled the little blue mane, glancing at the shop rows and waving to people as they passed. Interaction...how he loved it.
He was growing to find that he rather liked people.
Sure, they were fun to fight, put in their place, and torment on occasion...but they were nice to simply deal with as well.
Perhaps, in a few years, he and his Osias could simply settle in?
He actually rather hoped so.
For all that he enjoyed his lifestyle...he did realize that it wasn't practical for health or longevity...and rather hoped to teach his children to be a bit more...well, normal about things. Morpheus had turned out rather normal...aside from that Highlander in the basement, but everyone had their quirks, and the boy was thriving! Far better than his parents...normalcy...that was what he would strive for with this batch.

"Think Boston would stand for and Esterberry school branch?" He asked the squirming child gregariously. "I know that's kind of like asking for a teasing, but he's so bright, maybe Corvistowne? I don't know, I just want him to be respected. I- Oh?"

He'd turned a corner off from the main road to head to the butcher...and his eye was caught by a small girl in his path.
Hisstor, how lovely, such nice...wings...

Her mane...that was...odd, to say the least, he'd been under the impression from his other half that his coloration was simply unnatural.

This deserved closer inspection.
Sparing no thought for the Ace, he gave the girl a jaunty wave and a smile.

"Hello, there! Need help finding anything? Sorry to ask if you're on your way somewhere, I just wanted to tell you that your wings are lovely. Where in the Wastes do you hail from?"


((OOC: Sorry that got so long! O___o Fin wanted to GUSH about his effing family...sorry.))

[Nako]

(Oh hush, I thought it was -lovely- XD)

Xolani visibly flinched at the sound of someone talking to her, grabbing a hold of her ace so hard that the thing gave a soft whimper.

She turned... and just stared. His hair was so lovely.. and just like hers, and just like his young child. His strange.. strange child. That skull face was so aesthetically pleasing to her. It reminded her of Ben.. but that was Lowlander brown. That was okay though; her mother had always told her that Lowlanders were people too.

"Oh... well... Thank you..." She stared up at the tall and confident man. There was something about him.. that loving glow on his face as he held his child. They were a family. It was so beautiful.

Xolani actually smiled at the man.

"Actually, I live in the Midori with my mama. I've always wanted to go though." She looked the man up and down, wide blue eyes staring with wonder behind her mask. "Are.. you from the Hisstor? I guess a lot of people might think you are Selkie because of your hair. I get that too but I'm pure Hisstor honest!" Xolani insisted, her light voice going up in pitch but not necessarily volume.

Charlie on the other hand, looked up at the man with a certain level of distrust. Normally Xolani wouldn't be so forward with strangers.. but something about this man was different, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. His master was acting -strangely- and he wasn't sure what to do.

[Nathalia]

The girl's flinch and the Ace's obvious discomfort induced a small snort of mirth from the tall Human, as he tucked the sling a bit more to the side, subconsciously hoping to get more compliments on his son by letting the boy's little face peek out.

He'd gotten quite the number of niceties toward him today already, apparently most people couldn't tell Solandria apart from Lowland...and he wasn't about to correct them and dull their kindnesses toward the boy.
It was too gratifying to get their honest opinion on his son's beauty, than to stand up for the correct Realm at this point.
That one coffee shopkeep had already given them a muffin to share and reminisced about her Hisstor Uncle.
His little boy liked raspberry muffins, apparently. It made him want to melt inside.

The girl's face was oddly familiar, and the stare she shot at himself and his son made him bring a hand up under the boy instinctively.

"You're welcome, my dear. I've often wished I had inherited such bone mutations, but alas, all I have to remember my parents and brother with are these." he murmured, holding out the broken off bone rings for her to see. "Nothing on your stunning collection, though, you're quite lucky. They become you."

Her smile relaxed him and he straightened up a bit, allowing his wriggling son to poke his whiskered skull back out to gaze curiously at the Squirrel.

"The Midori, eh? I met a Squirrel from the Midori once. Strange creature, though quite beautiful, I assure you, pink wings and skull decorations. Very friendly, I-" He stopped himself, allowing a small double-take at the girl.
Squirrel.
Wings.
Blue mane...

No, that was simply ridiculous. She had been such a fiery woman, surely she would have gone to Corvistowne to fix the "problem"...

"Actually, I am pure Hisstor as well, though my hair may belay otherwise...you as well, are you?"

He knelt down, tucking his son in under his arm and chin to better observe her.
The age was about right...

"Tell me, my dear. What's your name? Mine is Finistris."
He held out a hand to her, his heart rate speeding.

Was it possible that this little girl...
Was his?

[Nako]

Having been around countless Solandrians growing up, perhaps Xolani was one of the few who could tell the difference. There was a different texture to Solandrian fur, much thicker with an undercoat that was just ridiculous. It was so bad that some of her Solandrian friends couldn't come to the Midori to visit her.

She smiled and blushed, tail giving a pleasant little flick at his assessment of her. She was so terribly proud of her bone adornments, even if her mother didn't like them. Her hand went up to the mask on her face, carressing the bone. It was her most prized posession.

But he was talking about mama! Xolani immediately perked up, mouth open as if she was about to say an affirmation. He stopped short though, giving her such a look that she almost took a step back. Why did he look so surprised? Did he know mama? How come she'd never met him?

Now, Xolani was not a stupid girl.. that open mouth further went slack as she began to wonder.

Was it...

She'd heard the name before. Only rarely, mostly when her mother thought she was alone as she stabbed that ragged doll with blue hair, cursing his name. Mama hated papa. So much.

She swallowed thickly, staring at the man and was surprised that he was looking intently at her as well. A large human hand extended out to her and she stared at it, bringing up her own tiny paw to shake it.

".. Xolani. Your.. your name is Finistris?" The young child squeaked, suddenly finding that her mouth was dry. Had she heard him right? Tears... tears were starting to well up in her eyes.

There were too many coincidences. Too much in common. If he decided to try to pull his hand away, he'd find that she would not let go. Staring. Wondering. Did he know? Did he know -her-?

[Nathalia]

At the mention of his name...her expression changed.

She...she almost looked as though she were going to cry?
This was a bad sign.
If she began to yell, or in any way pitch a fit, he'd have to find a way to silence her.
Normal people on the streets, even a singular copper or two, may not recognize him for what he'd done...but a pack of policemen were sure to.

However, this fear was quelled when a tiny paw clutched his hand tightly.
He shook her paw gently, a small frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.
He couldn't smell fear, if she wasn't afraid, why was she...
Her question surprised him, and he moved to pull his hand back...only to find that it was very firmly affixed in the tiny paw.
"Yes, that's my name. Yours is...Xolani? That's very pretty, matches you quite well." He paused, as her stare intensified. "Have you...heard of me from someone?"

He could only ask with trepidation, outside of his mate and son...he hadn't really left many good tales to tell, had he?
Her eyes too...the same blue as his own.
No Midori could have made that, and no plain-Jane Hisstor either.

His little son wriggled his head further out of the sling, drooling through the bottom of his palate and giving the Squirrel one eye at a time.
Hesitantly, but with desperate interest in the Squirrel and the brightly colored Bird, it opened its tiny jaws.
"Squeak?"

[Nako]

The inner workings behind those enigmatic human eyes were blissfully unseen by the tiny Hisstor child. It was him, it had to be him.

"Yes... Yes, my mother. Oh, she hates you so badly, but.. but." Her other hand settled on top of the smooth, human skin. He couldn't escape now. She held onto him with all of her might. "But I -knew- you'd find me one day. You gave me this mask. I know you did! It's a gift! A gift from papa! You're my papa!"

Her eyes trailed toward the small child in the sling, looking at her so attentively. Her contorted, desperate face brightened into a smile again as she sucked in a fluttering breath. "And this is... this is your son? He's got such a pretty face.. He's family.. We're family, right? It's the most important thing, so important."

The man's expression... so hard to read. Did he believe her? He had to! "Y-you... you really don't know? You know my.. my mother. You have to be him..." Her bottom lip trembled.

Charlie swayed to and fro. He didn't like this. He didn't like it at all. It was as if Xolani knew him. They'd never met him before!

((She's.. getting really desperate in my head She's kind of.. doing whatever the hell she wants right now XD ))

[Nathalia]

Now the child was blurting disconnected sentences.
A Midori Squirrel mother who hated him?

There weren't too many of those, not that knew him by name, anyway.
He gave the girl another swift, calculating look.
Could she really be his daughter? Was he really lucky enough to have two?

She settled her other paw on top of his hand and gazed up at him, her mask? A gift?
He had no idea what she was talking about...unless of course she meant genetically...which she probably did, in which case...

"I-...I'm certainly not going to rule out the possibility, my dear. Just to make sure though...could you describe your mother to me? I'd rather not make a mistake, this is...quite the circumstance, I would hate to make a false claim. Though granted..." He looked her over again. "I can't imagine anyone not being proud to have you as a daughter, Xolani."

He glanced back down at his son, who was trying quite desperately to extract a paw from the sling and failing miserably.
Just as well, having him running about was not something Finistris wanted to deal with right now.

"Yes, this is my son. I would introduce you by name, but he's only a few days old yet. I'm having a hard time picking a good one."

He cocked his head at her, eyebrows knitting.
"Yes, yes family is important. Ah....here, here, don't cry now. Please, just tell me a bit more about your mother, perhaps you're right. In fact, I quite hope you are, my dear."

He reached out and pulled her in a little closer to him, moving to one side, sitting down on the cobbles and avoiding any damp spots.
He wasn't lying...if this was his daughter...and from the looks of her, it was even likely... Then he would be quite proud to have her.
She was such a Hisstor! This...this would truly be wonderful if true...


And if he could find a way to keep her...

[Nako]

She allowed him to pull her closer, taking this as a good sign. Calming down slightly, she took a few long breaths before speaking. "She.. she's a squirrel. With wings like mine but flesh on them. One white eye and one black. Long pink hair in coils with blue beads. She has a bone under her eye.. right here."

Gently, and with the slowest and most deliberate of movements, would point to the spot underneath his eye. If he didn't pull away she'd even touch it.

"She likes that least of all. I would not be angry if you gave me one, though." The young child scanned his face for any sign of recognition. Blinking softly, she glanced to the mixbred child, tilting her head to the side. So tiny... Davy and Uluani had been that tiny once. They were much less of a nuisance when they were that young.

Charlie gave a distressed noise, trying to draw closer, but was met with a swat of Xolani's tail. "Charlie! You need manners! This is my papa."

[Nathalia]

Well, that certainly sounded right.

The eyes especially...he would never forget those eyes...or what they looked like when they were in pain...
Such a beautiful woman...her mother...

Damn! Not the time for that!
Not when-

Then the girl reached up toward his face.
"She has a bone under her eye.. right here."
The paw gingerly brushed the area where he had taken great pains to insert a fragment of bone into...

A Midori Squirrel with a good amount of fire in her.
He reached up, almost in a slight daze and rubbed the spot lightly.
"I've only ever given out one of those..." He mumbled, turning his attention back to the little Hisstor. "I don't believe it...Xolani...I-"

He glanced at the Ace, as though finally noticing it for the first time. "No, it's alright, it's probably just frightened for your safety. Pets can get that way, I've been told. Charlie, was it? Calm yourself...I am her father...and I would never harm her. No."

He gazed down at the little creature, face breaking out into a grin.
"Well, what a fine day it is! I go to take my son for a walk, and I come back with another daughter! Xolani, I am honored to meet you, dear girl."
He hefted her up into a hug as best she would allow, carefully holding her up high enough to avoid swinging down against her brother.

He bit his lip to hold back a laugh as excited thoughts raced through his head.
Perhaps he could coax her back home?
Osias would take to her, she was purely Hisstor, and undoubtedly his, so long as that much was covered, his Rat would probably treat her like the rest of the "brats" in the house. With an evil temper and furtive affection.

A thought struck him.
"You have siblings, you say? Are they like you? Have I more children I was unaware of?"
Absurdly, he rather hoped that he did.
"I'm wondering, Xolani dear. If you might not like to meet the rest of your family? There are more of us, and I'm sure they'd like to see you."

His eyes took on a rather eager gleam.
He could steal her away, couldn't he? She was alone, after all....