The Devil's Come Knocking [Xenon] DONE

[Greenie]

Vessatha kept stroking Kelsier gently, while her other hand carefully contained Riordan's giant paws so Cady wouldn't get smacked in the same manner. Her more ferret body wasn't going to take well to that, she had a feeling. Riordan stopped suckling and sat quietly for a moment, then looked around sleepily at the many adults in the room. Cadence took the opportunity and quickly stole his spot with better access.

The ferret was satisfied with the bottomed-out expression on Apocalypse's face. Had he realized where he was? It wouldn't take much, despite her drugged state, for her to kick him out and make sure he was never let in again. It would be a huge mess, Donnie would get pissed and she'd probably have a lot of ass-kissing to do, but she could do it. Her train of thought paused when he began shaking, and she raised an eyebrow. Was he shaking from fear or from anger? She had no way of telling.

Vessie kept watching him while he spoke, silent while she considered his words and actions together. He claimed he wouldn't hurt the children.. but what about this Club-hating weapon? "And your weapon? What about it?" She asked quietly. She knew nothing about the Hearts' weapons, how they were summoned, what form they took, or how long they "stayed" in their realm. For all she knew the thing could pop out of his head, kill Kelsier and go back in without him ever knowing what had happened. Though.. that probably would have already happened if that were the case.

The hand petting Kelsier stilled, then disengaged him from her. She picked him up and flipped him around so he was facing Pale, then held him out, his black Suit marking prominently showing against his pale fur. Vessie simply held him there for a moment, then set him as far onto Pale's lap as she could reach from her current position; she tended to forget she had limited mobility in her animal form. Cady finished suckling, so Vessie slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and cuddled her close, while Riordan started to fall asleep where he sat.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The issue of Rhiannon was one that needed a little more explanation. Of course it did. Few Hearts had Weapons, even fewer of that subset had Weapons with personalities or separate forms. Then again, there were also few people who understood Weapons better than Apocalypse, and he knew exactly what he could expect from his scythe.

He was just grateful that his own dislike had begun to calm as soon as he'd turned into a real person. Otherwise, he was well aware of the fact that this interaction would be much less peaceful. "The Weapon will be fine. She can't summon herself without my help, and even then..." He glanced down at the kitten again, watching the little creature squirm and press his face into his mother's hand. "She seems to do fine until she sees the marking. It's a very strange magical side effect."

Apocalypse watched as Vessatha pulled the kitten away, blinking. The little boy squirmed and mewled, pawing at the hands that were grasping him. Even with all the squirming, it was impossible for the man to miss the marking, and his head spun slightly. He'd had time to get used to Linnea, but this was something - someone - entirely new. He stared at the boy for a long second as he crawled around on his lap, then closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Slowly, gently, he scooped the child towards himself, cradling the body gently. Kelsier squirmed, wiggled, mewled, and then pawed his father's face, looking for warm fur to snuggle into.

A brief moment of desire for an animal form went through the man before he brought his legs up to his chest, creating a cradle of sorts for the kitten to rest in. He leaned in, nosing the boy lightly, a small smile crawling across his lips. A son. A son that showed, more clearly than any of his other children, what he was. There were traces of it in the others, but almost none in Linnea, and none of them had this much feline. When the boy smacked one clumsy paw against his face, the man laughed.

"My daughter, Linnea," he began, somewhat awkwardly. "She's a Club, too. It's just been a matter of remembering not to bring Rhi around when I'm spending time with her. It's - it's all going to be fine, I'm sure."

[Greenie]

Vessatha listened, curious despite the tense situation; if these summoned weapons were anything like the Spades summons, then she at least had a basis for comparison. She wanted to trust what he was saying, but his obvious level of anxiety was making her leery. The ferret nodded with his words; Feyeza couldn't summon herself, either, so she felt comfortable in trusting that. It seemed as though they had similar levels of control once the summons was on their plane, though... Fey certainly had a mind of her own.

She stayed silent, watching the interaction between father and son. Kelsier might be the only club, but he was also the kitten most like his father. Cady was mostly ferret, and Riordan was an awkward mix, but Kelsier had so much more cat in him than his siblings. Vessie wished she knew what Apocalypse's other forms look liked - it was so difficult to judge breed and the like from a human form - but didn't want to ask him to change. He was uncomfortable enough without her pressuring him for her own curiosity.

The ferret relaxed finally when he began cuddling the kitten in his lap. It was so difficult to be tense and upset when there was an adorable, newborn kitten wanting your love... Especially one as cute as Kelsier. Vessie paused, mildly surprised to find herself thinking such.. positive.. thoughts. Since when did she like her own spawn?

Her attention snapped back to the situation when Pale began speaking again. "Is she?" She asked with some curiosity; she'd known he had other children, but not that one was a Club. "If you can handle one, than you can certainly handle two. It's not as if you sprogged out all Clubs, afterall." Vessie snorted, and scooped up Cady in the same manner she had Kelsier. "She may be a four, but she's a Heart. She can rank up and you'll have a wonderfully neurotic daughter to be proud of," She stated, then dumped the second kitten into Pale's lap, too tired be upset at her own use of the word 'neurotic.' It was only the truth, afterall.

She grabbed Riordan's oversized paws and playfully tugged them around while he blinked at his manipulated limbs. "And this one here is a King, even if he is a Spade. We're such a filthy Suit, after all. Horrible, horrible people, my lot. We eat our children and give their bones to Hisstors." Snickering, she brought her face down so it was level with Riordan's confused one. "Doesn't that sound delightful, Rio? You're going to be dinner, little tiger!" Vessie wiggled his paws around some more, and he let out a pathetic meow in response, so she poked his paws around some more.

[carcinoGeneticist]

It really was hard to feel any negative emotions whatsoever, especially when presented with what was - other than the over-the-top neck, of course - a miniature version of oneself. Apocalypse never thought about what he was. He was Apocalypse. On his bad days, he was a scythe. He knew he was some sort of cat, but never had he really gained any insight to what sort of cat. Not like this, anyway. Short tail, tufted ears, a slightly longer snout than most of the felines he saw in day-to-day life.

His son. Apocalypse bit his lip lightly, then gave the kitten another light nuzzle, biting back laughter as one awkward paw tipped with sharp little claws bapped him again.

"Right," he replied after a long moment. His focus was less on his son's Suit - unfortunate as it was - and more on his son. Then he looked up at Vessatha, his eyes narrowing, the corners of his mouth turning down into a rather severe (though still somewhat playful) frown. Something in the mood had lightened, now that he knew he wasn't going to get tossed out on his ass. "Anyway, have you had Club children before? Something tells me not, if you think two of the damn things is going to be okay. We'll see what you think after Kelsier's second consecutive night awake. Or the first time he gets pissed and picks up his whole damn crib."

Neither of which had been a problem when it came to Linnea, thankfully. But he knew from Heilyn that it could be. A soft noise escaped him when he suddenly found a second bundle of fur and limbs tossed into his lap, and he gently set Kelsier down at his side, much to the kitten's protests. This one he handled more carefully. With all of the excitement and pain she'd been through already, he didn't want to jostle her too badly. He cradled her gently, lightly ticking her belly with his fingertips. Then his brain registered what Vessatha was saying, and he looked up at her, one eyebrow quirked.

...Well. Wasn't that new? A small smile went across his face as he reached out to take Riordan as well. "Of course you do. How about if you get some rest before you do that? I'll take them for a little bit so that you can... do that." How... many drugs had they given her, anyway?

[Greenie]

Vessatha shook her head in between playing with Riordan's paws. "My first litter was all Spades - but keep in mind, a good half of my grandchildren are Clubs. I think one of them's a nine.. or an eight?" She paused, mentally digging through her list of spawn-of-spawn. "Anyways, if my half-wit daughter can manage to raise them without them burning down a house, I think we can handle it." She mentally snickered - Vessie rather doubted he was aware she was a grandmother many times over, or that many of her grandchildren were nearing adulthood. It made her feel simultaneously old and rather cougar-like to think about it.. Poor young Pale, having a litter with a cranky older woman.

Cady let out a half-giggle half-mew at Pale's tickling, and squirmed in his hands, all the while staring up at him with wide, unblinking eyes. Her claws extended playfully, she clumsily batted at his hand with her hind paws.

Vessatha, lost in her own silly thoughts, didn't realize her play-child was gone until a few seconds later. "Hey!" She said with a frown, reaching to take Riordan back, though her shorter animal limbs didn't quite reach far enough. "You try giving birth, then freaking out, then travelling for two days all drugged up, then freaking out some more and see how sane you feel, okay?" She grumbled, glaring over at him. Riordan attempted to climb to his feet, but his new muscles failed him, and he simply toppled head-first onto Kelsier, giant paws-first.

Vessie's body betrayed her, and she let out a large yawn. Still, she did her best to look menacing, though it came out more "mildly deranged" than "scary." "Don't be taking my children anywhere, you. Stay here. I don't want or need the entire Court crashing down on me." Vessie decided against elaborating on that statement; it was probably best he didn't realize the full complications of what had happened just yet.

[carcinoGeneticist]

It took a moment for the full impact of what the Ferret was saying to sink in. Grandchildren?! He really shouldn't have been surprised by it, after all, Xiven was a mother with children nearly grown, and Heilyn was a grandmother several times over, but... The man still raised an eyebrow at her, though he didn't make any sort of comment beyond that. There was something more important in her meaning, after all.

We. She was going to accept his help. "Right," he echoed softly, giving her a small nod before turning his focus back to Cady. She seemed to be recovering well enough, and he growled playfully as he gave her another belly-scratch, letting her dig her sharp little claws into his fingers all she wanted. This one was much less feline - maybe all ferret? He couldn't be sure, but she certainly looked more like her mother...

With all three children now in his control, he brought his second hand into the mix as well, teasingly tickling at bellies and chins and marveling at the squirming little creatures he had helped to produce. Kelsier squalled as his brother stomped all over him again, bunny-kicking at the exposed tummy of the other boy. Luckily, with his claws still as small as they were, no damage could be done. Apocalypse set about separating the pair, scowling down at them. "Oi, knock it off, guys," he scolded, though there was a laugh in his voice.

Then he turned his attention back to their mother, his expression softening. "I promise, I won't leave this room. At least, if I do, I'll make sure these guys are settled in first. But you really need to get some rest. Real rest, not sleeping in a bumpy carriage."

[Greenie]

Cady froze at his growl, unsure of the noise and what it meant. He was tickling her belly, though, and she let out a little giggle in surprise, then decided the strange man was okay and went back to clawing at his hand.

Riordan yelped as his brother's paws dug into his stomach, but immediately flipped over and flopped back onto his brother, his sharp teeth latching into Kelsier's large cat ears. He shook the ear with his muzzle, growling playfully.

Vessatha simply watched the children play, her eyes beginning to close of their own violation; she couldn't help but smile. Maybe it would be okay, if she didn't think about what this was going to mean for her future. For now, it was going to be okay, even if tomorrow was going to be hell... She looked up with a start when she realized Pale was speaking to her again. "A'right, A'right..." She mumbled, then began moving the sheets around slowly with her muzzle, trying to get them wrapped into a more comfortable position without actually moving.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The two brothers seemed utterly fixated on each other, which both amused and worried the King. It amused him, and gave him the slightest spark of hope, simply because he wanted to see the two grow up and stay close, as they were now in their infancy. It only worried him because as they grew, their claws were bound to get sharper, their blows harder, but... That was just a part of normal development, right? Just because he, personally, had never gone through those stages didn't mean it was dangerous for his own children to do so...

Kelsier continued to make those high-pitched mewling noises, batting at his brother with all the force his little legs could muster, trying to force the other boy off of his head. His stubby little tail lashed violently from side to side, and a playful growl of his own bubbled up from somewhere in his chest.

Hmm. They were noisy, weren't they? Maybe he would have to steal a blanket and bring them down onto the floor, to give Vessie an actual chance at shut-eye. He gently scooped up their wriggling bodies in one arm, dragging the sheet from their crib down onto the ground and then nestling them into it. Then he paused, reaching out to help the ferret pull her own blanket over top of herself. He gave her shoulder a soft pat, easing himself onto the floor to watch the playing infants. "If they need anything, shall I get the midwife?" The woman was likely still in the other room. He hoped.

[Greenie]

After a few minutes of being hit repeatedly in the gut, Riordan finally figured out a good use for his giant paws: He flung them over Kelsier's face and held his head down, and scooted his butt away so Kel couldn't kick him as easily. His brother was squirming too much, though, so he decided to just plant his butt on Kelsier's head instead, a much easier solution.

Cady decided after a few moments of half-heartedly biting Pale's hand and half-watching her brothers fight that she was tired, and wanted to sleep. The little ferret squirmed her way out from Pale's large hand and after a few moments managed to get completely to her feet, though she wobbled a bit on her new limbs. She was about to climb up Pale's leg when she was suddenly scooped up! and placed into a blanket, then transported to the floor. Her brothers kept playing, and the big warm thing was ignoring her, so she started mewling pitifully and looking pathetic up at him.

Vessatha curled into the blanket, barely aware of the kittens making noise and fighting, though the sound moved further away somehow. She made a soft noise of assent at his question, and the midwife popped her head in the doorway to wave at Pale. Watching the mask-maker do his thing was fascinating, but she wasn't going to leave.

[carcinoGeneticist]

In those hands, Riordan had secured a rather firm advantage for himself, and Kelsier squirmed and fought even harder than he had done before, desperate to find his freedom. He couldn't very well bite, not with the annoying mask around his nose and - more importantly! - his teeth, so he twisted his forepaws forward, trying to work them between the fingers. And then, instead of fingers, there was rump. The kitten squealed again, digging his claws into the other boy's thighs and continuing to buck.

Ow.

Alerted to the drama by the mewling, Apocalypse finally took the initiative to separate the two, lightly tugging at the fluffy bodies and pulling claws out of fur. "Enough, now. Let your mama get her rest." He scolded gently, setting the pair down once more. Then his gaze returned to the little ferret, and he smiled. His little daughter, a Heart... And she seemed eager for his attention, a fact which warmed his heart unlike almost anything else. He eased her gently into his lap, using a fingernail to gently scratch at the top of her head and the sproutings of what would certainly grow into a mane.

Then he leaned back until he was fully reclined, setting the little girl on his chest and smiling at her. "You're gonna be like my Rhi, aren't you?" he whispered softly, thumbing lightly at the crimson marking on her chest. She'd rise through the ranks, she'd make him proud... And so would his boys, he was sure. Carefully, he turned onto his side, easing Cady down alongside his body before ushering the others close as well. That way they could all cuddle up against him. Softly at first, the man began to purr.