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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Apr 12, 2010 3:20:46 GMT -5
It wasn't often that the King got a letter addressed to him personally. Usually it was just to the presiding King of the Heart Court, but this time... He ran his fingers over the word again. His Highness Apocalypse. It was strange, seeing his name in print like that. It felt real, it felt permanent. He turned the envelope over in his hands again, looking for some clue as to who it might have been from, or some idea as to what it might have been concerning. His mind was a complete blank on that. So why did it make him feel so damn anxious? That part didn't make sense, and so the man took a deep breath and opened it. He read the letter inside once. Then twice, then a third time. It was full of words. Well-written words, at that, but they didn't want to stick in his mind. It was all 'dealing with paternal affairs' ... 'Avington blah blah'... 'matters to discuss about the upbringing and potential opportunity of the offspring'...It didn't make sense. Offspring? Paternal affairs? He was... a father? Again? The thought alone was enough to make his head spin, but that was only the start. What the hell did this person mean about the Avington condition, and why the FUCK did he need to read up on it before he could meet what he only assumed to be his children? Rage filled the man, and he threw down the paper with a loud growl, slamming his chair back and beginning to pace around his room, tail flicking angrily from side to side. No. This was all bullshit. He had a lot on his plate - he was the King of Hearts! - and this person expected him to do additional work to meet children he doubted actually existed?! It was too much. The Caracal kicked the letter beneath his desk and stormed out of his room, trying to push it out of his mind. --- Three days later, the man was staring at the letter again. It was almost taunting him, sitting where it was, only a hint of lettering available for him to stare at. Children. Did he really.. have more children out there, somewhere? And he'd yet to even meet them? Gingerly, the man picked up the letter again, feeling his stomach clench as he read it again. A week and a half, and the sender would be coming to see him. By this point, he'd managed to remember. A day in the Capital, an Avington Feline with a little blue mane, a rather rushed liaison in a seedy hotel room. She was the only Avington he could think of, and he had slept with her. Even if that whole situation had just been weird, especially with the rash that had resulted from it. Apocalypse shuddered at the memory, but he rose once more, this time heading for the library to read up on Avingtons. He needed to understand what their secret meant, the implications of forcing information out of an individual from that realm. It hadn't made sense to him before - how could a person be born with a secret? But now it was seeming he needed to at least try to figure things out. Apocalypse would hold up to his end of things. And, in a week or so, this strange woman would hold up to hers, and he would meet what she claimed to be his babies. |
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Post by Nako on Apr 25, 2010 18:10:02 GMT -5
Now, Merlin hadn't worn this body in quite some time. He frowned slightly as he smoothed his fur over the slightly swollen body that showed symptoms of the hormones of post pregnancy wreaking havoc on it. At least he looked the part even in this form. The children at least were not too confused by this change; his scent still very much like his own, and not too far a cry from his female version of himself. The carriage stopped, causing the jackal child within the baby basket to squall softly. Such a tender child, she was; fussy and hard to placate. The other two were much easier to deal with if they had a full belly. " 's yer stop, m'am." The driver opened up the carriage door, tipping his hat quaintly to Merlin. A servant of the court helped him carry his things in, one of those bags being a large gift basket, filled with such things as fruits and jams and other such pleasant things. There was just a lovely gift shop in the Capital that Merlin thought it would help soften the blow. After all, it was less likely he'd be beheaded if he brought along some good tidings, right? The hearts, so many hearts! Despite himself, Merlin couldn't help but crane his feline head this way and that, taking in the sights. There were so many here.. it was almost like being back home! There had been quite a few prestigious hearts in his hometown. It was a place where he could truly belo- wait a moment, had that been a -club-? He nearly stumbled on a step, clutching the baby basket closer to him as blood rushed to his ears. He needed to watch where he was walking; nothing would peg him a worse parent than -dropping- his offspring! Finally, they reached the door. There was certainly no turning back now. He exhaled deeply, the sound coming out a much softer sigh while pushing through feminine vocal chords. "A visitor for his Highness, Apocalypse." The title was called out in a monotone droll, filled with importance and protocol. At any other time Merlin would have been absolutely giddy; at that moment, he was nearly frozen with fear of what was to come next. |
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Apr 25, 2010 18:19:35 GMT -5
As the days had progressed, Apocalypse learned. He learned of secrets that sat soul-deep, of the consequences of forcing such secrets to the surface. In a way, it made him think of himself, of his own secrets. That made the learning much easier, though he was still not sure of the mechanism by which the soul could be damaged by knowledge alone. He understood more indirect consequences of a secret being unearthed - his own fear of discovery by many Corvies didn't strike him at all as being unreasonable, but that seemed like a much more reasonable consequence than an actual physical change. He had talked to Mephit about the way things worked regarding secrets, wanting a more personal account.
Slowly, Apocalypse was beginning to find that he understood the process.
When the announcement of a visitor came, the King was actually buried in a book about Avingtons as a whole. It was an ancient volume, one he'd found shoved in a dark corner of one of Bernard's shelves. His feet were propped up on his desk, his arms resting on his legs as he scanned the pages eagerly. There was so much to know, and Apocalypse had found that he rather enjoyed knowing things about other people. At the sound of the attendant calling out, his long ears perked forward, and he set the book aside, orange eyes flashing a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Could this be -- ?
"Please, come in." He called out in response, body tensing slightly. This could have potentially been anyone, but hopes ran high. All of the intricacies of Avingtons and their bloody secrets aside, the woman was bringing what she claimed to be his children, and that was the most important thing.
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Post by Nako on Apr 25, 2010 18:51:19 GMT -5
When the door was opened for him, Merlin took it upon himself to stride in, his feet moving in in the mechanical, methodical way he defaulted to whenever he was under pressure. It was very unlike his way of moving when in this female form. Then again, he rather had to.
The doorman gave Merlin an odd look when he gestured for the man to follow him in. After all, with his current four of hearts on his chest, the doormen technically outranked him. Still, Merlin was the guest after all. The biped doorman moved forward with the gift basket as Merlin held back. For the first few moment, his boglike eyes were zeroed in on the figure that sat behind his desk. Oh.. oh dear. The realm was right, as was the rank.. but it was no human that sat there. It was a very distinct breed. Yes... there was really no doubt in Merlin's mind now; in that current situation he was almost glad to be correct. It would be a much more awkward situation if he stood before a man who was not the father of his children.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice." He started, cutting his eyes toward the guest chair for a moment before waiting for a positive gesture from the King. Stilling the fussy jackal as it nuzzled up closer to its siblings, he sat himself down in the chair and gave a quick sweep with his gaze over what was on the desk. His eyes caught on the book. He recognized it, of course, with one of the elegant chapter names boldly imprinted upon the page he was opened up to. "I've brought a gift for you. Well.. aha.." He got caught up on that funny little tidbit for a moment before gesturing hastily to the actual gift basket. "I thought it would be appropriate, upon meeting you in your workplace. And... I might say I'm thankful you've taken up the reading I'd mentioned, I-..... Oh my, is.. is that a first edition?" His eyes hitched on the book again, licking his chops. Goodness.. what a terrible time to become so entranced with a book!
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Apr 25, 2010 19:04:41 GMT -5
As soon as the door opened, one of Apocalypse's questions was almost immediately answered. The woman that was standing there was familiar to him in an instant - he could recall easily her almost Boglike eyes, how they'd met and where that meeting had taken them. A new question leapt to his mind immediately, but he pushed it down for the time being, trying to focus on what he had learned in the last week. He wouldn't push or pry for information, he would just be happy for whatever was given.
He would pretend to be happy, at least. The reality of the situation would likely be extremely different, but he could hold back any unpleasantness until after this meeting was finished.
The woman was staring at him for a long time before stepping into the room. Perhaps she was second-guessing things, now that she looked at his Bipedal form? That would save him a lot of trouble, to be sure. But no, she seemed to gather herself and step forward with a resolve that could only mean one thing. As she settled herself, he gave her a small nod, craning his head forward to try and get a better glance at what she was carrying. It was making promising noises, that much was true. "Of course. It seemed like the only real course of action, especially if there are children involved." He flashed her a small smile, interest still clearly entirely on the babies.
A... gift basket? The King reached out slowly, his expression flashing confusion for a moment before he actually reached out to take it. It was full of a number of things, all of which were nice, but none were as interesting to him as the other thing that the woman had brought with her. Whiskers curling forward, Apocalypse set the basket aside. "This is the best place to find me, yes. It's not often that I have time to travel elsewhere. I still have a lot of questions, but for now, I'll -" The sudden change in the woman's demeanor took the Caracal somewhat by surprise, and he inclined his head to the side. "It is, yes. It belonged to the late King, Bernard." Carefully, he pushed the book across the desktop, closer to the feline. "I found it to be... very informative."
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Post by Nako on Apr 25, 2010 19:12:33 GMT -5
A purr; it was one of those reflexes that was foreign to him being naturally jackal and owl, but his throat managed the sound as the book was pushed toward him. Carefully, his feline pawpads pulled forward to brush lightly at the pages.....
But he pulled back when the King was mentioned, as if it was perhaps somewhat sacreligious for him to touch it. "Oh... oh my." He swallowed thickly, looking away from it. He Settled the basket of babies onto his lap. "Good, I'm glad to hear it. That information will come quite useful to you." With one hand, he now gently moved aside the precious book, standing up to place the basket on top of the desk. One hand kept it steady at all times, as if ready to snatch it back if somehow the King was displeased. "They are all mostly Avington."
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Apr 25, 2010 19:27:29 GMT -5
The sound of a purr was relaxing to Apocalypse, and a genuine smile appeared on his face. The poor woman was clearly at least as nervous as he was, if not more so. Having a set of kittens would be nice. Cats were familiar territory to him, and they didn't require any kind of care beyond what he knew how to do already. The Avington twist would be enough of a change all on its own...
"You can look at it, if you like." He said quickly. The words might have seemed dismissive, but that wasn't out of an attempt at cruelty. It was simple excitement that moved the man now, as the basket was set down in front of him. He stood as well, swallowing deeply, his heart thudding dully in his chest as he looked inside of the basket.
Mostly Avington seemed to be quite the oversimplification. All the King saw at first glance was green, green with patches of cream and the odd blue highlight. Then he noticed the shapes of the children, and his eyes went wide.
None of them were kittens.
When he looked up at the woman, there was confusion in his eyes, a question that was clearly waiting on the tip of his tongue. What the fuck was going on? He could see traces of feline in them when he looked more closely, yes, but it was slight - and it clearly only came from himself. He saw canine, he even saw avian - specifically Owl, which was completely new. These... These were clearly his children, but how could this woman be the mother? What was she trying to pull on him, first with the mysterious rash she'd given him after sex, and now this? A surge of anger rose in him, hot and sudden, and a growl escaped before he could silence it. Then, he covered his face with a hand. "I... I need a moment."
Slowly, the King sat down again, forcing himself to take several deep breaths, his eyes locked on the basket. No. He couldn't ask. He couldn't even be angry, as much as his mind was rebelling against the idea of this - everything. "They're... ... They're beautiful." As much as he didn't expect it, there was truth in his words, and he finally willed himself to look back at the Bog-eyed woman. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. "Have you named them?"
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Post by Nako on Apr 25, 2010 19:44:00 GMT -5
Oh shit. Merlin's hackles raised, more out of fear than anger, when the man growled. It was the fact that they were... odd breeds. It didn't match up. Not at all. His breath caught quick in his throat and his muscles tensed If he needed to, he's shift into another form. The form of the King, perhaps. He'd fight him.. probably he would lose, but he'd try.
His ears flattened reflexively when the man slid back into his seat. His sudden diffusion of rage was confusing. Merlin's hands clutched the basket, half poised to pull them away from the man. Apocalypse's words caught him off guard.
"Ah... thank you." Merlin slowly began to relax, a hand reaching in to slowly stroke the babies within. The jackal child whimpered softly.
"Yes, I have. It wouldn't have been proper to let them go about nameless, I felt. Delaney.. she's the little jackal." Merlin almost visibly winced when pointing that fact out. "This one here.. she's part Caracal. Her name is Keitha. Look here... she's such a precious Caracal tail." His tone dropped to a soft croon. "And this.. this is little Eryn. She's the one with a bit of Bog in her. We hadn't known for sure till her eyes had opened. We won't know much about color till her pinfeathers come in. I... the name is Avington in origin, but I felt it might have a bit of a Raemblen Bog sound to it."
He was silent for a moment, hazarding a glance every now and again at the King. "I'm aware you may have questions. Perhaps... if you have a daycare, we could make sure the children are tended to as we have some time to talk." And talking is something they needed to do, and certain things needed to be explained before he needed to revert to his true form.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Apr 25, 2010 19:56:55 GMT -5
This whole... not asking questions thing was a lot harder than the impatient man had thought it would be. The effort of it was making him jumpy, his little tail twitching violently from side to side. It didn't make sense. None of it did. This was clearly the woman he'd slept with, but how could she have produced children like these? His claws twitched at his sides, the long nails digging into the wood of his chair as he tried to keep them occupied.
The babies were a good distraction. Even with all of the upset the man was feeling, his curiosity at looking over his children in entirety was much greater. "Understandable." He nodded, leaning forward again to look into the basket as Merlin introduced each in turn. A pure canine... Jackal? He wasn't familiar with many of the forms, and he'd almost assumed that the girl's ears were in part his doing. The next one... yes, he could see himself in her, much more easily. There was a feline touch to her face, and those ears! Despite himself, the man smiled, reaching into the basket to very carefully scratch at the girl's belly with a claw. The last was the one that had most quickly made him realize something was wrong, but now... She had his eyes, through and through.
They were fixed on him, in fact, open wide as the little girl's mind was assaulted with pictures and words that she still wouldn't understand. When the images ended, she jerked visibly, then made a quiet noise, imploring her parents with an open beak. That actually got a soft chuckle out of the King. "All little girls..." There was a hint of wonder in his voice, the joy of a new parent. "And good names, all."
But there were clearly other matters at hand. He turned his attention back to the woman, his ears twitching back, fur laying flat across his body. "Indeed we do. They can meet some of their half-siblings. If you'll just follow me..." The man stepped out from behind his desk, nodding to Merlin to keep close as he walked from the room. The pair would walk in silence for some time, before Apocalypse paused, turning to look back at the Avington woman. They were standing at a door that must have led to the nursery. "I have a lot of questions for you, and I'm extremely frustrated. But I'm not going to ask them. I just... I want to know what's going on, but I understand and respect that some things cannot be forced. For now, let's just.. make sure the girls are settled in."
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Post by Nako on Apr 25, 2010 20:10:18 GMT -5
Now, that was a response that was heartening. Obviously the man was frustrated. With how those -frightening- claws dug and scraped at his chair while they were in his study was enough to make Merlin quite anxious.
"I cannot tell you how appreciative I am of your understanding." That was realy all he could say; Merlin certainly didn't want to become too.. verbose. That would merely be annoying. And annoyances were probably not something the King of Hearts would be too keen on dealing with.
"Oh, you have children in the palace? How lovely! Oh.. not to imply.. well, it's just a nice thing to hear. " Merlin's voice jumped up an octave, clearly interested in his family life. Being involved in the lives of his current children would certainly be a good sign."The image of the Courts outside the walls seems so businesslike that it's almost hard to imagine... " He peered into the door where the source of laughs and children playing came from, ears twitching curiously as he held his basket of children close to his chest. Certainly wasn't what he'd have expected from a Courtly daycare. It seemed so.. normal and child friendly! A smile broke across his feline face.
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