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Post by Satra on Mar 4, 2009 0:21:17 GMT -5
His mouth twitched into an almost smile are her comment about Mice. He appreciated the little bit of humor to break up the heavy conversation. He nodded, showing her he wouldn't let it bother him too much. Still, he couldn't help letting it a little.
"Of course. I... It makes more sense now." He hoped she got over this by the time Radek grew up enough to understand and start asking questions. He nodded again in agreement. "Yes... it does... I mean," he shook his head. Stupid. Always speaking before thinking, "Radek... I dunno, I thought that I might hate having a kid. I always loved playing with my nieces and nephews, but I always knew I wouldn't be around them all the time and having a kid of my own would just be a pain, but... for all it's inconveniences... it's not so bad. It's made me really happy and... I, well, a guilty part of me wants you to enjoy it, too, but I can't expect that. I at least want you to not be unhappy."
Why was he talking so much? He was so afraid of making her even more uncomfortable that she already was or may have been. He didn't want to be the cause of her unhappiness anymore than he was already.
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Post by The Jenn on Mar 4, 2009 0:46:08 GMT -5
...he was a sweet kid. Damn, but she'd gone and made his life complicated, hadn't she? At least he was making the best of it and enjoying himself with the puppy. If she'd given him a little bound Torque to deal with, she would have felt even worse. She remembered what she'd been like before leaving her home region and deciding that she was too good for all of that. She remembered her parents, rest their souls, and how perfectly bound they were by the tradition and attitude of the region. Inflicting a child like that on a non-Torque would have been horrible.
"It's a veight off my mind to hear that he makes you happy," she agreed with a small sigh. "This situation vould be something else entirely if you vere miserable. As it is, I vill live through my unhappiness. This particular memory just hasn't been jostled in qvite some time. It had the opportunity to grow into a little monster vhile left alone. If you give it time, I vill give it effort. You both deserve that out of me, I think. I'm not a covard. I von't keep running. I just need to confront the thought carefully."
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Post by Satra on Mar 4, 2009 1:03:05 GMT -5
He wagged his tail and touched his nose to her hand. Her touch made him feel better.
"I'm happy to hear that." Never very good with words, Hadrian would that stating the obvious helped conversations be saved from an awkward stagnation. "If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. You've done a lot for me over these past few years and I'd be more than happy to should an opportunity come up." Things were getting better. Slowly, but surely, they were getting better.
-----
Ten months old and Hadrian was seriously considering retracting his previous statements of how much he enjoyed parenthood. The little creature was a monster! He chewed on everything, harassed servants at the worse possible times, destroyed just about anything he came in contact with, and worse yet, Hadrian hadn't been able to curb his swearing and the child parroted -- of course -- everything he didn't want him saying.
Hadrian was finally able to rest in the garden, distracting the child with a daffodil he'd found just outside the Court gates and had made dance and wiggle about with his magic. The child romped playfully, barking at and jumping around the wiggling weed.
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Post by The Jenn on Mar 4, 2009 1:46:36 GMT -5
Over the past few months, Anoushka had seen Radek at least once a week and hadn't had to leave abruptly since the second time. She'd watched him gambol about and raise hell for his father. Mother. Whatever. From the aggravated stories he'd told her of his own youth, she had a feeling this was some sort of divine karma biting him in the ass. She wished his mother could see this. The woman would probably be rolling with laughter.
She guessed that they'd be in the garden after someone said something about a dancing flower. Walking up behind Hadrian, she noticed the tired set to his body and the slump to his shoulders as he magically played with his son. Their son. Whatever.
"You look how I feel, but not from the vork," she said by way of greeting, settling herself on the grass next to him and following his gaze to the frolicking pup. "Anything new happen?"
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Post by Satra on Mar 4, 2009 1:57:13 GMT -5
Hadrian's tail gave a lazy wag as Anoushka approached, the soft 'thumps' against the grass was his greeting to her. It was so nice to see her again. Maybe he'd have a chance to sleep and let her keep an eye on him for a few minutes.
As soon as she was settled he put his head on her lap. He needed a touch. Any touch.
"Anything new? Well, I'm about to be billed for a chair from the library," he grimaced, "Yanno, the mahogany one?" He really hoped he didn't have to go into detail about that one. He sighed letting himself relax a little more. He only had a few more minutes until the spell wore off. He made the pup work for his fun. With any luck, he'll wear him down and make him sleep sometime soon.
"I thought it was called the terrible twos 'cuz it waited until they were two years old?"
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Post by The Jenn on Mar 4, 2009 2:04:10 GMT -5
"I'm sure you didn't vait vhen you vere his age," Anoushka countered with a snort, settling herself so that his head fit more comfortable on his lap and she could scritch lazily behind his ears. Silly thing. He was really tired, wasn't he? "I know the chair. It vas the only von left from its set, you know. All the others had been destroyed at von point or another. I think there vere originally ten, but there vere only six by the time I got here. Slowly they've been vhittled avay. 's good to know they're all gone. I alvays thought they vere ugly things."
She had more fondness for this canine than she'd felt in a while, since Veldmair. She'd certainly been overly partial to the bull. They'd had a good run together, and lots of good times mingled with the work and the bad. She'd been quite sorry to see him go, for all that Aderlass was a pleasant Queen.
"How much sleep have you gotten in the past veek?" she asked him curiously.
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Post by Satra on Mar 4, 2009 2:23:58 GMT -5
"Hmm... true," he was able to mutter out. He made a strange but pleased noise at being scritched behind the ear. He needed that. "Oh good. If I did the court a favor, can the fee be waived? Wait... They've been around since before you were here?" he gave her a sideways glance that was probably an upwards glance but shut up I'm tired and I hate Chemistry homework. "That probably means they're hideously expensive antiques, huh?" He dreaded the answer to that question.
He disliked this feeling, the one of being overworked.
"Ohhh, wait, you hit a spot. More to the left... Um... Sleep? I don't know. I maxed out my anti-sleeping ability thing throughout the-" he yawned, "the week... few hours I think?"
He liked her legs. He liked them a lot. She always kept herself in such good shape. Her legs weren't bony or fatty. They were just the right amount of firm and soft... like his idea of a perfect pillow.
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Post by The Jenn on Mar 4, 2009 20:10:08 GMT -5
"Probably," Anoushka agreed with a slight grimace. "I'm not sure if anyvon besides the librarian vas fond of the things, though. My body never fit in then very vell. Not built for a hulking canine frame. I alvays thought that a moderate-sized feline vould be more comfortable in them. If you need help vith it, I can pay for the stupid chair. He probably got the chewing from me, anyvay. I used to destroy furniture vhen I vas little."
She continued to scritch along his ears and the edges of his mohawk, eventually digging her hand into the thick mane so that she could reach skin that probably hadn't seen the light of day since he was a furless puppy. Her strong hands and long nails could reach, though.
"Don't burn yourself out. Ve could probably find somevon reliable to vatch him for a little vhile so you can get some real sleep, if you'd like, even if ve have to bring them in front elsevhere."
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Post by Satra on Mar 7, 2009 12:35:29 GMT -5
"No, you don't have to pay for it. I'll... take care of it. I was just doing a little wishful thinking there. I know my Mother. She'll find some magical way of finding out and then I'll never hear the end of it," he smirked, "You too, huh? Seems like between the two of us, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. Yeah... I need to find people to help me watch him... burnt myself out..."
The dandelion had fallen limp, but Hadrian didn't seem to notice. Radek did, though. He jumped on it a few times, smashing the seeds into the dirt. When it was evident the flower was not getting back up, he raced over to his Mother and Father. Maybe they will play with him, too!
"No! Suits, Radek," he growled, exhausted. He tried to push him away with his paws, as the puppy playfully attacked his face. He didn't have the energy to ward him off.
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Post by The Jenn on Mar 7, 2009 12:46:25 GMT -5
"Ve vere both insanely active children. It vas only a matter of time," Anoushka agreed, looking up from Hadrian's tired head in her lap to the pup, full of energy and chasing a dancing flower. "It's too bad you don't have any family you can bribe into helping. You look like you need a serious break and it's alvays better vhen they're related. At least he doesn't have to vorry about a binding tripping him up."
She continued to scratch the furry head on her thigh, following Radek with her eyes and narrowing them ever so slightly when his toy suddenly stopped playing with him. That probably didn't bode well.
...no, definitely not, as he came racing towards them both. By attacking the head in her lap, he also attacked her lap, and she growled in exasperation. The sound was probably intimidating to a puppy, though she didn't think about it. Picking him up by the scruff, she stared at him a moment, holding him at eye-level. "No."
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