He casts a gentle gaze on his son, as he held the child close.
The old Cedric would've never shown such an expression. He would scoff at this display and avert his attention. It would seem disgusting to him, this so-called affection. No one needed such feelings and would have no time for these feelings. The world is a dangerous place that would try to consume every bit of you as long as you remained weak. Feelings swayed many minds off their goals, and feelings were a weakness.
This Cedric, however, is a changed man.
The traces of his dark past in Meridian and with Phobos no longer show on his face. Instead, it is replaced with worry and care. Cedric thinks of his son now. Perhaps he is worried for the boy's future. The child is half Meridianite, half Basiliadean.
Only half of young Liderc's blood was Nagan, but still, the traces of his father show. The scales on the side of his cheeks and the ever-playful tail behind him are the telltale signs that this child was out of the world. Cedric finds his own traits simply… adorable on his son.
His son. Their son. Her son.
This child is his as much as hers, he thinks. As he uses his own tail to play with Liderc, Cedric focuses on the long, pointed ears in front of him. His wife's people are significantly different from the Shantas and the Ashas, but nonetheless are equipped with body structures that give them an edge in battle. The long ears surely help them hear in a wider range. The sharp nails are their basic offense and defense. The big palms and soles made locomotion easier.
His son, meanwhile, only has the ears and the nails. Cedric wonders if it's too soon to assume his son's survival. Liderc, naive to his father's thoughts, simply reaches out to the frolicking tail above him. His legs kick and his own tail starts to mimic his father's.
On the other side of the house, overlooking the open room where father and son occupied, their matriarch looks out from her training studio. Her students complain of the difficult trials she gives them, but she does not pay heed to the young warriors. Orube's stern face, said to be mirroring her own father's, turn into the gentle one her mother possessed. Her eyes simply watch her husband and child.
Years ago, the old Orube would only dream of being a worthy warrior. She would bow down to Kandrakar, and look down on the childish guardians. She'd never look at a man the way a woman would, and she wouldn't return to Basiliade, her heart still strained from her father's expectations.
Now, this Orube made a decision to serve her own planet, reconcile with her father, and start a family of her own.
She barks an order to her mischievous students, and as they return to their tasks, she gazes down on her family once more.
Sometimes, Orube wonders who really is the mother between the her and Cedric. She regularly worked during the day and regularly messed up their meals. Well, to be honest, she's gotten much, much better at cooking, though she'd still consider her skills inferior to her mother's. But still, she isn't the regular wife you'd see around in this part of Basiliade.
Cedric isn't the typical husband either. He does menial jobs around town sometimes, when work is available, but he watches over Liderc more. It's the first child syndrome, says his in-laws. And the kitchen? He can make satisfactory dishes, at least, and knows how to handle ingredients. Orube never felt more inferior as a woman -
Cedric notices her gaze, and waves. Their son follows suit. Orube's cheeks glow and she returns the gesture. Her students cringe.
"Why can't you ever be nice to us like that?!"