Shell perched on the roof and stared down at the tumble of children running around, shrieking like banshees and seemingly having a great time. They were very energetic and carefree, filled with enthusiasm and joy and looking all cute and…
"I'm doomed," she sighed, sitting back against the chimney.
"Whatcha doing?"
"Wondering why you haven't learned to sneak yet," Shell said, giving Blossom a sideways look.
"I kept scaring the guards, so Da asked me to learn to stomp," Blossom shrugged, moving across the tile and snuggling into Shell's lap. "Who're they?"
"Uh…to me? Not quite sure yet. Otherwise, they're Telki's," Shell said, examining them.
"So they're Giddy's too?" Blossom surmised, watching the game and wondering if they would let her play if she asked. It looked fun, and like she'd be good at it. She'd already worked out two or three ways she could cheat.
"Yes," Shell sighed, "Yes they are."
"Would that make you their mom?" Blossom asked, confused. She tried to picture Shell as a mom and failed.
"One of the things I'm trying to figure out," her sister said, shifting a bit as the cold seeped through her armor. "I…I don't really understand children," she said. "I mean, you and Orien are my siblings, and the other Young Ones were Young Ones. What do you do with children with no more discipline than a basket of puppies? How do you get them to do anything? I don't even know what counts as misbehavior or not!"
"What about Pearl?" Blossom noticed the exclusion curiously.
"Pearl's not really a child," the Bosmer shrugged. "I want to like them, and have them like me, but…I really don't know what I'm doing."
"Do you want to hear what Da told me when I didn't know how to make friends?" Blossom offered after a moment.
"Sure," Shell replied, surprised.
"Don't stab them."
"I should have guessed."
"Where'd you get the black armor?" Blossom examined it, poking at the Nightingale emblem.
"A floaty lady with birds gave it to me," Shell replied, eyes once more on the children running about the yard.
"Neat. Can we go back, now? Watching the game is boring when you can't play," the little girl requested.
"Sure thing, bellani," Shell slid over the arch of the house so the children wouldn't look up and spot her and made her way back to the Palace of Kings as easily as if she were walking on the ground and about as unnoticed as a street cat.
"Shell?" Blossom ventured quietly after they slipped in through Shell's open window. "I…If those kids don't like you, I still do!" she burst out, blushing, then cuddled her startled elder sister. "You still have me!"
"Thanks, bellani," Shell's eyes were mysteriously misty, but her smile was all sunshine, "That means more than you know." Giving the girl a kiss on the forehead, she sent her out searching for her twin, then turned back to decide what to wear to dinner.
.
.
Telki was having to sip Sober Mead herself by the time she and her spouses got everyone ready to go to dinner at the Palace of Kings. Between the inherent noise, worry, and 'I can't find my tunic!', she was sporting a headache worthy of a Sam's night out. Seeing a similar crease between Erandur's brows, she passed the bottle to him. He gave her the most beautiful smile in thanks.
"We ready to go?" she asked when he handed it back. She deftly tucked the bottle back in her dimensional pocket.
"All present, dressed, and accounted for." He looked over the kids like a general inspecting his troops. Telki had to hide a grin when they straightened their posture accordingly. Even Murril glanced at the others and stood straight as a Saint or Seducer on duty.
"Everyone got their heat charms?" Telki folded her arms. She was not listening to a chorus of 'but I'm cold' all the way to the palace. Seven dutiful hands raised, showing their charms on either a wrist or neck.
"Coats?"
Murril fluffed up the adult fur coat she'd borrowed from the wardrobe, belted to her waist to hold it up but still making her look a bit like a fluffball, and grinned through the small hole her face was peeking through. She'd pulled the strings in the hood as tight as she could get them, so it was mostly her nose that stuck out, though it made her head look rather odd and oblong, as her ears were trying to escape either side. Telki found her irresistibly adorable. Sofie, of course, had to have one, too. The pair of them looked like nothing so much as a pair of seagull chicks that had escaped the nest. The others were happy with their fur lined cloaks, too adult to wear the fluffy look, thought Francois had seriously considered it.
The walk to the Palace was filled with excited chatter about what they'd do, who they'd see first, and what the cooks might have prepared for supper. It was probably the liveliest walk to the palace Telki'd ever enjoyed. She bounced the door open her usual way, and flounced inside.
Three enthusiastic squeals met Telki and family the minute they crossed the threshold. Blossom and Orien were loitering with all the stealth of Bacon at the end of the table, trying to see all the new potential playmates. Pearl stood next to them, resigned.
Ama, Wemie, and Nala made a thorough hugfest and greeting, everyone talking over everyone as they all caught each other up on what had happened since the attack. Pearl rubbed her head at the tangle, while Orien bounced in excitement and Blossom squinted, trying to follow all the disparate conversations. Talon, walking in from the kitchen (apparently the cook only felt comfortable if he entered the kitchen first. Somehow, someone had convinced the poor addled man that the "ghost" was even more frightened of Talon than the cook was of it), paused to stare, both puzzled and a bit taken aback by the sheer amount of noise. How were any of them managing to get any sense out of the babble?
Fey glanced at Tyr, jerking her head a bit at the bunch. He grinned and put an arm around her, "Yeah, that's normal." He nodded to Galmar's little adopted boy, who looked somewhat intimidated and had both hands clapped over his ears, "You'll all get used to it."
Telki looked over at Orien's little face, after getting all her requisite hugs and greetings. "Whatcha doin' way over there? You have cousins to come say 'hi' to." Telki beckoned to him.
Turning bright red, Orien grabbed Blossom's hand and waved, "Hi," he said, a little more shy than usual due to the sheer amount of people.
Seeing this, Blossom nodded and, taking her courage in hand, marched forward, dragging him with her. "Hi!" she yelled, then stood there, wondering what she was supposed to do next.
"Hi! Hey, you're…" Francois' eyes got very big. "Are you really one of Momma's kids?"
Blossom stared at him like she had just realized he was actually a sea sponge, "You're one of Telki's kids."
"But you look like her. I'm adopted. I'm gonna find my real parents, someday. She said she'd help me."
"That's Da's fault," Blossom replied dismissively. "He gave us his colors."
"I like it," Orien said, tugging at a lock of red hair.
"I never said I didn't like it, I said it's his fault," his twin said.
Francois looked over at Tyr, puzzled. "Is he related to Momma?"
Sofie sidled around him to look at the twins, looking at them much as she would a candy shoppe. "Hi. I like you. Can I hug you?" she asked Orien.
Blossom bit her lip and reminded herself fiercely that the first rule to making new friends was not stabbing them as her twin let go of her hand to hug the strange new girl and willfully refrained from telling her she looked like Bacon in that coat. She felt somewhat better when she was nearly knocked over by Murril, who had seen her face and thought she was lonely, so tackled her.
"Hey! After dinner, wanna play hide and seek with us? Momma promised us we could play in the courtyard here at the castle." Runa joined the hug fest around the new kids.
Orien glanced at Blossom, who was looking strangely unsure, and grabbed her hand. "Can we really? Can Pearl? And Bjartr?"
"'Course! Momma Telki says the more the merrier," Blaise assured them. "And I heard the Courtyard's big enough to hide a mammoth!"
"Oh! We should have Betsy play, too!" Orien bounced.
"Who's Betsy?" asked Sofie, wanting to hug Blossom too, but worried at the frown she got earlier.
"She's a bit too old to be playing hide and seek," Tyr headed that off before it got too far, coming over to kneel next to his son, who automatically cuddled up to him. Blossom was feeling off-balance enough to join them, and Tyr gave her a little smile, putting his arm around them.
"Betsy is Da's mammoth friend!" Orien told Sofie. "The other Nords call Da 'Mammoth Rider.' It's his Honor Name, even though he has a clan name."
"That's so cool! I want to be a mammoth rider, too!" Blaise was bouncing on his heels. "Do you think I could, at the picnic tomorrow?"
Tyr shrugged, "If your mother says yes and Betsy likes you, sure," he said, wondering when someone was planning to tell him about the picnic.
"Yes!" Blaise did a little victory dance right there, causing Gideon to drift over to their particular huddle.
"What mischief are you brewing now, Trouble?" Gideon ruffled the boy's hair.
"Betsy's gonna let me be a mammoth rider tomorrow at the picnic!" Gideon, long familiar with Blaise's particular enthusiasm, quirked a skeptical eyebrow.
Blossom glanced up at Tyr, "So can I just pick words you say, too?"
"No," he chuckled. "Not unless you want your use-name to become 'Trouble' too." She wrinkled her nose at that and shook her head.
"I see the picnic has been finalized, as well. That was one of the things we wanted to discuss with you and Ulfric, since you know best whether Betsy and her herd would even allow such a thing."
"The herd wouldn't, but Betsy might," he looked right at the rambunctious little boy, "provided they're calm and quiet around her."
"So, Calm spells all around, then." Gideon ruffed Blaise's hair. "We may just have to have the picnic in the courtyard, and introduce Betsy to a few at a time, then."
"Getting her into the courtyard would be a task in itself," Tyr said, standing when he realized Blossom was trying to climb him like a skittish cat would a tree. Orien seemed fine on the ground, bouncing around the new children like he'd been doing it all his life, but Blossom was a bit more clingy than usual. He found this a bit odd, since she was the only one of the two to grow up with other children.
Pearl walked over calmly, looking them over, holding Fey's hand. "Did you want to play, Pearl?" the girl's mother asked her quietly.
"Perhaps," she said, still examining them. "I might just study."
Nala had made her rounds, and was feeling a bit worn out herself from all the kids. She was near enough to hear Pearl. "Well, if you'd like. I've got permission to peruse Wuunferth's private library. Wanna join me after dinner?"
"I would enjoy that," Pearl said with a small smile. She'd come to like the Khajiit over the last few days, even if she had reluctantly admitted the woman was better at fire spells than she was.
"Cool, I could use an extra pair of eyes. If Wuunferth's library doesn't have it, not sure it exists at this point," Nala admitted to her. "And you are a very thorough researcher."
Her ears almost twitched as the words caught her attention. "What are we looking for?" she asked, eyes sparkling with interest.
"What happened to Rommy, how often it's happened, and things of that nature." Nala chewed her finger. "Let's leave it at, I'm protective of family? I don't want anything happening to endanger her happiness. I'm actually rather reassured it's not common knowledge."
Tilting her head a little, Pearl wondered aloud, "I wonder if Lili would know anything."
"If she doesn't, she just might make it up to watch what happens," Fey said with a bit of humor. "Might I suggest asking one of the two Princes we're acquainted with?"
"Well, one of them is unavailable, and the other, not sure he'd be willing to talk to me about this." Nala grimaced, and had to move to the next nail. "Truthfully, I wouldn't mind finding something in all this that helped him deal with his curse."
Fey sighed, "Just…do not get yourselves into anything you cannot get safely out of," she cautioned. "All this business with Daedra frightens me, and that is not something I admit to often."
Nala had to think on her answer. "I have to treat them like people. There are plenty of people, including you, that could end me. Yet, I cannot live frightened of everyone that could do that. That's not living, and if this can help the ones I love? More reason to put my fear on the shelf and do it anyways."
Mother and daughter gave her identical pensive looks. "You are an interesting person, Nala," Fey finally said.
Nala raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Coming from you, that means something."
Fey smiled a bit, eyes dancing, "Thank you."
"Speaking of frightened people," Pearl glanced around. "Where's Shell?"
.
.
"Now, what could possibly entice my darling Shell to come out here at this time of night?" Gideon's steps were quiet as he made his way to Shell's perch on the roof. Dinner time this far north meant sunset, which still tinged the western horizon, but only just. Stars peeked out overhead through a veil of wispy clouds just thick enough to hide them.
"Uh…"she glanced around, then pointed up, "Aurora?" Since there wasn't one, it was a very weak excuse. She'd finally settled on a blue tunic that made her skin seem to glow—useful for when she knew she was going to be pale with anxiety. Then she'd finally gotten up the nerve to go down and see the children, and they were everywhere, talking to everyone, and she'd needed another moment. Or year or so.
Predictably, she'd ended up at the highest point she could quickly reach, trying to still her thoughts. She was freezing in her Nightingale cloak, but she found she didn't mind so much at the moment.
"I swear, you don't dress warm on purpose, just so I'll hold you more." Gideon scooped her up, cuddling her close. "I'm guessing the noise got too much? Blossom didn't seem to care for the horde, either."
"Gideon…for a Young One, I am very, very undisciplined," she told him, "And I can't remember ever being that unabashedly noisy, or nosey, or…do they always want to know everything now, now, now?"
"Remember who adopted them, and then tell me the answer." Gideon rubbed his chin in her hair, thinking. "So, how do I help you with this? What do you think could help you face that exuberance?"
Taking a deep breath, she climbed out of his lap and stood, staring at him and holding out a hand, "Drag me in," she said seriously.
A wolfish smile wreathed his face for a moment. "I'll go you one better," and scooped her up over his shoulder, laughing as he nimbly made his way back to the access hatch. "One Shell to be delivered to the family mash, coming up."
There were some fervent prayers to both Mara and Auriel coming from his back. "If you slip," she started, then paused. "If you slip we get to go to bed with a healer attending us. Slip."
Gideon laughed, and lightly patted her bottom as he opened the hatch and descended the stairs. "Sorry, you're not the only one used to dancing about on uncertain footing. Erandur would know I did it a'purpose. Angry Erandurs are to be avoided at all costs."
The cursing turned to elvish, with the only real discernible word being "Sithis."
"Now now, these are our kids you're being afraid of, do you think hugging to death is a real possibility?"
"I don't think I'm mother material!" she burst out anxiously. "What if they all hate me?"
Gideon rubbed her back consolingly. "Is that what you're worried about? They won't. That's a promise. Just be yourself, and they will love you."
"What if…" she sighed and finished quietly, "what if I can't handle it?"
Gideon was quiet as he walked her down the hall. "That's part of the beauty of what I'm bringing you into, Shell. There's room for all kinds. Lydia loves playing house mother, Telki's sometimes the mother hen, sometimes the adventuring provider. There's room here for however you want to fit yourself in. You can even be an 'aunt' rather than a 'mother' if you desire. The kids will love you all the same."
"You know those aunts in the comedies that come in and teach the children about drunkenness and felony tax evasion? That might be my niche. Except the drunken part. What I mean is, I run a guild of Thieves. I'm a bad influence at best."
"No, Sam has that covered, sadly."
"Oh, yeah," she said, perking right up, "I'm not the worst one." Gideon could only chuckle.
"So, remember that, if we can make room for Sam, of all people, what do you have to be worried about?" Gideon rubbed her backside, and then patted it. "Ready to come down from there yet?"
"I suppose it is a bit undignified, even if I like where your hand is," she said, straightening and leaning back so she slipped down his front.
He groaned, but kept his hands on her hips. "Yes, very undignified, even if I like where it put you now." He cuddled her for a moment, resting his chin on her head. "So, not the worst one, not going to be hated, and think what your credit with the kids would be if you joined the game tonight of hide and seek?"
"What good will that do me?" she wondered, "I'd just sit in one place all night until they gave up."
"Or you could be the seeker first, and find them? I should warn you, they learned to hide from Telki, and Ama's played with them since." Gideon tapped her nose; she caught his finger with her teeth, nibbling on it playfully. Gideon groaned, "No, no tempting. You're meeting your fellow hooligans tonight. They will love you."
"One moment," she said, cast Courage on herself, then nodded, "Okay, bring on the hooligans." There was a little pause. "What's a hooligan? Is it a young yahoo?" Gideon nodded and laughed, taking her arm like a proper escort, and leading her back into the thick of things.
From the way the kids reacted, Shell could have been mistaken for a returning hero or favorite bard. From the way she reacted, she'd obviously expected to be hated on sight. She was much taken aback.
"Pappa Giddy! Is this her? Is this Momma Shell?" The little blonde boy bounced in front of her, face wreathed in a happy grin.
"Not yet, doofus, they have to get hitched first." Blaise bumped the younger boy's shoulder. "Is it true you kidnapped Pappa Giddy right out from under the Thalmor's noses? How'd you do that? Did you really ride on Odahviing? What's it like?"
"Um, no, I told them he was my new puppy and they believed me, and yes, I did, and I will be using a rope next time, or at least holding on tighter."
Sofie's eyes got very big. "You can turn him into a puppy? Can I see?"
"No, I can't. Thalmor are just that stupid sometimes," Shell replied, smiling a little. "If you like baby things, my sister Pearl has kittens, though."
"Kittens?" Five heads turned to Pearl, full of hopeful expectation. Blaise, of course, was too cool for that, but even he was paying attention to what Pearl's answer might be, attentively.
"They weren't invited to dinner," she told them after a moment. "Their table manners are atrocious."
"So's Blaise's but he still gets to go," pointed out Sofie in all innocence.
Pearl found herself strangely reminded of Min. "I doubt Blaise climbs up on the table to fall asleep in the serving dishes when they still have food in them."
"Well, one time, when Uncle Sam was here…" Lucia began helpfully, but Blaise used both hands to cover her mouth.
"Shut up! Momma Lydia said that wasn't my fault!"
"And Poppa Erandur said no bringing up old stories tonight," Alesan reminded Lucia.
"Well, why can't we hold a party for the kittens after the dinner?"
"Some other time. They are still growing and need their rest," Pearl said firmly as an adult.
"Hey, are you gonna play hide and seek with us? Momma Telki promised us we could use the big courtyard and everything after dinner." Francois asked hopefully.
"Uh…" her eyes widened a bit at the puppy-eyed look, and she glanced up at Nala. "I'll play if Nala plays, at least for a little."
Nala startled. "Ah, Pearl and I were planning on hitting the books this evening?"
"You're invited, too." Francois turned big adoring eyes to the quiet blonde angel. "Please come play with us?"
"I, uh, er…" the poor girl really had no idea how to deal with these kinds of social situations. While Orien and Blossom could both pull of the big-eyed begging look, they'd never turned it on her. Finally, she sighed. "Nala, can I show you the library after the game?"
"Sure, we can show these guys how to really hide." Nala bent down and whispered to the girl, "Find a good spot, I'll bring the books."
A rare giggle bubbled out of Pearl and she nodded.
Meanwhile, Shell was looking around for Telki, still clinging to Gideon's arm like she might hop onto his shoulder to get away, much like Blossom had. Her poor sister was sitting at the table staring, drinking some warm cider Ama had brought for her. Talon was leaning against the far wall, half hidden in shadow and simply observing everything.
"What's all this? For a moment, I feared the Palace under attack." Ulfric entered the room just in time to disappear under a deluge of kiddie hugs.
"Ulfie! It is, I brought my brood to overwhelm you. How's you?" Telki had Merc by one arm, and Erandur by the other, snuggling them to her.
Tyr glanced at them, opened his mouth, spotted Wemie, and shut up. Blossom gave him a suspicious look, then snuggled into his side. He grinned down at her, enjoying the rare cuddle.
"Well. From this enthusiastic greeting, shall I assume all is well with you?" Ulfric fought his way vertical again, dispensing hugs and setting children back on their feet.
"Is that him?" Valori bounced over, still attached to Ralof's arm. Mehris was dragged behind him, laughing. They both were still in mortal clothing—found it quite comfortable and exotic, really—and everyone kept thinking they were elves, and they really just couldn't stop sniggering about it.
"Aye. Valori, Mehris, may I present my High King, Jarl Ulfric? Jarl Ulfric, may I present my wives?" Ralof bowed, followed by both daedra, giggling at the action.
"Hello!" they chorused.
Ulfric looked from one to the other. "Ralof, you lucky bastard. Two wives? Had Telki a hand in this?"
"I helped free him from their snare? Does that count?" Telki's sheepish answer had Ulfric laughing outright.
"Welcome to the Palace. I hope your marriage is a long and happy one." Ulfric bowed to both ladies, merriment dancing in his eyes.
Mehris pointed at Ulfric and gazed at Ralof inquiringly, "So is he 'Uncle' then?"
Ralof covered his face with a hand, groaning. Ulfric simply laughed. "If you so wish, I would be delighted to add you to the family."
"Oh, not her," Valori giggled, snuggling into Ralof. "The little ones!"
"Little ones?" Ulfric asked, eyebrows rising. Watching them place protective hands over their abdomens gave him all the clue he needed. His humor grew into a great belly rumbling laugh. "Wasted no time, did you, Ralof?"
Once his humor abated, he gently took Valori and Mehris each by a hand. "It would please me greatly, if they called me 'Uncle.'" Both daedra squealed and gave him a crushing hug. Luckily for Ulfric they'd both decided that Ralof had former claim to anything more than simply hugging, or he would have discovered just how red he was able to turn.
"My Lord?" Jorlief called. "Dinner awaits."
"Excellent. If you would all join me?" Ulfric made an expansive hand toward the groaning longtable laden with more food than the table was probably meant to bear.
Shell glanced at it then at Gideon, wondering if it were safe to approach. Orien ran back over to his mother and asked excitedly if he could sit with his new friends. Pearl politely asked Nala if she could sit next to her. Blossom simply turned around on the bench and searched for the sweetrolls.
Francois finally eeled his way over to where Pearl and Nala were sitting to gently tug on Pearl's sleeve, his eyes nearly bugging at having taken such a daring privilege. She turned to look at him, surprised.
"May I please sit with you?" Francois gave her his most pitiful look. Between the blonde curls, huge blue eyes, and trembling bottom lip, it was a force to be reckoned with.
"If you want," she said weakly, puzzled.
"Thank you!" His grin was enough to dazzle, and he happily plopped himself on the bench on her other side. "Would you like me to pass you the fruitbowl?" He wanted to be a good helper and not a pest.
Pearl looked over to her mother, who looked strangely amused, and Tyr, who was outright trying not to laugh, and became very confused. "Sure. Thanks."
The table eventually stopped groaning as food was taken off it and filled the bellies of those sitting at it. Talon sat over between Gideon and Erandur, talking briefly with the now-awakened and much better dressed Tim, who seemed somewhat surprised to see him there. Mehris and Valori took turns feeding Ralof, and all three excused themselves long before anyone else. Shell finally relaxed around the children, and Orien proved that he was learning table manners, no matter what anyone said. Blossom was the one that lassoed a sweetroll to her with her sister's wrist chain.
"That's so neat, you gotta teach me that!" was the only comment offered, and from Blaise, of course.
Shell shrugged, winding it back up, "Maybe in a few years." She wasn't above teaching them assassin's tricks, especially since Talon would probably do it anyway. What you knew, you knew how to defend against.
The inner courtyard was more sheltered garden than anything else. Ornamental trees, fragrant shrubs, and flowering bushes all flourished in the protection provided by the thick walls of the Palace of Kings. It was also expansive enough you could actually lose a mammoth. To the kids, it was the perfect hide and seek paradise, especially with the shadows cast by the torches.
Sighing, remembering what Gideon had said, Shell called out, "I volunteer to be It." She turned to Gideon before he could run off. "How exactly does being It work?"
"Tell you what, I'll be It first, so you can see how it's done. Center planter is Base!" Gideon called.
"What's Base?" she, Pearl, Bjartr, and Blossom all called. Orien decided "Base" meant "sit on it immediately."
"If you get found, but not tagged, you can run to Base and be safe," Sofie explained. "Don't forget Pappa! You have to count to fifty!"
"Fifty, in this place? You'll be sitting on Ulfric's throne for him before I reach twenty five," Gideon teased.
"Fifty, Pappa! You promised!" Lucia called from the shadows, but hard to pinpoint where, the walls making it bounce and echo.
"So, to clarify; we all pick one place to hide, and stay there, and if you find us you have to tag us before we reach the flower pot?" Shell asked, making sure she had this right.
"Well, you don't have to wait to be found to go to base," Alesan said. "Blaise gets bored all the time, and sneaks to base behind the Seeker's back."
"I'm ready!" Orien called, mostly concealed in the flower pot itself.
Runa picked him up out of the pot, sneaking a hug as she did so. Was it her fault he was the cuddliest kid on the planet? Blossom, already completely concealed on a weathervane, glowered at her. "Silly! You can't hide on Base, you have to hide somewhere else, and then run for Base. That's what makes the game fun!"
"Oooh. Okay!"
"Ready?" Gideon looked around at beaming eager faces, some bouncing on their heels. "Go! One!…Two!…Three!" Giggles and laughter filled the night air as all the kids flashed off to their different hiding places, leaving the courtyard looking empty except for the giant Nord in the center calmly and loudly counting to fifty.
"You're not joining them?" Talon asked Nala, coming to lean against the door, watching. "I noticed your twin concealing herself."
"I'm waiting for Pearl's signal. I'm leaving it to the expert to find a hiding spot, and then we're getting some study/girltime in." Nala showed off her spoils of war, heavy ancient-looking books. The elf examined them with interest, though he kept half an eye on the game. He wanted to evaluate exactly what skills the children had.
"Psst! Talon! Talon, wanna hide with me?" The question seemed to come from an expansive collection of tundra cotton to Talon's left.
"No thank you, Blaise," Talon said with a hint of amusement, eyes never straying toward the spot. He was watching Pearl escape through a window into the second story. "Nala, I believe Pearl will meet you back in the Great Hall. It seems she's heading there. Fey created a solar she might bring you to, if you happen to miss each other coming and going."
"Dang, that's impressive. Maybe I should start joining Ama's stretches," Nala groused. Talon had to shake his head slightly to get the image of two pretzeled Khajiit out of his mind. "Thanks Talon. Hope you enjoy your assessment." Nala gave him a cheerful wink and smile as she backed slowly into the room, waiting for the children's attentions to be fully on the game, and not her, before sliding out of view.
Talon's lips twitched up slightly, and he turned his attention back to the game as Gideon finally reached fifty, inwardly laughing at some of the hiding spots the children had chosen. Blaise waited until Gideon was exactly far enough from his patch of tundra cotton before racing quietly to Base, loudly jeering at Gideon for missing him once there.
Blaise's distraction almost worked; Alesan had made it halfway to Base before Gideon noticed, and then it was a footrace Alesan barely won. Talon thought it interesting that the man deliberately slowed his last few steps, before recalling that this was for fun. He glanced up at Blossom, who seemed to be relying on height to conceal her, and found her staring with a wide-eyed look as she caught exactly what he had.
Orien thought this whole running thing was a great idea, and made a beeline for the pot. Gideon shadowed him, making growly noises the whole way as the boy shrieked happily, diving inside like a rabbit going down a hole. Luckily, Alesan caught him before damage could happen to either the little boy or the planter.
Blossom apparently took this to be rules of the game she hadn't heard, for the moment Gideon was on the other side of the courtyard she started hopping along the perimeter of the yard from one bit of wall to the other until she was as close to the planter as she could get, then dropped, rolled toward the planter with the impact, and landed up against it with a wince.
"Woah, you gotta show me how you do that, maybe without the thumpy ending, though." Blaise stared at Blossom like he might have found a new hero.
Blossom blushed, "I learned climbing trees."
"I can climb trees," huffed Blaise, "but I can't drop that far without hurting myself. Momma Lydia told me I was lucky I didn't bust my head open last time."
"Oh, I busted my head a few times learning," she assured him, nodding as if that statement were perfectly normal. "And an arm. Talon made me better."
"He can put people back together? Like with glue?" Blaise's brow wrinkled. "Oh, you meant heals. Wow. He can do anything, huh?"
"He can't Shout," Blossom said smugly. Finally, something up on Talon.
Blaise whispered, "You can Shout?" His eyes were about the size of the sweetrolls at supper.
"I can go all wispy and see-through and make people drop swords," she confirmed.
"Really? Wow, Momma Telki can't even do that. Well, she can knock them down, that makes them drop their swords, usually."
"She can do it; she taught Da and Orien and me," Blossom said, watching Gideon prowl around looking for the remaining children, Telki, and Ama. Shell she could see. She was having a hard time not laughing, really.
Telki, in her hiding spot in the branches of an ornamental tree, had to muffle her laughter with her hand. Shell was following around behind Gideon, mimicking him so well he would never know she was there. Telki got her laughter under control before it gave her away. She wasn't going to lose a game of hide and seek now of all times.
Haffod made a game play for Base when Gideon flushed him out from behind a small aspen, but Gideon wasn't holding back on him and caught him handily before he was seven steps from his tree. "Does that make him It?" Shell asked from right behind them. Gideon jumped half a foot, more startled that he'd ever admit, then spun around, scooping her up and kissing her silly while he spun them around. Shell had just enough brain cells left working from that to wonder if anyone was taking the moment of distraction to make for Base.
Gideon smiled down at her in his arms, liking the dizzy look on her face. "Well, if I don't catch anyone else, now you're It. Last one caught is It next round." He booped her nose, then walked her over and set her down next to Runa, who was sitting on Base like she'd always been there.
Shell twisted and ruffled Haffod's hair. "Hey, you! Hear they're calling you Guilty Initiate now! How's that working for you?"
"Well, I'm not sumping out the septic tank anymore, and I didn't get left to look after the farm animals, so, better?" Haffod blushed under her consideration.
She couldn't help the dismayed laughter that bubbled up, "Oh, dear."
"Well, I rather deserved it, seeing as how I made decisions for someone else, instead of letting them make their own." The words had the flat quality of something recited many times.
"Maybe I should have used a bit stronger wording to explain that I was so lost when you wandered by I didn't know what way was up," she said ruefully. "You may have not wanted to lead me back to Windhelm, but you didn't leave my home-wrecking rear to freeze to death on a mountainside, either."
Haffod flushed scarlet. "I shouldn't have made that assumption, either. I'm sorry."
"It's alright," she told him, giving his shoulder a pat, "I wasn't going back to Windhelm that day anyway. And hey, we saved some Vigilants, right?"
"That's right! We did," Haffod brightened up. Shell grinned and ruffled his hair again.
Gideon took stock of Base. "Let's see: Runa, Alesan, Blaise, Orien and Blossom, Haffod and Shell. That means I've still Telki, Ama, Lydia, Lucia, Francois, Bjartr, and Sofie to find."
"What about Nala and Pearl?" Blaise asked.
"They went off to read books together," Runa sniffed.
"Oh." Blaise wondered what on Nirn could be in a book better than playing hide and seek in the dark with everyone.
Shell sighed, "Typical."
"Is Telki going to come down from the tree soon?" Blossom asked. "I don't want to keep sitting here."
"Hey now, no ratting hiders out!" Alesan bumped Blossom's shoulder, his tone light. Blossom looked up at the teenager and shrugged.
"It's Telki, I'll take all the help I can get." Gideon made for Telki's tree, where light laughter rang out. The kids then got treated to a rousing and hilarious chase encompassing the entire courtyard for about three laps. Telki ducked, swerved, and actually doubled back by sliding between Gideon's legs at one point, before alighting on the planter to praise and applause. Ama was there waiting on her.
"And I thank you for the lovely distraction." Ama bowed to her sister, who laughingly took her well deserved accolades. Bjartr popped his head out of the planter, somehow managing to get in there without anyone noticing even as they filled the perimeter of it. Half of them fell off when they jumped at his sudden movement.
Shell sighed hugely, giving them all big, sad green eyes. "I'm It, aren't I?"
"Well, there's still Lydia, Lucia, and Francois to go." Alesan patted Shell's shoulder sympathetically.
"And last time, Sofie fell asleep. We all had to look for her 'cause she'd moved from one hiding spot to another when we weren't looking," Blaise added.
"I'm not asleep, okay?" Sofie yelled, her voice bouncing so they couldn't tell where it came from.
"If I get up and help Giddy look, is that bad?" Blossom, thoroughly bored now, asked.
"Why?" Runa asked.
"I don't want to sit here anymore," Blossom shrugged.
Gideon was already stalking off, disappearing into the shadows. He'd spotted a flicker of movement, and figured it was probably Lydia's hiding spot. They heard muffled words. Apparently, Lydia did not make it past Gideon's long reach, and was having to moderate her speech the hard way.
Sofie stalked quietly just like Momma Telki taught her. She'd bounced her voice, also a trick the bard had taught, but still, it was probably better to find a new hiding place, and the dark shadowed nook by the outcropping looked like a good place to hide. Unfortunately, someone was already there, but it wasn't someone she recognized. Telki had taught her how to handle this, too.
"HI! DID YOU COME TO PLAY HIDE AND SEEK TOO?" Sofie used her loudest and most babyish voice, the one that almost always got her second dessert helpings.
Suddenly, there was a Telki whipping her behind her back, and a Gideon whipping Telki behind his broad back, facing the intruder. Shell and Talon were there almost as fast, reacting to their actions. The slender teenager in the nook looked like she wanted to climb the building in fright.
"Shit," Shell said, sweeping her hair back. "Sweetie, didn't the messengers make it clear to use the front door?"
Talon made a motion as if he were sheathing something. "At ease, Young One; we won't harm you."
"Honestly, I'd hug you, if you accepted those sorts of things, but you scared us, too," Telki had a hand over her heart, as if trying to still the frantic beating by holding it in.
"I…I wanted to…to see you," the girl stammered, wide red eyes bouncing from one to the next. Her complexion and dark hair screamed Imperial, but the red eyes were all Dunmer.
"Well, that'd be much easier to do if you joined us, and you might give Shell someone challenging to find."
"Telki," Talon nodded at the teenager as she stepped out. "She's been traveling. She might need rest more than play at the moment."
"Aww shug, I'm sorry. You guys carry on. I'll get her settled, and I think y'all might have to hunt where Francois is. He's not out here in the middle of it. I bet you he's asleep somewhere."
"Telki," Talon said again, looking at her patiently.
"She's a teenager," Shell sighed after a moment, voice heavy with significance.
"She's too thin, that leg looks bad, and I was going to get her inside before she freezes to death. You had Fey, who'd she have?"
"Her team," they said in unison.
Telki snorted. "Her team tucked her in, sung to her, and where are they now?"
"Exactly," Shell said glumly.
Telki pointed a firm finger at the young girl. "I'm going to feed you, see to that leg, and once I get you warmed up, you can tell me if there's more to bring in, or who I'm whupping for taking them away from you. I'm going to put my arm around you, put your weight on me until I get you to the table, okay? Okay. Let's go."
A little overwhelmed by the Khajiit in full Mothering mode, the girl nodded meekly and allowed herself to be helped. After a few steps it was obvious she was in quite a bit of pain, and her skin was so cold to the touch it was a bit like the rock she'd been hiding against.
"Okay, hold up." Telki stopped them, puttering in her dimensional pocket. "Take a sip of this, it'll get you set enough I can get you inside, at least." She handed the poor girl what was left of her Sober Mead.
Looking at it dubiously, she glanced up and paled when she saw Talon watching this patiently. "Drink," he said simply, but she reacted like he'd slapped her, and took a large swallow on command.
"Talon, no scaring my new youngen. You hear me?"
"I was a Trainer, it is unavoidable." She'd be scared of him no matter what he said or did.
"You teach me awesome skills, I'll teach you people skills, okay? Okay. How's the leg sweetie?" Telki turned her attention back to the teen.
"It hurts a bit less," she said softly, keeping her gaze firmly down as they made it inside.
"Hey, you're out of that now. You're a person, more, I'm claiming you. So now, you're not just a Young One, you're a foster of the Dragonborn. Anyone gives you grief, they'll have more issues than an college gazette. So, please, let me see those lovely ruby eyes, hm?" Telki put a gentle finger under her chin, asking her to lift.
Looking up slightly as they finally got her to a bench, she glanced around, and visibly flinched to see Talon still there, and twisted her hands in her lap.
"Not one of Faloniril's then," Shell said, watching this.
"Shell, would you be an absolute doll, and bring me that blanket in the Great Hall? She's stone cold," Telki fussed. "I'm going to stomp Erandur if he doesn't quit taking the last frost resist and not telling me."
Gideon came in behind her. "If you need, I can go get it."
"Um," Telki frowned at something. "Hold on, that swelling should be down by now." She bent down to inspect it, indignation rising. "Angel, I don't care how bad things might get from here on out, I do not want to see you ever walking on a broken ankle, okay? Gideon, take her for me? We can put that body heat to use, too."
"Upsydaisy, me girl." Gideon easily swung her up into his arms, and followed Telki on into the Great Hall where food was still laid out on the table. The girl was very passive for this, her initial alarm quickly smothered as she looked down at her hands again. Shell frowned at her as she handed Telki the blanket—better to let the expert handle this.
"Here, honey, wrap up in this, or want me to wrap you?" Telki asked, already expertly wrapping the girl in a cocoon of hearth-warmed tundra cotton, while leaving her an arm free to eat with. Like a well trained team, Gideon was filling a plate with foods easily eaten one handed. He passed it off to Telki when she absently reached for it.
"I'd wait on the food a moment," Talon cautioned, eyes glowing a bit with an Illusion spell as he examined the girl's ankle. "At least until I can get that set. There are bone fragments floating about."
"Oh you poor little love!" Telki was beside herself. "What can I do to help?"
Talon knelt next to her, ignoring the girl's reaction to him approaching her, and eased the oversized, armored boot off. It was obviously being used in place of a cast, and the girl made a whimpering noise as it came off, but didn't cry out. "Telki, do you know how to block pain?"
"I can." Telki's hands lit up with a warm golden light in one, and a soft white light in the other, and placed them about the girl's head. Under her breath, she started a soft, murmuring chant, mesmerizing the girl with her voice.
Talon waited a moment for it to take effect, then began removing the various wrappings around the foot and ankle, soothing some minor frostbite as he went, then gently moving bones back into alignment with a modified Telekinesis spell, Healing them in place once he'd puzzled them back together. When the tricky part was done, he moved on to the inflamed and torn muscles and ligaments. "Have you picked a name, Young One?" he asked her softly, sensing her eyes on him.
"I was called Sura," she said, the pain blocking working just a bit like a drug and slurring her words. "Before…"
"One of Dessnia's?" he asked, still in that soft, soothing voice.
"Yes," she muttered, eyes fluttering a bit like she was falling asleep.
"That explains it," he said, releasing her and stepping back. "There's only so much magic should do at once. She should rest, off her feet, for a few days."
"She'll have her own room at Hjerim. Now, what's this about Dessnia?" Telki used a low heat spell to warm some honeyed and seasoned cider.
"Dessnia's a shrew that opened 'orphanages' to take advantage of the war orphans," Shell said with some heat. "I got rid of some of them, but not all, and she does have other sources for them. She rarely breeds Young Ones; she prefers to use kids that will feel like they owe her something."
"Sounds like we'd be doing all of Nirn a favor if we 'happened' to Dessnia. So, there's no family but us for Sura?"
"There could be," Talon said, "but only siblings. And they would be the same as her. Dessnia's breed of Young Ones work in teams to complete missions—unlike Faloniril's apprentice system, they remain together their whole lives to do as little as spy and as great as burning down the city they were supposed to live in. If there are any Young Ones in Windhelm already, they would be of her type."
Telki snorted and stubbornly folded her arms. "If Sura has any team or siblings left, I have room for them, but that Dessnia has to go, preferably with a mudhole stomped through her head."
"Can I watch?" Shell muttered, having seen quite enough in those "orphanages" to convince her the woman needed thrown off her own Spire.
"Honey, you can leave the other footprint."
"Good," the Bosmer muttered darkly, then glanced at Talon. "Can she eat now? I don't like how thin she is."
"Soft foods, and she might still vomit," Talon cautioned, watching the girl. Poor Sura looked like she was fighting off sleep with pure alarm, now that she was warm and no longer in pain. Her gaze was still unfocused, leading him to believe she had been dosed with something. That argued against her being on her own.
"That's what the warmed honey cider's for," Telki sniffed. "Not my first foundling, you know." Telki placed the plate in front of her. "Eat slowly, shug. Nothing here should disagree with you, and don't feel like you have to eat everything, okay?"
Sura eagerly snatched the cup out of Telki's hand, her slender fingers gaining a bit of color as they absorbed the heat from it. Unfortunately, only time would really tell if the hint of grey was from ill health or her Dunmer heritage. She sipped the drink for a few seconds before nearly gulping the whole thing. Talon sighed.
"Telki, what's happened? Lucia brought in Francois asleep, and said something about a new one?" Erandur came from the bedroom wing, Murril riding his hip. She'd unbelted the fur coat but refused to take it off, so it swung around near Erandur's ankles like he was carrying a Royal Baby.
"Hi Honey, it's a girl?" Telki gave him that wide, sheepish grin.
"I sometimes wonder, Love, if you intend to adopt all of Nirn," Erandur sighed.
"Only the bits that need me," Telki snarked right back. "Meet Sura, another Young One."
"Don't forget the bits of Oblivion that need her," Shell put in sweetly.
Telki pointed a finger at Shell and wagged it. "Ooh, good point. Good thing I have a whole realm for them, though. Don't forget you're part of this madness, too, Chicka. You got as adopted as Sura has."
"She can help me teach the entirety of the Shivering Isles felony tax evasion before we both end up residents," she replied dryly, leaning against Gideon.
During this, Sura's head whipped back and forth, her gaze jumping from one person to another until she turned a bit green and Talon had to hold a Healing spell on her to battle the nausea. "This one—Sura should be in bed," he told them all firmly.
"Did another one show up?" Tyr asked, he and Fey coming in through the entrance to the family wing, having been alerted that another one of their charges had arrived. One look at Telki's protective posture proved she wasn't their charge anymore.
"Meet my new foster, Sura. Giddy, get her to bed. Lucia and Runa can share tonight."
"We have several extras put aside," Fey told her, examining the girl. "The guards would probably be more than willing to bring one to your home."
"That would be very appreciated. Looks like Giddy and Merc get to finish that upper story I wanted."
"Why don't you just ask Rommy to do it?" Tyr asked curiously.
"He's…out of pocket for a while."
"Er…" Tyr's eyes widened as he watched her visibly droop. "Are you alright? And what do you mean, out of pocket? Wasn't Murril the one in pockets?" Murril looked up at the sound of her name, thought this was a great idea, and started searching Erandur's front for pockets.
"Sorry sweetling, but my magic's not that strong. You'll have to settle for a hip ride," Erandur chuckled and hugged her. Murril pouted a bit and flipped the hood over her face.
"Tyr, I'll try to give you all the details later. Right now, Giddy, get her to bed."
Talon slipped off the heat bracelet Rommy had gifted him and placed it around Sura's wrist while she stiffened, looking up at him with wide eyes, then looking like the enchantment had melted her as the cold finally stopped. Tyr's mouth dropped open a bit and he stared, wheels definitely turning. Fey gave him an odd look.
"Tyr, honey, why do you look like you were on the wrong end of a brick toss?" Telki was always one to use someone else's issues to keep from dealing with her own.
Tyr turned excitedly to Erandur, "Erandur, she's Dunmer. Half Dunmer. A little half Dunmer Young One."
"Yes?" Erandur had noticed, but wondered why it was affecting Tyr so strongly.
"She doesn't know about being Dunmer! She's a non-Dunmer Dunmer! We must fix this! She's adorable!" he said excitedly, the relation to Orien really showing through with his enthusiasm. "Now imagine her with sarcasm!"
"The 'how to be a Dunmer' lessons can wait until she's healed up and a little less overwhelmed. You can play with her when she's down to just whelmed," Telki put in firmly.
"Well, obviously," Tyr said, a bit insulted. As another half-Dunmer, learning about his heritage growing up in the Grey Quarter had meant a lot to him. He wasn't sure they really understood what it was like to be adrift from half your culture. "I didn't tell Gideon to stand there like a lump while we talked."
"Why would I miss such an excellent floor show? Sura's sleeping quite easily where she is." Gideon rocked the sleeping teen. Poor thing had passed right out the moment she wasn't cold and in pain anymore. "It's not like she's a burden."
Lydia chose that moment to usher the rest of the shrieking children into the room, shushing them when she spotted Sura. "Come on Gideon. It's bedtime for all these hooligans as well. Shell? Want to walk with us? You can make your scary face when Blaise will invariably try to wander off."
Oddly, Shell's face was serious as she glanced at Talon and Fey, "We'll be walking with you, but I'm afraid we're the ones that might need to 'wander' off." They both nodded slightly.
"As long as you wander back. We haven't had a chance to talk, you and I." Lydia herded children through the great hall towards the doors.
Shell watched the pretty Nord leave and turned quizzical, suspiciously neutral eyes to Gideon, "Why do I feel like there was context there I'm not getting?"
Gideon's cheeks heated. "Because there is. Lydia and I…have not gotten along as well as we might have due to some…mixed signals early in our relationship. I was not ready for more than one sexual partner, and she was hurt by that." Gideon's voice was low, for Shell's ear only as they brought up the rear of the kiddie cavalcade.
"Oh," she said equably. "Well, that's awkward." She paused, watching Lydia for a moment. "Can I ask why? I mean, she's gorgeous."
"Think for a moment the disconnect you feel between the way you were raised, and the way these children are being raised. It was a bit like that meeting Telki. I had been raised to believe marriage was between two people, but was willing to accept Erandur and Mercutio as brothers of a sort. I was not expecting Lydia, at all. She assumed since I agreed to join the marriage, that I was agreeing to partner them all. It's taken time, but what I was taught no longer holds me as it once did."
Shell thought on this a long moment as they got into the street, eyes scanning everything. "What about now?"
"Well, being married to a priest of Mara helped." Gideon's eyes laughed. "A lot of things I had been taught were 'Mara's honest truth' just weren't, and Erandur helped me work through all that."
"Lydia, Gideon. What do you think about Lydia now?" Shell took her eyes off the street to give him an affectionately exasperated look.
"I honestly don't know. I hurt her, badly. I am fond of her, but there's so much past pain between us I don't know if more than fondness is possible. I would rather have her in my life as a friend, than her trying to skewer my guts again."
Making a thoughtful, interested noise, she smirked, "And what about me?"
"You've already skewered me how many times? I think we're past that, yes?"
"Possibly," she skipped a bit, twirling playfully and pretending to examine the stars as if she hadn't a care in the world, "What I meant, though, was what made you change your mind? You treated me like a child at first. Drove me up the wall, really."
Gideon looked at her somewhat wistfully. "Because I didn't think anyone had ever shown you such affection was possible. I wanted you certain sure I loved you for more than sex."
"Well, I think that's been made abundantly clear now," she finally said. "Months of bouncing around Tamriel with nothing more than a couple of heated kisses and I still couldn't get your stupid smile out of my head," she flushed a bit. "But…you didn't answer my question. That's why you waited. Why do it at all?"
Gideon thought a moment. "Why do any of us fall in love? Had I an answer to that, I could supplant Mara as the Aedra of Love. You and I were the right people in the right place at the right time to fall in love. Where Lydia was concerned, I was not ready and made an absolute hash of it. Perhaps I learned from that mistake."
"Or maybe she didn't stab you enough," Shell teased.
Gideon laughed aloud. "Perhaps, though the blades she uses are much less forgiving."
"I do hope you'll tell me all about it later," she said, eyes flicking over his shoulder. "Now I must go share some of this with my lovely mother." With that, she flounced back to Fey, eyes and hands moving in a subtle, complicated gesture. Talon nodded and slipped away, both Shell and Fey vanishing into the buildings on either side moments after—no mean feat, considering they were elves in Nord territory and two of them were in colored dresses. Gideon half wondered if he'd just narrowly avoided mother level repercussions, or if they were just fanning out to find Sura's team.
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Trying to cut back on caffeine and regretting it.
Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed!
areslindragon: Thanks! I'm glad. ^_^
AnotherGuest: That becomes a whole load funnier when you understand Saint and Seducer culture a bit more. The few males of the species look down on themselves.
The Celtic Dragon : Send them over here. I have an enchanter with zero scruples.
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Next Week: Naughty children are put in time out and Telki and Shell decide to have a bit of fun at the guy's expense.