Upside of spending the night with Juliana and not within his spacious room was the quietness of the shop REALLY late at night. He lay perfectly straight upon her bed on his back with long hair bond in a complex braid swung over his shoulder. He lay on the edge of the her bed to be able to make quick exits to the watercloset for when he needed to go the bathroom. Juliana curled up on his chest with her arm pressed to his chest and in this See Through Slash Neck Long Sleeve Night Dress. Her back to window that always gave him a view of the night sky he could never see from the Palace. Twinkling lights in that night sky made his think what his future was like as he lay awake at night all by himself.
Up he would go one night after Juliana rolled off his arm to cuddled with a pillow she stole from her brother's room. Grabbing a pair of pants with drawstring from bed's post and slippers since he usually slept in nude for comfort. Pulling on the clothes as he walked through her room before reaching the door with a loose Gi styled shirt on. Stopping when fluttering of wings that were 24 cm in length and belonged to certain month watching him from his perch. Watched Narseh exit the room as quietly as he could when he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Closing the door behind him as he took a breath in relief in not waking Juliana or anyone else on this floor. Heading right for the steps of the stair well to head down the stairs to the back stair well and end up in the kitchen.
"Seems I am not the only one awake." Jewel greeted him. "Want some tea with me?"
"Glass would do." Narseh accepted. "Is Julian alright with you up at this time?"
"That big baby is fine, he'll come looking for me when he gets lonely." Jewel smiled amusingly. "I hope this time he remembers to put some pants on."
Jewel had to fight always got when she saw despite clothing he wore on every inch of his body when he's in public in her. When uncovered by her in privacy of their bedroom without eye prying their every move. Revealed incredibly pale skin that was covered by layers of thick auburn hair on a semi- muscular form. Flex just right way when laid out on their mattress for a certain piece of anatomy to raise up. Forgetting to put some pants on when he went wondering in his own home during late night in search for his wife. Giving late night visitors a eye full of his naked self when he does find Jewel on lower levels.
"Now I know, why Juliana insists on me being clothed when I step out of her room." Narseh tried to not imagine Julian completely unclothed.
"Blames her dad for mentally scarring her with his nakedness." Jewel starts a second tea cup. "I was starting to fear she'd be so mentally scarred. She'd wouldn't show interest in men or even start up a relationship."
"Stories you must have." Narseh become interested.
Narseh and Jewel ended up exchanging stories about how they found members of their family members in undressed state. Started with Narseh sharing how he found out found his aunt Nahara doing naked young within deepest parts of Palace's gardens. He was lucky the newly established captain of the Palace guard was in his company and covered his eyes. Jewel followed with one about Julian came back from the water closet and went to the wrong bedroom. His form of dirty talk was stopped by a pillow to his face when revealed he had entered his daughter's room. Narseh went wide eyed before bringing up about one time how he found his parents in a throes of passion. A servant would end up removing him from their room and apologizing for not keeping an eye on him. Left Jewel laughing before bringing up how a visiting noble stayed late for a proper fortune telling on their future. Julian came into the room with nothing but a rose in his mouth as romantic proposal.
"Here your go." Jewel passed him his tea. "Add what you want."
"Thanks." He looked to contenders of honey, sugar, crème, Syrup, and Lemon juice. "What are we drinking?"
"White Spice Raspberry Tea." She pointed toward tin. "Gift from a customer."
He happily hummed before he started to tip the cup toward his lip when they got a third guest in the form of a fully dressed Kipling. He was in adjusting his the sleeve of his shirt when he stopped a step above the kitchen floor staring at Jewel and Narseh. Behind him was a fully dressed Aemilia following and carrying a clothe jacket within her arms. She blinked a few times when told by Kipling to stay and wait for him as he turned to the pairs of eyes looking at him.
"Going some where?" Jewel asked with head tilt. "Can we join you?"
Cant ended up crawling out of his made shift nest out in the corner of the room with a loud clucking as he moved. Shifting his head back and fourth between the three people that were occupying the room as he matched around the room. Moving those beady little eyes at Jewel and Narseh at the table when he put down claw after claw in his usual path.
"I was going to make my usual journey to search for wood." He answered. "Can't Whittle my animals out of nothing."
"True." Jewel looked to Narseh.
"What?" Narseh felt her eyes on him.
"Why don't go with them for something to do." She advised.
"Extra set of hands." Kipling looked to Aemilia.
She kindly nodded her head and even offered to go with the young royal to help him dress or something along those lines. He turned down since he could do a basic activity himself without anyone helping him. Not that he didn't get enough of the servants back at the Palace from when he woke up to when he went to bed.
"We'll wait for you here." Kipling was fine with him coming.
"Good then, Do your have a means to collect this wood?" Jewel asked not wanting them to go through the trouble of carrying the wood.
She ended up stating they could use a small wagon cart she kept in the storage room for when went shopping. Held a enchantment that allowed it to move it's own for anyone that was using it to carry things. Could be of some use since Julian started helping her carry home what was needed for there home.
"Let's see what we have." Kipling thought he would check this small wagon out.
Out from under the stairs this mixture of metal would be pulled and wheeled out with dust spreading everywhere. Kipling fanned away from his face when be breath in the cloud when he was moving around. Out of the small storage area he would walk with the wagon moving right behind him with each step taken. Coughing less and less when he stopped just outside the entrance asking if this thing was a puppy. He got bumped in the back of his shins for that comment by the handle moving on it's own. He sighed and make his way toward the hooks near the door where his outer wear had been hanging. Pulling off his coat with the gloves tucked in one of the pockets since sea air always carried a slight chill.
"We should head to the flooded district to see if the any of the construction crews had left out chucks." Narseh joined them. "Then we can head to the shore to scout for drift wood."
"Sounds like a good idea." Aemilia agreed with him.
"Let get out of here." Kipling was already pulling on his gloves.
Jewel would wave to them when they were out the back door with the wagon following them one by one from where she sat. Until Cant clucked and jumped on the table to knock over the empty cup that Narseh had drunken out of. Left Jewel to shoo off the table for her to be able to clean up the small mess and see if the cup could be fixed. Up from the seat she would go to tend to go to the sick and fetch a rag from the counter and look for glass jar she kept. One that held a glue-like adhesive she used for quick repairs of the broken clay ware that shattered from time to time.
"Jewel!" Julian called to her.
Jewel would end up pulling the item she was looking from the outer shelf where she kept most of her stranger mixtures. Whens he turned around and found a semi- dressed Julian started at the top of the stairs. Mad her tilt her head to the side and take in every wrinkle that made up the lines of his still good-looking face. Laugh lines and the crow feet made Jewel remember the many years that formed those pleats in his skin.
"We should get our portrait done." She spoke out loud.
"Really?" Julian yawned.
"I think Nadia knows someone that can get one done for us." Jewel thought out loud.
"Until then, Can we go back to bed and do something better with our time." Julian wiggled his eye brows.
He made a rather lewd suggestion about playing their own version of doctor within their bedroom with little to no interruption. Jewel rolled her eyes at him and knew all he wanted them to do was to exam each other's genital between kissing. Giving him a better suggestion, that made he could give her show of all his own since she wasn't in the mood. Smirk that spread across his face at what he wanted her to do for her private eyes only spun around in his head like a top.
"...I'll give you time to prepare." She wanted to surprise her. "So go on."
She accepted a kiss he blew at her before saying something about her needing to bring one of her essential oils up stairs. Got her to roll her eyes at him knowing he most of find her freshly distillated oils vials she kept hidden in the kitchen. Made her roll her eyes once more and make repairing the cup another time when she decided on the what to bring. Being Bergamot oil since it's always helped with Julian had bouts of depression and stress through the years. She tucked into her pocket of her house coat before she went to the back door to cast a charm. One that would only allow the three that left to come back in with the wagon, then strangers. Before turning away to walk to the stairs and allowing the lamp she was using to put it self out.
"Don't stay up to late." She addressed Cant.
Cluck she got only had her laughing as she walked up the stairs with wonder on what Julian had waiting for her upon joining him. Stopping when she got to the to of the stairs and the sight of her daughter's bedroom had her sighing, sadly. Her hands drifting to the her naval and remembering the pains she went through for nine months before birthing her. Made her drift toward her shared bedroom with a hand on the knob and turn to open with her mind in space.
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Broken tea cup ended up being repaired by Juliana as Kipling whittled away at the wood with his small knife to form an animal. He was making a new batch of what julius had come to call the the arcana creature collection by hand. A few cats, ravens, and snakes already littered half the table top in array of natural poses with a few a few foxes and owls. More were being added as Kipling carefully worked shaping chucks of wood into noticeable form within his fingers. Surrounded by the pieces of the cup that slowly being put back together by nimble fingers smeared in glue.
"Make sure to not cement your hand to the porcelain." Kipling warned her. "Again."
"You, Narseh, and my brother are all alike." Juliana huffed.
"They found your stuck to table." Kipling recalled. "Twice."
She ended up staying quiet for the rest of the time she spent piecing the cup back together with use of a sticky substance. Trying her best to not repeat the same mistakes she made in the past with using her mother's adhesive substance. Pulling each finger away when the pieces stated to form a cup that was broken by Cant during one of his bouts.
"Done." She cheered happily.
In through the entrance from the front Aemilia would walk with a basket hanging off her arm in a better mood then first time they met. Stopping by the table for her to start picking up the finished figurines one by one without tipping one over. Stopping when one that looked like earth worms caught her attention and made her sigh in sad way.
"Still miss him?" Juliana asked guessing Aemilia hadn't recovered from her broken heart.
"..." She got a head nod.
"You can keep that one." Kipling offered one she held. "I am making more anyway."
"Thanks." She pocketed the earth worm figurine.
She then got started in loading others into the basket one by one impressed with the detail that each one carried. Complimenting Kipling how skilled he was to be able to carve such items out of chucks of wood that was salvaged. He nods his head and stated like many times this was just a talent that he picked up back in his hometown from a close friend. Putting the knife down to rest his hands when he started flexing his joints from his fingers to his wrists.
"Sorry about inconveniencing you to run our family's shop while my parents are away." Juliana pointed out what Aemilia was doing.
"Not inconvenience to me." She had smile spread across her face. "I love the interactions and small chat."
"Then shouldn't we checking in on your brother?" Kipling reminded Juliana.
To her shoulder Attacus atlas moth land from the one of the newly watered flowers would fly with flutter of his wings. Listen to the words of his master to see how her brother was doing in their' father's clinic without their father supervising. Got her a tap on the very tip of her fingers with his antennae as form of acknowledgment before leaping off her fingers.
"What a wonderful creature to have as a familiar." Aemilia watched Toworu fly off.
"Been with me ever since I came into my magic." Juliana watched him. "Me and my mom are the only few that have insects as familiars."
Kipling would end up sharing how he reacted the first time he watched julius start to bond with the newly acquired albino crow. Having a bird perch placed in their room and then in the clinic to have this bird close to him at all times. Sometimes buying exclusive bird feed and fresh fruit from certain vendors within the Marketplace or the South End Market. Collecting the molted feathers when ever they start to be replaced by new ones that were growing in. Leaving a basin of water out for him or friendly neighborhood raven to bath their selves. .
"He even named her." Kipling meant the albino crow with a slight laugh. "She's always been by side or near by."
"Isn't she always trying to catch Malak's eye?" Aemilia asked.
"Yea, just he's still trying cope with her." Juliana looked the cup over.
She made sure to keep the skin of her fingers from touching the cup before carefully picking up the uncapped container. Placing the cork on to the opening in one shift motion as to not repeat past mistakes before getting to her feet. Going to the sink where the outer shelves to place the mixture without spilling all over the place and on her.
"Your going to be ok?" She turned toward Kipling. "Back here alone."
"Yea, this wood carving keeps me busy." He assured her. "I have nothing planned since house hunting is out of the question."
Juliana would end up going wide eyed at him saying that he decided to stay and live out his life here with her and their family. Stating he came back to his mother's hometown for a reason and answer had come to him in form of julius. Whatever he can give back to these people was something he wanted to do since he and julius were already engaged.
"A spring wedding." Kipling looked at Juliana. "Am I right?"
"That is a Vesuvian tradition." Aemilia happily sighed. "How lucky some couples are."
Speaking of clothing that come in gold and white coloring as Praetor Vlastomil officiated over the marriage just angried Juliana. She knew her and Viscount Nairyosangha had just come together as a official couple about a few months ago. Hadn't even talked about what their futures held since she was still planning to leave to become a nurse over seas. He had spoken a few times about visiting a clan leader of a southern tribe and learn more about his father. Left her to just turn away from Kipling and Aemilia with her best impassive expression with an excuse to leave them. Hiding her saddest sigh when she walked away with mental note forming about her needing speak to Narseh.