"Okay, so here's their things," Mommy says as she hands Auntie Ellie a big bag where Damocles had watched her pack his and his sister's clothes because there wasn't room in their backpacks. "You can call us if you need to, but we might not answer if we're shooting shit up and all that jazz."
His mom waves her hand in the air as Auntie Ellie chuckles, nodding as she lifts the heavy bag to carry into hers and Kuncle's house. Damocles and Cassia can't really say Kunkle's name, knowing it's Arcahnus, but he always says that's wrong and urges them to just stick to the name that their mother gave him. He doesn't seem too happy, but he's not really mad either. He's like daddy when Damocles accidentally says a bad word like mommy, huffing and flicking his mandibles as he rubs a hand over his head.
That's enough to make Damocles and his sister always laugh at his silliness.
"Don't worry, Shepard." Auntie Ellie smiles down to Damocles before Cassia chirps.
"Are we gonna stay with you, Auntie Ellie?"
Damocles nods, silently agreeing with his sister's question, and their aunt chuckles, giving them a nod of her own before she kneels to their level. "You can stay with me and Arcanus for as long as your mommy and daddy are off working." She puts a hand by her mouth and leans closer, whispering. "And we might even skip school."
"I heard that," their dad says with a low and flat voice, using that same tone he always does when he pretends to be mad, but really isn't. "Let's not skip school, kids. Skipping school is bad."
"I wanna be bad." Damocles grins up at his dad, thinking it might not be too bad to skip a day of the other kids staring or not wanting to play with him and Cassia because they're different.
Daddy shakes his head with a chuckle as he kneels down and presses his forehead to Damocles'. "I know you do, but think of all the things you'd miss."
"Like playing!"
Their dad nods, looking to Cassia. "Right. Like playing with all the others." When he looks back to Damocles, he's frowning and rumbling. "I know it's hard, but it'll get better. I promise, my son."
"But-" Damocles is silenced with a big hug, his daddy purring as he rubs his cheek against Damocles' small and still flat fringe. He knows that, when daddy and mommy say things like that, there is no way he can really make them see the truth. They just won't understand, so he sighs and nods, giving up. "Okay, daddy."
His dad is quiet as he pulls Cassia into a hug, squeezing them tight with a low, high sound he hasn't made before, but lets them go before they can ask why and what it means. For some reason, the sound of it makes Damocles sad, like his daddy is sad himself, but he doesn't know why. Maybe it's because he's angshush about leaving Virmire with mommy?
Mommy is next to come down to their level, a smile on her lips that seems more saddened than happy, and Damocles thinks she feels the same way as daddy. Cupping his and Cassia's face, mommy then leans forward to kiss their forehead. It's gross, but, this time, Damocles doesn't rub it off because he thinks about how it'll be the last one for a while and that she'd be sad if he didn't wear it at least until she leaves.
"You both be sure to give your kunkle a run for his money." Her smile becomes more like when she's happy and both Damocles and his sister nod a lot. "That's my little monsters." She pulls them into another hug, kissing Cassia's head and whispering something to her before kissing Damocles' fringe. "You're my little man, Damocles. You be good and listen to your aunt and kunkle, okay?"
"Okay, mommy." He nods and hugs her tight, knowing he'll miss her. He really hopes she won't be gone too long with daddy, afraid that he won't be strong enough without them like they want him to be.
She stands and frowns, biting her lip before taking a deep breath. Looking to dad, she nods and he looks back to Auntie Ellie. "We'll comm when it's bedtime for them and in the mornings." He looks down to them and lays a hand on each of their heads, making Damocles giggle and swat at the heaviness on his head blocking his view. Daddy chuckles and rubs his fringe. "You ask to call us if you want to talk."
"Right," mommy says. "We're only a call away."
Turning to walk down the steps and onto the sand, mommy and daddy give one last wave and Damocles and Cassia wave back. With a final kiss blown to them which Damocles sticks his tongue out at in grossness and Cassia chirps and tries to catch, they are gone, heading to whatever they do for work. For some reason, now that they're gone, Damocles' tummy hurts, but he won't say anything to Auntie Ellie. He needs to be the big boy, the strong one just like daddy.
"Well." Auntie Ellie's voice pulls him away from staring at where mommy and daddy last were before the buildings hid them. "I guess it's breakfast time, right?"
"Uh huh," Cassia says and Damocles nods, taking Auntie Ellie's hand when she offers it while his sister takes the other one. "What're we gonna eat?"
Auntie Ellie stops suddenly and Damocles stumbles because he wasn't ready to just stop. Looking up to her to ask what's wrong, he sees her mouth hanging open and eye not covered with an eyepatch is wide. "Oh, shoot." She looks down to them and smiles with one corner of her lips. "Looks like I need to run to Harrot and get you something to eat. Dangit," she whispers as she lets their hands go to gently press their backs to make them walk. "You two can stay with Uncle Arcanus while I run to get you something to eat. What would you like?"
"Blast-O Crunchies!" Both Damocles and his sister yell, their second voices squealing at the idea of getting to eat their favorite cereal.
"Blast-O...Crunchies." Auntie Ellie taps her finger to her lips as she looks around the room, soon nodding. "Right. I can remember that." She looks down to them and smiles. "I'll be sure to get milk too."
"Auntie Ellie?" Cassia tilts her head. "How come you don't just get it from our house?"
She chuckles and rubs the back of her neck. "Well, I may have forgot to ask for the key. And it's not really right to break into your house when I can easily get you your cereal." She smiles and rubs Cassia's head, making Damocles' sister snort in laughter. "And this way we have some for whenever you come visit!"
"Yeah!" Damocles trills, knowing she's right, and bounces on his feet. Now that he thinks about it, he's really hungry and can't wait until Auntie Ellie brings the cereal. He thinks he may be able to eat the whole box if she lets him. "When we gonna eat?"
Auntie Ellie laughs so much she has to wipe at her eye to catch tears, but of happiness, Damocles knows. When she only chuckles, she smiles and nods. "Alright, alright. I'll go right away." She looks up and into the house. "How about you two go find Uncle Arcanus? Make sure that sleepyhead is out of bed?" When Damocles and his sister nod, his own mandibles flapping in excitement, their auntie points towards the hall. "Down there. It's the second door." She puts up two fingers. "Second, okay?"
"Uh huh. Number two," his sister says as she holds up two fingers and, when Auntie Ellie looks to him, Damocles does the same.
"Number two door," he says to make sure their auntie knows that he's smart enough from Miss EDI's lessons.
"Very good." Auntie Ellie nods and steps outside, grabbing the door knob. "I'll be right back. Promise."
"Okay, Auntie Ellie!" Cassia's call makes Auntie Ellie smile as she closes the door and Damocles looks to his sister as soon as they are alone.
He growls in dare. "I bet I can find Kunkle first!"
"Nuh uh! I can!" She grins and they both get into running position. "One. Two…"
"Three!" Finishing for her, he gets the head start and hears her squawk in upset before he hears her feet just behind his as they run down the hall. He keeps repeating "Number two, number two" until, almost running past it, he slips on the smooth floor and runs into the bedroom.
Damocles jumps up first, bouncing on the lump in the blankets and making their kunkle grunt. Cassia is right behind him, jumping on their kunkle and making him make a low groan as the two kids giggle and chirp happily. Tugging on the blankets, Damocles has to climb up onto Kunkle to uncover his head. When he hears a huff and sees his kunkle's gold eyes, he trills and grins wide.
"Kunkle!" he shouts as he bounces. "Wake up!"
"Damocles, Cassia." He makes a humming sound as he gives them an adulting look. "What are you doing?" He grunts when Cassia wiggles at his side, getting a good spot to sit on the bed.
Unlike Damocles, who is having fun, his sister flutters her mandibles and ducks her head at the small bit of sternness in Kunkle's questions. Damocles doesn't understand what's so bad about doing what they were told, and grins, hopping a bit on their Kunkle's chest, giggling at the huffs of air each time. When he finally picks Damocles up and sets him down on the pillow, Damocles says, "Auntie Ellie let us in."
"Mommy and daddy said we will stay with you and Auntie Ellie" Cassia says as she climbs up to take Damocles' earlier spot on their kunkle's chest.
"And where is you aunt, Ellie?"
Damocles sees something shiny on the table next to the bed and grabs them, seeing that they're Kunkle's rings for his mandibles. Stinking one around his finger, he spins it in the air like a hoop and watches the little light in the room shine on it. When he feels the bed shift, he looks over to see Kunkle pick Cassia up and put her beside Damocles before opening up his omnitool.
I can't wait until I get one. They're so cool.
He hears his mommy's voice come from his kunkle's tool and fill the room. Wanting to see her, he pretends to have the rings on his own mandibles by looping them over the ends. He wiggles his head to feel them tickle the softness between his mouth and mandibles and, knowing they'll stay, starts to climb the pillows to peek over Kunkle's shoulder and down at the screen.
"Vakarian," his mommy says, the sounds of Uncle Joker's voice in the background talking about taking off, and sadness fills Damocles' chest as he frowns at her picture. He already misses her and daddy's hugs and kisses, and wishes he didn't always rub them off now that he can't have any more. "Is something wrong?"
"I believe you have forgotten to warn me of your plans concerning my tending to your children." As Damocles is too busy smiling to his mom, Kunkle reaches over and takes the rings off his little mandibles, setting them on the other table where Damocles can't reach.
"Damn, I knew we forgot something…" Mommy leans away and Cassia trills as she presses her face to Damocles' to get a look. "Honey! We forgot to bring the kids with us!" Turning back to the screen, she looks up to see Damocles and his sister and smiles. "Hey, little ones. You having fun?"
"Uh huh! We jumped on Kunkle!" Cassia flicks her mandibles as she leans forward and makes a kiss sound to the floating image. "Love you, mommy."
"I love you too, Cassia." She looks to Damocles and tilts her head. "Don't be sad, big guy. We'll be home in no time. Just think how much fun you'll have with Kunkle!"
Kunkle sighs and Damocles looks up to see his shake of his head. That makes the young boy happier and he smiles, purring as he looks back to his mom. "I...I miss you." He makes a high, sad trill. "I wanna go with you."
Mommy frowns and reaches for him as if she could come through the image. "I miss you too, but we have to do some boring work. You wouldn't like it." She smiles, but her eyes still seem sad. "And we're only a call away."
He sniffles a bit, unable to really cry like mommy can when she tries to hide her really bad sadness sometimes. Nodding, he reaches out to try and take her hand, but only manages to break the image and make it go crazy looking. His eyes widen, fearing he broke it, and looks to Kunkle to apologize, but his kunkle shakes his head and looks to his mom, now perfect and easy to see.
"Besides," mommy says with a shrug. "Ellie agreed. And we all know you two share more than a bed."
Kunkle releases a long, low breath as he tilts his head one way, then the other. Damocles flicks his mandibles in worry as he looks to Cassia, seeing her afraid too. Did they anger their kunkle? Does he not want them to stay? Will he yell at them or mommy?
Damocles doesn't want any of that to happen and, when he tries to tell kunkle he's sorry, the big turian rumbles and lays a hand on Damocles' shoulder. Letting go, he then pushes Cassia gently towards the edge of the bed, relaxing the way his mandibles are tight against his chin. "Go wait for me in the kitchen." His gold eyes look to Damocles and the little boy can't help the flutter of shyness as Kunkle says, "Both of you."
Grinning and giving a chirp of okay, Damocles scoots over the bed and jumps off after his sister. She takes his hand and pulls him in a hurry, the both of them soon running down the hall and into the kitchen. Skidding to a stop, both purr and giggle as they climb up onto the tall chairs at the counter-table. His sister instantly starts to sing her favorite song from the movie mommy and daddy watched with them last night as she kicks her feet, but Damocles sees something much more interesting.
On the counter is a small plate of what looks like cookies, but bigger and without chocolate chips. They must be some kind of adult cookie, but they look tasty enough for him, so he tries to reach for them. His arms are too short no matter how hard he tries to reach, but he gets an idea.
Looking to the hall where Kunkle is still in his room, Damocles gives another glance to the plate of cookies before he catches his sister's attention. When her song slows and gets quiet, he puts a finger to his mouth in 'shh' before giving another look towards the hall. She seems to know what he's planning and looks down there too before nodding, stopping her song to be quiet. She'll be lookout while he grabs them some breakfast, both too hungry to wait for Auntie Ellie to come back with Blast-O Crunchies.
Damocles climbs up onto the counter on his hands and reaches, rumbling in concentration. He doesn't want to get up completely because then he wouldn't be able to jump back in his seat in time. It means that he still can't reach, the cookie plate just a bit away from his talons. If only he were bigger like the other kids! Dammit!
He feels his pants get tugged as Cassia trills, but he wants the cookies too much to give up. If only he can grab one and quickly eat it, it'll be worth it if Kunkle gets mad. And can Kunkle really get too mad if Damocles is really, really hungry?
Kunkle makes that strange rumbling sound like daddy sometimes makes when he says that his throat itches. From his boo boo, he and mommy say, but Damocles doesn't know how a boo boo can make someone make funny sounds, or why Kunkle can make it too. Maybe it's just an adult thing and Damocles will be able to do it too when he gets to be a big boy. Still, when he hears his kunkle's sort of cough sound, Damocles looks over and smiles, hoping it'll get Kunkle to forgive him and not be mad. He'll understand, Damocles thinks, because he gets hungry too. Everyone does, and Damocles is just trying to do whatever he can to reach some breakfast.
"We do not climb on counters, Damocles," Kunkle says as he comes over, tying his sleeping jacket like mommy and daddy wear sometimes.
"But-"
Kunkly just shakes his head, pointing to Damocles' chair as he stands on the other side of the counter. "Sit. I will prepare something to eat."
He's close enough to push the plate over, and Damocles doesn't understand why he doesn't, but does as he's told and sits hard back in his seat. He tightens his mandibles at being caught and punished for only wanting to eat, but Kunkle doesn't change his mind about the cookies. He even does what he's not supposed and takes them away. How is that fair?
Damocles frowns and pokes his tongue out at his kunkle's back when the older turian moves to the fridge and starts to pull out small packages. Anger quickly going away, the young boy sits up more in his seat to try and get a better look at the things Kunkle now puts on the table. When Kunkle turns around to mess with some machine like the one mommy and daddy have to make hot drinks for their breakfasts, Damocles reaches for the closest package and looks to try and figure out what it is. He can't read the big words, yet, but he still tries to guess what it is by it's looks.
It's light purple and it smells when he opens the package, put he still can't figure out what the thin slices are. Whatever it is, he really hopes Kunkle doesn't give him any.
"Damocles," Kunkle says as he takes the piece of stinky stuff and puts it on a plate. "You have to be patient."
Before Damocles can tell Kunkle waiting is boring, Cassia sits up in her chair, looking over the weird food excitedly. "Can I help? Pwease?"
Kunkle nods with a low hum and pushes over an empty plate. "You may." He then pushes the third plate over to Damocles. "Here. You should learn to prepare yours as well."
"Okay," Damocles agrees, wanting to have fun like his sister. Maybe he may even get to play with the stove. He sure hopes so.
"First, we must crisp our bread." Kunkle opens up a bread box and removes three slices, setting them in the little oven mom and dad have at home. They say it's for 'when you don't want to preheat a huge oven', but Damocles just says it's a baby oven. "Next, I will cut the orions and marroits we will need."
"What're those?" Cassia gets up in her seat to lean over the counter with her hands to try and see into the container he opens, but a look from Kunkle makes her squeak and sit back down. "Sorry."
"It is alright. Just try not to repeat it. We must keep our cooking surfaces clean, and it is dangerous for you to be leaning over me while I cut these." He leans down to grab a flat mat and lays it down before setting two round foods on it, one purple and the other a darker blue. Next, Kunkle grabs a knife from the counter behind him and starts to peel the dark blue one.
"Can I do it?" Damocles wants to be a big boy, and what better way to show it by cutting up stuff?
"No, you may not." Kunkle's voice is stern, but his face isn't mad when he looks up from cutting the stinky food. "Knives are dangerous, and you are still too young. You will hurt yourself."
"Nuh uh."
"It is not up for debate." Now Kunkle looks more mad, and Damocles flicks his mandibles once before crossing his arms in a huff. "No pouting, Damocles. It is for your safety."
"Kunkle," Cassia says, most likely trying to distract before Damocles can get into trouble. He and his sister always watch each other's backs that way. "What's that?" She points at the food their kunkle is cutting.
"It's a marriot, a vegetable."
She makes a gag sound as Damocles growls in grossness. "Yuck!" they both say, looking to each other and shaking their heads in agreement that, yes, that is so gross. Mommy and daddy always make them eat vegetables, but for breakfast?
"You have not even tried it," Kunkle says with a huff and continues to cut the food, now on the purple vegetable.
Giving up the fight because Kunkle would just say he wins, Damocles waits for the older turian to set the knife in the sink once he's finished with it before reaching for a piece of this supposed good vegetable. Sniffing it, he makes a face and pokes his tongue out at the sourish smell before holding it to his sister. She takes a smell and jerks away, poking her tongue out too at the smell. Quickly, Damocles throws it back over to the cutting mat before Kunkle can see them.
The baby oven dings and their kunkle takes out the pieces of bread, laying them on the cutting mat. When Cassia reaches for one, he takes her head. "Not yet, Cassia. It is still hot. It will burn you."
"But you touched it."
"My hands are tougher, and I can use my longer talons to handle them so I do not have to touch it with my fingers." He holds up his hand to show talons long like their daddy's. When looking at his own hand, Damocles sees how little his own five are and juts out his bottom mouth plate. How he wishes he could be more like the grown ups. "Now, let it cool," Kunkle says as he turns back to the hot water machine.
He reaches into the counter and pulls down three mugs, putting them down before grabbing a box. It looks a lot like the one mommy has for her morning tea, but the outside is a different color. Maybe because it's for turians?
Kunkle takes out three little baggies on strings and puts one in each cup before pouring the smokey water into them. Instantly, the smell of tea that reminds Damocles of his mom fills the kitchen and he can't help the soft chitter of sadness. Even with a different box, it smells just like the tea his mommy makes every morning, all that's missing is Kunkle pouring in some sweet tasting milk stuff. Damocles really wishes she and daddy aren't gone too long. It's just not the same to talk on the screens.
Their kunkle sets the smoking mugs on the counter, one for him and one for Damocles and Cassia each. They know not to touch them after being told all morning not to touch hot stuff, but their kunkle didn't say anything against looking, so Damocles waits until the older turian is taking things out of packages to lift up. Leaning on his hands, he looks down through the clear smoke and feels the heat on his plates as he stares into the darkening liquid.
Cassia reaches for hers with two hands and looks into it, lowering her head to sniff right at the liquid. "Kunkle? Why did you give us tea?"
"To drink?" Kunkle lifts a brow plate and looks at them like he's confused. "You will have to wait until it cools to drink, though."
"Can I have chocolate milk, instead?" When she asks, Damocles nods.
"Yeah. I don't wanna drink tea."
Kunkle stares at them, mandibles fluttering before he looks down at the tea. "I do not have any chocolate or milk. You will have to wait until Ellie returns."
"Okay," Cassia agrees, sitting, but Damocles is thirsty enough to try his tea.
Blowing like mommy does on her own morning tea, Damocles then uses both hands to lift the heavy cup to his mouth. It's still a bit too hot, but the worst part is the taste. He gags and drops the mug on the counter enough to make some jump out and spill, holding out his tongue to try and get the yucky taste off it. Getting mad at the stupid stuff, he pushes the mug further away and sits back in his seat to get as far from it as possible.
"I take it you did not enjoy it." His kunkle seems a bit happy when Damocles shakes his head and picks up both glasses, setting them on the other counter. "How about some water until Ellie arrives?"
Cassia and Damocles look at each other again. Neither of them really wants plain water, but it's a lot better than the gross tea, so they both look back to Kunkle and nod. "Okay," Cassia says with a rumble and wiggle on her seat to get to the edge without falling so she can help make their strange breakfast.
Kunkle fills two glasses with water and sets them before Damocles and his sister. "Now. It is time to prepare our meals before our crostini become cold."
"What's a crossinty?" Cassia tilts her head as Kunkle lays a piece of the round toast on each of their plates.
"Cros-tin-i," he says slowly with a purring sound. "It is a toasted bread."
"Like toast?" Knuckle nods softly to Damocles' question. "Why not call it toast?"
" Because-" He puffs a long breath before shaking his head. "It does not matter now. Come, let us each prepare our own." Motioning the smelly light purple stuff, he takes a slice. "Each take a piece of farh - fish."
Damocles and his sister giggle at what they know was their kunkle changing his big and silly words into something more right. Chirping now that they are paying more attention to make their breakfast like him, they each reach for a slice of the smelly fish and lay it on their bread after he does. Why will they eat fish for breakfast? It sounds like a game where Kunkle is trying to dare them into eating something weird.
"Next, slather on some…" He stops when they watch him open a small tub of something white and creamy. "Put some of this on it." He offers a baby knife with a round edge and first Cassia scoops out a big scoop, then Damocles, but Knunkle puts a much smaller bit and smears it. Damocles, wanting to do this right, just uses his fingers. "No using your hands. Here." Kunkle hands him a throw away towel. "Wipe your hands and, Cassia, use this," he says as he gives her the baby knife.
As she does so, Kunkle lays out some of the gross vegetables in three piles. He waits until she hands back the baby knife before handing them each their pile. "Place these atop in a neat line." Damocles just drops his on top, wanting to hurry up and eat. Knunkle sighs, but doesn't make him do it right while Cassia takes her time to make hers pretty. "Now, salt and pepper." Kunkle shakes a round thing over his, then their breakfast toasts, and tiny flecks of white and black fall on top. "We are done."
Looking at the supposed breakfast, Damocles flicks his mandibles. He doesn't know what it is, but it certainly isn't breakfast. "The fuck?" he says, much like his mommy when she's really confused, and Cassia gasps softly at the bad word.
"You aren't supposed to say that," she whispers and looks to Kunkle.
Kunkle rubs his forehead before dropping his hand on the counter. "Perhaps this is not quiet appropriate for the two of you to eat."
"I want Blast-O Crunchies." Damocles pushes his plate away, wriggling his nose at the smell. "I don't want this."
"Me either." His sister does the same, crossing her arms and chuffing.
Their kunkle lets a deep, rumbling breath out before checking his omnitool and saying something quietly to himself like some adults seem to do. It's really strange, but maybe they have to say aloud what they think to get things right? Damocles isn't sure, but he doesn't want to have to talk aloud and be made fun of for talking to himself by the other kids. He hopes it doesn't come with growing up or he'd never want to get older.
Kunkle flicks his mandibles once before starting to clean up the packages off the counter. "Ellie should be home soon… I hope," he says softly. Probably to himself again.
When he starts to throw the food away in the trash, Damocles hears the door opening. He gets excited, hoping it's mommy and daddy, but quickly stops his happy purring because he knows that's stupid. Mommy and daddy said they'd be gone awhile, and even Cassia seems sad now, so he knows they aren't here.
Instead, Auntie Ellie comes into the big room and over to the kitchen, smiling wide and pretty. "I got breakfast!" She sets the bags down as Cassia trills in excitement, and even Damocles starts to feel a little better. Maybe with a tasty breakfast, he can start to feel happy and not so sad about mommy and daddy being gone. "I see you woke up Uncle Arcan-" She stops and looks around the room. When she sees the counter, she starts to laugh.
Damocles doesn't know why, but Kunkle seems to as he huffs and crosses his arms. "I do not see what is so entertaining."
"Well, for starters." She's chuckling now as she takes the water glasses and pours the water in the sink. "We don't drink water for breakfast!"
"They did not want the tea."
"Even worse!" She smiles and leans against Kunkle, laying her head on his shoulder before she walks over to the counter. Starting to take out the cereal, milk, and some other food stuff out of the bags, she chuckles. "Second? We definitely need to teach you what to serve children for breakfast."