He had just barely convinced Annie, through means of turning into a giant cat and letting the child curl up on his belly, into a long sought after nap. It was a game of theirs -- they would eat lunch, usually a little before the noon hour, then they'd take a bath to clean up from the mess lunch would usually be. Fruits and veggies had a regular place in cute curls and smeared across faces, so a bath was absolutely needed. Next would be music, because every expert he could find advised that it was essential to his niece's growing brain at the moment, and his niece was going to be the next Archon. He would serve her faithfully, just like he was serving Deme.
Too bad he wouldn't be around to see it, so he had to make every moment with the child count. These times when he took her, for his sister and her wife, were the best moments of his life right now. He felt.. happy. Normal. He was an uncle, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it felt more like being a father. This would be the only time he would be given the luxury of such a thing, so he would take every small tiny, seemingly insignificant moment of it, and smile the entire time. And he had hopes for Annie, and he would try and give as big of a head start as possible. So after music time, was nap.
Nap time was often times a struggle, because it was also about the time that Ella would go out to garden, slightly after noon, after the sun had passed directly overhead and moved enough to offer a bit of shade into the back garden. He would take moments to look out, now and then, as the rumble of his purr would lull Annie to sleep, lazed in a sun-beam to help -- and as soon as Annie's breaths would turn over into the even, rhythmic pulse of sleep, he would let the magic slide from his body, until he was able to hold her close and rise up off the floor on two feet and settle her down into her crib. Soon he would have to modify it, to drop the mattress closer to the floor so she could stop climbing out in the middle of the night.
Between watching Annie, and watching Seraphine, Malik needed one of them to be where he left them at bed time, even if it meant he had to sleep in the hallway in animal form to keep an eye on the both of them at the same time.
So today had been like every other, Annie had finally fallen asleep, and Malik had rose from the floor, nose itching as the last of the whiskers vanished along his skin and melded back to his cheeks, the transformation leaving him a bit tired, but usually a crack of his neck and sitting in the nursery reading until Annie would wake up took care of it. He wouldn't have that chance today as the sound that came from his sister's garden ran a needle of fear down his spine.
He had heard that sound before. He had made that sound before. One night, over a decade again, as his father had fallen to the side.
Not many things scared Malik, but the pulse on his finger, an alarm that one of them was in danger, had him bundling Annie up to his chest and making for the window -- he saw enough to know before he was throwing the balcony doors open and jumping down into the garden below,
Annie was awake now, and crying hard, even as he realized his mistake. He should have let Annie sleep blissfully unaware up in the nursery, but he couldn't have been certain it wasn't assassins. No, his split second assessment had been to take the child because he could protect her while carrying her, better than he could a story and house away.
He turned and took Annie inside the kitchen, looking for her stuffed bear, she liked the stuffed bear and they had left it there in the kitchen this morning because he could always run back over for it if they needed too. He sent out the signal to Malachai's jewel, by-passing the one meant to contact the others. No one else in their little family unit needed to know what was going on, yet. They'd only need someone else if his sister-in-law couldn't coax Ella back to life, and Malik was trying hard to ignore the feeling of his own magic trying to seep from him towards Ella's body, to do what he did best, whispering to her as he rocked Annie.
He would be angry later. Right now, as he worked hard to soothe Annie, he started to murmur a lullaby to her, his loops around the kitchen island taking him in view of the double doors out into the garden to let him watch what was taking place.
@Malachai Valentius
@Novella Tilani
@Kaczor Tilani
Too bad he wouldn't be around to see it, so he had to make every moment with the child count. These times when he took her, for his sister and her wife, were the best moments of his life right now. He felt.. happy. Normal. He was an uncle, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it felt more like being a father. This would be the only time he would be given the luxury of such a thing, so he would take every small tiny, seemingly insignificant moment of it, and smile the entire time. And he had hopes for Annie, and he would try and give as big of a head start as possible. So after music time, was nap.
Nap time was often times a struggle, because it was also about the time that Ella would go out to garden, slightly after noon, after the sun had passed directly overhead and moved enough to offer a bit of shade into the back garden. He would take moments to look out, now and then, as the rumble of his purr would lull Annie to sleep, lazed in a sun-beam to help -- and as soon as Annie's breaths would turn over into the even, rhythmic pulse of sleep, he would let the magic slide from his body, until he was able to hold her close and rise up off the floor on two feet and settle her down into her crib. Soon he would have to modify it, to drop the mattress closer to the floor so she could stop climbing out in the middle of the night.
Between watching Annie, and watching Seraphine, Malik needed one of them to be where he left them at bed time, even if it meant he had to sleep in the hallway in animal form to keep an eye on the both of them at the same time.
So today had been like every other, Annie had finally fallen asleep, and Malik had rose from the floor, nose itching as the last of the whiskers vanished along his skin and melded back to his cheeks, the transformation leaving him a bit tired, but usually a crack of his neck and sitting in the nursery reading until Annie would wake up took care of it. He wouldn't have that chance today as the sound that came from his sister's garden ran a needle of fear down his spine.
He had heard that sound before. He had made that sound before. One night, over a decade again, as his father had fallen to the side.
Not many things scared Malik, but the pulse on his finger, an alarm that one of them was in danger, had him bundling Annie up to his chest and making for the window -- he saw enough to know before he was throwing the balcony doors open and jumping down into the garden below,
What the fuck is going on,
Annie was awake now, and crying hard, even as he realized his mistake. He should have let Annie sleep blissfully unaware up in the nursery, but he couldn't have been certain it wasn't assassins. No, his split second assessment had been to take the child because he could protect her while carrying her, better than he could a story and house away.
Shut up and start casting, I know you can. You know what happens if I try, so you better fucking try Kaczor!
He turned and took Annie inside the kitchen, looking for her stuffed bear, she liked the stuffed bear and they had left it there in the kitchen this morning because he could always run back over for it if they needed too. He sent out the signal to Malachai's jewel, by-passing the one meant to contact the others. No one else in their little family unit needed to know what was going on, yet. They'd only need someone else if his sister-in-law couldn't coax Ella back to life, and Malik was trying hard to ignore the feeling of his own magic trying to seep from him towards Ella's body, to do what he did best, whispering to her as he rocked Annie.
You can't leave yet, you have to kill me, remember, how are you gonna do that on that side of the Fade, huh?He paced the kitchen area as he watched Kaczor work, trying to calm himself -- nothing was set in stone yet, there was time left, Kaczor was gifted enough to pull this off. And Malachai would be there faster than they knew, and would come with re-enforcements, certainly a more gifted healer, it was protocol.
He would be angry later. Right now, as he worked hard to soothe Annie, he started to murmur a lullaby to her, his loops around the kitchen island taking him in view of the double doors out into the garden to let him watch what was taking place.
@Malachai Valentius
@Novella Tilani
@Kaczor Tilani
10-25-2024, 11:30 PM
