"Oh, look, Little One, we're nearly there!" I excitedly whisper to my son as I shake him awake. Smiling down at him as he cluelessly stumbled to his points. It then took me a bit of effort, but I was able to get him to see it.
"Town!" he let out after some thought.
"Yes, well done." I praise before I pull him in for a cuddle and a kiss on the head. Giggling in response to his own sounds of joy before our attention returned to the glass. At first, I played around with his hand as it pointed out to the town. Sometimes grabbing it, other times provoking competition by extending my arm further.
"No!" he complained as he tried to break my grip and reach out further than me.
"Careful!" I tell him as I bring back my other arm to secure him in my arms. Letting him go once he was calm enough to be let down. And I knew I could trust him to stay in his seat while I talked things out with Rose'lhia. Yet, there was an issue with that.
She was not here, she hadn't been here for a while, actually. The last I saw of her, she walked away in the direction that I was facing away from. Yet, leaning out and twisting did not let me catch a glance of her. She would probably come back on her own, but...
"Guess we'll have to look for her, won't we?" I ask my son as I pick him up, much to his confusion. And while I was entertained by the noise he made as he got into my arms again. I did not start playing with him, I only bounced him up and down for now. As for our stuff, I made sure it was secure before I walked after Rose'lhia.
It took me a while to find her as well. And it was slightly uncomfortable walking through this machine as everyone stared at me. I may have not had the full name of a flower, but that did not mean I did not miss my beauty. These scars that had been cast into me bothered me a lot.
Even if I could be certain that my son and my lover would have no issue with it. Eventually, I found the perpetrator at the end of this machine. And, from what it looked like, something was bothering her. Had my previous comments and comebacks affected her that much?
"What do you want?" she asked as we came to a stop behind her.
"We're nearing the wind-people's town."
"Right, I suppose we will be getting off, then." she says rather impatiently before she moves to barge past me. Yet, she slows down upon seeing my son. She plays with him as she goes by, but I also saw that scowl as she departed. It made me uncertain, yet, how she acted towards my son eased that.
"You want to stay up here or walk when we get off?" I ask my son as we followed Rose'lhia back to where we had sat down before. He didn't seem to understand the question, however. So I decided to ask him again when we got off, but a little differently when we got around to it.
"Pass him here, then." Rose'lhia demanded as the expected came to pass. I should've really seen it coming, yet I was still surprised when the demand came. And, with some reluctance, I handed my son to her while I got all our stuff down. Much to her malicious joy as well, I struggled to get it down as it was heavy.
My points also did not help keep my balance...
"Do you need some help?" a human man asked as he caught me and stopped the bag from falling on me.
"She's fine." Rose'lhia answered while my son stared curiously at the bag.
"Yes, please." I correctly answer as I start to rise to my points while the gruff looking human got my bag down.
"Not well suited to this kind of stuff, are you?" he asks jokingly as he tapped his foot against the floor.
I laugh slightly, "No, I guess we are not." I essentially answer on behalf of my people as I try to put the bag on my back. Hopefully, there would be grass or dirt for me to sink my tips into. Even with my tubes, standing upright was a difficult task on this tough surface.
"Well, as you are in my way, I might as well keep helping." he offers with a smile as his strong arms keep me upright.
"Okay, I'm ready." I say with a nod as I accepted the help Rose'lhia couldn't help but scoff at. Soon enough as well, once I felt the machine come to a halt. This man was helping me walk through the machine until we had a fresh breeze in our faces once again.
"Take care now." he says with a smile as he tilts his flat hat at us.
"Thank you!" I say as he disappears before I start to get my footing sorted. And, with some agitation, I watched as Rose'lhia raced ahead with my son. To add to the issue, I could not catch up with her without causing myself a floor-related issue. So I just sighed until I finally reached the proper outside.
"Now we just need to get an idea as to what part of this town we are at..." Rose'lhia ponders as she enjoys all the glances her beauty brought in. However, she immediately recoiled away from that behaviour when a couple of witches flew overhead.
"Those must've been the soldiers we were warned about." I comment idly before I started to notice the perfectly idle wind-people dressed in runed armour. The humans gave them a wide berth but that was about it.
"R-Right, now that, that is sorted..." Rose'lhia said uncomfortably as she started to walk once again. Her gaze lingered on one of the wind-people, but their gaze did not linger back. They were seemingly stuck in the motion of slowly looking back and forth.
"There's nothing wrong with asking for directions, Rose'lhia." I say as it became clear she was clueless about where we should head to.
"I don't need directions, I am just enjoying what I see."
"No, you aren't." I correct as I start to recall the petal I thought I knew a long time ago. She was always picky about what she interacted with. It always had to be up to a certain standard. And unlike where we had just came from, this town was not as magically-rich.
"Oh, what I would give to see that one at the Sweet Orchard..." I heard someone lecherously comment as Rose'lhia kept us on the move. I wish it was me that the comment was about, but, it was clear it was about Rose'lhia. I may not be wearing my thick leather trap anymore, but I wanted to hide my scars. So I was dressed a lot more than I used to be...
Rose'lhia on the other hand, she got to keep on feeling like a petal. Even if she had supposedly given up on that life. It made me bitter to some extent. Having lost that part of my life to a petal I never had issues with before...
But my son came first, so I simply could not focus on it. And I was certain that I could and would make it through this ordeal without making an issue of it. For the sake of my son, I had to. To my joy as well, he didn't seem to mind being held by her.
A few instincts he would use a lot when he was older came to bare as well...
"Sorry, I'm taken by someone else." Rose'lhia jokes as she stops him from trying to expose her breasts. Yet, that might've also been a sign that he was getting hungry. So I needed to find a moment to step in before Rose'lhia's... Different contents caused issues.
"Rose'lhia, I'd like my son back now, please." I ask nicely for now as I settled all the stuff down at a place she could also sit at.
"Why, for whatever reason do we need to stop right now?" she questions while fighting back against my son's actions.
"Think about it a little." was all I had to say before I reached out for him and he reached out for me. Then, I quickly went off with him to find somewhere that could be called private. While doing it so openly would not have been an issue at our flower. I learned quickly that the wind-people were a lot more reserved.
So I moved in between a couple of buildings and sat down in what appeared to be a quiet garden. Then, I rolled up my top while my son tried to bring it back down. Yet, once he saw his meal, he was quick to stop and he got to it. And as he ate, I gently caressed his head while I looked around at the plants.
I then smiled at the thought of him latching onto Rose'lhia's breasts. Being childless for the moment, hers contained a different kind of nutrient. Most certainly not the kind you gave to a sapling like my dear little one here. However, it made me wonder when the contents of mine would go back to normal.
I suppose that is a question Rose'lhia would have the answer to given her previous role. I guess as well, that, it was funny in a way. She was childless and I had given birth to a seed. Yet, I was going to go to her for advice on how to look after a sapling and what to expect from my own body.
I could understand why I felt the need to go to her, though. Being an Ivy-Mother took more than just being a mother yourself. Despite half the title involving the word, a loverless petal could take on the job. Rose'lhia did do a very good job with it as well to my recollection.
I guess to some extent as well, I just wished the smiling priestess I once saw her as was real. When I first found out I had a child with my beloved, I was overjoyed. We both were, and we went to her near-instantly to get her feedback. And she caressed my stomach gently while whispering loving prayers to Motrtha.
She looked after me while she tried to help my little one turn out the way he did. Yet, the smiles and warmth she showed that day were not for me. They were for my beloved and his son. I was just an obstacle in her way...
It was such a strange issue as well... She had a full name and was at the top of our flower. She commanded its full respect and full attention. An impressive witch as well to boot.
I was, well, me, an incompletely named petal of a more common flower. But by finding love with our Gilded-Bark, I drew her ire. And I just had no way of telling how malicious it could be...
"Mama!" my son complained, bringing my away from my thoughts.
"All done?" I asked my sticky-mouthed sapling as he smacked his lips together. Smiling as I used my hand to wipe away what he had stuck around and on his lips. Giving it a little taste myself to check if it was still alright for him before I put my top down again. Giving him one little bounce before we headed back out.
Rose'lhia, however, did not look bothered when we got back. Yet, I knew she was quite observant, so she probably saw the state of my hand and his somewhat sticky face. Unfortunately, she took him away from me again and I had to pick up all the stuff again. With some uncertainty as well, I tried to keep my dirty hand away from it all.
"I believe there is a fountain or something near here." Rose'lhia points out. To the joy of my hand, there was. So I quickly washed it off while she played with my son. It was nice to see him happy, but I wish it was with me instead.
"So, what is the plan? We head out of this town or do we wait it out a bit?" I ask her as my attention starts to turn skyward as a powerful noise fills our ears. And what I saw scared me a little as there was this large machine slowly making its way over the town. It must've been greater in size than this entire town as well!
I wasn't even the only one to look up, even the humans had their gaze caught by it. When I looked back down, however, I couldn't help but laugh at my son. He was so eager to get on board that thing. And I just couldn't bring myself to tell him no.
It made him so excited!
"Make sure you get as strong as those, okay?" Rose'lhia gleefully whispers into his ear as she points at one of those large spells. And, I had to admit, I would not know what to do if a man had that kind of magic within him... It was so pure and potent.
"Rose'lhia." I say to catch her attention.
"Yes..." she lets out slowly, annoyed by my actions, "I suppose we can spare some time to stay here. Of course, it will need to be a suitable place."
"Of course." I answer, taking into account the needs of my son. Even if her words were more likely directed at her own standards. Standards we'd likely have to break if we were to stay anywhere in this town. We did not have the money or the goods to live extravagantly...
"Well, get to it." she impatiently told me.
"Right..." I sigh out as I dropped all the stuff once again so I could have a look.
"Don't just leave our stuff!" she snapped.
"I can't look for a place to stay if I am carrying that!" I complain, already tired from having to carry it this far. She had no appreciation for how heavy this stuff was in the slightest...
"Well it needs to be ready for when we arrive, no?"
"I can pick it up again once I found a place!" I point out, frustrated by her desire to make my life more difficult. She, however, had no consideration for that and just snorted at me. With a sense of bitterness in me as well, I turned around and left. Unfortunately having to leave my little one in her arms.
It made me angry more so having to do this, but I went through with it anyway. But I made a point of first gathering up all the money I could so I could more accurately pick a place. My son, however, would take priority in my mind. So I left them with his needs at the front of my mind.
"Okay... What would he like...?" I think out loud as I walked through the town on my own. With some nervousness present, I lingered around some buildings before I moved to another. Eventually, as well, I believe I was able to come across the place I should've been looking. However, the wind-people seemed to occupy a lot of these places.
There was one place that seemed to be free, however. With many human children running about it playing and laughing. I was sure this must've been what I was looking for. So I moved in for a closer look.
My scarred appearance seemed to scare some of them, but I was otherwise able to look without problems. And I liked what I could see for the moment as there were toys and constructs my little one could play on. If he felt like it too, he could play with the other children. Yet, I was also uncertain despite how well this place seemed to fit his requirements.
I had never let my son out like this, I was very protective of him and kept him close. Even back at the wind-people's academy, I was closely involved with him. I had really always been his source of entertainment. We did everything together.
"Excuse me, is this a place me and my little one could spend the night?" I ask an elderly-looking woman as she finishes up putting something out.
"Why of course! You best hurry, then, we got a puppet show starting soon for the little ones!" she cheerfully answers with a warm smile.
And, happy with that, I smile back, "Thank you, I'm sure he'll enjoy it."
So, knowing that, I headed back to where Rose'lhia and my little one were. I got lost for a brief moment, but I was able to find my way back. And, with a smile on my face, I went to take my son back into my arms. Yet, Rose'lhia refused to hand him over...
"Have you found a place?"
"I have, and I want to take my son to it!" I answer, placing as much emphasis as I could on that one major detail. He was my son, my little one. It was my right to hold him, not hers!
"Then who's going to carry the bags if you have him?"
"You for once!" I snap as my son practically leaps into my arms. With a smug huff, I then turn around and prepare to take him there.
"I'm not carrying that." Rose'lhia tells me as she gets up and starts to walk after us.
"Don't just abandon our stuff!" I complain as I pull my son closer.
"It's not me that is abandoning it." Rose'lhia says with a roll of her eyes before she starts to demand through gesture that I give my son back to her... The nerve of that woman...
I breathe harshly before I look down at my little one, "Fine, but wait for me." I warn.
"No choice but to if you're going to neglect telling me where..." she comments as I move to pick up the bag. Stopping briefly to sigh in frustration before I got to it and picked it up. I then made sure my frustration had been beaten down again before I stomped ahead. I even made sure I had our funds present so I could get it all out the way.
However, when we got there...
"This is the place?" Rose'lhia obviously asked with a sneer.
"It's a good place for my son to be at." I point out, hoping it would at least make her shut up about it.
"I suppose." she mutters, so it at least worked to some extent.
"That's a lot of luggage." the boy at the counter commented as I squeezed through the door. Unfortunately, every other doorway was much smaller. So, without a doubt, I was going to be busy moving this all back and forth...
"So what'll it be?" an older one asks as they come on through a doorway beyond the counter.
"Your bes-" Rose'lhia started to say.
"A room with two separate beds if possible." I interrupt, wanting to get this other with so I could spend time with my son.
"Don't interrupt me." she complains.
"Don't push it." I respond with as the boys watch us with bemusement in their eyes. Thankfully, they listened to me and we were handed a key once the money was handed over.
"Will you need some help with your luggage?" one of them kindly asks.
"If you'd be so kind..." I answer with a low tone as Rose'lhia walks off elsewhere with my son. It was an infuriating action, but I made sure that it all went into my efforts to move the bags.
"It's alright, we can handle it." the younger one says as he puffed out his chest.
And with a relaxed sigh and loud thud, "Thank you."
Then, I immediately followed after them until I was outside. For a very brief moment, I observed the area I looked into before, before then finding them. However, she had placed herself right amongst all the other parents and their children as the puppet show started. And I couldn't help but get upset as my son became overjoyed at the spectacle of the show...
He was doing it with her and not me... That show I was excited to watch with him was not happening. She had stolen that moment from me and was not only greedily taking in his attention, but everyone else's too. To make it worse, I would only cause issues trying to retrieve him...
So I skulked to the back of the crowd until I found a place to sit. My anger and general appearance even made some people move away from me. And I just couldn't help but feel bitter as I kept an ear out for my son's laughter. Each laugh I heard was accompanied by her voice...
She played with him and encouraged his involvement with the show. She even gave him the confidence to move ahead when the puppet show started interacting with the children. It was enough to threaten tears, but I was able to keep it together. At the very least, when my son received a gift from the puppets, he waved to me.
"What you got there?" I mouthed to him as he held up his present before me with a smile on his face. Yet, it was Rose'lhia who he went back to once he decided he had enough at the front of everyone.
"Something wrong, Dear?" the woman who told me about this show asked me.
"I'm fine..." I lied as I did not want to drag others into my problems. Until we rejoined with our flower, this would stay a personal issue.
"My boys told me about that little spat, are you sure?" she questions as she rests her rear in the spot next to me.
"I don't think you would get it even if I did explain it." I say as this was likely just an aelenvari thing. I couldn't of expected a human to get it.
"That treat over there isn't his mother, is she? You want to be able to hold him?"
"I do..."
"I suppose it isn't my place to judge how you aelenvari do things, but... Know it's like this, try as that treat might, your little boy will always be yours. He won't ever replace you in his heart." she explains as if she had experienced similar issues.
"It's not being forgotten that troubles me, it's that she is a cruel creature..." I say very quietly towards the end.
"Why would you travel with someone like that?"
"Because she is the only one who can get us home to where we belong." I admit in defeat. If I just asked the Valkinvar for her help... I would have never had to put up with her.
"Then that is all the better then, because once you are home, she'll be gone." the woman tells me with a knowing smirk as she nudges me slightly.
I smile a little at her words, "Thank you..."
"Now, how about you come and help me with the food? I'm sure you'll be able to help your boy much better than I can." she tells me as she gets up and holds her hand out.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"But I can't just..."
"Oh, stop it. Of course, you can, otherwise, you'd never have let your son into that treat's arms." she dismissively says as I am pulled back indoors and towards the kitchen. Yet, I had to admit, I was unfamiliar with a lot that was here. I could cook, sure, but I had grown too used to the comfort of my lover.
The luxury of that relationship was that everyone waited on me like they might have done with Rose'lhia. Or, rather, they waited on the Gilded-Bark whose pleasure directly involved me. But, I had started to learn how to cook once again so I could take care of my little one. Even if that large human who suddenly shrunk did a lot of the cooking.
Liadanann, however, was a welcome change of pace as we could both cook together. With both of us not really knowing what we were doing for the most part. It was a fun experience, I had to admit. But this one felt more like a lesson than anything else.
While this woman was kind with her words, she was very assertive within this kitchen. A simple mistake was met with hasty complaints and the loss of the job. So it was quick to turn into a clean-up each time I was handed a new job. Her son's found it amusing, though.
"Don't worry too much, Mam's always been a perfectionist with food." the older one comments quietly as he squeezes past with a tray covered in small bowls.
"A little aggressive for a perfectionist..." I mutter as we watch his brother get struck with a spoon.
"I did it right!" he complains before he is practically shoved away.
"No, you didn't you stupid boy, like this! Water the crust lightly!" she informs him as she takes over making the pie crust.
That younger son then comes over rubbing his head, "Now watch this, don't do anything and watch her go on."
"Oh, gods." the older one laughs as they both take a backseat.
"Aren't we meant to be helping...?" I ask quietly as that was somewhat the reason she brought be back here for.
"No, no, no! Just trust us, wait." one of them tells me before the cackle as their mother furiously picks up all the work.
"There we go, well done you lot!" she cheerfully says as she comes to a stop and looks at us. Her apron was a mess while ours were rather clean in comparison. And, I caught on quickly as to why they found it funny. She was praising them so much despite having done nearly all of it...
She became excessively narrow-visioned when she took over the role of cooking! Even I who did nothing but make mistakes she had to fill in for! I was getting praised too. Not in the same way as her sons, but, it was there!
"Now, let's all get this out there for them to eat!" she cheerfully declares as she starts to move what appeared to be sauces and condoments.
"Does it go anywhere in particular?" I asked as I started to pick up some items.
"No, just put it out on the tables that the... Boys! Sort it out!"
"Yes, Mam." the older one says as he nearly slams several tables together before he let loose a cover for them. He seemed to have been well-practised in doing this as well because it was almost masterful in its fluidity. Truly, the only comparison I could think of were the thorns that guarded my flower. Their bladed chains required quite a bit of skill to use that always made me so nervous when I watched.
"So do we just fill up a plate and sit down?" I ask for clarification as I was unfamiliar with this kind of meal set-up. Either I made it directly for myself and my little one or someone handed it to me. I had never been presented with such a layout before. Though, if I recalled, on our way up to that wind-people city we just left, there were meals arrayed like this there too.
But the Valkinvar was kind enough to sort it out for me while I kept my little one's seed warm.
"Yes, but, get your little one first so he can get a little headstart." she tells me with a wink before I smile on the way out. The show had ended since the last time I was out here as well, so it was not that difficult to make my way over to Rose'lhia. However, she was still being as difficult as she always was...
"Little one, can you come here, please." I tell my son as I gesture for him to come into my arms.
"What is it?" Rose'lhia asks, however, once she stands up and moves past me.
"Can I have him back, please?"
"Answer my question." she demands without so much as twitching her arms.
"We prepared the evening meal... I am here to make sure my son chooses something..."
"We prepared? How ghastly." she mocks as she walks inside with my son. To my anger as well, but I wasn't sure how to direct it, my son was more focused on his new toy... I couldn't be angry at him over that but I was getting very frustrated right now.
"Rose'lhia, give him back!" I nearly snap as I follow her inside. Only to helplessly watch as she took my son across the tables until he had collected enough on his plate. However, when it became clear that I was being ignored, I slowly sat down and waited for them. Nearly growling when I had to chase after them just to share a table.
"Not hungry?" Rose'lhia asks my son after he proceeded to do nothing with the food.
"I fed him not that long ago... Let him play for a bit." I say as I try to make the most of this moment to snatch him back into my arms. Yet, Rose'lhia's perception and beauty gave her the distinct advantage. And I failed in my efforts to secure my son.
"If he wants to, he will do so on his own." she scoffs as my hands start to curl up. Then, in a sudden moment of anger, I slammed a fist on the cloth-covered table.
"HE'S MY SON! STOP KEEPING HIM AWAY FROM ME!" I scream at her, scaring my little one in the process.
"Now look what you've done!" she accuses me of before I pick up my son and walk away with him.
"What I've done!? Keep away from him!" I tell her before I take my son out into the quiet hallways to quieten him down. Bouncing him up and down gently as he tightly held onto his toy and cried. I repeated the same soft sounds over and over and tried to make him feel safe. I even tried spinning around a little to see if I could entertain him.
But, instead, he showed me his present, "Mama look..." he said with a sniffle as he held the strange flat object in front of us. I had to admit as well, that I was unfamiliar with what it was. It reminded me of a picture frame, but I could see the feint magic inscriptions worked into the material. I was also not expecting the sudden flash it made.
Yet, my little one's laughter, once it went away, made me smile, "Oh, wow! It's us." I tell him.
"Mama... Me!" he said as he wobbled his arm over the magically created image.
"And soon, Dada too!" I remind him as I brought his face closer to mine. Smiling gently as his head moved about against my cheek. His skin had rough, thick patches, but I could never be bothered by that. He was my impossibly special little one.
"No room..." he uttered as he covered up the empty spaces with his hands.
"Don't be like that, there's plenty of room." I tell him as I take it into my hand and point out all the spots his father could fit in. Then, I suddenly decided to take him to our room so he could have a look around it. But I was more so doing it because I saw Rose'lhia lingering at the end of the hallway.
"I want to open it." he told me as I reached down for the handle.
"Are you strong enough?" I question, doubting how strong he was.
"Yes!" he moaned.
I then smile, "Let me see, then!" I encourage him with as I lower him to be in line with it.
"Mama..." he cried softly as he cluelessly fiddled around with the handle.
"Like this, Little One." I tell him as I place his hand on the handle. Guiding it down for him and smiling as he puffed up his chest with pride.
"Strong!" he exclaims in amazement before he then gets distracted by the room.
"Careful!" I say as he escapes my grip and starts to waddle about our room for the night. Laughing gently as he stuck his limbs and head out while making silly little noises.
"You can't find me!" he cheekily commented after he went behind a curtain.
"Oh no, I'm going to be very sad now..." I lie as I sit on one of the beds with a frowny face.
"No!" he complains as he surges out towards my legs.
"Oh, I'm not sad now!" I tell him as I pick him up and hold him high. Gently swinging him about as he laughed at the fact he could fly. Then, I brought him down closer before I moved us up the bed. And I held him close while I let my tired body rest on the bedding.
Not only was it soft and clean, it smelled very nice too. I wasn't sure of what, but it was a very soft, subtle scent that the sheets had. However, we both preferred the smell of the other. And it made me very relaxed as I felt my little one's nose gently suck the air near my neck.
"Are you going to want to play some more?" I decide to ask him as I notice a bathroom after briefly looking up.
"Yeah." he answers with a nod as he gets up. His body rolling over mine partially before I pulled him back down.
"Do you want to play with Mama or the other children?"
He then goes quiet and stares at me, "Uh... I want to..."
"Well, how about you show me around the play area for now? Yeah?"
"Yeah." he says with a nod as I sit up and pick him up again. Yet, despite offering him his present again, he just held onto me and shook his head.
"Why don't you want it?" I ask him as I was a little surprised by that.
"I don't know how Mama got in it... So I don't want to make Mama go." he answers as he hugged me tightly.
"Don't worry, Mama will always be there for you, that's a promise."
"I like that promise." he tells me as we leave the room behind to head back outdoors. Unfortunately, Rose'lhia had moved closer in the meantime and I felt the need to hide my son from her. Yet, she made no comment as we passed her and she seemed to head into the room. I could only guess that this was a childish ploy so she could avoid admitting to her orbiting.
I even made a point of waiting at the end of the hallway just to see if she would try and sneak out again. But, to my pleasure, she did not, so I quickly turned around and moved for the outside. Only to find myself staring at the plate of food she had helped my son collect. But, as all the other families had moved in here to eat, it wasn't safe to just leave it here.
Children being children, they might've snuck off with some of my son's food. So I picked it up and took it with us so my little one could nibble on something between toys and games. And I'm sure he would not be starved of choice. Toys had been left all over the place.
"Anything look fun?" I ask once I put him and his food down. He then briefly disappears before he comes back with a toy rider.
"That's a juperse." I tell him as I point at the flexibly-legged insect the toy soldier was riding.
"Boing!" he let out as he pressed down on the toy. However, what utterly amazed him was how the toy continued to bounce once he let go of it.
"Woah! That's going far!" I say as he quickly waddles over to bring it back. He then hands it to me and urges me to repeat what he had done.
"Make it go!" he demanded as he forced my hand against the toy.
"Alright, alright!" I tell him as I pull him off my hand so I can play with it properly. However, it was clear that this was a toy with a very set way of working. It did not go farther than when he did it if at all. At least, until it hit another toy and went just a bit further until it fell over.
"You win, Mama." he tells me before he loses interest in that toy while in the process of collecting.
"Oh, let me have a look." I say as he picks up the one my go just tripped over.
"What is this?" he asks me after shaking it about. The loud rattling noise inside seemingly kept his attention more than the actual toy itself. It was quite awkward to grip, however. As it was quite a wide wheel-shaped toy.
"Maybe we use it like this?" I question as I roll it away from us. Smiling as he let out his amazement at the song the toy seemed to play as it rolled away. I couldn't even see anything magical about it, so it must've been purely by design!
"My turn!" he insisted as I got up to retrieve the toy so he did not trip up in the excitement. And when I got back, he was desperate for the toy to the point he tried to snatch it. Thankfully for his future self, I kept hold of it and gave him a firm stare.
"Well?"
"Please..." he quietly muttered before I then gave it to him. But, when he tried to roll it before I sat down. It came crashing to a halt without getting far.
"That doesn't count." I tell him so he would not be disappointed by the interruption caused by my legs and tubes.
"Bye-bye!" he tells the toy as he rolls it away again once more. And as we watched it, I put his plate near him to see if he wanted to eat anything. But he only took a single piece of carrot so I quickly popped it back up and away.
"Let's see..." I ponder after picking him up and moving to collect the still rolling toy. Yet, he was once again full of excitement as we came upon a playset of some kind.
"I! I..." he struggled to say as he tried to reach for the small playset. I was hesitant to let him on, however. He didn't have any tubes on and the way this thing was constructed left a lot of slots for his points to slip in. Yet, I could just not say no to him, but I was also not going to let him on this by himself.
So I first let him down and then stayed by his side as he climbed up the ladder. Painful as it was as well, I kept my hands under him so he had more to stand on. But I did not have time to linger on the pain and I instead kept up with him. Holding his hand as he slowly walked across the wood.
But, he quickly became scared after his left point slipped through the gaps on the rope bridge. He started to cry as a result but I wouldn't be able to take him off the playset like this. So I had to instead encourage him along with the promise of a hug. But he did not understand why I would not just take him off, so that only made him cry harder.
"Just a little more, Little One, Mama is right here!" I tell him while holding my arms out at the end of the slide. But the gaps became an all too present problem for him and he was refusing to move. He wanted me desperately to get him down...
"MAMA!" he cried loudly as he tapped his points against the wood over and over. Screaming in fear whenever he brought his points too close to some of the tighter gaps on the playset.
"Alright, come on, take my hand, okay?" I say as I awkwardly fit in through the slide entrance so he could grab onto me. After that, I had to slowly adjust myself on the way out. I even had to pry his arms open so he could go down the slide properly.
"MAMA!" he cried again as he ran up to me and clung onto my leg.
"Oh, come here." I tell him while I tried to hold in my laughter at how silly it was at the same time.
"I don't like that..." he tells me as he rubs his face into the gap between my neck and shoulder.
"Little One, oh, Little One." I repeat close to his ear before pecking his head.
"He's not hurt is he? It must've given him quite the fright slipping through like that." the elderly woman asked as she leaned out the kitchen window.
"He'll be fine, but yes, I don't think he'll want to be playing on that again." I say with a laugh.
"I am sorry, I know we have a few aelenvari in this town but I hadn't even considered how small their feet are."
"Don't worry about it, I suppose it is my fault for making a promise with his father about his first pair of tubes." I tell her.
"I can see why you aelenvari wear them, then." she nervously chuckles as we moved closer to the window.
"Mama..." he began to say before he pointed at the sweet-smelling pie on the windowsill. And, just from a quick glance at the way the crust was formed, I could tell it was the one I helped make.
"Would you like some?" the woman asked to which my son nodded lots and lots.
"Yes please." he mutters as he moves a little closer to me despite the warm smile the woman had.
"Have you finished your dinner?"
"No, he hasn't." I answer so he did not try and lie in order to get some pudding.
"Well, eat it up then, and you can have an extra big slice for being so brave!" she tells him before she rubs his cheek slightly. After that claim as well, he immediately began to pressure me to return to his plate of food so he could have it.
"That is quite a lot..." I comment once we got back to the plate. My stomach even rumbled at the comment and it became very clear we could share.
"Mama can have some..." he says, however, I saw through his devious little plan. Yet, I was hungry, so I accepted the offer and sat down with him to eat it. Smiling down at him as he played with his food slightly. Only to look back at the pie and scoff a small bit down before his mouth was too full for more.
"Slow down." I tell him as I help stop it from spilling out his mouth when he tried to eat too much at once. Then, while he was filling his mouth again, I wiped my hand to clear it of mushy food and dribble.
"Nearly done..." he pointed out near the end while he kept of moving more and more towards me.
"This is your dinner!" I remind him as I stop him from putting another piece of sliced potato on my half.
"Mama tummy go grrrr!" he reminds me with a confident nod as he puts more and more towards me.
"Well, you aren't getting any pie until I finish my dinner." I smugly tell him. Smiling as his face suddenly filled with despair. And I couldn't help but laugh as he tried to take back some food so it would go down quicker. Because I was intentionally going slow just to wind him up.
Eventually, most of it was back on his side and he was eating it all up like he should've done. Then, with a smile on my face, I emptied the last few bits of food over the wall near some birds and winked. His face lit up so cutely as well before I picked him up to go in for a slice of pie. Holding him tightly as he urged me into the kitchen.
"I suppose he can have some now." the woman says before she cuts a piece of pie for him. She leaves it on a fresh plate before she then rubs his head and goes out to everyone else.
"What do we say?" I remind him while keeping his hands to himself.
"Thank you!" he calls out to the woman before he just sort of stares at the pie. And I smile as he starts to offer it up to me before he even has a bite himself.
"For me?" I ask him anyway. I wanted to say 'no thank you,' but I couldn't resist how adorably he held it up to me. And when I swallowed the still hot pie, I let out a noise of satisfaction as it was just sweet enough. But nowhere near as sweet as my little one.
"Blow." he let out before he started to blow away the heat on his spoon. Yet, when he moved to eat it, he retracted it instantly. So I moved his arm closer to my mouth and blew on it for him. And that seemed to do the trick as he ate it right after.
Then, as he chewed it, I ruffled his hair and smiled back at him. I then ate whatever he offered me while laughing to myself as he started to get greedier. It was his slice of pie, anyway, so it was fine. As long as he was happy I was too.
.
.
.
"Evening, Hrurim." one of my guys greeted as I walked towards the backdoor of the Madame's establishment.
"Evening." I reply back with a tip of my flat cap. And as usual, my nose crinkled and contorted at the strong smell of this place. The noises, however, I had long since gotten used to. I found that amusing, the smell was always what hit me first yet I didn't mind the noise.
"Sir..." one of the Madame's aelenvari girls let out with their usual mixture of drug-induced haze and lust.
"Stick to the customers." I remind them before I guided them down the hallway so they could go bring one in.
"Looking for the Madame?" one of her personal bodyguards asked me as I walked into the lounge before her office.
"I guess." I answer with a shrug. The spiral-tram did have some interesting goods on board, but I wasn't sure if it was necessary. I knew that the Madame wanted to refresh what she had and put some of it away for quality control purposes. But was it really worth the effort?
I know what she said would be what goes, but even then...
"I think she is in a meeting right now, so you might have to wait a bit, Hrurim." they tell me after checking their watch.
"You're on my payroll and you stop me? I'm offended." I dryly joke before I sat down on the thankfully clean sofa. Even if the personal behaviours of the Madame made it a difficult process. She didn't like to sit so much as well, lounge, so all the chairs and sofas accommodated for that.
Either I laid down like her, or I had nothing to support my back well enough. However, I could say I was used to it. So I just leaned forwards and picked up a news tablet to keep myself occupied. But I skipped the news and moved straight onto the advertisements section.
I couldn't really put my finger on it, but I enjoyed looking out for local businesses. They were in no danger of going, but these Union guys were bringing with them strong competition. Which, was a little hard to get as their men creeped most of us out. No response, the Madame declared them a dead market near-instantly...
"You hear about how the war is going, Hrurim?" one of the bodyguards asked me.
"Union is winning?" I most likely guess correctly as that was really all these things ever published. Even with their supposed honesty policy regarding the war, they twisted their words to make a hollow victory out of everything.
"Yeah, just pushed through another one of the Theocracy's big cities."
"Come on Theocracy, beat 'em back." I dryly joke before looking up at the air around me. I then sighed at the lack of a sudden appearance of emerald light. I didn't really have anything against the Union, but, I liked to play a little dangerously with the stories. Betray the King at Lunar's Peak and a red wind will depart you.
Maybe it was just a load of rubbish, or, maybe His Majesty appreciated my sense of humour!
The door to the Madame's office then opened up, "We bear in mind."
"Ivahstar." I say with a nod as the overworked father of one walked past me.
"Alright?" he asks back with a nod before he leaves the lounge without another word. Which, reminded me, I did owe him a few drinks. If he was going to linger, maybe I should settle that debt. Can't imagine he will, though, what with his daughter and all.
"Ah, my darling, come here!" the Madame beckoned when she noticed me. It was all an act, however, one I refused to play into. Even if she did keep it up despite my clear lack of interest.
"All is well, Madame?" I asked her politely as I took off my hat and held it before me. Watching with some interest as the peculiar foreign beauty swayed back into her long chair.
"I'm a little frustrated, but, I suppose I can't do much to solve other people's problems." she answers, to which I could only assume it was to do with Ivahstar. It was no secret after all that he and his daughter were held hostage for a brief period. The story was a little wild, however. An osibindah?
Laughable.
"Well, if it is any consolation, I have made some progress with one of our problems."
"A dreadful, wilted flower is passing by?" she asks me as she leans her head over the chair. Rattling her jewellery in the process before she decided to unveil her light brown leg fully.
"No, but some of its petals have been caught on the wind." I point out.
She then sits up confused, "There are prime goods just... Walking by?"
"They have recently arrived in town, yes. I even made a point of helping one with her luggage just to make sure I was sensing their power correctly." I explain, but I had a feeling it was the red-haired one that was more important. She carried herself too highly not to be.
"Eugh, then that is useless. We can't just grab them in open orbitlight." she complains before she motions for me to leave. But, I hold up my hand and interrupt that silent request.
"Which is what I obviously concluded after following them for a bit. Yet, I then caught sight of a golden treasure in her arms." I point out for her.
"Oh, Darling, don't leave me in the dark like this!" she complains as she leans over her desk while making sure her chest was relatively free.
Keeping my eyes on hers, "They had a baby boy with them."
And she just lit up with excitement, "That is a golden treasure! Worth more than all the gold in the world!" she cackles.
"So it is worth keeping an eye on them?"
"Just an eye? I want you to take them in your arms and hug them as tight as you can!" she corrects in her own way with an ecstatic shiver.
"They would have to travel very far for that moment to come." I remind her. Not that she probably needed that reminder, she was near-perpetually bitter about the failed market. Those Union guys felt nothing which just did not do for a place like this. This establishment thrived on sensual sensations, and they reacted to none.
"I don't care how long we must be parted, Darling, I want that treasure!" she demands from me with a firm but still gentle tap of her desk.
"Of course, Madame. And what of the petals accompanying it?"
"Is one of them the mother?"
"I believe so." I tell her with some uncertainty as the one doing the labour seemed very pushy about the child. Yet, it was the red-haired one holding him.
"Then grab them if you can, but I want the Treasure more." she tells me before she turns to gaze out across her establishment.
"I'll set in place the preparations." I say before I turn and leave. Closing the door behind me before I then stopped a few steps away. A few ideas were coming into my head, but maybe I should get another opinion here... There was just no way an aelenvari baby boy was travelling like this.
Where was the father...? The flower? Were they en route to one? If so, that dramatically shifted the circumstances I was under.
I was on a strict timer regardless, but what would happen as the clock ticked away made a lot of difference. If this became a bloody affair, the quietness we have been trying to keep would ruin it. The Union may have been at war, with those troops outside being little more than a yet-to-leave reserve force... But they would come knocking if they found our guys dead out there.
But, if that was the case, then I'd probably be staying out of this job even though I headed these things. It was a risky one, and I had no intentions of dying or being shot at or whipped by blades. So, I will probably just grab some of my best and send them out. Make it clear what we were after, besides, two dainty petals and a baby, shouldn't be hard.
"I do need someone to keep a watchful eye on them, however..." I ponder out loud before I remember Ivahstar would still be in town.
"Look at him speeding off." I heard someone comment before I stopped by them. This clearly scared them a bit but I was not angry or that.
"Did you see a hwardgon pass by?"
"Yeah, one just went straight out across the main floor."
"Great..." I mutter before I open the door to the main exhibition as the Madame liked to put it. And she was probably watching me right now as I roughly shoved aside her property on my way to try and stop Ivahstar.
"Hm?" he let out as he came to a stop just before the door. From a brief glance as well, I saw that one of the aelenvari girls thought he might've stopped because of her. But, with how much I enjoyed turning them away, I moved us outside.
"So, about those drinks I owe you?" I start off with while he gives me a raised brow.
"Strong." he answers before I let him guide me to wherever he wished to drain me of Workmans. To my surprise somewhat as well, he took me to a shooting club.
"Late night session, boys?" the waitress asked as we walked in.
"Two strong." Ivahstar answers before he then just heads on out to the range. Which, probably meant only one thing.
"You alright, Heiya?" I asked the prone girl before she fired the gun one more time at the shot out target. She then ate up all the applause before she smiled at me. Having rolled over slightly to wave.
"Want to try against me?" she asks me with a snicker as some of the club's regulars dropped some Workmans in a pot.
"No, I don't think I will." I answer with an amused huff before I sit down next to her father.
"Job?" he seemed to ask almost pleadingly. Which, I can't say I blame him for. He's had a few bad runs as of late. All of which seem to involve osibindah.
So I made a quick gesture to Guareroisncer to try and ward off his bad luck.
"Yeah, the Madame is now aware of an aelenvari son moving through her backyard. She, obviously, wants it for her own keeping. Vanity or an actual good reason, who knows." I say to him. But, the details seemed to have him on guard.
"No, no. Son no go."
"It's him and two aelenvari with a petal's level of magic." I clarify in order to ease him into the offer. Which, thankfully worked.
"Saunds aaa bit straaange." Heiya points out as she leans on the back of his chair.
"The circumstances are strange, yes, but that is what makes them so workable. There are no other aelenvari moving by the town. So, we catch them in a dead spot, we stop them from ever getting to their flower."
"Good pay?"
"Not a question I can answer as I have not even talked about hiring outside help."
"Needs good pay."
"It's an aelenvari's son, you'll wrestle a fortune out of her yet." I remind him.
"Aur rale?"
"To keep an eye on them as they travel out of town, they're packed too heavily to be staying here."
"Communication?"
"We'll have to sort it out, but there is a chance we will be doing this rather detached from each other given the presence of the Union..." I say to him quietly, gesturing waywardly at the collection of officers who were here.
"Two strong ain't very helpful, but here you go." the waitress from before says as she brings us two small glasses.
"This'll do fine, thank you." I tell her before I give it a quick taste to see how strong it was. The burn was just right, I had to admit. Could already feel my tongue healing from when I accidentally bit it during my onboard meal back into town.
He, however, only needed to give it a quick sniff, "Tomorrow. Come by."
"Can do," I say before I hand over the required Workmans, convulsing slightly as I gulped the rest down, "See you then."
"Came baaack with aaa baaackbane!" Heiya teases before I see her head back to the prone position to show up some more patrons. I think I even caught sight of interested Union officers.
Then, with a satisfied sigh, I walked back out into the open street. A slight tap in my step as I made my way to the descending river at the edge of the town. Thankfully it was quiet up here about this time of day. So I could look down at the town without an issue.
Yet, instead, I found that red-haired aelenvari up here by her lonesome. So I just moved over to the edge of the viewing platform. Popping out my pipe before I then puffed on it. Our eyes did briefly meet, however.
She seemed to pay no mind to me, though. Something was clearly on her mind and I was willing to bet we shared a common topic. But even up here, on her lonesome, clearly bothered by something as the wind went through her hair. She still held the confidence of more than just a simple petal.
"Now I wonder..." I comment under my breath between a couple of puffs.