Great Blue Lake, Vorland, 1438 ATC
Spring. A time for the ice to melt. A time of rebirth.
Spot glanced around the area while sniffing about in interest. Then, watched as Sedna produced a pillowcase from Venser's bedroom and knelt down with it. Perking up his pointed ears, he gave a yip and moved to give it a few sniffs. After a few seconds of sniffing, Spot gave another bark to affirm Vensers sent and turned about to sniff the air, a tree, some grass to catch the familiar scent. Meanwhile, Kira was now fully dressed, walking into the bar area while fighting with her long black hair.
Sedna the huntress breathed in the scent of the forest, and grasped her bow firmly. She recalled in the dream she'd had, that she walked straight into the forest, and Venser had appeared to her from out of nowhere. But surely there was more to finding him than that.. She watched as Spot ran from tree to tree, trying to catch Venser's smell. "Soon, my darling," she murmured to their newborn daughter, a sleeping girl with long black curls Elanaea. "Soon we'll find your daddy, and you'll get to meet the man who started it all."
Surrounding the lake were a wide variety of beautiful trees, the water while calm had so many different hues of blue, reflecting the bright blue sky, near the shore it was pale blue, nearly translucant, as it got deeper it changed from pale blue to deeper color. Birds called overhead and a figure in a black cloak stood on the cliffside, the breeze blowing the cloak softly along with the vibrant green grass that swayed barely in the wind.
Spot halted in his track as he picked up the scent and gave a bark that was not so strong.. last thing he wanted to do was to alert any beasts or... Scare an infant. He then began to tread lightly on the trail, following it as far as it would go. Meanwhile in the Tavern, Kira Kurai walked into the bar area to greet any patron around. "Good afternoon." She spoke aloud, and at the same time a Patron had ordered something, and immediately a shadow tendril did the beck and call to give the strongest 'stuff' the tavern had to offer. It did not take long for a pint to be filled up, and slid over to the patron who gave the request. Kira stood there baffled.
At the bar, Ruari didn't look up from her book, too engrossed in what was written to pay attention to her surroundings.
Kira finally made her way around the bar's counter top to smile politely. Ruari was engrossed with a book currently, while the other Patron was appearing more than ready to get trashed for the day.
Sedna looked back at Spot at the sound of his bark and began to follow him, drawing an arrow from her quiver and nocking it to her bow, her steps soundless as she followed the huge wolf further into the forest. Looking around, she recognized some of the landmarks from the previous time she had been in this forest. She and Venser were hunting, and she'd wanted to impress him by bringing down the first deer. But when she'd brought down the pregnant doe and rescued the fawns, she'd made an idiot of herself in front of him. He seemed to resent her ever since that trip, he never treated her the same way again. Whether that was because he'd gotten what he wanted or if it was from other causes, she had no idea how to approach him since. A bird startled her out of her reverie, and she drew her arrow and shot it down without thinking. She retrieved the arrow and placed the bird in her cloak, not wanting to waste a kill if she had to.
Pristine, with a blue mirror of which the clouds reflected off of. The hooded figure let out an audible sigh and continued staring off at it while on the cliffside.
Spot continued to chase the scent, picking up his pace as the scent was growing stronger and more fresh by each pawed step he took. He gave another few barks after he witnessed the huntress shooting down a bird which seemed to have startled her. They were drawing near, he could tell.
Holding Elanaea still with one hand and gripping her bow with the other, Sedna lengthened her stride and soon caught up to Spot, her mind whirling with insecurities and things that she wished she would see when she saw Venser, but she knew he was going to be distant. He might hold Elanaea if she was lucky, he might want to be part of her life, but she doubted it. She wanted so much, but knew the things she wanted were never going to come true because of how Venser was.
The big black wolf patted over the green grass, getting closer and closer to what seemed to be a cliffside.. The beast rose his nose up to have a few more sniffs before using those sharp yellow eyes to spot a figure up ahead. That must be him... it smelled like him... So, Spot simply sat down on his bottom and gave a powerful bark. Meanwhile in the Dragons Head Tavern, Kira was quietly cleaning glasses with a fresh white moist rag. Her blue eyes would once in a while look up toward Ruari the islandic elf to see her reading, then glance back down to continue cleaning. Until the sound of the Tavern doors came to an open and a male patron approached the bar. "Good afternoon, What can I help you with today?" she questioned lightly, then gazed back in the direction of the front door as another Patron came inside. "Good afternoon, welcome to the Dragons head tavern." she spoke out in greeting. Ill be with you in a moment."
As Sedna reached the edge of the forest, she Spot sitting down, gazing at the cliff. Looking in what she hoped was the same direction as Spot, she saw a cloaked figure, standing on the edge of the cliff, staring out at the pale blue sky. Sedna placed her bow back onto her shoulder, thanked Spot for all his help and began to slowly walk towards the figure, recognizing the crimson and turqouise tunic beneath the cloak, holding Elanaea firmly against her. When she was about two meters away from the figure, she spoke to the figure. "Venser? Is it really you?"
It was warm, finally the performer didn’t have to freeze to die from starvation in her travels. Jingling the coins in the tiny pouch, Lace pursed her marred lips, furrowing a single brow as she stared it down. How can we go through so much gold, so fast!? ”We ate a large meal, and found boarding instead of a barrel. It is pricey.” We need to put on another show, but we have no stage. ”Forget the stage, look ahead of you FOOL!”
Thunk!
The traveling jester woman ran right into the doors, staggering back and delicately rubbing her nose. Where had that come from? Her head tilted back, dark orange hair lightly flopping against her back as one hand pushed them open, allowing Lace's entrance. It came out of nowhere! ”No, you just do not pay attention… This is all.”
Kira gave a light smile towards a female patron who requested a warm meal and some milk. "Hmmm I believe we have some delicious selection of fine cut meats, a pot of chicken crème soup on the stove along with an assortment of veggies including corn on the cob. Anything specific you desire?" Kira asked politely, this would give the demon girl something to do. Getting away to cook in the kitchen for a tad bit was something she felt that she needed to do at the moment. Meanwhile, Spot continued to sit, watching as Sedna and her child moved towards the 'possible' Venser.
The cloaked figure turned around slowly, the hood casting shadow's over it's face. It only took a few seconds for him to pull it down, revealing the man himself. Sporting a black beard that needed to be cut, and a dulled, but surprised look on his face when he saw the baby girl Sedna held in her arms. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and just stared at them silently.
''Oh we sure do Miss. Plenty in fact. Ill get working on your order... Would you like anything else with it? Some corn on the cob? Sweat bread and a small bowl of broccoli and cheese soup?" Kira asked as she moved about helping the people in the tavern.
''Uh huh. Right away Miss." Kira spoke lightly with a smile, and hurried off into the kitchens to work on the meal. Sure, the Shadow Tendrils could do the job, but... Kira felt that it would be best if she kept herself busy. For some reason she was beginning to feel a bit nervous, something was definitely pulling on her mind today. While in the kitchen, Kira plucked a fresh loaf of the bread from a shelf, and began to neatly get it into slices. Then, clapped her hands together twice to summon a few shadow tendrils, "Be sweet lovey tendrils and get cooking on that roast beef? Meanwhile I'll go get the cheese." she hurried about the kitchen gathering things while the shadow tendrils followed the kind order.
She lumbered up the steps, resting her arms across her chest with a grotesque smile. It smelled kind of nice in here, now that she thought about it, going to take up a stool at the bar. Oh, people! Hi other people! ”Do not make eye contact, do not interact…. We are just here to eat and rest.” Party pooper… Lace giggled and waved wildly to the other patrons with both hands, appearing quite innocent in nature.
After a bit of time, Kira could hear the doors of the tavern come to an open and foot steps making its way up towards the bar area. She could definitely hear the voice of a female patron greeting people with such energy. This honestly made Kira giggle, for some reason.. Seeing people in high spirits was a genuine good thing. But to be back on the task at hand, the Shadow Tendrils had accomplished the roast beef in remarkable time and had placed it neatly on a wooden platter. Kira had found a good triangle of cheese, place some corn on the cob on the plate as well, then proceeded to put the bread slices on a separate place along with a small cup of butter and a knife. "Thank you shadow tendrils for your help." she smiled warmly, and gracefully made her way out of the kitchen with the meal on a serving tray. Kira set the tray down carefully before the female patron who had requested it, and a shadow tendril not too far behind, placed a fresh glass of cold milk next to the food. "There you are miss. If you need anything please let me know." she smiled warmly, then moved back up the stairs to assist the next patron. "Hello, how may I help you today?"
''I wanna’ say surprise me! ”Please no actual surprises, however. I could not take that kind of burden…” This is why we never get invited to fancy parties. ”No, we do not get invited because we look like shit!” Aww… I don’t look like poopy, do I?'' Lace pouted at the counter, laying her chin on it with a saddened expression.
Kira innocently stood behind the bar as the patron spoke of wanting to be surprised. But then she said she did not want any actual surprises. Hmmmmmm So what did the patron exactly want? Food? and Drink? Kira then could not help but asked, "Have you ever had.. a cherry.. soda? We still have a tiny bit left." she rose an eyebrow. "Unless you are requiring food... then we have a delicious pot of chicken crème soup... Got selection of meats... Anything really." She laughed.
''Cherries? I like cherries! ”Just give us some food. I grow weary of these bland exchanges…” Lace huffed, setting the pouch of silver onto the bar top with a thunk rather unceremoniously. It was a tad annoying sometimes, literally being half-and-half on almost everything that she did. Stupid people and their stupid magic things. ''Cherries still sound good…''
"Alright, so, I can get you a bowl of cherries... And to add to things... Some whipped cream in a separate bowl?" She then hurried away from the bar and went to go fetch a bowl of cherries. Eventually, the black haired demon girl would be making her way back up those wooden stairs with some delicious beautiful cherries and a smaller bowl of wiped cream incase she wanted to add more sweetness. "Here you are."
The cloaked figure turned around slowly, the hood casting shadow's over it's face. It only took a few seconds for him to pull it down, revealing the man himself. Sporting a black beard that needed to be cut, and a contemplative, but surprised look on his face when he saw the baby Sedna held in her arms. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and just stared at them silently.
Cradling the infant in her arms, Sedna watched as her off and on bearded lover lowered his hood to see them both, and watched the surprised look in his eyes grow with every passing second. She stepped a little closer and offered him the infant who lay in her arms, transfixed by the big man in front of her, whose eyes were so like her own, yet so very different. For she was born with his natural grass green eyes, before Venser had been cursed with his inhuman serpent like ones.
Kira's usual burst of energy was dying down, dramatically. Just as things were picking up, Kira slouched feeling more than tired with running around. Those blue eyes lowered to look at nothing in particular... She honestly was not paying much attention to her surroundings until the Tavern door kept opening and one after another she would say a gentle greeting, "Welcome to the Dragons Head Tavern, please make yourselves comfortable." She smiled sweetly, then leaned on the bar table.
The bearded man opened his arms out to the baby that Sedna held, waiting for her to hand the little girl off to him. Still silent, and his face spoke for how surprised and unsure he was, with a mix of sadness in it.
Sedna placed the infant in her father's outstretched arms and stepped back, biting her lip in uncertainty. The baby was tiny still, her head rested in the crook of Sedna's arm and her tiny feet were normally suspended over her palm. She hoped that Venser would take a liking to her, and come home to the Tavern to raise her* "Venser... I'd like you to meet your daughter, Elanaea."
Venser took Elanaea in his arms and gazed down to her tiny form. Carefully holding her in one hand he brushed aside some of her hair, and sighed. His expression almost blank as he held his child. Today was the anniversary of the day his daughter, Viviana and her mother Laven had died. But, he never liked to talk about them. Or think about them without sinking into sadness, and so, he often pushed them out of his mind altogether as terrible as it was. And now this. It felt like he was going crazy. He simply stared at his daughter in his arms.
Sedna watched on, feeling helpless as Venser held their daughter with the utmost sadness, she was amazed Elanaea didn't start crying then and there. Their daughter lay in her father's arms, her tiny arms waving her chubby fists in Venser's face, trying to catch a fistful of his black beard. "Venser, please say something. I thought I was afraid to show her to you, but now that you're holding her, it scares me that you have nothing to say about her. Please, say something..."
Venser was at a loss for words as Elanaea's arms waved in front of her, trying to grab some of his beard. He laughed and held her close, letting her grab his beard. He kissed her forehead as his cloak swayed in the wind and said, ''I'm going to take care of you.''
The huntress felt tears well up in her eyes and had to look away from Venser and their daughter while they played. She quickly blinked back the tears and looked at Venser as he held their daughter close and let her grab his beard* "I didn't realize you were such a softie, Venser. If I'd known you looked this cute around kids, I would have let you impregnate me long before now" *As Sedna was speaking, Elanaea let go of her father's beard, screwed her tiny face up and began to cry.
''That was weirdly worded. But I mean... Almost every woman I've ever been with. Ha.'' Venser said looking up to Sedna for a brief moment as his daughter began to cry. ''Shhh, shhh.'' He began to rock her back and forth in his arms.
"She.. Uhh... She might be hungry, Ven.." Sedna blushed as she thought of feeding their daughter in front of Venser, but it's not like he hadn't seen everything before. She began to unbutton the front of her dress, but thought better of it. "You should know by now Venser, I'm a strange person, therefore it will be my tendency to speak strangely. If you're happy to hold her, would you mind checking her wrappings? I brought extra clothes for her, but I hoped I wouldn't have to use them." She smiled as Venser rocked Elanaea, thinking about how much her daughter looked like her father.
''Looks good to me.'' The bearded man said walking over to Sedna, offering Elanaea to her so she could feed.
The huntress swiftly unbuttoned her dress and took their baby daughter, who was squirming in her arms in order to get to her breast faster. She placed her breast right near her daughter's mouth, but Elanaea didn't latch on like she usually did. "You really are being difficult today, my lovely. I know you're hungry, but you need to reach for it, not just lay there and cry."
Venser just crossed his arms and watched, still unsure what to say, or ask. All he could do really was watch. And wonder how the rest of this day was going to go.
Sedna laughed as her off and on lover watched, sensing his discomfort, raising a finely shaped brow thinking of him and his lovers and kids he already had. ''You should be used to fussy babies and breastfeeding Ven.'' Elanaea finally latched on and her cries were finally silenced.
The bearded man smiled and nodded a bit, holding the baby girl in his arms close and tight, keeping her safe and warm, his black cape fluttering in the nippy early spring wind. ''Let's go back to the tavern and get settled in, yeah? Then we'll introduce you to the rest of your family... Your siblings Soarin, Lucinda, Rowena, Asher...''
The baby in his arms looked up at him and giggled, waving her hands and cooing happily.
''Sedna. We'll have a drink or two, catch up, spend the rest of the day together?''
The huntress smiled happily and stood beside Venser and their baby girl as they took their first walk together as a new little family.