(no subject)

[socrowdedinhere]

 

Shaila: He’ll like us too?

Darnell: *grin widens* He'll love you. Mitham too.

Shaila: *shifts just a touch closer to Darnell.* Will you?

Darnell: Yes. I promise.

Shaila: ...*will step forward and /tuck/ against him, little hands clinging to his shirt at the shoulders.*

Darnell: */hugs/ her back, arms wrapping tightly, protectively, around her* Welcome to the family, Shaila. You're going to be all right now. Safe home, warm clothes, good food, people to care for you...

Shaila: */snuggles/ into him...and then reaches for Mitham.*

Mitham: *takes her hand, and lets her draw him closer. If Darnell shifts to hug him too, he'll hesitate before tucking in a bit and resting his head on Darnell's shoulder, Shaila pressed snugly and gently between them, hand still trapped in hers.*

Darnell: *will shift, offering without forcing, and /hugging/ the boy when Mitham moves in...will just stay like that, crouched on a knee and silently loving on these two precious children*

Shaila: ...when can we go home?

Mitham: When you're all better.

Darnell: *nods* You've had a very close brush with some really nasty things. Rafa needs to keep you to care for until he's sure you're clear of things. Then we'll leave. Home is in the capitol, so we'll have a few days' travel to get there, and I want to make sure you're healthy first.

Shaila: *huffs* I don't want anymore yucky stuff...

Comments

[socrowdedinhere]

Shaila: Okay. I’ll be good.
Rafa: Then come over here and finish eating little one.
Shaila: Okay. The soup isn’t yucky. *she’ll go to crawl back into Rafa’s lap to keep eating.*
Rafa: *chuckles* Only because Torena made it instead of me.

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: *grins and will settle to visit if that's okay w Rafa n Torena, then he and Mitham will head back to the manor to joing the household for dinner*

[socrowdedinhere]

*Of course they’re welcome to visit as l long as they wish! Torena offers dinner, but understands when they already have commitments elsewhere. They’ll get back to the manor and settle in. It’ll be an uneventful night.*

[neverasked4this]

*Darnell will spend the evening with friends from his last trip, checking in with the counsellors as well as many of the slaves and servants. The next morning, he'll get his horses packed and have Elhokar take him to town for a place close to Rafa's for the next week.*

[socrowdedinhere]

*They’ll have a good evening, night, and morning, and the next afternoon they’ll settle into a nearby inn. The week will pass quickly, much of their time spent at Rafa’s clinic. Soon, Shaila is well and gaining some much needed weight and they’re all ready to head home.*

[neverasked4this]

*When Shaila was deemed well enough for short trips, Darnell took her and Mitham clothes shopping, getting them each a few more outfits and Shaila some shoes. Also, each now has a bracelet marking them as his. And each has two toys of their choosing. He's also picked up a few more camping supplies for the trip home. Finally, they're ready to leave and will get underway.*

[socrowdedinhere]

*Toys? Shaila is delighted! She even adores her bracelet and is tickled that Mitham has one too. Mitham doesn’t really want toys, but if Darnell would allow something practical like a small knife...? Either way, he’s fine.*

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: *more than happy to get Mitham practical things including a small knife - they'll get underway, with the kids on Blossom and Darnell leading on Beau*

[socrowdedinhere]

Mitham: *honestly shocked to be allowed such a thing. He accepts it reverently with a soft, genuine word of thanks.* *riding the horse without Darnell at his back is...strange. He holds onto Shaila and takes in the scenery while Shaila plays with her dolls.* How far is home? *asked only once Vedenar is vanishing into the horizon behind them.*

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: It will take us until tomorrow night if we can keep up this pace. Otherwise, day after tomorrow. You tell me anytime you need a break. You too, Shaila. This is your first time traveling by horseback, so it might be rough. You won't get in trouble for saying something.

[socrowdedinhere]

Mitham: We will.
Shaila: Is it just us now?

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: For now, until we get home. I also protect three j'har - a woman named Raida, a little boy named Jerrin, and his little sister Kendra. We're also close to a human named Wes and another j'har named Talim. *not to mention Ius and household, but no need to overwhelm the kids with too many names yet*

[socrowdedinhere]

Shaila: .....will they like us?

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: Oh, yes, I know they will. Probably they'll worry if you'll like them. Jerrin and Kendra, that is. They've been really badly hurt, so they might be shy at first until they know you won't hurt them. And Kendra doesn't tend to speak much at all, so if she doesn't talk to you, it's just part of how she is.

Btw, just gonna use this post for tomorrow. I figure you won’t tag much, especially on the road

[socrowdedinhere]

Shaila: We won’t hurt them, right Mitham?
Mitham: *gives her a smile* Right.
Shaila; You’ll protect them, won't you? Like you protect me?
Mitham: *nods.* I’ll do my best.

Yep, that's fine

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: Thank you, both of you. *grins* And now, finally, Mitham has someone to protect him too.

And now I bed. See you tomorrow!

[socrowdedinhere]

Mitham: ...Thank you.
Shaila: Thank you, daddy. *Darnell /had/ said he was essentially their father now...at least... she thinks she remembers that. She was so sick then, maybe she was just dreaming. She finds herself watching Darnell closely to see if he’s okay with this.*

Eeeeeeeee!!! 8D

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: *blinks, surprised* I'm... *not a father...but he...kind of is??* ...um, glad . You're welcome.

Re: Eeeeeeeee!!! 8D

[socrowdedinhere]

Shaila: *his acceptance earns him a delighted laugh of pure glee. She has a daddy!!*
Mitham: *emotional, but smiling. He hugs Shaila close and will glance an appreciative smile at Darnell.*

Re: Eeeeeeeee!!! 8D

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: *her glee puts a /grin/ on his face, and he's glad now that he caught himself...though the thought of being a father frightens him, he's grown up swearing to never have kids (and risk becoming his own father somehow)* Just remember to be really careful who's around if you call me that outside of the house. Too many people will take offense, unfortunately. I have to be the same with /my/ dad too, since he's not human either.

[socrowdedinhere]

Shaila: So I can’t call you daddy? *SAD!*
Mitham: You can, just only at home or when we’re alone like this, okay? It’ll be our secret.
Shaila: Oh, okay. I can do that. *silly giggle. She can keep a secret!*

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: Secret, yes. Many humans wouldn't understand and might even get mad because "how dare you act like you're equal". /I/ say you are, and so does Mitham of course. But we have to be careful with others and keep our little secrets.

[socrowdedinhere]

Shaila: .......Why are people so silly and mean?

[neverasked4this]

Darnell: Well... *she n3eds to learn sooner or later, and better the easy way than the hard, so they'll likely spend the time till stopping for lunch (if not beyond) talking about the ways of the world and (right or wrong) the generally accepted/expected places of the races in it*