There is a little knocking disturbing my sleep.You know in 80s movies how someone throws little rocks and stuff at a window to wake up the person inside, get their attention?
Yeah, it"s not so effective without the gla.s.s or window part. Or well, it"s super effective and also super annoying.
"What?!" I hiss awake through the darkness of the night.
"Did we wake her?" comes a blob in the dark, his pale hair reflecting the most light.
"I think so, Lilyanne doesn"t sound like that." whispers another.
"Oh ok good, hey Rosalia get down here!"
I blink to fully wake myself up and place out my surroundings.
The baby crib that Gable set up for Lilyanne and I is snug, made of gnarled twists of wood. At first I found it really unnecessary but when I consider Lilyanne rolling, I see the point. As protected as it is, it"s like a cage, full of holes between brach bars.
I recall Gable and Gramps magically tucking us into bed. I now, however, must question Gable"s decision of putting all of us in Luka"s bedroom. Doesn"t he know that just screams trouble?
It"s a large enough room for a bunch of children to not feel crowded, even with all of Luka"s acc.u.mulated stuff. Trunks, drawers, even a desk are slowly being filled. It"s a cozy little room in the making, I"m glad for him.
It"s no worse than a bunk dorm or staying over a friend"s house for the night. Besides we"re all really small.
Lilyanne and I get this magically makes.h.i.+ft crib, since it"s best for me to nullify her mana through touch when we sleep. The boys had been bundled in Luka"s nest of a bed right below.
No really, it"s a den of a bed. All round and surrounded by pillows. Very Rosalia approved kind of sleeping quarters. It just needs some flowing curtain canopies to be child perfect.
It"s all one big nursery in here.
"I"m up I"m up, what is it? Ew what time is it even?". I rub the sleep from my eyes. Might as well see what"s up before they throw something ever more damaging up here.
"I don"t know- Lukas what time is it?" questions Amar bluntly.
"It"s no Gable yelling at us adventure time!"
"....That...tells me nothing" I hiss down in the general direction of their voices.
"Oh ok, *yawn* that"s not a time but ok. It"s too dark to see the moon so I don"t know either. Maybe midnight?"
No, no it is not ok. I am small and need my sleep!
But it should be fine if it"s for a little bit. It"s nowhere near dawn, still far too dark for that, and the fact that all three of much would be much sleepier. It certainly hasn"t been too long since Gable turned off the lights on us. No more than a couple of hours at most.
It takes a little maneuvering to climb out of the uneven crib sides. Good for trapping real toddlers, easy enough for fake babies like me to escape if need be. I make sure to leave a pillow in my old position for Lilyanne to clutch in her deep sleep. Good girl, no waking and crying now please.
Since the crib is on the tall side, and I don"t have the vision of a cat, there"s a little slip and slide. There"s also the knowledge that there"s a perfectly good and cus.h.i.+ony bed right below so I let myself go.
To the sounds of pain and complaints below, including my own. Ouch.
"Oooompf"
"Ack my nose."
"Whose ankle is this?"
"Sssshhhhh"
"Sorry but warn a guy?"
"Sorry."
Whoops, forgot to account for little humans down there. Still a cus.h.i.+ony enough landing, we just need some time to untangle ourselves in the dark. Geez how can short limbs be so hard to coordinate?
"Sssshhhhh" Lukas shushes us all particularly loud.
He can"t see me roll my eyes in the dark and I settle to make myself comfortable after I"m sure I"m not on anyone"s lap, or head. I am mildly sorry to all those who I landed on, just mildly. I nearly got kicked in the face!
Taking this blanket here, and a cus.h.i.+on there, excuse me whoever you are, and another pillow. Aaaaaand suddenly there is a big blanket over my head, no risk of child suffocation there.
Under the covers, Lukas reveals a hidden a jar of something luminescent blue. It looks like moss or mold, but much less disgusting, though that could just be the pretty glowing part. The glow acts as a flashlight on his tender face, lighting not only him but the small s.p.a.ce under the blanket.
"We have a busy time tonight and back before morning, before Gable catches us. If everything goes to my plans, we"ll have lots of time and back to sleep. "
From the other side, Amar sleepily yawns but nods none the less, his too-large pajamas slightly slipping at his slim shoulder. Lukas cackles silently, the flashlight effect making his pale face somewhat creepy looking. It"s getting a tad too warm to breathe in this badly ventilated tent, given that Lukas is the tentpole.
What a mischievous sleepover mood.
Now a good little girl would say something along the lines of "absolutely not".
A more reasonable person would ask "what are we doing?".
"What makes you so sure Gable won"t catch us?" I whisper, doubting sureness of Luka"s "plans". Sure, what is childhood without some late night shenanigans? But how do we not get in trouble for it?
I"m the adult here, not physically but you know. Obviously I"m the most mentally mature and sound of mind. Thus I should supervise these brats in whatever messes they"re doing. It would only be worse if they went off without me. That"s dangerous. Obviously I have to play along with them. Not at all curious.
Besides, the birthday boy is asking, or well already planning. How could anyone say no?
"Gable doesn"t watch out nearly as carefully when Cap" stays over. And it"s been almost 2 whole hours since he turned off the lights, from experience I say we"re good to go. "
"Cap?" I ask, I"m out of the loop here.
"Your grampa *yawn*, sometimes saying "commander" gets too long. So....he...lets us *zzzzzzzz*."
In annoyance, Lukas pulls Amar eyelids up, flas.h.i.+ng the light into his eyes and effectively waking him back up. Okay I admit, this is a little amusing. I shall allow myself a giggle at his sleepy expense. This is why I allow these kids around me after all.
"Alright, suit up and get ready for a walking!" the mastermind yells-whisper into the night. The sound m.u.f.fled under the warm covers.
"Are we going outside? Is it going to be cold?" I"m bringing a blanket no matter what but should I change out of my night clothes?
"Do we get snacks?" asks Amar. Oh good question, I support.
"Right is there food involved in this? And you still didn"t tell us if it"s going to be cold."
"It"s Lukas, I don"t think he feels cold anymore. Once I saw him walk barefoot in the snow."
"Oh right, we should just bundle up anyways."
"Geez guys, yes yes and yes! And I only do that sometimes when I"m rus.h.i.+ng training, I still get cold!"
Even his yelling whispers have quite a volume to them. I wonder how Gable could miss us, even if he was deep asleep. And somehow grampa distracts him even more so on the nights he stays over? Maybe he"s even louder? I believe that.
Where does grampa sleep anyways?
Hey how many times does he stay over? To the point Lukas has a system figured out? No fair!
I"m too lazy to try getting changed under the close s.p.a.ce of these covers. It"s good enough to just layer myself in extra clothes and coats over my nighties. Oh and socks, socks are important, we"re not all Lukas after all. Pop open the s.p.a.ce bag and we"re good to go.
Amar ends up sleepily rolling himself in blankets, looking like a comfortable little ghost, before reaching for his weatherproof cloak somewhere under the bed. Right blankets, bringing a blanket.
What a surprise, Lukas is appropriately dressed too, and in socks! Great, I thought he lost them all again. Geez I sure hope we"re not going anywhere too freezing cold. I was just cozy and sleeping a few moments ago.
I check one last time to make sure Lilyanne is still sound asleep. Then we"re sneaking out the door, mission impossible style.
I was joking earlier, but these kids are actually pretty silent and sneaky when they want to be. I"m nowhere near as silent as them but it"s good practice?
Sneaky sneaky follow their lead. I am silent. I am a ninja. I am the night. Aaaaand I made noise again.
This is kind of nerve racking no lie. I never snuck around Gable"s house in the middle of the night before, even when I was staying here.
That"s just rude when it"s not your own house.
In this case, it"s alright if Lukas is here. Obviously it"s his house now too, whether the boy knows it or not.
"Okay, so we have to be super careful in the upcoming hall." Lukas legitimately whispers, now carrying the light jar like it were a lantern.
He turns back to say it to all of us but he"s not being subtle about where he"s looking.
Riiiight at me, the weakest loudest link.
"I get it I get it, whose piggybacking me across the hall?"
I really do, I am the smallest and least experienced here. So what if I can"t ninja my way around just yet? I"ll get there eventually, right? I would hope so if I wish to survive mother"s supervision. I think I"m doing rather well for a child my age, otherwise, I"d never even be invited to tag along to this thing.
"I think Rosalia"s still small enough to just pick up and carry?" offers Amar in the middle. Can"t deny that, I"m a pip squeak.
Lukas nods, gesturing to the lantern he"s already holding and pointing to certain points in the hall.
"Avoid those spots, they creak the most. And whatever you do, don"t touch the ground."
"Got it, avoid the floor. Come on Rosali up you go."
"K, you carry her, I"ll scout and lead. Just follow my path."
Excuse me what now? Don"t touch the ground? But that means....oh boy this is gonna be a ride. Yeah I definitely wasn"t getting past this "the floor is lava" game on my own. I obediently allow myself to be lifted and carried by the unreliably scrawny boy because I really do not want to find out what the "lava" floor really consists of.
I may not appreciate being carried and treated like a baby but I sure can"t climb or scale walls like a d.a.m.n spiderman. Hey hey any chance I can learn this though?
It"s not the smoothest ride I admit, but we"re kids here. Pretty d.a.m.n good for a skinny brat. I won"t even complain about my motion sickness. Each landing is followed by a near-immediate jump to not lose momentum. From what I can see when I can right my sense of balance, Lukas is going a pretty quick but careful job leading. I even saw him throwing something that looks like it would disarm a trap. Meanwhile, Amar is busy balancing my dead weight. Sorry dude, keep up the good work.
Wait a second, I definitely saw both of them carry much heavier things before, I"m fiiiiine. Hop to it, don"t you dare drop me.
After that slightly tedious ordeal, I"m put down so we can descend those dark stairs. You know? The ones we"re not supposed to go down.
It"s not an exact repeat of the last time though, with Lukas confidently leading the way. He must know what he"s doing because, after exactly two normal flights of twisting stairs, there"s a door!
"Now the definitely wasn"t there last time." I remark to the other boys" nods.
"Stop one, drinks!" announces Lukas with the flourish of a circus performer.
He bends and bows dramatically as the door slides open with his little hand. With his permission, we have no need to be cautious and step right in. The darkness gives way to the artificial lighting inside the mysterious room that supposedly contains refreshments.
What"s there is not a bar nor a kitchen but something that looks like a wooden and copper lab. Wait no, a brewery!
Large and small vats scatter across the room, while wooden barrels line the walls, aging and flavoring their contents. I love it, I love this room. I just can"t drink any d.a.m.n thing in here!
"Lukas isn"t this alcohol?"
Look I get it, everyone has their underaged drinking moments. But we"re way too young for this s.h.i.+t to be messing our developing brains. I know kids dranks beer in like the medieval times but that was different! It was safer than water then.
"This place definitely reeks of alcohol. Strong ones too."
Amar"s voice comes out nasally from him pinching his nose and we both turn to give our host a questioning stare. To which he swagger and waves his finger, leading us further into the room.
"Of course it does, this is where Cap" and Gable try making them. The good ones go to cap"s belly and the not so good ones go to the troops. Gable writes down all their recipes and stuff to see what works and what doesn"t."
"That"s nice. Good for them but what about us?" I"m at the point where I need to hold my nose now. Oh that"s strong.
"Patience young one! Hehehe that"s what Gable always says to me, hehe."
"Oh it smells better over here, sweeter."
If Amar is letting go of his nose I a.s.sume it"s safe to smell again in this area. The jars and vats over here must not be properly fermented yet or better yet, it"s not even alcohol in the first place. Gable should have some variety in his drinks right.
"I think you"re gonna find this super familiar Rosalia." grins Lukas, swiping some mugs that look like they were carved out of some horns. He releases a vat lid opening with a great pop, filling his mug a bit with a fizzy dark brown liquid for a happy swig and sigh.
Kinda looks like a kid drinking beer still.
"It smells like herbs mixed up but sweet." sniffs Amar, taking up a mug to taste.
I don"t waste time either, easily scooting up to pour a hollow horn cup. The liquid bubbles in an even more intense way than my krackle berry "sodas" and that"s when I make the connection.
My soda! The kombucha teas I modified, Gable"s perfected them even further to resemble the real things.
The smell and taste is entirely different than what I"ve created though. It"s kinda like creamy rootbeer! A little medicinal, a little herby, but sweet and tasty! I love rootbeer!
"It"s so sweet! There has to be sugar in here!"
I try a.n.a.lyzing the drink, after downing half my mug of course. It"s been so long since I"ve tasted something this fizzy!
"Right right! It"s so good!" laughs Lukas, already refilling his cup.
Amar has the right kind of response, still chugging down soda. I want another refill too! Ah this really feels like naughty kids sneaking out for sweets at during a sleepover alright. I wonder if I should say something of the health repercussions of this sugar binge but naaaaah, not going to be a party p.o.o.per.
Seriously guys, either stop hogging that soda opening or pour me some, I have the shortest limbs here.
After we"re properly sugared out, or our bellies are too full of bubbly liquid either or, Lukas leads us to the rest of the evening.
"So tomorrow is the big day, the great fis.h.i.+ng!"
"What"s the great fis.h.i.+ng?" I ask, lost on the situation again. Lukas repeating himself, but louder, does not help.
"It"s the great fis.h.i.+ng!"
"That"s just Lukas way of saying he"s super excited to go fis.h.i.+ng tomorrow. Commander says it the same way. "
"Aahhh yeah that does sound like grampa. " I reason. Guess we"re going fis.h.i.+ng huh?
"The great fis.h.i.+ng! There will be two main tests! Who can catch the biggest fish and who can catch the most! Winner gets a free pa.s.s from Gable and I need all I can get. I"m gonna beat everyone, esp Cap" on catching them all!"
"Not if you"re gonna scare them away first." I deadpan. That might just be what will happen with those loudmouths.
"And you"re all gonna help me! " Lukas announces a little maniacally.
"Help you fish? Or beat Cap"? Or-"
"All of them! All! Amar, you"re my right hand man. Rosalia you"re my right hand girl-man! Now, to gear up!"
"...girl-man?"
"It"s a good thing, just go with it."
As Lukas leads us back to the hall and through the wall to a somewhat familiar underground forest, I can"t help but to gossip behind his back. Quite literally.
"I think he drank too much sugar." I whisper.
"The soda is yummy, I"m really awake now. But yeah, maybe he did." responds back the other sugar high child, eyes wide open. I can"t deny I"m feeling fully hyped up awake myself. Which may have been part Luka"s evil plan in the first place.
But it"s the birthday boy so we gotta follow and listen.
After an odd nature hike through too much terrain I can"t recognize, he leads us to sit down on not gra.s.s or something comfy but a frozen lake! Is this ice stable?
Lucky for me I came prepared this time and pull out some pillows and cus.h.i.+ons from my s.p.a.ce bag. That way our b.u.t.ts don"t all freeze off, especially mine!
"Good thinking Rosalia, now let"s start!" announces our leader of the day.
With a twirl of his pointer finger, he floats up a clear crystal ball but probably was made of solid ice. It"s a magic show, a real one, as he concentrates, a pendant under his clothes glowing through. It definitely takes some time as the lit up boy focuses and gathers his spell. Maybe I"m a sucker for a good light show but I"m impressed he"s seemed to learn so much from Gable already.
Ah magic users really do have it the best.
Out of nowhere, Amar, who I now suspect is something of a drug dealer, pulls out a bag of tiny a.s.sorted cookies to munch on while we wait.
I don"t even need to verbally threaten him before he hands some of those delicious munchies over. How delightful! Are these jam cookies in the mix? How simple and ingenious to sweeten goods. These things are dangerous!
Suddenly the ball lights up, spinning slowly, rotating until the lights start taking shape. It"s a projector, spinning moving pictures all around us on the ice. The cold barren landscape lights up and changes in a blink of the eye.
Fis.h.!.+ We"re surrounded by giant fis.h.i.+es!
At least moving images of them, gigantic illusions going in a swirling merry go round. They move and ripple through the "water" so realistically. No video could ever compare. If you reach out, it"s as if they react and swim away with a flash of sparkling light. Even as a modern person who has seen all sorts of things, movies, VR and all that jazz, it"s nothing compared to this...magic.
I"m so caught up in the moment I can"t even find me to be jealous, it"s just too pretty. The boy next to me has his jaw equally dropped open, both of us forced to get up to get a better view of our new surroundings.
Amazing, it"s actually really d.a.m.n amazing.
I don"t recognize the little magician standing center of it all. Where did such a fairytale sort of boy come from? Is that really our Lukas?
"Whew! Finally got it to work! Um I mean, of course, I did! Hahahahahaha!"
Okay so yes, this is still very much Lukas, but that doesn"t detract from this spectacle he"s pulled off in front of our eyes.
"Magic is awesome." gapes Amar, half spinning to follow a nearby golden fish.
"Really awesome." I agree, distracted by too many sights of little silver and rainbow fis.h.i.+es.
"I"m awsome!" cheers Lukas, and right now yeah. I really agree on that.
Our speechlessness must be a more than good enough response because Lukas beams in sincere pride, the glow of the lights making him look otherworldly. He looks happy, happier than I ever have seen the kid.
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Ah, so this is the influence Gable can have. The influence of having someone behind you, backing you up and caring for you. The magic is certainly an eye-catching bonus but, Gable has really been good for the boy.
"Okay! So enough gaping like gobo-monkeys you two! Tomorrow is the great fis.h.i.+ng and we need reviewing! Especially you Rosalia, so catch up! But you"re smart so it"s cool. Amar, help out! Now the biggest fish is this here, this is our big goal!"
And so began our nightly cram session on our prey, and the maybe not so effective plans to "beat" my grandfather, this fis.h.i.+ng season. Gotta admit though, what a visually exciting way to learn.
-------
Flip side:
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"I"m going to kill that boy."
"Nooooooooo no Gabe nooooo no killing the birthday boy. That goes against the whole point of having a birthday! You know? To celebrate life?"
"Once I get my hands on him he"s going to be-"
"No no no no bad Gabbey, bad. Come on, they"re just kids! You remember what it"s like!"
"Do you know how much sugar they drank?! At this hour?!!! How much sugar Lukas drank alone?!"
"Ummm.....a lot?"
"A b.l.o.o.d.y d.a.m.n h.e.l.l lot Ronald! They"re going to be up the whole d.a.m.n night! And then what? Then they"ll cras.h.!.+ And then they"ll cry because they can"t get up and go on their outing. And then they"ll cry some more afterward and-"
"Gabe, Gable, calm down. It will be fine. Really I got it, let me handle the outing tomorrow. Come on, who else can play those kids like I do?"
Ronald pleads the other man apologetically as if he were the one who drank half a barrel of the experimental sugary concoction. He"s had a lot of practice from groveling when he drank half or whole barrels of other things in that room without permission.
"You spoil him." growled out Gable, arms crossed in frustration.
"Mayyyyyybe just a little." Ronald pinched out, fingers showing just a little bit to Gable"s not at all calming anger.
"You always spoil them." the blond spits out, part in resignation and the rest in still seething flames.
"Not always, I admit I may have, absolutely spoiled Maria, she"s my little girl. But Lukas is different...that kid has never been spoiled in his life."
"...."
"Oh come on, you know you"re the favorite. He loves you most, they all do."
"...."
"Gaaaableeeee."
"...."
"Gable. It"s alright to let the kids wander off to their own adventures once in a while. We did too during those time, h.e.l.l we still have our adventures. It doesn"t start or end at any age."
".....they"re going to get into some terrible messes." the blond grumbles.
"Yeah probably. But it will be their messes, not ours. If we feel like being extra nice, maybe we"ll help them clean up, just a little. Now step away from the door, yes juuuuust like that. Come back to bed, sooooft sleeeepy bed. Very good bed."
"Don"t patronize me Ron."
"I would never! Now seriously step away and put the wand down. No punis.h.i.+ng the kiddos on this night, they got a big weekend coming up and I will show them how a master catches fis.h.!.+"
Gable sighs in a final defeat because fine, just fine. They can have their fun tonight and when they start crying troubles tomorrow Gable will have no sympathy, not even a tinge. He"s also cutting out half the sweets he was planning, they had enough of that tonight alone. Shame he was really looking forward to working with the good spices and souvenirs that little Amar offered.
He near collapses back on the bed to Ronald"s chuckles. Because fine, he"s not getting up. They can set themselves on fire and Gable just won"t get up out of bed anymore. He feels far too old for this, always did. Ronald can go deal with it. They"re his brats before sunrise.
Even without opening his eyes, Gable can see how Ronald must be sitting there amusedly, watching the portal viewer following the children. Following them since some genius little boy decided to go tampering in the brewery cellar downstairs.
Like he wouldn"t know if any of the barrels were touched, alcoholic or not. He"s had decades of guarding them against the best. Ronald was a thieving fiend for his drinks.
Meanwhile Lukas was an inexperienced little sprout leading fellow green sprouts to the sugary doom.
"I swear Maria wasn"t so difficult growing up."
"That"s because Maria is my genes, but really they"re different. If my Maria changed back into a small child, she"d be nowhere as naughty as any of those three."
"Oh she made her own breed of trouble. But I must admit, your granddaughter has her beat by leagues. Just who does she take after hmmm?"
The man actually makes a show of thinking deeply about it, making Gable snort from his spot. Ronald doing deep thinking, it"s a disaster already.
"Hmmm no idea, let"s blame Freddy!"
There we go, that"s more like, thought Gable mercilessly. Not that he ever doubted Ronald"s intellect, it"s his EQ that was the problem. And some communication issues that Gable as spent near his whole life compromising with.
"Oh yes, blame the son in law for everything."
"Well not everything, just a lot of things. Much easier that way."
"Much, when did her hair start turning the beginning shade of red?"
"See this is why we blame Freddy!"
"Ahh and does Frederick incite his children to sneak off after midnight to chug their body weight in sweets and drinks? That sounds more like your kind of thing."
"Tsk Tsk Gable we can"t blame me for everything. Sometimes the child must hold responsibility, this was all Rosalia"s own decision. No one dragged her off and poured those sweets into her mouth. She drank....pretty darn well for her size. Honestly, I"m a little worried for her future, kid liked her wine."
"True and Amar there isn"t so innocent either, especially when he keeps quiet. What troublesome little brats."
"..."
At Ronald"s silence, Gable looks up. He was supposed to quip back? That"s how they work. Ugh, for Ronald he will sit back up from bed. Especially if he"s being secretively strange again.
"What is it now Ron? Spit it out." grumbles Gable, climbing to look over the other man"s shoulder at the porthole viewer.
It was just the kids, hopping over some rocks in one of his inner gardens. He watches at how determined Rosalia totters along in the back, the tiniest of the bunch. Watches at how his careless boy Lukas would jump too far, too messily and sometimes slip and trip. Watches the lanky little Amar jump back and forth to speed Rosalia up or pull Lukas back when he needs be.
"Their magical potential, how is it?" comes out Ronald"s voice, surprisingly somber.
It takes Gable back for a moment, just a moment before he can right himself. Organize what he was meaning to update Ronald about eventually. It was just so messy dealing with 4 small children through dinner and the evening, Lilyanne being the most well behaved of them all.
The rest were all monsters. Wonderful lovely monsters but little monsters none the less.
"Amar....the boy has potential. No doubt about it, His veins are strong, he has the genetic history, but the child hasn"t presented yet. And there"s no indication of when." he starts, keeping information impartial, unbiased. Let"s see how long it will last against Ronald.
"What are the chances he"ll get...that?" questioned Ronald, though he should know the numbers himself. The chances.
"You know you can"t predict how magic will turn out in a child, no matter who the parents are. You know that."
"No, but variations occur on the same tree if not the same branch. A parent can pa.s.s down near exactly the same gift to their child. We do the same research Gabe."
"We can"t tell, there are too many variables but most likely it won"t be the same. It won"t be exactly like Aishwarya"s either. G.o.d why aren"t you asking about that? He has just as much chance of taking after his mother. You know that, G.o.ds I swear you just use me as a sounding board sometimes."
"Gable no, of course not. You"re the best, though you are more violent than a sounding board- ow ok no punis.h.i.+ng me tonight either I was kidding!" complained the man after he was kicked in the bare back.
Gable had long legs and cold feet alright! They"re cold!
"....that kid...honestly, there"s a good chance the gift will fuse. Two magical parents with compatible abilities, the probability is highest that he"ll develop a combination." Gable sounded out, eyes staring too intently at the ceiling beams.
"If not outright both." countered Ronald, knowing Gable was shaking his head.
"Possible but unlikely...We can"t tell, not yet. So until then, we keep an eye out, we keep careful. We don"t act until it"s time- for everyone"s safety."
"I know, I know it"s just....it"s just ...hard."
"....the best way to keep that child safe is to not say anything. The less anyone, knows anything, the better."
"My troops. I try. G.o.ds I try...try to provide them a found family, G.o.ds my inner crew...we are a family and-"
"And Aishwarya loved it. She loved you, she loved us, all of us. And she wanted her son with us, within the troops, where he is safest."
Ronald kept his eyes on the screen, observing each child and their interactions. Bue Gable knew when Ronald got like this. When he saw more ghosts of the mosts than the ones in the present.
He could see Aishwarya"s graceful movements already in her boy. Ronald could see that young girl self spin and twirl herself dizzy in training. When did her son get so big?
If he allows his mind to go down that road, he could still see her face twisted ugly through that blurry portal, desperately begging to save not her but the child.
She wasn"t supposed to have a child on that mission. Wasn"t supposed to get caught at all. But life doesn"t work out according to the mission plan.
Ronald should know that best. He"s died from it.
".....is he? I allowed him on a scouting missions and he got his head cracked open."
"Giloh has been dealt with, hasn"t he? Surely you just didn"t let him go, let him make an example-"
"Probation. He is still one of my own."
"One this close to senseless murder were Amar any weaker a fighter."
"The man still hurts too much, and he has taken it out on the wrong soul."
"He takes it out on the child! Of the woman he claimed to love? That is no love and that is no man."
Gable seethes, rightfully angry. But Ronald is ever protective of his troops, of those he adopts, for better or for worse. To give them another chance than anyone else would give them. It"s both admirable and stupidly dangerous.
"....I"ll deal with my men....I know, it won"t happen again, I won"t let it."
"Again is too late, how much has happened under our radar? How many others, grown adults, resent the boy? Wait in our absence, in the lack of the right supervision, to act? Aishwarya wouldn"t want this- she"d "
"She"s gone. She"s gone and we- I need to do better."
Gable grips his hand again not out of sympathy, but for their own shared guilt. This heavy burden of being the ones left alive.
"We, Ronald. We will do better. We already are by starting this, talking. Talking it out is good for us, for you. And no you do not need wine to talk with me."
Ronald lets out a half hollow sort of chuckle. Trust the only person he is willing to stay sober for through it all his worst times would be Gable. Was there really anyone else?
"Enough on that- I"ll face Aishwarya ghost when I"m dead"
"....Ronald."
"When I"m dead because I have a lot to do still alive. Don"t worry about me Gable, I"m fine. "
"...."
"What about my little Rosa hmm? What"s going on with her and the lovely negative vibes!"
A change in the flow, a change in the conversation. Gable recognizes Ronald"s habits, how he copes with his own mind. That is fine, Ronald"s health is his first priority, both mental and physical.
"Rosalia....her void is growing. It"s not at full force all the time, but when she conducts Lilyanne"s magic it has to grow to compensate. Her powers aren"t growing proportional to Lilyanne, because Lilyanne isn"t growing at all. Her body is working too hard to dispel the huge magical pools. it"s already too large."
".....Good. Good, my babygirl doesn"t need more of a magical burden right now. Not for a long time."
"Rosalia"s nullification is growing at a much faster rate though, and she"s not conscious of it. She can"t even begin to control it except for stopping Lilyanne"s active charge."
"For now it"s fine, it eats up Lilyanne"s excess easily doesn"t it."
"Yes, plenty, the surrounding environment too when they"re together. The longer they stay together in, the longer they can stay apart from the next time."
With a wave of his hand Ronald slides the portal view to change to Luka"s bedroom. There in a wooden crib slept a toddler girl, curled up and drooling peacefully in her sleep. She was precious, the cutest little girl in the world right at this moment. And Ronald can"t bear to see her suffer, almost can"t bear the grips of long-chained guilt in his chest.
Cool hands and pale arms carefully snake their way around him in a careful but embrace, knocking him back to this moment. Back to reality. Gable"s head leans against his cheek, to the point he can feel smooth hair and breathe nothing but the herbal shampoo and the scent of earth after it rains.
This is a reality he would die for.
"It"s not your fault." mutter Gable softly in warm shoulders, his, arms gripping tighter in comfort. Too tight for a normal man but just what Ronald needs. He was trying to draw back the other man from his own mind, trying to keep him here d.a.m.n it.
"I know....I know it"s not...can"t control these genes hahaha! This...useful...body."
"It"s not your fault." Gable croons, clear and solid. Will repeat it time and time again even if need be. Even that means yelling into the other man"s ear when they"re old and deaf.
"Of course not, Maria made it out fine and Lilyanne has her Rosalia! My girls will definitely be fine!"
"It was never your fault. Never. You are not to blame. Never."
"....Of course."
"Don"t go there, don"t punish yourself. Lilyanne isn"t him, Rosalia isn"t you. IT"s not the same. You didn"t kill that child."
"....Didn"t I?"
No no no don"t go there, don"t go anywhere but here. Not again. Don"t shut me out again. But that is not what Gable speaks out loud, not what Ronald needs to hear right now.
"No....no you didn"t. The boy that would have grown to be your brother, you didn"t kill him. Couldn"t have. Your....const.i.tutions...were too unique. But Lilyanne is not him...she lived....and Lilyanne will not die. "
"Hmmm."
"Never your fault Ron. Never."
A cool soothing kiss placed on the side on his temple, right by his ear. It burns hot still in something painfully unpleasant, strained from all the memories he still willingly carries. It"s a small but contrasting sensation. It means the world.
Drops of rain, relief on a wild fire. It"s drizzling, drop by drop on his face until they come to a rest at his forehead, one that"s beginning to wrinkle with age.
A world weary man takes a deep breath and lets himself drown in this, this moment.
It"s more than he has ever asked for, more than he deserves. But because he"s a poor selfish b.a.s.t.a.r.d, always has been, he will greedily take it. Take every stolen moment of life available to him. He"s lived too many lifetimes to take it for granted, to take the beautiful soul beside him for granted. Not ever again.
"Hey Gable?"
The other man is always wary, always careful to read Ronald and his unpredictable habits. He can"t fully tell when Ronalds has truely made it back from the deep end or playing it up for laughs to rea.s.sure others. That"s what worries him
But he"ll bite, he"ll play along because that will make Ronald happier than this. This h.e.l.l of guilt and burden he constructs for himself in his mind.
"Yes Ronald, what is it?"
"I think you should look at this."
A wave backward with his hand and Ronald has their view back to the mischievous kids downstairs in the garden s.p.a.ce. They"re in the icy zone, flat and barren. The perfect blank stage to the show playing through the screen.
Magic, the boy is playing with his magic all on his own. Not his natural ice nor snow but magic itself. And it"s breathtaking.
"I didn"t teach him that." gaped Gable, eyes wide in wonder for the first time in what feels like years.
"I know. But it"s very you, just look how pretty it is!"
"You!"
And he bursts out into his usual laugh, wide and open. The kind of contagious laugh that always had Gable too weak to be mad at. Sometime in there Gable can"t help but fall into the flow of things and fall into a wide grin himself. He holds the man in front of him even tighter, to keep him here and just right here in this moment. Might as well get comfortable in his now seat though.
They watch the screen together, still glued in awkward limbs and too tight hugs. Watch as magic swirls in fis.h.i.+es and splashes, pride welling in them both.
"You"re still dealing with them if they set something on fire. Or worse."
"Yes yes yes I know. Hey Gable?"
"Hmmm?"
"Thank you. Thank you for now and always"
"Yes yes yes I know. "
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