The soul is healed

[lord_wizard]

Who: Felix, his son Ryuga, and ANYBODY
What: Watching after his child
When: Today
Where: The play room at the resort
Rating: PG for kids

Years ago he might have worried what people would think if they saw him now - the people he once knew in the Mirador certainly would be laughing themselves silly - as he sat at a comically tiny set of table and chairs. Considering everything else that had happened, it was now the least of his concerns. One of them was Ashura, who he'd left in their room to rest after quite a bit of goading, while he took their fussy impossible progeny out to play. He watched with a tired but gentle smile as his son rolled a tiny plastic truck across the floor to his feet.

His son. He could never quite get over that.

Felix rolled the toy back with his foot, but Ryuga simply frowned and tossed it away, evidently unsatisfied with this.

"You don't like that one?"

Ryuga shook his head, obviously pouting.

"Well, what do you want?"

The boy only whined louder, and Felix rubbed at his temple. The boy had been much easier to entertain when he was smaller, and not quite to the age where he could articulate it effectively. But he'd have to think of something soon, before this turned into a tantrum.

Comments

[thraxios]

Gideon, meanwhile, has yet to grow used to being anyone's father, particularly since he has no one to pass the child off to if he needs a break from her. He doesn't yet want to throw the baby out the window, but he's not fond of how his usual routines have been blown to smithereens for the week. Zipporah, it so far seems, does not share her father's fondness for libraries. (He assumes she's simply too young.)

When he comes to the playroom, it's with a book, though he knows that's wishful thinking on his part; even if Zipporah is content with her toys, the noise will be a force to reckon with. And then he sees Felix, mercifully alone save for his young son, and he supposes he needn't worry about reading.

He approaches, setting Zipporah down on the floor to crawl where she will, and gives Felix a questioning, all too hopeful look. They've had some tense meetings in the recent past, but Gideon really would like to spend time with him; he's decided that friendship is better than no relationship at all.

[lord_wizard]

"Gideon," he says, smiling a little more easily than the last time they spoke - both the influence of the lack of his lover and the presence of Ryuga (brewing tantrum not withstanding) to credit for that. He gestured across the small table. "Have a seat. I'm afraid it doesn't quite compare to a parlor in Mirador, but it will have to do under the circumstances.

Ryuga watched the younger child progress across the playroom floor, moodiness apparently delayed at the sight of somebody familiar.

[thraxios]

Gideon takes a seat next to Felix on one of the undersized chairs, giving him a shy smile in return. If he must sit with his knees nearly to his chest, at least it's with a man for whom he cares dearly.

He opens his tablet and begins to write. I've been trying all week to imagine the Mirador so overrun with children. I'm not sure there would be much difference - only damage to the furniture.

Zipporah is, unfortunately, still a bit young to be interesting to play with, but she does recognize Ryuga. And she greets him with a bright "Baa!" when she sees him.

[lord_wizard]

Felix's legs are mostly splayed out in front of him like a particularly gaudy spider, clashing with the decor far more than usual. He leans over slightly to get a better of the tablet and laughs softly at what he reads there, amused at Gideon's continued low opinion of most of the Mirador's court.

"I can't say I can entirely disagree. I have never thought about the lack until now, to be quite honest. I've certainly never seen any younger than the pages."

[thraxios]

I've always assumed children were raised away from the Mirador until they were of an age not to embarrass their parents.

Gideon feels as though he's curled in on himself, sitting on this tiny chair with his legs drawn in, and when Felix shifts nearer, his shoulders hunch. He recalls an insect that rolls itself into a ball in an attempt to protect itself from predators--only he isn't concerned about an outside force preying upon him. Not when he has the temptation to lean into Felix to worry about.

Best, he thinks, to change the subject altogether. As little as he wants to speak of Felix and Ashura's child, Ryuga seems a safer topic than the lands of their shared past. And so, watching Zipporah carefully setting one wooden block atop another, Gideon writes. How has your week with Ryuga been going?

[lord_wizard]

That is likely the case, though he doesn't get the chance to say so. Outside of Lord Stephen's hunt for a new wife, the idea of where the children of the aristocracy sprang up from had never occurred to him, given that notions of courting and family were generally beyond him, especially for someone of his persuasion. The idea had never seemed particularly tragic to him until now.

His tantrum being ignored for the moment, Ryuga stamped off to find another toy.

"Mm, well enough. He's easier to handle this year, but more he learns to use his words the more obstinate he seems to get. I wish I could say I found this to be surprise."

[thraxios]

Gideon snorts, smiling down at the tablet in his hands. Seeing the little boy pouting as he stomps off does suggest Felix in a mood--rather more impotently, with little effect on his surrounding environment.

He and his cousin share a familial stubbornness. Have they met?

Of course, with that thought comes the memory of a morning in the gardens with Mildmay: of being pressed to his breaking point and losing his temper, and of receiving swift rebuke from a friend. He's fortunate, he realizes, that it was Mildmay who witnessed his difficulties with child-minding. Felix might have been rather more begrudging after.

It would be best, he suspects, to keep his distance from Ryuga nonetheless, on the danger of courting Felix's disapproval.

[lord_wizard]

Felix raises his eyebrows, briefly confused by the use of the words referring to a family line which up until this week did not exist at all - in this universe, at least, if the clues about the children's origins were to be believed. He'd once found the idea that maybe he and Ashura were together in some form to be comforting. He was less sure of that now.

"Actually, no. I admit I've seen little of Mildmay in the last few weeks." And by extension whatever child the castle might have given him. He didn't outright mention why, given his own moodiness was in fact to blame.

[thraxios]

Gideon nods at this, but his brow is furrowed, and he doesn't hide that fact, looking intently at Felix. Their rooms are across a corridor from each other, from what Mildmay has said--Gideon has yet to find reason to see for himself--and though Felix has never seemed particularly comfortable in Mildmay's presence, Gideon has been laboring under the assumption that Felix has found time to see his brother. If only because, after two years, one would think they would have matters to discuss.

He longs to inquire further about this; he believes he would, if he and Felix were in the Mirador. Here, however, there's still something of a strained tension between the pair of them, and Gideon doesn't want to have that argument with a man to whom he's merely a friend. And certainly not in public.

After a moment or two of considering Felix's profile, he turns his attention back to his tablet. His daughter is - And there's a long pause, the tip of the stylus hovering over the wax. Spirited.

[kungfuwitch]

Phoebe laughed as she walked into the playroom hand and hand with a little girl. The pair's smiles were identical as they looked at each other, there was no mistaking the resemblance. Hearing voices, Phoebe realized there was someone already there and looked up.

"Oh Felix, hi!" She grinned, gently tugging her daughter to a stop and resting her hands on her shoulders. "Penny this is Felix and his son Ryuga."

The little girl waved, "Hello."

[lord_wizard]

Felix looked up and smiled at Phoebe, privately relieved to see her smiling, though it was likely a similar reason that had elevated his mood this week, lack of sleep or no.

"Greetings Phoebe, and to you as well, Penny. Ryuga, say hello."

Ryuga however, continued to pout and Felix frowned at him.

"Ryuga"

[kungfuwitch]

Penny giggled at the greeting, smiling shyly up at Felix. However, when Ryuga refused to even say hello it made her curious. She glanced up at Phoebe who just gave her daughter a nod, knowing full well what she was thinking.

Letting go of Phoebe's hand, Penny walked right up to Ryuga, smiling brightly at him. "Hello. My name's Penny. Do you wanna play?"

Phoebe was certainly feeling much better than she had immediately following the events in space. Waking up with a complete family will do that to you. She winked at Felix as Penny tried to work her charm on the frowning youngster.

[lord_wizard]

Ryuga crossed his arms and looked askance at Penny, keeping up the pout more out of principle than anything, when the reason for it in the first place had been simple boredom.

"Play what?" he asked sourly, as if dubious of anything she might come up with.

Felix quirked a smile at the youngsters, forbearing to roll his eyes at his own son. Calling him childish would seem pointless given the boy was still only three.

"You're looking well," Felix said to Phoebe.

[kungfuwitch]

Penny thought for a moment, even going so far as to tap a finger against her cheek in an imitation of a gesture her mother uses. If the boy was going to be a grumpy pants she shouldn't give him time to argue, should she? In that case there was only one option. She grinned mischievously before reaching out and tagging his shoulder, "Tag. And you're it."

With that declaration she takes off running in the other direction. Come and get her, Ryuga!

Phoebe stifles a laugh as she watches. It was remarkable, really, how like Phoebe and her sisters she was. Phoebe was grateful that, though she definitely inherited his curiosity and charm, she didn't inherit her father's shyness.

She smiled at Felix, "Thank you. I'm... doing better." There was still healing to be had since the Event Horizon but she was a great deal closer to things feeling normal again. "You do, too. Are you getting any more sleep than you were the last time he was here."

[lord_wizard]

Ryuga, after a moments pause, dashed after Penny, unable to fight back a grin.

"Some," he answered, smiling, "though in part due to the fact that Ashura is in need of care-taking as well. More than he prefers to admit at this stage."

Outright, he didn't want to mention the Event Horizon or what had occurred there. It was enough to imply, given she'd been in much the same position as he, though at least he was not around to hear it happen. He still was not sure if that was a blessing.

[kungfuwitch]

Penny was pretty fast, Ryuga, good luck catching her.

Phoebe nodded slowly, reaching out and gently touching Felix's arm. "I understand. Peter and I have been going through the same thing. We actually moved out of the castle for a little bit - to Peter's apartment in town."

She took a breath, watching the children for a moment. It was difficult thinking of the events of the Event Horizon and the emotional and mental fallout since then. "This has been helping. Though it will take time to fully heal. "

[lord_wizard]

The thrill was in the chase, anyway. Ryuga didn't seem to mind, for the moment, that she kept out of reach. Mercifully it kept him occupied for the moment.

Felix stiffened just slightly. Even used to Phoebe's affection, he still found it difficult to accept, and was too fond of her still to say anything.

"Yes, that it will. I only wish we could be rid of that ship sitting outside. It isn't a pleasant reminder regardless of what didn't happen on it."

Of course, it would be easier if that was the only thing weighing on Ashura's mind. Gideon's arrival continued to put a strain on them both.

[kethedammit]

Mildmay arrives with a small girl in toe. The child looks almost nothing like Mildmay-- she is sharp-featured where he is not, spindly-- aside from the mess of red hair atop her head. It's rather knotted at the moment, Mildmay not having the fortitude necessary to hold the squirming child still while he dragged a comb through it.

When they walk in the door, she hides behind Mildmay, peeking out from behind him with wide eyes an entirely different shade of green from Mildmay's.

"Shy, Ally?"

"No." She frowns up at him.

"Then go'n play."

"I am." To prove a point, she marches triumphantly out into the playroom.

[lord_wizard]

Felix had just about to get up to deal with Ryuga when Mildmay walked in. He'd seen little of his brother since they woke up here or even before that, following the rather rude awakening of finding out that Gideon had been in Paradisa for some time before he'd found out about it. His mood had thawed in the intervening weeks, if only because he couldn't be bothered to be angry at Mildmay after everything that had happened.

He raised a brow at the girl as she moved into the room, then turned to glance back at Mildmay.

"She's certainly spirited," he said, light teasing, cautiously testing the waters between them.

Ryuga largely took no notice of the girl, and flopped over onto the carpet with a low whine.

[kethedammit]

Ally moved quickly to run around the room, and claim what toys she could for herself, developing a small hoard. Mildmay rolled his eyes, and found a chair to occupy. To Felix, well... he'd take forgiveness if it was offered.

"Yeah," he said, evidently tired. "Dunno where she got it from."

[lord_wizard]

"Part of it is the hubris of youth, I think, although I doubt she is all that different from yourself. I can't say I could remember truthfully how I was at his age..." Felix said, waving a demonstrative hand over at Ryuga, who was in the midst of what was likely to be a truly impressive bit of sulking in the next few minutes.

[kethedammit]

Mildmay just raises a brow. Like anyone here knows who he was at four besides himself. At four, Mildmay was mouthier.

But let's set that aside. Mildmay shrugs. "I'm guessing he's, uh, yours and...?"

[lord_wizard]

"Yes," Felix confirmed, deciding the answer to that was obvious enough given the boy's set of sharply pointed ears sticking out of the mess of red hair; and similar to Gideon, Mildmay seemed hesitant to treat Ashura amicably.

"It's his third year with us." Ryuga, at three, was at an age Felix had trouble placing, given what he remembered was mostly sound and color and not much else.

"And yours...?"

[kethedammit]

Mildmay sighs. Lucky prick, getting paired with somebody you know. "Some lady I ain't never seen before. Woke up next to her, and this'n was prancing around in the room." He shrugs in the direction of Alice, currently running around in circles, arms outstretched, pretending she's... a bird? A bird. Okay.

[lord_wizard]

"Anybody I know?" he asked, raising a brow idly at Mildmay, vaguely picturing the scene that might have made, especially knowing his brother's propensity for overt modesty.

Ryuga, meanwhile, grabbed a stray ball from the ball pit and tossed it vaguely in Alice's direction.