Logs:Your Mother's Coats
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| RL Date: 23 May, 2015 |
| Who: Devaki, Sealene |
| Involves: High Reaches Hold |
| Type: Vignette |
| What: The Pirate Queen II returns home with its cargo. |
| Where: On the High Seas |
| When: Day 18, Month 11, Turn 37 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Drex/Mentions, Itsy/Mentions, Rilka/Mentions, Vinien/Mentions, Esiara/Mentions, Alani/Mentions, Issedi/Mentions, Raum/Mentions |
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| It had been three months since they left the Hold -- long enough that, to his surprise, Devaki welcomed the sight of the familiar cliffs and shuttered windows of High Reaches. It was cold, the chill in the air suggesting snow might fall this afternoon, and yet the Lord bore it with without a coat -- as he had for much of his time on the islands. A reminder that, even if High Reaches were now his home, his roots lay in the rocky islands they'd just left. "Land ho!" called a voice from high above. The boy -- Drex -- descended the rigging with a frightening speed, making his way towards Captain Itsy. The sight of the girl -- the woman -- whom Raum had scrounged off the streets of Tillek -- in command of a ship full of unpleasant sailors warmed him. In his head, he considered the girl family, a daughter, even, if a wild one that couldn't be completely controlled. Her unpredictability was concerning as far as the boy, but she had as much to lose from telling him the truth is he did -- maybe more, to judge by the way the pair was joined at the hip. That the dynamic of the ship had changed while they'd been on the Islands was clear. He wasn't sure how -- just that there was none of that hesitancy, or sidelong, disgruntled looks at the be-hatted woman from the crew any longer. It made him proud. He felt a tiny hand slip into his, and a tug. "Father?" Sealene had taken to calling him that, recently. She thought daddy was too childish; something Esiara and Alani called him. Devaki smiled, reaching down and lifting the girl up onto his hip. "It's nice to see home again, isn't it?" Sealene looked at the view, solemnly, then at him. Her blue eyes, too, looked serious -- more so, he realized abruptly, then when they'd first left. He'd hoped time away from the Hold, from the memories of their mother, might be good for them. He'd hoped, too, the time Sealene had spent with Rilka, and many of the elders of the Islands, would be good for her. "Are we going to make an offering to the sea when we get there, father? Auntie Rilka says it's important. That the sea remembers and gets angry if we don't." It made him smile, that his little girl had adopted the practice so wholeheartedly. "We will. Just as soon as we reach land." The little blonde girl nodded, satisfied. He could see, in her, the physical similarities to Issedi; it made him ache, for a moment. There would be pressure, soon enough, he felt, to seek a second bride. How would his children react, he wondered, to a step-mother? How would she cope, in turn? That Issedi and his children should rule the Hold one day was certain. It limited his choices; he needed someone who wasn't ambitious enough to endanger his children. The thoughts made his jaw tighten. Sealene gave a stifled noise, then reached for his nose, pinching it. When he made a strangled sound, she giggled, wiggling around as he tickled her in revenge. She gave a little shiver, and Devaki lowered her to the deck again. "You ought to go inside, honey. It's cold." "You're not wearing a coat." He nodded. "None of the people on the Islands wore one, either." Sealene added. He smiled. "For Turns, we had none to wear. But we adjusted." Sealene frowned a moment in thought, then started to struggle out of her coat. With a gentle hand, Devaki stopped her. "No, honey." "But I'm one of them, now." "Yes, but... you're also your mother's daughter. Remember when your mother used to yell at me for letting you girls get dirty? Or when Vinny's coat got torn?" When Sealene nodded, he went on, "It's a mother's duty to protect her children. I'm going to need your help looking after Esi and 'lani. Will you help me?" The girl nodded, all serious. "Good. When you're bigger, you'll fit into your mother's coats. She'd have liked that." They lingered a moment, in silence, watching High Reaches Hold draw slowly closer. The first flakes of snow began to fall, then, crunching underfoot as they retreated to the cabin, and the rest of Sealene's siblings, making ready to arrive home. |
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Comments
Edyis (21:24, 23 May 2015 (EDT)) said...
<3 I always love this different perspective When it comes to Devaki and his origins.
Roz (21:30, 23 May 2015 (EDT)) said...
finger steeples
Welcome home, Devaki~
Alida (21:48, 23 May 2015 (EDT)) said...
Devaki with his kids reminds me that he is indeed human. ^^
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