[PLOT] Turin and Kelebek

[Menelie]

Kelebek blushes deeply at this reminder. Turin had far more to lose in this than she, and it was awkward to think how far he outranked her. Still, she smiles and nods, and takes the children and backs into a corner somewhat. "We'll be here...I'd rather speak somewhere less crowded, though. If it isn't too much trouble you could come back to my home."  

[Teigra]

Not having meant the comment as it was taken, Turin reflected briefly on the situation while swimming back. Granted, he was the head of security for the Queen, he had a number of guards under his command that could handle the job. He had no need to be present at all times.

He just preferred to handle things personally rather than trust others to do his job. That's all.

Still, this minor crisis...err...emergency? Something...took precedent for the moment, as there was nothing needing his immediate attention in the court. For once, he'd trust his security squads to handle things in his absence.

Hey, the big guy was back! Squealing and cooing happily, the little girl wiggled away from her mother once more and towards the other adult.

The captain was quick to catch the little one before she could latch onto his face again. Crazy little tadpole! She was like an octopus. He chuckled a bit, holding her out at arms' length. "Ah ah, not again, little missy." He smiled at her, then looked back at Kelebek. "Alright, we can go somewhere here, or wherever you'd like really to talk. I'm free."  

[Menelie]

Kelebek looks around and nods a little. "I'd rather be somewhere else, even if it's just swimming around outside..." She shrugs helplessly. "Just....away from prying eyes. I'm--"

She stops and giggles at the antics of the little girl. "She seems to have taken to you," says Kelebek, attempting to steer all of them outside.

The little boy had floated back to cling to his mother again, but peeks out once more when Turin returns. Large eyes blink up at him amid Kelebek's coral-colored hair.  

[Teigra]

Nodding, Turin chuckled softly. "So she has. In any case, I understand." He gestured towards the exit, already shuffling the little girl along. "Wherever you'd like to go is fine."

Instead of being shuffled along, the little girl latched onto the big guy's arm, giggling and clinging for the ride.

Turin shook his head with amusement, allowing the toddler to cling and get a free ride outside.  

[Menelie]

Kelebek waits until they're a sufficient distance from the court to speak. "I....I think the first business is to name them. Right?" She nods to herself, sending the little boy bobbing in her hair. "I mean....I had hoped..." She sighs. "It's silly....but nevertheless....I'd hoped the five of us could be as a...as a...as a family." Her voice shakes as the words tumble from her mouth.

"I..I mean...for the sake of the little ones having a father present in their lives...you know?" Nevermind that she has a huge crush on him and wants to see him more often. Make a good impression. Make him fall in love with her? Sigh. It was a distant hope.

Kelebek turns her attention back up to Turin. "Wh-what do you think?"  

[Teigra]

Frowning now, the Aernyn Captain took a seat on a nearby flat rock, his small charge going along for the ride and contentedly settling into his lap with a coo. He pet her head distractedly, looking at Kelebek and the other two children. "What? You thought I was going to be some sort of jackass and leave you to take care of all three of them yourself? That's not the kind of person I am." Not that he'd ever imagined himself a father before either.

Sensing that the big man wasn't happy anymore, the little girl pouted, snuggling closer to him in her version of a hug to make him feel better.

Turin blinked, glancing down and allowing his expression to soften. "I think..." he started slowly, patting the little girl's back gently to return the 'hug', "...that first, they need names." He watched the little girl smile as she snuggled against him, then nodded, picking her up to eye level where she blinked at him curiously. "How about it, little one? What about...Moana? Like it?"  

[Menelie]

Kelebek's heart swells with Turin's admission, and she smiles and takes a chance by sitting on the rock next to him. She fishes the two boys out of her hair and lets them settle in her lap. "Moana is a beautiful name," she agrees, tickling the little girl's chin.

Now she looks at the two boys. Both have roughly the same coloring, but one has deeper hues. "Look at you, just the color of the sunrise at sea," she says to this one, touching his cheek with a finger. He leans into her touch, making Kelebek want to weep tears of love. "I think....Anatolio for him." She turns a questioning glance to Turin.  

[Teigra]

A slight nod from Turin showed he was listening, if not watching. "It's a good, strong name. Fitting. I like it." He smiled down at the little girl in his lap, who seemed pleased with her new name.

Cooing and giggling, the newly-dubbed Moana made a grab at the hand stroking her hair and started sucking on one of the fingers.

Turin allowed himself to be used as a pacifier and simply chuckled under his breath before looking up again. Still one to go. "So, Moana, Anatolio, and...? Maybe something from the other end of the alphabet?" He waved a free hand at the last little boy, still shyly sticking close to his mother. He needed a good, strong name as well, just like his brother. "Zan...no, Zar...?" Turin shook his head slightly, mumbling aloud. "Zoran, maybe?"  

[Menelie]

"Zoran," repeats Kelebek as if tasting it. "I like it." She smiles. "Moana, Anatolio, and Zoran." She nods happily, and allows herself to knock her shoulder gently into Turin affectionately. She can't stop smiling!

"I...I can't believe I'm a mother..." she says softly, gazing down upon her wide-eyed children. "It just seems....surreal, almost."

Anatolio waggles himself over toward the big person who looked rather like Mother only more intense. And without much hair? He swims up to investigate. How would you ride on this kind of big person with no hair to grab onto?  

[Teigra]

"I think I can sympathize," Turin muttered distractedly, still staring at the little girl in his lap. How had this happened? Okay...he knew 'how' in the literal sense, but...that wasn't really the question he was asking. Life was, well not exactly 'simple' before, but at least simpler. He had his job to concentrate on, his responsibility to the court and to...the Queen.

And now? He had a young woman and three children to be responsible for as well. Too late now to question whether or not he'd wanted more complications.

Still suckling on Turin's finger, Moana glanced up and cooed, reaching up and making grabby hands at her inquisitive brother. Or maybe she was waving?

Shaken out of his reflective thoughts, the Aernyn Captain blinked and focused on the curious child before him, a slight smile creeping over his face. "Well, hello there, little guy. Just what is it that you're thinking, hmm?" Waggling a few fingers on his free hand at the child, Turin wondered seriously for a moment, what the children were thinking of all this. Heck, what was Kelebek thinking about right now?

Rare times like this, he wondered just what it might be like to have Lady Aeroniel's telepathic abilities.  

[Menelie]

[Are we still playing them as infants?
Also we need to wrap this one up. They're growing so fast! <3]

Kelebek watches her children...their children investigate the new adult in their lives. She tilts her head and smiles. And then the big question, at least in her mind it's the big question, looms over her head and her smile fades. She clears her throat nervously.

"So...we've got the little ones figured out...now....how do we figure us out? You and me? What happens to us?"

She blushes deeply, as she's quite convinced the strong captain doesn't want to think about this, much less talk about it.

Anatolio focuses on this big person's hair. Might as well give it a shot. He wiggles his fat little tail up to Turin's head and attempts to nestle himself in his hair.

Hm. Not much to nestle in, but definitely enough to grab onto. Perhaps this big person is good for something after all.  

[Teigra]

((*chuckles* Yep, need to get this one wrapped up so we can move on to more craziness. XD ))

Wincing momentarily as the toddler entwined his chubby fingers in his hair, Turin glanced up briefly with something like a flash of amusement, then it was gone again.

Oy, what a question that was. How? Who knew? He sure didn't.

"I'm...not sure that's as easy an answer as the kids were," he finally muttered with a sigh. What a situation. No, he wasn't a heartless jerk; he wasn't going to abandon any of them. They were all his responsibility now and he was man enough to accept that. However...he hadn't exactly gone looking for this. Was this what he wanted?

...no, not exactly.

Having amused herself long enough with using the new stranger as a pacifier, Moana wiggled free and back to her mother, darting into her hair to hide and peeking back out with a giggle.

Resisting the urge to shake his head at the little girl's actions, remembering his new head ornament, Turin simply sighed with a sad smile. "I don't know what to say. I think...for now we need to concentrate on the kids most importantly. I get the feeling these three are going to keep us busy enough. Afterwards, well...I suppose we'll see what time brings, hmm?"

Turin wasn't one to encourage false hope. Though, he really just couldn't bring himself to be harsh or blunt either. As things stood, it seemed a pretty hopeless situation all around, so who knew? Maybe time would bring some unseen change that would produce an option that couldn't even be imagined right now.  

[Menelie]

"Yes, of course," says Kelebek quickly. She blushes deeply and looks off to the side. How selfish of her to worry about her crush when there are three little ones wiggling around needing their attention and care. She smiles briefly at Moana, playing hide and seek in her hair. At least this little girl feels that all is right in the world.

Anatolio watches his sister. He abruptly lets go of this big person and darts over to where Moana is hiding in Mother's hair. He giggles as he bonks into his deep pink sister and then wiggles away quickly. The whole stopping thing was a work in progress.

"I should...um...I should go. It's getting late..." She nods awkwardly. It's only midafternoon but she still feels a strong urge to go home and sleep away the confusion and heartache.  

[Teigra]

((...poor Kelebek.))

Blinking in a bit of confusion at both being abandoned by his head ornament and the sudden dismissal, Turin blurted, "Oh? Um...of course. I'm sure the kids could use a nap. ...kids nap, right?"

Moana squeaked at the collision, flailing to keep herself upright and not tumble back into her mother's hair to be tangled up. She aimed a childish glare at her brother, wiggling after him as well, the game of chase on.

Turin scratched his head, frowning. "Err...so yeah. I guess...I'll see you all around then?" Awkwardly, he reached out a hand for Kelebek's shoulder, sensing that something isn't quite right, but being unsure what he could do about it. "I mean...feel free to bring them around anytime, alright?" He tried to offer a smile, still wrestling with absorbing this dramatic, life-changing event, while simultaneously trying to ignore the waves it was causing in his own life and his ability to pretend that life would continue as normal, despite these changes.  

[Menelie]

"Oh! A nap. Yes, exactly." She watches Anatolio and Moana zoom around after each other. Clearly they aren't tired. "Might take a while," she says with an attempt at a chuckle. "And I'm sure you still have a lot of things to do here at court...things to think about..." She nods.

"I'll bring them by again in a few days, say? They seem to be quite taken with you." She smiles softly.

Anatolio eeps and wiggles away from her. "!!!"