[PLOT] Family Planning [FINISHED]

[Daisicle]

Daisicle

It had been a long trek back to the Tree from Las Venus, and as the days continued on without any outward change to Mena's appearance, the more the excitement and the anxiety seemed to build. Rho tried to keep it from showing, but he never was good at keeping his emotion to himself when he felt them. That was part of the reason he tried to just not be so feely at all.

His smile probably twitched as the guards eyed them with no small amount of suspicion on their re-entry, and the three had been quick to retreat to behind closed doors before any of his family could see them. Still, with such a small community, word of Mena's newfound assets was sure to spread quickly.

So the plan was to break the news to his parents before word of mouth could reach his mother. His father... Well... He always seemed to know what was happening, so he'd probably be expecting them. As much as they'd have to have taken a day or two to recooperate, they didn't have that time.

Souvenirs in hand, Rho took head of the trio and, upon reaching his parents alcove, knocked.



Faelon had been helping move boxes when word glaced his ears that three faun had returned and, among them, one male now had the appearance of a female. It was something most hadn't seen since the time his Auntie Luna and the Advisor had been pregnant, if they'd seen it happen at all. So, of course, it was the new talk of the community. How had it happen, what did it mean, how were the blood pae involved... the speculations were already growing quickly more and more out of hand.

Even without names being explicitly used around him, he had an inking as to whom the trio was. So it came as no surprise when a knock hit his alcove door later that same afternoon, in the weird hours between the typical working day and the evening meal. He made eye contact with Vendi before standing up to open the door and welcome the three in.

Menelie

Tirzah wasn't nervous at all. She, as ever, was confident that this was the best decision for them and no amount of awkwardness would convince her otherwise. She greeted Faelon warmly, as she had always felt a sort of kinship with him, and sat next to Rho.



Mena, on the other hand, had enough anxiety for all 3 of then. He lingered behind the other two, as if he didn't want to come in. He hated all the looks he had gotten since they returned home. He just wanted to return to his alcove and sleep. It didn't help that in the two weeks they had traveled back he had started to feel what he could only assume were early signs of pregnancy. He was often nauseated and uncharacteristically grumpy. He also sat next to Rho, but kept his eyes cast downward, attempting to hide behind his longer hair.



Vendimia was shocked. She too had heard the whisperings but didn't believe them. She sat opposite the trio and waited for Faelon to rejoin them before sighing. "So....what happened?"

 

[Daisicle]

Daisicle

Faelon closed the door behind Mena, as he was the last to enter, and sat beside Vendi, echoing her question with a curious gaze of his own.



Now that they were here, all that mental rehearsing Rho had done had gone through the proverbial window. For some reason, while he should have been happy, and he was, it felt like he was -really- about to get scolded. He wasn't one to beat around the bush though so, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, he grinned and motioned towards both women beside him. "We're expecting ... Probably."



Faelon blinked. "Excuse me?"



Rho stared back, his smile twitching slightly as he repeated himself a touch less enthusiastically this time. "We're expecting... Probably...? Yeup."

Menelie

Tirzah would have expected the news that they were going to be grandparents to have been received more enthusiastically. Maybe it hadn't quite hit them yet? Or maybe they really were going to be weird about their relationship. But she kept her mouth shut for now. These were Rho's parents and she'd let him share what he felt comfortable sharing. "Oh we're definitely expecting," she did say, one hand on her belly.



Vendimia tucked a curl behind her ear and folded her hands carefully in her lap. She was taking great care to keep her emotions in check. One the one hand, she was thrilled about grandbabies. On the other hand...this was messy. "And...Menahem?"



Mena looked up suddenly, looking very much like a doe before a lantern. He glanced at Rho. He was going to let him do the talking so he could say as much or as little as he wanted about...them. "Um..." He said softly, flushing red. He wanted to straighten up, square his shoulders, and say "I love Rho and I'm proud to be carrying his children," but that wasn't his announcement to make. Unlike Rho and his family, Mena had no reputation to protect. He shrugged uncomfortably.

Daisicle

Rho looked back at his mom and nodded. "And Menahem."

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Vendimia made a face, completely dissatisfied with that response. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "So....you....traveled the entire island to visit Tirzah's family. You...rope Menahem into going with you. And you....run afoul of some daemon magic and wind up like this?" Vendi sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Am I missing something? Because I'd expect you to protect each other better."



Tirzah, for her part, was sitting very straight and had her shoulders squared. They weren't misbehaving children that needed a scolding. They were adults who'd made and executed a complex plan. She, too, folded her arms over her chest, biting her tongue inside her mouth.



Menahem fidgeted with his hair; Tirzah had braided back the top part to keep it out of his face while they were traveling. He wished he could just say something. Tell the truth. Rho's parents were already like family to him and he hated to see them so clearly disappointed. Surely if they knew what was actually going on they'd be happy. Or at least happier. He thought back to visiting Tirzah's family, and how easily her grandparents in particular had accepted their peculiar arrangement. He wished he could hold Rho's hand, or give him some kind of support.

Daisicle

Rho pouted, acutely aware at how dissatisfied he was with the reaction that was exactly how they'd expected. Perhaps he would have been more willing to brush it off, but Tirzah's family had been so nice... It made it hard to accept anything but support from his own.

"We did visit Tirzah's family - they're still doing well, by the way - and we stopped over at Las Venus on the way back, and now you're going to have grandchildren. We weren't attacked or anything, and unlike Alba and I, it's not like it's some crazy, unexpected surprise from two faun sleeping together for the first time. You should be happy. We're happy." He hadn't yet realized how he'd misspoken.



Faelon, who had been quietly sitting next to Vendi, raised a brow and looked over at her before beginning with a pointed question. "So this..." He motioned between the group, "...was intentional? Is that what you're saying, cause that's what I'm hearing."

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Vendimia flinched visibly and rubbed her temples.



Tirzah was beginning to turn a little red from holding it in. She tucked her arm into Rho's, hoping it'd communicate that she had his back. She hoped he remembered what she kept saying during their travel: no matter what happened, they had each other.



Menahem's face was probably the biggest giveaway. He turned pink and dared a little smile at Rho's words, then completely red when he realized that Faelon had caught on.



"I just don't understand...you and Tirzah are a pair..." said Vendi.

Daisicle

Rho, having not realized that he'd let the truth slip a bit in his little rant, grew visibly flustered at Faelon's question. He was uncharacteristically red. "I... uh... she and I are a pair..." He stammered out in a manner that sounded unconvincing even to him.



"So you two are a pair, but you bring Mena into it?" Faelon's comment was immediate without giving Rhoea time for damage control. "I did think something was a bit off during Hearth's Warming with the way you two were acting... and there have been those rumors since before then... How long has this been going on - does anyone know?" Despite the words coming out, Faelon's tone remained neutral, perhaps even warm, the entire time.

He looked over at Tirzah. "How long have you known my son's been unfaithful? I can only apologize for how that must have hurt."



Rho (and his voice) perked right up with a frown. "Hey, that's hella uncalled for. They're right there you know!"



Faelon frowned and looked back at Rho, then Mena, then back at Rho. "What I've just found out is that you've presumably been seeing another faun - your male best friend, at that - while dating Tirzah. How else am I supposed to see that."



"Maybe you could just see it as adults doing adult things and just be happy that you're going to be grandparents soon - how about that? Do you think all three of us would really just waltz on in here if there was beef between Tirzah and Mena? The looks from the sentries and everyfaun we've seen since getting back has been bad enough."

"Tirzah's family was thrilled, you know. Both her grandfathers and her mother. Why cant you be?"

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Vendi took all of this in, breathing deeply through her nose so as to not let her thoughts show on her face. She turned her attention to Menahem, who, between the two of her son's apparent "lovers", she knew better, and who had looked by far the most uncomfortable this whole time. "Menahem," she addressed him calmly. "What do you have to say?"




Mena inhaled sharply. He felt like he might be sick. Faelon's accusations had certainly stung. But he couldn't bring himself to tell the truth directly. He wouldn't do that to Rho if Rho wasn't ready. So he carefully tucked his hair behind his ears, and went with simply: "Love is a funny thing."



Tirzah just couldn't contain herself anymore. "We're a TRIO!" she cried, interrupting them all. She took a deep breath, then started again. "We're a trio," she repeated. "Nobody's being unfaithful to anyone else. Each of us is committed to the other two. Blessed Artemis, why is this so difficult to understand? Why is the idea of loving more than one person at a time such a foreign concept?" She raked her fingernails down over her face in frustration. "We've been doing this in secret for months because we've been trying to avoid the exact kind of judgment you're doing right now! And all of this?" she gestured between them, "is completely intentional and the result of weeks of careful planning!" She folded her arms over her chest. "Sorry, Rho, but I couldn't let them say such awful things about you."



Mena bit his bottom lip, simultaneously horrified and overjoyed that Tirzah had just come out with it. He did sit a little straighter, but he still wasn't chancing any kind of contact with Rho unless Rho initiated it.

Daisicle

Rho looked horrified as Tirzah just... put everything out in the open. But at the same time, there was a sense of relief it brought. He'd have been willing to take the proverbial fall for them, but this honesty... it was just so nice. He wanted it for his own family too. "Don't worry about it..."



Faelon simply blinked at Tirzah's outburst and let the silence hang as she finished before simply standing up and walking to the kitchen, only to return a short while later with a glass of what looked to be a cider of some sort. He then sat back down and took a drink from it - evidently, he needed it to process the bombshell he'd just been given.

"We tried so hard to raise you into a normal, average member of faun society... and even so..." he mumbled under his breath softly enough that only Vendi would have been able to hear. He took another sip before sighing and returning that characteristically-neutral smile of his back on his face.

"Just to confirm what you three have said - my son is not just in a relationship with Tirzah, but also Menahem. And Tirzah with Menahem as well. And rather than continue to keep this secret, you've opted to start a family together by having him serve as the father to two mothers... one of whom is male... Even though - excuse me for being crass - it would have been logistically simpler and easier to hide for you each to take turns with Tirzah."



As his father seemed to mull things over, Rho subtly reached over to place his hand on Mena's as he tried to gauge his parent's reactions. "That's more-or-less the whole of it. Only thing missing is that one of Tirzah's grandfather's is a daemon."

If they were going to rip the proverbial bandage, might as well do it all at once.



Faelon's ear twitched at that last bit and he breathed in and out through his nose to maintain a neutral expression, then took another drink from his cup.

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Vendi took the cider cup gently from Faelon and also took a long drink, then stood up to refill it. She needed a break from the tension as well. This was all....a lot. She and Faelon would need time to process, of course. But honestly, was it that surprising that Menahem and Rho's friendship had blossomed into something more? After all, love was just friendship set on fire. What surprised her was that Menahem was with Tirzah as well...she was quite sure he wasn't interested in women...but perhaps she was wrong. And what didn't surprise her at all? Was that Rho had made things more difficult for himself.



Just that one little touch from Rho was enough to straighten Mena's spine. He turned his hand gently and laced his fingers with Rho's. "You're right. It might have been simpler another way. But that's not what we wanted." He glanced over at Rho. How much should he say? 'I've loved him since about two weeks after I met him.'? It seemed like too much. And it wasn't their business anyway. He settled on: "I'm proud to do this." He squeezed Rho's hand softly.



Vendimia returned and sat down next to Faelon, touching his arm gently and handing him the cider cup. She leaned forward slightly. Time to diffuse some of this tension. "My Rhoea....I--we are happy and excited for our family to grow. The three of you will make wonderful parents. A mother who doesn't back down. A father who makes sacrifices for his family. And a father who will stand by their side until the very end." She leaned back again and tucked her arm into Faelon's, trying to present a united, but kinder, front. "Even though we might not understand your relationship just yet, we are grateful that you've been honest. And. Just as you've tried to help us understand your arrangement, we're trying to help you understand how difficult you've made things for yourselves."

Daisicle

Rho nodded in response to Mena's statement, the fact that they had mused over his father's suggestion (as poorly-worded as it was) not lost on him.



Faelon, after thanking Vendi softly, took another drink of his cider before letting it rest in his lap between his hands. He glanced over at at her once more before nodding with her statement. "I hope you'll forgive us - it seems we've become set in our ways without even realizing it. We just wish the best for our children... for all of you... and I worry about this choice." He paused. "I don't understand the relationship you have decided on. I honestly can't say I approve of it, and perhaps I never will, but you didn't come here asking for our permission. And rightfully so."

"You're all adults, and it seems you're about to become parents. We're happy for you. What we need to know now is how we can support you and the little ones when they come." He gave a wry smile. "If they're anything like you three, they're sure to be quite a handful, and depending on how public you decide to go with this... trio of yours... they may find difficulty finding their place, even if you're happy with yours."

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Tirzah exhaled a breath she hadn't been fully aware she'd been holding. She liked Faelon a lot and, as much as she hated to admit she wanted anyone's approval, his respect did mean something to her. She took a few moments to sort of, compose herself a bit. After speaking with so much passion earlier she felt disheveled. She leaned over to Rho. "Could I trouble you for some water?" she asked softly. She didn't yet feel comfortable enough in his family's alcove to help herself. She unbraided and rebraided her hair and sat up straighter. "I doubt we'll be shouting anything from the treetops," she said wryly. "But my own hope is that if we don't make a big deal out of it, then others won't either. I'm sure stranger things have happened."



Vendimia nodded along to Faelon's words. She knew him well enough to know this is what he'd been meaning to communicate all along. Perhaps this conversation would've been easier if they--all of them--had had more time to prepare. With the air clearing, Vendi was able to see a weariness about the three of them. It dawned on her that they'd come into this conversation immediately after a two-week journey on foot, and with two of them in that early, vulnerable stage of pregnancy. They must be exhausted. "Can I get you something to eat?" she asked suddenly.



Mena was thoughtful for a moment. He mulled over how Rho's parents could be supportive. "Not that either of you are the gossiping type, but I'd certainly find it helpful if we could tell others on our own terms. I in particular am going to have a lot of explaining to do to a bunch of paeple, and honestly I'd just like a day or two to lie low and rest before figuring that out."

Daisicle

Rho leaned closer to Tirzah and nodded before getting up and going to grab glasses of water for her and Mena, and then handing them off before sitting back down.



Faelon nodded to her assessment - it wasn't entirely inaccurate, but he felt the need to give them some advice from one parent to soon-to-be another. "True. Most won't say anything directly if you choose to ignore it yourselves... But be prepared to be treated slightly differently now that you've made yourself stand out. And, when the children are old enough, keep an eye on them. They see and understand far more than you realize, and they'll remember it far longer than you'd expect."

Then to Mena. "My boy," he had an awkward pause as he internalized if that was the best way to address him in the present situation. "My boy, you have my word we'll say nothing of it to anyfaun - not even to family - unless you ask me to do so. I'll maintain a position of strategic ambiguity when it comes to you three and your relationship. "

Faelon paused as Vendi cut him off, and he blinked. "Isn't the evening meal soon? Why spoil their-- Ah." It clicked. "Do we have anything on hand? Should I go get food from Mojo's?"

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

"Thanks," said Tirzah, having a long drink then nesting the cup between her legs to keep it from spilling. She tucked her arm back into Rho's as it had been before, almost absentmindedly, as she listened to Faelon. He sounded as if he spoke from experience, and she wondered if that was his own childhood, or his children's, he was speaking of. She nodded as he spoke. "I appreciate your advice," she said, and she mostly meant it. Just because it was like that for him didn't mean it would be like that for them, but she did value his experience.



Vendimia made sort of a flapping hand motion. "Oh, I thought I'd just put something simple together with what we have, just to tide you all over until dinner. You must be famished from traveling."



"Here, let me help," said Menahem, starting to stand.



"Don't be ridiculous, Menahem," said Vendi. "You rest. I'm sure there'll be plenty of cooking for you to do tomorrow."



Well, Mena could hardly argue with that. He sat back down, had some water, and tentatively took Rho's hand again. He nodded at Faelon's promise. "I do appreciate it," he remarked.

Daisicle

Rho was somewhat caught off-guard by his father's advice given his own relatively unassuming upbringing. He couldn't remember anything weird happening, and nothing stood out as particularly unusual. That said, it made sense, so he simply nodded and thanked his mom for the food.



"But they aren't going to be attending the meal today, right? Shouldn't we get them something more substantial?" Now that lecture-mode had been turned off, it seemed dad-mode had been once again turned on. He stood up to head to the door. "I'll bring back something for dinner - what do you want Vendi? Tirzah's vegetarian... meat still good for you two?"



Rho glanced from his mom, to his dad, to Mena and Tirzah, and back. "I.. uh yeah meat's fine for me but..." he wasn't sure if the two of them really wanted to stay for a whole-a** meal before turning in for the night.

 

[Daisicle]

Menelie

Vendi frowned and nodded. "Good thinking, I hadn't thought of that. Yes, please do. I'll just have whatever you're having," she responded.



Tirzah shrugged with a little smile. "He's right, Mena probably wants to stay out of the dining hall for a couple days," she murmured. "I say we go with it."



Mena turned slightly green. "Um, no meat this time around, thanks," he said sheepishly. He hadn't thought of it either, because he probably would have skipped dinner if left to his own devices, but no, he didn't exactly want to be among the whole-a** Tree right now. Not to mention all the smells...he had a quick sip of water.

Daisicle

"Okay... Well, to make it simpler, everyone is getting vegetarian today then. I'll be back." He gave a half-wave as he stepped out to put in the orders.



Rho glanced over and caught Mena's expression and put a hand on his back. "You good?"

The rest of the evening was spent on small talk about the journey, baby names, items they'd find useful, accomodations plans, etc. until the three turned in for the night.