Conall
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Post by Conall on May 12, 2011 14:08:35 GMT -5
Conall looked up with a smile as the cottage came into sight, as well as Sheona, her son and the dog; he waved back when he saw Sheona doing so. He laughed and reached down to try to pet the dog when it bounded up to them, threatening to trip them as it circled their feet, wagging its whole body along with its tail.
Lùthais waved to Sheona as well, then reached down to stroke the pup's head and back. It was doing very well after what it had been through a month ago, which was good. And Sheona and Aodhán were as well, which was better.
"Ready to go?" Lùthais asked Sheona as he and Conall headed inside, and Conall headed past them to settle down on a chair near the fireplace.
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Korlian
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Post by Korlian on May 12, 2011 17:50:57 GMT -5
The dog allowed Conall to pet it, though it still shied slightly. It followed the men happily, still shaking along with its tail. As Conall headed inside, it followed him and hopped up into his lap without waiting for so much as a 'by your leave', wet paws and all.
Sheona nodded, then rolled her eyes. "If I remembered to grab the skins I would have been." She went inside quickly to pick the bundle up, kissing Conall very quickly on the cheek, unsurprised at the chill. After being out hunting, of course he was cold.
Pulling the bundle out with a little difficulty, Sheona swung it over her shoulder and smiled. "Now I am ready."
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Conall
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Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
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Post by Conall on May 12, 2011 20:54:06 GMT -5
Conall was pleasantly surprised when the pup trotted into the cottage after him and leaped up into his lap, wet paws and all. He laughed and stroked it as much as it would let him, too pleased to see that his assessment of the pup liking his brother better than him had been wrong to be too upset that his clothes were now even wetter than before. Ah, well; they would dry. That was what the fire was for.
He looked up as Sheona came into the cottage as well, and was about to bid her goodbye when she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek -- a very quick one, but a kiss nonetheless. He smiled up at her as she pulled away, trying not to look too startled. "I... er, have a good time," he told her.
When Sheona turned away, he resumed staring into the fire, his confusion mounting. That was the most affection he could recall ever receiving from her. Maybe he was wrong about her, too. He supposed he'd have to wait and see.
Lùthais watched with raised eyebrows as Sheona gave Conall a kiss goodbye, but thought better of remarking on it. He smiled when she rejoined him and offered his arm as they headed out of the cottage together.
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Korlian
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Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
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Post by Korlian on May 14, 2011 11:12:52 GMT -5
Sheona shook her head slightly at Lùthais, smiling. "My arms are a bit..."
Feeling a tug on her skirt, she looked down at her son and sighed. Aodhán looked up at her appealingly, holding a hand up. She tried to shift the skins to free a hand for her son and shook her head. "Sorry, Aodhán. My hands are full."
Aodhán sighed dramatically and crossed his arms, tucking his fingers under his arms for warmth.
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Conall
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Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 14, 2011 23:57:31 GMT -5
Lùthais laughed. "Then let me take those skins and you can carry your son, or the reverse. There's no reason you should carry all that weight the whole way when I have two perfectly good arms."
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Korlian
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Post by Korlian on May 15, 2011 23:03:09 GMT -5
Sheona handed the skins over immediately with a grateful look and lifted her son. She kissed the boy's chill cheek. "You are getting too big for this, love."
Aodhán buried his face into his mother's shoulder with a happy coo, making her twitch as his cold nose rested against her neck. Sheona nestled her cheek against his pale gold hair as they walked, looking about as content as humanly possible.
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Conall
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Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 15, 2011 23:36:30 GMT -5
Lùthais carried the skins easily while Sheona carried her son; he smiled quietly at seeing the utter contentment in her face and imagining the same look on the wee lad's. It reminded him strongly of Aerona with a very young Eòran, and he hid a bittersweet wince at the memory of the brutal death of Conall's wife. The memory turned even darker when he recalled who had ultimately been behind that... Not Conall.
He shook off the memory and smiled again, striking up a conversation to pass the time. "Are there any specific sorts of vegetables you're hoping to find at the market that I can keep an eye out for with you?"
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Korlian
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Post by Korlian on May 15, 2011 23:43:38 GMT -5
Sheona shook her head, "At the moment? Anything green. We do not have the luxury of being picky this winter. Aodhán is not usually very picky anyway."
"You never let me," Aodhán complained, raising his head slightly. "Not being allowed up until the plate is empty means being BORED. And it was just easier to eat it."
Sheona smiled and kissed her son on the cheek. "That is what mothers are for, dear. I promise not to do that too much. But... if you do not eat it one meal, you get to try it for the next. So you still do not have the option of being picky."
Aodhán huffed a sigh and put his head back on his mother's shoulder. Sheona laughed slightly and shifted her grip slightly. "Thank you for asking, though."
She never questioned anymore why Conall and Lùthais did not seem to need vegetables. Some small part of her said that she really did not want to know, and the rest of her was content now to know they would not harm her. So long as she and Aodhán were safe, Sheona did not really care what her hosts ate.
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Conall
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Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
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Post by Conall on May 15, 2011 23:58:30 GMT -5
- - -
They reached the marketplace in good time and with little event. Lùthais couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous and very out of sorts as he and Sheona mingled with the crowd of humans browsing, buying and selling their wares. This was the first time he'd been in such a large group of people since his days at court, and his first time ever being in a marketplace: the noise and tightness of it was alien to him. He had grown too used to quiet and near-total solitude while living with Conall, such that even one or two guests in their home was a rare novelty. Not quite so much lately, since Sheona had been with them for a few weeks now, but even so...
He glanced at Sheona, doing his best to hide his nervousness. "Well, we're here. What now?"
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Korlian
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Post by Korlian on May 16, 2011 0:58:46 GMT -5
Sheona smiled and patted his shoulder slightly, setting Aodhán down. "Mamma needs a free hand sweetheart. Just let me work, Lùthais. I will get you three times what those skins are worth, and they will think they got the better of the deal. Follow me."
She started circling through the market, trading for money in most cases, but occasionally managing to get some sort of jarred or dried vegetable. Quickly realizing she needed a basket, this too joined her list of purchases. As she had said, usually she sold the skin for far more than it normally would have been sold, but there were several times when she gladly let the skin go for far less, usually to those she knew were as hard-pressed as she usually was. It took a few hours before she finished, though well within the limit Lùthais' curse set. Her basket was nearly overflowing, and she managed also to hand Lùthais a rather full purse.
Sheona looked at him smugly. "I told you I could get plenty. We could even buy some cloth for proper clothing if you wished. Leather and fur is nice, I suppose, but I miss linen."
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Conall
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Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 16, 2011 13:49:40 GMT -5
Lùthais followed Sheona through the marketplace, content to let her handle their wares while he watched and was impressed, or kept Aodhán from straying, or took in the colors and sounds of what was around them. He received as many curious sidelong glances as he did straightforward smiles; he was unsure of what the former were about. Were they merely put off by his odd pallor, or did they think that perhaps he and Sheona were together? It must have been no secret that Sheona's house had burned down and she was now living with someone else.
When Sheona turned to him a few hours later with a full basket and purse and a rather smug smile, he smiled in return. "Aye, you did say that. I think some linen would be a good thing to have, for more than just clothing. Injuries do happen, and it's useful for bandages."
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Korlian
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Post by Korlian on May 16, 2011 15:51:30 GMT -5
Sheona nodded agreement, then slipped back into the crowd. Returning a few minutes later, she gestured for him to follow her. "I managed to get a good sized bolt, but it is a little too large for me. As well as more thread, and a packet good needles. Your bone needles fracture so easily."
She smiled at him, ignoring the looks they were getting. Let the fools talk. It had been five years, and Cathal was not returning. If she had been so inclined, it was not inappropriate for her to have a new beau.
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Conall
Ireth ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 16, 2011 21:46:34 GMT -5
Lùthais waited patiently while Sheona vanished into the crowd again, and smiled as she returned with the fabric, thread and needles. He took the bolt of cloth from her, seeing that she was struggling with it on top of everything else she needed to carry, and followed contentedly as she led him away.
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Korlian
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Post by Korlian on May 16, 2011 22:51:43 GMT -5
- - -
They had to stop at one point for Lùthais to go hunting. Sheona was confused, especially with how emphatic, and quick, Lùthais had been about it, but thought better of asking. Whatever diet her hosts were on, she did not want to live on it herself. It provided plenty of meat at least, but to have to be that concerned about when one ate would be very irritating to her. And since she could not quite manage to carry everything, they simply had to wait.
Thankfully his trip was fairly quick... though why his hair was wet when the day was quite dry was beyond her. Wasn't it cold? "Did you... go fishing?" she asked with a chuckle as he came back.
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Conall
Ireth ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
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Post by Conall on May 16, 2011 22:59:20 GMT -5
Lùthais laughed and shook his head, pushing his damp hair back from his face as he spoke, then picking up what he had had to set down before his hunt. "No, I just tripped. Though fishing wouldn't have been a bad idea, now that you mention it... it would be a nice change from venison as our only meat. I'll talk to Conall once we're home and see what we can do."
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Korlian
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Post by Korlian on May 17, 2011 19:54:39 GMT -5
Sheona smiled at him, "That would be rather nice. Cathal liked to try, but he was not very good at actually catching fish. He did drown a fair number of worms, though."
Aodhán just looked up at them blankly. "Mamma, getting cold. Can we hurry?"
"Oh! Yes, Aodhán, I am sorry," Sheona flushed, picking up what she was carrying and getting them moving again. - - - They returned to the cabin with no other problems, save that Aodhán started complaining about half-way there that he was cold and tired and his legs hurt, and did not stop even after they got inside. Sheona was visibly frustrated, but managed not to snap at her son. After all, he was not really used to walking for so long, and not in the winter.
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Conall
Ireth ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 17, 2011 20:07:06 GMT -5
Conall poked his head out of his bedroom upon hearing the others returning, smiling over at them. "How did it go?"
"Quite well," Lùthais replied as he set down what he had been carrying and got Aodhán settled in a chair near the fireplace to warm up, wrapped in a fox-fur blanket. "We got a fair amount of gold and food alike from those skins, and some linen, needles and thread as well. All thanks to Sheona," he said with a smile in her direction.
Conall laughed as he came out into the main room to join them. "Not bad at all, and thanks indeed, Sheona."
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Korlian
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Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
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Post by Korlian on May 18, 2011 1:21:16 GMT -5
Sheona smiled at them both. "Oh, it was nothing. Your skins were of very high quality. They practically sold themselves."
She moved to sit beside her son, shivering slightly as well. "It is not as though we could weave the cloth ourselves. I think I might want to try to get some wool the next time we need to go to market, though."
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Conall
Ireth ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 23, 2011 22:58:37 GMT -5
Conall watched Sheona sit down next to her son in front of the fire, and moved to retrieve a wolfskin blanket from a cupboard, draping it over her shoulders and being careful not to let his cold skin touch her.
He stepped back and looked at Lùthais, who raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't I get a blanket too?"
Conall smirked and shook his head. "Get it yourself, lazy-legs."
Lùthais pulled a face of mock offense, then laughed as he stood up. "Fine, I will."
Conall was already taking up another blanket down from the cupboard where he had found the first one, and he grinned as he tossed it in Lùthais' direction. "Sit down. I was joking. You need rest as much as Sheona does."
Lùthais chuckled as he wrapped himself in the fur and settled down to warm up with the two humans. "Yes, mother."
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Korlian
Kitty Kat ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
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Post by Korlian on May 25, 2011 21:41:37 GMT -5
Sheona laughed softly, shifting the wolf-skin blanket to fit more around her shoulders. Moving Aodhán into her lap, Sheona curled up in the chair and started playing gently with her son's hair. Aodhán made a contented sound and leaned back against her chest, his eyes drifting closed.
Sheona smiled at him, still playing with his hair lightly.
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Conall
Ireth ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 25, 2011 22:14:01 GMT -5
Conall smiled as he watched Sheona and her son curled up by the fire, and couldn't help but think of Aerona and Eòran; the memory tugged painfully at his heart, and he turned away, his shoulders slumping as the cheer fled from his face. Everything seemed to remind him of what he had had and lost... he half-wished he could just let it go and forget it, and half-yearned to have it all back. The first was difficult; the second was impossible.
Although... He turned slowly back to watch Sheona again, not speaking, a smile slowly returning to his lips. He was not sure at all how she felt about him, but he knew that he had come to feel far more than base lust for her in the year or so that he had known her now. True, she was not Aerona, no matter how much she resembled his first wife... but he could love Sheona--truly love her--just as much as he had Aerona, given the chance to do so. Time would tell.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
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Post by Korlian on May 25, 2011 22:48:45 GMT -5
Sheona glanced up at him curiously, seeing only the smile. Her brows knit in confusion, and she tilted her head curiously at him. Her son just nestled a little closer to her and fell asleep with a soft sigh.
Sheona wrapped her arms around him and smiled softly, her attention pulled away from Conall. Resting her cheek on his fine hair, she just closed her eyes in contentment, the picture of a happy mother with her child, in one of the rare moments of peace that was to be had with a young boy.
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Conall
Ireth ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 25, 2011 23:05:17 GMT -5
Lùthais glanced over at Sheona and her son just in time to see Sheona look up at Conall, and followed her gaze to see Conall's quiet smile; there was something in it he wasn't sure he liked. Lùthais glanced away and decided against speaking, but he made a mental note to take Conall aside for a discussion in private once the two humans were asleep that night.
Conall noticed Sheona and then Lùthais looking at him, his smile never wavering, though he watched Lùthais in confusion long after his friend turned away. There had been something in Lùthais' look he didn't much like. Conall suppressed a sigh and looked away again, reminding himself to have a discussion with Lùthais tonight once Sheona and her son had gone to bed.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
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Post by Korlian on May 26, 2011 23:27:10 GMT -5
Sheona sighed slightly, still holding her sleeping son close. "I should probably get started on our dinner, now that we have vegetables."
Her expression turned into a bit of a pout, and she sighed again. "Ah well, I suppose I should know better than to hope peace will last with him."
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Conall
Ireth ![*](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/stars/star.png)
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on May 27, 2011 12:25:59 GMT -5
Conall nodded and laughed. "Aye, that's the way life is with young children. My younger son was still a babe when the elder was Aodhán's age, so we were always busy." He smiled. "Would you like us to help with dinner?"
"If anyone's going to help, let it be me," Lùthais spoke up with a laugh. "I've warned her about your cooking, Conall."
Conall pulled a look of mock annoyance. "At least let her say whether she wants help or not before you leap to the task."
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