Leaving Home [Thurion]

[Coci Heavenshield]

She smirked as he spoke teasing her, bumping into his side gently as they walked home along the path. Thora had drifted off to sleep again, no doubt tired from their day out and Coci would start preparations for dinner once they had all settled in. She was tired too, from a long day at the Fortress and looked forward to resting after they all had eaten and Thora put to bed for the night. From what she was told, the little one is an early riser which reminded her of all their children who had greeted the morning birds and disturbed their parents slumber.

Yet, as Thurion continued speaking, remembering their days as parents, she blushed with the idea that he wanted for another one. Even if only in wishful thinking, it was not as if they were to old that was not the issue but she had to agree that life in the galaxy was hard enough and they constantly worried for the children they already have, even though they are fast growing into full adulthood. Nina was independent and living her life the way she wished, Théo more settled and grounded in the Northmark with his young family, and Thirdas would grow restless soon enough. He was like his mother and that part of him that is strong in Corellian blood would soon want for an answer to wanderlust.

"Actually, we are not too old for another one", she smiled at the very idea, now that he had put the thought in her mind. "We would be older parents yes, but it is not unusual by any means". But this was something they would need to think on some more, the unconditional love a parent and child have for each other was very appealing to her but lets see how they think when morning comes. It is easy to forget the hardship raising a child involves among all the joy.

Coci kissed Thurion on the lips, nuzzling his nose as he apologies for being grim. "Your worries are valid my love, but there is never certainty in this world or beyond it. Anything could happen to any one of our family, at any time", she pushed off the floor and brushed herself off. "I had better prepare dinner before Thora wakes, she will be hungry".

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Her words were a comfort for him, just as they had always been throughout their years together. He decided for himself that whatever happens, happens; he would leave it for the Gods to decide whether they have another child. As Coci got back on her feet Thurion reached for her hand, keeping her close for just a while longer as he looked up at her with the purest adoration, and a tender smile found his lips. "What would I do without my Coci?" he whispered and placed a kiss upon her hand, before letting her go and head off into the kitchen. He would remain by the fireplace for the time being, huddling up like a child with his arms wrapped around his knees pressed to his chest, resting his chin on top of it all while gazing into the fire. They would always remind him of that fateful day which changed his life forever, as well as that of his brother. It was when he was truly born into the man he was today.

It would seem Thora and he took after one another in more ways than being blood related, what with him having another nap in the comfort of the fireplace and would only wake up from the sound of Coci setting the table. This time he snapped awake, feeling fully rested compared to the one in the eyrie, and was up and about within seconds of waking up. No doubt his wife would have taken notice of his impromptu nap, and so he approached her from behind feeling a little awkward. He put his arms around her front and rested his chin upon her shoulder, nuzzling into her cheek. "Smells delicious," he told her, leaving it a mystery whether he was complimenting her cooking or her own scent. "I don't know why, I've been just exhausted all day. Guess I didn't sleep very well last night. Good thing there wasn't any work to be done today." At any moment someone could approached him with a problem in need of being solved, so he guessed he shouldn't count his blessings just yet.

As Coci turned her head he placed his lips upon hers for another tender kiss. "I'll let you finish up here while I go fetch the little lady," he gave her squeeze before heading upstairs, trying not to make too much noise in case Thora was still asleep. Carefully their bedroom door slid open, with Thurion poking his head through the crack, only to find the tiny bump under the covers had disappeared. "Is there a small girl in here somewhere? 'Cause if so, there's a real yummy dinner in need of eatin' downstairs..." His eyes scanned the room, amused at the idea of her playing hide and seek with him.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thora Heavenshield]

Her hungry tummy did not allow her to sleep very long, and besides she was in a room that she had never seen before or explored. The big bed was messed up as Thora bounced on it while looking around the room for the next thing she would take a look at. There had been nothing in the draws of the cupboards that was interesting to play with, just some items that belonged to either gandpapa or gandmama although gandpapa had a stash of sweeties hidden behind some books which Thora decided to try and discarded the wrappers to the floor.

One last bounce on the bed letting her bottom fall before she scrambled off and headed to the door of a very big cupboard. Thora only just managed to reach the handle to open it and discovered inside all manner of things, cloths and shoes mostly and small boxes to high up for her to reach and naturally they were the things she wanted the most. What was in them?!?

She slipped her small feet into a pair of gandmama's shoes, they were pretty and way to big for her but Thora did not care because they made her tall like a grownup, she reached for one of gandmama's sparkly tops and pulled it down. It was blue and shinny and Thora just had to wear it! But before she could take a look at herself in the long mirror, she sensed that gandpapario was coming up the stairs, she did not know how or why she could tell, but she did and she smiled.

It was too late to find a great hiding place so she decided to stay in the cupboard and hide behind the long hanging clothes of gandpapa, some old robe of some kind that had seen better days, it had a big thick leather belt attached to it and lots of folds to get lost in. It would do perfectly. Although the only thing that could be seen of her was her little legs sticking out the bottom of it with the high heels on. But he will not notice, this was a very good hiding place.

Thora waited quietly, she did not dare breath or else she would give away her position.

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

No answer came in the form of a child's voice, and so the game was on! His eyes scanned the room, even though one was of no use to him in doing so; his first instinct was to check behind the bedroom door he'd just opened. "Eenie," he said aloud, as next he looked under the bed. "Meenie." It wouldn't be fair were he to use the Force to locate her; that's not how the game is played, after all! "Miney," he checked behind the armchair by the window, inching closer to the one place he hadn't checked. The wardrobe in the corner looking so very innocent, surely it wasn't hiding anything, or anyone?

Slowly the handle came down and the door creaked open, and through the crack Thurion could already see the pair of little legs poking out from the bottom of his worn Jedi robes. "Moe," he grinned and carefully stuck a hand into the fold of his robes, until suddenly he felt the warmth of a tiny being strangely coming from an old, lifeless wardrobe. Without saying anything he just felt his way up the source of heat until he cupped her round cheek, giving her a caress of his thumb before finally he parted the folds of fabrics and laid eyes on Thora. "Ah, there she is! I thought I would never see Thora again, I got so scared."

He got down on his knees and gently pulled her in for a warm embrace, then rubbed his nose against hers. "And don't you look beautiful! Although those look a tiny bit too big for you, I'm sad to admit," he pointed down at her high heels, followed by a tug of her blue top. "Come here, you." He lifted her up and out of the closet, letting her oversized shoes to fall to the floor as they may and putting her down on the bed to remove the sparkly top. "Can't let you get Grandmama's clothes get all messy from dinner, can we?" It would seem Thora was in need of some new clothes, he made a mental note for future gifts.

Thurion leaned down to place a kiss upon her forehead, then gave her already mess of hair a ruffle before lifting her back up to head downstairs. He stopped just before the first step and sat down with her in his lap, only to slide down them one by one. It made an awful ruckus, his heavy frame bouncing down the steps and the wood creaked each time, but the laughs it brought his grandchild was worth every aching of his bum. By the final step he pretended to lose control and they fell in a heap on the ground amongst the soft furs, giggling like a school boy.

"Hey, Mama," he waved at Coci over by the dinner table. "What's for dinner?"

[member="Thora Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thora Heavenshield]

It was very difficult not to give the game way so Thora covered her mouth with a small hand to try and stop herself from giggling. When the cupboard door opened she moved slightly to push herself against the back wall but in moments she could see him through the folds standing in front of her and he reached out into them and found Thora's leg. When his hand touched her cheek, she giggled knowing the game was up and to gain some more fun she launched out of the robes into his arms and they embraced. Thora loves her gandpapa, he is fun and silly.

She jumped some more on the bed as he tried to get her out of gandmama's top, but it was time to eat she was so so hungry and the food smelled great. The trip down stairs was loud and she enjoyed every moment of it, and Thora had to wonder how gandpapario did not break each and every step with his bum. "Do again?", she asked him with excitement as they tumbled on the floor among the fur. Although gandpapa's bum might not be able to stand up to another trip.

Gandmama watched them both shaking her head at their silliness with a smile as she placed plates of food on the table. "Come on you two go wash your hands for dinner", she told them, although gandmama was lovely and Thora loved her too, she was like mama and had rules to follow and washing hands and stuff was one of them.
Thurion, who would be expecting his favourite meal, would be disappointed with her choice but Thora's favourite meal was shepard's pie which now sat awaiting them both in the middle of the table. "Can you guess Thora?", gandmama turned to answer over to her. And with the smell Thora jumped up as her tummy rumbled more, "pie pie", she knew she was right!

Thora grabbed gandpapa's hand and tried to pull him off the ground, with all her might she struggled but he would move but a little. Thora was happy enough to go wash her hands if there was pie to eat. Gandpapa was so slow though.

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Already the smell gave away what it was, and it certainly wasn't poultry! But Thora seemed happy enough so he was fine with it, for her sake. He knew his wife's cooking was always terrific, and could pretty much turn anything into something he'd be willing to put in his mouth. If only they had access to a nanowave oven, then he could truly show them his skills at cooking! Then again, he'd probably find fastfood rather lackluster having been fed proper food for so many years. After all, he wasn't a youthful 20-year-old anymore, able to sate his hunger with whatever he could find with minimal effort.

With Thora's almighty help he got back on his feet, though with some small effort on his part, he plucked her off the ground and hooked her under one arm, whisking her away towards the bathroom. There they found a foot stool waiting for her so she may reach the sink properly. "Here we are," he set her feet down on the stool while staying behind her to help with the washing. His large hands cupped her tiny ones inside of his palms, giving them both a wash in the warm water along with a brick of soap. Thurion's whole focus was on the little girl, looking at her joyful face in the mirror so fascinated by everything life had to offer. He couldn't help but lean down and place a kiss in her mop of hair.

"Right, that's clean enough for the likes of us," he grinned and grabbed towel to dry their hands with. All the while he looked down into her blue eyes, passed down from her great grandfather and likely beyond. He held up his palm towards her, and as she proceeded to press her own against his the difference in size was overwhelming, and yet they were the same. Perhaps even more so than for Thora, it fascinated Thurion how something so small could become so big. He'd had the same feeling with Thora's father when he was her age, and back then it just seemed utterly incomprehensible.

Placing another quick kiss upon her button nose they returned to the dinner table where Coci awaited them, having already carved out pieces of pie and placed upon their plates. "Here, show Grandmama your hands," he presented his hands, back and palm, for her approval. Granted, it wasn't a daily custom that they do this before dinner, but rather a fun thing to do now that Thora was staying with them. Thurion gave Coci a wink before lifting Thora up into the air to sit her down in her seat. "Don't forget your bib," he put the colourful piece of plastic around her neck, letting it hand down her chest. "I've seen the way you eat, remember."

[member="Thora Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thora Heavenshield]

Gandpapario was not aware of the game, not where water was concerned, she tried her best to splash it in the bowl but all her wanted to do was wash hands with some slimy stuff that mama uses too although it was fun to squeeze out of shape and felt nice between your fingers. Thora looked up into her gandpapa's eyes as he kissed the top of her head and she smiled but the game was over before it began but .. dinner was smelling good. She was having so much fun here with her gandparents she wanted to stay longer.. for now. The test will come later tonight when the lights go out and she will miss her mama and papa.

She ran to the table and tried to pull out her chair, gandpapario helped before he sat down. Without any more encouragement she show gandmama her hands just like he did and hoped they would pass the test, which by her smile roll of her eyes toward gandpapa, they did. Eagerly she watched her helping pile on her plate and as soon as it was placed in front of her, she dug in so very hungry from the day out.

The bib did very little in helping keep her clean, chunks of mash potatoe on his cheeks and she looked at gandpapa with a grin, the likes of which were a mirror of her papa when he was that age. "Yummy", she said before spooning in another mouthful which was hit and miss on landing it's mark. Gandmama watched her too, she was smiling and giggling and neither of them seemed to be worried by her lack of manners but enjoyed the fact she was a good eater.

"She takes after you", gandmama said to gandpapa, the fact was Thora took after Théo who took after her gandpapa, the trait handed down from Heavenshield to Heavenshield from many generations.


And she sealed the inheritance with a loud burp to which Thora laughed.

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

While plenty hungry himself, Thurion was far more reserved in delighting in the shepard's pie than his beloved granddaughter, poking at it with his fork and taking it one bite at a time. He was very set in his ways when it came to food and even though it was very much edible thanks to his wife's cooking he could never fully trust it. At least with a large piece of meat he knew what he was getting, but pie? Who knows what lies hidden within! Still, he got through it bit by bit until his plate sat empty on the table, and in vain tried to wipe Thora's cheeks clean only for her to rectify his attempt moments later. "At least your floor remains unharmed," he whispered to Coci across the table. It didn't take long for a chunk of mashed potatoes to plop on said floor. "Ah... Should've knocked on wood."

Once there was no more pie for Thora to consume they would spend more time playing, now that she'd regained much of her energy while poor Thurion did his best to keep up, culminating with a visit to the attic to retrieve a box of old clothes. They gathered by the fireplace where he unpacked to reveal a whole host of pretty dresses. "These belonged to Auntie Nina, a long time ago." Another she had likely yet to meet, although technically they already had. "She grew out of them of course, but I never had the heart to throw them away. I think she would like you to have them." Inevitably his gaze was drawn to Coci. The unspoken, original intent was to save them in the event that they have another daughter, but this served much the same purpose. "You may pick any you like," he gladly informed her.

Hours went by as she went through and tried out each and every dress, some of which were still a bit too big for her but would likely fit in another year or so. Thurion and Coci lay huddled together in front of the fireplace while their granddaughter finally started to wind down in time for bed, nestled between the two. The gentle purring of the brother-kitties alerted them of their presence, followed by the pair nuzzling up against all three of them. "She is her father's daughter," he spoke for Coci's ears only, fingers gently playing in Thora's hair. "Albeit with a tad more fashion sense," he added with a smirk. His eyes found those of his wife as he inched closer to her, just enough to place his lips upon hers.

[member="Thora Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

She had to admit that all this sitting by the fire with a beautiful child between them, had made Coci clucky just as it had done to Thurion. Thora was their son's daughter every inch of him but the hair was touched by fire just like her mother, not as bright but within the small girl was that temperament. She was a good blend between the two. Thora and Thurion had had a long and exciting day together which Coci envied but there would be time later for her to spend with her granddaughter but now they must get her to bed.

Coci nuzzled her nose against his, before returning his kiss with love from her heart which never over all the years they have been married, waned for him. "You must be exhausted", she said softly so not to wake Thora, and she could see the fatigue in his eyes. Standing, Coci gathered all the dresses that Thora had chosen to take with her and folded them in a neat pile on the sofa, ready to pack for her come the morning. She picked up a discarded teddy off the floor to take up stairs once Thurion had Thora in his arms.

Scooping up the two cats, she placed them on their beds in the corner of the room by the hearth which they soon curled up and went back to sleep in a ball of fur. "Théo and Ylva will be anxious for Thora tomorrow, so we best get some sleep before we have to take her back to them", she smiled and she had to admit this was the best part of being a grandparent. You could hand them back. Although by the look in Thurion's eyes, he might not agree.

It would be a slow journey up the stairs, Thurion careful not to wake the sleeping child and by the time Coci reached the upper landing, she too looked forward to bed. The best part of this evening was that Coci knew there was no work tomorrow and could sleep in a little bit before they would travel to the Northmark.

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[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Thora had dozed off by the time the two exchanged words, which made it a fitting time to put the little girl to bed properly. Though he dreaded the coming morning, for little ones were so often keen on early mornings, it was a sacrifice he would gladly make to spend more time with his only grandchild returning her to their son. "I'm not so sure I will be able to give her up," he jokingly whispered, though there was some truth behind his words; his ability to effortlessly bond with children, further enhanced by Thora being of his blood, made the thought of giving her up that much more difficult. Of course, he knew they would see each other again and he would never do such a cruel thing to any parent, his own son least of all.

Very gently and carefully did Thurion place Thora in his arms before rising to his feet, feeling some weariness to his bones as he did. While not particularly old just yet - certainly not by full-blooded Valkyri standards - he could not help but feel the march of time affect him more and more each year. A steady decline, assuming physical form in more gray in his hair and beard each time he looked himself in the mirror. No longer did he resemble the "Golden Lion" his people had dubbed him. Now he was just the Old Lion.

Whenever he'd turn to look at his wife, however, she still appeared just as young and beautiful as ever. He didn't see the greying highlights in her raven hair or the wrinkles on her face, but rather the person she'd always been, and always would be in his eyes. For a long time now he had been seen as a source of hope and inspiration for his people, but for himself it was his own family which brought hope.

Tucking Thora into their wide bed, Thurion began to undress along with his wife, always mindful of keeping quiet. Once they were ready they too slipped into bed on either side of their granddaughter. "My beautiful girls," he whispered, smiling as Thora in her sleep grasped his finger as toddlers do. Then his gaze lifted to Coci by his side and his smile widened, even as a lone tear traveled down his cheek into his beard. "My lifetime love." And the two kissed straight from the heart before finding comfort in each other's arms.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"]​