Welcome Home [Mysa & Coci]

[Thurion Heavenshield]

He could tell there was no easy way of explaining their relation to each other. "No, she's far too clever for that," he thought to himself with a smile. Kära had always been the thoughtful one of the two while he was mostly goofing off in an effort to make her smile or laugh. Children should never be given cause to do anything but smile and be happy, but now as an adult he knew better than most that such was not always the case. "Of course you can stay," he answered her question with a caress of her pale cheek.

"The one who took care of you on Midvinter, Thrand - he's my father, Mysa, and Nina's grandfather," he explained. Better to tell her right away to leave her with as little doubt as possible. "Soon he will be given a grandson," he added with a gentle nod towards Coci in the kitchen. He allowed a moment of silence between the three of them sat in the chair to let Mysa adjust to her new situation a bit more. "Now, then - who's hungry? I know I am!"

Without much effort Thurion rose from his seat, a white-haired girl on each arm as he carried them off to join Coci at the dinner table. Once there he lowered the two girls onto their respective seats before taking the chance to give his wife a kiss and a pat on her large belly.

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"] | [member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

She pushed herself up off the chair, using the table for leavage as she heard Thurion speak of hunger. The food she had prepared ready and soon Coci had placed the vegetable salad and baked fowl on the table, carved and ready. An assortment of breads in a basket and blue milk and water placed in jugs graced the table. She knew the taste of her husband and Nina now, but Mysa is an unknown.

"If nothing here is to your liking Mysa I can prepare you something you do like", she said with a small smile. Mysa's appetite might have escaped her for now, in this situation of uncertainity but it would not be long before Thurion would have her feeling at ease and Coci would do her best to do the same. But time enough for that later, the little girl needed to adjust firstly take in her new environment, the house, the family and the landscape. To much really all at once.

"Do you have a favourite colour Mysa?, we might be able to find some nice things to put in your room in that colour if you wish it". She asked pouring some water in her glass.

 

[Lief]

Curious, there was a look in his eye that spoke of more than his words did. But Mysa knew better than to question her elders, and so she let the matter lie. Instead she managed a small smile to his offer of her staying, and glanced to Nina in an attempt to ascertain the girl's reaction to this. Mysa did not want to encroach on their family life, after all! "Thank you, Furry!" she muttered.

To the mention of Thrand, the young girl tipped her head a little to one side and pondered it for a moment. Yes, that did make sense. Why else would she be here now? "The King was very nice" she offered, with a soft nod to Nina, before gently lifting up the wooden figurine in her hand of Éar. "How did you make those pictures?" she then asked, very curious about the drawings Nina had made.

Finally she was lifted up and carried over into the kitchen, and her gaze ran over Coci - who seemed far more reserved than the others. Chewing her lip, Mysa worried about whether or not she approved of it all... And supposed she would find out soon enough.

But the woman seemed very welcoming; "I don't mind any food, thank you" she offered, knowing that she couldn't be picky with what she ate up until this point. Her Creator wouldn't have liked that, and as a guest on Midvinter she would never have presumed to ask for anything more than was being offered. That would be rude!

The concept of a favourite color confused the girl, and for a moment her brows furrowed together. Finally she shook her head. "No, ma'am, I don't... I don't know what you mean..."

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"] [member="Coci Heavenshield"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Although having some experience with parenting with Nina, Coci is a novice. But does anyone actually learn it? Not really. Is it innate? to a point. One could have much experience with children and still make mistakes, situations, experiences, attitudes can and will effect the way one interacts with children and inform upon them as they develop. A child, to Coci, is a being that is waiting to be filled with knowledge, not someone to talked down to or considered lesser simply because they have yet to be give the power of knowledge, but a sponge waiting and wanting to soak it all in. Mysa is not a toddler but a young girl who's education had been neglected it seemed. This hit her clearly with her absence of knowledge of colour.

How does one explain the concept of colour, that alone tricky enough but she would avoid the technicalities of it for now, since there is much debate about what is a colour and what is not. Scientists will give a theory opposed to artists of the spectrum and for this the theories are irrelevant.

But firstly Mysa should eat and be made to feel as welcome as possible and Coci hoped that one day Mysa would come to consider herself apart of this growing family, an equally important part as much as Nina and Théo are. Coci took up Mysa's plate and placed some of the meats on it, that she though Mysa might like with some salads and bread, before placing before her once more.

"Well ... colour is one of the ways we describe something", she picked up the jug of blue milk and poured Mysa a full glass, "This drink, I would say, is the colour blue, because it is the way it looks to my eyes in the glass", she placed the glass down next to Mysa's plate. "Your long beautiful hair I would describe as white in colour, which as you can see is not like mine, in fact quite the opposite, my hair is black". Coci stood up and moved close to Mysa, grabbed a hand full of her own hair to show Mysa more closer and for her to touch if she wished. "If you do the same, and place some of your hair next to mine, you will see the difference in how they look, mine is dark yours is light".

"There are many colours in our lives, these are just some of them". Coci looked over to Nina, the best person for the job of showing Mysa colour and how to use them, sat picking away at her food. "I hope that helps a little?".

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"] | [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

While helping Nina get sorted with her food, Thurion couldn't help but smile wide at Mysa's ever-growing desire for knowledge. It was obvious by now that she had not been schooled by anyone prior to coming to Midvinter, which undoubtedly was alarming on its own merits. At least now they had a chance to do something about her lack of education. Her cautious behaviour was very much akin to Kära's, and even Nina's when they first met. Seems like his life's work was to look after stray Vi'dreyas. He could think of worse legacies to be associated with.

"Nina spends a lot of her days drawing and painting, Mysa. She can't speak properly, you see, so by making these lovely drawings she's able to convey whatever emotion she's experiencing at that exact moment." He took a moment to stroke Nina's white hair, identical to Mysa's. "I'm sure she's willing to teach you some day." Nina looked up from her plate and nodded with a smile on her face towards Mysa. It was then that both she and her father reached for their glasses and happily gulped down their blue milk. When their glasses were empty, both emerged with a blue moustache each. Without realising it they both wiped it from their lips using the back of their hands.

[member="Coci Heavenshield"] | [member="Mysa Snowstrider"]​

 

[Lief]

Looking between the pair of them, her new Guardians, Mysa did her best to focus in on understanding the concepts brought forward. At the same time she ate what she had been provided with and found the flavours wonderfully different than anything she had ever had before.

Her Creator had kept her on a very rationed diet, as though she was a soldier or something of the like. Midvinter had been a very meat-based diet, one which had been considerably rich on her pallet to begin with. This was a lovely medium, however, and she appreciated it more than she knew how to express.

Nodding her head some to the different colors she was being introduced to, Mysa turned her gaze around before settling her attention to one of the many vegetables on the table. It was a lush yellow color, of course Mysa didn't know how to say as much, and so she pointed to it instead. "I like the way that looks!" she let the woman know. It was bright, like the sun cascading across the ice on Midvinter!

"I'd like to learn, Furry!" She let him know, with a small smile directed towards Nina. That was why she had been so quiet? She didn't like to, or know how to, talk? That was interesting indeed! "Doesn't she like to talk?" she asked, chewing on her lip thoughtfully.

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Mysa Snowstrider"] | [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]​

​

"Yellow", Coci said as she noticed the vegetable Mysa took a liking too, "It tastes as good as it looks as well". She put some on her plate for her to try. Placing her hands on the table top, Coci pushed up to stand straight and arched her back before she took her seat once more. Her lower back suffering under the weight of the child but it would be over soon, Théo would arrive.


From her position, Coci watch both Nina and Thurion with a smile, blue milk their only choice of drink except for the occasional drink of water. Thurion was best to explain why Nina did not speak. So Coci decided to begin her lunch, only taking salad, meat sat too heavy these days.

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

"Oh, she talks all the time," he said before pulling Nina close to him and kissing her white hair. "Words are not the only form of communication, Mysa. I've known Nina long enough to know her thoughts just by studying her body language; the way she stands, the expression on her face, what her hands are doing." Nina smiled and moved to sit in her father's lap, arms around his neck.

"Right now she's telling me she's happy I'm home", he chuckled and rested his chin atop her head as the two embraced each other. "Nowadays she can understand Basic well enough to not require any aid, but after bumping into each other years ago she had only ever lived on Umbara. We could only speak via telepathy, so we developed a sort of sign language together." While he spoke, Nina let go of him only to show appreciation by caressing his bearded cheeks.

 

[Lief]

The little girl frowned in thought, before muttering a repeated "Yellow" under her breath, the word sounding jarred and disjointed as it passed her unlearned lips. When the bright vegetables were placed upon her plate the young girl peered around the table, wanting so badly to try it yet nervous of eating in their view. Was she allowed to try them?

Suddenly Furry was talking, so she turned her gaze to him and Nina in great interest of what he had to say. The fact that the pair were so close was foreign to her, the only person she had ever been remotely close to was Thrand, and even then she had kept a respectful distance from the man. Her Creator had been very sterile and to the point, while the scientists... Well, that was best left in the past.

"Does she mind.. me being here?"

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"] [member="Coci Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

It was impossible to not notice the girl's fascination with the yellow vegetables, and so Thurion narrowed his gaze on one of them, causing it to tip off her plate and somehow find the palm of her hand. "Go ahead, Mysa. No need to say grace in this house," he beamed a smile. While she carefully chomped down the yellow in her hand, he put Nina back in her seat so that she too could eat. "No-one will ever force you to do anything while staying here, Mysa. All we ask is that you don't stray too far from the house if you wish to explore the outdoors. The jungles can be very dangerous if one does not know their way around, especially for a little girl. Sound okay?" He pushed the bowl containing more of the yellow vegetables closer to her should she wish for seconds.

When Mysa then asked whether Nina approved of her being there, Thurion was about to answer but didn't when Nina herself placed her small hand on his to voice her opinion. "She says: Please stay?" Nina then smiled at her "sister" before resuming her meal.

[member="Snowflake"] | [member="Coci Heavenshield"]​

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"] [member="Snowflake"]​

​

She smiled as she listened to the conversation, "I would like you to stay as well Mysa", she voiced softly. But a small wince crossed Coci's face, the baby in her belly moving vigorously more than ever determined to enter the world.

"Excuse me, but I need to stand", Coci lifted herself up using the table as leverage. The upright position eased the pain somewhat, and a small walk around the room aided more so. But she would have to leave them all to tidy the kitchen after the meal.

"I think I will go and see to organising a bed for Mysa".

Coci rested her hand on Thurion's shoulder before she left and began a slow journey up the stairs. For the last few weeks for convenience, Coci had remained down stairs to sleep, finding the stairs very hard to negotiate now heavy with child. But she reached the top and hesitated for a moment to gather her breath before entering Nina's bed room. There she found what she sort, the crib that Thurion had made for Théo, still positioned by the wall. For a moment, Coci allowed her hand to glide across the material that lined the crib, her smile beaming knowing that the crib would not be empty much longer.

To heavy for her to lift physically, Coci used the force to move the crib to the master bedroom. Once in place by the wall, Coci sat on the end of their bed to rest.

 

[Lief]

She peered curiously around the table as each spoke of their assurance that she could stay. Twiddling her thumbs a little she pondered on it for a moment, before glancing to the yellow vegetables which had been placed upon her plate. She was about to pick one up when instead it landed in her hand, much to the child's surprise. Her eyes widened, and she immediately looked to Thurion - feeling the source of its motion come from him, even with her lack of Force Understanding.

Lifting it up she took a small bite, allowing the taste to settle for a moment. A smile graced her expression, as she carefully chomped down the rest. It tasted as good as it looked. Feeling a little safer in their company at this point, Mysa began to try some of the other foods on the plate - other vegetables, and even some meat which reminded her sorely of being back on Midvinter. She missed Thrand and the others. "I won't run off" she whispered quietly, after all there was nowhere for her to go anyway. Under the table, her free hand remained clutched around Éar. She allowed him to prance upon the edge of her knee, biting back a small laugh as a tickling sensation spread down her leg.

"Thank you..." It had taken her a while to learn social graces such as her please and thank you's, the Valkyri had helped in that regard, yet this was the first time she had uttered those words and meant it.

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"] [member="Coci Heavenshield"]