The dorm grounds: Sunday afternoon

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"I like it up here," Valerie said. "You can see almost all the way to the ocean."

"You can," Karal agreed, watching her anxiously. "Don't let go of the branch." They'd been on their way back from the stables when Valerie had stopped, looked up, and decided they were going to climb the tree.

Karal had intended to tell her no, to explain that it wasn't safe to climb trees, and that it was drizzling, and they really should get inside. He got one word out before she turned big eyes on him, and next thing he knew he was lifting her up to the bottom branch and scrambling up after her.

Altra, openly snickering, gracefully leapt up after him, and was perched on Valerie's other side.

"How long do you want to stay up here?" Karal asked her, peering down at the ground and wondering if Evey was going to kill him.

"Until I'm ready to get down!" she proclaimed, happily petting Altra, and Karal sighed, knowing he was completely unable to resist her and finding it very difficult to mind.

Comments

[ourmissreynolds.livejournal.com]

A now much cleaner Hoban was skipping ahead of her mother, then tilting her head when she saw something odd. "Mama? How come River and Aunt Zoe didn't tell me the trees in Fandom had feet?"

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Because they don't," she responded, stopping next to her daughter, glancing up into the branches. "Hello? Who's up there?"

[verrahsolemn.livejournal.com]

"We're up here." Valerie peered down at them. "They're not the trees feet, they're my feet. And daddy's feet. Trees don't have feet, they have roots."

[ourmissreynolds.livejournal.com]

"Trees from other planets could maybe have feet," Hoban argued with her father's version of logic. "This is another planet, so, feet."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

More reasonably, Inara called up, "Who's Daddy? And who are you, sweetie?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Daddy would be me," Karal called down. "Hello, Inara. Valerie, that's my friend, Inara, and," he smiled a little, "I see you have one, as well. Is that Anya?"

[verrahsolemn.livejournal.com]

Valerie leaned against Karal as she shyly studied the other little girl. "'lo, Inara."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"I have two, actually," Inara waved up at Karal and sighed wistfully for the days when she could climb trees with impunity. "And I see you spoke to Gavin."

"Hello, Valerie," she greeted the girl.

[ourmissreynolds.livejournal.com]

"I'm Hoban!" She piped up, waving at Karal and Valerie. "I want to climb too!"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"Hello, Hoban," Karal said, moving down to the bottom branch, bracing himself, then lifting Valerie down as well.

She made a face at him and he tweaked her nose, making her giggle. "You can climb," she told Hoban. "But only if your mommy says you can."

He rubbed his temple. "We apparently spend a great deal of time making sure we know where she is. And I did speak to Gavin. We, umm, had a small surprise of our own."

[ourmissreynolds.livejournal.com]

"I don't know how," she explained, looking upwards.

[verrahsolemn.livejournal.com]

"Daddy can help you. He can lift you up." She pushed at his shoulder. "Go help her daddy."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal slithered down, not exactly comfortable in a tree, and landed with a thump. "Her mother still has to say it's all right, though."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Her mother says it's fine," Inara said, giving in easily to Hoban's pleading look and laughing when she heard the exuberant cheer and saw her daughter run over to stand directly in front of Karal.

[ourmissreynolds.livejournal.com]

"Up, please!" Hoban beamed up at Karal.

[weespacegirl.livejournal.com]

Anya had gotten a little distracted on the walk to the park--it looked so different from what she was used to on Tatooine.

"Hello," she greeted everyone (except Hoban, who she was ignoring) shyly. "May I climb too?"

Not that she was competitive, or anything, but she wanted to make sure Mommy liked her best.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal scooped Hoban up, settling her on the branch, then considered the new child. She looked like Inara. "Anya?" he ventured, glancing at Inara.

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Anya," she confirmed with a nod, "and yes, you may climb as well, but be careful."

She wasn't sure how many trees there were on Tatooine, after all.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal carefully lifted her up and set her on the other side of the trunk from Valeria and Hoban. "There, now everyone, be careful. No one is allowed to fall out."

Valerie just giggled at him. "You always say that."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara glanced up at the girls. Anya seemed to be sitting quietly and looking up at the tree and leaves and animals and out at the view, but Hoban was already trying to hang upside down by her knees.

She sighed and hoped the clinic would be open later. "How are you finding fatherhood?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Valerie put her feet on his shoulder and her little hands on his head and watched Inara solemnly.

"I rather like it," he admitted. "I've always wanted children. Never so soon, but," he smiled up at Valerie who smiled back, "this is like a gift."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara winked at Valerie.

"It is a bit of a surprise," she admitted, smiling up at the girls. "But seeing what might be is rather fun." Even if Hoban's entire existence made her wonder about head injuries and medical facilities.

[verrahsolemn.livejournal.com]

Valerie winked back, even if it was more of a blink, and giggled.

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal tilted his head back and tweaked her nose, and she batted at his hands.

"It is, even if I'm not sure how Gavin and I..." He trailed off, conscious of little ears, and finished, "He's clearly adopted."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Inara snickered at Valeria and Karal. She couldn't help it. "Why clearly? You don't know what kind of reproductive technologies are in place in the future, do you?"