Fourth Floor Common Room; Saturday Morning [04/13].

[in_sidon_we_trust]

The weather today looked a little cloudy but warm, and Sidon was contemplating going out to enjoy it when he went into the common room to grab something to eat before he did. And it was there that he happened upon a curious looking hatchling that almost appeared to be Zora, except he was clearly also very much not. Whatever he was, though, he had situated himself in front of the coffee table in front of a large plate of frozen fishstick, surrounded by every single bottle of hot sauce that Sidon could only assume had been previously in the refrigerator. The little one looked very intently down at the plate for a moment before grabbing a bottle, turning it over, and very liberally adding it to the food before taking a bite, humming thoughtfully as he chewed, and then shrugging and going to add more from another bottle.

Until he noticed Sidon standing there, anyway, at which point he turned his head, blinked, and then let out a laugh. "Oh, hello, Father!" he said. "You've shrunk!"

Sidon blinked, realized he'd heard that exact same sentiment from a small blue Zora that bore an eerie resemblance to his sister about a year ago. And now he was hearing it from a small blue not-quite-Zora, with headfins that didn't quite seem like headfins, but now, as he got a closer look at them, certainly did seem to resemble lekku, questing through hot sauces diligently despite none of them seeming to be nearly hot enough.

Sidon was capable of some rather large grins, but it would be difficult to beat the one that spread on his face just then. "Marvelous!" he said, and then he laughed. "But I assure you, little one, it is not I who have shrunk, but rather you who have found yourself a bit back in time. Allow me to join your repast; I have a plethora of questions that I must ask of you, and then we shall go and find your mother. I'm sure she will be absolutely delighted to meet you!"

....delighted might...not exactly be the word, there, Sidon.

But they'd clearly cross that bridge when they came to it.

[[ open common room is so, so, so open! ]]

Comments

[chirpchirpchirp]

First rule of stealing breakfast from a common room? Never steal breakfast from your own common room. People would totally be able to figure it out if you did. And that was why Vette was being ever-so-sneaky, making her way up two floors to see what she could plunder from the fourth this morning.

And okay, maybe she was also hoping a certain somebody would be up looking for breakfast himself. Last night had been pretty great, shadowy corners, glittery weapons and all, and you had better believe she was totally still carrying a bedazzled crossbow (it was almost like a bowcaster!) around with her this morning. So she was grinning broadly as she spotted the familiar (very familiar) large red figure from the doorway.

"Hey, handsome," she greeted, saluting with that sparkly crossbow and a grin. "Funny seeing you here."

Give her a minute. She'd notice the other person in the room eventually.

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

Well, it would certainly help if the other person in the room brought attention to himself in this case, now, wouldn't it? Because Nok'talis looked up from his plate of fishsticks-hidden-underneath-hot-sauce, immediately brightened again, and laughed.

"Look, Father!" he announced, in case Sidon hadn't noticed. "It appears as though we may not have to go find her at all!" Beaming, he waved a little blue hand at her. "Hello, Mother. Father was just telling me about how I've wound up on Earth where you two met!"

Something Sidon....might be needing to explain to Vette next, really.

[chirpchirpchirp]

Yup.

Yup, probably.

"I don't remember this."

This being the making of a small child who was calling her Mother? What? They had only been canoodling! HOW DID ZORA WORK?

[in_sidon_we_trust]

Not like that I'm pretty sure anyway!

Sidon couldn't help chuckling a little, though he might have felt a little bad about it because this was very understandably throwing Vette through a loop. And, in fact, he'd have probably reacted very similarly himself if he hadn't met Atla last year; the fact that he had actually only made this all the more incredible to him.

Of course, this was probably a conversation they wouldn't normally be having for quite some time now, but this place did seem to have a fondness for pushing one's hand, didn't it?

"Vette," he said, and, even in the seriousness of the matter, he couldn't completely irradicate his grin, "you're very familiar with this place's particularly strange quirks by now, I'm sure. Well, one of them happens to be the arrival of children from the future. So, may I have the prestigious honor of introducing you to Prince Nok'talis. Our son.

"...from the future," he added, after a pause. It felt like it softened the blow at least a little, once he sort of laid it out and said it outloud like that. Even if he was clearly of the mind that this was the most fantastic thing to ever happen.

And Nok'talis, for his part, stood up, placed a hand to his chest, and offered a bow quite fitting for when one was introduced to a queen, even if that queen was his mother well before she actually was queen.

[chirpchirpchirp]

QUEEN VETTE'S BRAIN WAS HAVING NONE OF THIS.

In fact, it had well and truly checked out somewhere around 'children from the future' and 'our son,' and was off picking Tarisian roses in some rakghoul-infested swamp somewhere while the rest of her stood there, absolutely agape.

"... Hi?"

There was a long pause, a few beats longer than was possibly comfortable, before she added, "Um."

Because sometimes, eloquence was not her friend.

"Hi!"

Clearly.

"... Sidon? We're gonna have a time-travelling son?"

[in_sidon_we_trust]

"Errr." For all of your lack of brain and eloquence, Vette, that was actually a very good question. "I...If I'm not mistaken, I don't belive this is something he does often. But I suppose I should ask the young lad himself. Do you typically travel through time, Nok'talis?"

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

And Nok'talis shook his head, his hybrid headfin-lekku swaying around his face as he did. "Hardly at all," he said. "There was just a portal, which we do take occasionally to various spots around the multiverse, but this is the first time I can recall it ever taking me back in time."

But as he realized what he'd said, he sort of sheepishly smiled, shrinking into his shoulders a little. "I know I'm not supposed to go through portals all by myself, Mother, Father. But I just couldn't help being ever so curious about what might be on the other side."

He'd been hoping for a grand adventure, or maybe somewhere with treasure. So far, he wasn't getting much of either of those, but this still was all very interesting.

[chirpchirpchirp]

"Okay."

Okay!

Okay?

"I need to sit down now."

Right here on the floor would do nicely! Vette was going to just do that, and kind of continue staring at Nok'talis - Nok'talis - in quiet shock. That kid right there was definitely the sum of their parts. Look! He had a nose! And a headtail and stubby... sort of lekku? Why in the world hadn't she put her son into pants? Because he was half Zora, obviously, and pants would slow down attempts to swim, and they had a son.

Would have a son?

There was a son they were going to have.

[usual_suspects]

Marshan had gone looking for her mom, but mother's Force signature said she was sleeping, and there were people awake up here, so she decided to head on up.

Then peeked into the room and shrieked in joy. "Auntie Vette!"

Little Chiss-looking girl, incoming!

[chirpchirpchirp]

"Wait what-- HI!"

Vette had no idea who this little Chiss-looking girl was, but she was being called an Auntie and she was being tackled, so she was going to roll with it. Especially since Nok'talis had already broken her brain once, and she'd done the requisite mental gymnastics to adjust to the whole idea.

"Wait, you aren't Tivva's, are you?"

Legit concern, here. She didn't look like she had any Twi'lek in her, but heck, it was difficult to tell sometimes.

[usual_suspects]

She looked at Vette curiously. "Who's Tivva?"

[chirpchirpchirp]

Nope, apparently not. There went that hope, with a little sinking feeling in Vette's chest.

"She's nobody," she replied, shaking her head a little. "So, who are you here to visit, kiddo?"

[usual_suspects]

"Mom, but she's asleep," Marshan said. "Can I visit you until she wakes up?"

[chirpchirpchirp]

Well, wasn't 'Mom' in for a surprise?

"Sure," Vette replied, smiling faintly. "Why not? Nok'talis here was just having some fish sticks and hot sauce, if you're hungry."

A pause.

"We can heat the fish up for you if you want."

Or did Chiss eat their food cold? She had no idea if Chiss ate their food cold. They were from an ice planet, what if they just ate ice or something? Oh no.

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

The girl's clear excitement to see his mother filled Nok'talis with a great deal of pride, and he squared his shoulders and grinned at her, offering an enthusiastic wave of his head. "Hello, there," he said. "Is your mother a friend of my mother's?"

[usual_suspects]

Marshan bit her lip, assessing him for a moment. "Who's your mother?" she asked.

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

She seemed a little nervous and shy, so Nok'talis tried his very best to make sure his smile appeared kind and trustworthy. Not that it was that difficult, reallly, because he was easily both of those things. "Ce'na," he said, eyes dancing over toward Vette, and giving a proud pump of his fist, "Queen of the Zora! But I think you called her Auntie Vette! Father says that's what she used to be called. Sometimes...." Here, he leaned in a little closer, lowering his voice (or so he thought; he didn't have whispering down very well yet, which was fair. Even his father still struggled with that and he was practically a million years old), "...I hear him still call her that, too, when he doesn't think anyone's paying attention."


But of course Nok'talis was.

[usual_suspects]

"She's a queen?" Marshan asked, awed. "My daddy's a commander and he's in charge of all kinds of people, and mommy's technically a Lord, but nobody ever calls her that, but I've never met a queen!"

Yeah, that nervousness was totally forgotten now.

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

"Well," said Nok'talis proudly, opening his arms in an excited gesture. "Now you have! Although, technically, she's not a queen yet, because right now we're in the past. But you can say you've met a future queen and a future king!" He pointed a finger toward Sidon. "That's my father, King Sidon! And I'm Nok'talis!" He pumped his fist in the air and grinned at the girl, as big as he could, although he still couldn't quite get that sparkle his father always managed. "The Zora Prince! What's you're name?"

[bookbeltof_love]

Yeah, so, hi Vette.

That was Nina, draping herself on the couch beside you.

"Hi Mom," Nina said, and then buried her face in her hands, laughing.

She loved you, Vette, she really did, but ohmygosh.

[chirpchirpchirp]

NINA. NINA YOU MENACE.

Vette was already reaching for a throw pillow from the common room sofa so that she could absolutely pulverize her with it.

[bookbeltof_love]

"I knew it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Nina crowed, happily scandalized and still laughing. "I knew it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Look where all your wanting Sidon to move in with you got you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[chirpchirpchirp]

"I didn't mean right now!"

Eat pillow, fiend!

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina's laughter turned, abruptly, into a (still giggly) shriek of outrage.

"I didn't do anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Nina protested, even as she lunged for a pillow of her own. "But you did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

She'd be a lot more effective at hitting anything with her pillow if she could stop laughing but, uh, no... that wasn't happening.

[chirpchirpchirp]

"We kissed! We just kissed!"

A lot. And there had been some canoodling. But only canoodling!!

"Nina! He's from the future! Like, a billion years in the future!"