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.

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

Nok'talis passed a worried sort of glance from his mother to his father, then back again, finding himself as equally fascinated by how young she looked, just as he'd been fascinated by how small his father was.

This whole thing was very clearly pretty awkward for all parties involved, but one of the lessons that his father had pressed on him often was that, as a prince, especially in his unique situation, handling awkward situations with grace and kindness would be of tantamount importance.

His head tilted a moment, thoughtfully, considering his mother, before he smiled a little and asked, "Are you alright, Mother? Perhaps a bit of food will help?"

He picked up a fishstick with one hand, a bottle with the other, and walked over to offer them out to her. "I've been eating these fishsticks, and experiementing with the different sauces I was able to find. Most of them are complete garbage," that nose that he actually had seemed to wrinkle a little, "but this one is not bad. Try it?"

[chirpchirpchirp]

"Food?" Vette blinked as she reached to take the fish stick from the little guy, looking it over while her brain finally came limping back from the war. "Oh. Uh. Hey, thanks."

She considered it, and then considered Nok'talis, and then with an only slightly woozy smile, she took a bite.

"Hey, you're right. This one isn't too bad at all!"

Well.

"For Earth."

[bookbeltof_love]

Like, when Vette had wandered off to find food, of course Nina had had to follow. Vette was good at finding food!

Because she could clearly hear Vette talking to someone, Nina didn't bother to try the whole stealth thing and abandoned that in favour of her other very best option as she wandered on in:

"Good morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

And Nok'talis considered his very young mother with bright, eager, wide green eyes while she considered him, returning her woozy smile with one of relief and an eager glance up toward his father looking for approval that he'd done a good job.

And he very clearly had, so the grin on his face grew signficantly. "It's easily the best one so far!" he informed her importantly. "But you're right, of course. It's nothing compared to what we have back home. Father makes sure to scour the whole multiverse to make sure we have only the spiciest we can find!"

And that, clearly, called for a very enthusiastic and proud pump of his little fist.

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

Nok'talis couldn't help but look up eagerly at such a bright and enthusiastic geeting like that. Why, it was even mightier than one he might expect from his own father, and that was saying a lot!

"Good morning!" he greeted back with no small amount of energy of his own, waving a hand excitedly. "Are you here for some breakfast as well?"

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina stopped. Nina blinked. That… that was a tiny person, and a glance showed both Sidon and Vette in the room, but--tiny person.

"Ohmygoshhi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she chirped happily, beaming at the tiny. "Breakfast sounds fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Though given who was in the room, she might just… go find ice cream in the freezer or something.

"What are you having???????? Are you visiting for the weekend????????????? What's your name??????????"

[chirpchirpchirp]

"That sounds like Sidon, alright."

Yup. Yup, this kid was definitely hers and Sidon's. Vette was kind of starting to wrap her head around this as she chewed her fish stick.

"So... you came through a portal, huh?" She glanced at Sidon, and then back at Nok'talis. Such a Twi'lek sort of name. Her head was going to just melt a little bit all over.

Nok.

"Tell us about you, Nok'talis," she said abruptly, breaking into a little grin. "What's your favorite thing to do, where's your favorite place to explore, what you like, what you can't stand, I want to know everything."

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

And yet, interestingly, also a very Zora name as well, in its own way.

But the questions made Nok'talis grin even more, especially as it seemed that his mother was feeling a little more relaxed about the situation and his father was looking at them both so proudly, and that made this whole thing feel very familiar and very normal despite the fact that it very much wasn't. He shifted a little where he sat to get more comfortable and he giggled a little. "Father asked me pretty much the same things!" he remarked. "But I don't mind telling it again! My favorite thing to do is to go swimming...for buried treasures! That's why I like the Akkala Coast the best, there's so much to explore there! I'd like to explore more of the multiverse, but it's too dangerous for me to go most places. I like fish and diving and new weapons, and I can't stand the cold, blech, and when the Elders are mean and grumble about tradition." That one definitely called for a significant eye-roll. "But I'm rather fond of most things, especially when I get to learn new things about everything, especially where you're from, Mother."

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

Oh, he liked her; she seemed like a lot of fun, and Nok'talis was beaming up at her the whole time until she finished her questions. Then his grin sharpened, and he scrambled to his feet so that a proper introduction could be made.

"I am Nok'talis!" he announced, pumping his fist and flashing the girl his very, very best smile. He hadn't quite acheived the sparkle on the end of it like his father had, but he was still working on it. "The Zora Prince! I am here visiting my parents, I suppose, as I've followed a portal that appears to have taken me back in time to the place where they met! Isn't that incredible? And I'm having fishsticks! With...."

He trailed off a little here.

He really felt it would be disingenuious to call anything in those bottles hot sauce...

"...Earth hot sauce," he decided, then leaned in to whisper, so his father wouldn't hear, but he wasn't too good at whispering yet either so Sidon totally heard, "which isn't very good at all."

But he laughed as he straightened back up and asked, "What's your name?"

[chirpchirpchirp]

Vette was never going to get used to that. Mother. She turned a big silly smile Sidon's way as this whole situation settled in neatly, edging out the shock, and then gave a little bounce where she sat.

"Well, of course! I bet I've taken you to all the best worlds back home already, right? If I haven't taken you and your father to Manaan or Mon Cala by the time you're this old already, then I am seriously slipping in my mom duties."

[bookbeltof_love]

Oh my gosh, but he was too cute.

"I'm Nina," with a laugh of her own, because the hot sauce aside was perfect, "you're here visiting your... parents...?"

Nina was casting a glance at both Sidon and Vette.

She leaned towards Nok'talis and said, in a whisper that did absolutely nothing to suppress the dawning, scandalized glee in her voice and, frankly, was quite as bad a whisper as his was too, "Them?!??!?!?!?!?!?"

OH. MY. GOSH.

[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!

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

"Oh, I love Mon Cala!" Somehow, Nok'talis' eyes managed to get even brighter and he squirmed with excitement. "We got to go there again for my birthday last year! We don't get to go to your universe very often, not all together, but when we do, we always have the greatest time! No slipping on your mom duties, nothing to worry about there!"

If the complete adoration on his face wasn't a good indication alone on how highly he thought of his mother.

[in_noktalis_we_trust]

"Them!" Nok'talis didn't even try to reduce his proud, triumphant answer in a whisper. "Yes, of course! King Sidon and Queen Ce'na of the Zora! Only," he hid his giggle behind a hand, "they're not them quite yet, it would seem!"

[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.

[chirpchirpchirp]

If anyone needed Vette, she was absolutely doing another bounce for good measure.

"Yesss! Mon Cala! Sidon, hey! We're totally going to have to visit Mon Cala sometime! I bet you'd like it there, too!"

What with it not being a miserable fireball, like Ryloth.

[bookbeltof_love]

Nina tried, she really did, but her glee escaped her.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to everyone's eardrums.