Look at all the pretties (Mossy) [pg13]

[~☼Toka Toka☼~]

Sighing lightly Toka looked around with boredom. She came to the observatory to have some fun and look around at stuff, but nope, the babies wouldn't let her have fun looking at stuff and tinkering around like she used to. So she made due with sitting down and looking through one of the many telescopes till she got bored of that and started walking around looking for people that she knew. Sadly she knew almost no one there so she went outside for the fresh air that seemed to calm her children down as much as it did her.

Smiling softly to herself she felt like waddling around the observatory to see what it was like. Again it was boring as hell. She wanted to do something nice and relaxing with someone other than herself, but she wasn't getting that anytime soon.

[Anzeh]

Knoei Moss Titan

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Moss was walking through the halls of the observatory for no real reason. He'd heard from Rammy that he wanted to see what the inside was like for himself, so he walked here and was showing the little one everything, the necklace oohing and ahhing at everything he saw that he hadn't seen in the castle, which was a fair bit of almost everything. But Moss had come here before and the attractions felt stale.

A smell wafted to his nose and he whimpered slightly, both of relief and of sadness. The scent was one that he'd fallen deeply in lust with, and it was marred by something, an odd scent of sugar and crashing water like the foamy sea. He'd gotten similar scents from women who were expecting, and since her smell was mixed so inexorably with that one, that meant only one thing:

Toka was pregnant.

But he was bored and curious, and even though as it stood she had found a mate, he clung to that last shred of hope. He followed the scent much like he had when they had met formally. Moss sighed lightly when he saw here. "Hello." he said, feeling like something had been crammed down his throat.

[~☼Toka Toka☼~]

Sniffing lightly Toka smelt a new scent in the air, one that she had felt herself long for. Smiling lightly to herself she turned around to see Moss, the only other Barguest and the one she was pretty sure she was lusting after most of the time. "Hay Moss!" she said happily and threw her arms around his neck and winced lightly when one of the twins kicked again. "Oh, sorry..." she pulled back sheepishly and scratched the back of her head.

Looking down at her stomach she blushed even more. "OH! You probably noticed... I don't have a mate though... It was just a one night stand..." she said sheepishly and looked down on the ground. "I met Rammier before... He's cute..." she couldn't help but say that, the kid was cute after all. "How are you his mommy?" she asked curiously and pushed back her hair.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before... I just didn't know what you would say to me being pregnant from a one night stand..." she said softly and looked off to the side, trying to keep the pregnant hormones out of the way of her thinking clearly.

[Anzeh]

Knoei Moss Titan

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Barghest customs were so confusing, especially to Moss even though he was one. But it was nothing he physically needed to understand. He just let his instincts guide him and hope for the best. Of course, sometimes that didn't work too well as portrayed by all the one night stands he'd had and fruitless attempts at mates before meeting Toka, but as of now he'd given those up. Not for Toka's sake of course, but for Ramier's. It would have been too difficult to explain to him.

He walked towards her and opened his arms for her, bringing her into a hug. Truth was they'd been dating for a while, but they weren't mates, at least not yet. So in the hug he was submerged in the sweet scent of a pregnant female of his own species. He felt a soft thump against him, probably one of the cubs kicking. It was cute. "No problem." he said.

Toka's next words brought hope into his eyes. If the father of these children wasn't her mate, then that meant that there was still hope for him! His thoughts went to the little boy that was his son, hanging around his neck. He'd been eager to get someone who he could talk to and play with while he wasn't around, but now she'd be busy with her own children. He knew that sometimes Ramier was lonely, but he couldn't do anything about it. He was still new to this whole parenting thing, but in felt like he had nothing to worry about since he was si very kind, unlike Coyle and unlike him for that matter. But... he was working on it.

Oh, Moss knew all about how Rammy had met Toka for himself. As soon as he got home from work--Ramier had returned by then--he didn't hesitate to tell him all about his night at the movie theater. He explained to the little one that even though he was more than strong enough to take care of himself and anyone who'd want to hurt him, he couldn't go out on his own like that. People would try to take him away, and Moss didn't want people to take Rammy away from him.

But the question? Oh, he'd never prepared for that one. How could he explain without confusing her or grossing her out? After a little bit, he said, "One night stands and Barguests just don't mix, do they?" He chuckled softly, and ran his finger over the necklace. His body warmed as he said that. "I don't regret it though. He's such a wonderful kid."

A grin went on his face and he placed an arm on her shoulders. "Ah, I wouldn't be able to say anything. That'd be rather hypocritical, don't you think?"

[~☼Toka Toka☼~]

Smiling at him she just smiled and nodded softly in the right places, he was too sweet to let anything get to her. "He's adorable" she smiled and placed a hand on her belly. She wrapped her arms around Moss's neck and snuggled into him, suddenly feeling the need to be very close to her boyfriend. "Moss... What do you think my father would say if I introduced you to him as my mate?" she asked and looked up at him curiously, this was her way of asking him if he wanted to be her mate, not just her boyfriend.

Being someone's mate was a big thing when most barghests didn't even live in communities because of their bear like nature. It was heard though out the vast majority of families when someone got a mate, and when one of the ambassador's family got a mate it was heard all through out the nation of barguests, it was like a big family that never stopped gossiping about anyone.

Toka smiled up at Moss and pulled back shyly not knowing how he'd react to her suddenly asking him to be her mate, she had been reluctant in even talking about it before now.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Ramier did not understand why stars were so fascinating.

Well, to be clear, he got the shiny part of it all... He was enthralled as any young child would be at the mystery of the tiny floating lights in the sky, but intellectually? He had no interest in them. They were over other worlds, not ones of life, but ones of rock and sand and gaseous air that most people could not breathe.

He could probably survive there, but it didn't sound very fun. So why stare at them? He could go to them if he liked, but then what was the point? He liked it here. He always liked it here. Mommy was here, and Toka was here, And Daylet was here. Everyone he liked was here, and he wouldn't trade that for all the stars in the sky.

Which was funny, because the stars and Toka and Mommy were here now. Ramier was struck, at first, with the impulse to run up to Mommy and hug him around the legs. Then he had noticed the otehr Barghest, and the thing inside her.

Things. Toka was having twins of a bad man. Why?


Instead of questioning this, Ramier followed up on his initial impulse by running up to Moss and hugging him.

"Mommy." He did not acknowledge Toka. Toka confused him, and Mommy confused him.

They loved each other.

....what? Mommy would have to explain this love that Ramier felt. It was strange, and it was scary. It wasn't Mommy and his love. It was different, and it apparently made babies.

Once again, he was torn instinctually and intellectually. Why would anyone make a baby for fun? And oh yes, of course they did that.

Life was confusing sometimes...

"Mommy, why is Toka fat?"

He asked it innocently enough, but with the intense purposes of finding out just what was happening here. He had a feeling it was both good and bad for him, and he, by nature, was concerned with himself.

He was a baby. He needed Mommy. Mommy was lovy dovey with Toka. Possible threat.

[Anzeh]

Knoei Moss Titan

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The barguest liked this. He'd never thought he'd be the one that would settle down, find a mate and have a few children to look after, no, he'd thought that he'd be the bachelor dad moving from condo to condo and never quite finding what he wanted in a woman. But at the same time, some part of him seemed to know that what he'd dreamed only in his sleep would come true at some point. After all, all good people (or, at least semi-good people) deserved to be happy, even though he was a living testament as to why the world wasn't always fair like that.

So, when Toka brought up the subject of them being mates, he couldn't find any words to convey how he felt. Up until now, any attempt he had ever made to brooch the subject with her was deftly shot down, so he'd given himself up to the probability that he was never going to have her.

But now... now... "Toka... I'd--"

Suddenly his son's voice rang to him and Ramier came up from behind and hugged him. A smile came onto his face. "Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear." He kneeled down to his young son's eye level and picked him up, holding him like one would hold a toddler, the young one on Moss's side.

Of course, Ramier's innocence set off a red flag at this point. Ramier knew more about some things than Moss himself did. So if Moss knew about pregnancy the little one should know about it too. But...

"It's because she's going to have a baby soon. Like when I had you except I didn't get fat."

[ωΘĿƒ]

Ramier nodded at this, satisfied with an answer. He knew it was not Mommy's children Toka had, and he was fine with that too.

Mommy would not do that. Not without telling him. Ramier lay his head on Moss' shoulder, snuggling up to him happily. Only then did he notice Toka.

"Toka!" he smiled a wide, childish smile at her. "Mommy, we met at a movie! Toka told me how to be a movie person with her, and we had popcorn."

As simplistic and naive as the statement was, Ramier felt that was the best way to explain his encounter with Toka. They had been movie people together, and he had really liked her then. It may be confusing to him now that Toka and Mommy liked each other, but better them than Toka and the bad man, right?

Ramier looked at Toka's belly again, watching the odd colors of energy mix together.

"Are-"

And then he stopped. No. They didn't know there were two of them. Not yet. He revised his statement.

"Is the baby gonna be my new brother?"

Wondering why he didn't tell Mommy and Toka that there were twins in Toka's belly, he soon discovered several reasons that he was not aware of consciously until he thought about it.

Maybe they wanted it to be a surprise? Maybe they wouldn't like that he knew already? Maybe he shouldn't know?

It was all very confusing. He wished Daylet was here so he could ask her about this stuff. She was confused, but she did know more stuff about it than him. She seemed to have a more simple, easy explanation than he could devise, and he could use the stability right about now.

Which reminded him!

"Mommy, I made a new friend!" Ramier smiled. "We played ball together, and she took me to see daddy!"

[~☼Toka Toka☼~]

Smiling shyly to herself she played with her hair lightly, when she heard little Ramier come up and pretty much tackle Mossy she couldn't help but giggle. She loved children so much. Smiling at him she rolled her eyes mockingly dramatic, she had a feeling Rammy knew more than he was letting on. She looked at Moss and smiled softly at him, laughing lightly at his description of her getting "fat".

"Watch it dear, I'm skinnier than most Barghests when they get pregnant, and I can throw my pregnant ass around too," she laughed and winked at Ramier. She watched his eyes wonder to her belly, holding it with her hands, feeling one of the twins kicking again, making her flinch a bit.

"I'm bigger than normal when I'm human anyways because there's two of them. I don't know the genders yet but they're gonna kick my butt sooner or later." she laughed lightly to herself and played with her hair, listening to Mossy and Rammy. They were adorable, she was too happy to be able to be with them, but she had to assure Rammier that she wasn't a threat to his relationship with Moss, she had bad juju vibes coming from him in a sense.

[Anzeh]

Knoei Moss Titan

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

He was with his son and his new mate. The barghest couldn't be happier.

But what about his way of existing up until this point? He'd managed with much more success than he'd thought possible to curb himself and bring Ramier to the front of his mind. Moss knew that it would be pointless to try and keep any secrets, but he had no intent of outright telling the little toddler things that he didn't need to know.

Since Ramier's birth, which could not have been more than several months ago, Knoei was good. He did his school work and came home and spent time with his son. Sometimes they went out places where he could see things, and a few times they went out into the woods and Moss told him all he knew about animals and plants, when Ramier asked. It was fun, and he found that he had not felt the need to revert at all.

Even so, sometimes in the dead of night he'd wake up and muse on his situation and suddenly need a drink or perhaps something even more pointless and physical, but he managed to squash them like so many cockroaches. Moss would take this one day at a time...

After three days, these urges had come less and less until they didn't burden him. It had become not so much a psychological need as merely a deeply rooted want.

But he'd managed, to his elation, not to stray. Sure he'd flirted and taken sips here and there, but he'd done good. He'd done very good.

He looked over to his son as he said something. Ack, that was a hard question.

"Uh... yeah, sort of like that." He set his young son down and kneeled down to his eye level. He didn't dare risk whispering it, for fear that Toka would hear him, so he merely tapped his temple, hoping he understood. He was thinking, 'Don't worry though. You'll always be my favorite.'

Moss brought himself back to his full height and seemed a little surprised that she was having more than one, but that was replaced by a 'well duh' moment, considering that bears had multiple cubs.

[ωΘĿƒ]

Looking up at his Mommy and his... Toka, Ramier was overcome with a new feeling. A sense of... what was it? So fuzzy and warm like the teddy bears Mommy had bought him and so wonderful like the animals he taught the little hellspawn about. It was... a sense of belonging. Family. Ramier had a family.

And for a moment he forgot about all the things he shouldn't know about - the adult things. The way Moss felt sometimes that Ramier could feel too and the way he wanted things real bad but didn't do them because of Ramier. And the way Toka was now with Mommy and she and Mommy were happy and that Ramier wouldn't get to see Mommy that much because of it. And that the babies were going to be a part of the family and that they would be with Mommy too and Mommy would be nice to them and adopt them even though they weren't his.

It was... scary for him. And he forgot that now. He simply smiled and tilted his head, big black eyes wide and happy as he heard what Mommy was thinking.

"I love you," Ramier said, and he said it to everyone in his general vicinity. Mommy, Toka, and even the babies. "I wanna have a happy family."

And then, as if a switch had been flipped, Ramier giggled to himself and reached out for Toka's belly, not touching it but hovering over it with a sense of childish wonder. He could see them. Babies. Young things growing inside their mother and becoming more and more ready to live their own lives by the minute. Ramier was interested in the babies, but not in a conventional children's way.

He wanted to meet them!

"Can I talk to the babies, Toka? Please?" Ramier asked, scratching his curly hair and then wiggling his fingers as if antsy and eager to try out a new game. He craned his head waaay back and looked up into Toka's pretty, kind eyes.

Toka had nice eyes. They were a mommy's eyes. He wondered why she waited so long to be a mommy?

"Please...?" he asked, more softly this time. But he wasn't sure if Toka understood what he meant by "speak." Ramier wanted to actually talk thought-to-thought to the babies, and to do that it would help if he could feel them first.

He wanted to see what his new brother and sister were going to be like.