Beach break? ((For desertdancer))

[coldsong]

It's taken a long chat at the Christmas party, several subsequent exchanges of messages, and one additional meeting in person, but at last Loki feels comfortable bringing his group of children away from the Nexus and into Khai's world as invited. He feels as though he knows very little about the culture and planet they're visiting, but he is sure enough that the Au Ra is well-intentioned that he is willing to stake his life and his children on it. Coming from a being as knee-jerk suspicious as Loki, that says quite a bit.

They arrive through the gateway in a little group, Loki carrying a squirmy, fussy Eindrid who doesn't understand where they're going and why he has to have sunblock, shades, and a sunhat. The girls are hand in hand, wearing matching sundresses (yellow with blue flowers) and carrying novelty luggage. Sigrid's has Disney princesses on it; Una's is a violet unicorn.

Bringing up the rear, Agnarr is the oldest and ostensibly the most responsible. He's carrying Eindrid's bag, but of all of them he looks the most uncertain, apprehensive in the face of a foreign situation.

Comments

[desertdancer]

Khaishan didn't rush things. Knew that it was a show of trust to take the offer, to bring the children somewhere new. So while he and Loki sorted out the idea, he made sure his family would be around to help, made sure that he'd spoken to Master Gergeruju about having one of the private little coves off Costa Del Sol set aside for a couple days- Loki and his children would be able to either go home at the end of the day or stay the evening depending on what they wished, but it would be easier for Khaishan's family to stay.

Not that the Lalafell entrepreneur minded, given they'd promised a performance later in the week in exchange for the consideration.

Thankfully the weather kept- the little group came through the gate to be standing beside the Aetheryte crystal that had been erected, a near three-story glowing blue crystal floating above a foundation of metal, two rings in a matching metal and crystal rotating slowly around it. Beyond, the sea stretched out clear and smooth, and the little resort was bustling as people were taking advantage of the sunny day, swimming, sunning on the long stretches of clear sands, mingling on the docks under one of the many white pavilions.

Standing near, Khaishan smiled when he spotted Loki and the kids, waving them over to where he'd been waiting with the twins, a pair of Au Ra women who both barely stood past five feet with matching red and gold hair, grey eyes and paler skin than he did though there were still similarities enough to mark them as kin. One smiled brightly when she saw the children and the other though more reserved, did soften a bit, especially when she saw the uncertainty in Agnarr.

"Hello!" Khaishan greeted them cheerfully. "These are my oldest sisters Niie and Neii. We've got one of the side coves all to ourselves, everyone else is over there setting up."

It would offer privacy while things were busier for if the kids didn't want to deal with the busier parts of the beach, while still being safe- there were guards minding the outermost ways in to make sure no dangerous wildlife wandered it's way over.

"Shanii told us a bit about you," The more reserved sister commented, crouching to eye level with the younger children, offering a hand in greeting. "It's very nice to meet you."

[coldsong]

The Aetheryte crystal is a little showier than some of Asgard's structures, but the feel of it is similar somehow. A towering, weightless, visible signal that this is a world where that which some races call magic lives alongside the people here, a part of their everyday lives. Loki, at least, is pleased to see it.

Seeing the sun and the water seems to settle Eindrid at once. Small wonder; all this came from his wish.

The little family approaches, and Loki gives a bow of greeting, shallow so as not to disrupt the child he's carrying. The girls curtsey and Agnarr also bows.

Una is quick to take the offered hand. "It's nice to meet you and thank you for the hospitality," she says in a tumble of words that run together.

"I'm Sigrid," the other girl says, and goes through a round of introducing all the other children. "Eindrid is my brother--well, I guess we're all brothers and sisters now, aren't we?"

Loki flushes slightly at that question. "Still working on the legality, but in effect, yes."

As fond of them as he is, there's still an element of 'what have I gotten myself into' in his expression.

[desertdancer]

Niie shakes Una's hand, a smile finally crossing her features at the rushed, but polite response. "I think it's us that should be thanking you." She commented in a lightly teasing tone. "With how much Shanii's always running all over Eorzea, I doubt we'd be able to talk him into a rest like this without your influence."

Khaishan huffs faintly at the ribbing, shaking his head lightly. But he is glad to see that response from Eindrid, that relaxation earning a grin at the boy.

"Legality is the least of it. But come, this way. Mother and the others are eager to meet you all, and then we can see about getting some lines out on the water, hm?"

It wasn't a long walk from the little Aetheryte plaza, but the beach was definitely busy today, a variety of people from quite a few of Hydaelyn's races enjoying the refreshing water on a sunny day, from the Lalafell family, the tallest barely skirting three feet who were sunning on a set of lounge chairs, to a small pack of teenagers in the surf, the smaller Miqo'te and Hyur on the shoulders of their Roegadyn and Elezen friends playing some manner of chicken, laughter echoing with the waves.

It was definitely quieter once they passed through a small arch in the rocky cliffside, the small stretch of beach here much more quiet and serene. Towards the back of the cove, where the white sand gave way to dirt and grass, a small group of Au Ra women were tying off the last of the covers for their yurt, while an older woman with red hair sat perched on a small chair nearby, mending at her elbow. Most had some sort of resemblance, to the older woman, to each other, and to Khaishan, especially in the case of the two youngest, who if not for the gender and height difference would possibly be identical triplets with him.

"The cove's covered on three sides by stone, so it'll be pretty obvious where the unofficial privacy line ends," Niie commented, pointing out the far end where a pair of Lalafell guards were settled near another gap in the stone, playing some manner of card game to pass the time. "That there's the outer edge of the resort, so I wouldn't try heading past those two unless you fancy getting your toes caught by some grumpy snippers."

"I take it these are the ones you were telling us about?" The older woman spoke up as they came closer, a smile blooming over her face at the sight of Loki and his passel of children. "Come, make yourselves comfortable. I'm Zhentani, the mother of this pack of incorrigible miscreants."

[coldsong]

"Oh is that how it is?" Loki smiles faintly at the sisters teasing Khaishan. "I've known a few people like that in my day."

Not the least of which is his own brother, come to think of it.

As they go, Eindrid pushes his shades askew to look wide-eyed around them. His family lived close to the water, and though he cannot say so, he's more than a little familiar with the sight of sand and rock and waves. Agnarr is still quiet, a little jumpy around new people, but the sound of the wind and water is nice, and he finds himself focusing on that to the exclusion of the voices talking and laughing around him.

The girls, meanwhile, are more extroverted. "There are so many different people here!" Sigrid whispers to Una.

"Look at the boy with the cute cat ears! And a tail!" Una's excited, but Sigrid hushes her a little.

"They might not like you saying it that way!" She...privately agrees they're cute, though. The Lalafell are pretty adorable, too. You don't just call someone adorable until you're sure they're okay with that, though. Not if you want to make friends.

Agnarr gives a sigh of relief as they reach the quieter stretch, breaking into the first wide smile he's given thus far. Here the water and wind echo across the rocks and the white noise is soothing. Loki looks back at him and reaches to pat his shoulder gently with a free hand, nodding approval.

The new Au Ra get bubbly waves from the girls, but they don't offer curtseys until directly introduced to Zhentani. Loki recognizes a matriarch at once, and after a glance at Khaishan to make sure he's not stepping on any toes, he sets Eindrid on his feet and offers a bow to match his children's greeting.

"Loki Odinson, of Asgard," he says. "And my children, from oldest to youngest: Agnarr, Sigrid, Una, and Eindrid. We are in your debt. It's been a challenging few months for us all."

[desertdancer]

"Then you're well aware how hard it is to get some people to stop for even a single bell!" Neii replied, pretending not to notice the sheepish huff her teasing had won from her brother. He was clearly used to such ribbing though if the amusement in his expression was any hint.

He did however notice Una and Sigrid and their excited if hushed conversation, a soft chuckle slipping from him. "Mikh'tan said he might come see how we're all getting on later. I'm sure if you ask nicely, he'd let you touch his tail."

Mainly Khaishan had invited the Miqo'te both to help him come out of his shell, and he also figured that the children would all enjoy meeting his carbuncle. For all she occasionally pushed Mikh'tan around, she was a sweet creature who enjoyed pets and attention.

Zhentani didn't much mind if they did curtsy or not, but she could appreciate manners, nodding at the greeting. "Well met Loki. No need to worry about debts, as this is about making friends and making your children happy yes? You've already met my oldest, Neii and Niie, the ones fussing with the yurt are Esii, Kejii, and Qarii." A gesture towards where a trio were already perched on some of the rocky outcroppings in the surf. "And over there you've got Toqaii, Kharii, and Kheii."

"Kharii, Kheii, and Shanii there are triplets." One of the redheads tying off a line nearby commented with a smile. "The youngest, and dear Shanii is the baby of the family."

"By scant minutes, Esii." Khaishan protested, shaking his head.

"Every moment counts, dear." His mother responded in an amused tone. "But come Loki. You can sit here with me, and the children can play. We won't be disturbed and you can see the whole of the cove from here." Which would make it easier for the man to make sure all of his charges were safe, even if he was sitting and relaxing.

[coldsong]

Oh, dear. Loki already feels sorry for this Mikh'tan. "If so, remember what I've told you about not pulling at fur. Not even to put bows in it."

There's...probably a story there.

It's strange to meet a people with no preconceived notions about him or his children whatsoever. Strange, and soothing. Would it make a difference to present himself as a god, here? Would they be mistrustful or awed?

Oblivious to the sibling teasing now, Loki just blinks at the matriarch for a moment as if she's confused him somehow. Then he looks down at the children, who are all eager to take off and run, and gives them a gentle nod. "Do not take Eindrid into the water without an adult," he tells them, and a moment later they're all dropping their bags and scampering off along the sand.

[desertdancer]

"I'll be along," Khaishan promised Eindrid with a smile. "Just need to go get the gear." He had his own fishing pole, but knew that there were a few others in with his family's things, including some a bit more suited for smaller hands. When the children went darting along the beach, a couple of the Au Ra women peeled off from fussing with the tent to linger closer to the water, all of them seeming comfortable around them and rather practiced in keeping an eye on where they all were.

"It's fashionable for Miqo'te to wear bows on their tails in some areas." Zhentani mused as she nudged her mending aside to be able to pour out a second cup of tea that would be nudged into Loki's hands. "And what sort of place are you from? Khaishan explained where you met, which seems such a strange, fanciful sort of tale in it's own right."

[coldsong]

Loki watches the kids go like a hawk, but when the other Au Ra move to keep an eye on them, he looks relieved--and grateful.

Eindrid looks up at Khaishan when he speaks, tugging the sunglasses off his face and dropping them on the ground. He breaks into a bright grin then and claps chubby little hands. He understands well enough what he's told. He's just not good at responding in words. A few steps bring him closer to Khai's feet and he latches onto his leg in a lazy hug.

"...he likes you," Loki's voice is soft. "He usually doesn't reach out to anyone but me and the other children."

That's actually a monumental change. He's a little sorry to have lost the child's exclusive affection, but there's no denying it's a sign of Eindrid's trauma fading and health returning.

The tea claims his focus once it's placed in his hands, and he sits next to Zhentani gamely. "Yes...the Nexus is our home now, but originally we were from a world known as Asgard."

Pause. "Well...technically I was adopted from Jotunheim and then raised on Asgard, but that's...perhaps more detail than you meant to ask for."

[desertdancer]

Khaishan wasn't quite expecting that response given all he'd heard of the children's troubles. But it was a welcome surprise, the Au Ra chuckling softly as he bent enough to run a light hand over Eindrid's hair.

"He's a sweet boy." Khaishan replied, knowing that reaching out so was a good sign for the boy's recovery.

Zhentani simply nodded, nudging the small jar of honey and milk in Loki's direction so he could doctor his tea as he pleased before taking a sip of her own. "Details change a story. It's not for me to tell you what is right or wrong for your tale."

[coldsong]

"He is," Loki says. "He's very fond of the outdoors and animals. Though if you catch fish I don't think you need worry about upsetting him. His family were fishermen, and I'm sure he's seen them cleaned and eaten before."

Bunnies and cute deer, perhaps not. But fish are food.

Ooh. Honey? He reaches for the sweets without thinking twice, giving Zhentani a grateful nod. "Generally it's not considered polite to unload one's entire sordid history on a new friend, is all." He tells her.

"But the children are refugees, of a kind. Asgard, as a planet, exists no longer. It was destroyed. Deliberately, to prevent the escape of an enemy that would have seen the universe as a whole conquered or destroyed. I do not regret the decision my brother and I made, but...I regret the loss. And so do they."

[desertdancer]

"Well then, it seems someone will be a big help in catching dinner!" Khaishan beamed down at Eindrid. "My sisters have a head start but what say you and I see about catching the biggest fish they've ever seen, hm? Really knock their scales off." He offered Eindrid a hand, spying where the chest with the fishing gear was set near the yurt, figuring the boy might enjoy helping pick out his own gear.

"A hard choice to make that. But then regretting the loss of what was is only natural in that case. The important part though is simply remembering that if you're alive to remember the past, you've a chance to make a future too. New stories, a new home." Zhentani settled back with her cup, tail flicking idly against the leg of her chair. "Many here have similar tales. The places might not be as utterly destroyed as what you're saying but things will never be the same. So people remember them as they were, keep that memory of home in their hearts while they work towards their better tomorrows, as you and yours do."

[coldsong]

Every now and again, Ein will come out with a coherent word, piping up in the midst of incomprehensible toddler babble, and this is one of those times. "Fisss!" he says with a determined nod, and grips Khai's hand with surprising strength. He's a baby, but he's an Asgardian baby, after all.

Loki watches the exchange between Eindrid and Khaishan, smiling a wistful smile, but then he's silent for a moment as the matriarch speaks--and for several long seconds after.

"How often," he murmurs at length, "I have sat next to people--mostly women--who offered such wise and gentle advice? And how many hands have extended toward me, for the sake of these little ones, to give what they can? Trinkets and dolls and food and soft words..."

"And still they cry in the night, and I wake with them, and still I bleed from every wound ever cut into me. Is healing merely a trick of endurance, do you think? Because I have found no balm save time, and that is something I have not had enough of."

[desertdancer]

"Aye!" Khaishan laughed, pleased at that response while leading the boy over to the chest, dropping to a knee to pull free a pair of small fishing rods, one with a a handle carved with horse designs, another with birds, for Ein's consideration. "As strong as you are I bet you can catch a fish bigger than you are! That'll get everyone talking!"

"Time will do much to dull the edges, for all it doesn't help now." Zhentani agrees, watching as a pair of her daughters are leading some of the children on a game of chase over the sand and through the shallower waves. "The more potent balm is in the children you care for. In seeing their pain grow easier to bear, you'll find yours follow suit. They will wake crying less, they will feel safer and grow bolder and more adventurous in that safety and you'll find your own wounds heal as theirs do."

[coldsong]

"Bee fiss!" Eindrid echoes his new friend, stretching out his arms to show exactly how bee a fiss he hopes to catch. He's quickly distracted by the fishing rods, though, touching each in turn before opting for the horse one. "Mine?"

Loki's eyes follow the children as they run and play, double, triple, quadruple checking to make sure they're all right. And they are. He can see they are well-attended, and if Agnarr is doomed to be shy at first, he seems willing to get close the Khaishan's sisters, and relaxing in the sun. Sigrid and Una, of course, are as outgoing as ever, hiking up their sundresses to splash in the shallows.

They're okay. He tells himself. You can relax for a moment.

"You sound like a woman that speaks from experience," he says, looking back at Zhentani. "Is that truly what it's like, to raise them and watch them grow? I...have had offspring, but for the most part I was a poor parent. I brought gifts and visited, took some on quests for their fortune, but I was not...I was not really a father. They did not need me to be, for the most part, but I regret it."

[desertdancer]

"Goodness, you catch a fish that big and I don't think even I'll be able to carry it. We'll have to work together on that one!" Khaishan was utterly charmed by the young boy's enthusiasm, watching him consider the fishing rods. They'd been the ones most of the family had learned on, well-kept regardless of their age, and the Au Ra nodded at the question, retrieving his own fishing gear from the chest. "All yours. Consider it a late Starlight gift."

While the experience was the gift here, Khaishan knew how a physical token could help remind one of those memories and the good emotions tied to them that he was hoping Eindrid would get here. They were off to a good start at least, with the laughter from his sisters and the children ringing out over the hiss of surf against sand and the call of birds from trees overhead.

"Many years of experience," She agreed with a small, soft smile and a lift of her brows. "It can be... terrifying at times. You do your best to keep them safe. To help them learn and grow, to prepare them for a world that at the best of times isn't fair, an uncertain future. But every day is a gift as well. Small moments, small joys that all add up over the weeks, months, and years. I see the children they were, the people they are, and the people that they could grow to be, and I love them all the more for the hardships endured to get them to this point."

She slid a plate closer to Loki's side of the small table, a quiet offer of some of the cookies there, plucking one up herself to dip in her tea. "While you might regret now, it seems to me that you weren't ready to be the sort of parent you're being now. You did what you were capable of, and I'm sure your children did appreciate it in the long run. All you can do is take that regret and turn it to something positive in what you do now, in being a father to these young ones."

[coldsong]

Eindrid may or may not have been trying to ask if he could keep the rod on a permanent basis. Loki will be mildly embarrassed by the gift, but right now what matters to the toddler is that he has a cool object to hold, the attention of a nice grown-up, and they're going to go catch bee fiss. "T'ank ou!" He gives a polite little bow, an imitation of one of Loki's courtly nods, and hugs the rod to his chest.

"Oh," Loki sighs raggedly. "It's already terrifying."

Still, what she says does not fall on deaf ears. It sounds so much like the kind of thing Frigga would say, counseling patience, gratitude, kindness. Lessons he tried to learn at her knee, but which he took to less well, perhaps, than her magic. His vision blurs a little, eyes getting misty, and he gives a little shake of his head to decline the cookies--at least for the moment. Until he gets himself under control.

"Well, I--" he says, but his voice fails and he gives up, clearing his throat, and takes a drink of the tea. "I can only try," he manages then.

[desertdancer]

Khaishan certainly doesn't mind it. The boy is sweet, and despite the sorrow he'd seen in his young life was clearly on the road to recovery. He offered a playful little bow from his crouch before pushing to his feet, with his own rod, and the small tackle box he used in hand.

"You're quite welcome! Now, let's go find a good spot before my sisters catch all the fish!" There was no threat of that in these waters, but he didn't see anything wrong with a little teasing as he led the boy across the sands to where the wide flat stones were, plenty of room there even with the women already with lines in the water.

"Well hello there!" One of them spoke up with a smile when the pair approached. "Have you come to fish with us?"

Zhentani didn't press the offer, Loki knew the cookies were there and would be able to indulge as he pleased. She did however notice that subtle well of emotions, though didn't call attention to it. No, he seemed a more private sort and she didn't think he would thank her for that.

"Trying is where we all start," She agreed, with a small nod. "Even knowing I was to give birth, I felt so woefully unprepared to take care of children when I first had the twins. I cannot recall the number of evenings I found myself sniffling or flat out in tears over the feeling, of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the idea of these little lives dependent on me. But I tried, as you said. Every day and as time went on I found it was easier to press on. To at least seem like I had everything under control."

A playful edge to her gaze as she glanced his way. "Because that illusion is about half of parenthood more often than many mothers like to admit."

[coldsong]

"Oh nooooo!" Eindrid starts trotting off toward the water, briefly outpacing Khaishan until the Au Ra's longer legs give him the advantage. By the time they get to the stones he's giggling though, giddy with the bright sun and the sound of the waves.

"Ai!" He grins at the women, but then moves closer to Khaishan, pretending to be shy.

Loki sets his cup down and gives a watery laugh, then scrubs his sleeve across his face. "Yes...mine never quite admitted that in life, but I spoke to her spirit last year. I didn't really understand until now."

Which is not to say he's ready to completely let go of Frigga's mistakes, let alone Odin's, but at least he can see them as honest mistakes born of hope that she was doing the right thing. "I suppose it made it harder to swallow, for me, knowing she was the goddess of wisdom."

[desertdancer]

The shy act just earned delighted laughter from the three, one of the two who looked rather close to how Khaishan did other than height and horn shape patting the expanse of rock beside them as their brother was taking Eindrid's hand to lightly guide him up the slippery stone.

"I'm Kheii, that's Kharii, and the redhead is Toqaii!" She introduced them all, tone cheery. "You must be Eindrid! Shanii was telling us that you like fishing!"

It was likely somewhat forward. Likely not what normal society would expect. But then Zhentani was a mother through and through, and for all Loki was obviously an adult, capable in his own right, he needed that right now, especially at the mention of spirits. She let out a soft sound of tongue against the back of teeth, a quiet thing as she set her own cup aside, up out of her own chair easily enough to lean in and give him a hug, all steady solid warmth.

"I think she would be proud of you. How far you've come, the lessons you've learned." A faint smile in the gentle tone. "A goddess of wisdom would know that you cannot rush such understanding after all."

[coldsong]

Eindrid is never going to be able to remember those names, but he'll absorb the faces fast. Chances are he'll be giving hugs by the end of the day. He does take a moment to look back and make sure of where Loki is, but then he lets Khaishan lead him onto the rock, beaming at the ladies. "Fiss," he confirms, and then looks out over the water. "An' boats wit sails."

Loki makes a soft, surprised grunt at the hug, but melts into it quickly and without question. The support and contact actually eases back his inclination to weep, which is probably for the best, and he sighs and lets his eyes close.

"You don't know the half of what I've done before," he tells her. "I've had a lot to learn."

He needs the comfort too much to shove it aside, though, and despite the fact he's known her less than an hour, he finds himself hugging back. "I miss her...but I've started to see her in my brother. And that is some reassurance."

[desertdancer]

No one would fault Eindrid for having trouble with so many names. One, there were a lot of them at once, and two? He was just a little kid.

"Boats with sails, hm?" Kheii commented as Khaishan was settling to sit, giving a spot near him an inviting pat for Eindrid before he was rummaging for lures for the pair of them. Something that would catch the eye of some of the more colorful fish maybe, that would certainly entertain the boy. "Well you can see all sorts of fishing skiffs out on the water. And every so often you can see the big ship the Fisher's Guild charters to go out in the really deep water going by!"

"Everyone has a past, and it's often as not, a rather unpleasant one," Zhentani hummed, glad that the embrace seemed to be helping, a hand lightly running over his hair in that motherly reflex. "And I bet your brother sees some of her in you as well. Those we love tend to stay with us like that."

[coldsong]

"Bee boat," the toddler says, looking out over the water almost solemnly. He can't articulate the feeling of familiarity or memory, but Khaishan at least has been told of the family connection to the sea. Ein knows his father isn't out there fishing--his speech is more delayed than his understanding--but looking out into the water for his boat feels good.

Loki's shoulders relax at the maternal caress. A big part of him feels he should not indulge himself so; they're here for the children, not him. He can rationalize that away, though. It would be rude to refuse such kindness, and whatever else he may be, he's not usually unmannerly.

"I hope he does. He always mentions how I was closer to her, but I think he takes after her more."

[desertdancer]

"You'll know it for sure when you see it." Khaishan hummed, as he was setting Eindrid's line with one of the lures, a shiny little thing with a spray of thin, colorful feathers. He'd given the basic idea of what had happened to his siblings, if only so they knew what subjects to be gentle about, but kept it to broad strokes. There was no need to spread the children's pain around, and the basic idea was enough. "Sometimes they'll bring back fish so big that it'll be hanging along the side of the boat, and have a big fish fry over on the main beach."

"Things are funny like that," Zhentani mused, sensing that relaxation. There was no reason in her mind that Loki couldn't accept that affection- his children were well minded after all, and he too had been through loss and pain. "I look at the triplets, Khaishan especially, and see so much of my late husband in them. Almost like a mirror in some ways. But then there are times that I might say or do something that one of them look at me and I can tell that they're seeing their father in me. People leave an impression on us, especially those we're close to."