Jewell sat on the steps of the townhouse she had rented out for the time being. Her home was destroyed, after all, and living with seven kids inside the small room at the Red Dragon Inn would not only be uncomfortable and impossible, it was just asking for all sorts of trouble. The sun beat down on her black curls, still wet from her recent shower. She had cleaned up after spending a majority of the day cleaning and painting the makeshift home she had obtained.
A sour look was shot over her shoulder at said ?home.? It had come fully furnished, which was a big plus since all her furniture had gone kaboom! with her house, and was just big enough for her brood of kids and one or two of the servants that she usually kept around. However, it wasn?t really home. Home didn?t exist anymore accept on a piece of paper at her contractor?s office.
At least the area was nice, she mused. Parts of Old Town were being refurbished and Jewell had grabbed at the chance of being in a quiet neighborhood as opposed to say, the WestEnd. The cobblestone street was narrow, just wide enough for a carriage and perhaps a single horse to pass side-by-side. Large oak trees lined either side, providing shade for practically the entire street and littering the ground with acorns. She had taken up the only sunny spot on the stairs, waiting patiently for the arrival of her family.
She did not have to wait long, as three carriages presently pulled up, which was well enough because Jewell Ravenlock was not known to be a patient woman. Neither was her eldest daughter, it seemed, as the eleven year old was jumping out of the lead carriage without waiting for it to stop or for someone to hand her out. ?She should know better than that? thought that nagging mother side her kids often brought out in Jewell as she stood only to get tackled back down to the stairs as Amanda threw herself at her mother.
?Mamma mamma! You?re all right!? She gushed out, arms encircling the petite fae as she practically sat upon her lap.
?Oof! I was until you tackled me, I think I just broke my butt,? Jewell chided her daughter, mock indignation written all over her faces.
?You?re such a liar,? was the reply, filled with girlish laughter. A kiss was pressed to her mother?s cheek before she released her from her arms and ran back down the stairs to help her younger siblings out of the carriages.
The servants were quicker, already unloading the mountain of trunks piled in that third carriage, ?Shall we start bringing these inside, ma?am?? Jewell nodded in the affirmative as she started down the stairs, rubbing her bottom that was rather sore now.
She wasn?t given much time to lament as the rest of her little army of Ravenlocks started to pour forth from the two carriages. It seemed that they had separated girls and boys as Devyn and Eva Jade followed Amanda out of the first carriage while Moradin, Oz, Raven and Kerrick all stepped out of the second. The two nannies that had traveled with them for the sake of the younger ones fussed over them, straightening their clothes and hair, wiping smudges off their faces.
Eva Jade was the first to break free, strong-willed as Cher had always been, and run over to Jewell with her long white hair with blue wisps flowing behind her like a curtain. Her girlish squeal of ?Maaammaaa!? erupted into laughter as Jewell caught her up in her arms and spun her about. Kisses covered the four year olds face before she was set down. Eva Jade quickly latched onto one of her mother?s legs, not yet ready to let her go, ?Oh, I miss you I miss you!?
She barely had time to kiss Eva Jade?s head and reassure her once more that she was there with her before she was being pulled on from all sides by the rest of her little clan. Shouts of, ?Mamma, look what I learned,? ?We saw a cow this morning!? ?Oz caught a frog yesterday,? ?Devyn was sooo bad,? ??Manda keeps tellin? me what to do,? ?Where?d our house go,? filled her ears and she laughed helplessly.
She skillfully detached Eva Jade from her leg only to have her cling to her dress when she kneeled down to be closer to eye-level with them. Oz and Raven got big kisses on their cheeks despite their howling-laughter protests as she tickled them as well and echoed ?yicks!? afterwards. Oz liked to play the tough-guy already and Raven followed along in whatever he did.
The twins were scooped up in her arms-people did not need to wonder where Jewell built up her muscles. She almost cried seeing how big they had gotten in a matter of weeks, in denial over the fact that they would soon be four. ?Have you two been good, my little angels??
Kerrick, lavender hair a shade darker than Alex?s but those same brilliant emerald eyes, nodded with an ?uhuh? but that mischievous grin written all over his face was answer enough. She?d have to inquire over what kind of trouble he and Oz had been getting in to. Devyn, laughing immediately, shook her head ?no,? which only provoked Jewell?s fingers to tickle her side and cause her to laugh more.
Eva Jade only proved her suspicions about Kerrick and Oz a moment later, ?Nuu uhh, mamma, they?ve been bad! They cut my hair!? She took on an injured air, sticking her tongue out at her two brothers before turning around to show her mother that her hair was indeed a few inches shorter. Jewell was relieved to see that it was at least straight and had not been left in whatever state-she could only imagine-that Kerrick and Oz had left it in.
?Well, we?ll just have to get back at them later, won?t we princess?? Jewell set the twins down, reaching over to pinch Eva Jade?s cheek when she turned back around again.
?Nu-uh!! We already did!? Devyn joined in Eva?s immediate laughter, sharing in the private joke.
?My little girls are so bad!? She gasped in pretend horror, joining in their laughter only moments later as she stood. ?How about everyone inside and up to their new rooms to check it out!?
Leena, one of the women that would definitely be staying with the family, led the parade inside. Raven held back a moment, staring up at the building until Jewell stepped next to him and placed a hand on his head, mussing up his dark hair. He looked up to her then, those eyes shifting colors every few moments, ?Mamma?this isn?t home.?
It was hard to muster up a smile against his little heart-broken expression, ?Don?t worry love, this will do for now. We?re all together and we?ll have fun again and it will be no time until we have a brand new house, even better then before!? She watched his lips settle into a firm line as he thought this over before nodding and taking off after his siblings inside, his mother always knew how to pacify any of his worries.
Left standing outside was Amanda, Moradin, and Jewell. The mother turned to face her two eldest with a bright smile in place. ?So, what do you two think??
?Where?s dad?? Stoic Moradin, always right to the point.
Amanda watched her mother carefully as she responded, ?Actually, he?s in the city right now and he should be over some day this week to see you guys, he really can?t wait but he thought he?d let us get settled in first.?
?Nothing?s wrong?anymore?? Amanda asked tentatively, knowing her mother had been an absolute wreck for weeks about this.
?Nope, sweets, everything is going swimmingly,? she took up her spot between the two of them, one hand on each of their shoulders as she guided them inside.
?If it?s going swimmingly, why the hell did our house get blown up?? Yah, she was Jewell?s daughter.
Smack! Jewell had released Amanda?s shoulder to hit the back of her head, ?Where did you learn language like that? It is totally inappropriate for a young lady!?
?Owwww?what is wrong with you? That?s child abuse! And I learned it from you anyways, nyah!? She stuck her tongue out at her mother before she was rudely pushed inside the house.
?Get in there and shut up, child! Mother of nature?what am I going to do with you?? Was the last the neighbors got to hear, and Moradin?s laughter at the usual antics of his mother and sister, before the door to the town home was closed.
A sour look was shot over her shoulder at said ?home.? It had come fully furnished, which was a big plus since all her furniture had gone kaboom! with her house, and was just big enough for her brood of kids and one or two of the servants that she usually kept around. However, it wasn?t really home. Home didn?t exist anymore accept on a piece of paper at her contractor?s office.
At least the area was nice, she mused. Parts of Old Town were being refurbished and Jewell had grabbed at the chance of being in a quiet neighborhood as opposed to say, the WestEnd. The cobblestone street was narrow, just wide enough for a carriage and perhaps a single horse to pass side-by-side. Large oak trees lined either side, providing shade for practically the entire street and littering the ground with acorns. She had taken up the only sunny spot on the stairs, waiting patiently for the arrival of her family.
She did not have to wait long, as three carriages presently pulled up, which was well enough because Jewell Ravenlock was not known to be a patient woman. Neither was her eldest daughter, it seemed, as the eleven year old was jumping out of the lead carriage without waiting for it to stop or for someone to hand her out. ?She should know better than that? thought that nagging mother side her kids often brought out in Jewell as she stood only to get tackled back down to the stairs as Amanda threw herself at her mother.
?Mamma mamma! You?re all right!? She gushed out, arms encircling the petite fae as she practically sat upon her lap.
?Oof! I was until you tackled me, I think I just broke my butt,? Jewell chided her daughter, mock indignation written all over her faces.
?You?re such a liar,? was the reply, filled with girlish laughter. A kiss was pressed to her mother?s cheek before she released her from her arms and ran back down the stairs to help her younger siblings out of the carriages.
The servants were quicker, already unloading the mountain of trunks piled in that third carriage, ?Shall we start bringing these inside, ma?am?? Jewell nodded in the affirmative as she started down the stairs, rubbing her bottom that was rather sore now.
She wasn?t given much time to lament as the rest of her little army of Ravenlocks started to pour forth from the two carriages. It seemed that they had separated girls and boys as Devyn and Eva Jade followed Amanda out of the first carriage while Moradin, Oz, Raven and Kerrick all stepped out of the second. The two nannies that had traveled with them for the sake of the younger ones fussed over them, straightening their clothes and hair, wiping smudges off their faces.
Eva Jade was the first to break free, strong-willed as Cher had always been, and run over to Jewell with her long white hair with blue wisps flowing behind her like a curtain. Her girlish squeal of ?Maaammaaa!? erupted into laughter as Jewell caught her up in her arms and spun her about. Kisses covered the four year olds face before she was set down. Eva Jade quickly latched onto one of her mother?s legs, not yet ready to let her go, ?Oh, I miss you I miss you!?
She barely had time to kiss Eva Jade?s head and reassure her once more that she was there with her before she was being pulled on from all sides by the rest of her little clan. Shouts of, ?Mamma, look what I learned,? ?We saw a cow this morning!? ?Oz caught a frog yesterday,? ?Devyn was sooo bad,? ??Manda keeps tellin? me what to do,? ?Where?d our house go,? filled her ears and she laughed helplessly.
She skillfully detached Eva Jade from her leg only to have her cling to her dress when she kneeled down to be closer to eye-level with them. Oz and Raven got big kisses on their cheeks despite their howling-laughter protests as she tickled them as well and echoed ?yicks!? afterwards. Oz liked to play the tough-guy already and Raven followed along in whatever he did.
The twins were scooped up in her arms-people did not need to wonder where Jewell built up her muscles. She almost cried seeing how big they had gotten in a matter of weeks, in denial over the fact that they would soon be four. ?Have you two been good, my little angels??
Kerrick, lavender hair a shade darker than Alex?s but those same brilliant emerald eyes, nodded with an ?uhuh? but that mischievous grin written all over his face was answer enough. She?d have to inquire over what kind of trouble he and Oz had been getting in to. Devyn, laughing immediately, shook her head ?no,? which only provoked Jewell?s fingers to tickle her side and cause her to laugh more.
Eva Jade only proved her suspicions about Kerrick and Oz a moment later, ?Nuu uhh, mamma, they?ve been bad! They cut my hair!? She took on an injured air, sticking her tongue out at her two brothers before turning around to show her mother that her hair was indeed a few inches shorter. Jewell was relieved to see that it was at least straight and had not been left in whatever state-she could only imagine-that Kerrick and Oz had left it in.
?Well, we?ll just have to get back at them later, won?t we princess?? Jewell set the twins down, reaching over to pinch Eva Jade?s cheek when she turned back around again.
?Nu-uh!! We already did!? Devyn joined in Eva?s immediate laughter, sharing in the private joke.
?My little girls are so bad!? She gasped in pretend horror, joining in their laughter only moments later as she stood. ?How about everyone inside and up to their new rooms to check it out!?
Leena, one of the women that would definitely be staying with the family, led the parade inside. Raven held back a moment, staring up at the building until Jewell stepped next to him and placed a hand on his head, mussing up his dark hair. He looked up to her then, those eyes shifting colors every few moments, ?Mamma?this isn?t home.?
It was hard to muster up a smile against his little heart-broken expression, ?Don?t worry love, this will do for now. We?re all together and we?ll have fun again and it will be no time until we have a brand new house, even better then before!? She watched his lips settle into a firm line as he thought this over before nodding and taking off after his siblings inside, his mother always knew how to pacify any of his worries.
Left standing outside was Amanda, Moradin, and Jewell. The mother turned to face her two eldest with a bright smile in place. ?So, what do you two think??
?Where?s dad?? Stoic Moradin, always right to the point.
Amanda watched her mother carefully as she responded, ?Actually, he?s in the city right now and he should be over some day this week to see you guys, he really can?t wait but he thought he?d let us get settled in first.?
?Nothing?s wrong?anymore?? Amanda asked tentatively, knowing her mother had been an absolute wreck for weeks about this.
?Nope, sweets, everything is going swimmingly,? she took up her spot between the two of them, one hand on each of their shoulders as she guided them inside.
?If it?s going swimmingly, why the hell did our house get blown up?? Yah, she was Jewell?s daughter.
Smack! Jewell had released Amanda?s shoulder to hit the back of her head, ?Where did you learn language like that? It is totally inappropriate for a young lady!?
?Owwww?what is wrong with you? That?s child abuse! And I learned it from you anyways, nyah!? She stuck her tongue out at her mother before she was rudely pushed inside the house.
?Get in there and shut up, child! Mother of nature?what am I going to do with you?? Was the last the neighbors got to hear, and Moradin?s laughter at the usual antics of his mother and sister, before the door to the town home was closed.