Topic: When least in mind

Ewan Corinsson

Date: 2008-10-21 11:54 EST
O Death! thou comest when I had thee least in mind!
-Unknown. Everyman


"Well, that is a nasty scratch you have there lad." Storm picked up the sniffling Avery and placed him on the counter near the sink. A quick and harsh fall gave Avery a hole in his breeches and a scraped knee. Avery tried to suppress sobbing, so instead he sniffled and had fat tears roll down his face. "Suppose you know not to run over the cobblestone when it is wet. But we will mend it back to rights." Storm ran the cool water and gently began to cleanse the wound.

Ewan had used the walk home to file away the troubles of his day so that when he entered their house he could avoid unnecessary scowling. His hands were clean of the grime from his travels beneath the city, but his clothes still had smudging evidence. What was important was that he came with hands and demeanor clean. The cooling weather had done its work on the flowers now looking forlorn in their state preparing for winter. The few trees on their small grounds had changed their colors and that gave him a smile. So, when he went inside he was able to give a warm, "Hello to the house!"

Storm smiled as she heard Ewan's approach, and it grew upon his warm welcome. "Nice to have you home, beloved." She paused to try and find stirrings of Kellan in his crib, but finding none she continued back to cleaning Avery's scrape. When he sucked in air through his teeth and scowled, she gave a sympathetic smile, "I know Avery, but it is almost done and then I will put something on it to keep it from hurting."

Following the voice around to the kitchen sink, he gave the situation one glance. "So, what is this, Avery? Came to a wound by what means?" He walked closer, but did not interfere with Storm's ministrations. Instead he tried to distract Avery from the ache by retelling the tale.

He looked up at Ewan through his lashes and nodded, *Yes, I slipped on the cobblestone outside chasing Whisper.* Storm placed a light white cream over the scrape before placing on the bandages. *Mom said it was because they were wet.*

"Ah," he smiled and nodded, "wet cobblestones can be a tricky thing. You have to change your center of balance." With a kiss to Storm's cheek and a touch to Avery's shoulder he moved from his lean. "Good thing you have your mother to tend to such wounds. I am going to go check on Kellan."

"He just might be waking now." A smile over her shoulder to Ewan before looking to Avery, "There. Better now?" With a dramatic sniffle, he nodded and Storm helped him down with a kiss to his cheek. "Good. Now go change out of those and leave them on my bed, please." As Avery turned to do just that, she moved to open the back door for Whisper, who seemed very eager to greet Ewan. "Easy, Whisper." A warning tone in her voice as the dog scampered to the living room. With a smile and shake of her head, she headed for that direction also.

Ewan Corinsson

Date: 2008-10-21 11:54 EST
One hand down to keep the eager Whisper at bay, and on all fours, the other arm cradled Kellan. The eyes searching around in its near space. Ewan placed a kiss to the tiny forehead and patted the dog on the top of the head, before sending the animal off to follow Avery in the back. "Interesting day then, beloved?" He asked as he turned moving Kellan to his shoulder.

"It seems to have been, yes." Chuckling now at the dog's need for attention, she smoothly moved further into the living room to give Ewan a soft kiss. "I hope that yours was not so. Do you have scrapes that I need to mend, too?" A hand reached out to gently rub the back of a finger against Kellan's back.

While he knew he had some new bruises, he looked himself over as if it were required in order to answer her question. "No, it seems I return to you quite whole and healthy. I could remedy that for you if you would rather. Plenty of sharp objects in the house, or I could slip and fall on the cobblestones myself." His laugh was low and brief when he went to sit on the couch, laying Kellan down next to him and starting to play exercises with the hands and make conversation for both the baby and himself. "What did you do with your day, Master Kellan? Keep track of your mother and brother, you say? Quite the task indeed."

"No, I do not think any of us needs any more contact with such items." She looked down and watched Ewan move Kellan's hands with warm laughter. "Oh, and are you suggesting that I am a task, much less along with our eldest?" She mocked an innocent look before Avery came into the room so that he could hug Ewan, *Dad, will you look over my tree project when I finish?*

He lifted a grin to his wife, but did not correct the statement. Still the twitch of a wink just before he shared the hug with Avery. "Of course, Avery. Nearly done then is it?" He picked up Kellan again and then turned the baby around for a peculiar aroma check. "Let me change out Kellan while you work on it so your mother does not need to deal with a nasty nappy when she feeds him." He stood and went to do just that. It was not as if he had dealt with more acrid and disgusting things that day already.

"Thank you, beloved." She said with a grin as she watched him exit, particularly his backside. "Let us go set up everything, shall we?" Guiding Avery out of the room and towards the kitchen, he went straight for the area designated for his school work. Storm watched him begin the final set up of his project while pouring a glass of apple cider for Avery and her, with an addition cup for Ewan should he want some.

The change was swift, necessitated by the smell. "You have a powerful stink about you, lad." He chuckled as the baby wiggled about in the change from soiled to clean. The duty done, the infant wrapped up once more and smelling quite the better for it. "Here we are, mother." He handed Kellan over and then moved on towards Avery, picking up the spare glass of cider on his way and sipping it as he started a review of the work still unfinished.

Storm's face instantly brightened as she gathered Kellan into her arms. "Both my boys are set to rights." She brought Kellan close to kiss his cheek, and watched his usual expression begin to sour at leaving Ewan, "Let us get you fed so that father can hold you again." Moving through the halls and towards the bedroom to do just that, Avery had various tree designs that he had cut out and needed to assemble properly. *I finished cutting them up!* A happy smile as he looked up to Ewan from his seat.

"And a masterful job you have done with it. I see a birch in that tree already you have cut it out so well. Now then, I will take a seat here and read over what messages have come today while you work. If you come to a tangle," he chuckled at the pun, "let me know and we will see if we cannot set it right." Ewan sat and took up the few messages, no more than three, and started with the one on top, sipping his cider as he read.

Storm Divine

Date: 2008-10-21 22:54 EST
With a salute, Avery went to organizing the trees on the large piece of paper. First he played around with the different arrangements, finding smallest to tallest looking best. Then he did the tedious job of using a white paste to stick the trees to the paper. He had only two trees slightly crooked, and managed to get the paste on his sleeves and cheeks. Lastly, he began to label each tree, concentrating on the shape of his letters and making them even. By this time, Avery sneaked a glance over to Ewan's message, *What's that one from?*

Ewan glanced up from time to time, the note in all its coding looking to be no more than a tedious note of the impact of the weather on the migration of sea animals. It meant much more. Still, when Avery asked the question, Ewan was able to honestly answer, "A note from the captain of the Lark on the weather. Keep an eye to the paste, son. You have near set the paper to sticking to your arm in that fashion."

*But it's messy.* He went back to labeling the last few trees as Storm and Kellan came back to the kitchen, "Oh, they look like trees." A gentle tease as she looked down over Avery's head to see his work. When he looked up and grinned, she frowned in dismay, "Were you using your cheeks to paste your trees on?" She felt the texture of the paste on his cheeks and wrinkled her nose. Her gaze moved to Ewan and she teasingly rose her brows as if it was his fault.

He moved to the next letter and at Storm's accusatory look he gave a cheeky grin. "The lad is doing well. It is not yet stuck to him. I think it a grand achievement. Besides, he will improve with practice, not me doing it for him."

"That does not mean he could not use a bit of supervision." However, the smile on her face clearly portrayed that she was jesting. Shifting Kellan on her shoulder, she rubbed the back of Avery's head and neck, "It looks very well done, son." She then moved to retrieve her neglected drink. When Avery wrote down the last name, he patted Ewan's arm for his attention, *I'm finished!*

Ewan set aside the letter, turning it with the script facing down without much thought to the action. His attention went to the project as he gave it a critical review and made serious noises deep in his throat suggesting his thoughts on the matter like a studious art critic.

The deep throat noises made Avery slightly nervous, and he bounced slightly in his seat. Storm raised a brow at the letter he turned over, but said nothing. Turning her attention to Kellan, she felt his small body move with hiccups and she patted and rubbed his back.

Ewan could only sustain the ruse for so long and he slid Avery a slow green glance. "I think you have done very well. Even the white oak and red oak are correctly matched with their leaf shape. Now then, go get yourself cleaned up before you stick to something dangerous, like the dog." Ewan smiled and then reached for Kellan. "It is either you or I cooking dinner, beloved, and we know my limitations in that matter. But burping a baby I seem to have a knack for."

She was completely amused with his last statement, but it warmed her just the same. "Take this too. I do not need more soiled clothing that necessary." She set a small cloth on his shoulder before handing the baby over. As Avery happily skipped to wash up, Storm set the project aside to dry, "What are you in the mood for, beloved?"

"Honestly? Anything. I would take broth soup if that was all you were in mind to make, though I think Avery probably needs something more heartening." He arranged Kellan on his lap. One large hand supported the chin and front of the body as he leaned the baby forward a bit and rubbed the small back.

Storm Divine

Date: 2008-10-21 23:02 EST
"A broth is not suitable for you either, but I think a soup will do just nicely with the cooling weather." She began to gather the items she had in mind, going between the icebox and pantry. It was an easy and soothing rhythm that brought a gentle smile to her face. A brief glance at his letters froze the smile in place and brought the casual question, "Anything of interest in your letters, beloved?"

He gave a glance to the letters, one remained unread and shook his head. "I cannot say as so. The first two more concerns from abroad or here about abroad." A low chuckle that was echoed with a tiny burp from Kellan. "Well done, lad." He transferred the baby with the cloth to his shoulder. One hand reached for the third letter and noticed the Yransea seal on it. With a deft twist, he unsealed it and shook it fully open to read.

Storm listened with half of her attention, understanding that everything seemed to be as expected as she stared at them. The image of holding a letter in one hand and maneuvering a baby in the other seemed so fitting for Ewan that she had to chuckle quietly. It would be an image engraved in her mind for a long time. She began to chop up onions, celery, carrots and potatoes, tossing them into a large stock pot.

"Storm," Ewan spoke soft as he read the words again. The letters flowed more smoothly than his thoughts did even though some corner of his mind acknowledged how difficult it must have been for the Baroness. "Storm," he said again because he did not recall saying it already, "mother has passed on." And he set the letter down, not sure what he was feeling at the moment and he took time to think about it.

She paused in her chopping the first time he spoke her name, but the second time had her setting down her knife and looking towards him. The words were so unexpected and said without the heavy emotion that it took her several moments to internalize what he had said. She moved to go look at the letter herself, finding a large lump in her throat that grew with each step. She read the words without much understanding, simply looking for the words to support Ewan's statement. "Oh.. beloved.." she lowered the letter to look at him, eyes instantly welling up with tears that spilled over.

Instinct, reacting to another, that was easier. It was easier than trying to know how he felt, when he had anticipated it for so long and now was here, it was unreal. But Storm's sorrow was real, putting to tears what buffetted around inside him. He stood and drew his free arm around her. "Come now," he crooned soft and low. "Her pain is done and now she joins my father in the Meadowlands." Speaking the words had done it and they caught on the clenching of his throat.

Her grip around him was as tight as she would allow with him still holding Kellan. She buried her face into the other side of his neck and wept, hot tears falling freely. She could not find words at the moment the words caught in his throat, but a hand made soothing rubbing motions against his back. "I am.. so sorry for your loss. Our loss. She," a pause for another wave of sorrow, "she took me as her own. And Avery. You have been blessed to have the memories that you do." Trying to control her tears so that she could comfort him, she shifted from his shoulder to look at his face.

"So I have," he smiled. His free hand cupped her jaw, one thumb moving to caress the tears away from her cheek. "Those are what I will hold to and what I will tell Kellan and Avery." There was a hole inside him and it felt hollow and achy with the change. "I will need to return home as soon as possible. The day after tomorrow at the latest." He shifted Kellan around who had began to fuss and get irritated with what confused sense of his surroundings. "Shh there, lad. Not a worry."

"Avery.." her eyes flickered to the hallway, before looking back to Ewan. "We will be going too." Her tone was so matter-of-fact that it wedged little room for disagreement. Wiping the rest of the remains of her tears away, she offered to take the fussing baby.

"There you are," Ewan handed over Kellan to Storm. "Mother's here for you." It crushed inside to say it and he turned. "I will be back, beloved. I just need," he looked to the door and back to her. He knew she would understand. "A few minutes." he offered and went to the door and out into the night to make his private fare wells in the silence of his heart.