*Can't we just forget about the nap, and go back out to the Market?* Avery thought that a better way to find favor in his father's approval for this idea would be to help unloading in things as well. No matter if some of the things weren't necessary. *Kellan was napping on the way over here. I saw him.*

Storm watched Avery's signs, but didn't step in yet. Instead she bounced Kellan slightly, and he lifted up an arm to point to Avery. "Ah! Ahh!"

A twist to his grin as he watched Avery point out his world. "If you think you are not too tired, and your mother agrees, then venture to the Market we will without the nap, but do not expect your mother to carry you, in any manner, should you start feeling the saddle soreness in the walking."

Ewan finished his own unpacking to turn to Storm for her opinion on the matter.

"Avery, I might need a nap as well. Or else your father will have to carry me when I start to feel saddle soreness." She chuckled, sitting down on the side of the bed so that Kellan could stand with the support of his hands in hers. "Besides, it is not quite dinner time yet."

Avery did not seem very pleased with that decision, and he sighed, *But adults don't take naps.*

Ewan set his hands upon Avery's shoulders with a light but decided touch to urge him towards the small, low standing bed that was to be his own. It had not been in the room the last time they visited, but likely things had changed in some small measure, conveniently for them. "Yes they most certainly do, sometimes any chance they can get. Particularly if there is an unknown adventure ahead of them."

Avery believed his father enough to be directed to the bed that would be his. He sat upon it, and started to take off his shoes, *Will you be napping to?* Come to think of it, Avery couldn't quite recall ever witnessing that or not.

Storm entertained Kellan a little more with his standing, before removing his little shoes before her own. It was a hope that he would settle for a nap with as little fuss as Avery.

Ewan was not going to lie to his son, no matter how much easier it might have made things at the moment. He crouched down to help Avery remove shoes. "No, I will not. I am going to take a walk about. You know your old father likes to get his bearings on a place. Remember when I walked around the entire grounds of your school when I first took you?" Perhaps the boy didn't, but it was true all the same. "I will be back soon."

Avery wrinkled his nose, before sighing in defeat and laying across his bed, *Yes, I remember. Just come back soon, I don't want to take a long nap.*

Kellan's mind was following Avery's, as he held out his arms out to Ewan while making eager noises. Storm's smile was sympathetic as she managed her last boot off.

Ewan moved over to Storm and gathered up Kellan. "The youngest is going to be less likely to follow suit with his nap of just a few hours before. Did you want me to take him along or do you think he will settle in for another rest?"

Storm licked her lips, and looked down to the tiny shoes on the bed. "If he will not be a bother for you, yes. Though I do not mind staying up with him if he will not go back down."

"You rest. Kellan and I will take a walk around and see what changes have grown in the time we were away. There will be nothing of import occurring, I assure you." With a kiss to her head, he moved for the door and out, his walk quiet even if the young boy he carried in his arms was not as silent.

Storm chuckled as Kellan seemed to be having a one-sided conversation with his father, hearing him well until they were down the stairs and out of the building. Sighing softly, she settled on top of the bed, feeling the slight protest from her body of riding a horses when she rarely did so. Folding her hands over her abdomen, it was less than thirty seconds of silence before she heard wood creaking, and then felt Avery hop onto the bed with her.

Turning her head, she gave a disapproving look, "Come now, Avery. Some rest will suit us both well."

*Can I stay up here with you?* Even as he asked, he was already moving close and trying to fit in the curve of her arm even though it was held close to her body.

Sighing softly with a smile, she wrapped one arm loosely around him, and waited until his breathing slowed before falling asleep as well.

A grin to Storm and he lit the next sparkler for Avery's other hand. "Let us see how you do with both." And when his hands were free, both patted his stomach. "I think I need a bit of a snack. What about you?" He grinned to the family as a whole, though Kellan's reserve was stirring some concern. The child typically had a curious wonder of all about him. He should have been reaching for things, babbling some struggle to communicate his thoughts on the surroundings, and some fussing for the crowd. He was still and quiet.

She returned his grin with earnest and slight relief that nothing more had come from the situation.

With both hands full of lit sparklers, Avery lost his hands for communicating. It didn't stop the joy from his face, or from him trying to hold Kellan's attention, now that "his" sparkler was lit. Nor did it stop him from waving the sparklers to let Ewan know that he, too, would like a snack.

Storm grinned and moved to give Ewan a brief, but no less tender kiss to his cheek, "I think I would like a snack as well."

When Storm neared, Ewan whispered. "Kellan seems unusually quiet, would you not say?" He did not wait for her answer just at that moment, but looked around them and gave a nod. "Let us go this direction then and see if one of those fellows with the crab dumplings is still around or perhaps some of the sticky bread." His hand reached to rest upon Avery's shoulder again as he started to weave his way through the festive crowd.

Avery made a face at the mentioning of the crab dumplings, but seemed content enough with the sticky bread to follow his father, waving the last sparkler still as the other had burned out.

Storm only gave Ewan a nod to indicate that she too, thought Kellan was acting rather odd and quiet. The thought had her rubbing the baby's back and he sighed gently against her. Trying to ease the mood and keeping concern away from Avery, she chuckled at the face he made, "Avery, you should ask your father how he feels about the octopus that he tried the last time we were here."

An over dramatic groan for the boy's benefit, he made a sick looking face. "I think I can feel it still. I could not chew through it. Had to swallow it pieces at a time." He overstated for proper effect and was gratified by Avery's wrinkled nose and mimicked face of disgust. "But here we have sticky bread. Quite the thing." He grinned to the wide smiling, if missing several teeth, vendor. It gave Ewan a moment to pause and give Storm a significant look, one she could easily interpret as "the penalty for too much sticky bread -- too few teeth". A bounce of brows, he turned back to the man to make the transaction for the sweet treats.

Storm covered her laughter at Ewan's look by covering her mouth and attempting to clear her throat. As Ewan paid for the treats, Avery held up the two burned-out sparklers to her in question. Glancing around, she noticed a trashcan near the nearest light source, "Go ahead and throw them out over there."

Keeping an eye on Avery as he moved the short distance through the crowd, Kellan changed the position of his head to rest against the bare skin on her neck. Surprised by the warmth she felt there, she shifted Kellan in her arms and waited until Ewan was closer to say the words quietly, "Kellan feels quite warm, beloved."

At Storm's words, he balanced the recently gained snacks in one hand and moved to touch Kellan's forehead. "Warm indeed. We should get back to the inn." His concerned frown set aside as easily as a mask, donning a smile for Avery. "Avery, I think we would have a grand time with a few more sparklers, sitting on the balcony and eating our sticky bread. What say you?" Though, the way Ewan was already beginning to move through the crowd to the sparklers vendor again on their way back to the inn, the boy really did not have much of a choice. Ewan only hoped that the treats and additional sparklers might soothe his disappointment at their journey into the lively market square being cut short. "We shall have a better view of the acrobats later from the balcony as well." Ewan added for good measure.

Avery looked around, comparing the comfy seats on the balcony to the crowded streets where he would more than likely have to stand. *Okay. but I want some red sparklers, too!* Eager to follow Ewan again, he offered out his hands to help hold either the treats or the newly purchased sparklers.

"You will save one for me, right Avery?" She chuckled, relieved by Avery's little reaction to the change of plans. She brushed her cheek over Kellan, cooling the touch of her skin in order to help break his fever. The contrast of their skin touching brought the occasional shudder as she followed Avery and Ewan back to the inn.

Storm rubbed Kellan's back comfortingly as he fussed after returning home through a portal. After a day spent partially away from both parents and still going back and forth with a fever, he could barely muster any energy to do more than whine. With his fever gone for now, Storm's face was stoic as she contemplated the news she was going to have to share with Ewan.

Coming inside the home though, a smile couldn't be suppressed as she called out, "Anyone home?" The question was unnecessary, but she called out anyway.

Avery was flushed, but excited and came running down the stairs holding a rattan practice sword. Ewan called after the boy, "Do not run with a sword in the house, Avery. Not even a practice one, and particularly not at your mother and baby brother." He followed at a more sedate pace, a smile for his wife and child, but concern played about his eyes. Unable to get more than that smile out, he waited while Avery signed his words. *I started sword practice today. I got this!" He held up the rattan, no more than his arm length plus half more.

"I supposed if I were to train others daughters and sons, I should start with my own." Ewan was not heated or flushed in any way, but the practice had been less than mild for him and more about positioning than much actual physical work. He kissed Storm's cheek and offered to claim Kellan from her.

She spied upon the rattan, feeling a mix of emotions of even the practice sword in his hands. Still her smile remained as she ruffled Avery's hair, "A fine weapon you have there, Master Avery." The boy scowled and instantly went to work on fixing his hair.

"A wise choice, beloved. Not to mention I was not sure how much longer you could survive without starting further on Avery's lessons." After returning a kiss to Ewan's cheek, she sent him a warm smile. Even though there was some concern in her eyes, she hoped her smile would ease most of Ewan's concern as she handed Kellan over.

He knew there was a discussion coming about Avery's lessons. Perhaps it was the darkness in him that needed to share something of what he was with Avery, or maybe it was the fear that one day, Avery might need to know in this world. It gave doubts about if he had left it too long in waiting, or not long enough.

A light touch of his lips against Kellan's forehead to test if the fever had abated, he motioned to Avery. "You can tell your mother all about it at dinner. Right now, could you put your rattan away and see about getting Whisper fed and his outside water bowl replenished." As soon as Avery started for the stairs, Ewan turned to Storm. "What did they say?"

"Your father just warned you about running inside with the sword, Avery." Excitement getting the best of him, Storm could tell that he was trying his very best to behave and contain his energy, though it showed with the bounce in his step.

"Let us go somewhere more comfortable, first." Taking his free hand, she led them to the family room, and sat down before she started with her hands folded in her lap. "First, Kellan is going to be fine. I have a few remedies and suggestions that will help with the fever." After years spent with Ewan, she knew now that straight and to the point was the best way to share almost any news. Still, she licked her lips in uncertainty before continuing, "As for the source of the fever.. they say it is his Elementalism becoming more dominant. Not all babies experience this, only.. only those that will have some control over their element." She let out a slow breath, "They say that Kellan will probably start showing signs of this within a month, though because it is later in development compared to others, that he will have perhaps only half the power and gift."

The forthrightness of the information certainly was welcome. He nodded, running his hand over the little boy's shoulders and down his back, letting the child roam over him where Kellan willed. Tug at his hair, stand on his stomach, he let the toddler have his freedom within the limitations of his body space.

Yet when she spoke of the fever's source, he could not and would not hide the frown. It was not a frown of disappointment or anger, but of struggling to comprehend and how he fit in helping in this new development. The first instinctive reaction was that he could not. The bitterness wanted to take hold and poison his words, but he cleared his throat and asked. "Is he of one element or all, and" he paused again trying to be certain he was asking the uppermost questions first, but he could not be certain and so just continued, "in what way showing signs? More fevers?"

She paused to answer as she watch Kellan, seeing the simple changes of the normal temperature and the familiarity of home to bring back his normal attitude. She smiled, if perhaps a little sympathetic, when he tugged on her husband's hair.

"He is only of Air, and will not have gifts within the other elements. As for showing signs, it will probably start in the changing of eye color, or perhaps faint ripples in the air." She demonstrated the sensation for him, stirring the air lightly, like dropping a small rock into a lake and feeling the ripples in the water. "It is a long and gradual process. Once he starts to show signs, the fever will be gone indefinitely."

Another slow nod. His words were disrupted by little fingers in his mouth. Not the random exploratory kind of infants. This was more for leverage in a turn and the mouth just offered the appropriate hand hold when Ewan had opened it to speak. As solemn as the moment was, it helped remind Ewan of something he had realized he was starting to lose already: this was his son. It was his and Storm's. There would be parts of him the followed the mother, and maybe parts of him that followed the father. No matter how much or how little, Kellan was their son. "You say it is gradual. Does that mean that more potent demonstrations of his power are not likely to manifest until he is of an age to be taught how to control and use them?"

"Yes." She gave a bright smile for Kellan when he turned and made eye contact, and was pleased to see that he smiled and even let out one loud laugh in return. "That is so for children Elementals. I probably could not make a shield until I was seven, or lift things until later. I would not be surprised if the progression for Kellan is even slower, or that he has a more difficult time mastering them."

It was a new concern. One Ewan had not considered before. "Will that be difficult for him? I mean," his lips pressed into a line, "will that be hard on him socially? We have not spoken of it before, but will likely have to attend some sort of school or training in your realm." There were questions in statements, but he wanted to understand and perhaps understand more of his wife as well. "Are you concerned about this at all?"