Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Be sure to behave for Niko, kids," Tish admonished the little ones dotting the playroom as she picked up the phone and started to dial. The warning was needed, too - Luvvie was playing tea party with Miri, and kept spilling the 'tea' (which was really just apple juice), while Faiya was playing peek-a-boo with Lissy,the former having stripped again, while Axel was drawing pictures and then burning them up as he discarded them.

Niko picked up the phone on the third ring, and even then his voice sounded hurried and rather strained. "Hello?" he said. "Demyx, no!" Splashes could be heard in the background. "Sorry about that," he said into the reciever. "I was just giving Demy a bath."

Tish sighed, and apologized. "Sorry, I didn't realize it was bathtime there. I was wondering. . . do you think you could come over? There are some things we need to talk about. In the background, Axel let out a yell of frustration as his crayons refusedto do what he wanted them to do. Stupid lack of motor skills!

"Oh no, it's fine," Niko amended when he realized it was Tish. "We were just getting done anyway. Sure. Demyx's been wanting to come see Axel anyway." He wondered what she would want to talk about--he hoped nothing had come up. Had she met another man? "I'll be there in ten minutes."

A knock at the door alerted Tish to Niko's arrival, but she wasn't the first to get to the door - Luvvie and Axel beat her to it, Luvvie holding Axel up so he could open the door for his dad and brother. "Demy, Demy!" Axel yelled, while Luvvie nearly fell over backwards holding him."Carfeful, Xelly, don't make me fall!"

Niko grinned, and ruffled Axel's hair. "Hey buddy," he said, putting Demyx on the floor once inside. "You guys go play now, alright? Mommy and Daddy have grown up things to talk about." He glanced around the room, checking for Tish. "Demy, you be good. No dancing water." Demyx seemed surprised at that. "I no make wader when Xelly 'round!" he said. "We play, Xelly?"

Axel grinned wickeldy and wriggled out of Luvvie's hold, grabbing Demy's hand and tugging him off to the playroom. "YEah, come on, come on~! I have somethin' t' show youuuu!" Meanwhile, Luvvie peered up at Niko with wideeysanda smile. "I like you," she said after a long moment. "Mama's gonna keep you, right?" Behind her, Miri edged up, tugging her mask back on so that the elf wouldn't see her timid blush. "H'llo 'gain," she said, gem-eyes sparkling as she dropped into a little curtsy for Niko. Tish, meanwhile, was trying to wrestle Faiya into clothing as she walked to the entryway - the blue toddler resisting her the entire time.

Niko smiled at Luvvie. "I hope so," he muttered. "I'd really like to keep her, too." He looked to Miri and nodded. "Hello Miri, you look nice today." He really hoped the toddler would warm up to him--otherwise, how would it work out when he was her father? "You guys go on and play, okay? I'll be here when you come back." Demy it seemed, hadn't exactly mastered the art of walking. He wobbled and toddled along with Axel. "What you gonna show me?" he asked.

Luvvie giggled and shook her head, grabbing hold of Nio's leg and sitting down. Miri copied her sister on Niko's other leg. "Let's go, let's go!" Tish finally got the wriggling Fiya back into her dress and set her down, smiling as Lissy came around the corner. "Mmaaamaa?" The little angel asked, flapping her porcelain wings a tiny bit. Tish obligingly scooped up the little angel and held her close. "I think. . .. we're just going to have to talk with the kids around," she said sheepishly. Axel grinned and tugged Demy to the corner where he'd been drawing, and sat him down. "I drew yooou!"

Niko blinked in confusion for a moment, before nodding at Tish. "I think so too. What was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked, cocking his head at her so black hair fell onto his face. "It sounded important." He seemed vaguely curious. "Ooooh!" Demy said. "Me? Why you drew me? I wanna see!" He paused, and with the attention span of an infant added, "I wanna drew you too!"

Luvvie and Miri giggled in unison, though Miri ducked her head a bit at the same time. Lissy smiled and reached out her little arms to Niko, her eyes bright and excited. "Daaaaaaaddy!" Tish smiled a little and bit her lip. "Well, we need to talk about.... about some of the things that were brought up at the party the other day."

Niko frowned slightly, he hadn't been expecting that. "Do you really believe her?" he asked. "I told you she was planning on teasing me. I didn't lie to you, ever... You never asked my age." He moved to ruffle Lissy's hair. "Hey baby."

): Lissy reached out further to Niko, almost falling out of Tish'sarms. "Daaaaaaaaddy! Daddy HOLD! Hold Lissy p'ease!" Tish sighed a little. "She was telling the truth, then...?"

Niko took Lissy and held her close to his chest, before slowly nodding at Tish. He needed the comfort of holding something anyway, so Lissy really was no trouble. He had a bad feeling about this conversation. "Yes... she was."

Lissy giggled and wound her fingers in Niko's hair - not tugging, but snuggling that much closer to him. "Daaaaddy~! Lissy LOVE Daddy!" Tish nodded again, a pensive frown crossing her features. "You.... know that if you were a human,a relationship between us would be illegal,don't you? She asked hesitantly as tears filled her eyes. Meanwhile, Luvvie spotted Faiya starting to wriggleout of her dress and let go of Niko's leg to chaseafter her. "No,no,Fay-Fay! We wear pretty clothes! Not take 'em off!" Miri, however, stayedclose to Niko and hugged his leg, peering up at him through her mask. Axel handed Demy a blank piece of paper, and also the picture he had drawn of his brother. "Here!"

Niko snuggled to Lissy and allowed the tiny angel to do what she pleased with his hair. He sighed, and nodded at Tish. "I know," he said. "But I'm not human, am I? There's no law saying you can't date an elf three times your age, is there?" He looked concerned when he noticed her tears. "Why are you taking this so seriously?" "Tank you!" Demy said when he recieved the paper. He moved to hug Axel before looking to the picture. "Oooh, me!" he said happily. "I gonna draw you, Xelly!"

Lissy took a few of the strands of hair and stuck them in her mouth. Tish sighedandbit her lip. "I don't know, Niko. I'm not sure if ther eare or not, but.... the law is pretty clear on minors and adults - and technically, you are a minor. . ." Axel beamed. "I spent hours makin' it just riiiiiiiiiiight!"

Niko didn't seem to mind what Lissy was doing what-so-ever. Big, blue eyes were on Tish like a deer looking straight into a car's beaming headlights. "Am I? I'm one hundred and five years old, Tish. I'm not a child, according to your law, which implies that one must be under eighteen to qualify as a child." Demy gave Axel another hug. "Tank you! I luv it!"

Tish shook her head. "There's... a clause in there, something about 'or what applies for underage in a person's racial reckoning'. It was only added last year. That's why I needed to talk to you about it..." Axel blinked and pattedDemy on the head, then looked up as Luvvieand Faiya ran in, heaving an irritated sigh of "Sisters,"under his breath.

Niko's frown deepened. "So, what are we going to do? If the clause states we cannot be together..." He sighed, and hugged Lissy to him. "I suppose we can hardly break the law, right? Cancel the engagement? Is that the plan?" Demy was so thrilled with his picture that he put it in his overalls pocket, before taking out two crayons out. A red and a black.

"I don't know," Tish murmured sadly. "It's not that I want to, Niko. . ." Sighing a little, she shrugged a bit. "Maybe. . . maybe we should get Thali's opinion on this?"

Niko shook his head. hiding his face from her by using Lissy. "I don't think we should... The princess is no longer trustworthy." He looked at her glumly. "She told me she wouldn't tell you my age. I trusted her. I won't make that mistake again."

Tish bit her lip."Well,we need to ask someone. . . I don't want to just - just end this so easily!"

Niko shrugged. "Why risk getting in trouble?" he asked, his blue eyes narrowing into slits of distress. "That's clearly what you're worried about, isn't it? I love you, Tish. I never thought age would be an issue between us."

"I didn't either," Tish said, looking away as tears filled her own eyes. "I just. . . I - I wish that this wasn't a problem, becauseit is and I don't want it to be, but it's there and it's causing problems and I just really don't know whatto do any more." Lissy looked fromTishto Niko and back, at their sorrowful, pained expressions, and started to cry.

Niko hugged Lissy tight. "Maybe it's best I go then," he suggested with a shrug. "Maybe you should think about it, though. You don't have to give me the ring back. It's a gift. Keep it, and think of me."

Tish shook her head. "That's - that's not why I called you here! Niko, I'm not - I'm not dumping you!"

Niko stared at her, his eyes glimmered with hope for a moment, though his expression showed no change. "It sounds like it," he muttered. "Why did you call me here then?"

"To try and figure out what we're going to do about this stupid law," Tish said frustratedly. "I'm not sure it applies everywhere, I thought maybe we could find somewhere that - that it doesn't..."

"I'd never heard of such a law," Niko said, frowning at Tish and raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not reading into things too much? Did the princess really say I was a minor? Or did she say compared to the human lifespan?"

Tish blinked. "I - I honestly don't know," she said, looking as confused and torn as she felt.

Niko sighed. "I don't think she would have called me a minor," he muttered. "The princess is one herself, you know. She was never one for obeying laws." He shrugged. "Nor am I though. Who says they need to know how old I am? Love's the only thing that should matter."

Tish nodded and smiled. "Well.. . .. it's not like anyone knows how elves' ages equate to human's..."

Niko smiled hopefully. Did that mean they wouldn't be calling off the engagement after all? "Only elves," he said. "Elves and fae." He rocked Lissy gently. "It's alright, baby. Everything's fine."

Lissy calmed down, but Miri didn't - in fact, she clung a little tighter to Niko's leg and pushed her mask up her face because, while crying, she couldn't breathe quite well with it over her mouth and nose. "Don' leave," she whimpered. "Please don' leave us!"

Niko bent down, carefully holding Lissy in one arm, to pick Miri up with the other. He hugged the toddler gently. "I don't intend to," he promised. "If I have my way, I'll never leave you. I promise, Miri. I never will."

Miri sniffled and peeredclosely into Niko'sblue eyes."You promise?" She asked, a tiny smile spreading across her face. "You r'lly promise?" A crash from the playroom caused Tish to whirl around and look in that direction. "I'll be right back," she said hastily, and hurried off to deal with whatever messwasawaiting her.

"I really, really do," Niko said, kissing her on the mask. "Don't worry. You'll always have me around; even when you don't want me."

Miri giggled at that,the expression turnig her features from eerie to rather adorable. "But we always want you! Well, maybe not Faiya but me an' Luvvie are workin' on her!"

Niko grinned. "Now you do," he said. "But I imagine when you're teenagers, you won't want me around so much. I hope your Mommy always will though..." He looked slightly sad for a moment, before smiling again. "And I'll always want her."

Faiya came running in, having thrownherdressoff yet again, and hid behind Niko. "Hide meeeeee!" She yelped, ducking down behind him. "Mama's gonna catch me!" The toddler was liberally sprinkled with red, blue, yellow and green fingerpaint, which had trailed along the floor in the form of footprints. Luvvie came racing after her, holding a huge wad of paper towels. "Hold still Fay-Fay! Hold still! Mama said to clean you up!"

Niko pointed with a hand to where Faiya had hid. "I'm not very good at keeping secrets," he said, apologetically. "Go get cleaned up Faiya, and then I'll tell you guys a story." He covered his mouth with a hand and yawned. Yes, a story would be good... He could nap after a story.

Faiya perked up. "Story?" She echoed as Luvvie caught up with her and started swabbing paint off of her with paper towels, while Tish slowly followedthetrai of footprintswith carpet cleaner. "I don't knowwhy I bother," the motherof many muttered."Thiswill just happen again tomorrow." Miri tugged gently at Niko's sleeve and asked, "What kind of story?" Lissy giggled and yanked at Niko's hair.

Niko sighed, and thought that he'd much rather have been telling a story to Axel and Demyx. "A happy ending kind of story," he said with a forced-sort of smile. "You'll see. It's about a prince and a princess, and they fall in love. Want to hear it?"

Luvvie, fiinishedwith wiping Faiya down, dropped the paper towel wad and clapped her hands, giggling. "Yes, yes! Story please,storystorty storyyyy!"

Niko had to restrain himself from putting Luvvie in time out for being so loud for just a moment. He was tired and he had almost got dumped a few minutes ago, and he wasn't up to all this noise. "Calm down," he said patiently. "And I'll tell the story. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess," he glanced at Tish, "and a prince. And they were in love, so they got married and had kids. The end."

Luvvie pouted."That's not a story," she said, and toddled back to the playroom leaving a crumpledup mass of paper towels on the floor. Faiya followed her. Lissy and Miri, however, both snuggled against Niko, one yawning right after the other.

Niko cuddled Miri and Lissy, before yawning himself. He leaned his head against the couch. He briefly wondered what Tish would do if she found him sleeping in her house, but after a moment of thought, found he didn't care. He closed his eyes, promising himself it wouldn't be longer than a moment--and fell asleep.