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 Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:20 pm
Safi was laughing, and even Zaphiro was chuckling at that little diatribe. In fact, it took Safi a few moments to collect himself enough to actually reply, though his amusement was evident in his tone.
"Well, since I have a daughter and a foster daughter already, my hope is for a boy, just for a change of pace. Snowman is an interesting name, but maybe the foal won't like being named for an object, particularly an object their mother is known to have killed in the past. Why don't we wait and see what happens when it hatches, and give it a name then? And I bet Saiena will adore both you and the basket; in fact I KNOW she will. Any more questions? Because we're almost home!"
This last bit was spoken with a grin as Safe saw the ground start to slant up; just up this hill and down the otherside, and the camp ought to be in sight!
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:26 pm
"Uh. Questions. Um." Well, being put on the spot like that killed all questions she may have had and she simply shook her head. Questions could come later, she supposed. Yeah. That sounded like a decent idea.
"Wait. You have two daughters?"
THAT was a question, though. Apparently she wasn't all out of questions.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 8:31 pm
"Sort of. I have one daughter myself, but I sort of became the surrogate father to the daughter of a friend when said daughter was a foal. Yue lived with Selene, and since I often go to visit Selene I spent a lot of time with Yue when she was little. She's an adult now, but I still have rights. Which means I tease here a lot."
Safi was grinning now, but since they were moving uphill a bit more attention on the basket was starting to become a necessity.
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 1:12 pm
"Ooh. I like foals, they're fun, just..." she paused, "I think I'll absolutely bite as a parent. But I'll try!" she looked at the basket warily. Now they were going up hill, Fortune was nervous. What if the basket fell off the stallion's back?
"...What if the basket falls?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 1:20 pm
"Well, you'll never know until you try, so don't write off your parenting skills yet. At least wait until the basket hatches. And don't borrow trouble, thanks kindly!" That last bit was a reference to the basket falling; Safi didn't really want to think of that possibility, to be perfectly frank.
"If the basket falls, you both are supposed to stop it. But theoretically, the whole reason you two are here is to PREVENT it from falling, so please remember that and act accordinly." Zaphiro wasn't exactly enamored to that idea himself, and hearing those concerns voiced by one of the basket's 'bodyguards' did nothing to quell his nervousness. "So...just pay attention, ok?"
"We are, Zaph; it's not your kid we're talking about, here!" Safi's voice was bright; he himself was a perfect example of not worrying about what couldn't be changed. "It won't fall, end of story."
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 1:30 pm
"...Borrow trouble?" Fortune looked absolutely confused at that, "Why would anyone want to borrow trouble? Wouldn't you want to, like, incinerate trouble? Or..."
The mare's mind wandered off to try and figure that all out before Zaphiro's voice broke through. What was she supposed to be doing again? Oh! Right! The basket! The basket itself was actually starting to slip and the mare just made it quick enough to push it back up again.
Focus, Fortune. Focus.
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 1:44 pm
"Exactly. You WANT to incinerate trouble, not borrow it." Safi was carefully nudging the basket over as well, makin sure it didn't slip off as the three Soquilis crested the top of the hill. "Expecting the basket to fall is borrowing trouble. Fixing the basket when it IS falling is incinerating trouble. Does that make-"
"PAPA!!!!" The voice was shrill and excited, that of a filly who had passed the point of impatience long ago. And indeed, that was the case here.
Saiena had been waiting impatiently for her father to get back ever since Zaphiro had left, and had started up the hill the second she had caught sight of blue. Now, she was dancing about the three Soqulis, too happy to see her father to really notice that there were new arrivals. "Papa, you're back! I missed you, but you're back now!!"
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 1:57 pm
"Oh. Well. Ok." It didn't make any sense to the poor mare but she didn't say anything more about it. The bouncing filly that bounded up the hill to meet Safi made her lose any thought of trouble.
That had to be his daughter. If the 'papa' hadn't given it away. Which it did. Fortune would have come to that conclusion anyway...Right?
Well, you never quite knew with that mare if she'd get it or not. Allowing Safi a moment with his daughter, Fortune turned to Zaphiro, "Bend down a bit so we can slide the basket off....?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:07 pm
"Hey Button! Lying in wait a new trend of yours, or am I just lucky?" Beaming, Safi nuzzled the filly as she skittered about, delighted to see her again after their first parting since she'd hatched. "Did you behave for Liz?"
Beaming as well, Saiena nuzzled against her father, tail waving exictedly. "Yup yup; we had lotsa fun! Only she doesn't like to play much; I had to stay in the teepee. But now that you're back, we can play again, right?"
Zaphiro was amused as well; Safi and his daughter were so similar in terms of obliviousness, it was absolutely adorable. Neither seemed to have remembered or realized he and Fortune were there...which was predicatble, to say the least. But at least HE rememebered the basket.
Which was why he shook his head at Fortune. "We have to head down to the compound first, unless you plan to roll it." As he spoke, he jerked his head down to the small gathering of teepees at the bottom of the hill. "Unless you have other plans, that is?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:13 pm
Oh. Right. Fortune nodded a bit, "Right. Then...We need to get Safi's attention again so the thing doesn't fall. Uh...." She eyed father and daughter, cleared her throat, and yelled out, "SAFI WATCH OUT THE SNOW PEOPLE ARE COMING!"
She looked like a raving lunatic, but it wasn't as if she cared much at all. It would certainly get the stallion's attention.
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:20 pm
Well, it worked; both Safi and Saiena turned to look at Fortune, sporting matching expressions of surprise.
Saiena recovered first; blinking at Fortune for a mere moment, she nudged her father and whispered loudly. "Papa, who's that lady? And what are snowpeople?"
Recovering himself, Safi started to chuckle. "Interesting distraction, Fortune! I'm sorry, attention is back on the task at hand!" And he madea great show of positioning himself beside the basket, lightly resting a wing on top of it before smiling at Sai. "And this is Fortune, a friend of Papa's. You'll get a proper introduction as soon as we get down to the teepees, so why don't you run and tell Liz that I'm here?"
Glancing once more at Fortune, Saiena gave her father a nod, then scampered off down the hillside, yelling for Elizabeth.
"Well, now that that's settled...hold onto the basket, you two; and let's go!" Zaphiro's tone was a bit wry, but THOSE two didn't have the weight of a full basket on their backs!
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:22 pm
Fortune grinned at Saiena and gave a small nod. Cute kid, definitely. Her nose remained against the basket to keep it steady after the filly went off to talk to the aforementioned Liz.
Whoever that was.
"Holding on, holding on." Didn't he sound like he could use a nuzzle of some sort? Maybe she'd give him one when they got to the bottom of the hill. Cranky stallions were never fun.
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:28 pm
After getting a bright grin of reply from Safi, Zaphiro simply sighed and slowly started down the hill. Was it a bad thing he already pitied this poor kid on his back? With parental figures like this, it was anyone's guess how he'd turn out...
Luckily for everyone involved, they made it down to the teepee compound with ease, and Zaphiro headed straight into the teepee where Saiena's basket had rested. And once inside, he carefully crouched down yet again, more than ready to lose his burden.
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:31 pm
Fortune bent down, sinking her teeth into the basket and looking at Safi as if to say he better hurry and help her get it down off of Zaphiro's back so she could go eat. Once Fortune got a notion in her mind it wasn't long before she became obsessed with it.
Currently, it was food.
However, first they had to get the basket settled and she had to meet Saiena since she would apparently be around a lot now. It wouldn't do to have the filly not like her or know her.
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:38 pm
"Keep your shirt on, I'm helping." And he was. No sooner had he finished speaking than Safi was lifting the basket as well, helping settle it on the soft pelt in the middle of the otherwise empty teepee. "And that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Easy for you to say; you didn't have to carry it!" Zaphiro was already straightened up, but the stiffness in his muscles wasn't going to go away any time soon. Well, it would; but only because Liz was a unicorn. "But now that's dealt with."
"Indeed it is! So come on, Fortune; time for me to do the decent thing and introduce you properly to Sai. And to Liz; she's a good friend of ours that helped me out lots when Sai was still in her basket. I'm sure you'll love her. And then we can see about some lunch..."
Safi contined to speak as he headed out of the teepee, but even though the words were getting softer one thing was clear; it was going to be a busy remainder of the afternoon!
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