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Old 12-23-2008, 10:50 AM   #66
Arry
Ghost Prince of Cardolan
 
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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Tív & Tíva . . . little sleepers have big ears . . .

Though the voices were quiet in their conversation, still the keen ears of the two children picked up on them. Their father’s voice especially, the deep hum of it from the kitchen called them up from their sleep. Tíva woke to it first and nudged her brother awake. He knuckled his eyes and yawned, saying ‘What? What?’

‘Shhhh, Tív!’ his sister whispered at him, her forefinger against her lips. ‘Papi’s home . . . and they’re talking about something.’ She motioned for him to follow her out of bed. ‘C’mon! Let’s go see if we can hear what they’re saying a little better.’

The twins crept to the open entryway into the kitchen, their bare little feet making no noise against the stone floor. They hunkered down in the shadows against the edge of the doorway, leaning against each other. Their mother had just finished speaking, and in a quite serious tone. One of those tones that they recognized well – the one that meant ‘pay very close attention, now; this is important’.

‘What does that mean, Tíva? What she said.’ Tív asked, whispering very low in her ear.

Tíva elbowed him in the arm. ‘Ssst!’ she hissed at him. ‘I wanna hear this!’

Tív scooted away from her just a bit and rubbed at his arm. What in blue blazes was Mami talking about? Just where was she getting this ‘new child’? He inched back to Tíva, and following her lead, listened most attentively.

-----

Vitr

Vitr sat down with a heavy thunk on his chair. He felt a bit dizzy, as if all the blood had rushed from his head and pooled in his feet. He felt cold, and sweaty at the same time. Mouth, dry. His stomach had suddenly tied itself in a tight little knot, too, and was threatening to crawl up his throat.

‘Wh-what?’ he gasped out, looking Lys full in the face as if trying to glean some clue from her expression. He wondered if the trying events of this evening had somehow disoriented him, made his ears play tricks on what she’d said. But no, she’d been quite clear. ‘Our new child’ ...


She looked at him expectantly. No further explanation seemed forthcoming.

‘A baby?’ he croaked. He could feel he was beginning to babble in a rather thick witted manner. His mind had not wrapped itself fully around this bit of news.

‘A baby . . .’ he said again taking a deep breath to collect himself. ‘A baby.’ He nodded his head in a slow, resolved manner. He reached out to cradle her face with his hand.

‘Well this changes everything, now doesn’t it?’

Last edited by Arry; 12-25-2008 at 12:00 AM.
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