Blood and Water (♠ Blue Suit ♠)

Tome put a hand on Mia's arm when she started to lag behind a bit again, just leading her forward with him. Joachim squeaked giddily and wriggled in Mia's arms, trying to get up enough to look around more. Tome smiled slightly and took him from her, hoisting him up to about shoulder height, much to the little dragon's delight. "I think he'll like when he learns to fly."
 
Mia tried to adjust Joachim on her arms so that he could be comfortable but she recognized it was better for Tome to take him so that he could take a better look of everything else "Then we won't be able to chase after him" She replied with a smile. When he had started to walk it had been quite a mess.
 
Tome shook his head, smiling slightly up at Joachim when he fluttered his little wings. "I think it'll be okay. We can follow him on the ground, and he'll come back eventually."


Malia smiled back at them while they walked, nodding along. "He probably won't go far from you even when he's full grown."
 
"But he won't be that big, right?" If she could remember correctly he'd be bigger than their horses but not as enormous as some of the dragons he had see over there.
 
Malia shook her head. "Oh, he'll be a good amount taller than you when he stands, perhaps 16 or so feet from snout to tail tip. But not overly large, no." She laughed softly. "Not for a dragon, anyway, dear."


Tome nodded a little and set Joachim atop his head where the little dragon had taken to laying out across, feet hanging down on either side and wings flopped down almost to Tome's shoulders. Joachim chirruped happily and settled in on his belly, tail whapping lightly against the back of Tome's neck. "He'll be strong, though, right?" He said, shrugging slightly. "Since he's an earth dragon." The brown scales were apparently enough to tell that, and the green eyes. Joachim would be more comfortable on the ground, if he stayed true to his breed, but would enjoy flying as all dragons did.
 
"Hmm" It was sort of funny how she had come to learn some curious things ever since they had com there. Joachim's size, for instance, was rather surprising. She'd have sworn all dragons were these huge creatures that could be quite intimidating. Concerning his strength, she believed he was already quite strong for a baby. That, of course, Malia could tell better than her guessing.
 
The day passed without event, after Joachim's little episode. Tome kept the baby in his own bed that night, since they usually switched off to keep the baby-raising load even. Tome knew Mia liked to hold him, but he didn't want to have her bearing a burden all the time, so he went to be with Joachim sprawled over his chest, snout tucked up against his throat. It was comforting, somehow, having that little weight on his chest, breathing quietly and making little sleepy noises. It was an easy thing to fall asleep to.


His dreams were blurred and too bright, difficult to see, and he was stuck, as if he could look nowhere but up, as if he weren't in control, but perhaps that was how dreams were. He didn't dream often. The light was blocked, though, by a shape that was hard to identify at first, until his vision began to clear, and he could see a woman's face above him. Her hair was long and white, hanging down to him, and a hand that was his but that of an infant reached up to try and grab onto it as she smiled down at him. She reached for his other grasping hand, the smile reaching her eyes, and -


Tome woke up so abruptly he hardly knew he was sitting before he was already up, eyes wide and breathing a little more harshly than was normal. Joachim tumbled into his lap, something Tome didn't notice at first, but the little dragon started to cry and Tome pressed his hands to his eyes against the sudden, unexpected tears gathering in them. That wasn't right. . . That couldn't be right. . .


((I'm so sorry that took so long -_- I was watching tv. I have to go shower now, but I'll try to make it quick, then I'll be back!))
 
She could never be told to be the one to have a heavy sleep but that night Mia felt tired. So when she heard a small and a bit of a strong noise coming from the other bed in the room, she simply curled up a little on herself and decided to let it slip to drift off again. But then she heard Tome's harsh breathing, which was suddenly followed by Joachim starting to cry and she immediately shot her eyes open and pushed herself up and off the bed.


"What's wrong?" And her voice came out as a whisper out of habit. In the dark, she took some short steps towards Tome's bed and when she felt her legs brushing against it, she touched her way to where Joachim was. Not that it was that dark during night time, but her eyes needed to get used to it. "It's alright, Joachim. Shh, don't cry, baby, it's okay" By now she could at least distinguish the silhouettes on the room. Taking Joachim on her arms gently, she tried to soothe him before she noticed something was not quite alright with Tome.


"Tome?" With a bit of effort, she carefully shifted Joachim to her right arm and held him firmly against her chest as with the other hand she reached for Tome's face. It was almost instantly that her fingertips felt the humidity in them and her eyes widened in surprise. Was he... Crying? "Oh my God, what happened?" Her voice filled with concern as she allowed for her hand to rest on his cheek, cupping it.


(It's okay! ^^ Have a good bath xD ) (Also, I don't know if it was Tome the one whose tears had welled up >< If he wasn't, let me know if I have to edit the post!)
 
Not long ago, Tome's first instinct would have been to slap Mia's hand away, but he had changed. In small, imperceptible ways, he had changed, and rather than shove her away, he clasped his hand over hers and held it tight, turning his head away from it to press his eyes into the back of his other hand, trying to get a hold of himself. He shook his head faintly, without words, because he didn't know what sort of sounds would come out of his mouth should he open it.


Joachim calmed gradually as Tome did, until he was only nuzzling a bit upsetly into Mia's neck and shoulder, clinging to her though he had already learned to be careful with his claws after he'd cut open one of Tome's calves. Tome shook his head again, fractionally, and took a careful breath when he'd calmed. "I'm sorry-" He started, carefully, voice a bit broken still. "I'm sorry, I - I dropped him, a little. . ." He'd sat up too fast and Joachim had gone from lying on Tome's chest to suddenly flopping down onto his back on Tome's thighs. Tome just hoped little Joachim hadn't hit his head on anything too hard, like his knees.


He couldn't let go of her hand, even though his cheeks burned from shame at his own weakness, at his own idiocy. He should not have cried over something so silly, especially something he'd dreamt. He had been too easily upset, and he needed to stop being such a fool.


((Oh, yeah, sorry, it was Tome lol))
 
Mia's gaze softened, though her brows furrowed as she still felt that worry on her chest. He didn't exactly answer her question but she decided not to push it. "It's fine. Joachim seems to be okay" And she tried for her voice to come out as soothing and reassuring. But what on earth had happened for him to react like that? She was dying to ask, but she bit her tongue so as not to.


Just then, she realized her hand was being held by him and her cheeks gradually acquired a rather bright pink color. She could only be thankful that it was dark enough so that she could hide it. Curling her fingers around his softly she parted her lips to speak up again "It's alright" She repeated once again. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that those words did help.


(Ah, okay, didn't make a mistake then! c:)
 
Tome laughed, quietly, shortly, and a bit too sharply to hold any humor, and just shook his head. It was not all right. Nothing was ever allowed to be 'all right' with him. Perhaps 'okay', or 'fine', but never 'good' and never 'all right.' He waffled for too long while she just stood there and held his hand and held Joachim, trying to comfort them both, and it was just the recurring thought of reducing her burden that made him speak, finally.


He let go of her hand, running his over his face and back through his hair even in the dark because . . . because he remembered what she'd said, to Joachim when Tome shouldn't have been listening, what he'd never been supposed to hear, and somehow it felt wrong now even to share a room with her. Touching so close felt strange now, and he didn't like that it did.


". . . I was dreaming. . ." He said finally, quiet and confused and irritated. ". . . I think . . . I think it . . . was a memory. . ."
 
(Will reply tomorrow! Night! ^^) 
Mia pulled back her hand as soon as he let go of it and used it to give Joachim better support as she shifted his weight once again so that she was carrying him between both of her arms again. In the dark, she waited for Tome to speak, because she considered it was better if she didn't try to fill the silence with unnecessary chattering.


". . . I was dreaming. . ." Raising her eyebrow a bit, she looked at him. So a nightmare? He didn't sound really happy about the dream anyway ". . . I think . . . I think it . . . was a memory. . ." For a moment no words came out of her mouth. When he didn't continue, she finally asked the question that had popped out on her head "About what?"
 
Tome shook his head slowly, still unable to believe any of it was true, and finally raised his eyes enough to look up at her in the darkness. He curled his fingers tight into his hair, trying to ground himself. ". . . Of my infancy. . ." He said, a bit faintly, and without the strength he had always been taught to have. He shouldn't be this weak. He was getting too soft, letting himself get too soft. ". . . Of my mother." But it couldn't be true. It just couldn't.
 
In the dark room, she saw him raising his head to look at her and though she couldn't quite know where to stare precisely, she felt his gaze on her and so she simply looked back. His voice came out as weak and her brow raised at the revelation. When he added the missing part, nevertheless, she tilted her head a little bit "But... Shouldn't that... And forgive me if I'm wrong" Truth was, she didn't mean to anger him again by him believing she did not understand at all "Shouldn't that be a good thing?" She knew nothing about his mother so he didn't know what he felt towards her.
 
Tome shook his head faintly and ran his hands back and forth through his hair, trying to make sense of things and stay calm. "It was Malia." He blurted out finally. "The memory of my mother was Malia." How could that be, though? She'd been banished from the kingdom. Surely she would've gone farther away than this place. But he couldn't know that for sure. He'd never known anything about his mother before. His father had never spoken of her, and his stepmother had always called his mother a disgusting, wh*re, among more vile things. He hadnt trusted either of them.
 
Well that... changes things Mia thought to herself when Tome spoke. Nibbling down on her bottom lip, she ran her hands really softly on Joachim's belly. They did have similar eyes though and there was an air around them that... That she had never noticed before. Perhaps it was just her trying to see similarities where they were not. Tome could always be wrong. He could have imagined that. Now she was not telling him that, was she? "Do you..." She breathed in noiselessly "Do you think it to be possible though?"
 
Joachim cooed softly up at Mia, content with his belly rubs, and Tome just leaned his elbows on his knees, trying to think. "Anything is possible." He said, more miserably than positively. "I know nothing about her. . . She was banished as soon as I was weaned." As soon as he didn't need her anymore to survive, she'd been sent away, and everything had gone downhill after that.
 
Mia couldn't hold back the smile that had been having the corners of her mouth twitching at Joachim's content noise. Lowering her head to look at him, she kept on gently rubbing his belly. When Tome spoke again though, her smile died out as to fit the seriousness of the situation and the revelations that accompanied it. "But you sort of like her, don't you?" She didn't want to state he did like her, but she had heard it, at least there was some kind of fondness towards her in him.
 
Tome shook his head. "That . . . Thats not the point, I . . ." He sighed and flopped backwards onto the bed, throwing an arm over his eyes and just lying there miserably. "I don't know what to do. . . I can't just . . ." He couldn't tell her she was his mother, even if he managed to convince her. She would never want him back as her son. No one would. He was damaged beyond repair, and a failure at everything he did. He would rather she never know. He would rather he never found out if he was wrong or not.
 
Mia didn't need for him to finish his sentence to know what followed and almost immediately she was posing her question "Why not?" Right, he was not really sure about it. But if it turned out to be true... Why not telling her? Perhaps, it'd be difficult for her to believe him, but if he was her son she'd surely remember him, right? If it was her... If it was her she'd be delighted to be reunited with her mother again. Then again, she knew she couldn't quite understand what went through Tome's head, but still... What if she was really his mother?
 
Tome shook his head again, biting his lip almost hard enough to make it bleed because he just couldn't. He couldn't. She wouldn't want him and she would be ashamed to have birthed him, just as the King was ashamed to have sired him. He didnt want to slow weakness, didnt want to tell her, but in the end it just came out. Unbidden, quiet, and self conscious. ". . . Because I'm afraid." Short and simple, he was a coward. This truly proved it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top