Exton

Chloe fusses. Her cousins are nursing, and she wants some too. Ob smiles and kisses the top of Pandora's hair.

Bruha, perhaps a bottle for Chloe? I will sit with Stoney and Keon and feed our *gitanilla. Give Keon more male support, si?

Pandora laughs and hands their daughter to her daddy. She disappears into the kitchen, returning with a warmed bottle. Ob hooks a chair with his foot and settles into it, coaxing Chloe. Her eyes stray to Keon, watching his dark countenance with fascination. One of her tiny hands finds a length of Ob's hair and twists it around her fist. The other reaches up, patting the bottle. She looks up and Ob and smiles.

He begins to sing to her, a gentle song of desert breezes and starlit skies, giving way to the breeze singing through the tall grasses of the plains. His song changes to an old tune of sheep and the Mother Moon. Keon smiles, joining the chorus. Stoney rocks Tomas gently, joining the second verse.

The tavern is quiet, save for the voices of the three men. In a few moments, the Gars shift their children, positioning them for  burps. Keon mimics and soon has mastered another skill. Monty collects the bottles and heads to the kitchen.

Tomas is suddenly alert. He reaches up, touching Stoney's face. His eyes go to Mer Cronigh. Stoney looks at Ob. For Keon's sake he voices his thoughts. "Tomas wants to know what kind of Dragon the old woman is."

Keon grins, pressing his lips together. The men both look at him. "Old... she is an old dragon woman."

Tomas gurgles and taps Stoney again. "No ^mon fils, I do not think she will take you for a ride in the sky. She is a Sea Fae."

Keon hides a smile as the Hag's voice is suddenly behind them. "I am not a Sea Fae. I am the Mer Cronigh. Older than the Fae. I am the Sea Herself."

Ob jumps and Chloe giggles. "I remember ye, Josephito of the Romanavitch. Ye tried to learn the Siren's songs. Ye almost became a fixture below the waves."

She smiles, it would have been sweet, if her teeth were not so jagged. Tomas coos at her. Ob eyes her warily. "Ye tried to woo one of me daughters. What would ye hae done. Ye were a rascal and a rogue. An she wanted ye, ye do realize, I let ye escape?"

Keon stifles a laugh handing Mera to Fea. "Yer children know I will nae harm them.They are the Lady's Blessings." She spies Pandora as she lays a hand on Ob's shoulder. "Ach, twas decades ago, lass. I'll be forgiving him now. Besides, who knew he would make such pretty bairns. If I had I nae would hae tried to drown him."

Ob hands Chloe to Pandora and claims his wife's hand. He lays a kiss upon her palm. "I promise, I won't be bothering your daughters again." He smiles up at Pandora, blue eyes burning.

Releasing Pandora's hand and stretching out his grip, he presses his other hand against his chest. His palm glows bright, then blinding, dimming into a long curved scimitar. Allah's Light weights his hand and he lays the blade across his lap.

Fea grins at him. "Ach, I knew ye were more than a useless Minstrel." She pats Keon's shoulder. "Just like this one."


*little gypsy

^my son