RP:Archery and Snacks

Summary: Meri, Alvina, and Khitti hang out in Sage Forest with their children. They enjoy a small picnic, Meri gets her resigned bow, and Harper gets a few pointers in archery from the Master of the Hunt herself. Meri also gets to meet Lucien, her nephew!

Sage’s Archery Range

Meri :: Since Meri lives very close to the archery range, the blonde has taken the liberty of setting up this little forest-picnic outing. Rather than spreading out one large blanket, a total of two medium sized blankets have been spread across the forest floor. One is for the adult women while the other is for their kids. While the blankets have been set up near the range, they have not been laid out directly in the middle of the clearing. That was one of those ‘just in case’ things. There was not anyone currently utilizing the range, but they have no way of predicting if someone might want to show up later. Or perhaps Alvina brings a certain bow and Meri wants to try it out? In terms of food, the spreads on each of them are pretty much equal. Meri did not go all out in the food preparations. Hot foods do not always travel well, so the Meri has prepared a few finger-sandwiches for the gathering, some are ham and some are turkey. For the kids, Meri has also packed some carrots and celery sticks along with dipping sauce and diced up a few different types of fruits in an effort to get the kids to nibble on something healthy. And for drinks? There is juice and water for the kids while the adult women get to enjoy some spiked strawberry lemonade. Yum. The only thing that Meri did not attempt to pack were the sweets, there was no way that she could top Khitti’s baking skills and she would have just gone out to Cenril to purchase from the bakery anyway. The sweet treats are all on Khitti to bring. Obviously since all of this is set up, Meri and Fleur are the first ones to arrive at the area and they are not alone! With them are a total of three dogs and a wolf. There is Mountain, the great dane. Mr. Weanie, a dachshund. Shadow, a black cane corso. Last but hardly least is Ohtar, a black wolf. The kids would have plenty of pups to help burn out any extra energy that they might have.

Alvina decided to forgo bringing much food, knowing the other redhead would no doubt spoil them with sweet treats, which was all Alvina needed in life truly. She’s brought along Meri’s updated bow, excited to see it in action. It shouldn’t ‘feel’ different but it would look different. Or maybe it would feel different, exactly in the way it should. In tow, she has Harper and Luna, the two teens of the group. Luna’s brought one of her books and Harper’s brought her own bow and arrow. She’d be trying out for the archery team soon. Bryce was spending the afternoon with some of his buddies, going to a Cubbies game. Meadow trailed behind in wolf form, sniffing various animals and flower patches as they go. When they get to the clearing, Meadow immediately rushes to the other wolf, bypassing anyone else to try and play fight Ohtar with little chirps of excitement. Alvina secretly hoped Meadow would approach Meri and shift for them all! Harper gives Meri a lazy wave and moves closer to the targets to ready her bow and arrows. Luna rushes up to Meri and Fleur and gives them an energetic greeting. “Hi, hi!” She waves her book at Fleur and asks both ladies how they are before her mother arrives beside her. “Sorry about Harper and Meadow,” She apologizes swiftly. “They aren’t the most social with people.” Not that Harper was social with animals either but still. “Thanks for setting this all up. I’m so glad we could get together!”

Khitti || Oh, Khitti brought the sweets. Plenty of that. And she of course brought Dominic as well. But there was something else--someone else, rather--that she had in tow. Her massive tikifhlee skidded to a stop just a few feet away from where Meri had set up the picnic. As excited as ever, Dominic raised his hands in the air and yelled “Yay, kitty!” and gave the great beast a few pats as his mother slid carefully off the cat’s side and reached up to help him down. “Alright, you, go say ‘hi’,” she said, letting Dominic run free. The four year old did as told, giving his aunt and cousin, and Alvina and her kids’ a wave. For the moment, Khitti hesitated by her cat, pretending to rummage around in its packs for longer than she really needed to, to grab the sweets and a few other things. She wondered if she’d made the right decision in bringing the newest addition to the Herzegler family to show him off; she couldn’t help but have a pang of anxiety about having to explain things to Alvina. A bit of cooing came from Khitti’s chest, where a blonde-haired child was wrapped to her with a long, stretchy cloth, the sounds pulling Khitti from her thoughts. “No going back now, is there, sprout?” He just blinked up at her cutely, leaving Khitti to shake her head, grab the bag of various goodies, and head over to where everyone else was, letting the tikifhlee to shapeshift down to its house cat form and follow along behind her. “Hey, guys.” She offered a smile to the blonde and the other redhead. “I brought someone else for you to meet too.” After setting the satchel of sweets on one of the blankets, she pulled the blonde baby from the wrap, and held him in her arms carefully. “His name’s Lucien.”

Meri :: Ohtar was absolutely great with kids and so when Meadow comes right on up to try and encourage him to play? Meadow gets exactly what she wants. Fleur would love to join in on the fun, and she will very shortly, but first she greets Luna. “Hi!” the toddler says enthusiastically before also trying to convince Luna to join in on the fun with Ohtar and Meadow. Neither Meri nor Fleur seemed to mind that Harper wanted to get some practice in with her bow. Both Mountain and Mr. Weanie also join in on the rambunctious fun with the kids, having already met Khitti’s oversized cat a few times. The only one with any apprehension over the large feline is the cane corso. Shadow warily eyes the large cat while he tries to figure out if this beast is friend or foe. It’s alright. He is the newest addition to Meri’s gaggle of dogs, he’ll grow used to the tikifhlee in his own time. Meri has eyes on the dog right up until Khitti reveals that she has brought her own new addition to the KhittiBrand family. Meri was of course aware that there was a pregnancy, the two had already talked about it, but she did -not- know that Annette gave birth. First Meri answers Alvina, “It’s alright. You don’t need to apologize. Whatever makes Harper happy. Maybe I will join her soon and give her a few pointers.” Both Khitti and Meri were skilled archers after all. Meri had something else she wanted to do before any of that happened, she needed to meet Lucien, “Excuse you, you better be depositing that baby right into my arms. Aunt Meri has to meet the kiddo.” A playful glare is sent to Alvina. “That’s right. Me. First. It’s my right as the Aunt! Don’t worry though, I’ll share.”

Alvina || Meadow, upon seeing this giant cat, rushes to include it in the game. She’s used to playing with cats, or at least trying. Their cat, Aria, did not love being chased. Poor thing. Meadow runs back to the group even if the Khitti’s kitty wants to have nothing to do with her (rightly so, Meadow can be extra). Luna follows Fleur to join the dogs. Alvina smiles at Meri’s offer. “You know, I think she’d love that.” She turns to greet Khitti warmly upon arrival, absolutely fascinated by her rideable cat (WHAT). “Especially if you showed her this cool new box of yours.” Alvina pulls the bow off her back, setting it on the blanket so Meri can still take the newest addition. “Oh my gosh, KHITTI!” She fusses, eyes wide at his cute little face. Meri demands the child and teases Alvina, who promptly sticks her tongue out in response. “Nah nah.” She laughs promptly afterwards. “Congratulations, I had no idea.” Khitti hadn’t looked a lick pregnant when they’d run into each other in the garden next to her shop in Kelay. Harper shoots her first arrow, the thump of a hit, albeit awkwardly placed.

Khitti scratched the back of her head awkwardly after she handed Lucien over to his aunt and Alvina congratulated her. “Thanks, I uh…” That pang of anxiety returned and transformed itself into a billion butterflies in Khitti’s stomach. The anxiety made her heart race a little, and she wondered if the lycans could hear it. Well, if they couldn’t hear it, they could certainly tell something was up with the way Khitti’s face reddened. “Sorry you’re just now getting to see him, Meri. Things have been… crazy. Some stuff in Vailkrin. And I decided to step down from being the Devout’s Guild leader. And… some other stuff…” Olive-green eyes shifted downward towards the ground as the redhead settled herself down onto the nearest blanket and unpacked the various treats she brought. “Hopefully this is enough,” she said, her attention lifting towards the other two again. “I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I brought a little of everything. Well, not everything-everything, but still.”

Meri could definitely hear the way that Khitti’s heartbeat was pounding, she also noticed the way that her face reddened. Plus, some might make the claim that fear and anxiety have a very distinct smell. Of course, Meri is not about to spill off of Khitti’s business, so even though she notices the blonde lycan does nothing to call her out on this. Maybe if the subject matter in question was different, but this was sensitive. Somtimes Meri was able to mind her manners. Sometimes. As the kid is plopped in her arms, Meri spends a few minutes bonding and admiring the newly born child. “Oh, I suppose I understand.” Meri didn’t know what was going on in Vailkrin, nor did she really care much. It was never a city she was much attached to, not like Khitti was at least. The only thing that Meri cared about in this exact moment was admiring Lucien. “You stepped down as Devout’s Guild leader…?” Knowing full well that Meri would get plenty of bonding time with her nephew, the child is eventually passed off to the other mommabear in the area, Alvina. “Well whatever we can’t eat here at the picnic, we can bring home as leftovers. Magik sure does love your sweets too. So does Mirshaan. They’re definitely not going to grumble about having some treats brought home.”

Alvina quirks a brow at Khitti’s reaction. That sure was unusual. She looks at Meri, briefly, as if confirming this oddity in Khitti’s behavior, while the other redhead sits down. “I can help?” She offers, kneeling down to, truly, try to eat some of what Khitti’s brought before it’s officially up for grabs. “That sounds like a lot to handle Khitti.” She smiles sympathetically. “Do you want to talk about it at all?” Meri is ready to surrender Lucien and Alvina bounces up to receive him. “Hello there.” She says in sing song, face flushing with boundless love. “I wish they could stay this small and sweet forever.” She clutches him close, making faces and snuggling him close while they chit chat. Harper would snap up any sweets they didn’t devour. Four kids means things don’t last long in that household. Her wolfish senses aren’t as developed as Meri’s. She makes an active effort to leave those things to Little Miss. A wall between the two boundaries of her life. It was just in the way Khitti looked and sounded that tipped her off to something being amiss.

Khitti || “It’s… complicated. Extremely. Well. The Devout’s Guild thing is easy. I’m just not sure if it’s for me anymore. I’m still going to be a part of it, just not leading it. I’ve decided to become a witch, and Valrae is helping me, so I want to focus on that and the research I’ve been doing on expanding my magic,” Khitti said. “I’m not upset about it or anything. Someone else will take my place and do well with it.” She watched as Lucien was passed off to Alvina next, smiling at the love both women showed him. “And I need to track down someone in the Shadow Plane. Amarrah, the being I used to be fused with is back, and I need her help with that research.” Khitti shrugged, seeming unconcerned by Amarrah’s reappearance. “And finally…” She set her attention on Lucien again and gave him her index finger to take hold of. “Lucien is mine, but also not quite. I’m not the one that had him.” She seemed a little more calm now that some of the secret had gotten out. “-That’s- the complicated part about everything. It was enough to make Meri’s head nearly spin.” The redhead smirked somewhat. She picked up a chocolate chunk muffin and bit into it, chomping away at the large pieces of chocolate in it.

Meri takes a moment to indulge in some of the food that has been spread out, starting with a few sandwich fingers and ending with a couple of the cookies that Khitti brought. Meri snacks while Khitti tries to explain things to Alvina. Some of this information is new to her too Amarrah is back? What research did Khitti need to help her with? That seems like quite a long discussion and perhaps it is not the time to chat about that, not since Alvina likely had questions about how Lucien was Khitti’s but also not at the same time. Meri had a full understanding of how complicated that was. So Meri’s commentary for this is kept relatively simple, “Another witch? Good. Fleur will have someone else to learn from. I still need to reach out to Valrae about her abilities…” The rest of it? The sister would have to have another chat soon. Once Meri was done snacking, Meri looks around to see if Alvina brought that bow of hers. If it was within plain sight, Meri would scope it up and approach Harper. If not, Meri would wait until she had a good window to inquire As for the rest of the kids? They were probably having a grand ol time rough housing with Ohtar and the other dogs. It probably would not take Alvina long to notice that Ohtar seemed to have an unusual amount of intelligence about him. Was Ohtar just an ordinary wolf? A lycan? Even Meri did not have the answers to these questions, but one thing was obvious the wolf seemed to have a soft spot for kids, a knack for keeping them entertained, and the intelligence to keep them out of anything that might be trouble.

Alvina || Valrae’s name shoots through Alvina’s chest like a stray arrow. Meri jumps in, mentioning Fleur’s continued education with her abilities. Fleur had abilities? Khitti mentions the Shadow Plane and it teleports Alvina back to when she’d made the rebreathers for Khitti’s expedition to the Shadow Plane all those years ago. “If you need me to take a look at the rebreathers, give them an update, please let me know.” She sighs, squeezing Lucien briefly before surrendering him back to Khitti. Becoming a witch sounded like a positive. The world needed more witch awareness for sure. Alvina should reach out to Valrae, especially if she was running for mayor in Cenril against Uma. There were a lot of things she wanted to say to the witch. “I’m sure she’s a great teacher.” Valrae was known as a very powerful witch. She had died and been revived. Not everyone could claim that. The same way as Khitti was a vampire but no longer was. Unarguably miracles. When Khitti admits Lucien is both hers and not, Alvina blinks. It begs for more questions but she doesn’t want to push Khitti if the other red head didn’t wish to divulge the complexities behind it. The bard smuggles a couple cookies, curiosity eating away at her until she can’t contain it anymore. She’d set the bow down on the blanket beside her, too distracted by this revelation and holding Lucien to present it officially to Meri. Her hand falls on it as she shifts her position. “Oh Gods, Meri, your bow!” She cries, flipping the weapon into her lap to hand to the psion. “Sorry there wasn’t a more dramatic introduction.” She rubs the back of her neck apologetically. Meadow trots up to Meri, begging for attention. Luna’s book was discarded on the blankets, left for dead while she keeps an eye on the younger kids and pets. How did she politely inquire more about this baby situation? “How old is he?” She tries, hoping Khitti will shut her down if she crosses over a line.

Khitti took Lucien back carefully and smiled down at him. He made a few spit bubbles at her, but was otherwise content with staring back at her. “You should,” Khitti said. “Both of you. I was honestly worried she’d be upset that I wanted to become one. I don’t have your typical natural magic that most of them have and I don’t know if there were any witches in my family, since magic was banned in my homeland. But, she was perfectly fine with it. And that reminds me!” She looked at Alvina then. “I was wondering… would you be able to make the cover for grimoire for me? Is that something you do? It’d be mostly metal, I think… I’d have to make up a design for it.” Her attention shifted towards Meri’s bow, a smile given to its newly customized form. “It looks great!” Alvina’s question then brought Khitti back to the task at hand of having to spill one of her new sort-of secrets. “He’s only a couple months old. Do you… know anything about alternate timelines? Chronomancy and all that? The concept that there are a multitude of timelines, all with a slightly different version of ourselves? That they’re different, because of the choices we make? It’s a lot, but I promise it’s relevant.” She studied Meri’s bow as she waited for Alvina’s answer. “You know, I wonder if we should have some sort of archery contest for the Ranger’s Guild.”

Meri’s attention perks up at the mention of those rebreathers. That was something that Meri and Magik had been meaning to talk to Khitti about, if she still had them. There was also the question of how many Khitti might have. The Adventurer’s Guild has quite a few members, so it is plausible that they might need to have more designed. That tidbit of information is filed away for later, but it seems like Alvina might have more work slung at her soon. Meri brightens up at as Alvina reveals the bow. “I absolutely love it!” She knew she would though. The redesign was spot on with everything that they discussed, but before Meri has a chance to join Harper in some archery practice..? Meadow sneaks in for a bit of attention and Meri is not about to deny her. Everyone who meets a wolfish Fleur always seems so ashamed when they end up petting the lycan child, only to learn that she is a girl. Meri does not have this shame. She is going to greet Meadow with all the headpats, belly rubs and ear scratches the kiddo wants. She’ll get a decent amount of lovin from Meri before the woman finally stands and makes her way out into the archery field, coming to a halt next to Harper. She’d watch the younin’ for a little bit first. “I am in. I bet you Magik would be in too. I am not sure how much of an archer Tiber is…but, maybe we could invite non-guild members as well to show off their skills. It might be a good way to get the guild a bit more interest.” While Khitti and Alvina try and wrap there brains around alternate dimensions, Meri will try and give Harper some pointers. This conversation topic has already broken the poor blonde’s brain once.

Alvina blushes when the women gush about the bow’s new design. “It’s all Meri’s invention.” She pawns off the credit happily. “And woman, you know I’ll make you anything at any time. You only need to ask.” Meadow eats up Meri’s attention, rolling and yipping excitedly. Then, the wolf pup seems to notice Khitti and Lucien and approaches them with cautious eyes, ears back but tail wagging low to the ground. Alvina’s face freezes when Chronomancy is mentioned. Vuryal had been a Chronomancer, the man who imprisoned her through a slavory trade that a man named Cayl had sold her into. A lifetime ago but the mark of slavory and Vuryal’s cruel treatment of her raised to the surface like oil separating from water. “I, uh, have some knowledge of it.” She admits sheepishly, trying not to let the promise of an alternate timeline where different choices lead her to a different life. Would she have still met Meri and Khitti? Where would the timeline break or where would she follow it? It was a lot to take in but she’s eager to hear more. Harper’s exhausted all her arrows and moves to the target to pull them loose and jog back to the firing line. She greets Meri with equal enthusiasm, absorbing the pointers with intense absorption. “You absolutely should. Harper would love to watch or participate in some way. She’s gotten really into archery recently, randomly.” Would Harper be interested in trying to join a guild?! She’s not old enough, Alvina would complain. Maybe in a couple years. To circle back around to Khitti’s remark of alternative timelines… “Tell me more?” Her mind would happily replace Vuryal’s cruelty with Khitti’s knowledge of Chronomancy.

Khitti smirked at Alvina. “Yeah well… I’ll sort something out and let you know. And the rebreathers could use a bit of work. They’ve been used quite a bit, both in the ocean and the Shadow Plane, so they could probably use some repairs, even if it’s minor.” The redhead offered Meri an innocent grin as it was rather obvious she was going over to help Harper as a way to get away from the talk of chronomancy and all that came with it. Poor Meri and her poor brain. Khitti did not aim to turn her sister’s brain to mush all the time, but here we are. Alvina’s reaction to the mention of said magic hadn’t gone unnoticed and Khitti suppressed a frown, choosing not to ask about it for now. “So, basically, it’s true. Brand and I had visions, in the beginning. Well, dreams first. Then the visions. They usually took place in this world where things ran on lightning magic entirely. As the whole thing with my vampirism went on, we got a different kind of vision, where I’d become a lich… and all of you were dead. Things like that. Well, about over a year ago, someone from Brand’s past literally comes back from the dead and sets to wrecking our lives thanks to the way Brand treated her back in Catal. At one point, she turned Brand and I into the opposite gender. I was a guy, Brand was a woman. We had a whole past’s worth of memories in these forms. We still don’t really know what this person from Brand’s past did--and neither does she--but the male version of me and the female version from Brand are real. The four of us are entirely separate entities. We shapeshift back and forth via Brand and his female counterpart, Annette’s magic. So… Lucien is technically Annette and my male counterpart’s kid--his name is Khitt. It’s a lot. I’m really sorry. And you can meet him too if you want… but it’s fine if you don’t want to.”

Meri :: Even if Meri was with Harper, she could not help but overhear the conversation between Khitti and Alvina. Thankfully it was not enough to melt her brain this time, she had already managed to process the information the first time. It was still a perplexing subject though. Meri was curious as to how Alvina might react to all of this. “I met Khitt, pretty cool in my opinion. It’s like I’ve got a brother and a sister now. I still need to meet Annette though.” But as Meri and Khiti had talked about, this would happen in due time and when Annette was comfortable with it. It was not something that Meri was trying to force. Harper and Meri would take turns shooting at the armored archery dummy that was here. Harper would get pointers about form, tips on how to aim. Of course the most important piece of advice that Meri could give was to practice, practice, and practice some more. Meri takes a moment to show off her padded archery bracers to Harper, they helped practice both her forearms against the string. The string was not meant to glide across the arm, but things happened. Even to the best of archers. They also offered some protection to her fingers, for when she draws the string of the back and for when the arrow is nocked and released. Harper is also proudly informed that the name of the archery dummy is Wilson the Second, a bit of a joke between herself and Penelope.

Alvina shoots Harper and Meri a glance before Khitti opens up the dam about all the things she’d experienced and seen with Brand. Harper’s relaxed and happy for the instruction, asking if Meri gives professional lessons or if there’s an archery team she’d recommend joining. She blabbers on about how she wants to join the team at her school. She laughs audibly when Meri discloses the name of the practice dummy, obviously asking what happened to the first one and dying over it’s untimely death. Her mother has no skill with a bow. To Alvina’s mind, chronomancy is a logistics puzzle that begs solving, so she absorbs each detail with razor sharp intensity. A female and male version of both of them that also had a child together. Blame it on her engineering brain! “Of course I’d love to meet them.” There’s not even a trace of hesitation in her voice or demeanour. One day, she’d be willing to tell Khitti and Meri about what happened with Vuryal, but maybe just when her children weren’t around. With a small smile, Alvina adds “You know, that sounds really cool…complicated, but…really lovely.” Really lovely that they continued to choose each other in different time lines. “But only when they’d be ready. I don’t want to offend, obviously.” That aside though, “I’m really glad you told me Khitti. And I’m really glad you’ve all been blessed with this adorable little one.” How lucky their children were! “And you know I’m happy to tinker with anything any old time.” She winks, eating another cookie and watching the children and pets scramble about in a flurry of activity. It’s clear they are winding down, energy levels dipping, in need of a lunch time snack. Alvina drinks heartily from the spiked lemonade and clears a spot on the blanket beside her for the girls whenever they’re ready to flop down beside them. “I know it’s been a while but…I still think of you both as family. I had you in my wedding for a reason, even if Meri refused to wear a dress.” She sticks her tongue out at Meri before giving Khitti a grateful smile.

Khitti || “Yeah, I’ll remind her,” Khitti said, with regards to Annette. She let out a sigh of relief, the anxiety she’d felt now gone, and looked to where Dominic was playing with his cousin and Alvina’s children, smiling faintly at them all. “Now, enough about me. What have you two been up to?” She’d tell Meri later on about the doorways to other universes opening, and about Amarrah as well. For now, there was a weight off her shoulders and she felt like she could breathe again. “And when the heck is -your- wedding supposed to be, woman?” Khitti smirked at Meri. “And you’re gonna have to tell me what cake I’m making for you.”

Meri might be trying to keep Harper entertained with a bit of archery practice, but she was pleased to overhear how Alvina took the news. It was a lot and not everyone might understand, so it was a relief that everything that Khitti shares with Alvina is taken well. Call it sisterly concern and affection, even if Alvina has a heart of gold. Meri offers Alvina a warm smile when the engineer shares that she regards the both of them as family, “I think quite the same. And…! I sort of wore a dress. It just was a little bit more unconventional.” Which is very typically Meri. Has anyone participated in the wedding party as a groomsmen since that wedding? Speaking of weddings, Meri shifts the subject to her own wedding with Magik. “Well, we have discussed some details of what we think we’d like to do. We both know that we’d like something smaller and probably more informal. Can you imagine either of us dwelling over details like flowers and table settings?” Not that Meri holds judgment for those who do, it’s just…not Meri. Or Magik. “I will try and talk with him about it soon to see if we can’t figure out a date.” By this time, Meri has left Harper and their archery practice so that she could find a seat back on the blankets. “For now though, I think we should just worry about enjoying the moment. The kids are starting to wind down, we should get food in their bellies and if the two of you are lucky, then they will all be fast asleep during the ride home.” As much as parents love their children, no parent can deny how glorious it feels when their children nap and give them a moment of quiet. And that is how the mothers and their children spend the rest of the time at the picnic, enjoying food until it is time to return home.