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thehighlandhealer · 7 years

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Bringing Home the Revenant || Torstwyn, Vincent, & Lirim

Torsten: *Torsten puts the comb in Bronwyn's hair.

Bronwyn: -!!!- "What's this?"

Torsten: "From Flora."

Bronwyn: "It's lovely!"

Torsten: He opened another box. "And this one is from me."

Bronwyn: -!!!- "Pretty! I'm gettin' spoiled today."

Torsten: "It's only the beginning."

Bronwyn: "The beginnin'?"

Torsten: "Yes. How do you feel about Iceland in Autumn?"

Bronwyn: "Verra favorable. Is it a thing that's goin' to happen?"

Torsten: "Yes. That's what's going to happen, Thistle."

Bronwyn: -surprise! you now have an armful of scot-

Torsten: "How are your boys?"

Bronwyn: "They're lovely. I still can't believe Lucien's married. He was seventeen five minutes ago."

Torsten: "Still a baby," he said.

Bronwyn: "No' that much of one. He's matured so much."

Torsten: "I'm five hundred years old, love."

Bronwyn: "Well from yer perspective, yes," she chuckled. "We're all babes in yer eyes. Even us nearly middle-aged folk."

Torsten: "Yes, but you're an old soul."

Bronwyn: "I definitely feel like one."

Torsten: "I would know." He wondered what her past incarnations must have been like. Goddesses of their time.

Bronwyn: "Ye would indeed." She smiled up at him. "So ye're takin' me to Iceland this fall?"

Torsten: "Yes. I'm going home for... some time. My sister is lonely. I'm thinking September. Will that be something you can do?"

Bronwyn: She nodded. "Aye, I can definitely do that. How long are ye goin' to stay?"

Torsten: "I don't know yet."

Bronwyn: "What's Flora's favorite color?"

Torsten: "It's not a color. Not really. Ice. Crystals. Diamonds. Clear and shimmering."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "I can definitely work with that."

Torsten: "What are you going to do?"

Bronwyn: "Science. Of the gift givin' variety."

Torsten: "Going to tell me?"

Bronwyn: "Eventually."

Torsten: "Fine. Be sisterly and secretive with Flora."

Bronwyn: "I need to figure out what I'm gettin' her before I let ye weigh in."

Torsten: "You haven't even seen her," he chuckled.

Bronwyn: "Which is why ye get to weigh in."

Bronwyn: "Speakin' of, what's her favorite flower?"

Torsten: "She's more interested in herbs, but... The flowers that come from fruit enchant her."

Bronwyn: "Herbs, ye say? Which ones? I've got all of them."

Torsten: "Something about dill calms her. Hmm. Rosemary, fennel...Warm...things."

Bronwyn: "I know what I'm givin' her."

Torsten: "If it's any help, she always makes her ghoul a rose cake."

Bronwyn: "It is indeed. I'm goin' to make her some bath products."

Torsten: "Bath products for a vampire. I love you dearly, Thistle."

Bronwyn: "Ev'ryone likes pretty soap. And I make the prettiest soap."

Torsten: Torsten was doing his best to bed his smile. "A rosemary and rose with a crystal inside?"

Bronwyn: "The crystals are goin' to be for somethin' else, but aye, there's goin' to be rosemary and rose."

Torsten: "Turn around. Let me tend to your hair."

Bronwyn: "As ye will then," she said, turning around.

Torsten: Torsten took his time parting the hair from her shoulders. There was no point in doing so yet he did it anyway. He went so far as to haphazardly braid her hair, something he'd done for his sisters over the centuries.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn tilted her head back, letting him do as he pleased. She loved when he played with her hair. It was...soothing. "How are my ends? Time for a trim?"

Torsten: "Have your hair as long as you like. I don't understand women with short hair. I don't see the appeal."

Bronwyn: "I haven't had short hair for years and the only reason I cut it then was a rather unexpected incident with my stove. My kitchen smelled like burnt hair for weeks."

Torsten: "I used to have long hair," he explained. "Down past my shoulders it was. Fauna insisted on letting it lock."

Bronwyn: She tilted her head back even further so she could study him. "Verra fittin' for a Vikin'. Can't imagine it though."

Torsten: "Don't attempt. It only lasted for fifty years before I shaved my head."

Bronwyn: "Now that I can imagine. I like yer hair. It's soft and it smells good."

Torsten: "You've smelled my hair?" he laughed.

Bronwyn: "Of course! I've smelled yer hair, yer skin, and I stare at yer ass and yer muscles when ye move. I'm a big fan o' the arms."

Torsten: "You sound like an enthusiastic fan. I've felt your hand on my ass in the shower. You're not as subtle as you think." With her braid finished, the comb was placed center, the crown of leaves following.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn laughed. "I don't usually try to be. Sometimes in public I do but when we're alone, no' so much."

Bronwyn: "And it's such a lovely ass."

Torsten: "Well, you could end a war with your breasts. We're both quite shallow, aren't we?"

Bronwyn: "Now that is by far the best compliment anyone's ever given me."

She beamed. "We are. Delightful, isn't it?"

Torsten: "A breath of fresh air, it is." Gently, she was spun. "You're a princess now."

Bronwyn: The moment she was she made a beeline for the nearest mirror, smiling at her reflection. "Ye've done a lovely job. Thank ye for the gift."

Torsten: "Thank you for... " existing.

Bronwyn: She turned and wrapped him in a hug.

Torsten: By this point, Torsten had stopped asking for permission. She was lifted into his arms and cradled. "So, when can I meet your baby?"

Bronwyn: Permission was well established and permanent; Torsten could pick her up any time he wanted.

"As soon as ye like."

Torsten: "Whenever you're ready."

Bronwyn: "How quickly can ye pack?"

Torsten: "I live in a hotel. Give me thirty minutes."

Bronwyn: "Then step lively, love."

Torsten: "Going to help me? You got here by your bird, didn't you?"

Bronwyn: "I did indeed. But if ye need to mentally prepare I can book us a flight."

Torsten: "That won't be necessary, Thistle." Said Thistle was placed on the bed, stomach kissed. This was his stepping lively.

Bronwyn: "Then we shall be travelin' by the grace o' Vincent. He'll need a cupcake."

Bronwyn hummed at the kiss, petting Torsten's hair. "Careful no' to ruin yer handiwork."

Torsten: "I can just brush and braid your hair again," he said, kissing up her ribs to her breasts, kissing despite the irritating clothing.

Bronwyn: "Mmm, quite so," she said thoughtfully. Still, she carefully slipped the comb out of her hair before laying back. The braid should be redone, but the gift was special.

More hums followed in the wake of his lips, serene and quietly delighted. Even with the clothes in the way she knew the texture of his lips against her skin; she'd memorized it.

"Takin' a detour, Mr. Glockner?"

Torsten: The revenant smiled up at the druid. "I do prefer the scenic route. Are you going to be impatient with me?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled back. "Only if ye don't kiss me."

Torsten: Of course he wouldn't deny her. Crawling up her body, clothes were made loose, untucked and unbuttoned along his path to her lips.

Bronwyn: So efficient, she thought, wrapping around him the moment he was close enough. Her kiss was everything gentle and loving and soft, a reminder to both herself and him that they were here together despite everything they'd endured.

Torsten: "You should allot more time for us, Thistle." His kisses were becoming dangerously long. The more entwined they became the more lavishing and attentive the osculation escalated. He could feel her words in her passion.

Bronwyn: "Just wait until we get to New Orleans," she whispered in between kisses. Her breath was becoming labored, her hold tighter. Of all the days to wear jeans. "I'm goin' to spoil ye rotten in a thousand diff'rent ways."

Starting with kissing him senseless while trying to get that shirt off. It was in her way.

Torsten: Her lavishing kiss was broken in order to give her what she wanted, letting her do with his shirt what she pleased. Their minimal gap was closed with a nuzzle, a soft bite, and lips pressed with hunger. "Spoil me here."

Bronwyn: After slipping Torsten's shirt off, Bronwyn let her legs fall from his waist so she could gain the leverage to flip them over, a move she'd perfected over the course of their relationship.

"Oh I will," she murmured, leaving a trail of kisses that started at his lips and moved across his jaw, neck, and chest.

Torsten: Softly, the beastly revenant growled with need, body firm and wanting. This was their default state of being. It was a wonder they ever managed to escape a bedroom.

Bronwyn: A soft, lilting laugh spilled from her lips at the growl. She would never, ever tire of hearing it, just like she would never tire of Torsten's smile or the storm of emotion in his eyes when he looked at her.

"Who's the impatient one now?" she asked the air, kissing her way up and down both his arms.

Torsten: "I find your spoiling to be torturous. Spoil me with haste!" he laughed.

Bronwyn: That laugh made her heart grow three sizes. "Torturous for ye maybe, but positively delightful for me." From his arms back to his chest, across his collar bones, his abdomen, that wonderful little area just below his navel.

When her lips reached the waist of his jeans, she eased back to unfasten them and continue her exploration.

Torsten: His hands were not lazy enough to be wasted resting at his sides. He wanted to touch her, and so he did. Her braid was slowly coming undone with his greedy petting, pulling apart inch by inch until her hair was freed. Whatever plan she had formulated, his body was ready, flush and throbbing eagerly.

Bronwyn: "Lift yer hips for me." Once he had, his jeans and underwear would be taken off and tossed in the same general direction as his shirt. On any other occasion she would've taken her time undressing him but today it was just a necessary step in accessing all that lovely skin.

His lower half was lavished with the same loving attention she'd given his torso. Her hair trailed in the wake of her lips, teasing him while she focused everywhere but where he wanted her most.

Torsten: All of the build up was trying his patience. How had she grown so skillful in this aspect of their relationship? She was calculating and rude in the best possible way.

"Sit on my face." Almost a beg. "I need you."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled against Torsten's thigh. She hadn't nearly had her fill of slowly devouring him alive, but his other side could wait until they'd both gotten some relief. "I'm all yers, love."

She eased up again, doing away with her top and bra as she went. She undressed herself with a bit more ceremony than she had him, but it was strictly for his enjoyment.

One more kiss was stolen from his lips before she settled over him.

Torsten: It was a wonder they made it to the shower after such an ordeal. Here they were supposed to make ready for the next step in their relationship, and the current step seemed reluctant to release them. Their shower fared no better. The revenant was more inclined to clean her with his tongue rather than soap.

Bronwyn: "I'm goin' to have to wash that shoulder eventually ye know," Bronwyn said with a chuckle. She felt loose and happy and very, very satisfied.

"Keep that up and I'll cover that ass o' yers in love bites."

Torsten: "Count your blessings that I've made it away from your pussy," he smiled.

Bronwyn: She laughed. "I'll wager ye'll find yer way back there by the end o' the day. I've more devourin' to do and that's bound to get ye goin' again."

Torsten: "You know it will. You know my weakness began with your face and followed with your thighs."

Bronwyn: "Oh, I know, love. I know." She moved her hair so it was over her shoulder. "Get my back?"

Torsten: Skál, he thought, kissing his way to the back of her neck. He supposed he might as well use the soap. They were running so far behind in their schedule, after all.

Bronwyn: "Imagine," she began, looking around the shower and the bathroom beyond. "Tomorrow mornin' we'll be doin' this in my shower."

Torsten: "Not for long, mind you, as your little babe will need much attention."

Bronwyn: "Aye." Her face softened. "I can't wait for ye to meet him."

Torsten: "How old is he now?"

Bronwyn: "He just turned two."

Torsten: "Such an age is almost unfathomable to me."

Bronwyn: "My granddaughter's even younger. She's with her parents today."

Torsten: With her back finished, Torsten continued down the back of her thighs, her ass, around her waist until he pulled her close. "How is that going?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn leaned against him. "All three o' them are verra lucky. Lucien and Salem each found someone that loved and supported them and they're raisin' that wee lassie with so much love. They're doin' just fine."

Torsten: "Military just isn't the same, but I'm sure he's doing as well as he can for the century."

Bronwyn: "He's puttin' his all into it. He's wanted it for a long time." She smiled. "It's funny. For Christmas one year I gave him a lighter I found in an antique store that belonged to a soldier that fought in Vietnam. The military found him a long time ago."

Torsten: Hmm. Her explanation spoke to him. "Is it adventure, an old soul, or something...perhaps darker?" A tender subject should it be the final.

Bronwyn: "He's got the aura of an old soul but...I think it's more than that. I think he wants to...be somethin' better. Do somethin' noble and honorable."

Torsten: "Hmm." His way of not continuing a conversation. "I see. Well... I can't wait to meet your little babe."

Bronwyn: She gave him a nuzzle. "Guess we better pack yer bags."

Torsten: "Are you clean? I'm not sure yet." Hands began a descent towards her thighs.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn chuckled and wiggled out of reach. "We already managed to distract ourselves once, we'll be here all evenin' if we don't get a move on!"

Torsten: "Ugh, of all the saints and sinners, how can you deny me so?" He was terrible with the American Southern accent.

Bronwyn: He was, which was both amusing and sweet. "Only with great power o' will, I assure ye. Ye're a hard man to resist, Torsten Glockner."

Torsten: "I've tried to be since night one."

Bronwyn: "Ye've succeeded. Otherwise we wouldn't be here right now."

Torsten: "Obviously." Torsten stepped out of the shower and into the bedroom. Time to dress and prepare.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled to herself. Maybe she'd just take a couple extra seconds to rinse off and enjoy the view.

She had a whole world of plans for that man.

Torsten: Underneath the bed was checked for wandering shoes and socks. He was unsurprised to find one of Bronwyn's high heels. Seemed to be a curse of hers. A curse or good fortune and excuse to return. One or the other.

"Where would be easier for your bird?" he asked, throwing one of his satchels over shoulder.

Bronwyn: Meanwhile, Bronwyn was both surprised /and/ delighted by the return of her beloved shoe. "I've been lookin' for this one for ages!" she exclaimed, hugging it to her chest like it was made of gold.

"Since he's already at Callum's, I say we depart from there. Plus we have to stop by the bakery for his cupcake. And a wee one for Aedan. And maybe one for us."

Torsten: The revenant arched a brow. "Cupcakes are his reward for a job well done?"

Bronwyn: "Aye, and a wee energy boost for the journey."

Torsten: "Powerful little thing he is, isn't he?"

Bronwyn: "Aye. I'm verra lucky to have him."

Torsten: "I'd say it's the other way around."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "Then we're a verra lucky pair. Will yer sister mind if he comes with us to Iceland?"

Torsten: "If she wants to see us without touching our money, she'll have to accept it."

Bronwyn: "All the more reason for me to get her a really lovely hostess gift."

She made quick work of getting dressed, looking around the room once she finished. "Have ev'rythin'?"

Torsten: His laptop placed in the last satchel, the room was given a final sweep. "It's time to check out."

Bronwyn: "Ye goin' to miss this place?" she asked, reaching for his hand.

Torsten: "No," he said, taking her hand. "It's just a room. I miss Iceland; I miss you. That's all this room offered was you."

Bronwyn: "Then it's definitely time for ye to come home with me, and for me to come home with ye."

Torsten: There was no need to second guess their plan. He would not ask if she was certain. The door was shut behind them, his key given to the front desk. It was time to move forward.

Bronwyn: It might've been just a room, but leaving it felt very much like the end of an era. In a few hours they would no longer be making hotel guests jealous with their antics or eating in the inn's dining room; they'd be home.

Once the key had been returned, Bronwyn drove them to the bakery for cupcakes and then toward Callum's house.

Torsten: "Is Callum home?" he asked as they pulled in.

Bronwyn: "He's at his shop right now and he's got a weddin' after."

Torsten: "Alright." No drama then. "Ready?"

Bronwyn: "Aye. Ye grab yer stuff, I'll grab Vincent."

Vincent: Vincent was perched on the kitchen counter, lining a set of twenty rocks he had collected over the past week. He smiled tiredly to his mistress upon seeing her. "Evening, ma'am."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn returned Vincent's smile as she approached to greet him. "Evenin', love. Organizin' yer treasures?"

Vincent: "I found blue ones," he explained. "They're ripe for eating."

Bronwyn: She chuckled softly. No matter what she did, she'd never been able to talk her familiar out of eating gem stones and other rocks. "Just make sure they're clean, okay? In the meantime..."

Bronwyn held up a baggie from Laura's bakery. "How does a cupcake and sleepin' in yer own bed sound?"

Vincent: "We're going home?" he perked. "What kinda cupcake? Does it have that pretty gel icing?"

Bronwyn: "We are indeed. And someone's comin' with us." She handed him the baggie. "It's chocolate with orange fillin' and yes it does."

Vincent: "Oh you know me so well!" he beamed. Anything that resembled a gem was a treasure. "The giant man's coming? Does Master Callum know?"

Bronwyn: It was impossible not to smile when he looked so utterly delighted.

"Aye," she said with a nod. "To both. I told Callum that Torsten and I were goin' to visit each other's homes but I didn't tell him when since I didn't know at the time. Grumblin' was surprisin'ly minimal."

Vincent: "I thought he'd threaten to kill him, seeing how he was that fight night. I guess that first night was intense for everyone though." This was all said, of course, with a mouthful of cupcake.

Bronwyn: "Apparently seein' me happy has mellowed him out. No' to mention the fact that Torsten always stops by his shop to buy me flowers."

Vincent: "I thought he didn't like him because he's a revenant."

Bronwyn: "Nope, it's pretty much because he knew Torsten liked me and then because I liked him back. Callum's verra protective."

Vincent: "Because you liked him back?"

Bronwyn: "Aye. He didn't approve of Torsten as a person and me likin' him didn't really help. But after several very long and loud conversations, he's startin' to come around."

Vincent: "Why haven't I got to watch these discussions? Arguments are the most interesting things you humanoids do."

Bronwyn: "We don't usually plan them," she chuckled. "They tend to erupt randomly. But if we ever do, I'll tell ye, promise."

Vincent: "Do they ever get physical?"

Bronwyn: "I poke him a lot. That's about as far as it goes."

Torsten/Vincent: He sighed. He knew why he wanted violence. "Where is he now?" The man in question was standing on the doorstep having a conversation with his sister.

Bronwyn: "Callum's at work, Torsten's waitin' outside." Bronwyn studied him for a moment. "Ever tasted star light?"

Vincent: "I can't say I have, ma'am."

Bronwyn: She smiled. "Fancy some spell work tonight, love?"

Vincent: "I'd love that."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn leaned over to kiss her familiar's cheek. "I'll teach ye how to make star candy."

Vincent: Her bird smiled and leaned into the kiss. "Are you ready for travel, miss?"

Bronwyn: "I just need to pop upstairs for my bag. What about ye? Need somethin' to put yer rocks in?"

Vincent: "Uhm..." He'd planned on eating them, but for now, he began to stuff them in his jeans. "I'm fine!"

Bronwyn: She chuckled again before kissing his cheek. "Go ahead and have yer snack. I'll be back in just a wee."

Torsten/Vincent: "Yes, ma'am."

Torsten eventually came inside, leaving his things on the porch. "Ready?" the question the men seemed to favor.

Bronwyn: It took a bit longer than a wee thanks to Prospero deciding to take a nap on her nightgown but soon enough Bronwyn was descending the staircase with bag in hand.

"Ready. Let's go home."

Torsten/Vincent: Vincent peeked from the kitchen, as though he'd never seen the two of them together in his life. His mistress was happy; that seemed to make everyone else happy.

"Ready?" he asked.

The revenant chuckled and shook his head. "I think it's been established, yes."

Bronwyn: "We're all set to go, darlin'."

Once out on the porch, Bronwyn made sure all belongings were secure before taking Torsten and Vincent's hands. Her familiar was given the go ahead to transport them.

Vincent: "Ever had motion sickness before?" Vincent asked, looking past Bronwyn's shoulders to her lover. the question was given without any consideration for the answer, for the next second they were across a thousand miles and onto another porch, wherein the familiar fell on his ass with a gasp.

Bronwyn: The feeling of being transported instantaneously through a vacuum was never pleasant but it sure beat having to fly.

"Easy, darlin'," Bronwyn said after taking a moment to catch her breath. crouching so she was eye-level with her familiar. "Ye okay?" She looked up at Torsten. "Are ye?"

Torsten/Vincent: Torsten was like a statue, intent on keeping his sickness to himself. Vincent smiled despite the sudden exhaustion.

"I'm fine, ma'am. You know me. I just need to rest. He's a handful!"

Bronwyn: She chuckled softly. "He is a Vikin'."

"Torsten? It's okay if ye throw up, we won't judge ye. Do ye need some candied ginger? Blink if ye do, movin' yer head will make the nausea worse."

Torsten: "I'm fine," he said, finally blinking. "I just needed a moment." That, and he'd swallowed down whatever was going to happen. He would be damned to ever show such weakness.

Bronwyn: She was going to take that blink as an invitation to reach into her purse for a piece of candied ginger and hold it up to his lips.

Bronwyn: "Humor me."

Torsten/Vincent: "I'll humor you," he said, taking it from her fingers to nibble. "I'm gonna go sleep in a tree," said Vincent, shrinking down to his smallest form.

Bronwyn: There we go, Bronwyn thought, smiling to herself.

She turned to Vincent. "All right, love. Avoid the one with the woodpecker nest, he's got a vendetta."

Torsten/Vincent: "Yes, ma'am!" Off he fluttered away, leaving the two of them alone once more.

"How do you enjoy the flavor of this?" Torsten frowned.

Bronwyn: "It took some gettin' used to but when ye're nauseous ev'ry wakin' moment of ev'ry day for weeks on end ye'd be surprised what tastes ye acquire."

She spread her arms, indicating her porch, the front lawn, the trees, and all the flowers she'd planted in the front yard. "Welcome to my house."

Torsten: Torsten looked around, swallowing the piece of ginger whole. "I didn't take you for a woman of New Orleans, but what you've done very much suits you."

Bronwyn: She beamed with pride. "This place was nothin' but grass and patches of weeds when we bought it. I like to think I've done well with it."

She opened the door. "Come on."

Torsten: "Who has been watching over your baby? The biological father?" he asked, dropping his bags at the door.

Bronwyn: "Aye. I'm supposed to pick him up today. We trade off like that."

Torsten: "Are you comfortable with that arrangement?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled, nodded. "Over the moon, if ye can believe it. Gettin' to raise him alongside a friend I love verra much is one o' the great joys o' my life."

Torsten: "Is this what you imagined motherhood to be? Sharing your baby with someone you're not in love with?"

Bronwyn: "No' exactly, but then my first experience with motherhood was adoptin' a troubled teenage boy after I accidentally hit him with my car. Ye could say I've had...a wonderfully strange journey with it so far."

Torsten: Gently, he reached for her, pulled her closer. "Do you want more babies?"

Bronwyn: Her face went soft and wistful as she settled in Torsten's arms. She nodded.

Torsten: "Have I asked you this before?" His smile was as soft as her features.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn shook her head. "No, I don't think ye have."

Torsten: "How many babies do you want?"

Bronwyn: "As many as Fate sees fit to give me."

Torsten: "How about five?"

Bronwyn: She just smiled. "I always did like the number five."

Torsten: "What about eight babies? Ten babies?"

Bronwyn: "Ten's a nice round number, so's eight. And it's lucky in Chinese mythology."

Torsten: "You might be a druid, but can your body handle something like that?"

Bronwyn: "Aye," she said with a nod. "Our bodies heal completely. Even my doctor said she'd never guess I'd had a baby."

Torsten: "That would be a human doctor?"

Bronwyn: "Aye. She looked after me when I was pregnant with Aedan along with my friend Avalbane, who's also a Druid."

Torsten: "Why would you trust a human with your life like that?"

Bronwyn: "Because she has over twenty years' experience and excellent credentials and she has access to the tests and equipment that would ensure Aedan and I were healthy. She didn't deliver him though, Avalbane did that. She delivered me, too."

Torsten: Well, he didn't expect that much of an explanation. He'd counted on a simple yes.

"Would you want to use a human again?"

Bronwyn: "Aye, her specifically. She was verra good to me."

Torsten: They were planning a future together, weren't they? They were certainly planning something. There was no need to be coy. She had, after all, brought him here with the intent of meeting her son.

"Well, shall we go see to your Aedan now?"

Bronwyn: They were planning a future, and it made Bronwyn happier than she could ever express.

"Let's shall." She nodded toward the stairs. "Come on. We'll just go leave our things in my bedroom."

Torsten: "You're so patient," he said. He'd left his belongings by the door with the purpose of leaving immediately. He knew they were masters of stalling. Still, he followed behind, grabbing her the moment he'd made it into the bedroom.

Bronwyn: "Ye wouldn't say that if ye could feel the battalion o' butterflies in my stomach right now."

Her bedroom was a reflection of her in every way possible. Mauve walls, lots of flowers, antique furniture, lace curtains, pictures, the soft scent of her perfume permeating everything.

And given their penchant for getting distracted, it came as no surprise that Torsten would take her into his arms.

"No more goin' down detours," she said with a laugh. "We've got places to be."

Torsten: "I'm five hundred years old, my lady. I must live every moment as though it will be my last!"

Bronwyn: "Then come down here and give me a kiss! Ye're allowed five kisses and then we have to get goin'."

Torsten: "Five, but you haven't specified how long each will be." So, he pulled her closer, picked her up and sat on the edge of her bed. Their lips would linger together for as long as she allowed.

Bronwyn: "Ye let me worry about that," she chuckled, winding her arms around his neck.

Though there was something unbelievably satisfying about kissing Torsten here in her home surrounded by all her things with no one around to bother them, she managed to pull herself away after about five minutes. Any longer and they wouldn't make it out of the house.

She gave him one last peck. "And that's yer lot."

Torsten: Torsten sighed and held her fast. "That was two. I swear that was just two. You haven't given me five and that's what I demand."

Bronwyn: How could she refuse him? "Fit them all into the next five minutes," she murmured, running her hands through his hair. "I promise I won't be out o' yer arms for long."

Torsten: Another five minutes of bliss. Paradise had to be this. His after life would be war and a druid. Where was she in his life all these years? He tried to think while tasting and cupping and all at once felt too sloppy, so he forfeited to pull her on top, sprawling on her sheets.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn didn't miss a beat, keeping her lips fused to Torsten's as she propped herself on her elbow. It was a miracle to her how they ever managed to get out of bed when they could both happily remain joined together for an eternity in one form or another.

I love you so very much, she thought, caressing his cheek with her thumb.

Torsten: Torsten smiled as though he had heard her romantic declaration. "I think you gave me three kisses in there," he stated, nuzzling.

Bronwyn: "I did, didn't I?" She nuzzled him back, giving one more just because.

Torsten: "I suppose we should some day get out of bed." Someday.

Bronwyn: "Ye and I only take breaks from bed," she chuckled. "We never really leave it."

Torsten: "You only love me for my body."

Bronwyn: "Yer body is only one o' the things I love ye for."

Torsten: "You loved it first, though."

Bronwyn: "I did. Then, like a flower, my love blossomed."

Torsten: "Your love blossomed?" he grinned.

Bronwyn: "Into a big, lovely flower."

Torsten: "You're such a druid."

Bronwyn: "To the verra core, love." One last peck. "Come on. Ye have a little boy to meet."

Torsten: "I do," he sighed. Up he sat, holding her along the way. "Where are we going?"

Bronwyn: "Lirim's house. Are ye nervous?"

Torsten: "Only if your son is going to approve of me."

Bronwyn: "He's a happy, lovin' baby and ye make his mama happy. I'm confident he will."

Torsten: "He has werewolf in him. We'll have to wait and see."

Bronwyn: "I'm still confident." Bronwyn eased off his lap to grab her keys and purse, holding out a hand to lead him downstairs.

Torsten: Torsten took her hand and stood. "There were three of you, yes? The werewolf which contributed... You never speak of him."

Bronwyn: "Aye, there were," Bronwyn said softly. "It's....become habit no' to speak of him. I guess a part o' me is still angry with him."

Torsten: "You wouldn't just have any reason. Did he harm the child?"

Bronwyn: She shook her head. "No, nothin' like that. He um...he left. He got sick and...and he left."

Torsten: "Was he born a wolf?"

Bronwyn: "Turned, and verra much against his will."

Torsten: "His nature seems in tune with what he's become."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn gave Torsten a sad smile. "He was so excited to be a father. They both were. And now Aedan won't even remember what he looked like."

Torsten: "Do you have photographs?"

Bronwyn: "We do. After Lirim told me he was gone I gathered up all the ones I had around the house and put in a box in the closet."

Torsten: "It is a gift of modern man. How alike is he to the wolf? Your son, I mean."

Bronwyn: "He's a near perfect blend o' the three of us but he's startin' to get a little bit of a curl in his hair. Ailbe had curly hair."

Torsten: "Mm. And his wolf?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "The sweetest wee little ears ev'ry full moon and that's pretty much all."

Torsten: "Ears," he laughed warmly. "He'll be a pacifist wolf!"

Bronwyn: "And a snuggly one. He's snuggly all the time but especially durin' the full moon."

Torsten: Torsten stretched his arms once outside. "So, which way?"

Bronwyn: She gestured at the red Jeep parked under a tree. "That way, to my car. And then to Lirim's townhouse."

There was currently a stuffed rabbit occupying the passenger's seat, along with a blanket and a sippy cup. All were tossed into the back seat.

Torsten: "Your son’s?" he looked the Jeep over. "I smell another child. You didn't mention - a play date?"

Bronwyn: "Aye and aye. My granddaughter Leilani. When I have them both I take them out sometimes. The extra car seat's in the back, I only install it when they're both in the car."

Torsten: "A grandmother..." Oh, the child she adopted. Not her actual blood. He'd never met a grandmother so young. Well, not in the recent century. "The most beautiful," he concluded.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled at him over her shoulder. "Why thank ye, love. Although I rather think ye're a wee bit biased."

With the seats clear, she made her way around the car to get into the driver's side.

Torsten: "I am biased. Where's the lie?" As impressed as he was with modern transportation, he missed horses. He missed one particular horse, but that was so long ago he'd forgotten her name. Just the memory of a painted beauty with a braided mane.

Bronwyn: "Well, no' to sound arrogant but it is nice to know all the work I put into lookin' good pays off."

The car was switched on and they were on their way. "Do ye know how to drive?"

Torsten: "Not really a choice. I had to learn for my sisters though to admit, they have better advantage than me."

Bronwyn: "Why's that? Because they're smaller?"

Torsten: "Because they're vampires."

Bronwyn: "Vampires have an advantage in drivin'?" she asked, chuckling softly.

Torsten: "Ha, no. Neither approve. But they have advantage in that they can either possess or transform into whatever they require."

Bronwyn: "Now that's a hell of an advantage. One o' the things I hate most about this country is havin' to drive ev'rywhere. Back home in Scotland I'd walk or ride my horse."

Torsten: "Mm. I love horses. I miss the time in which it was the only option."

Bronwyn: "I've been thinkin' about buildin' a stable. I miss Dante."

Torsten: Given the subject, he didn't have to ask. "How long did you have him?"

Bronwyn: "I still do. I got him when I was 19."

Torsten: "How often do you see him?"

Bronwyn: "Once a year. I go to New York to shop and then to Scotland for a couple of weeks for my birthday."

Torsten: "You should utilize your bird more."

Bronwyn: "I've only had him for about a couple years, before that it was all plane and car rides for me."

Torsten: "Does he love you?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled and nodded. "Aye, and I love him. It's all platonic, of course."

Torsten: "You're certain of that?"

Bronwyn: She nodded again. "Completely sure. We've a verra special and often psychic bond because of him bein' my familiar but there's nothin' romantic to it."

Torsten: "I've never met a familiar that can feel romantically."

Bronwyn: "Vincent is...unique. I'd wager there's no other familiar like him in this world."

Torsten: "You're very confident in him."

Bronwyn: "We've been together through some rough times."

Torsten: "Stories to tell me while we lie naked in bed on a warm night?"

Bronwyn: "If ye're a fan o' horror stories then aye."

Torsten: "I don't mind them one bit."

Bronwyn: "Then I'll definitely have to tell ye one o' these days."

Torsten: Torsten made his way around to the driver's side door once Bronwyn had thrown the vehicle into park. "This neighborhood feels old," he said. "Something from Europe."

Bronwyn: "It does, doesn't it?" Bronwyn mused as she got out of the car, tugging him down for a cheek kiss of thanks. "I've loved this neighborhood since the first time I came here and I'd have bought a house here if there had been any for sale when I was lookin'. I like bein' near the woods though."

She locked the car. "Ready?"

Torsten: "Of course," he sighed. More than ready to move this along. He wasn't all that interested in meeting Aedan's biological father, however.

Bronwyn: She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "It'll be fine," she whispered, ringing the doorbell.

Torsten/Lirim: The man answering the door wasn't at all what Torsten had expected. Considering the woman he loved, he'd expected her taste in men not to stray. This man was soft in features, warm skin kissed by the sun, and that hair - well, it was the most familiar feature.

Lirim was staring as well, but his arms were full of the distraction both needed.

"I didn't think I'd be seein' ya this soon," Lirim said. Aedan was already making grabby hands for his mother.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn's expression lit with warmth and joy when Lirim and Aedan appeared in the doorway. "What can I say, I was eager to make introductions. Hello, my lovely!" Bronwyn took her baby boy, greeting him with a barrage of kisses before giving some to his daddy's cheek. "And hello to ye, my other lovely."

Once Aedan was settled on her hip, she took a deep breath. "Lirim, this is Torsten, the man I'm seeing. Torsten, this is Lirim, Aedan's da and my verra good friend. And this Aedan."

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten couldn't feel brush of Lirim's empathic magic over his psyche, not in the same manner in which he could telepathy. There was, however, a sense of stillness between them. Two men significant to Bronwyn in vastly different ways trying to understand one another without direct interrogation.

"Good t'put a face with a name." Lirim offered his hand, which Torsten took.

"I feel the same," he said.

Bronwyn: Okay, so far so good. Nothing other than the expected caution between two people meeting for the first time.

Bronwyn smiled at them, hoping to set them at ease. "Torsten's goin' to be stayin' with me for a wee. We're finally meetin' each other's families and seein' each other's homes."

Lirim: "Well, that's nice." He should probably invite them inside. Of course he would. If Bronwyn trusted him then why not? So far his aura had appeared amiable.

"Y'all like some tea? C'mon in!"

Bronwyn: "Ye know I never say no to tea." Torsten's hand was taken and squeezed again, both to comfort and reassure.

Torsten/Lirim: He took the squeeze for what it was and followed Bronwyn inside. His attention turned to the child in her arms, the one who'd been staring at him for some time now.

"Hello, little one."

There was just something about him, and Lirim knew what it was that was bothering their son. He had nephilim blood in him, after all. Druid as well. Things which recognized darkness and wasn't interested in having it near.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn noticed her son's unusual stillness, and it was partly because of it that she continued to hold Torsten's hand even after they sat down, letting Aedan see that Torsten was safe.

"This is Torsten, baby," she said gently, kissing her son's temple. "He's mama's boyfriend."

Lirim: Normally upon meeting strangers he was unsure of, Aedan hid his face in his mama or daddy's chest. Something like this the little hybrid would not hide from. He would face the strange thing head on.

"It'll take him a good minute, probably more," said Lirim.

Torsten: "It's fine. I expect as much."

Bronwyn: However long it took, she'd make sure there were plenty of bolstering kisses to go around, for both Aedan and Torsten. The fact that Aedan wasn't screaming or crying was taken as a very positive sign.

"So what have ye been up to today?" she asked Lirim. "Fun things?"

Lirim: "We've been runnin' errands today. Groceries, bills, goin' to the gallery, all that while he wants to walk everywhere. Needless to say, I didn't get as much done as I would have liked, but he's just about exhausted."

Bronwyn: "Now that sounds like a verra productive day." She nuzzled Aedan. "He's still at the age where walkin' is verra excitin'. Won't let me strap him in the shawl anymore."

Torsten/Lirim: "Wants to walk everywhere but doesn't want shoes."

Torsten smiled. "I remember that age, but pavement wasn't a hot commodity."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn laughed. "I still don't want to wear shoes half the time. He might've gotten that from me."

Torsten/Lirim: "Might be the animal in him, too."

To that, Lirim stiffened. "Excuse me?"

Bronwyn: "The wolf," Bronwyn said evenly. "His wee baby wolf."

Torsten/Lirim: "I know what he's indicatin'."

"I meant nothing degrading."

Bronwyn: She nodded, confirming and attempting to reassure Lirim with only her smile and her eyes. "Aye, he didn't."

Lirim: Another moment to study the man by Bronwyn's side and he nodded, still incredulous but finding nothing in his empathetic waves to charge him.

"Maybe. Ailbe liked his boots, though."

Bronwyn: "That he did." Bronwyn nuzzled Aedan again. "Maybe once the novelty o' walkin' wears off, this wee one will too."

Torsten/Lirim: "Do you let him walk around barefoot?"

The question caught Lirim off guard. He felt a sense of defense because of it. "In the house, yeah."

Bronwyn: "And when he's gardenin' with me. Or rather playin' in the dirt."

Torsten/Lirim: "I don't really have a yard," Lirim said, as though explaining himself to Torsten.

"He'll have good strong feet, then," he smiled.

Bronwyn: The smile had Bronwyn relaxing by the slimmest margin. "He will indeed. Won't ye, love?"

Aedan: "Big man go bye-bye?" Aedan asked.

Bronwyn: "No, love, Torsten's comin' home with us."

Lirim/Aedan: Hmm. He didn't seem to understand the sentence. Lirim looked Bronwyn in the eyes, not sure how to approach as well as he had with Seth.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn wasn't too sure how to do it either, but simple terms seemed like the right way to go.

"Torsten is mama's boyfriend, baby, just like Seth is daddy's boyfriend. Mama loves him so much that she wanted him to meet ye."

Aedan: Seth! He knew that word. "Papa?"

Bronwyn: She nodded. "That's right, baby. Daddy loves Papa and mama loves Torsten." To demonstrate, she gave Torsten a kiss.

Lirim: Love? Lirim could feel it, but he wasn't used to having to share. This must have been what separated families felt like. Aedan had to experience death and separation and renewal before true cognitive awareness.

"All the love for baby. Are you two staying for dinner?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn turned to Torsten. "What do ye say? Ye hungry?"

Torsten/Lirim: "What are you making?"

"I was thinking some kinda meat pie and potatoes. Caprese salad?"

"I'll help you."

Bronwyn: Was she grinning? She was definitely grinning. And making zero effort to hide it.

"Looks like we're stayin' for dinner."

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten stood, reminding Lirim of their height difference, and the gap between Aedan's mother and the beast of a man.

"Alright. Make yourself useful. Wash up. We'll be cooks while mama watches."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn arranged herself and Aedan in prime watching position. "I'll watch, ye provide commentary," she told him, kissing the top of his head. "What's Daddy doin'?"

Lirim/Aedan: "Cookie time?"

"Cook, baby. It's cook time!"

That's what he said! "Cookie!"

Fifty years of childhood living with villagers was plenty enough to relate to what Torsten was witnessing. He smiled pleasantly and set to work on building up the dough needed for the pastry.

Bronwyn: "We'll save the cookies for after dinner," Bronwyn said with a laugh. "Want some juice?"

Lirim/Aedan: "Cookie means both to him. He can't shake the difference."

Aedan heard another key word and pointed to the fridge. "Apple. Apple juice, Mama."

Bronwyn: "Apple? Okay." Aedan was settled on her hip again as she went to the fridge and poured the juice into the sippy cup of his choice and some tea into the mug of her choice.

Torsten: "May I have some of that tea?" Torsten asked.

Bronwyn: "Ye certainly may." She filled another mug and brought it over to Torsten. "Here ye go, love."

Torsten/Lirim: "You a sugar man?" Lirim asked.

Torsten smiled. "I prefer it naturally if I can help it."

Bronwyn: "Which makes us the perfect pair," Bronwyn said fondly.

Torsten: "I can't recall a time when you've used artificial sweeteners or refined sugar."

Bronwyn: "Sweeteners scare me. It's all brown sugar for me in all things."

Torsten: "More natural than that if I can help it," Torsten continued, shaping the pastry dough.

Bronwyn: "I had a great-aunt who used to sweeten ev'rythin' with flower nectar. Interestin'ly enough her Mark was a hummin' bird."

Torsten/Lirim: "Now that's beautiful," Lirim smiled. Torsten smiled as well, though said nothing.

Bronwyn: "She was. When I was little she taught me how to make flowers bloom out o' season. I'd done it accidentally but she taught me how to control it, which is how fields and fields o' heather ended up bloomin' one fateful January."

Torsten: "Does that damage their natural cycle?" the revenant asked.

Bronwyn: "Only if ye enchant them so the blooms never die. Otherwise they just last for a few days before the frost takes them again."

Torsten/Aedan: "Big man," chimed their little boy. His greeting was responded to, Torsten turning and wiping his hands to inquire.

"Big man, up?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn's face lit with hope as she held Aedan closer to Torsten. "He wants ye to take him."

Torsten/Lirim/Aedan: Lirim watched carefully as Torsten lifted his son in his arms and rested him near his chest. He trusted a man like Stan Norman, yet this made him nervous.

"Hello, Aedan."

The toddler set to work on sculpting the revenant's face with tiny curious hands.

Bronwyn: Without even realizing it Bronwyn was reaching for Lirim's hand, squeezing it. This might have seemed like an ordinary moment for some, but for her it was tremendous.

The man she loved was meeting her baby, and the quiet joy of it was enough to make her teary.

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim wanted to offer his affection much as he would in their secluded days and nights without Seth. Their moments were platonically intimate and innocent for a couple sharing custody. His arm would have been around her waist, but instead he squeezed her hand, allowed her tears to fall should they grow too heavy.

"Seems we're off to a good start."

Torsten nodded in agreement. "Though trust is still to be gained." From both man and child.

Bronwyn: They very nearly did, but Lirim's presence and comfort helped keep them at bay. She did sniffle a few times though.

She gave her men a shaky smile. "A verra good start. Trust will come with time, as with most things."

Torsten/Lirim: "If it never develops I don't blame him," said Torsten.

"Why is that?" Lirim asked.

"I have a very old scent."

Bronwyn: "So does Vincent. He's gotten used to him. I daresay he even likes him." Aedan's cheek was kissed. "Do ye like my birdy, love?"

Torsten/Lirim: "Nevermore!" A word Vincent had taught him weeks ago. The parroting made both men laugh.

Bronwyn: "I'll take that as a yes," Bronwyn chuckled. "Vincent would be proud."

Torsten/Lirim: "Where is he, anyway? Guessin' that's how ya got here."

"He flew away," Torsten answered.

Bronwyn: "Aye. He brought us and now he's nappin' in a tree in our yard."

Torsten/Lirim: "An eagle is gonna come and ruin his afternoon."

Bronwyn: "A woodpecker used to live in a tree near my herb bed. I suggested Vincent use its nest a while back but I don't know if he ever did."

Torsten/Lirim: "He's sleeping undisturbed."

"How d'ya know?"

Aedan was adjusted in Torsten's arms. "I can hear his breathing."

Bronwyn: "That's no' an exaggeration either. He really can actually hear him."

Torsten/Lirim: "Sweet Jesus. Don't ya get headaches?"

"Constantly." The baby was offered back to his mother.

Bronwyn: "Which reminds me," Bronwyn said as she took Aedan, "I have five tonics for ye to try."

Torsten/Lirim: "You and Flora both," he shook his head.

Bronwyn: "I'm a healer, I can't help it. Ye should see me when Lirim has a cold."

Torsten/Lirim: "She's what we call a mother duck."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "It runs in my family."

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten smiled. "Aedan will be a protective wolf. I see it now."

Again, Lirim wasn't sure how to feel.

Bronwyn: She turned to Lirim. "He's got plenty o' role models to draw from."

Torsten/Lirim: "Mm. He'll be just like his mother."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn laughed softly. "And here I was about to say he'll be just like his da."

Bronwyn: "One thing's for sure though. He'll definitely have the fussin' gene."

Torsten/Lirim: "And I wonder who he got that from," he smirked.

Bronwyn: "Ye have it too!"

Torsten/Lirim: "Fuss being motherly or fuss being...?"

"I'm a right drama queen," Lirim grinned.

Bronwyn: "That's what makes it so fun to do things with ye." Bronwyn smiled at him. "Never a dull moment, especially with this wee one around."

Torsten/Lirim: "You're a beautiful family." Words said straight to Bronwyn. "On another note, the pastry is finished. Shall we pre-bake?"

"Oh! Right. Yeah. Let's do that."

Bronwyn: When Bronwyn turned her smile on Torsten, it was nothing but love and warmth and hopeful joy. 'I love you,' she mouthed to him. If the gods smiled on them, they'd make that family grow.

"What's the fillin' goin' to be?" she asked Lirim.

Torsten/Lirim: While Torsten mouthed back, Lirim continued on with the conversation. "I think maybe beef and lamb with potato, maybe? I don't have anything real fancy like hare. Lamb is as fancy as we get in this house. Duck, too."

Torsten smiled, to what was not obvious. "Turtle is delicious."

"Oh my gawd, no."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn hummed. It'd been ages since she had a good meat pie. "That sounds so good. Forget hare, lamb is all the fancy we need."

She laughed. "I haven't had turtle soup since I was a wee lassie."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim gasped! "Blasphemy!"

Bronwyn: "My grandda likes it!"

Torsten/Lirim: "It's a poor defenseless turtle!"

"And the lamb isn't?"

"That's different."

Bronwyn: "Those turtles were definitely no' defenseless." She slipped off one of her heels and pointed at her third toe. "See that wee scar? Turtle."

Torsten/Lirim: "Well, ya were tryin' t'kill it," Lirim grinned.

Bronwyn: "I was tryin' to pet a duck, thank ye verra much."

Torsten/Lirim: "Not eat it for soup?"

Bronwyn: "Nope. I walked into the pond because a really cute duck was swimmin' in it and I was ambushed."

Torsten/Lirim: Both men laughed this time, and Aedan followed as it seemed contagious.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn squinted at them. "Aye, laugh it up. Ye don't know pain until a mean turtle bites yer toe. But I still managed to heroically pet that duck and pick it up and bring it home."

Torsten/Lirim: "To eat?" Torsten was now grinning as well. The entire story was just so very Bronwyn.

Bronwyn: "To keep! I named him Billy and fed him raisins and he lived in my room for nearly two weeks until my da heard him quackin'."

Torsten/Lirim: "I've been meanin' t'ask. How is it you're not a vegan, what with bein' a druid and lovin' all animals?"

Bronwyn: "Well, I come from ranchers on one side and hunters on the other and all o' them are haggis-lovin' Scots."

Torsten/Lirim: "It surprises me as well," said Torsten. "Druids I knew in Iceland only ate fish and vegetation. No land animals or the sky."

Of course, his father had a few things to say about that, but that was neither here nor there.

Bronwyn: "Plenty still do. I've always thought that part of it was family tradition and culture. My grandda would be heartbroken if any of us hunted an animal and let any part of it go to waste and my Aunt Maeve would be equally heartbroken if we weren't nice to our chickens."

Torsten/Lirim: "A man in our village skinned animals and left the carcass to rot. Long ago when it truly was criminal. People's lives depended on every inch, every ounce. The amount of meat he took was only for himself. You'd think he would have sold everything, traded. His punishment was...severe."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn shook her head. "That's just wasteful, and disrespectful to the animal hunted. Our council's punishment for the same is still severe."

Torsten/Lirim: "Yet we're eating lamb," Lirim mused. "We condemn one thing but not the other. Still, I love me a mid-rare ribeye."

Bronwyn: "Speakin' of ribeye, did ye see that new steakhouse that just opened?"

Torsten/Lirim: "They have the best honey butter!" A sentence which made Torsten smile again. Something about Lirim's femininity made it so.

Bronwyn: "We should take Torsten." She smiled at her beautiful Viking. "Ye'd love it."

Torsten/Lirim: "A rare steak with good bread cannot be denied," he smiled again, something mellowed and thoughtful. His memories were there to remind him of his best meals, always hand-in-hand with celebration. He missed home. He missed his family.

Lirim wanted to make excuses to leave them alone, yet in the same instant wanted no reason for Torsten to be out of his sight. So, he occupied his time by making a new batch of sweet tea for the fridge.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn took his hand and squeezed it. He had that same look in his eyes her grandda Liam got when he was remembering something.

"Especially if the steak and the bread are covered in butter. We're definitely goin' to go. We're also goin' to go get beignets."

Torsten/Lirim: "This area is famous for chicory coffee, yes?"

Lirim's eyes lit up. "Yes! It's the best!"

"I can't recall ever having it."

"And how old are you?!"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn laughed. "That needs to be remedied immediately, it's so good. Ye can't no' have it. And paired with beignets? Hail Mary Full o' Grace."

Torsten/Lirim: "Perhaps after meat pies we could go. If it's within walking distance for you?" He could walk for miles, a hundred if he had to. He doubted the same for them.

Bronwyn: "It's no' too far away," she said, turning to Lirim. "What do ye think? We could take Aedan in his stroller."

Torsten/Lirim: "He's very anti-stroller lately. He wants to be on his two feet, but then he can't even make it from the living room to the kitchen without demanding to be picked up."

"The spoiled age has arrived, hmm?"

Bronwyn: "He knows he can get away with it. He loves to be held and we love holdin' him." Aedan was given a squeeze and a kiss. "We'll take the stroller just in case."

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten wanted to question discipline, but kept his curiosity to himself. Lirim was already on edge with his presence, and he felt no desire to worsen it.

"Alright, we need to pop this in the oven. What d'ya wanna do until it's done?"

Bronwyn: "Help ye clean up since ye're bein' so lovely and makin' dinner for us all."

Torsten/Lirim: "That ain't a problem." Not when sullied dishes began to rise and float their way to the sink.

"My sister would love you."

Bronwyn: "I love him for that, too, among other things. At least let me pick up ev'rythin' else."

Torsten/Lirim: "You're not here to clean, honey. Let's let Aedan stretch his legs in the living room."

Bronwyn: "All right, if ye're sure. Come on, lovely boy," she added to Aedan, getting to her feet. "Let's practice walkin'."

She held a hand out to Torsten.

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim watched as Torsten took her hand and followed behind. He turned back to the kitchen as more items began to tidy themselves. He couldn't keep a constant eye on her, no matter how much he worried. There had been men before Torsten, and perhaps there might be after. All he could do was threaten those he felt were suspicious.

"He's two, yes? His walking strong?" Torsten asked.

Bronwyn: "His will is strong but those little legs tend to get tired sooner than he'd like." Bronwyn put Aedan down beside the couch, placing him in close proximity to something to grab onto should he start to wobble.

"When he was first startin' to walk he'd ease himself along the cabinets in the kitchen while I cooked."

Torsten/Lirim: "Sounds familiar. Holding while standing, standing independently, walking with handicaps, and short bursts. I remember-"

"You remember?"

"Well, my species, I suppose. You don't recall your birth?"

Bronwyn: "The only birth I recall is his," said Bronwyn, nodding to Aedan. "I think my earliest memory is from age....four? Maybe three. Can ye really remember yer own birth?"

Torsten/Lirim: "I remember being removed from a safe, warm place. I remember my first steps and how they frustrated me. If you recall my telling you, I age very differently."

Bronwyn: "Aye, I remember," said Bronwyn, trying to imagine what it would be like having those kinds of memories. She could barely remember half her childhood.

"What was yer first word?"

Torsten/Lirim: "My primary caretaker asked if I wanted milk. I told her yes. My first word was an affirmation."

Bronwyn: She smiled. That was very sweet in a very unexpected way. His first word had been him making a decision.

"I bet ye gave her a surprise. What was yers, Lirim?"

Torsten/Lirim: "I think I'm old fashioned. I think my first word was Mama. My dad liked to say it was the other way around, and it was Dada. They couldn't ever agree."

Bronwyn: "Aww," she chuckled. "Mine was either 'Da' or 'daisy'. I'm told I said them both on the same day and no one could agree on which came first."

Torsten/Lirim: Aedan walked himself between his mother and Torsten, holding to the couch for dear life. He still wasn't a hundred percent on this new creature in his home, but so far he was gentle. Gentle was taken for its worth.

Lirim wanted to hear about Iceland, having never been. He sat in the adjacent chair and listened to stories of lone mountains and barren winters with complete fascination.

Bronwyn: At some point during Torsten's storytelling, Bronwyn abandoned the couch and sat cross-legged on the rug, arms out and ready to catch Aedan in case he stumbled and beaming at him all the while. There was something so fun about watching your child just...be and grow and learn.

And getting to do what while the man you loved spun beautiful stories about his homeland? Amazing.

"Ye've the voice of a bard," she told him between stories. "It just carries ye away."

Torsten/Lirim: The sudden statement made both men blink. "I wasn't aware," he said. "In my many years, I have to say that's a first."

Bronwyn: "Really? Anyone who's ever heard one o' yer stories has done ye a great disservice by no' tellin' ye how good ye are at tellin' them."

Torsten/Lirim: "I think you're biased."

Lirim had to agree. He turned his attention back to their baby.

"C'mere, angel baby. You can do it!"

Aedan turned from his mother to his daddy and beamed. Nope. Daddy would have to chase. All three feet away from the couch before he collapsed in defeat.

Bronwyn: "Me? Biased?" She waved a hand. "Impossible. I'm the queen of unbiased opinions."

Bronwyn watched Aedan with all the pride of a parent watching their child graduate from high school, smiling softly when he stumbled.

"Aw, love," she said, physically fighting the urge to pick him up. "That's okay. Come on, get up and go to daddy, baby. Ye can do it."

Torsten/Lirim: But he didn't want to go to daddy. He wanted to be chased!

"What was his first word?" Torsten asked.

Bronwyn: A giant smile plastered itself on her face. "Birdy. We were on a walk and he spotted a black bird that looked a lot like Vincent and he was very confused when it didn't talk to him so he just called out to it."

Torsten/Lirim: "Recognition for a family member." Family servant, he corrected mentally. "Interesting."

Bronwyn: "And verra fittin' as we're all about family, extended and traditional."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim noticed Torsten's staring. When their eyes locked, the revenant smiled.

"How does he consider your... companion? Good favor?"

"Um... He calls him Papa."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn cast a brief glance at Torsten, wanting to gauge his reaction. This was such a unique, precarious situation they were all in; she didn't want any of it to go wrong. But if it did, she was more than prepared to comfort and reassure where necessary.

Torsten/Lirim: "Forgive me. I'm only curious," said Torsten. "But how many fathers does Aedan have?"

Lirim frowned. "Well, ya know the sayin'. 'It takes a village to raise a child.'"

"Oh, yes I do. I'm quite familiar with it. An entire village did raise me."

Bronwyn: "He has more parents than he probably knows what to do with," Bronwyn said lightly, stretching out her arms to Aedan and giving him an encouraging smile. Though she was trying to radiate positive energy, a part of her wished she had telekinetic bonds with Torsten and Lirim so she could ascertain what kind of headspace they were in.

Torsten/Lirim: At the moment, Lirim was feeling his parenting skills were being threatened. He wasn't used to sharing Bronwyn with someone so intimidating. The man radiated masculinity. Previous gentlemen callers had felt distant. They had felt equal or below his radar, save for a certain unmentionable demon. This was different. This was a man in his house holding his favorite druid and asserting his judgements.

Torsten, on the other hand, had little thought of the gently offended nephilim. His regard was for Bronwyn and for Bronwyn's son, nothing else.

Aedan waddled to his mother and made himself comfortable in her lap. Nothing mattered except for her warmth and comfort.

Bronwyn: Aedan was immediately gathered close and cradled in loving arms, face covered with kisses. "There's my beautiful boy," Bronwyn chuckled. "Ye're really gettin' yer sea legs, aren't ye? Goin' to be runnin' circles around us before long."

She smiled at Torsten and Lirim. Everything's going to be okay, her eyes said, to both of them.

Torsten/Lirim: "He's going to have quite a unique accent soon enough. Catch everyone's attention."

Bronwyn: She laughed. "Aye, that he is. I swear I've heard him say 'wee' once or twice. He's goin' to have a unique accent and the vocabulary to match."

Torsten/Lirim: "Going to start him early on Garlic?"

Bronwyn: "I'd like to. Scottish and Irish Gaelic so he has all sides o' his heritage. I've taught Lirim a few words and phrases here and there."

Torsten/Lirim: There was something in his emotions that was itching Lirim's neck.

"You're Irish, aren't you? Don't you know your own language?"

"Excuse me?"

Bronwyn: "Lirim was born state-side," Bronwyn told Torsten. "Here in Louisiana. It's hard to learn a language without wide exposure to it and there aren't many here who speak it."

Torsten/Lirim: "I've heard interesting stories of the language when I was young. I can't say much, given my own. They are both an arduous mouthful."

Lirim huffed and flipped through his phone.

Bronwyn: "I'll grant ye that it is hard to learn if ye didn't grow up speakin' it and even in Scotland and Ireland there aren't many that do. I only speak the various dialects because I'm a Druid. My da only knew how to swear in Gaelic before he met my mama."

Bronwyn mentally promised herself to set up a date to smooth Lirim's feathers and touch base with him. She knew Torsten wasn't setting out to offend him, but he didn't know that. This was all a big change.

Torsten/Lirim: May Lirim never meet Botan, he thought. Or Botan see Bronwyn ever again.

"My parents spoke fluently. Half my life my Mema only spoke Irish around me, tryin' t'immerse me. Parents didn't."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn gave Lirim's leg a squeeze. Not for the Gaelic, but for his parents.

"Speakin' o' yer Mema, do ye think she'd be willin' to test some things for me?"

Torsten/Lirim: Her hand was taken in his. "Test what, exactly?"

Bronwyn: His hand was squeezed as well. "Well, I've a confession to make. I've been holdin' out on ye. On ye, too, Torsten. And even ye, love," she added to Aedan.

Torsten/Lirim: "Are ya on the run from the law because of your illegal clinic for hunters?" Like Ailbe.

Bronwyn: "I'm no' cool enough to be on the run from the law."

Bronwyn: "I may have bought a thing."

Torsten/Lirim: "Are you being vague on purpose?" asked Torsten.

Bronwyn: "Yes. It's a big thing, ye see." She took a deep breath. "I bought a buildin'."

Torsten/Lirim: "Oh, you're uh, you're finally goin' through with that? Been a while. Figured ya were just stickin' to the ranch and what have ya."

Bronwyn: "I wasn't plannin' to but I noticed it was for sale and it spoke to me. Deirdre's doin' a wonderful job with the ranch and I'm verra comfortable bein' a mostly silent partner. Plus it'd give me somethin' to occupy my time. I'm also talkin' to a contractor about buildin' me a stable."

Torsten/Lirim: "At your house? In your backyard?"

Torsten perked at the idea.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "Aye, I miss my horse. I know it's no' exactly an estate but it's a decent bit o' land. The woods add even more space."

Bronwyn: "And it's somethin' else to do."

Torsten/Lirim: "Think they'll say yes? I could ask Alice. She might know the law, the land requirement."

Bronwyn: "I hope so. Lydia suggested I bribe them." Now it was Bronwyn who perked. "Could ye? I'd be grateful. I don't want to get my hopes up too high in case it can't be done but I really really miss Dante."

Torsten/Lirim: "If not here, perhaps he could call Iceland home."

Bronwyn: Her face softened. "As long as he has fields and hills to run in he's happy."

Torsten/Lirim: "I'm sure with your familiar, bringing him to Iceland secretly should be of little consequence."

Bronwyn: "He does make travel much easier. I've been workin' on a tonic for him so crossin' long distances doesn't take so much of a toll on him."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim felt himself fading from the conversation. He didn't mean to, but he felt a need to distance himself from the person beside the mother of his child.

Out came the phone again.

"What are you making the tonic from?" asked Torsten.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn gave Lirim's leg another squeeze.

"Well, he has a great fondness for eatin' crystals and stones so I've been experimentin' with stones with restorative properties and teas made from restorative plants."

Torsten/Lirim: "He keeps that up we'll have a shortage of beautiful jewels," said Lirim.

"I have to agree. Does it actually benefit him?"

Bronwyn: "A few of the ones with pronounced properties do seem to have an affect. Mostly the ones that bring peace or sleep or somethin' similar. Most he just eats them because they're pretty," she added with a chuckle. "Like watermelon tourmaline."

Torsten/Lirim: "Are ya serious?" he laughed. "And does he think rose quartz tastes like actual rose?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn grinned, sending Vincent fond thoughts. "Curiosity will always prompt him to find out."

Torsten/Lirim: Vincent returned warmth to his mistress' skin in response to her affection.

"So, what d'ya wanna do until diner is done?" asked Lirim.

Bronwyn: "The two o' ye could give me store ideas. Or design ideas. What color scheme says 'hi, I sell soap and also charms'?"

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim considered. "Mauve," was his answer. "Mauve and wood. Maybe a hint of green? Nothing too rustic or ya might look gimmicky, but too clean would also look like ya belong to a corporation."

"You would need a balance," Torsten agreed.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn considered. "I like mauve. My favorite roses are the mauve ones. I like balance too. It's a verra Druid thing. And it would be nice to set myself apart from all the hoodoo and voodoo shops around here."

Torsten/Lirim: "Best way to do that is white."

Lirim arched a brow at Torsten.

"It's clean," the revenant continued. "Keep the colors and wood to a minimalist standard and let the products speak for themselves."

Bronwyn: "Maybe I could section off the magic stuff from the soap and bath stuff somehow and paint the areas diff'rent colors. Mauve for the magic and white for the soap? Or a warmer shade o' white."

Torsten/Lirim: "Are ya gonna curtain off the magic stuff for those ya approve of?"

Bronwyn: "No' exactly. The place used to be a dress shop so there's a decent space in the back where the dressin' rooms are that I want to turn into the main bath product area and I want to see if I can close it off a wee and have a big beautiful arch separatin' it from the other part o' the store."

Bronwyn: "It's definitely goin' to cater to both openly though."

Torsten/Lirim: "So, you're going to have the magic up front and the soap products at the back of the store?"

Bronwyn: "That's the current vision. It's open to change."

Torsten/Lirim: "It's very bold." The men seemed to be taking turns speaking. "I mean, you're puttin' the magic first n'the soaps second. The first impression is gonna be magic shop. I dunno how that might register, as a tourist attraction or to get the locals n'the serious Wiccans?"

Bronwyn: "Do ye think I should mix them a wee more? Or have certain areas designated to things that sort o' relate?"

Torsten/Lirim: "I like the idea of relationship - relation. Pardon." His English was getting muddled, distracted by Lirim's on again off again staring.

Bronwyn: "It's all right, love." She mulled that over for a minute. "I can see that workin'. Like puttin' bubble bath and bath salts near essential oils and candles."

Torsten/Lirim: "And if the salts go along with the spells, well, it's all mixed together because it's all natural, yeah?"

Bronwyn: "Och, aye. Ye'd be surprised how many spells use soap. And bath salts."

Torsten/Lirim: "So perhaps it's categorized by genre, use, rather than actual product? Or would you rather all soap in one area, and so forth?"

Bronwyn: "Maybe I could do both. Spread the bath stuff around the store to entice people into a larger area?"

Torsten/Lirim: "Oh!" Lirim's eyes brightened. "Cards! Ya could put all soap on a shelf, salts and bath bombs n'all, but each are labeled or got cards that say what goes best with em, like... "These salts are for aches and pains. Try these candles with this book, these oils" n'so on."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn's face brightened as well. "I could sell people more things! And they would actually be useful because that's my thought process when I make them!"

Torsten/Lirim: "And still your shop could be color coded with that in mind," chimed Torsten.

Bronwyn: "It could indeed. Just imagine some really lovely floatin' shelves in maybe a honey-toned wood. That would look good against white and mauve."

Torsten/Lirim: "It would," he continued. "Say you have salts that pair with four other products. Those products could all have the same blue labels on their bottles. You have your colors standing out against the white without clashing with the walls. The products themselves are the theme. Your shop logo also on the label."

Torsten/Lirim: "That bein' said, are ya gonna make everything? I mean, are ya about to be your own company, the shop only your items?"

Bronwyn: She nodded. "I like that idea. Makes the process simpler if ye already know what ye want and what ye're lookin' for. Maybe I could design some pamphlets, too. People always want to know more about what they're buyin'."

Another nod. "Mostly ev'rythin', aye. I've been makin' and sellin' the bath products since I lived in Montana, I just never had my own space. The only thing I might get from an outside vendor are the oils and some o' the candles."

Torsten/Lirim: "Candles are quite easy to make, and so many spells and be added to them. You have Vincent to help. Oils, perhaps. Spell books as well. How many are you going to hire on to help? Witches and druids only? Those capable, knowledgeable hands?"

Bronwyn: "Aye, and I have made them before. I think I'm goin' to make that kind and order the non-magical candles. The books too. As for employees, I think I just need one and they just need to be decent and open-minded. I can teach them what they need to know."

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten didn't want to disagree on a mere kine as an employee, and Vincent seemed to be of a like-mind, a chirp in her thoughts.

"I'll be your employee, ma'am."

Bronwyn: 'I appreciate that, love,' she thought back to her familiar. To Torsten and Lirim she said, "They wouldn't really be helpin' me do magic. They'd mostly mind the shop when I'm no' there, clean and organize, and help me make my products. Don't need to know magic to make soap."

Torsten/Lirim: "If you're certain. I can have someone from my old village here next month if you'd prefer." Torsten was perfectly serious.

Bronwyn: The fact that he was touched Bronwyn's heart. This man. "That's a verra kind offer and if I can't find anyone who seriously wants to work for me I might take ye up on it."

Torsten/Lirim: "One day our son is gonna be your employee. M'already predictin' this. Gonna be his summer job, then his part-time while goin' t'school. Gonna learn where his magic comes from."

Magic! A word Aedan knew. He looked to his mother.

Bronwyn: Imagining their baby boy being old enough to work made Bronwyn cuddle him close. She wasn't ready for him to grow up. She wanted him to stay this big forever. "I hope that day takes a verra, verra long time to come, but aye, yer prediction will come to pass."

She smiled at Aedan. Time to borrow some light from a lamp and make him a ball.

Torsten/Lirim: Yes! He loved when his mother played tricks on the house. That's what they were, in his toddler opinion.

Torsten considered her words. Should she age similarly to him, their child would take 50 years to reach a teenage equivalent. Would that please her?

"Being a druid... I wonder..." If you're going to be gifted with immortality...

Bronwyn: Bronwyn basked in her son's delight for a few moments before looking up at Torsten, her smile rivaling the light ball for brightness. "What's that, love?"

Torsten/Lirim: "What is your stance on immortality?"

Bronwyn: "Some o' my favorite people are immortal. Never really thought about it, though. It's a rare thing for a Druid to be offered immortality."

Torsten/Lirim: "If you could, would you?"

Lirim sat up, looked to the mother of his child.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn watched Aedan play with the light for a moment, considering. Then, "Before I became a mother I would've said no. There was a time when the thought o' dyin' someday was comfortin' and I...tried to make the day come sooner. But when I became a mother, when I adopted Lucien and had Aedan the thought o' no' bein' there to watch them grow up and be part o' their lives as they got older broke my heart. So if a Fae were to offer me immortality now, offer me the chance to stay with my family always, I think I'd accept."

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten nodded, seemingly satisfied by her answer. Then he would have to help her with her dream.

"Seth is tryin' t'help me with my hope," Lirim said quietly. "Thinkin' along the same lines." Except that I don't want to die. I never have. "I dunno how long I have, but... The only option I've found so far is vampirism and I don't want that."

"Rightly so," said Torsten. "I don't think you'd be able to handle it."

Bronwyn: She smiled over at Lirim, squeezing his leg again. It was very fitting that they'd both want to stick around for the beautiful baby they'd made.

"I don't think anyone can," she said to Torsten. "No' really. They survive for a time because their strength or their will holds out but eventually...they lose themselves and become somethin' entirely diff'rent."

Torsten/Lirim: "It's an evolutionary process. Like a child to adulthood, to age and then to die. They grow, mature, ripen...and then..." Torsten cleared his throat. "I understand why any, aside from demons and select witches, would be offended by it."

Bronwyn: "Perhaps that's why the Fae offer it to so few and so rarely. There's a legend among our kind that there exists a man who is over two-thousand years old, and that he's the only one o' his tribe to ever be offered the gift."

Torsten/Lirim: "That's an impressive age. How did he manage to keep his sanity, I wonder. Lost humanity is for a reason, after all. It is a way to maintain sanity and not destroy the world."

Bronwyn: "I'm no' even sure if it's true, but if it is then I'd wager he's the strongest person to ever live."

Torsten/Lirim: "Wouldn't low humanity make ya destroy the world?"

"Makes you care less about everyone but yourself and your own personal gains. It's more complicated than that, of course, and there are those that twist the cogs in the world's machinery. However, I can't recall a single vampire I've met that wants to watch it burn."

Bronwyn: "All those I've met who wanted that were human. Except for poor Kieran Lamont." The Druid who'd made a deal with a demon and then been slaughtered by the same.

Torsten/Lirim: "There are a few way in which you can both achieve this, for you, Bronwyn, should you never be asked what you seek."

"You'd help me?"

"Yes. I'd help you."

Bronwyn: Perhaps it was because she'd never really looked into it, but Bronwyn was surprised to hear there were multiple ways to achieve immortality.

"What sorts o' ways?" she asked.

Torsten/Lirim: "Spells, of course. Plenty of spells from multiple sources. If anything, you could prolong your life with vampiric blood."

Bronwyn: "As a ghoul or--no, it doesn't matter. That's no' an option I'd ever consider."

Torsten/Lirim: "Because you'd have to rely on others?"

Bronwyn: "That and it doesn't sit right with me. Takin' blood to survive is one thing, takin' it to prolong yer life goes against what and who I am."

Torsten/Lirim: "So, what I am upsets you?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn shook her head. "No, it doesn't. There's a diff'rence between bein' born with a need for it--between it bein' an integral part o' yer composition--and usin' blood to stay young or for some form of immortality."

Torsten/Lirim: "If I were to cease in my use of it, I would not look like this, Bronwyn. In truth, I look as a man would in his fifties. Some two hundred years ago I began to pamper myself for vanity's sake. I'm not immortal without it."

Bronwyn: "Then it's a need." Because you need to live, and I need you.

Torsten/Lirim: "Tellin' us ya wouldn't wanna date a fifty year-old?" Lirim smirked.

Bronwyn: She smiled. "I have. And I am, in a manner o' speakin'."

Torsten/Lirim: "And you're alright with that?" asked Torsten.

Bronwyn: "Yes." Short, sweet, and perfect truth.

Torsten/Lirim: "I'm gonna check on dinner," Lirim said, standing and heading back to the kitchen.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "All right, darlin'."

Torsten/Lirim: "Alone at last," Torsten whispered.

Bronwyn: "Just us, Aedan, and a light ball," she whispered back, holding out a hand so he could join her on the floor.

Torsten/Lirim: "Must I?" he smiled.

Bronwyn: "Aye. Ye're too far away and I have to kiss ye."

Torsten/Lirim: "What did I do to deserve such love?"

Bronwyn: "Ye've had it for quite a while. This is just a wee reminder."

Torsten/Lirim: "Mm, well," he took a seat on the floor beside her, pulled her closer. "How many kisses?"

Bronwyn: She snuggled into him, made sure they weren't squishing the baby. "All o' them."

Torsten/Lirim: "Take as many as you like." Here, he would start with one on her lips, nuzzling into her hair afterwards.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn planned to do just that. She kissed Torsten's lips, his chin, his cheeks. Everywhere that could be reached was given loving attention.

"I do love ye, ye know," she said softly, nuzzling him back. "I don't care if ye're five hundred or five thousand. I love ye."

Torsten/Lirim: "I assure you, you would not want to be with a five thousand year-old anything, love. At any rate, there's a reason I mention your mortality before. I think...we should discuss it later, though."

Bronwyn: "I'd like to think we'd make it work. But I'd much rather think about the here and now." She gave Torsten another kiss and resumed her nuzzling.

Bronwyn nodded, taking 'later' to mean 'when we're really alone'. "Then it shall be so."

Torsten/Lirim: "Excellent." Yet another blissful kiss. "How are we doing, your men?"

Bronwyn: She smiled. "Considerin' neither o' ye are used to sharin' me and ye're no' used to each other yet, pretty well."

Torsten/Lirim: "He seems easily offended."

Bronwyn: "He's no' used to seein' me with giant handsome Vikin' men."

Torsten/Lirim: "So, not that we don't see eye-to-eye?"

Bronwyn: "That might be part of it but I don't think it's all of it. We're in a pretty unique situation. Some tension is to be expected."

Torsten/Lirim: "Should I speak with him alone?"

Bronwyn: "I think it might be good for both o' ye if did. Doesn't have to be tonight, though. We've got nothin' but time."

Torsten/Lirim: "The next time, then." He kissed her hand, turned his attention back to Aedan. "Hello, little man."

Bronwyn: She kissed his cheek in return before kissing the top of Aedan's head. "Want to show Torsten yer light ball, lovely?" she asked him.

Torsten/Lirim: He did, but he didn't want anyone else to touch it. His reluctance made the revenant smile. "He'll be a charming man."

Bronwyn: "He certainly will," Bronwyn chuckled, borrowing light from another lamp to make a ball for Torsten.

"My sister and Callum and I used to play football with these when we were kids."

Torsten/Lirim: "They're that tangible?" He tested in inquiry for himself.

Bronwyn: "Aye. They can feel like anythin' from marshmallows to those wee moss balls from Japan."

Torsten/Lirim: "Had he been caught in public using his magic?"

Bronwyn: "Callum or Lirim?"

Torsten/Lirim: "Aedan, I mean."

Bronwyn: "A few people have noticed things float but they usually write it off. Ye can almost see them convince themselves it was nothin'."

Torsten/Lirim: "That's the power of real magic. Humans are cursed to disbelieve."

Bronwyn: "Och, aye. I saw a lot o' that when I lived in Montana. They will do ev'rythin' possible to maintain their version o' reality. I spent about a week makin' this woman's yard grow waist-high weeds and ev'ry day she'd cut them down and nearly give herself an aneurysm with how hard she tried to find a rational explanation for it."

Torsten/Lirim: His eyes filled with humor. "What was her crime for waist high weeds?"

Bronwyn: "I was datin' her son and he sold me a plot o' land she apparently didn't want sold. After he got the money, he left me and she started spreadin' rumors and gossip about me while makin' me out to be the town harlot."

Torsten/Lirim: "Then she was most deserving. Is that why you no longer live in Montana?"

Bronwyn: "Oh no, that awful old hag wasn't enough to drive me away. I came down here when I was pregnant with Aedan and just never left."

Torsten/Lirim: "And the land you purchased?"

Bronwyn: "My sister's lookin' over it now, like my house and my ranch."

Bronwyn: "I planted as many trees as I possibly could on it."

Torsten/Lirim: "Should have planted the most obnoxious species around her house."

Bronwyn: "I thought about it but her neighbors were really nice and I didn't want them gettin' sap on their cars. And makin' what will one day be a small forest that will outlive her? Verra satisfyin'."

Torsten/Lirim: "I'd like to see this home, if it is still technically yours. You haven't passed it on to your sister?"

Bronwyn: "Legally it's both of ours but she still considers it mine. I'd love to show it to ye someday. I turned the garden into an absolute Eden."

Torsten/Lirim: "Let's hope she maintains what you've put such work into. It sounds like you're very proud."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn chuckled. "She always claimed no' to be the gardener type but bein' a Druid, she's grown to love it over the years."

Torsten/Lirim: "Your kind seem to only have two speeds. Healing and botany."

Bronwyn: "Well, there's no' much call for warriors these days, or seers."

Torsten/Lirim: "Seers, now that I doubt. Like death and taxes, as humans say, it is a need that will always be."

Bronwyn: "Perhaps," said Bronwyn, nodding. "But no' in the same sense. 'Seers' these days tend to just be ordinary people tellin' other people what they want to hear for money."

Torsten/Lirim: "Are you going to do that in your shop?"

Bronwyn: "Oh no, I've absolutely no gift for it."

Torsten/Lirim: "What about your bird?"

Bronwyn: "I'm no' sure if he does but even if he did, I don't know if I'd feel comfortable havin' people come into the shop for that. They want their future and predictions o' blessin' and doom, the French Quarter's crawlin' with hoodoo priests."

Torsten/Lirim: "You're protective of him."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "Of course. He's my familiar."

Torsten/Lirim: "Sometimes it feels...ambiguous. Something deeper but...it's complicated to put into words. I can only imagine what it feels for you."

He looked to her hands. "You feel it too, yes?"

Bronwyn: She smiled, nodded again. "Aye. It's like...two parts o' the same spirit residin' in two bodies. We're connected. It's platonic, familial almost and sometimes it feels like it's far beyond that but it never approaches anythin' romantic. One day I'll find the right word to describe it."

Torsten/Lirim: "Sometimes I wonder if I should feel jealousy, but you're in my bed, not his. Though, I believe if you asked it of him, he would. I think he loves you that much."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn leaned over and kissed Torsten's cheek. "I am indeed. And though I love Vincent verra much, I don't think o' him that way." She kissed him again. "Only you."

Torsten/Lirim: "Not at all?" he smiled, placed his hand to her stomach, lower, below her navel. A child...someday. Perhaps not, but he would continue with his prediction.

"Almost done!" Lirim called from the kitchen.

Bronwyn: "No' at all," she repeated, smiling softly as she felt his hand on her abdomen. Gods willing, a part of both of them would grow in there someday.

Bronwyn inhaled, hummed at the aroma. "It smells amazin'!" she called back. "Does it look amazin'?"

Torsten/Lirim: "It'll be done soon!" Lirim called. "I don't think the center's done."

Torsten glanced to the kitchen and back to the druid. "Want to let Aedan stretch his legs outside before dinner?"

Bronwyn: "Okay! Tell me if ye need any help!"

She smiled and nodded as she turned back to Torsten. "That sounds like a lovely idea. What do ye say, love? Want to go out in the garden?"

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten got to his feet, reminding the little one of his great height. Aedan tilted back in an attempt to admire from head to toe. The result being the toddler flopping back on the rug.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn laughed softly, helping Aedan to his feet before following suit. "Easy there, laddie. Let's take yer ball outside."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim listened quietly from the kitchen. There was something ominous about Bronwyn's lover's aura that rubbed him the wrong way. It was most likely his distaste for the vampiric species as a whole. He knew his weaknesses and swore he'd keep his sinister desires to himself. This man wooing his family reminded him of his past, and of the demon he hadn't seen in so long. None of which was appreciated.

As soon as they were outside, Aedan was lifted and gently tossed in the air. The little boy squealed with surprise.

Bronwyn: Had Bronwyn known the lay of Lirim's thoughts she would've said something to reassure him, but even if she had, there was only so much she could do. He and Torsten needed to form their own opinions of each other, find their own common ground.

They were going to be a part of each other's lives, after all.

Aedan's delight had a matching smile spreading across Bronwyn's face as she reached for her phone. She needed to record this.

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten growled at her son with every catch, a noise which escaped the depths of his chest like thunder from caliginous clouds. The sound should have frightened, but instead delighted the boy, fingers sitting between teeth and gums as he giggled loudly.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn made sure to capture every single moment of their interaction, sending videos and pictures to her mother, her sister, Lucien, Lydia, Marie. Everyone had to see the preciousness that was Torsten playing with Aedan.

Including her, which is why after the pictures were sent out, she put her phone away and just enjoyed the moment.

Torsten/Lirim: "What was that?" he asked, holding Aedan to his chest. The toddler tucked his knees up, sitting comfortably against him.

Bronwyn: It was impossible not to smile. If they kept this up much longer her face was going to be sore. "Hm? What was what?"

Torsten/Lirim: "Your mobile. Were you taking a picture?"

Bronwyn: "Oh! Aye, I was. And some videos."

Torsten/Lirim: "Video? Will you send it to me?"

Bronwyn: "Of course. Want the pictures as well? I took quite a few."

Torsten/Lirim: "That's fine. It will be for Flora, if that's alright."

Bronwyn: "That's perfectly fine," she said, melting a little inside.

Torsten/Lirim: "You have that look in your eyes again."

Bronwyn: "What look?"

Torsten/Lirim: "That look as though you're going to weep of happiness."

Bronwyn: "I am happy. No' weepy though."

Torsten/Lirim: "Do you want him back?" He offered the giggling boy at arm's length.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn kissed Aedan's face and blew a raspberry on his tummy. "Ye two keep playin'." And bonding.

Torsten/Lirim: "What games does he like so far?"

Bronwyn: "He's a big fan of anythin' involvin' light, makin' a mess, and the airplane game."

Torsten/Lirim: "Ah. So you do like to be up high." Up into the air he went again! His squeal was all but a scream with delight.

Bronwyn: Laughing, Bronwyn went to the back door and poked her head in.

"Lirim, come look!"

Torsten/Lirim: Wiping his hands, Lirim stared out the window and frowned. "He ain't gonna drop our baby, is he?"

Bronwyn: "No, he's no' goin' to drop him." She stepped in further and gave him a very noisy, enthusiastic kiss on the cheek.

Torsten/Lirim: "Oh gawd, my face is under attack!" A kiss was given to her as well. "So, you gonna marry this man?"

Bronwyn: She leaned her head against his shoulder, watching the man she loved play with her baby.

"Aye," she said softly. "I think I am."

Torsten/Lirim: His own rested against her as well. "That's really gonna be a thing. Elaborate for me. He's a vampire?"

Bronwyn: "No' exactly. He's a revenant, which from what I've read is sort o' the halfway point between human and vampire. We're alike in that way, now that I think about it. I'm halfway between human and Fae."

Torsten/Lirim: "So, he needs blood to survive? He can die but he'll live forever?" How safe was this man around his son and the mother of his child? It hadn't occurred to him that Bronwyn had equal share for concern when it first came to Seth Jenkins. Often Lirim regarded him without recognition of his species.

Bronwyn: "Revenants are born with the ability to produce it, so they don't have to get it from someone else. As for livin' forever, no' really. He'll just live a verra long time. He's as mortal as I am, just with a longer lifespan."

Torsten/Lirim: "He said something about fifty?"

Bronwyn: "Aye. Without the measures he's taken to keep himself lookin' young, he'd look like he was in his fifties."

Torsten/Lirim: "So...right now he is...mortal but Dorian Gray?"

Bronwyn: "Minus the creepy paintin'."

Torsten/Lirim: "You're sure this is what you want? This... His lifestyle might be dangerous." The "might be" had been added for her benefit. He was almost certain of it.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "I'm sure. I haven't exactly been lucky in this particular department. Ye've seen some o' the men I've dated." None of them had exactly been high points for her.

"I know ye're worried, and ye've ev'ry right to be. But he's a good man, Lirim. Hard as that might be to believe, he's a good man. He loves me and I love him. All I ask is that ye give him a chance."

Torsten/Lirim: Bronwyn was clearly smitten by him. He needed a little more convincing.

"So he and his vampire clan won't try to sacrifice our son on the equinox or somethin', right? I'm - We're good on that front? You're sure? M'not afraid of vampires like I used to be. Haven't been for years."

Bronwyn: "There is no clan," she chuckled. "It's just him and his sister, who apparently loves flowers and all things light and soft. No sacrifices or anythin' of the sort. They're antique dealers."

Torsten/Lirim: "She still has to drink blood. Vampire, right? Where does she get it from? Has he ever killed anyone? How much d'ya know 'bout em, sweetie?"

Bronwyn: "Aye, she is and I imagine she either gets her sustenance from animal blood or a blood bank but I don't know the particulars. Has he killed anyone, probably so since he is a warrior in his own right. So has my sister."

Bronwyn kissed his cheek again. "He won't hurt me, Lirim. And he won't hurt Aedan. Please trust me."

Torsten/Lirim: "Someone," something, "that up there in age has t'have different views on parentin' than us. Seth's never struck our baby n'he's a reaper. What's he gonna do? Have ya talked about that?"

Bronwyn: "I'm sure he does and we have talked about his childhood before and how diff'rent it was to mine but he's no' goin' to just try to override the decisions we've made with Aedan and will make in the future. He's certainly no' goin' to hit him, ye know I won't let that happen."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim didn't bother to hide his incredulousness, but he remained quiet on his skepticism. Nodding was probably the best answer he could give.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn's face fell. She'd known that it wasn't going to be smooth sailing right out the gate for them, but there was always that hope.

"Ye really don't like him, do ye?" she asked softly, unable to keep the hurt from her voice.

Torsten/Lirim: "M'just...apprehensive?" He stood with his back to their guest so as to keep his lips from being read, though the revenant wasn't paying them any mind. "His age, his species. It's a lot t'take in."

Bronwyn: "Aye, I know. Even with ev'rythin' we've seen and all the things that have happened I know it's a lot. I just...I want ye to like him. I want him to like ye. I want us all to be one big happy family and I know it'll take time and it might no' match the vision in my head, but..."

Torsten/Lirim: "N'I want ya t'be happy, sweetie. I really do. I just don't want there t'be unhappy surprises down the road for ya. I can't stop the world from hurtin' ya, but I'll kick its ass."

Bronwyn: She smiled. "I know. And I don't want there to be those kinds o' things either. That's why we're meetin' each other's families and talkin' through things. I want to marry him someday but he hasn't asked. We're still figurin' things out and learnin' about each other."

Torsten/Lirim: "If he uh...never asks, are ya still gonna be with him, just...let that slide?"

Bronwyn: "Well, at the risk of jumpin' the gun, from some of our conversations I think things are headin' that way. But when and if the time comes when I'm ready to be married and he hasn't proposed, or even the other way around, then he and I will have to have a conversation about it."

Bronwyn: "We're startin' to head into more serious waters. We're still gettin' our sea legs."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim still wasn't entirely convinced, all save the fact that Bronwyn believed what she was saying. She loved the man in the backyard playing with their son, getting their little boy to chase him in tight circles widening out. Eventually, quite unceremoniously, Aedan fell on his rump and decided it was time for a nap.

Bronwyn: Another kiss was given to Lirim's cheek. She could tell he wasn't sold, but she didn't hold that against him. He and Torsten had only just met; they were still getting their sea legs with each other too.

She popped outside, smiling at the sight that greeted her. "He tucker himself out?"

Torsten/Lirim: "Chasing me to no avail tuckered him out, yes." The toddler was lifted and held with one arm, making his way back to the porch.

Bronwyn: "Those wee legs are goin' to be stronger before he knows it." Bronwyn held the door open, smiling at Torsten with that so-happy-she-could-cry look.

"We can set him down in his room."

Torsten/Lirim: "How often does he nap? You schedule it?" This might one day be his own. Information was wise to accumulate. Not that it would win him points with Lirim, but the nephilim was the last on his mind.

Bronwyn: "Usually only once a day, in the afternoon. If he's really tired or gets tuckered out like now, he'll take another in the evenin'. Ever since he was born we've been able to set a clock by his sleepin' habits."

Torsten/Lirim: "I can't recall the beginning of my childhood in great detail, but...I had nearly fifty years of it."

Bronwyn: "Fifty years....." A lifetime in and of itself. "I hope despite ev'rythin' there were many happy moments."

Torsten/Lirim: "We can talk about that later, that number." Because it was the elephant in the room.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded as she opened the door to Aedan's room. "Aye. We'll talk later." Once her baby was safely in his bed, his forehead was kissed and the nearest stuffed animal tucked in close to him.

Torsten/Lirim: A quick moment had to be taken to wrap his arms around her waist, sway with her, kiss her, live in the moment for a breath or ten.

Bronwyn: "Oh!" Bronwyn chuckled softly, surprised by the sudden affection and returning it twofold.

"Hello to ye, too," she whispered, nuzzling against him and squeezing him tight.

Torsten/Lirim: "Suppose we must go socialize again. A little friendly chat over game pie and scrutiny."

Bronwyn: "Aye." She tugged him down so she could kiss his cheek. "I promise he's just lookin' out for me."

Torsten/Lirim: "I know he is. I would be equally critical for Flora's sake."

Bronwyn: She kissed him again, just because. "Ye're a good man, Torsten Glockner."

Torsten/Lirim: "Lying is a sin, Ms. Bronwyn," he smiled.

Bronwyn: "Is it?" she asked, smiling back. "I'll have to keep that in mind should I find myself with the desire to lie." She took his hand and led him back to the kitchen.

Torsten/Lirim: "You harbor such desires? Who have you become? You're not my little thistle." She could still lead him any which way and he would follow along.

Lirim had set the table for three. Seeing them emerge from upstairs, Aedan's little plastic plate was put away.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn laughed. "I don't, and yer verra wise words will surely deter me from it.

Lirim was greeted with a smile. "Baby boy's out like a light. Verra big day on the walkin' front."

Torsten/Lirim: "So I saw. Big days mean fussy baths on par with Leilani's tantrums."

"You have another child?"

"Oh, no. God, no. No that's...uh..."

Bronwyn: "My granddaughter. My son Lucien's daughter."

Torsten/Lirim: "The married one. Where is she now?"

Bronwyn: "She's with her new da."

Torsten/Lirim: "Oh, the marriage. Is that nearby? Another visit today?"

Is that all I am, a visit? Lirim sighed, taking a seat keeping quiet.

Bronwyn: "No' in the immediate area but fairly close. We can go see them tomorrow or later this week."

Bronwyn situated herself between Torsten and Lirim, squeezing both their hands.

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten took his seat and smiled. Something smug was in the air around him and Lirim wasn't sure why until he opened his mouth and asked, "Do you want us to say grace? Being...what you are."

"Nope. I'm good."

Bronwyn: Another squeeze was given to both their hands.

"Well, I was right. This looks ev'ry bit as good as it smells."

Torsten/Lirim: The silence continued as Lirim sliced into the pastry, filling their plates with a sudden aversion for conversation.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn got his attention with yet another squeeze to his hand, silently asking if he was okay while also not drawing attention to it and saying, "Thanks for dinner, darlin'."

She took a bite and beamed at him. "Perfect."

Torsten/Lirim: His answer was a subtle nod and a sigh. Torsten didn't mind the silence. After centuries of living, silence wasn't a luxury to question. Still, he gave his thanks.

"Okay, so," Lirim took a breath, "how did the two or ya meet? Ain't really heard the full story."

Bronwyn: How to put that mess at the mill in truthful turns that also didn't send Lirim into a protective rage?

"Vincent brought him to me and Callum," she said. "He and a friend o' his had been injured by some awful people who have since been dealt with. We healed them."

Torsten/Lirim: "Awful people? What did they want?"

Torsten looked to Bronwyn, gauging how she wanted to continue this.

Bronwyn: "It was a gang that rolled through the town. It's full o' tourists most o' the year, I guess that makes for a lot o' people to rob. They even trashed the mill."

Torsten/Lirim: "The mill?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "Aye. There's an old mill on the edge o' town, hasn't been functional for a while."

Torsten/Lirim: "What we're they that they could take someone like you down?"

Torsten took a bite and swallowed. "Vampires."

Bronwyn: "Dead ones, thanks to the local hunters."

Torsten/Lirim: But not the very old thing next to you.

"Hmm. Well, how's Callum?" Subject change for the better.

Bronwyn: "He's doin' good! More relaxed now that he has extra, extra help in his shop."

Torsten/Lirim: "He's gettin' too big for him t'handle," he chuckled. "A florist shop, of all things."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "He is. Once people get a taste o' what a Druid can do with flowers--even if they don't know it's a Druid--they can never be satisfied with anythin' else."

Torsten/Lirim: "I haven't seen him in some time. How is he?" asked Torsten.

Bronwyn: "Happy and in love," she said fondly. "And apparently thinkin' about buildin' himself a new garden shed."

Torsten/Lirim: "Would he be offended by assistance?"

Bronwyn: "Ye know, I think he'd welcome it."

Torsten/Lirim: "Would the vampire be offended?"

Bronwyn: "That I don't know. I don't see why he should be though. It's no' as though ye have designs on Callum."

Torsten/Lirim: "You've never flirted with Callum, have ya?"

"No. In fact, he threatened my well-being on more than one occasion."

Lirim blinked.

Bronwyn: "Callum hasn't exactly been thrilled that we're datin'. He's startin' to come around though. Slowly, but he is."

Torsten/Lirim: "What was his issue?"

Bronwyn: "That I'm his cousin and Torsten's a boy I like."

Torsten/Lirim: "So he's hated all of them?"

Bronwyn: "I wouldn't say he's hated them--although he did hate a couple. Mostly he squints and broods and reminds them he knows ev'ry poison known to man and grows most of them."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim leaned in, interested. "Who was the most loathed?"

"I don't want to take away from the experiences of others, but having a vampire at his side, I want to say it's me. Curses are not something to take lightly."

Bronwyn: "Actually, love, ye're no'. Compared to how he felt about Travis Reynolds he positively adores ye. Had he the power and the means at the time I sincerely believe he would've had him drawn and quartered then put back together and done it again."

Torsten/Lirim: "What did he do t'ya?"

Torsten frowned. The nephilim seemed excited. "Watched as the vampire cursed me to scrub my skin off with my finger nails."

The gleam in his eyes faded as he looked to Bronwyn. "Callum is no joke."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded, confirming Torsten's words. "No he is no', and his protectiveness knows no bounds. Needless to say, he and I had words after that nasty little incident."

Torsten/Lirim: "N'he's got nothin' t'say 'bout me bein' the father of Aedan?"

Bronwyn: "He was curious about it but since ye are I weren't datin' he was able to digest it more easily. We still haven't told him about my mama and the butcher."

Torsten/Lirim: "He's always been like this? Really? Just... almost feels antiquated."

"To an extent," said Torsten. "Though I've had my moments."

Bronwyn: "It started when his mama died. After that if my mama or grandmama or one of our aunts ever took a nap he'd sneak into wherever they were sleepin' just to make sure they were breathin'. If they left, he'd hover near the window until they returned."

Torsten/Lirim: "Well, when ya put it like that, it's..."

"pitiable," Torsten finished.

Bronwyn: "No one was surprised. His mama left one day and never came back. Made sense that people leavin' would scare him. He got better as time wore on but he was never the same."

Torsten/Lirim: "I still feel justified in laying a hand on him, but really I don't want the headache of a confrontation with my blood bag."

Bronwyn: "I don't want that confrontation either. I want ev'rythin' to be peaceful on that front, even if I have to stand on a chair to yell at ye giants."

Torsten/Lirim: "Of course you'll get what you want," Torsten smirked. "You have a knack for yelling."

Bronwyn: "I'm Scottish. It's what we do."

Torsten/Lirim: "By that logic I should be louder than you."

Bronwyn: "Ye might verra well be," she chuckled. "We'll have to check one day."

Torsten/Lirim: "Fights between the two or ya are gonna be epic," Lirim smirked.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "They certainly will be. Verra loud and verra epic." Hell, they'd already had their share of intense moments.

Torsten/Lirim: "Just don't pick fights with vampires and whatever else, please."

"I highly doubt Flora would have any interest in an argument. Unless a Glockner is endangered, she's quite passive."

Bronwyn: "I promise," she told Lirim. She wouldn't pick any fights but she would definitely finish a couple if they reached her family.

"Do the two o' ye ever fight?"

Torsten/Lirim: Both men looked up. "My sister? I don't know if you would call them fights. That's not something you do with the eldest of a...tribe."

Bronwyn: "Well no, no' proper fights. Just siblin' things like throwin' each other's boots in a lake."

Torsten/Lirim: "That's more of a sisterly disagreement. Fauna would do something like that."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled to herself. "My teenage self and Fauna would've gotten along verra well."

Torsten/Lirim: "Or complete opposite. I'm almost certain," he smiled.

Bronwyn: She chuckled softly. "Well, then we either would've thrown each other's boots in the lake or I'd fuss over her. Lirim can tell ye how good I am at that."

Torsten/Lirim: "Properly carry a sword, then it would have been more than thrown boots." He missed his sister. Lirim could feel it palpably.

"So, y'all stayin' the night?" For once attempting to be a positive distraction.

Bronwyn: "It got close a few times but our Da made us keep all our weapons peace-tied. Didn't apply to our bows, though, or stop Deirdre from usin' the hay to make a strawman for target practice."

Bronwyn looked between the two men for a moment. "We wouldn't want to put you out if ye have somethin' planned for this evenin'."

Torsten/Lirim: "No. Got nothin' planned except t'take Aedan on a walk to the park and back. Ya know, exercise and a little socializin' 'fore bed." He too looked between them. "Maybe y'all can do it...?"

Bronwyn: "What do ye think?" she asked, turning to Torsten and squeezing his hand under the table. "Want to spend the night?"

Torsten/Lirim: "If you're comfortable with that...?"

Lirim nodded. More time to learn about this man, he supposed.

"...Then alright."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "All right then. Looks like we're stayin'. My nightgown still in the guest room? I swear I have clothes spread out over several houses."

Torsten/Lirim: "That doesn't surprise me," Torsten smiled. The way she constantly left clothes behind in his hotel room, the dots were connectable.

Bronwyn: "It's the side o' teleportation no one warns ye about," she laughed. "With travel bein' so easy half yer things end up bein' in other places."

Torsten/Lirim: "And your bird never complains?"

Bronwyn: "Never, bless him, and I know it takes its toll. I try to do whatever I can to help him recover after ev'ry trip, especially the longer ones."

Torsten/Lirim: "He's saved us literally thousands of dollars," Lirim chuckled.

"He will be quite useful for our trip to Iceland."

Bronwyn: "He really has. I should make him a cake to thank him." A cake decorated with pretty stones and fruit.

She smiled and nodded. "He really will. Just goin' to have to make sure he's fortified first. And well fed."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim continued to eat as Bronwyn gushed. Torsten mused over the familiar and the price he would fetch on the market. Not that he would, of course, but it was knowledge to have.

"It'll be soon, hopefully." A throwaway word he didn't care for, but used anyway.

Bronwyn: "We can plan it out sometime this week if ye want. Never hurts to be prepared ahead of time." And it would also give her a chance to pick his brain about things his sister might like, along with an idea of what to expect when they got there.

Torsten/Lirim: "Wait, how soon are y'all goin'?"

Bronwyn: "We agreed on sometime durin' the autumn. So a little while yet."

Torsten/Lirim: "Oh. Makin' it sound like y'all are leavin' t'morrow."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn shook her head. "Oh no, we still have a ways to go before we leave. I have to show him New Orleans first."

Torsten/Lirim: "What about Montana?"

Bronwyn: "Would ye want to see my old home?" she asked Torsten.

Torsten/Lirim: "Of course I would. Isn't that where your horse is?"

Bronwyn: "No, he's in Scotland with my mama. My chickens are there though. Along with my old house and my ranch."

Torsten/Lirim: "I've been mistaken. Why did I think there were horses in Montana?"

Bronwyn: "There are horses at the ranch. I breed them."

Torsten/Lirim: "Not /the/ horse," Lirim chuckled, "but a horse."

Bronwyn: "Yes indeed. Interestin'ly named horses I might add. One o' my foremen let his pre-teen girl name the newest batch o' foals."

Torsten/Lirim: "Be grateful it's not Icelandic," Torsten smiled.

Bronwyn: "I'd much rather it be Icelandic than have horses named 'Oceansong' and 'Spice'."

Torsten/Lirim: Lirim's brow wrinkled. "I thought horses had them weird sentence for names?"

Bronwyn: "Racin' horses usually do. I wonder how that started."

Torsten/Lirim: "It's insulting to the animal," said Torsten.

Bronwyn: "Insultin', pretentious, and verra annoyin'. But then racin' horses are used more for boostin' their owner's ego than anythin' else."

Torsten/Lirim: So, I shouldn't ask whether or not you've ever eaten one, he thought.

"Do you have any equestrian skill?" eyes on Lirim.

"My grandmother, my parents, they used to teach children how t'ride."

Bronwyn: "I should buy ye a horse for Christmas," Bronwyn mused, smiling at Lirim. "It can live in my stable. And I'll get ye a billowy shirt for when ye go ridin' with me."

Torsten/Lirim: "Oh I don't ride." All he could think about was the last day he'd seen Rory alive. "They've always looked like mythical monsters t'me."

Bronwyn: "Can't blame ye for that. Havin' seen their teeth I can say with certainty that they do look like mythical beasts."

Torsten/Lirim: "Yeah, imagine through the eyes of a child. Maybe ya can. Maybe ya both can," he scoffed, shook his head at the terrible memory of looking up at what he'd believed was a demonic animal the size of their house. He had been three years old at the time.

"My grandmother did have ponies, too. Those weren't so bad."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded and said, "I can. I was afraid o' the cows until I was about ten." And she had a memory very similar to Lirim's that had sprung that fear.

"Oh, I've always loved ponies. We should get one for Aedan."

Torsten/Lirim: So nonchalant in their discussion, in giving the child such a considerable responsibility. Not that Torsten was offended by their parenting. No, it was similar to his own upbringing. He had a horse of his own, and he had to take care of it or else it would die.

They probably hadn't that level of demand to their child.

So, he wouldn't say anything. He would finish his meal quietly as Lirim continued on about letting Aedan name it, letting it live in Montana where it could be safely taken care of.

Bronwyn: "It would have plenty o' company," said Bronwyn regarding letting the pony live in Montana. "I have a lot o' them on the ranch. The ranch hands' children help look after them in exchange for the privilege to ride. And the bunnies."

Torsten/Lirim: "Oh my gawd, that's a perfect exchange. I'm excited for his first day of chores. Is that weird?"

"No," said Torsten. "Children need to see responsibility and consequences."

Bronwyn: "It's a verra good system. Ev'ryone wins, includin' the ponies. I've never seen cleaner stalls anywhere."

Bronwyn shook her head. "No' at all," she agreed. "I feel like he's goin' to be the type that really enjoys chores. He loves the wee little broom we got him."

Torsten: Torsten smiled. "He has a wee broom? Really?"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded with a grin. "Really really. He likes to help sweep, which is more like him beatin' the floor with his broom while we sweep."

Torsten: "That's...very sweet. It's also very smart. Learn from mimicry."

Bronwyn: "That's pretty much how I learned how to cook. By watchin' my mama."

Torsten: "The majority of how I learned hand-to-hand combat."

Bronwyn: "It's a good way to learn." Bronwyn smiled at Lirim. "Maybe Aedan will learn how to paint that way."

Lirim: "Only time will tell." Lirim smiled politely and took his plate to the sink.

Bronwyn: "Hands off those dishes. He who cooks does no' clean up."

Lirim: "I - It's my house!" he laughed.

Bronwyn: "Rules are rules," Bronwyn told him, nodding sagely. "Sit now. I'll do the dishes."

Torsten/Lirim: "Fine, but I'm puttin' the rest away for leftovers."

Torsten excused himself upstairs to check on the baby, having heard the uneven breaths of a wakeful child attempting to climb out of bed.

Lirim watched and turned to Aedan's mother, confusion obvious.

Bronwyn: "I suppose we can allow that. Just don't work too hard."

She smiled and squeezed Lirim's arm. "Probably heard Aedan stir. He's got superhuman hearin'."

Lirim: "That's...that's okay with you?"

Bronwyn: "It led to a couple of embarrassin' moments when we first met but I've gotten used to it."

Lirim: "Embarrassin' moments?" He was staring at the path Torsten had taken with a frown.

Bronwyn: "He heard me and Vincent talkin' about how attractive he is."

Lirim: "He really just went up there without permission." One track mind.

Bronwyn: "He's just checkin' on the baby, Lirim," Bronwyn said gently.

Lirim: "Yeah but guests usually ask."

Bronwyn: She squeezed his arm again, unable to help feeling a little defeated. "I'll make sure he does from here on out."

Lirim: "Is Aedan gonna -" No, he couldn't be that selfish. After all, Seth had taken over the title of papa, which had belonged to another.

Bronwyn: "Is he goin' to what, darlin'?"

Lirim: "Be called...papa or daddy or some Icelandic version of it or..."

Bronwyn: "Oh...well...he wouldn't force Aedan to call him anythin'."

Torsten/Lirim: As Torsten returned, their baby in arms, Lirim looked away and began to busy himself.

"I apologize," said the revenant. "I'm accustomed to the village-to-raise method.

Lirim swallowed. There was that hearing he'd been warned of.

Bronwyn: Hoping to lighten the mood, Bronwyn smiled and went to Aedan.

"There he is! Did ye have a good sleep, love? We all sure missed ye a lot. Didn't we, Lirim?"

Torsten/Lirim: With a blink and a swallow, Aedan's father nodded.

"Hey, little man."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nuzzled Aedan and kissed all over his face. "Are ye hungry, love? Do ye want food?"

Lirim: "Grapes," their son muttered in his mother's arms.

Bronwyn: "I'll get ye some grapes, baby." She kissed his cheek. "Want some juice?"

Lirim: "Grape milk."

Lirim chuckled. "Grape juice, baby boy."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn smiled. "Grape juice it is. And some o' the lovely pie that Daddy made, with lots o' crust."

Torsten/Lirim: "So many grapes," their son continued on. It must have been that commercial he liked. See, this was why Lirim forbade television. It was cute, but already he'd had a nightmare over a movie trailer.

Torsten leaned some of his weight against the druid and smiled at the child.

"Hello again, little man."

Bronwyn: "Aye, love, so many." Even more kisses, followed by a chuckle. "It's a good job that commercial doesn't have a jingle. I'd hate for that to be the first thing ye learn to sing along to. And we're still aimin' for The Beatles, aren't we?"

Bronwyn leaned against Torsten and smiled at all her lovely men. She loved them all so much.

Torsten/Lirim: They looked... wholesome together, but still, that was his son. He had to wonder if Bronwyn felt the same sense of protectiveness when Seth first joined their family. Surely something. This felt like torture and he begged his mind to stop.

"You'll be teaching him Gaelic too, yes?" Torsten asked.

Bronwyn: She had, and not just over Aedan. Over Lirim as well. They were her family; anyone new that came near them was fair game for suspicion until she got to know them and trusted they weren't a threat.

But even though she understood Lirim's reservations, she still wished there was something she could do or say to reassure him that Torsten wouldn't hurt her or their child.

"I sure will," she said, kissing Aedan's cheek. "I know some Latin, too. The more languages the merrier."

Torsten/Lirim: "Will you be teaching him Irish?"

Lirim blinked.

"Your accent," the revenant continued, "it's slight."

"I-I'm not fluent. My parents... It was my father's first language. I...should probably brush up on it."

Bronwyn: "We could brush up together," Bronwyn offered, smiling hopefully at Lirim. "I'm rusty on non-ancient Irish."

Lirim: "I thought you only spoke the uh, Scottish Gaelic."

Bronwyn: "I learned ev'ry variation of Gaelic there is. Ancient and modern, Irish and Scottish. Part of learnin' magic."

Torsten: "Some spells can only be achieved in the language they originated in."

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "Aye. I think I knew Middle English at one point for that exact reason."

Torsten/Lirim: "Those are very old spells," Torsten nodded.

"Guess I should learn more," said Lirim.

Bronwyn: "Maybe Avalbane could teach us. She's been wantin' to practice teleportin'."

Torsten: "Hopefully it's a light magic spell," said Torsten.

Bronwyn: "Apparently she took a whole ritual and condensed it into a fairly simple spell. She's verra bored, no one in town is currently pregnant."

Torsten/Lirim: Torsten only smiled and kept his thoughts to himself. That look in his eyes, though, was anything but innocent. Lirim didn't like the emotions he was obtaining. He had to look away and force the subject away.

"Anyway, baby boy wants his grapes."

"Graaaapes!" Let the fussing begin.

Bronwyn: "Yes, grapes!" In an effort to bypass the fussing before it got too bad, Bronwyn made quick work of getting Aedan his grapes and juice and a toddler-sized slice of pie with extra crust.

"Now, what do we say, love?" she asked Aedan as she sat him at the table.

Lirim: "Go rai - tapadh leat."

Lirim rubbed his face. "We're teaching him too many at once," he laughed.

Bronwyn: "Juuuust a wee," Bronwyn chuckled, kissing the top of Aedan's head. "And he's such a clever laddie for rememberin' them all. Mostly."

Torsten/Lirim: "Who he got it from is a mystery," said Torsten.

"One of the other ones. My memory is shit."

Bronwyn: She smiled and shook her head. "He might even have picked up a wee bit o' French. He's goin' to be multi-lingual before we even know what hit us."

Torsten/Lirim: "You have someone? A Seth?"

"...Yes."

"How many languages does he speak?"

"I don't know... He might have spoken something about Aedan."

Bronwyn: "I could swear he told me once but I can't remember. I do, however, distinctly remember teachin' him ancient Gaelic curse words."

Lirim: "You taught my boyfriend curse words?"

Bronwyn: "I might have. There might also have been whiskey behind that decision."

Lirim: "What the hell! I haven't heard any of this!"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn laughed. "Ye were paintin'!"

Lirim: "I was home?!"

Bronwyn: She laughed again, nodding. "Ye were right in the middle of a restoration and in the cone of concentration."

Lirim: "Well now I have a conversation piece for Seth."

"Graaaapes!"

Bronwyn: "Yes, love, grapes! Ask him if he remembers any of them," she added, placing another little cluster of grapes on Aedan's plate.

Torsten: Torsten offered one of the grapes to the little boy. It was easy to slip back into a cultural norm he was used to.

"Can you say, 'Góðan daginn'? It means 'Good day'."

"Goo-an!"

Bronwyn: Bronwyn beamed at the pair of them. "He really does have a good ear for languages." She was suddenly having visions of Aedan growing up to be a linguist or a professor.

Torsten: "I met a man once, Spanish-Japanese, young, early twenties kind of young. Fluent in four languages, but his issue was consistency. In mid-sentence he would switch to Spanish, to a Japanese word, back to English."

Bronwyn: "I used to do that a lot when I was learnin' English and my brain forgot to switch gears. What was the fourth language?"

Torsten: Torsten shrugged. "I want to say French."

Bronwyn: "Verra impressive. He could travel practically ev'rywhere and never need a translator."

Lirim: "He would need t'add Portuguese and Chinese to that list, I think," said Lirim, idly wiping at the kitchen counter.

Bronwyn: "Oh aye, good call. Maybe Hindi, too, since India and China have the biggest populations."

Torsten/Lirim: "So, um...stayin', right?" Just needed that confirmation. "Like...in town, I mean."

Torsten nodded. "For as long as Bronwyn wants."

Bronwyn: "Bronwyn wants ye to stay for a long, long time. Or until we go to Iceland."

Torsten: "Which will be soon, I hope. I haven't been gone from Iceland in so long in many a year."

Bronwyn: "Verra soon. I'm excited to see yer home and meet yer sister."

Lirim: "So, takin' our little man on a walk?" He didn't want to hear about her leaving.

Bronwyn: Bronwyn nodded. "Aye, I think we are. It'll give him a chance to stretch his legs and give Torsten a chance to see the neighborhood."

Lirim: Lirim leaned in when a moment of privacy was spared. Softly, he asked, "Are we all goin', or d'ya want some time alone?"

Bronwyn: "I'd love that, but it's up to ye," she said just as softly.

Lirim: "I uh...I get a lot of time to myself with Seth and Aedan. I still don't - but you're his mama. Y'all... go ahead."

Bronwyn: "All right, darlin'." Bronwyn kissed his cheek. "Thanks for givin' him a chance."

Lirim: "Meh," he chuckled. "Still watchin' him like a hawk."

Bronwyn: She smiled. "I know ye are. I love ye, Lirim Vivaldi."

Torsten/Lirim: "Love ya too, Bronwyn." A quick kiss was given to her cheek, and he turned when he remembered Torsten's superior hearing.

You're for forever, aren't you? he thought.

The revenant simply smiled politely.

Yeah...that's a forever smile.

"They'll be back in one piece, I promise."

Bronwyn: "In one excellent piece," Bronwyn added, giving Lirim a reassuring smile. She put some more grapes into a baggie and went to prepare the stroller for their walk.

#Bringing Home the Revenant #torstenglockner #vincentcorvidae #lirimvivaldi

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