The Twofold Houses 5: Rebuilding

[Murkus]

The Interview

"Oh dear, you made that yourself?" Calanthe gasps in surprise, looking between the Frescot and the gate. She giggles as Lucy barrels onward. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Lucy. It's not often you get to make acquaintance with such a skilled craftswoman. My name is Calanthe." The rabbit-girl tops it off by kneeling down and offering a hand to shake.

[The Interview]

"Calanthe. That's a pretty name!" Lucy seems elated to hear it. She looks at the palm of her own hand for a second before slapping it into Calanthe's. It's rather dirty. "Are you a friend of my dad's?"

[Arkhosia]

The Interview

Calanthe stifles a little giggle at Lucy's hesitation, not too perturbed by the dirt on Lucy's hand. "Well, maybe - we'll see," she comments, with a glance over towards Adir for guidance and direction on how to respond here. I mean, she's not exactly been hired yet.

[Gullara]

[Visiting Alchemist]

Cora blinks. She wasn't expecting her knowledge to be tested out of nowhere! "Um." She furrows her brow and gets into the right mindset. "Because if you swing your sword around and get tired you'll be slow. And if you're slow you won't be able to defend yourself very good or take advantage of openings to attack." She explains.

"Yeah, but what if you just swing at them really hard." Lucy swings her arms in a fierce motion!

"That's not how it works!" Cora protests.

"Yeah, but that's how you swing stuff around when Wenomir's not teaching you." Lucy observes, confused.

Cora stutters, flustered. "Th- that's just playing!"

[Murkus]

The Interview

Calanthe stifles a little giggle at Lucy's hesitation, not too perturbed by the dirt on Lucy's hand. "Well, maybe - we'll see," she comments, with a glance over towards Adir for guidance and direction on how to respond here. I mean, she's not exactly been hired yet.

[The Interview]

Adir steps in to help, getting a couple paces closer and shoving his hands in his pockets. "You're just gonna have to wait and see, tyke. Calanthe, your mom and I have some things to talk about."

"Aw, okay. Well, if you're still here later, we can play," Lucy says, deciding it will be so.

[Arkhosia]

The Interview

"I cannot deny such a just decree," Calanthe responds with a smile, getting back to her feet as she turns back towards Adir. "Please, lead the way."

[Shadowcaller]

[Visiting Alchemist]

Ambrosia turns to the girls and nods to Cora. "You're correct, Cora and what you do at your free time is another thing entierly, is it not?" She smiles and shifts her grip so both hands are holding the blade of Jihye. Then she steps forward and offers Lucy the grip of the sword. "Though you should probably feel what I'm talking about. Lucy, do you want to try to hold Jihye for a bit?" The scholar glances up at Cessie. "It's perfectly safe."

To Lucy the sword gives off a feeling of reassurance. They would never let anything hurt her as it also wanted to be her friend.

Cessie raises an eyebrow at Dorota's explanation. "If it's a spirit, aren't they supposed embody a concept?" She inquires before her attention becomes focused on Lucy when Ambrosia offers her Jihye. "I... that's alright." She remarks to no one in particular yet still moves a bit closer to the girls. She had no doubt Cora found this very exciting at least.

[Murkus]

[The Interview]

Adir can only smile. Calanthe seems to be making a good impression on him already. He leads her through the front door and into a fairly large foyer with a view into the rest of the house's first floor. She can see a kitchen up ahead, a messy living space... and probably a certain dryad somewhere here, waiting.

[Morty]

[Visiting Alchemist]

"Is it? My knowledge of spirits is admittedly limited. And they do vary a lot from world to world." She peers at Ambrosia and the children from a distance. "And I'm not sure what concept could become a book and a sword both."

[Gullara]

[Visiting Alchemist]

"Yeah okay!" Lucy agrees readily. She never had much interest in swords, but this wasn't about a sword, really.

"I wanna hold it too!" Cora insists. Her manners are forgotten in her excitement.

[The Interview]

Sakura can be found in the sunny sitting area off the dining room. She's standing at one of the large windows, looking into the backyard where more of the kids are playing. It's such a beautiful day, so almost all the kids are outside. She'd be out there too, but there's other things to attend to at the moment.

The two will find her there with her back to them. Next to her little Kissa is holding onto her mom's leg. The toddler is being very clingy today, but Sakura can't hold her right now. She turns, pivoting on her captive leg, and she's holding another baby. The new infant Finian is held to her breast where he's drinking hungrily.

"Oh, you made it. Hello." She smiles warmly at Calanthe.

[Arkhosia]

The Interview

As they set foot in the Frescot Estate proper, Adir might notice that the first thing Calanthe does is try and avoid tracking in any dirt or mud with her - and perhaps a bit more amusingly, she'll remove that pointed hat of hers and glance around for somewhere to hang it up, settling on carrying it over her lap if there doesn't seem to be any other options.

"Good morning, it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Frescot." The lapin returns a friendly smile and a nod as she halts herself from offering a hand to shake. If the breastfeeding catches her off guard, the only sign of it is a furtive glance and a faint touch of warmth in the cheeks.

[Shadowcaller]

[Visiting Alchemist]

"Just one moment, Cora." Ambrosia remarks with a glance at the other girl as Lucy takes a hold Jihye, the sword feeling secure in her hands despite its weight.
The scholar then turns back her attention to her. "Feel how heavy it is? Just swinging it around a few times might be easy but then you start to tire yourself out."

She will then simply let Lucy hold the sword for a little bit to give her an idea of its weight. Jihye will as she holds them tell her that Ambrosia had a little bit more planned. She was actually going to get to swing it and they were confident that she was going to do an excellent job.

Ambrosia then looks to Cora again. "Okay, do you girls want to try to handle it for real now? Since if Cora could come over and help out I'm going to let go here and let you two swing it together."

"Frankly, I'm not sure myself." Cessie answers Dorota before looking over to Cora, raising an eyebrow. She's not going to say anything but Cora can probably tell by sheer experience that she now has her mother's gaze upon her.

"Just... be careful, girls." She insists, not really liking this sudden escalation. But she was going to let them play around with the sword as long they had close supervision.

Ambrosia will if Cora agrees eventually give them a warning before starting to let go of the blade once they're both are holding the handle. But she will never be too far away, ready to step in if anything should happen.

[Murkus]

[The Interview]

There are indeed a few hooks up next to the door where Calanthe can hang her hat. A couple of large coats and a straw hat for gardening hang there now.

Adir suppresses an urge to apologize, mostly in jest, for his wife's state of dress. He of course is anything besides a prude, but more 'polite' crowds like the kind their friend Cessie belongs to have taught him to avoid making people unnecessarily uncomfortable with the naked body. Yet... he hates the kind of person who'd berate a mother for having to breast feed their kid in public. He'd probably bop such a person on their head if they even gave Sakura so much as a dirty look. What, would they rather she let the baby cry? So, how is he meant to feel here?

He's got some mixed feelings on the subject. And boobs are kind of a grey area, especially where regular mortals were concerned. Boobs are a grey area... hey, that's some wisdom. He should write that down.

In any case, the stag reminds himself that this internal monologue is entirely pointless, considering Calanthe had better get used to the occasional sight of Sakura's bosom if she wants to work here. There's a lot of babies to feed.

"Miss Calanthe, my wife Sakura. Sakura, Miss Calanthe. Unless you're a Missus too, I guess." He looks at Calanthe and raises his eyebrows, the obvious question in them. His attention is inevitably drawn over to Kissa, and he drops into a squat to beckon her over. She looked oddly small compared to the rest of the kids. A bit on the thin side. "Hey, Kissa. You want up, sweetheart?"

[Morty]

[Visiting Alchemist]

"Is Cora actually studying swordplay?" Dorota asks as she watches the children as well. "I imagine it helps to channel her energy." Since otherwise she'd try to swing about sword-shaped objects anyway, breaking things in the process.

[Gullara]

[Visiting Alchemist]

Lucy nods along attentively. She grips Jihye, not really knowing how to hold a sword properly, but that doesn't really matter.

Cora purses her lips at Ambrosia's suggestion. "You can't hold it right with two people, though." She protests. Evens still, she comes closer. The call of sword is too strong.

"What now?" Lucy asks, both to Ambrosia and Jihye.

The Interview

As they set foot in the Frescot Estate proper, Adir might notice that the first thing Calanthe does is try and avoid tracking in any dirt or mud with her - and perhaps a bit more amusingly, she'll remove that pointed hat of hers and glance around for somewhere to hang it up, settling on carrying it over her lap if there doesn't seem to be any other options.

"Good morning, it's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Frescot." The lapin returns a friendly smile and a nod as she halts herself from offering a hand to shake. If the breastfeeding catches her off guard, the only sign of it is a furtive glance and a faint touch of warmth in the cheeks.

[The Interview]

There are indeed a few hooks up next to the door where Calanthe can hang her hat. A couple of large coats and a straw hat for gardening hang there now.

Adir suppresses an urge to apologize, mostly in jest, for his wife's state of dress. He of course is anything besides a prude, but more 'polite' crowds like the kind their friend Cessie belongs to have taught him to avoid making people unnecessarily uncomfortable with the naked body. Yet... he hates the kind of person who'd berate a mother for having to breast feed their kid in public. He'd probably bop such a person on their head if they even gave Sakura so much as a dirty look. What, would they rather she let the baby cry? So, how is he meant to feel here?

He's got some mixed feelings on the subject. And boobs are kind of a grey area, especially where regular mortals were concerned. Boobs are a grey area... hey, that's some wisdom. He should write that down.

In any case, the stag reminds himself that this internal monologue is entirely pointless, considering Calanthe had better get used to the occasional sight of Sakura's bosom if she wants to work here. There's a lot of babies to feed.

"Miss Calanthe, my wife Sakura. Sakura, Miss Calanthe. Unless you're a Missus too, I guess." He looks at Calanthe and raises his eyebrows, the obvious question in them. His attention is inevitably drawn over to Kissa, and he drops into a squat to beckon her over. She looked oddly small compared to the rest of the kids. A bit on the thin side. "Hey, Kissa. You want up, sweetheart?"

[The Interview]

Kissa looks up at her daddy, considers for a moment, then unlatches from Sakura's leg and comes over to him. "Up, daddy!" She grins as she's hefted up into his arms and hooks her arms around his neck.

Sakura seems to be totally unaware of any concern over her state of dress. She's never hesitated about such things before, and she's sure not going to start now. "It's nice to meet you." She greets warmly. "That's Kissa, and this is Finian." She nods to each of the babs in turn. "Say hi, Kissa."

"Hi." The little girl says simply. She seems preoccupied by looking at her tall ears.

"So maybe we can start with a tour of the house and yard?" Sakura suggests.

[Arkhosia]

The Interview

”Just miss as far as I know.” She greets Kissa with a gentle smile and a good-natured giggle when she sees what she’s paying attention to. Sakura might also notice that while her eyes definitely light up with that unmistakable cheer that some people get when they spot a cute baby, Calanthe seems hesitant to look for very long. Because bare breast.

Instead she looks back at Sakura. “He’s adorable, I can tell which side of the family he gets it from.” A playful little crook slips into her smile as her eyes flit over to Adir, almost as if to ask Sakura if she thinks he’ll take the bait. “That sounds delightful, and I’d love to hear what you might be looking for specifically from me. I believe I understand the general nature, but it’s always nice to hear it in person and discuss if something comes up.”

[Shadowcaller]

[Visiting Alchemist]

Ambrosia nods to Cora. "Good point, but you're not going to do anything complicated, Cora. Let me show you..." She grabs the hand of her armor and with some effort and wriggling she removes the glove.

Then she reaches into the sleeve of her armor and produces a rag that was hidden in there. Likely one used for cleaning with considering how dirty it was compared to the rest of her gear.

With that done, she puts on the glove again and displays the rag in the air. "I want you to try to cut this in half. Think you can do that together?" She holds out the rag in-between her hands, stretching it out to it's full length before carefully laying it out on the ground before them.

Then she will position herself behind the girls to make sure they didn't end up hurting themselves in the process.

Lucy, unlike Cora, will feel a subtle connection to the weapon she's holding. While she's wielding Jihye they will gently guide her in the right direction, giving her small impulses of how to properly use them. This isn't verbal communication but is in some ways more effective than that. Lucy will just sense what she's supposed to do.

Cessie appears distracted with concern as the two are lifting the blade together and gives Dorota a nod without looking at her. "I don't think I've seen a girl so obsessed with swords before. Wenomir teaches her." Ambrosia had already said that but Cessie wasn't really paying attention at the moment.

[Morty]

[Visiting Alchemist]

"Children can fixate this way." Dorota considers herself far from an expert on the topic, but she knows that much. "When I was her age... well, I didn't know I wanted to pursue alchemy. But I wanted to learn something. It was channelled into alchemy partly because the master of their guild took an interest in me."

[Murkus]

[The Interview]

Adir gives Kissa a big kiss on the cheek and turns back to the women, arm securely around his daughter. She looks astonishingly little next to him. He whispers to the little girl, mostly playfully, "Kissa, honey, it's not nice to stare. Even if those are bunny ears."

"Yeah, they really are lucky to have Sakura for a mom, huh?" Adir smiles, straight faced. "I wouldn't want these poor kids to end up looking like me."

"A tour, though? Sure thing," the stag waves Calanthe along.

[Gullara]

[The Interview]

"I'm not!" The girl protests. She puts her hands over her eyes to show how much she's not looking.

Sakura smiles a little and shakes her head. "Okay, let's take a look around while we chat." The dryad steps paste them to draw their attention back to the wider room behind them. "The first floor is pretty open, so you've seen a lot of it already. Like the kitchen, where Adir cooks and I... help." She smiles apologetically at her husband.

[Visiting Alchemist]

Ambrosia nods to Cora. "Good point, but you're not going to do anything complicated, Cora. Let me show you..." She grabs the hand of her armor and with some effort and wriggling she removes the glove.

Then she reaches into the sleeve of her armor and produces a rag that was hidden in there. Likely one used for cleaning with considering how dirty it was compared to the rest of her gear.

With that done, she puts on the glove again and displays the rag in the air. "I want you to try to cut this in half. Think you can do that together?" She holds out the rag in-between her hands, stretching it out to it's full length before carefully laying it out on the ground before them.

Then she will position herself behind the girls to make sure they didn't end up hurting themselves in the process.

Lucy, unlike Cora, will feel a subtle connection to the weapon she's holding. While she's wielding Jihye they will gently guide her in the right direction, giving her small impulses of how to properly use them. This isn't verbal communication but is in some ways more effective than that. Lucy will just sense what she's supposed to do.

Cessie appears distracted with concern as the two are lifting the blade together and gives Dorota a nod without looking at her. "I don't think I've seen a girl so obsessed with swords before. Wenomir teaches her." Ambrosia had already said that but Cessie wasn't really paying attention at the moment.

[Visiting Alchemist]

"Children can fixate this way." Dorota considers herself far from an expert on the topic, but she knows that much. "When I was her age... well, I didn't know I wanted to pursue alchemy. But I wanted to learn something. It was channelled into alchemy partly because the master of their guild took an interest in me."

[Visiting Alchemist]

The two girls stand side by side and hold the sword in their hands. It's a bit awkward. Lucy doesn't care, but Cora looks uncomfortable. They lift the blade, but jostle a bit. It's Cora's fault, really. The older girl is unsatisfied, pulling too high for Lucy to be comfortable, yet not really helping her own position.

After a moment Cora huffs and drops the blade down. "Stop stop." She protests and lets go of the blade. "Grab it with both hands."

"But we're supposed to-"

"Just do it." Lucy frowns, but bows to the older girl's authority. She takes the sword in both her hands. Then Cora steps behind her, reaches around her, and puts her hands over top. "No, you gotta hold it like this." She adjusts Lucy's grip. With a moment more negotiating, the two girls then lift the sword up, line up, and bring it down on the rag.

"We did it!"

[Arkhosia]

The Interview

Between Kissa and Adir, Calanthe can’t help but giggle. ”It’s fine dear - Kissa was it? I think your ears are pretty cool too, so I think we can let it slide.” She smiles warmly before turning to tag along behind Sakura - and if Adir hangs behind, he might notice that the ears aren’t all that’s lapine about Calanthe, since she seems to have a matching tail poking out from a tailored hole above the skirt of her dress. ”You’ve been cooking for everyone here yourself?” She looks over at him, impressed.

[Shadowcaller]

[Visiting Alchemist]

Cessie frowns as Cora domineers over Lucy but doesn't interject as she wasn't it would go over well with either of them. Though Cora might hear about this in the future.
But once they've cut the rag she gives the two an applaud. "You did it! Great work, girls."

"Well done, both of you." Ambrosia remarks as she moves up to the girls.
Lucy will also get an exalted feeling of success from Jihye as they cut through the rag.

"Could I get a word with you at the side though, Cora?" She scholar inquires as she picks up the rag pieces displays them to the girls. She doesn't think they're interested in them but they could take them if they want as a sovenier.

Cessie then turns back to Dorota. "I hope you weren't as young as Cora when the guild took interest in you though." She remarks with a glance at her daughter. "Do you know what alchemy is, Cora?"

[Morty]

[Visiting Alchemist]

Well, this is a success. Or it seems so anyway. Swinging a large sword is quite the undertaking for two little kids.

"Oh, no. I was a teenager by the time they took an interest. Poking around the scholars' district every chance I could."

[Murkus]

[The Interview]

Adir emits a burst of laughter. "Okay, Kissa, good job." Still carrying her, he falls in behind the two women, letting Sakura walk beside Calanthe for now. Of course, this also gives Kissa a great view of Calanthe's fluffy cotton tail. Adir looks at it, then at his daughter, raising his eyebrows. This new lady sure is interesting, huh? Hopefully Calanthe doesn't catch them peeking.

When the women comment on his cooking, Adir just winks in his wife's direction. "Don't sweat it, babe. And yeah, I have. Never heard any complaints. It is getting to be a lot of food for one guy to make, though. That's... part of what we want you on for, Calanthe. Cooking, cleaning, and then of course helping with the kids. If you're comfortable with all that." He'll understand if she'd rather not be attached to more maid-like duties, but he's hopeful she'll be willing to help out.

[Gullara]

The Interview

Between Kissa and Adir, Calanthe can’t help but giggle. ”It’s fine dear - Kissa was it? I think your ears are pretty cool too, so I think we can let it slide.” She smiles warmly before turning to tag along behind Sakura - and if Adir hangs behind, he might notice that the ears aren’t all that’s lapine about Calanthe, since she seems to have a matching tail poking out from a tailored hole above the skirt of her dress. ”You’ve been cooking for everyone here yourself?” She looks over at him, impressed.

[The Interview]

Adir emits a burst of laughter. "Okay, Kissa, good job." Still carrying her, he falls in behind the two women, letting Sakura walk beside Calanthe for now. Of course, this also gives Kissa a great view of Calanthe's fluffy cotton tail. Adir looks at it, then at his daughter, raising his eyebrows. This new lady sure is interesting, huh? Hopefully Calanthe doesn't catch them peeking.

When the women comment on his cooking, Adir just winks in his wife's direction. "Don't sweat it, babe. And yeah, I have. Never heard any complaints. It is getting to be a lot of food for one guy to make, though. That's... part of what we want you on for, Calanthe. Cooking, cleaning, and then of course helping with the kids. If you're comfortable with all that." He'll understand if she'd rather not be attached to more maid-like duties, but he's hopeful she'll be willing to help out.

[The Interview]

Kissa leans over in her dad's grip and looks curiously at the tail. She's certainly not being taught by her dad that staring at people's butts is rude. Also, children tend to not be great at discretion, as with now.

"Just to help us out. We don't expect you to do everything. We just need an extra set of hands basically." As much as Sakura was pretty sure they've been managing alright, she was eventually convinced that this would be a good thing.

[Visiting Alchemist]

Cessie frowns as Cora domineers over Lucy but doesn't interject as she wasn't it would go over well with either of them. Though Cora might hear about this in the future.
But once they've cut the rag she gives the two an applaud. "You did it! Great work, girls."

"Well done, both of you." Ambrosia remarks as she moves up to the girls.
Lucy will also get an exalted feeling of success from Jihye as they cut through the rag.

"Could I get a word with you at the side though, Cora?" She scholar inquires as she picks up the rag pieces displays them to the girls. She doesn't think they're interested in them but they could take them if they want as a sovenier.

Cessie then turns back to Dorota. "I hope you weren't as young as Cora when the guild took interest in you though." She remarks with a glance at her daughter. "Do you know what alchemy is, Cora?"

[Visiting Alchemist]

Well, this is a success. Or it seems so anyway. Swinging a large sword is quite the undertaking for two little kids.

"Oh, no. I was a teenager by the time they took an interest. Poking around the scholars' district every chance I could."

[Visiting Alchemist]

Lucy takes the half of the rag offered to her and takes a look at the edge that was cut. "Wow that's really sharp. It cuts better than my scissors." She observes.

"Uh, okay." Cora agrees, and she'll step aside with Ambrosia.

Lucy looks over at Cessie and Dorota and shakes her head. "Nuh uh, I don't think so. What's alchemy?"

[Arkhosia]

The Interview

Calanthe doesn't seem to notice the amount of attention her fluffy little tail seems to garner, far more intent on her guide as they walk through the house. "Oh no, certainly not an issue! I've gotten kind of used to my job requiring a bit of cooking, honestly - I've started to develop a bit of an aptitude for it too, if I may be so bold." She smiles. "Cleaning's not so bad either. I don't think it's anyone's favorite, but I have my ways."

[Shadowcaller]

[Visiting Alchemist]

The idea of Lucy using the sword as scissors brings a smile to Cessie. "Yeah, a lot sharper so make sure to never touch it, Lucy. Imagine how easy I'd be to cut yourself on something so sharp." She then turns to Dorota to see if she could explain this to the girl.

Meanwhile, Ambrosia knees down in front of Cora. "Just wanted to give you a tip regarding the football game." She eyes the field they were playing at. "Since swinging a sword around isn't too different from kicking a ball if you consider that your goal is to hit things in either, am I right?" Her eyebrows raise but if Cora seems to accept this premise she continues. "You got a lot of power, I think you might even have been able to lift Jihye by yourself, but as long as you can't direct it properly its like having another person holding the handle. Like Lucy." The scholar smiles. "But aiming is hard, isn't it? So as one sword-girl to another, the secret is getting in so close that you can't miss. Then you swing... or shoot in this case. Just drive the ball all the way into the goal and nothing will be able to resist your formidable power, sword-girl Cora."

[Morty]

[Visiting Alchemist]

Dorota thinks back... quite a long time back. She was, at one point in her life, a curious child that wanted to learn about alchemy. A lot older than Lucy, admittedly. It wasn't the guildmaster who first explained it... it was some other, younger alchemist. The master only took an interest in her later.

"Alchemy is a way of turning things into other things, or changing them and making them special. Have you ever heard of magic potions? I can make those."

[Murkus]

[The Interview]

"Exactly! We're not looking for a maid," Adir says, making a 'what she said' gesture towards his wife. "Just an extra set of hands. And that's so nice to hear. You've got no idea. Um, do you have any questions for us?"

[Gullara]

[The Interview]

While Adir asks that question, Sakura leads the way back down the hall toward the front door. She turns back toward the others just past the intersection between the study and the living room. "We try to get the kids to pick up after themselves and each other. It works sometimes." The dryad laughs. "Kissa cleans after up herself, right sweetie?"

The girl's head whips toward her mom and she nods eagerly. "I'm clean!"

[Visiting Alchemist]

Lucy's mouth makes a little O. "Yeah I know what potions are! What kinda potions do you make?"

Cora listens to Ambrosia very seriously. This talk is sword adjacent. "Hm, I guess that's right. It's hard to get past people when you gotta kick a ball though, so I dunno how to get close enough." She frowns.

[Shadowcaller]

[Visiting Alchemist]

"It would be easier if you could just grab the ball and run." Ambrosia admits with a nod. "But a lot of swordplay is in the feet too, isn't it? That's why a good swordgirl always think with her feet which is why Wenomir probably has you looking at them while you're practicing stances." Ambrosia gestures down at her own steel clad feet and stands up for a moment and start to shift them into a basic stances that Cora likely have seen before.

"So if you've practiced them you shouldn't actually have that much problem if you just give the ball light enough kicks. Keeping it as close to you as you'd keep your sword. Never giving anyone a chance to take it from you. Just imagine that they're trying to outmaneuver you to steal your sword, or the ball in this case. You're probably the only one that have had any feet training of the players so if you just recall how to outmaneuver another sword girl using your feet you shouldn't have much problem with a ball player as long as you remember to move the ball with you."

Meanwhile, Cessie just smiles as she watches Lucy and Dorota's exchange. At least the girl seemed to know what a potion was which probably made it a lot easier to explain.