(no subject)

[eiattu_pride]

It's been a really kriffing long day. One of those really fun ones where Rial is shuttled from meeting to conference to meeting with barely five minutes in between/. He thinks he shouldn't be surprised, what with everything that's been going on lately - one of the largest manufacturers of air-and-ground-craft announcing a completely unexpected bankruptcy due to lengthy embezzlement by one of their top people, an strike by public transit workers, the continuing concern over the length of time it's taking them to be able to establish a working Planetary Defense Strategy...the list goes on.

And on.

So when the chrono hits 1900 hours he finally makes it back to the apartment, passing by his parents and scooping up a sleepy Ianna first. He doesn't even bother to shower (although to be honest, he needs it), just flops down on the sofa, Ianna on his chest, and gives her a long look.

She looks back, just as solemnly.

His comm beeps, he picks it up. "Pernon. Yes. Uh-huh. No, I think Baron Chastall has the proposal, can you get in contact with him?"

He pulls a face. Ianna giggles.

"Yes. I'm sure. Well I can - mmhmm, tomorrow at 0900. Okay. Yes. Right. Yes. Thank you."

He pulls another face, this one decidedly worse. Ianna burbles in response.

"Yes. Yes. Excuse me." He ends the communication, hefts the comm for a moment, and hurls it at the door.

Which was. Um. Closed a moment ago, he's sure.

Comments

[eiattu_pride]

"Um." Rial says, staring in her direction. Ianna's staring as well, wide-eyed and attentive.

"I wasn't - that wasn't - I didn't - you weren't there a moment ago, right?" He wiggles himself up into a sitting position carefully. "Because I really wasn't aiming at you."

[fighting_mad]

"Is this a new way of saying hello?" Plourr says, dry as the desert, and finally comes inside. The door hisses closed behind her; she kicks off her boots with gusto, dumps an armful of datapads and sheafs of flimsi on the hallway table, and continues toward the pair on the sofa. "Because I could get behind it."

So saying, she scoops Gror the stuffed bantha off the floor and rifles him at Rial's head with deadly accuracy.

[eiattu_pride]

Rial, especially with a lap full of toddler, has less skill at dodging then Plourr. That's probably why Gror the bantha bounces off his forehead and hits the floor, prompting Ianna to make a demanding noise and reach for it.

Rial briefly makes his patented sadface for Plourr, but gives up. He's too tired for sadfaces.

Also, to be honest, the bantha kind of didn't hurt at all.

"No, it's a new way of stopping overly helpful aides from calling about things they could have asked other people about."

[fighting_mad]

"Gore!" Ianna shouts, making grabbyhands at 'Gore' the bantha, on the floor. "Gore!!!"

"Some day, you're going to have to learn to ask nicely," says Plourr, scooping the bantha up off the floor and passing him into her daughter's waiting arms, "and you," she thuds down on the couch beside Rial, "are going to have to learn to throw the aide instead of the comm."

She throws her arm across the back of the sofa behind Rial, and sprawls.

Ianna chews on Gror's foot, considering her mother with beady little eyes.

[eiattu_pride]

Rial will happily take a sprawling wife any day. Even if it is a bit of a sight to see, given that both are over 6'0" and their couch is a custom job able to hold him both.

"It was Nolar. If I threw him he'd be all sad and confused." Rial wiggles a little more comfortably into Plourr. "Besides, that's not my style."

He heaves a giant sigh.

"Although after today, I could get used to it. We could probably still flee the planet. You know, if you wanted."

[fighting_mad]

"Fugitives from justice," Plourr says wistfully. "On the lam from the law."

(Someone has been kept very entertained by Earth "movies" while on lunch breaks at the bar, lately.)

"Ma," Ianna interjects, helpful as ever. "Maaaaaaaa!" She begins the attempt to wriggle from one parent to the other.

[eiattu_pride]

"It'd be very exciting." Rial shifts as Ianna squirms in Plourr's direction, nudging her over with his free hand.

"We could have some modified cruiser and just planet-hop. You, me, Ianna..." He pauses, and there's a gleam in his eye. "A baby to be named later..."

[fighting_mad]

"Daddy," Plourr says to Ianna, getting her hands under the toddler's armpits and hauling her into her lap, "doesn't know when to quit. Can you say pain in Mama's royal ass?"

Ianna considers her for a moment, face squinched, and then she waves Gror with one hand and shouts, "Nnnnnnnnnn!"

"Close enough," says Plourr, and she balances Ianna easily, baby feet on her knees.

[eiattu_pride]

"Mama's royal bottom," Rial corrects, but he's still grinning. "And, my beautiful princess, a very fine royal bottom it is."

Possibly there is a hand poking around in the (tiny) space between their bodies, looking for said bottom.

"Anyway, Daddy knows that Ianna would just love a baby brother or sister, hmm?" He looks at her. "A little prince or princess?"

Ianna turns her head to look at him, then looks at Plourr. And then at the bantha in her hand.

She may not have a good throwing arm yet, but it looks like her aim comes from her mother as she opens her fingers and drops the now slightly sticky be'moustached bantha in her father's hair.

And giggles because, again. Her mother's child.

[fighting_mad]

It is entirely possible that Plourr yelps a little, taken by surprise by the attempt at a grope.

It is entirely definite that she whacks his arm.

"Saying 'ass' in front of the monster is one thing; grabbing ass is something completely--"

Ianna drops the spit-covered bantha on Rial's head.

Plourr roars with laughter.

Her mother's child indeed.

[eiattu_pride]

Rial extracts the sticky bantha from his hair, swiping ineffectually at Plourr. He drops it on the floor, flopping back with a loud sigh.

(But he still can't stop the grin on his face.)

"You're going to teach her bad habits," he half-protests. "Like dropping things on people. Or graduating to throwing them."

And goodness knows we can't have THAT.

[fighting_mad]

"You're going to teach her to goose people," Plourr points out. "At least my habits are practical."

"Ah!" Ianna yelps. "Ah, ah, ah!" She is pointing feverishly at the floor, and Plourr leans over and gently sets her down on her butt on the carpet. The baby princess dives upon the stuffed bantha, and promptly rolls over with him, several times.

Because she can.

[eiattu_pride]

"Mine are practical." Without Ianna in the way, Rial shifts himself until he can press a quick kiss to the side of Plourr's mouth.

Ianna appears occupied enough for the time being with Gror the bantha, gnawing thoughtfully on an ear and tugging at his much-patched mustachios, so Rial only feels a tiny bit awkward slipping a hand up Plourr's torso.

"My mother asked about another grandchild again today."

[fighting_mad]

The noise that Plourr makes is entirely undignified, and something like a pitten with a hairball. She shoves his arm.

"If you ever mention your mother while starting to feel me up again, you're going to lose that hand," she threatens.

[eiattu_pride]

Rial starts to make a joke, then stops. A decidedly disgusted look crosses his face.

"I am...not going to say what I was going to say."

We'll leave it up to you to use your imagination as to what he was going to say, since Rial's too busy mentally repeating ew ew ew in hopes of driving out the images.

[fighting_mad]

"Thank you," Plourr says, with great dignity -- and then there is the patter of small, unsteadily running feet, and familiar (maniacal) childish laughter, fading into the distance.

Or the hallway. Whatever.

The empress pats her husband on the shoulder and says, "Do something about food, would you?" With that singularly romantic request, she heaves herself up, shouts, "You'd better run!" (and hears a peal of giggles in response), and goes in search of the runaway princess.

[eiattu_pride]

Ianna's not the only one laughing. Rial chuckles softly as he sits up and stretches, cracking his neck, then meanders off in the direction of the kitchen to do something about food, as commanded.

In the end it's a pretty simple meal, but it's a meal, with a minimum of running-the-planet conversation. Ianna's in bed after some coaxing and half a bedtime story from Rial (with Plourr helpfully filling in the noises, because an Estillo-Pernon bedtime story usually involves starfighters and dramatic showdowns). They clean up together, quietly, just enjoying the peace and quiet of the apartment. And then, since it'll be another long day tomorrow, it's time for bed.

[fighting_mad]

Plourr, for the record, makes a kick ass explosion sound effect.

The second part of the evening, anyway, is quieter, and involves less children.

(Well. Less child-aged people. Senses of humor and maturity are debatable.)

Standing in front of the bedroom mirror, Plourr takes off an earring. "She was good for your parents?"

[eiattu_pride]

Behind her, Rial shrugs out of his overshirt, folding it neatly on a chair next to the dresser. "Quite good, apparently. Getting better every day at evading naptime."

He rummages through a drawer for his sleep pants.

"They can watch her for half the day tomorrow, but then they're visiting someone. How's your schedule?"

[fighting_mad]

Plourr sniggers at the 'evading naptime' comment, rather more proudly than she probably ought to.

"Spaced, as always," she says, removing her other earring. "I can take her whenever your parents can't; she charmed the pants off the budgetary committee the last time she came to a hearing."

[eiattu_pride]

"Now that's an idea." Rial slips into the bed, stretching out with his hands behind his head. "She'd probably make an amazing negotiating tool."

He's joking. Probably. But a moment later his tone turns more serious.

"Plourr..."

[fighting_mad]

What do you mean probably? dies on Plourr's tongue, and she glances at him in the mirror as she efficiently pulls pins out of her hair.

"Rial," she says, in the same exact tone of voice.

[eiattu_pride]

"I just." He pauses, sorting out what he wants to say in his head.

"Since there are probably banthas more subtle then me, obviously you know that I'd love for us to have a second child. I just want to know if you would consider it."

[fighting_mad]

She watches him in the mirror, her fingers only stilling on a pin for a split second before she returns to removing them. "Pernon," she says, setting the final pin on the dresser, shaking out her hair, and turning around.

"There are speeder wrecks more subtle than you." Her mouth has set fondly, and she crosses the room and comes into the bed on her hands and knees. "No-engine low atmosphere burn outs are more subtle than you." She's grinning, maybe even close to a laugh, when she leans over him and presses a kiss to his mouth.

[eiattu_pride]

He kisses back, maybe a bit surprised but willing, one hand coming up to caress the back of her neck before pulling away just the tiniest bit.

"That wasn't an answer, my princess."

[fighting_mad]

"I was getting to that part!"

(Pot calling the kettle impatient.)




"Yes," Plourr says, and one side of her mouth lifts as she brushes her thumb across his cheek. "Force save us all, but --

"Yeah."

[eiattu_pride]

A grin spreads itself across Rial's face, slowly but building itself up.

"So is that, uh." He gestures slightly with one hand. "Yes, you'll consider it, or...permission to begin procreating?"

[fighting_mad]

"One: That is the single least attractive thing you've ever said in your entire life.

"Two--" She grins at him. "I went off the control two weeks ago."

[eiattu_pride]

It takes a moment for that to sink in, but then that building grin nearly splits Rial's face in two and he clenches one hand in the bedsheets. This goes beyond mental cheer-routines or simple happiness, this is the hot glow of knowledge that there will be another child, another beautiful child, half-Rial, half-Plourr, completely unique.

In the end he isn't exactly sure what to say so he doesn't bother trying, just shifts a little closer to her and mutters "My princess," knows she'll understand because with all they've been through sometimes he thinks they can reach each other's minds.

[fighting_mad]

"Sap," Plourr says, and she flops on top of him. (It's easy enough, given that she was still leaning over him.)

[eiattu_pride]

"Well, yes," Rial mutters into her neck, although it's entirely muffled by the fact that her arm is on top of his face.

"You knew that when you married me. It was the only thing that negated the mustache."

[fighting_mad]

"The only thing that negated the mustache," Plourr says comfortably, making no sign of moving in the slightest, "is that I knew I could eventually get rid of it."

[eiattu_pride]

"I was proud of that mustache, you know." Rial attempts to shift under her. It doesn't exactly work. "It took me months to grow properly. I had to train it to look good!"

A pause.

"Also, my princess, since you seem so intent on smothering me, I'd like starblooms on the coffin for my funeral procession."

[fighting_mad]

Plourr lifts her head enough to shoot him a bemused, thoughtful look. "Are you calling me fat, Pernon?"

[eiattu_pride]

Rial has a suspicious feeling that he's just caught a nasty case of foot in mouth disease.






"You are utterly radiant, my queen, and I want nothing more than to be able to lie beside you, rather than under the lily-white smoothness of your skin."

[fighting_mad]

Plourr makes a disgusted (disgusting) noise. "What have you been reading?" she complains as she rolls onto her back beside him.

[eiattu_pride]

Rial stretches, sliding onto his side so he can watch her face, a rather smug grin on his own.

"'s called 'Stars That Will Shine In Her Eyes'. I caught Tevrahn reading it the other day and wanted to see what it was all about."

He makes a face.

"Heaving bosoms, apparently."

[fighting_mad]

"Ugh, Tevrahn." Plourr rolls his eyes. "I hope you confiscated his copy. He's too young for that shavit."

Tevrahn is at least 20 standard years older than her.

[eiattu_pride]

And at least ten standard years older than Rial.

"Of course I did." He neglects to mention that it's now in the bathroom cabinet. "Do bosoms heave, do you think? That doesn't sound that pleasant."

[fighting_mad]

"It doesn't," Plourr agrees, and after a moment's consideration, she turns onto her side.

"Care to test the story's scientific validity?"

Her expression is filthy.

[eiattu_pride]

...oh, Plourr.

It's been a long time since Rial was a blushing boy who could barely look at his princess with a wet shirt on, but there's still the faintest hint of a blush. Still, he lets his gaze sweep down her body, and his smile grows.

"I think we owe it to the planet," he mutters, leaning forwards and brushing a kiss to her lips. "The people need to know if things are...accurate."

[fighting_mad]

"Oh," says Plourr, leaning in, "well. If it's for the good of the planet..."



As first tries for a second baby go, it's a pretty solid effort.