Kotone had been neutral to a lot of things. Or negative to them, from what Kade could tell. She was neutral or opposed to dating when he’d first met her, from what he gathered. It seemed like just another thing that would involve her trusting someone who would eventually disappoint her. Why would she be vulnerable if she could instead act haughty and aloof? She had changed her mind, which Kade appreciated greatly. He knew that his lovely wife could change her mind about things and begin liking them more with time, and so he didn’t avoid things because of her neutrality.
“I like doing things with my family,” Kotone informed Kade. Adding that she would even do things in a junk yard, except for with Eri possibly getting hurt. She also commented that it was pretty.
“One day I hope to be able to show you and Eri where I get up. Not… the house that was burned down, of course,” he added. He would have liked to show that to Kotone. He would have liked for her to meet either of his sets of parents, but some things just could not be. “but the castle island. You would definitely enjoy the view there.” Kade was used to getting looks. Kotone had been getting attention much longer than the secretive light dragon slayer. He had felt weird being so well known as the Ace, and he got a lot more attention now. He ignored the attention though, knowing that… well, he was not being spoken to, and he was here with family. Kade began making a pile of sand for Eri.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jul 14, 2015 21:44:50 GMT
"I *have* always liked castles," Kotone chuckled, watching Eri for a moment. She was so cute. She still marveled that the kid even existed sometimes. She wondered if that was normal briefly before dismissing it and returning her attention to Kade. Normal had never really been part of her, so why should she be part of it? "Even when I was a kid and didn't know much about people yet they were one of the coolest things about them- er, us I suppose."
It had been almost half her life she'd been regularly interacting with people, but that first while with a dragon then as a wild kid on her own had left quite the impression on her. She had a hard time thinking of herself as a human in the normal sense, especially since she was technically superior in every way to the average person. Not in an ego sense (anymore) but in a more... dragony sort of way.
Kotone reached out a finger and waggled it a bit in front of the infant, who focused on her and grabbed her finger tightly, causing Kotone to grin once more. "I hope I get a chance to have Eri meet Krendall one day," she admitted. "It'd be interesting to see what he thought of everything."
Apparently Kotone had always liked castles. Kade made a that’s good to know face. It wasn’t as if castles were really a common thing here. The guild hall was certainly not a castle, and that was where he’d spent more of the last decade than anywhere else. Still, the old castle he spoke of was something to behold.
“Even when I was a kid and didn’t know much about people yet they were one of the coolest things about them- er, us I suppose”
What? Kade arched an eyebrow. What? People were the best part of people? Was that what she was trying to say to him? He was just very confused right now. She was a lovely wife, but their upbringings were very different. He had studied people and culture and wanted to know all the solutions to all the riddles. She had instead been a riddle. When they encountered people again, she had not been happy with them, and while he had also been angry with people, he recovered quicker.
“That would be nice,” Kade said when Kotone said she wanted Eri to meet Krendall. “I actually wonder what Celtor and Krendall would think of us… I mean, as opposed to even just Eri. I never got the impression Celtor expected me to go off and get married, let alone to another dragon slayer. I am sure he’d be happy for us though, and ask a lot of questions.”
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jul 18, 2015 6:24:32 GMT
Kotone had meant castles were the best part of people. They were really cool structures that even dragons admired, and though Kotone had never seen one up until she visited the one in Oak Town, they had always been rather pretty. Not that the younger kotone had thought of them in these terms. She'd always been a fan of cute and pretty, but she'd never given it much thought. Her adoration of stuffed animals had been her being her, not her being some girl with a weakness for cute things... or in the case of castles... pretty things.
"Heh, I don't know either. I could never tell how much Krendall liked humans, though he seemed determined that we were a good thing if people like us were around to police the bad things a bit, you know? He'd probably advise us to raise her to be like us or something. You know, serving humanity for the greater good and all that." She'd probably need to start taking a few jobs again soon. It'd been a year since she'd done anything real, between pregnancy and just staying home with Eri.
Castles were not to best part of people. They were cool architecture, but people had a lot more to them than the buildings they might create. In fact, people created other people, which was infinitely more cool. That was what Kade found coolest about people. After all, he couldn’t look at Eri without loving Kotone more. That had to count for something. Castles were cool though, fortunately
Kotone said that she could never tell how much Krendall liked humans. At least he liked them enough to raise Kotone. That was good. Although some of the dragons raising children weren’t doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. They wanted a protégé. They wanted something to serve their needs, not someone to train and raise. Or that was how Kade felt, knowing what he did about everyone. And some dragons had failed their mentee’s. The lighting dragon for one example
“Hm. Well, I plan to raise her to be who she wants to be… a good person, but… humanity isn’t hers to shepherd.” Did Kotone feel the same way? Kade didn’t know. When he was adopted by Celtor, he learned something willingly. He wasn’t going to force his life onto his daughter. And besides, Kotone had felt more of a guardian to earth than Kade ever had.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jul 22, 2015 5:10:04 GMT
Kotone understood how Kade felt about people much better than she ever could have a few years back. She wasn't the biggest fan of people in general, but at the same time she did care about them, and that was why she was still the type to put her own life on the line to keep people safe. She simply appreciated the architecture of castles, and always had. People themselves... well they were an acquired taste.
"Of course not," Kotone told Kade with a chuckle. "I'd never force something like that on anyone. I remember how unready for it I felt," she grinned at Eri, glad that she'd get a much more family-oriented life, whether she'd ever appreciate it or not. The important thing was... she'd be able to make her own decisions one day, whereas Kotone had always felt bound to her duty. She still did, in a way.
Kotone sighted, sitting back and looking at the shoreline. She couldn't believe how much she enjoyed stuff like this. She was the type to run around the world and throw herself in harm's way because that way no one else would have to. She even enjoyed that. She just... liked this too.
Kotone was something Kade was not. Kade was something Kotone was not. She had the desire to help, but not the desire to lead a family in the same way Kade did. Kade did not want to be the gladiator for the masses, the nameless masses better left undistinguished. Their base to start had been so different, their dragon training so opposite, and then after that it just… didn’t get any more cohesive. Now they meshed a lot better, but Kade liked that his wife had a different perspective. She was a clever sort, and he knew that no matter how much he agreed with himself, he wasn’t always right. He couldn’t think and feel all the right things at once. He needed help for that.
“You were basically a baby,” Kade said when Kotone said she hadn’t felt ready for it. She had been a child. No argument there. A little child, who should never have been left alone. Especially not as basically a ravenous animal. She wasn’t as bad as how Kade had heard other slayers had been, but still. It was painfully irresponsible. At least he had been older at the time. Even if he was stranded on a deserted island alone when it happened…
Kade made a nice sand pit for Eri to sit in if he got her, but didn’t say anything about it. Although he wondered… he held some sand behind his back, ignoring he glowing it caused, and pulled back a glass ball. Hah! He grinned, quite pleased with the result. Although it might still be a choking hazard for Eri. He put it in his pocket. “Only one downside to having a baby at the beach,” Kade said, giving Kotone a surprise kiss on the lips.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Jul 27, 2015 4:47:12 GMT
Kotone never reacted badly to a surprise kiss from Kade. In fact, once it was over she had that grin on her face that said she approved of surprises from him. "I never had family vacations... or family... before you two," she reminded them needlessly. She still only barely counted her father, though they were on better terms now. "So I really like stuff like this, you know?"
Kotone picked up Eri and sat her on her lap before leaning on Kade. She adored her family life, though she also really liked going out and helping people. As much as she hadn't been ready to be a hero type when her dragon father had left her as a child, she had grown to appreciate who she had grown into being. It was going to be weird to try and balance everything in the near future. For now though, she was just going to enjoy the time she had with the pair before going back and taking jobs for people.
How many people would react badly to a surprise kiss from Kade? Several. Many. Like a lot. Pretty much anyone that he wasn’t dating. And being that his list of current and previous relationships was pretty short. Like really short. Like two. Yeah, basically Kotone was the only one who would have reacted positively to that. He was thinking too hard about it. Majorly too hard. She just smiled and he smiled back. That was what really happened.
“I never had family vacations… or family.. before you two. So I really like stuff like this, you know?”
“I had things… sort of like this. But I understand. My parents took small trips when I was little, you know, before… everything. And Celtor and I basically lived on a vacation island, so that sort of counted. We went fishing on a boat… or I did. He was around. But this is better. Spending time with you and Eri will always be better.”
“Planning to let her go in the water at all? I mean, holding her, of course.” He had no intention of suggesting they just let the child float, clearly. Even if she had some sort of floating raft, he would have held her the whole time. He just thought getting close to where the water washed up and building a moat and letting her little feet touch it might be nice. That was the extent of it.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Aug 5, 2015 15:40:25 GMT
Kotone chuckled. "Well what fun is a beach without getting a little wet?" she asked. "I didn't wear the swimsuit under this for the sand~" she stated in a teasing voice. "And Eri should get to know the water too, of course. I'm told if we wait too long she might end up being scared of it." She'd had a few people trying to give her motherly advice. Kotone was terrible at listening to advice unless she specifically asked for it though. Fortunately this bit of advice in particularly had soaked through her thick skull.
She adjusted a bit, picking Eri up before sitting her back down between her legs. To be honest, she was a little afraid of how hot the sand was; babies were sensitive, after all. She picked up some of the sand, and finding it hotter than she would have liked, she used her magic to cool off a few handfulls that she placed in front of her daughter to let her play with. She knew it probably wouldn't be long before the girl tried to eat it. She shoved literally everything in her mouth...
“Is that right?” Kade asked when Kotone mentioned the water and Eri. Waiting too long might make her afraid? Well that was a terrifying thought. Although he also suspected their child might be afraid the first time no matter what, and then acclimate to the new sensation. She didn’t mind being washed after all. So that was a positive thought on the topic.
“And I thought you just wore the swimsuit because you know how attractive I find you in that,” Kade teased in a very quiet tone, knowing that she would be the only one able to pick up on what he was saying. And even for her it was intended to still be quiet.
Kade got less baby advice and parenting advice than Kotone. He got some, but usually people considered Kotone the “mother” and Kade the “guild leader.” So it had a strange effect on what information filtered over to him. Kotone sat there with Eri, allowing a few cooled sand handfuls to be available for their daughter. Kade sat down in front of them, facing in. He was ready at any moment to of course hold his daughter’s hands down. If they got to close to her face. When they did raise a bit too much, he gently lowered them to distract her.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Aug 11, 2015 1:47:42 GMT
Kotone let out a small giggle when Kade reached out to stop Eri from munching on the sand. Eri was cute for wanting to try, Kade was cute for being so attentive. Really, it worked out for the young woman in this situation. It was like one of the perks of working to maintain a more normal private life. "Well, there might be more than one reason," she shrugged, trying to feign being nonchalant.
Kotone herself wasn't sure why she got so much baby advice. Or how much of it was accurate... considering most of the people she knew didn't have kids. But they seemed to think they knew better than her, and for the time being she was paranoid enough to at least consider the advice.
"So... I know I've been working out a lot more than I need to..." she piped up as she stopped Eri from eating the sand once more. "But what do you think? Am I back to my old feminine self?" It was an honest question, but also sort of joking - she'd always insisted she was rather good looking when people hadn't noticed because of her overpowering personality.
It was “cute” that Eri wanted to eat sand, sure. Basically anything she did was cute. Babies apparently tried to learn about the world via their mouths. That was a bit less safe. Then again, there were some things he didn’t want his daughter touching either. He just had to be ever alert. Dragon slayer senses helped with that sort of thing, of course. And having a lovely wire.
Kade smiled when Kotone said there might be more than one reason. “Oh? And do I get to hear about that reason?” he asked with mild flirting. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He liked to be affectionate, but he kept most of his gestures to private. He didn’t want anyone else to see them. It wasn’t their business, and he felt he could be more sincere if he wasn’t worried about anyone else seeing him.
“Am I back to my old feminine self?”
Kade arched an eyebrow. “I don’t know about ‘feminine’ being the word I would always have used to describe you. I mean, it was, and is accurate… you just never really struck me that way. You didn’t seem to want to.” But Kade wasn’t here to argue semantics with Kotone. He gave her a quick peck on the lips before going back to watching Eri closer. “Yes. I think you are doing great, and you are back to being feminine. Not that having a baby was at all un-feminine. You are gorgeous, feel free to enjoy that fact,” he teased quietly.
Post by Kotone Lazarus on Aug 12, 2015 21:32:32 GMT
"Considering we're married and have a kid, I think you know that reason," Kotone flirted back quietly, a small, coy smile on her face. She wasn't going to get any more explicit on the beach where there were so many people, though to be honest, that was pretty good for her. She was never one to flirt much in public, even about simpler things.
"Okay okay," she shook her head as she handed Eri to Kade so that she could readjust and sit cross-legged. "I'm not the most feminine person. I meant... meh it doesn't matter what I meant. You knew what to say anyway," she chuckled, leaning over and kissing him back befor rocking back into her normal position. "And for the record, I'll totally enjoy that fact. I kept telling people I was gorgeous. They just didn't listen." She stared at the water for a long moment, sighing contentedly. "So, should we move the umbrella and show Eri what the water's like, hon?"
“Is it because I find you so pretty and gorgeous and alluring?” he teased. He knew she didn’t want to flirt in public, and he wasn’t really trying. It was just too easy. Kotone had that unmistakable ability to get Kade to behave differently than he normally would. He certainly couldn’t fault her for it, and he adored that she brought out better aspects of him. Even better than what being a guild master brought out.
He smiled when he got a small kiss back when he apparently said the right thing. Then she asked about taking Eri to the water and he confirmed. Maybe best to start out with a little pool, but this was good too. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been bathed before anyway. He scooped up the umbrella and walked toward the water with his wife and daughter. He supposed she wanted the umbrella to shield Eri from the sun, although he was more concerned about just the water. “Want me to dig her a little pond then?” he asked casually. It would take him seconds, using magic, and he would be using magic. It really didn’t make any sense not to use magic to make his life easier. It was there for a reason, and he’d spent his life mastering it for the same reason.
