The youngest Goltbred had her eyes stuck to the new arrival. She let out a squeal that made the Skydancer ruffle its feathers before starting a wobbly ’dash’ towards her older sister. The exclamations she made weren’t quite words yet, but she was repeating a syllable that made it clear it was ant to be about the animal in the room she was fixed on.
Elua giggled and moved to sit beside Qat while guiding the almost year old Onya with her. The bird understood her warnings and fluttered up to perch on her shoulder - just out of the child’s innocent but dangerous reach.
"This new friend, my dears, is a Whispering Skydancer. It was a gift I received after... well, after I ran away from you this morning."
She would have preferred not to talk about the last part at all, but if she acknowledged it a little herself, perhaps her husband-wife would be rciful and gloss over it!
"A gift. From whom, exactly?"
The Yecine repeated a phrase with skepticism in her voice and spirit... wondering if her wife was really seen as so amazing that others were *still* giving her expensive things this far past their wedding. It was one thing for her to believe the cute wife was incredible on her own - and another to suspect the motives of anyone else that also thought so.
’Just because the tools ended up being a coincidence, it doesn’t change that the Starbloom ceremony might have been sabotaged on purpose. I have to stay vigilant along with her.’
The brunette’s smile widened a touch as her mischievous spark lit in her mint eyes. It was the simplest thing to just answer her jealousy directly, but that other ’worry’ of hers needed the slightest bit of defusing. That was usually more effective after letting it build!
"Oh, just an ’old’ friend I had a plan to et today. You know how it is - a wedding they couldn’t attend, a rare bird they arranged just for ... all perfectly normal things in our cultural strata, no?"
The blonde sighed in exasperation, but there was a fondness in it as she leaned forward and straightened so of her wife’s ssy hair. The little sister was still pulling at the side of the heiress - and was very much considering crawling up her arm to touch the bird... who itself was considering hopping up into the brunette ’nest’ for further distance.
"I’m not sure ’normal’ applies to much with you, El. Things certainly never go how I might have expected them to, when you are involved... though usually for the good."
The Skydancer trilled a few notes with its white eyes fixed on the tall girl touching the heiress... while staring at the creature in suspicion. Elua could almost picture the wheels trying to turn off the straight path in her beloved’s mind.
’Trying to decipher the ulterior motive behind this new addition - both my own plots, and whoever she can imagine gave it to ~’
The shorter girl placed her hand over that of the swordswoman while she ’smiled’ at her calmly. Her Qat tried so hard to accept things!
"Don’t worry so much, darling. It’s really just a bird that was given as a gift. A very intelligent, potentially highly useful bird - but a bird nonetheless."
Pigeon-blue eyes shifted to the set of mint that were watching her think. The Yecine’s fingers tensed a little at the way she was being looked at and spoken to. Far from being insulted, she actually had a desire to kiss her in a mont of appreciation.
’But she’s already run from once today. I shouldn’t rile her strange behaviors further.’
"Uh-huh. I suppose this happened to co with no strings attached?"
"None more than usual and none I wouldn’t gladly cut if you asked. But I’m keeping the bird either way. I’ve already grown attached."
Onya giggled as her tiny fingers pat wildly against her sister’s shoulder. The Skydancer finally had enough of that potential threat and flitted up onto the brown hair of its caretaker while cocking its head at Qatrand.
"Yes, it would seem so."
The blonde’s eyes narrowed a tiny fraction, but the intent was clear. The creature was intruding on sacred territory and should be more respectful! It was only lucky that the pairing of her wife sitting so nonchalant with it all was cute enough for her to forgive its transgression.
The amused reincarnator sent small instructions at it, informing the avian of the ’pecking order’ and how the one it was having the contest of wills with was above them both... and was her ’mate’. The Whispering Skydancer returned its form of ’understanding’ and took flight to the windowsill.
’Out of reach for both of the threats to it. Clever bird.’
The reborn cultivator felt a wave of contentnt building and closed her eyes. Being surrounded by the two people she cared most about was plenty enough to cause it. A new pet companion - and her parents and disciples being *sowhere* within range that she *could* go find - only swelled the genuine tide of tranquility.
Which is why it didn’t surprise her so much to hear the deep growl from the stomach that she no longer clenched quite so tightly as she had been doing for hours.
"You wouldn’t have happened to have been successful in whatever it was you were making this morning...?"
Qat pulled her hand away and cut her eyes to the side for a few seconds. The voice she answered with held just a touch of ’I don’t really want to talk about it’.
"Eventually."
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