Tamsin was there today when Hector came back from his patrols and doesn't the moss-eyed Galliard look pleased to see him yes she does except she takes him aside and makes him look at her hands and asks him if something looks like it's wrong with them no reason just come on man do they look okay because no reason because okay Lola said okay but do they look okay do they feel okay and then she looks worried and then she takes his wrist and closes her hands around it and then she shakes her head and frowns off into the distance and then she tells him about this cool idea for a frito casserole she had but how Lola said they should just eat the fritos instead and that's about the time they go onto the front porch of the Hawkes homestead and Hector is thinking about lighting a bowl and Tamsin says:
"Um hey why don't we go for a walk. I wanna talk to you about something. Wanna race? I will kick your fucking ass at racing."
ZIP.
Hector[I AM A GAZELLE]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 10) ( success x 2 )
Tamsin[Uh huh.]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 6, 7, 9, 10) ( success x 4 )
HectorSo they race. He ain't that hot. By the time they get to the woods Tamsin is way ahead of him and when he finally catches up to her he skips a few steps and then attempts but fails to kick her in the ass with his bare foot.
After she's done wheezing Hector puts his hands in his pockets and looks back towards the half-lit cabin now a speck on the horizon's vanishing point.
"What'd you wanna talk about?" he asks. Like it's going to be something stupid like naming a hat.
Tamsin"Well--OH. DUDE. Duuuude!" Tamsin bounces. Tamsin literally bounces, fey-girl, galliard-thing, moon a-simmer slosh in her bones, bounces and claps, "Did you fucking know that they're gonna publish Tolkien's translation of Beowulf finally for real? Eeeee!!!!"
Hector"Are you fucking with me right now?"
She hasn't seen him this suspended-happy since probably the last show they played where they nailed the shit out of their set and could have sustained themselves off the crowd's energy for at least a week afterwards.
Tamsin"NO I AM FUCKING NOT FUCKING ME WITH NOW RIGHT YOU!!! EEE!!" Tamsin's bouncing means she starts laughing flushing up all flush-y flush and she fucking bounces a hug up on his skinny Uktena self. "It's gonna be so cool it's gonna be so cool it's gonna be so coooooool," sing that last part Tamsin, let's see how you do, "'cause the only thing that'd be beeetter is another Middleearth novel undiscovered in a baaasement."
[Char + Perf + PB.]
Dice: 8 d10 TN6 (3, 3, 5, 5, 6, 9, 10, 10) ( success x 4 )
HectorSo okay they're hugging. Holy shit. That is cool. Let's bounce around a bit. And then sing about how cool it is. Hugs are great. Hector likes hugs.
Hector[LET'S SING ABOUT HOW COOL THIS IS]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (3, 6, 7, 7, 8, 10) ( success x 5 )
TamsinThe song is pretty epic: probably a lot more epic than the actual translation is going to be. They sing, and they walk further and further and further and further away from the Homestead, and it is very much like they are their own Middleearth characters, eh?
And then, having chilled, Tamsin goes, "So Hector... I know you're freaked out about the whole baby thing. Kinda close, huh? Lola said you aren't gonna name the kid Eowyn."
[Let's activate Persuasion, shall we, like a cheater? Char + Subt. Diff 7 tho. Blah.]
Dice: 6 d10 TN7 (2, 4, 4, 6, 6, 10) ( success x 1 )
Hector"Yeah, she shot that down like a... thing... that people shoot down fast."
He's trying so very hard not to act freaked out about the whole baby thing. Look at how not-freaked out he is.
"Plus, you know. We thought it'd be cool to give her a name that honored my heritage, or whatever."
[manip + subt: NOT FREAKED OUT]
Dice: 2 d10 TN6 (4, 4) ( fail )
HectorNERVOUS RAMBLE MODE: ENGAGE
"Because the baby's gonna have her last name, and live here, and just generally be Lola Hawkes's badass purebred kid, and I'm not really--"
TamsinTamsin is a silver-tongued Fianna-thing, isn't she. Oh yes she is. Tamsin, she hip-checks Hector, because he's trying not to seem freaked out but come on. "Dude, you're going to be and I'm only going to say this probably once okay so listen up good," and yeah, listen up; her words ring with truth; they're definitely weighty, "but you're going to be an awesome dad. If I had to pick somebody to be my parent between you and Lola I'd totally pick you, I guess, fucking weird as fuck to think about, but still. You're gonna be kinda dope at this dad shit I bet if you can keep your head out of your fucking nutsac."
HectorThat's how freaked out he is. He doesn't even hip check her back and he laughs this really weird tense-sounding laugh that she's never heard him laugh before.
"Where else am I supposed to keep my head? My nut sack's pretty warm."
Tamsin"Heh. I dunno, up your ass? That's where my parents mostly kept their heads I'm pretty sure and they were all right." Tamsin pauses, stops actually, yes stops, looks Hector over, and folds her arms across her chest. "Look I wanna tell you something really serious, okay? You trust me right?"
HectorThat's got to be a trick question. Hector turns his head a few degrees to the side like he needs to see her at a different angle to see the blindside coming.
"Yeeeeeah?"
TamsinSo, firmly: "You should not be present when Lola has your kid."
Hector"... whyyyyyy?'
Tamsin[HOW REASONABLE DO I SOUND? A ROLL. MANIP + EXP + PB -1 for Persuasion + Manip Specialty yes we are a cheater watch it mean nothing to the dice.]
Dice: 9 d10 TN5 (2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 8, 8, 8, 10) ( success x 7 ) Re-rolls: 1
Tamsin[Or not.]
Tamsin"Because," Tamsin says, very reasonably; she sounds reasonable, anyway, she sounds totally persuasive, she sounds - well, Tamsin, she's totally got that voice, you know what a fucking Fianna galliard is, "Don't freak out or be too too too mad. Because something bad will probably happen if you are around. I don't want you to frenzy when you hear Lola making those noises that women make even bad ass stoic ones like Lola and then something terrible happens and I lose you and Lola and my cool little honorary niece or nephew and think of what Maria would say."
HectorShe does sound perfectly reasonable. So Hector doesn't immediately start flipping out. She can see him thinking and tamping down his emotional response before he responds.
"That's great," he says. He doesn't think it's great. Hector's sarcasm is not subtle because he is not subtle. "I'm glad to hear everyone thinks I'm such a fucking barbarian I can't even control myself for five seconds. Thanks, Sis."
Tamsin"Yeah?"
Hector"What other noises won't I be able to control myself hearing? The baby screaming at four in the morning? Like, constantly? Or how about when the kid falls down and skins her fucking knee like, twelve times an hour because kids are fucking uncoordinated little shits? Or what about when she won't stop jumping on the bed? Huh? You're basically saying any time I hear a noise I'm going to flip the fuck out and kill my whole family. That's what you're saying."
Tamsin"Hector, dude, do you even hear yourself right now? I'm saying what to you? All those words I didn't say, that's what I'm saying? What the Hell am I, like, do I have your subconscious nightmares's knee up my dummy wooden ass and I'm speaking with its voice or something? None of that shit is what I'm saying, but labor is different from like -- kids being annoying."
Hector"Where do you think the kid comes from, Tamsin? The stork? It's the size of a watermelon and it's gotta come out a hole the size of a... I don't know what size fruit. It is. No shit she's gonna scream, that shit's gotta hurt."
Tamsin"Yeeeeeesssssssssssssssss."
HectorHe holds out his arms like to ask So what the fuck?
TamsinShe mimics him.
HectorHe drops his arms.
"You're such a fucking brat. Did Lola tell you to tell me that?"
Tamsin"Hector, you should not be there. Why the Hell do you think you should be there? Why the fuck is it so important that you're going to put everybody to risk like that? And the baby, you think it wants to come out into the world and automatically be like -- you know what Rage is for them, man. It won't have any will."
Tamsin"She, he, whatever."
Hector"BECAUSE I THOUGHT SHE WANTED ME TO BE THERE."
TamsinTamsin looks nonplussed.
Hector"You didn't answer the fucking question! Did. She. Tell. You. To tell me that?"
TamsinTamsin snorts. "Of course she didn't, because it's the NOT TOTALLY FUCKING STUPID THING TO DO WHY WOULD YOU OR SHE TAKE THAT ROAD MY FUCKING GOD I SWEAR YOU WILL MAKE ME LOSE MY HAIR. My hair Hector it is falling out; my eyes are going milky; I just want you to be fucking - like - argh, happy and - fucking - if she wants you there that's very nice and also very ridiculous because it is not worth the needless risk unless you know a fool-proof way to NOT FRENZY. Especially if there's not gonna be someone around to help in case it IS a difficult labor! Like -- aaagh!!!!"
Hector"DO YOU THINK I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?"
He's getting overwhelmed. His eyes are starting to get waterlogged. Maybe it's just heartburn.
"Huh? Do you think I haven't imagined the million fucking things that could cause me to frenzy and kill the baby before it's even born? She does so much shit that pisses me off and I haven't lost it on her yet. And I'm not even convinced I'm going to be able to be around the kid without it just..."
Rage for them. No will. He knows. Other people's kids scream when he's around.
"What am I supposed to do, live in the fucking shed until she hits puberty? Jesus Christ..."
Tamsin"Okay," Tamsin says, closing her eyes, mouth tight. "Okay," she says, opening her eyes. "Heckle. Man. Look. All that other stuff... We can talk about it okay? And it's going to suck and be hard, and you will probably have to not be around as much, I mean, I don't know, I didn't grow up around this either, you know? I bet the Children of Gaia have some sort of Gift, or we can go hunting in the umbra for one. I mean if nobody knows it it is a secret and that means it is fair game for Fog's darlings right. But ... the labor. You can't. You shouldn't. It's different," she is so insistent. "It's too -- please please please please please please PLEASE don't try to do that."
Hector"Okay."
He's not gonna cry. He's not gonna cry. He's not gonna--
Swallow hard. There. Okay.
"Okay. I just... I don't want her to be alone. Tamsin. She spends her whole life acting like she doesn't need anybody else and she just... she doesn't, and it was like Oh hey she wants me to be there for her when I know what she really wants to do is go hide in the woods until it's over and... like the only other person she reaches out to when she needs something is fucking Corey..."
Uh oh.
TamsinTamsin is watching Hector almost cry and she looks like she's going to almost cry too out of sympathy this time not because he's making her cry by saying something that makes her cry. They are dramatic but they are Galliards what does one expect.
"I'm sorry," she says, "I'm so sorry I wish that you cou -- I just don't think you should please like, don't hate me for saying it, but it's true, maybe we can like -- you can be just over the hill or something and a spirit'll tell you as soon as it happens and then you can spend your Rage to get there and be there just in time to -- also FUCK this whole 'but it hasn't happened yet' reasoning is total fucking bullshit," a spark simmer-Rage anger fury, only half-tamped down; the moon, man, the moon - "Why do peole keep saying that? Hasn't happened yet - that's the worst reason to keep doing something that might invite disaster. The worst reason ever. Al -- "
"Wait, what fucking Corey what?"
Tamsinooc: people, not peole, obv.
Hector[please hector do not blurt this out]
Dice: 6 d10 TN6 (3, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7) ( success x 4 )
HectorDespite the fact that Tamsin has persuaded Hector not to be within earshot of his woman giving birth and has been quite reasonable in her argument of why his presence wouldn't be the smartest thing in the world: expectant fatherhood is a difficult state for Hector to exist in.
One of his books claimed that a woman becomes a mother the moment she sees her baby on the ultrasound monitor but a man doesn't become a father until the baby is actually in his arms. Makes sense that the thought that he will never get to go anywhere near his child is causing Hector to flip out a little. The Fostern already has two battle scars that he earned as a Cliath.
Anyway. He doesn't blurt out fucking Corey fucked Lola or whatever it is that was on the tip of his tongue before he caught himself. He puts his hand over his eyes to pull himself together and then he draws a deep breath and lets it go and says:
"She called him. A few days before she decided she wanted to share her bed with me. And he was like I don't wanna talk about Red Hills on the phone and she was like Well fine I'll come to you and he was like I'm gonna be in Vegas this weekend and she was like Okay great I'll just buy a ticket out there and talk to you about Red Hills instead of talking to Hector and Tamsin and hey why don't we get blackout drunk and rub our private parts together while we're at it then maybe in a couple months when I figure out it might not actually be his kid Hector and I can get in a huge fucking fight and--"
Tamsin[SCREAM. -1 diff 'coz persuasion is still in effect. CHAR + EXP + PB.]
Dice: 8 d10 TN5 (2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 8, 8, 9) ( success x 3 )
TamsinMan, ask a question and get an answer huh? Let this be a lesson Tamsin Gillian Hall.
Tamsin makes a face when Hector gets to that 'wanted to share her bed with me' line, sticking her tongue out like a dog that got into peanut butter, like, gross, yuck, okay, move on, gross gross, and she isn't sitting down so her leg isn't jiggling, she is just watching Hector all simmer-angry no shhh Tamsin you are being the reasonable one shhhh but her throat hurts and she isn't mad at Hector or anything anyway she's sad for him and upset for him and she's just well this is what happens when two Galliards decide to have a difficult talk when the moon's [waning] Gibbous and her expression is like yes yes okay blah blah heard that don't wanna and then
whoa wait what the: Then Tamsin jumps back and screams. Around the time of: rub our private parts together while AAAAAAGHHHH. Yeah, that, and she claps her hands over her mouth, and then over her eyes, and maybe Hector keeps talking, but it's a pretty good anguished yell.
HectorThat scream does does a pretty good job of shutting him up.
Whenever Tamsin comes back to herself to taking her hands away from her face Hector is standing there with a frown near as anguished as the scream she loosed on his face.
"Alright," he says. Jerks a thumb back towards the Homestead. "Good... good talk. I'm gonna..."
Tamsin[do--dee-doo stay on track, Hall]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (3, 4, 4, 6, 9) ( success x 2 )
TamsinTamsin does not take her hands away from her face for a good long moment she just doesn't want to look at Hector and so she doesn't except of course it feels to her as if her hands are holding something that is breaking, something wooden, and that feels so odd, and that and even now and so, "Ugh," coughy craggy voice, hack, all woodsmoke, "Hector, just because y--" "--because Lola and--" Tamsin's jaw is set; "well just because that gross thing happened doesn't mean she goes running to him dude also she needs people also she likes YOU and she DOES need people just because she doesn't think that and you've somehow bought into it and ugh. Ugh. Fucking Corey!!!"
Hector[perc + empathy: can i tell what your problem is, or]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (1, 2, 6, 8, 9) ( success x 3 )
TamsinShan't roll deception because she is not being deceptive, for once, haha. she's Hella pissed that Corey slept with Lola and kinda p.o.ed at Lola and feeling super protective of Hector and mad-sad b/c Hector feels however she thinks he's feeling and also did we mention pissed that Corey slept with Lola and kind of upset that Hector is like 'alright good talk' too 'coz she's like ONCE AGAIN I SUCK AT THINGS, EMOTIONZ, EMOTIONZ.
Hector"I'm sorry. Alright? I shouldn't have told you that. I'm a bad--"
She doesn't like it when he says he sucks at leading or calls himself a bad alpha because it isn't true. It's shorthand. Self-depreciating putdown comments are always shorthand.
"It's--I'm over it. Or I thought I was over it. I love her, you know? I forgave her. So I don't care what they did. And you don't need to hear about this anymore. I'm not gonna be there when she has the baby. Alright? Just... don't be mad at Lola. Or... Corey. Getting mad at Corey isn't gonna help anything, he's like a thousand miles away."
Tamsin[Focus, Hall.]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (2, 3, 5, 8, 9) ( success x 2 )
TamsinTamsin frowns a little lower lip pushing up even though she is trying very hard not to sulk or pout or fucking cry it was okay to cry in sympathy she doesn't want to cry in anger (Rage [BROODY FIANNA]), and if she winces at first well she winces at first and if she frowns a little harder at so I don't care or maybe I forgave her oh boy well whatever because her eyes get big and hopeful when he says he's not gonna be there and then they get glassy and she tells herself again not to fucking cry stupid-ass baby and then Hector has to keep saying that name and each time he says it it's like he's ringing a COME IN FOR SUPPER BELL and it's so loud it's dragging her out've Middle Earth and instead of supper it's ASSKICKING she's being called to, but whatever. Corey is far.
"I hate him," she mutters, "I hope when he dies nobody sings his name. I'm sorry okay Hector I'm not mad," and she flings herself on the Uktena boy again to hug him yes see hughughughug hugs are good and good cover-ups too right right yeah totally. "I just like you know, fucking worried. We'll try to figure out things for you and the kid though. We can go quest when the moon's crescent or something, chase down a vision."
HectorHector accepts the hug because he likes hugs. Because okay maybe she's not lying to him or trying to distract him again why would she do that Tamsin already got him once tonight.
"Maybe if it's my kid. You know? Maybe if it's my kid then she can tolerate the Rage and it won't make her freak out every time I'm around. The books say she'll know my voice because I talk to her all the time, it's just... you're right. It'll be better for Lola if I'm not there stressing her out when the baby's coming out of her vagina."
If she's going to act like she's not about to go off to kick Corey's ass then he has to get one last gross-out dig in before they part ways. Sorry, everyone.
"Are you spending the night?"
Tamsin[Haaaaaalllllll, focus.]
Dice: 5 d10 TN6 (4, 7, 8, 9, 10) ( success x 4 )
Tamsin"Uh it'll be better for Lola if you're not there about to frenzy, yeah," Tamsin says, dourly, "But I think she should have a kin midwife hanging around--- outside at least. I told her. I dunno. It's just," Tamsin sighs, and starts to flush-up with fury again, siiiighs, lets the sigh unwind, then says, "Naw. I gotta... go do a thing," and doesn't she sound bitter about it (like biting down on seeds). "But hey the manager at the Larimer Lounge gave me bread and shit, I think that means we're gonna be IN for a couple shows next month. And maybe since the timing's all kinda fortuitous you can give the kid a middle name from Tolkien's Beowulf!" Which is just Beowulf, the names don't change, but still. Tamsin doesn't really seem to wanna stop hugging Hector because she is hugging him like she really misses him really really really really really really really misses him but she stops anyway and backbackbacks up all backily and innocently without malice aforethought brewing or anything like that.
Hector"Oh good another name for Lola to shoot down."
Like they aren't already set on a name. Like if the baby turns out to be a girl like Hector has been insisting she's going to be the entire time they've known Lola was pregnant they aren't going to give the baby the middle name 'Maria.'
"Listen... I'm gonna go home, and then I'm gonna call my mom. My sister was out here a few weeks ago and she said something... I don't know. My mom's had like three kids not-in-a-hospital, I figure she would know what to do if something went wrong. And they've met already. Sort of. She's not a midwife, but. You know. Kin? Kin woman? Two out of three?"
He makes another attempt to barefoot kick her on the ass and then pulls her in for a parting hug. Kisses her on the forehead all loud MWAH style before stepping back and throwing rock horns with both hands.
"TOLKIEN BEOWULF TRANSLATION MOTHERFUCKERS, AAAAOOO!!"
And there he goes. Back towards the house. Suspecting nothing.
TamsinTamsin submits quietly to this treatment. Better sharp up your perception, Hector. She does not scoff at his reasoning, either.
And as soon as his back is turned, she burns some of that Fury off, makes it shuck-her-shape, shiver her into a wolf-girl fianna-thing, and she takes off. Fast, fast, fast, fast. Fast.
Hector
[WRAP GO HOME MOTHERFUCKERS]
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