Checking in on the kids

As the various members of the Thunderbolts were wrapping up business at the Union, Aleyn spoke up. "I was thinking of going by the orphanage and seeing how things are going there, since... you know. I just want to make sure they know we haven't forgotten about them. Anyone feel like coming with me?"

Kallista nodded.

"Yeah, I'll go. I haven't been down there in a while."

Vedran smiled. "I would, but I actually need to make arrangements to pick up Macen, and see if I can track down Beryl. I'm sure they'll be glad to see you both, though."

"Okay, say hi for me. I'll see you later?" Aleyn said with a bit of a smile.

Vedran grinned back as he picked up his pack. "Definitely." He distributed hugs to the remaining amenable Thunderbolts, staring with Aleyn, before heading out.

Tzesira just shrugged, grabbing her own few things. "Catch you back home, Kay. I'll grab us something for dinner later."

Kallista smiled and piocked up her backpack.

"Alrighty, T. Maybe try the Vanilorran food place down the street. I've heard good things."

She turned to Aleyn and nodded towards the door.

"Looks like it's just us, then. Shall we?"

"After you, my lady," Aleyn said with a smile, holding the door for Kallista.

Together they made their way in the direction of the orphanage. "I admit, I've missed the kids," Aleyn told her as they walked. "I hope they're all doing okay."

"Yeah, I missed them too. And they love when we come visit them," Kallista said as they left the building, "I just wish we had time for it more often. It's weird. When I started this job I had no attachments, no responsibilities, not even any friends really. Now I have the orphanage, the tiefling children, Brenn, Ciora, Ta... well, lots of people here. It's like... every time we leave on an adventure I feel like I'm leaving home. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, that's what having a home means," Aleyn agreed. "But the good thing about having a home is you always have that to come back to. And don't worry - sometimes friends and families and responsibilities will make you so frustrated that you'll be happy to get away on the road for a while," he said jokingly.

Kallisa laughed.

"Well, getting away has been the least of our problems lately. I'm glad we've had a bit of downtime. How's the rest of your family doing, by the way?"

"Good, everyone's doing fine," Aleyn said. "Mom was asking when you were going to come over to visit again, so maybe we can plan to do that sometime while we're here, if you have time."

Kallista smiled warmly.

"I'd like that. Your family is always fun to be around and your mom is a great cook. I have a few more things I want to show your brother, too. He did really well when I took him to the guild. I want to make sure he's keeping up with his training, though."

"I have a feeling if it means he gets to spend more time with you, he'll have been training every waking hour to impress you," Aleyn said with a smile back. "I'm glad you thought he did well. That probably won't reassure Mom, but it does make me feel a bit more confident about his chances. I wonder if... well, I don't want him to feel like I'm pulling strings for him, but I wonder if there might be a place for him with the Junior Explorers. Is he still young enough for that?"

Kallista gave a half frown.

"No, unfortunately. He's too old at this point. Or do you mean with our old group of JE's now that they're getting ready to start their own adventuring group? That might work as long as you're not planning to be their GM. The Union tends to frown on GMs supervising their own relatives."

"At the moment I'm too busy to be anyone's GM, at least competently," Aleyn said with a rueful shrug. "So they're probably safe on that front. It's still something I think about now and then, but I guess I wasn't quite as ready for a quiet retirement as I thought."

"Glad to hear it," Kallista said with a playful smile, "We'd hate to lose you to the siren's call of paperwork and living at a desk."

Kallista looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing.

"You know, I don't know if I'll ever retire. I dDon't really know that I'd want to. I mean, once you've tasted this life... once you've talked down a rampaging dragon or climbed up a mountain troll to stab it in the back, how do you possibly go back to a quiet life?"

Aleyn smiled. "Well for one thing, you just get worn out as you get older, and those things aren't as fun and easy as they used to be. Even I notice I ache more the day after a hard fight, and I like to think I'm not really old yet. And then, like you said, families and obligations... it just gets harder and harder to leave them behind as you accumulate more and more. Probably especially once you have kids." He hesitated, lost in thought for a moment, trying to imagine himself or Kallista with a family, and what that would be like. "Are you ... thinking about that at all, you and Brenn? How are things going there?"

Kallista smiled and shrugged.

"It's going good. Really good. I can't imagine life without him."

"We haven't talked about kids or anything like that. I... I don't think I'm ready to be that tied down yet. I mean, I want kids... I really do. But I like the life I have, too. And besides, I don't know if I'm really cut out to be someone's mother. I mean, the only real role-model I have for it is a psychopathic murderer. I don't want my kids to end up like me. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Kallista sighed.

"I feel... torn... lately. I feel like I belong here and on the road at the same time. Sorry, I guess that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I probably shouldn't even be bothering you with all this."

Aleyn wrapped an arm around her comfortingly. "It's okay, you're not bothering me. I know how you feel - I think we all do. We wouldn't be doing this job if we didn't love it, and think it was important, maybe even crucial, for the safety of all those people we care about. Maybe right now we can help them best this way, even though it means being apart from them. Someday down the road, things will be different, and we can stay home and not spend our time feeling guilty for not being out there fighting. If nothing else, younger adventurers will come along and do our jobs for us," he added lightly.

"As for whether you'd be a good mother... well, you have a lot of good ideas of what not to do, and that's a start. For what it's worth, I think you'd be great." He gave her another affectionate squeeze. "What about me, do you think I'd do a good job as a dad?"

Kallista grinned.

"You'd be a great dad. Macen already loves you to pieces, and you're great with the kids at the orphanage. Why, you starting to get the baby fever?"

"Maybe," Aleyn admitted. "I always figured I would just be a good uncle and not have kids of my own, because... well, for obvious reasons," he said with a crooked smile. "But I've been thinking more about it lately - and yes, it's probably Vedran and Macen's fault - and I decided it doesn't have to be like that if I don't want it to be. There are lots of kids that need homes, and I could give that to them. Well, one or two of them, anyway. But it's such a big responsibility, and with me being away so much, I don't know if it's a good idea or not."

Kallista nodded and put a hand on Aleyn's shoulder.

"Well, you could talk to Vedran about it. If anyone knows what it's like to balance this job and a family it's him. I mean, it can't be easy, but I'm sure it has rewards too. For what it's worth, I think you'd make a great dad."

"Yeah... I should really talk to him anyway, if I'm seriously thinking about doing this. And to my family too, since I imagine they'd end up taking care of these hypothetical children whenever I was away. I don't know..." He shrugged. "With these kids, they've been through so much already, I want to be really sure this is the right decision before I move ahead with anything. The last thing I want is to cause them more grief. But on the other hand, maybe delaying too much over it is a bad idea too. Maybe an imperfect home is better than no home."

"There's always the chance of hurting someone, no mater what we do. The best we can manage is to try."

The pair rounded a corner onto the street on which the orphanage stood a few blocks up.

"And if you did decide to adopt, you wouldn't be alone. You have your family, and you have us. Me, Vedran, the rest of the gang. Where I come from, children aren't raised by their parents alone, but by everyone. It's a community effort. Sometimes I think that's the only thing Bael Hexott ever got right."

Aleyn smiled at that. "That's a comforting thought." He gave it a little more thought as they drew nearer to the orphanage. "I don't think I could have just one. They'd be lonely. Maybe two... but how would I even pick? They're all great kids."