Checking in on the kids

"Incredible," Aleyn replied with a happy sigh.

Kallista giggled and squeezed her friend's arm.

"Awesome!" she said happily, "Maybe that'll take the edge off a bit while you stay patient. I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end."

She laughed.

"Heh... in the end..."

Aleyn couldn't help but snicker at Kallista's joke. "Oh, yeah, some edge definitely gets taken off, at least when we're in town - he's still not too comfortable doing it when we're on the road, unless we can go a bit away from camp, or get a room of our own at an inn, but obviously that's not always possible. But that's okay," he added with a sweet smile, "I'm happy just being close with him. And he can be very cuddly."

"Well, if you ever need me to make excuses for you or vacate a tent so you two can have some alone time, just let me know.I know I've managed to sneak in a quickie or two with T while we've been on the road. Of course, we don't really care nearly as much about who hears us."

"Really, you two? I never noticed!" Aleyn teased. "I appreciate the offer, though. I mean, we get to spend some of our best times together on the road, on quiet days when there aren't all sorts of other things to distract him and stress him out, so... yeah."

"Yeah, the quiet days are great for that." Kallista said cheerfully, "I mean, like when we were stuck on the boat in the Elemental Chaos? T and I must have banged like... two or three times a day when we could get the cabin to ourselves. It's great for relieving the stress of travel. And the rocking motion of the boat was perfect for this one thing she likes me to do with my tail."

Aleyn sighed. "Yeah, well... private time in the cabin was a luxury for everyone, I'm sure. Except maybe Roscoe. He probably just used it to take notes." He smiled fondly. "Now don't make me think about things you like to do with your tail, okay? I have a little sister to be overprotective of, after all."

"Oh, sorry..." Kallista said, sounding genuinely apologetic, "I forgot. Would it help if I said I hadn't done that one to her yet?"

"Somehow, not really," Aleyn said with a rueful chuckle. He hesitated, knowing he probably didn't really want to ask, but he couldn't help himself. "Are you two... pretty happy together? Sparing me the juicy details," he added hastily.

"Yeah," Kallista said with a smile, "Whenever I see her we have a great time. She's got a ton of energy, that's for sure. We went to one of the elven dance halls together when We got back from the Elemental Chaos and she managed outlast me on the dance floor."

Kallista looked up at Aleyn with a smile, but she saw that beneath his smile he was concerned about his sister.

"I'm not going to hurt her. I promise. It's not... it's nothing like what I have with Brenn, or even with Tzesira. We have fun together, you know? We're getting to be good friends. Good friends who just happen to spend the night together a lot. That's all."

"Yeah, I guess I understand that," Aleyn said, relieved. "As long as you're both happy with how things are, and everyone else involved is on the same page too, then I'm glad for you. I know she's always wanted to get married some day - preferably to someone rich, heh - but I vaguely remember being young and just wanting to have some fun," he said with a smile.

"Really?" Kallista said with an impish grin, "When was that? Sometime around the fall of Nachtur?"

"Possibly even before that," Aleyn retorted with a grin. "I mean, I'm thirty-two now, that's pretty ancient, all things considered. Soon I'll have to start using a cane and yelling at all you kids to stop goofing around and making so much noise."

"Yeah, well, you think you feel old now, just wait until you adopt a kid or two. I'm sure that'll put a few grey hairs on your head."

"A few more, you mean," Aleyn said, running a hand through his hair and thus messing it up even further. "There are a lot of things I'd have to do before I could even start to think about adopting, though... First of all, finding a better place to live - one with, you know, more than a single room - and getting stuff like furniture and toys and things to fill it up. And obviously talking to my family, and Vedran... I'd probably need to hire someone to help out too, I don't know if I could do it all on my own, especially with working at the same time." He sighed. "It gives me grey hair just thinking about it, honestly."

"Well, like I said, you won't be alone. And now that you've actually started making some decent money on adventures, you should have more than enough for a new place and a nanny soon. At least... I think so. How much does a nanny cost?"

"I don't really know," Aleyn admitted. "I guess I could ask Vedran, he must know." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I wonder if... hm. I don't know if she would go for it or not, but maybe I could ask Tavya if she'd be willing to help out, I mean more than just occasional babysitting. I know she's complained about her apartment and her roommates sometimes, but I don't know if she'd find it too much of a cramp on her style to move in with her big brother and help look after kids."

Kallista raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you'd be okay with that? I mean she has quite a few... good friends. I guess make sure you get a place with thick walls."

"Quite a few?" Aleyn arched an eyebrow. "How many is ... never mind. Well, it's not like I wouldn't have Vedran over sometimes too... I guess we could learn not to step on each other's toes in that department. But it would be up to her, of course."

For a few moments, Kallista seemed to be staring ahead, lost in thought before she noticed Aleyn looking at her.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Yeah. I'm sure you could, uh... make it work. You should ask her. I know she likes kids. And besides, it wouldn't be a permanent situation. Just for a few years until the kids are a bit older."

Aleyn gave Kallista a bemused look, but nodded. "Yeah, and I bet if I promised her I'd take her as my guest to any fancy parties I might get invited to, that would sweeten the deal a little. Not that I get invited to lots of fancy parties," he added with a smile. "Mostly I hang out with you guys, or spend time at Vedran's place, and a couple evenings a month, go to church. It's a thrilling and glamourous life."

Kallista laughed.

"Yeah, I think we're starting to lose our spot as flavor of the month. I mean people still recognize me on the street, but the official invitations and endorsements haven't been pouring in quite as much the last few months. I think part of it is how much time we've been spending out of town."

Kallista sighed.

"But we still manage to have fun. I certainly keep busy. Sometimes I feel like all I do is run around the city from one place to another. Not that I mind of course. I'm glad we got to spend some time in the Temple of Avandra in Akhas, though. I haven't been going to services as regularly as I should."

She shrugged.

"Ah well. It's not like Avandra keeps a strict schedule. What church do you go to?"

"Oh," Aleyn said, "uh, Sehanine. The various ceremonies depend on the phases of the moon, so it's a bit more fixed than Avandra's schedule, I guess. I don't always make it, but I try to go when we're in town, anyway. Or to do a little something on my own if we're traveling. Luckily Vedran's not bothered by it, even if he doesn't want to come with me. Maybe someday," he added with a hint of a smile.

"Huh..." Kallista saqid, "I don't know a whole lot about Sehanine. You'd think I would, since she's the goddess of the moon and love. Lots of the other rogues at the Union seem to gravitate towards her. I guess I've just always felt closer to Avandra. I really should visit the Sehanine temple sometime and give thanks. What are her ceremonies like?"

"And why would Vedran be bothered?" she added a moment later, almost as an afterthought.

Aleyn's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, I figured you would know about them already. Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed... Everyone growing up in Highmark hears about them, it's almost a joke when you're a teenager... Uh, well, anyway."

He cleared his throat. "The full moon ceremonies are quite popular - everyone is welcome, so someone doesn't have to be a really devout follower to attend or anything. They're more like big parties than ceremonies, honestly, although there are some ritual aspects... Uh, well, the reason most people go to them is for the drinking and the music and the sex. So... that's why, potentially at least, Vedran could be bothered. Not everyone understands..." He trailed off, glancing at Kallista to see her reaction.