(no subject)

[the_lioness]

Alanna has become quite good at multitasking, which normally would not be worthy of note, but the introduction of triplets into her daily life has made it so.

She is currently stretched out on the couch, cradling Thom -- the younger, naturally -- in one arm and reading Jon's intelligence reports on Carthak's new emperor, Ozorne. A bottle, a bag, an unbuckled sword and a discarded cup of tea litter the area. Whatever she's learning from the scroll in her hand, it's making her frown. Or maybe it's that her arm has gone to sleep.

Either way, someone might want to suggest that she get her filthy boots off the furniture.

Comments

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Sadly for the Loompas, Indy would never suggest such a thing. Armed with a bourbon, he simply perches himself on the arm at the opposite end of the couch and starts to read the scroll too.

[the_lioness]

"I could vivisect you for doing that, you realize," Alanna says conversationally, still focused on the scroll.

It's an empty threat, as Indy should know. Besides, she doesn't want to wake the baby, and her sword is all the way over there.

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I know," Indy replies unconcernedly.

"Be kinda messy though. And it'd be a shame to give up your comfortable spot here, just for the sake of gutting me."

[the_lioness]

Alanna grunts.

"It isn't all that comfortable. How can anything so small feel so heavy after a time?"

She glowers at Thom, but the way her mouth curves into a fond smile ruins the effect.

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

"It's that pesky Science thing again," Indy notes, still attempting to make sense of the intelligence report. "Wet clothes, tiny babies... it's all extra weight at the end of the day."

[the_lioness]

Straining her neck muscles, Alanna leans down to sniff without moving her arm.

"I don't think he's wet," she informs Indy. "He lets me know quite vociferously when the opposite is true."

She gives first his glass, then the baby a meaningful look.

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Indy feeds her a flat look.

"It's my first, thank you very much. I was refering to your moaning after the hippo attack."

To help her remember, he affects his best grumpy!Alanna impression, complete with an over-exagerrated frown. "Why must everything weigh so much more when it's wet?"

Of course, his best Alanna impression falls way short of sounding anything like her. Deep gruff voices aren't best suited to falsettos.

[dontcryemodoc.livejournal.com]

Book in hand, Sara takes a seat on another of the nearby couches, and slips off her shoes to curl her feet up underneath herself.

After a few minutes, she glances up, absently, and the sword catches her eye.

It gets stared at, a little.

[the_lioness]

Alanna would take her boots off. Really! It's just that her feet get so cold, and Adam isn't there to sit on them.

Still, she feels a little guilty when she looks up and notices the other woman's shoes on the floor. Not guilty enough to move entirely, however. She half smiles, slowly lowering her leg just long enough to toe the sword closer to Sara.

"You can have a better look, if you like."

[dontcryemodoc.livejournal.com]

"Oh. I, uh --"

Well, hell with it. Might as well.

"Is it real -?" but even as she asks, she lifts the weapon, and the very weight of the thing answers that question.

[the_lioness]

"As real as you and I," Alanna replies, which, in this place, isn't much of an answer. "It's heavier than the sword I usually carry. I'm trying to get back into shape."

Heavier is an understatement. It's almost twice as long and simple, not at all the sort of weapon a King's Champion would carry. Even so, Alanna is proud of it's weight.

[dontcryemodoc.livejournal.com]

"Um."

Sara, except for moments of low self-esteem, would not consider herself to be out of shape. Nevertheless the blade, in her hands, is unwieldy and awkward.

As she holds it, frowning, she asks, "You - usually carry a sword around?"

[the_lioness]

The first time Alanna picked up a weapon of its ilk, she nearly fell over her own feet. Consequently, she looks a little sympathetic.

"I do, at that. I'm a knight." As she speaks, Alanna makes a face and sits up, exhaling slowly with relief when Thom doesn't awaken. "Sir Alanna of Olau and Tortall, at your service."

The baby regrettably makes bowing impossible.

[enchantingtales.livejournal.com]

Scheherazade had a chance to sneak a peak through the door earlier today, and ascertained that it was as the others had said: No time had passed at the palace.

It was certainly unusual, but very welcome.

Now she's sitting at a table, fingers drumming fitfully. She is debating going back. It's tempting to draw out this day as long as she can, but eventually she has to face Shahryar again.

The sight of Alanna and child is a welcome one, and Scheherazade smiles.

"Peace be upon you. Is that your child?"

[the_lioness]

The woman's fitful finger drumming had been hard to miss, and growing curious, Alanna had sneaked a few looks around the scroll. It wasn't telling her anything incredibly useful, anyway. Considering the overture ample invitation to openly regard the stranger, Alanna smiles and nods in return.

"Aye, one of three." She absently drops a kiss on the baby's fine red hair. "His father drew the short straw this evening."

It's clearly a joke, judging by her mischievous grin.

[enchantingtales.livejournal.com]

"Three!" Scheherazade exclaims, pleased. "How wonderful. What are their names?"

Jokes are all well with her, though she reflects wryly that it would be difficult to joke at her own husband's expense.

Then again, he isn't here.

[the_lioness]

Alanna refrains from commenting on how un-wonderful three had seemed in that last month.

"This is Thom," Alanna tells her, nodding to the baby, "and the others are Jamie and Grace."

Nary a Sunbeam among them! She's proud of the names, if only because people who know her look hesitant when they ask.

"Are you fond of children?"

[enchantingtales.livejournal.com]

"Thom, Jamie, and Grace," Scheherazade repeats, musingly. Not that she expects the names to be at all familiar to her, at this point, but even so ...

She smiles wryly.

"Well. It would be lucky if I were to conceive."

That's ... a yes?

[the_lioness]

"Oh?"

Alanna looks a little nervous, and quite possibly pained. She isn't terribly good at navigating sensitive female subjects.

"I mean- Have you suffered ill health? Or had an accident?"

Nervous or not, she sounds concerned.

[talkstohats]

. . . baby!

Is the baby enough to soothe Sophie's temper?

- well. Probably not. But the glare on her face does soften a little, as she catches sight of Alanna and baby Thom.

"One of yours, I assume," she croaks from a nearby table.

[the_lioness]

"Hullo, Sophie."

Having a rather famous temper herself, Alanna can recognize the signs and respect them. She bites back all urges to ask and instead answers the question, calmly setting the scroll in her lap.

"I certainly hope so. If not, the hospital has some explaining to do." She offers a small smile. "This is Thom."

[talkstohats]

Sophie shuffles over, leaving her bucket of ferns behind, to peer at Thom.

Right now, being young is a stroke against Sophie's good opinion. Babies, however, are probably exempt, as one is capable of even less when a baby than one is when old.

She's also a little fascinated. She has experience with children - but she herself was too young to remember when Martha and Lettie were that small.

But she can't say that, of course, since she's supposed to be at least a great-aunt, so she settles for saying, "He seems very - healthy."

[the_lioness]

Alanna tries her very best not to look amused. Sophie's reaction is so very like her own used to be, when confronted with babies.

"The doctors assure me that the wrinkles will fade," she says, poking gently at one of his fat legs. "Poor Jamie. I fear he is always destined to be smaller than his brother. He wasn't healthy."

[talkstohats]

"Oh - I'm sorry to hear that," Sophie says, still staring. "But I, er, I trust he's better now?"

Valeria looks huge compared to Thom.

[the_lioness]

"Happily, he is. He shouldn't suffer lasting ill effects."

Watching Sophie watch the baby, Alanna straightens. It isn't a jerky movement, but it's enough to wake Thom. He opens blue eyes, blinks slowly and waves one tiny fist.

"Goddess, don't start crying," she mumbles, brows knit together in a frown. As prayers go, it isn't terribly gracious. To Sophie: "It's been a long day."