Finding a Balance

[Maira]

NOTE: this thread starts approximately three months ( IC ) after the start of the "Family Resemblance" thread

Saiyuri had been in labor for three hours before anybody from either side of her family was able to join her and her husband at the hopsital, they had all be either at work or school when she had made Dominic call.

By the time that one of the nurses ushered in Saiyuri's mother, Dion, and her best friend, Ayda, Dominic's hand was more than ready for a break. Leaving the two women to watch over his wife, Dominic escaped out of the delivery room to the cafeteria.

The instant he opened the cafeteria, Dominic wanted to bolt. There before him were both sides of Saiyuri's family and they had all turned to look at him at once. Never before in his life had Dominic ever felt so much like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi-truck

As soon as the horde gathered in the cafeteria (which he over heard from one of Saiyuri's siblings they had all been sent there because the waiting room was too small) realized who he was, Saiyuri's four younger sisters from her father's side had swarmed him asking all sorts of questions. Only when Katsu, Saiyuri's father, called them off did the four girls relinquish him to the rest of the family's mercy. That was, if possible, even worse.

Dominic wasn't sure how long he had been gone from his wife's side when suddenly Ayda was grabbing him by the shoulder and hauling him out of the cafeteria. Maybe she had seen his panicked relief when she had come for him, Dominic wasn't sure, but she didn't scold as they hurried back to Saiyuri's room. All she said as they ran was, "The doctor sent me because Saiyuri had to start pushing." Dominic practically whimpered and answered her, "I only left for coffee."

It didn't take them long to reach Saiyuri's room but by the time they did, the damage had already been done. In the time it had taken Ayda to find Dominic, drag him away from the families, and run back, Saiyuri had delivered a healthy beautiful baby girl. At the sound of his daughter's first cries, Dominic's heart melted. She was perfect.

Walking quickly over to his wife's side, Dominic smiled lovingly at her. When the doctor realized that he was back, he slapped Dominic on the shoulder and asked jovially, "So Dad, you want to cut the cord?" Dominic's smile grew even broader, he hadn't missed everything at least.

Putting on the gloves he was given, and doing as he was instructed by the doctor, Dominic cut the imbilical cord that connected his daughter and her mother. If he had been watching Saiyuri he would have seen the fear enter her eyes right after he cut the cord. By the time he did turn to her, now holding their daughter, Saiyuri was unconcious, flushed and sweating as if she had a very high fever.

Panic once again clear on his face, Dominic turned to the doctor. Before he could even ask any questions though the doctor said rather matter-of-factly, "Don't worry, she'll be fine." When the doctor felt the temperature in the room spike, he realized that the vampire standing before him was a Keahi that was on the verge of loosing control of his magic. In hopes of calming the man, the doctor continued quickly, "Its just the Custos and Angel parts of her heritage balancing. As she hadn't experienced this yet, thanks to being half Pard, we were fairly certain that labor and delivery would bring it on." Apparently what the doctor said was enough to calm Dominic a bit because the room started to return to normal temperature almost immediately.

After a few minutes of watching his wife, while the nurses cleaned, weighed and clothed his daugher, Dominic began to worry. Saiyuri hadn't yet regained concsiousness when the nurses brough back the baby. Cuddling the baby close, Dominic asked the doctor, "So how long does this 'balancing' normally take?" It was an innocent enough question but the answer it elicited was not what Dominic had wanted to hear.

Looking up from one last inspection of Saiyuri, the doctor said, "It can last anywhere from minutes to hours, sometimes even days. Typically the older a person is when it occurs the longer it will take."

Dominic just stared at the doctor unblinking. The sound of disbelief that escaped from Dominic could have been the word 'what' but it was too quiet to tell for sure.

With a grimace, the doctor continued, "And unfortunately, the longer the balancing lasts the higher chance there is of the person not surviving it."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Dominic looked to Dion, his eyes begging her to tell him it wasn't true. When she didn't contradict the doctor, Dominic walked over to her and handed her the baby. In a voice barely above a whisper Dominic said shakily, "I need a drink."

Kissing his daughter's forhead and looking into her violet eyes, so much like his own, he whispered to her, "Take care of your mommy Nerylani." Then he turned and rushed from the room. He left so fast he forgot to take his cell phone, wallet, and jacket.

[Demeter]

Dion hummed as she rocked the newest member of her family. 'Lani had been a breathing member of her family for three days now but Saiyuri still hadn't woken up. And Dominic hadn't shown his face in those three days. She'd asked her sister's to search for him two days ago. Nerissa and Dream had found him last night.

Dion settled her granddaughter back into the hospital's blasket bassients and wandered out of the nursery. An elevator ride down a few floors and she was in Saiyuri's room. Still no change. Dion settled into the silently uncomfortable chair next to the bed and sighed. In the long run, it probably was a good thing that Saiyuri had sought her out before the delivery but her two sides immediently balancing out after labor was probably was scared Dominic into leaving.

Dominic. Nerissa and Dream has scared him last night. Then again, Dion tought as she stared at the ceiling tiles, Nerissa scared her at times. For a botonist, Nerissa was a very scary lady. And Dream, well, she was just scary on general principal. After much scythe pointing from Dream and threats from Nerissa of the most painful variety, Dominic admitted that he probably wouldn't be back anytime soon. What with all the new aspects to his wife and her family...which was huge...he'd been out of his depth.

Bastard, Dion thought as she propped her feet up on the end of Saiyuri's bed. Like she was going let him near her oldest and youngest girls without a damn good reason. Both her daughter and granddaughter would be going home tomorrow. It was really just a waiting game with Saiyuri and Lani would benefit from being in a less...sterile place.

***

Dion grinned as 'Lani stared around her new room in wide-eyed wonder. Dion did the same. Three days ago, the nursery in her converted basement had still been a room painted with bright yellow walls and piles of baby stuff. Her sisters had taken one look at it and procedded to set up a wonderful nursery. "Whatcha think, Lani, will you're momma like it? Do you like it?"

Dion smiled when the baby looked up at her with twinkling eyes. "Of course you like it." She giggled as she put the baby girl in the crib, turned the baby monitor on, grabbed up it's companion and did the same before wandering into her daughter's room. Ayda was there, fluffing up a arrangment of flowers. Saiyuri was in the bed, still out. "Sooner or later she has to wake up. What the doctor said was true, about most with supressed Custos/angel hybrid sides not surviving but I doubt that Silence is going to let Saiyuri croak."

Dion flopped down in the chair she'd had her sons drag into the room and sighed. She'd kicked most of her family out of the house for the time being. As she watched the clock, Dion yawned. A soft moan and a twitch of a hand had her looking at Saiyuri. A flutter of eyelids and a flash of deep red, had her leaning forward. "Hey, how ya feeling?"

[Maira]

The moan that escaped her sounded loud in Saiyuri's ears and it hurt her dry unused throat. Her hand, weak from not eating, tried to grasp at the blankets against the pain but only managed a small twitch. When she tried to open her eyes there was even more pain, the light coming in through the window sent daggers into her brain. Somehow, she wasn't sure, Saiyuri would up laying on her side, facing away from the window. Only as she lay there a moment did she realize somebody else was in the room with her and that that somebody had said something to her.

Letting one eye open just far enough to make out a form sitting anxiously by her bedside, Saiyuri whimpered and whispered, "Dominic, my head hurts so bad!" After blinking her eye a few times to clear her vision, Saiyuri was surprised to see it was her mother sitting watch over her not her husband. Confused she tried to ask where he was but her voice wouldn't cooperate, instead she asked for water in a scratchy whisper.

She heard another person say they would get it and then she saw Ayda run from the room. Now Saiyuri was really worried. Where was Dominic? If Ayda was here that meant it was either after school hours or it was a weekend. Her mother being here really made no indication of time as Dion worked when she was needed.

Once Ayda came back with the water, Saiyuri tried to sit up to drink it but gave up when she noticed a straw in the glass. Trust Ayda to think of little details like that. Smiling at her friend, Saiyuri sipped at her water until her throat didn't feel so much like sandpaper. As soon as she thought she could talk, Saiyuri asked, "Where's Dominic Mom? Is he in with the baby?" Saiyuri could tell that she was at home in their basement apartment, the bed was too comfortable to be the hospital's, plus she recognized the smell of the dryer sheets she used with the bedding.

Realizing she didn't remember being taken home, Saiyuri turned to Dion and asked curiously, "How long was I out? Is everything okay?" She suddenly had an awful feeling in her gut and Saiyuri just hoped that the baby was okay. If anything had happened to her baby girl and she hadn't been there for her she would never forgive herself.

[Demeter]

At Saiyuri's questions, Dion glanced across at Ayda. The two had already decided that Dion should be one who did the talking. Ayda, after all, still wanted to the gut the bastard and string him with his shoestrings. Dion leaned forward and grabbed ahold of her daughter's hand. "Everything is just fine with Lani. She's a happy, healthy little girl who is right next door in her own little crib. Ayda, why don't you get get her?"

Once Ayda was out of the room, Dion moved and sat on the edge of the bed. "Saiyuri, honey, there's something I have to tell you but you're not going to like it. You've been out for three days, right after Lani was delivered really. Dominic left shortly after that. It took a while but my sisters found him. Saiyuri, he said that he wasn't going to be coming back for a long while."

***

Ayda could hear everything over the baby moniter and decided to linger in Lani's room for a few minutes longer while her friend adjusted to the lastest blow to her life. Ayda leaned over the edge of the crib and cooed at the baby. As babies went, Lani was, after her niece of course, the cutest one she'd ever seen. She leaned over the crib and plucked the baby, blankets included, up. "Come on, little on, lets go see Momma."

Ayda settled Lani like she was supposed to and walked the short distance into Saiyuri's room. She perched herself on the bed and leaned forward. "Forget the guy for now, Saiyuri, because I've got someone who wants to see her Momma," Ayda passed the infant over to her friend and grinned.

[Maira]

Saiyuri had been worried about her baby but when her mother told her that 'Lani was okay, Saiyuri couldn't help but think something else was incredibly wrong. Her mother was comforting when need be and the fact that the woman had just grabbed her hand and was now sitting on the side of the bed next to her told Saiyuri that one of those times her comfort would be needed was now.

The more her mother talked, the bigger the cloud of dread grew in Saiyuri's heart. When Dion finally said just what was wrong, Saiyuri's breath caught in her chest and tears welled up in her eyes. Dominic, the love of her life, had run away from her. She knew that he had been uneasy around her since the first night she had known she was Dion's daughter. The night her temper had flared and she had attacked Rhystic, along with all the other women present at the time, and her Custos/angel heritage had manifested a little too strongly.

Saiyuri refused to give in to the tears in front of her mother, especially since she knew that shortly Ayda too would be in the room and she would be bringing Saiyuri's little girl with her. Carefully, in as steady a tone as she could, Saiyuri asked her Dion, "Did Dominic get to see her at least? Did he get to hold his daughter before he left us?" She wouldn't ask -why- he left as that wasn't important at the moment, the fact was he was no longer a part of her and her daughetr's life.

As soon as Dion had answered her, Ayda came walking into the room, being careful not to jostle the baby too much as she did so. Ignoring the comment about forgetting Dominic, Saiyuri arranged her arms as she lay on the bed so that Ayda could lay the baby next to her.
Once the baby was settled, Saiyuri cuddled her close, breathing in her scent and she couldn't help but purr. At the funny sound the baby opened her eyes and looked straight into Saiyuri's. In that one instant, Saiyuri knew that everything would be okay. With or without Dominic, Saiyuri and Nerylani would live a happy life together. Saiyuri was lost in the violet eyes of her daughter and at that moment, nothing else in the world mattered.

Kissing her daugher's head and cheek and nose, Saiyuri couldn't help but laugh. Looking up at Dion she said happily, "She's perfect Mom, absolutely perfect!" Then turning to Ayda she smiled before turning her attention back to the baby in her arms.

"My sweet little Nerylani, how could anybody resist you?" Saiyuri asked of her wide eyed daughter as she gave the little girl eskimo kisses. The baby crinkled her nose and her eyes went wide at her mother's actions but she didn't cry or protest.

Saiyuri continued cuddling and cooing at her daughter for a while before she finally looked up at Dion and Ayda and asked, "Is it just me or does she seem really alert for a newborn?" From all her experience, newborns tended to cry and sleep and eat but they didn't tend to be so wide eyed and alert to their surroundings.

At the thought of the baby needing to eat, Saiyuri cried out, "My milk?! What has she been eating?" In a panic, she looked over her baby again and she couldn't detect any sign of hunger but she had wanted to breastfeed and she'd been unconcious for three days. Forcing her eyes away from her baby, Saiyuri looked at Dion again, "Have you guys been giving her formula? Will she still feed from me? Please say she will." She knew she probably sounded frantic and silly, but if Saiyuri didn't worry over practical things like feeding her baby, she knew she'd give in to brooding over being abandoned by her husband.

[Demeter]

Dion nodded her head. "Yes, Dominic saw Lani right before he left. I think the docter may have startled him into leaving and then, during the times that he was sober, he must have throught about it." Dion watch as Ayda handed the baby off to Saiyuri. "Of course she's perfect; she's part of this family, isn't she?"

Dion tilted her head and watched Lani as the baby stared up at her mother. Yes, she was more alert that must three day old infants. Rowan had been as well. "Well, Saiyuri, you know how your pregnancy was advanced because of the four different bloodlines in Lani?"

At her daughter's nod, Dion scooted off the bed and perched herself back in her chair, "I'm not sure how to say this without freaking you out. In fact, I don't think it is possible to say this without causing you to freak out. So, to put it mildly...when Rowan was biologically three years old...he physically looked like a five year old. His mixed bloodlines appeared to level out at that age and he's behaved like a semi-normal child ever since."

Dion leaned back in her chair and pondered the milk question. "Formula, yes. but You'd have see if she'd nurse."

[Maira]

At this point, Saiyuri was getting numb to the strangeness of her family. The fact that Rowan too had been an alert baby was enough to comfort Saiyuri more than it panicked her. She nodded calmly at her mother's explination and said softly, "Well at least it's not my imagination."

Saiyuri knew just how much of a mix Rowan was and Nerylani was even more of a mix than he was. She couldn't help but wonder if that would make her daughter's growth and developement even more rapid than that of her young cousin. Very likely. Oh well, she would deal with it when the time came.

Until then however, it was time to ask some rather important questions of her mother. Looking up from the baby in her arms, who was now starting to drift off to sleep, Saiyuri asked, "So how do I know which side won out with me? I'm assuming that's why I was unconcious for three days right? My Angel and Custos sides were having it out or something." While Saiyuri knew the basics of what should have been happening while she was unconcious, she really had very little idea what it all meant for her life.

[Demeter]

Dion crossed her legs at the knee and leaned forward. "You'll know during your next etheral shift. You'll only have the characteristics of one. Angel or Custos. Or, you might end up being an anomaly, like Dream. Her angel side might have won out in the end but the girl is still very Custosic. Hell, she's only a inch or so above a fallen angel."

Dion leaned back in her chair. Just so you know, I can't keep the rest of the family away for much longer. They saw Lani while she was in the hospital. My father has decided that his great-grandchild is now his favorite child in the world and wishes to spoil her. My sister's want to get to know you and kidnap your child on a rotating schedule. My older male nephews want to use Lani to pick up girls, I told them to use Rowan; he'll keep the tramps away.

Dion leaned back in her chair for a moment before pushing herself out of it. "Okay, I'm going to go find food. By the way, spots,w ings, tail...all gone." and she flounced out of the room.

[Maira]

Her mother was deffinately something else Saiyuri thought to herself as Dion practically skipped out of her bedroom to go find food. At the mention of Saiyuri's wings and spots and tail all being gone, Saiyuri looked herself over as well as she could laying down cuddling her infant daughter.

Her voice tinged with amazement, Saiyuri said softly, "Wow, I forgot what being human felt like." She had been stuck in a strange hybrid of all her different bloodlines due to her pregnancy with Nerylani that she honestly had forgotten.

Only when her daughter shifted in her arms did Saiyuri come out of the daze that had taken her remembering her pregnancy. Looking at her, Saiyuri saw the baby's eyes were focussed on something and so she turned to look as well. That's when Saiyuri saw Ayda standing not far away and she couldn't help but blush. How could she have forgotten that her best friend was standing not ten feet away from her?

Seeing her friend standing there, ready to jump at any request fromher, Saiyuri felt overwhelmingly greatful to the other woman. She'd been there for Saiyuri since they were teenagers and now, there she stood, just watching and waiting. Just that gesture, more than any words could have done, tipped Saiyuri's emotions over the edge and the tears she had fought off in her mother's presence came pouring down her cheeks.

The more the tears fell, the more she tried to fight them and the harder she wound up crying. Through her tears, Saiyuri looked up at Ayda, who was now hovering next to the bed, and she begged between sobs, "Take her to my mother, then come back." Her daughter was a wonderful blessing but Saiyuri didn't think the innocent little girl deserved to be exposed to the harsh emotions that were overtaking her. Once she had cried herself out and calmed down, at least for the moment, Saiyuri would go get her back from Dion. For now though she just needed to cry and rage and wallow a bit in self-pity.

[Demeter]

After deposting Lani with Dion, who cooed at the baby girl, Ayda returned to Saiyuri. After shutting the door, she sat on the edge of the bed. "So, you have a daughter, you're currently short a husband, and you have a large family all waiting to help you. All in all, I'd say you came out on the high end."

Ayda knew she was being callous but, in the world of Ayda, any man who would run out on his family like Dominic didn't deserve forgivness. Ayda crossed her legs and clamped her hands around her ankles. "I know that it probably hurts that he left. Two of your aunts found him the other day. He said that he couldn't deal with your family. That he had enough problems adjusting to your father's half of the family. He couldn't deal with your mother's half. Said they were too close. He felt trapped in their presence."

Ayda leaned forward and patted Saiyuri's shoulder. "I'll admit that they are something when all together but I believe that Dominic didn't look at the big picture. Dion's family has been through a lot, it's hard for them no to be close. And they want to be close to you and Lani, if Dominic can't handle that then screw him."

Ayda scooted off the bed and headed for the door. "I'll leave you alone for now. Lani is upstairs with Dion and I'll be down the hall in the nursrey, it's not quite done yet."

[Maira]

The tears had pretty much ceased by the time that Ayda returned from giving Lani to her grandmother. When her friend sat on the edge of her bed and started talking, the tears ceased altogether. Ayda was right, even if it didn't feel like it right now, Saiyuri had come out on the high end. The facts that she was living in her mother's basement apartment, that one of the rooms of that apartment had been converted into a nursery, and that her daughter was currently being cuddled by her mother all made that very clear. It was just the gaping whole in her heart that needed convincing...

As Ayda explained to Saiyuri why Dominic had said he had left, she realized she couldn't really blame him. He'd been an only child growing up and she'd seen how difficult it could be for him spending time with her father's family and the Pard. Being descended upon by her mother's family was a bit overhwelming a thought for even Saiyuri (the oldest of nine children and a member of a very large wereleopard Pard). They -were- extremely closeknit and constantly in each other's business. That she had learned firsthand from interactions with Dion and her sister Demeter, the relative at the house most often.

Even though it hurt, Saiyuri knew she could come to terms with Dominic's abandonment of herself. Him running out on his newborn daughter though was another story entirely. For that, it would take a long time to forgive him. While Saiyuri knew she could ask Nikolas, her cousin Rowan's father, for tips on raising a Keahi vampire, it still didn't fix the fact that Lani would have no father figure. Maybe Tobin or Katsu would fill the gap, or one of Saiyuri's younger brothers, who knew. Either way, it wouldn't be the same as the little girl having her father.

When Ayda made her escape, Saiyuri slowly raised herself to the sitting position in the bed she'd shared with Dominic since their wedding. The bed that had originally been in the room before Saiyuri and Dominic had moved in, had been placed in another of the bedrooms in the apartment. She would need to bring that bed back into the room and get rid of this one, she thought to herself as she glared at the bedding. If Dominic was going to walk out on her and Lani then she wasn't going to keep anything they had shared. Even if it took her a year to re-buy all the stuff she would need, Saiyuri was bound and determined to have none of Dominic's scent left in the apartment.

Getting up was a rather slow process as her limbs were weak from dissuse and the ordeal her body had gone through determining which side of her Custosic/angelic heritage had won out. Finally though when she was dressed in a pair of soft work-out pants and zippered hoodie sweatshirt, Saiyuri made her way to where she could hear Ayda puttering around. When she got to the doorway of the nursery, Saiyuri's eyes teared up once more, this time out of happiness though. She'd never seen a more beautiful nursery! Her family had used all the stuff that she had bought but they had added so much more. There were stuffed animals everywhere, story books, a beautiful rocking glider, and the most amazing mural on one wall of baby leopards and fairies (which she knew were supposed to be angels) and even a Custos and vampire or two. All looking rather cute and innocent despite their great powers in real life. The only words that Saiyuri could utter at the sight of ther nursery were, "Oh my...."

[Demeter]

Ayda turned around from fluffing up Lani's bed and grinned at Saiyuri. "Pretty cool, huh? I can assure you that your daughter will be completely spoiled by her relatives." Ayda watched as Saiyuri puttered around the room. "Faith pushed everyone into action after you went into labor. She was like a general. Anyone who had a spare minute or two was in the room, making it pretty."

Ayda paused when she heard a thump overhead follow by the giggles of little boys. "Rowan has found some new playmates. I think their father is here to pick them up." Ayda groaned when she heard running on the stairs before a trio of little boys ran into the room to circle the two women.

***

Theiry growled when his sons slipped from his grasp and bolted through the open basement door. He followed him down, muttering about spankings and time-outs. He tested the air and caught the scent of his children. He followed their cotten candy and fresh soap scent into a room and blinked. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know anyone was down here. Gareth, Seb. Get over here, now. Pardon me, Ladies," he nodded to the two women standing in the room as he hooked a finger into the collars of his son's t-shirts and pulled them out of the room.

***

Ayda giggled and pretended to watch Rowan climb around the glider. In truth, she was watching Saiyuri for her reaction to Theiry, the boys' father.

[Maira]

Saiyuri couldn't help but laugh at the image of her pregnant younger adopted sister ordering people around. She'd really gotten quite close with the younger woman in the few short months she'd lived in the same house as her and she would have to thank her immensly when she finally managed to drag herself out of the basement and back to the real world. She wasn't sure exactly when that would be considering she still wanted to just curl up in a ball and hide but when the time came, she owed Faith big time.

She had just wiped her happy tears away when she heard a thump upstairs and she cocked an eyebrow at Ayda's explination. Rowan had playmates? Since when? The little rascal was a little too wild for most kids his age what with his tendancy to bite and all...

When the trio of young boys came swarming into the nursery though Saiyuri smiled as she caught the scents of the two unfamiliar youngsters. They were feline of some sort, that much she could tell, so more than likely they could take, and give back, whatever Rowan dished out with his little fangs.

Only moments after the boys burst into the nursery a man followed and drew up short when he saw Ayda and Saiyuri standing there watching both him and the kids. When the man apologized, Saiyuri gave a sad smile and just shrugged. What else could she do after all? "Its okay," she mumbled softly and watched as the man dragged the boys from the nursery.

Two thoughts came to Saiyuri as she stared at the now vacant doorway. The first was full of loathing for Dominic knowing he would never be there to be part of her daughter's life like that man was with his sons. The second was one she didn't really even realize she was thinking, how nice he smelled. Feline like his sons but where they smelled like kittens, all cute and cuddly, he smelled like a prime adult male. In his full power, strong, and steady. Oh how she envied his mate!

She didn't realize there was a look of longing on her face as she stared after the man and his boys but when she turned her attention back to Ayda she caught her friend looking at her funny. For reasons unknown to her, Saiyuri blushed as she asked Ayda innocently, "What?"

[Demeter]

Ayda rocked back on her heels and grinned at Saiyuri. "Nothing, just noticing how you looked at Theiry. Cougar, that one. A fire elemental in the local cougar kindle. His kids met Rowan in a local park...they circled, pounced and an everlasting friendship was born. Single father, thats why his twins were over here today. Babysitter cancelled on him. Professor at the local college. Theatre Department. I guess it was a set building day and he didn't want them in the way."

Ayda shrugged and, even though she'd just rattled off all the pertanient information about Theiry, smiled at Saiyuri. "How ya doing? Can I get you anything? Food? Drink? Small bundle of joy who wants to bond with her mom? Something sharp and pointy?" Ayda turned and headed for the door, Rowan in tow. She stopped at the doorway and looked over her shoulder. "Just yell if you need anything."

Ayda flounced out of the basement and into the main living area of the house. There she saw Dion, on the couch with the baby. "That was cruel of you to send him down there."

Dion glanced up and shook her head. "Didn't do it. That was those three chasing each other like manics."

Ayda rolled her eyes. "Of Course it was. Gimmie the baby."

Dion handed Lani over once Ayda had perched herself on the opposite end of the couch. "Considering your attachment to this child, are you going to give me grandchildren?"

Ayda sighed. "I better with other people's kids. I think I would kill my own child. I'm good with plants and I can give other people's children back. Besides, the only male child you have left who isn't a father already is Hawk and you know that we don't get along. For the most part. I'm gonna go give this little one to her mom." Ayda scooted her way off the couch and headed for the basement door before Dion could ask her any more questions about grandchildren.

[Maira]

Saiyuri nodded as Ayda listed off everything she probably thought Saiyuri wanted to know about Thiery, the strange man who had waltzed into her daughter's nursery after his twin boys. When her friend finished and changed subject in the blink of an eye, Saiyuri smirked. That was so like Ayda. When her friend offered her something sharp and pointy Saiyuri nearly laughed. Sharp and pointy would be fun, but much later after she'd had time to move from hurt and rage and bitternes to clear thinking hatred. It would come eventually and when it did, sharp and pointy would be very nice indeed.

Saiyuri's eyes had shimmered red as she'd dwelled on the idea of sharp pointy objects being directed at the man she'd thought would always stand by her. Luckily Ayda was gone and there was no mirror or Saiyuri may have freaked out a little. She still didn't know what side of her Custos and angel heritage had won out in her and she wasn't really sure the thoughts she'd been having indicated the angel side.

She shook herself and pushed all bad thoughts from her mind as she puttered around the nursery inspecting everything a piece at a time. It hadn't been long, and Saiyuri was up to her elbows in stuffed animals, when Ayda returned carrying her daughter. She held out her arms to the little girl who in turn cooed and smiled at her mother. It was amazing how alert she was at just a few days old!

Only once she had the baby snuggled up to her chest did Saiyuri take the time to look at her friend to thank her for bringing Lani back to her. When she did she saw an oddly baffled look on Ayda's face and she couldn't help but ask, "Did my Mom say something to you? Did somebody else? You look a little shaken up."

[Demeter]

Ayda perched herself in the glider and slid back and forth. "She wanted to know when I'd give her grandchildren. I loose my own neice on a regular basis what makes her think that I'll be able to handle a child of my own. Besides, the only guy in her family who would be able to father my child without cheating is Hawk and we all know how much I like him."

Using her foot to pushed herself back and forth, Ayda brooded while Saiyuri cuddled her little girl. Oh she liked Hawk...she just didn't like to be around him. Everything when they were nearby they ended up snapping at each other like two territorial dragons. And the only times they were close enough to snap was when she was over a the house. It may have been Hawk's home but it was Ayda's Best Friend.

Ayda groaned and turned to look at Saiyuri. "Your mother is strange, odd, and may be a bit grand-baby-crazed. She has Lani, Whats-his-name - Oberon's stepchild, and Faith's Bump. Not to mention Rowan and his fellow minions. Why does she need a grandchild from me?" Ayda bumped her head against the back of the gilder and whined.

[Maira]

Saiyuri could do nothing but laugh at her friend's obvious bafflement. "My mom is deffinately confusing but I thought you knew that already? Maybe she sees something between you and Hawk that the two of you haven't recognized yet? You know, the whole opposites attract sort of thing?" Still smiling, she shrugged and then set her daughter in her crib as a stray thought flitted into her mind.

She turned on the mobile, smiled at the tune it played, and then turned back to her friend before asking, "Will you watch her for a few minutes? I need to take care of something real quick." Her friend had barely nodded when Saiyuri turned and made her way back to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her then stripped off her shirt, not wanting it to rip, and willed herself to Change. She had never purposely let her Angel or Custos heritage come to the forefront, it had sort of sprung itself on her unannounced when she'd become pregnant. Now, the familiar feel of her leopard rising to the surface was pushed aside by something just as much a part of her but totally foreign.

Saiyuri took three deep calming breaths before turning to face the mirror that was standing in the corner next to the closet. The reflection that greeted her was not quite what she'd been expecting but she wasn't totally surprised. Her eyes were glowing crimson and her normally subtle shades of red in her long black hair were more prominent, appearing more as highlights and streaks than as shading. The wings that sprouted from her back were covered in jet black feathers with a sheen to them that matched the shading in her hair.

The eyes and wings were, in Saiyuri's mind, in direct contrast with each other. She'd been told that those with Custos and Angel blood always wound up with one side more dominant than the other yet her eyes made her think Custos and her wings, though dark, were feathered and made her think angel. What had happened? Had she somehow wound up being a strange mix of both? She snorted and turned her back on her reflection. As soon as she looked away from the mirror, Saiyuri let her human form resurface. As soon as she was sure she was fully Changed back, She put her shirt back on and went back to the nursery.

Just as she entered the nursery, Nerylani began to fuss and Ayda was springing from the glider. Before her friend could reach in and pick up the crying infant, Saiyuri said softly, "I'll get her. She's probably hungry and we need to find out if she'll still breastfeed." Gathering up her daughter from the crib, Saiyuri made her way to the rocker that Ayda had just vacated, grabbed a lightweight baby blanket and sat down. She draped the blanket over her shoulder and across her chest and her daughter then did what she'd seen the woman she'd thought was her mother do so many times before with her younger siblings. Lani didn't latch on at first but once she figured out she was being presented with food she quit fussing and got down to business.

When Lani finally did latch on, Saiyuri gasped and laughed and whispered, "Oh my god," before turning her attention back to her friend. A small, giddy and nervous giggle escaped her before she said softly, "I guess thats a yes." Her smile was so big, and her heart was filled with so much love for the little being in her arms, that for a few moments, Saiyuri forgot that her life was in shambles.

[Demeter]

Ayda just rolled her eyes at Saiyuri's shocked expression. "Silly woman, did you think she wouldn't? Hungry, little beast, that what she is." Ayda leaned back against the wall and sighed. I've got to get going soon. The afternoon person in the greenhouses called in sick today and Professor Hines need someone to watch the front desk, water the plants and so on. I'll be back later."

Ayda excused herself and used the basement's door to get out to the driveway. One she was perched on her scooter, Ayda sat there for a moment. The last few days had been nerve-wracking. Not to mention that she'd felt as if someone was constantly watching her lately. When Hawk wondered past, Ayda stuck her tounge out at him and plopped her helmet on her head. It really was a sad thing when such a good looking man had such a nasty attitude.

[Shinigami]

(OOC- I said I was going to have Hawk reply.. but I forgot to do it before we started Change, lol, so I'm doing it now)

Hawk had been on his way home and had rounded the corner to his house when he saw someone walk out and move to the scooter in the driveway. He knew it was Ayda, as she was the only one he knew that owned a scooter. He neared the house and walked up the sidewalk by the driveway, casting a glance Ayda's way. When the girl stuck her tongue out at him, in quite a child-like fashion, he blinked and raised an eyebrow at her antics.

He watched her like that until she pulled out of the driveway and started on her way. Once she was out of sight he sighed and continued on his way into the house. All of times of Ayda's clumsiness around him, mainly the times she tripped and he was forced to catch her, he had noticed himself reacting differently to her. He was confused about it, but had finally managed to figure out what it meant when his breath hitched and his heart beat faster. He had a crush, and though it had been in its early stages, it was steadily growing, and he couldn't deny it to himself anymore.

The boy only prayed his mother kept her nose out of this... all he needed was for her to try and set the two of them up, and he was quite sure Ayda still thought he was an ass, so it wouldn't end well.

[Maira]

(ooc: i take it this thread is immediately before Changed? I'm going to pretend it is until I hear otherwise)

Saiyuri nodded when Ayda explained why she needed to get going and smiled warmly at the other woman. She watched silently as Ayda left the nursery and listened until she heard door of her basement apartment open and close. Once she was sure she was alone, Saiyuri began to hum a little tune that her own 'mother' had hummed so many times for her and her younger siblings. The humming seemed to comfort Lani and soon, once she'd had her fill of milk, she was fast asleep.

Putting Lani back in her crib, Saiyuri flipped on the baby monitor and grabbed the small handset, flipped it on too, then she made her way out of the nursery and shut the door softly. Before going upstairs, Saiyuri made her way over to the door that Ayda had gone out and flipped the deadbolt and threw the chain lock into place. With an infant, Saiyuri would rather be safe than sorry. Plus it just made her feel better knowing that her little home was safe as it could be.

Once the apartment was locked up, Saiyuri made her way quietly up the stairs and into the living room where her mother was still sitting. She walked over to Dion and sat down next to her, leaning into her mother for comfort. She was silent for a while then she cleared her throat and asked uncertainly, "Can I get your opinion on something?" She then explained what she had discovered about her angel or Custos form and that she was confused and how she hoped Dion would have a better idea. Once she was done explaining she asked, "Well, what do you think?"