Bloodsong's Oasis - Jazz Club and Speakeasy

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Truly incorrigible," Calanthe agrees with another sip of her wine and a bite of her meal. It's been quite a while since she's had a nice dinner and conversation like this, and she can't help but feel a little surprised by how much she seems to have missed it.

"Oh, of course - I am mostly an open book, though some of my upbringing is... sensitive. But family situation is perfectly fine; I was the middle child of three daughters, so we were far less trouble for them, especially with so many hands to raise us - and the coven itself was happy to pitch in as well, if need be." Mothers and daughters only, the Frescots might note.

Calanthe chuckles. "It could get a little dramatic between the four of them at times, of course - each of them practiced a different form of magic, and tended to have their own philosophies about raising a family. Overall though, I think they were all rather happy with each other."

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Wow, that's so many girls. It's like the reverse of your family, huh Adir?" Sakura flashes him a smile. "All Adir's siblings are boys." She adds for Calanthe's benefit.

"Sometimes I wish I had siblings. I feel like I missed out on that a little bit." She muses additionally.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"It sounds like the kind of place a boy wouldn't exactly want to be. If I'd been raised with two sisters to tease and four moms to annoy, somebody would have turned me into a newt by age eight."


"But that's right. Frescots have a tendency towards boys. Mostly my dad." It was more than a tendency for his dad, really, but there wasn't any need to get into all that. "I seem to have lucked out with all these little girls though. Sakura's just the right type of woman, I guess." He winks at the dryad.

"Well, siblings are good, and siblings can be bad... All depends. It can be like living with your best friend or a total nightmare," Adir scratches his chin. "Take our lady-bunny here for instance. What are your sisters like, Calanthe?"

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Er, yes, well, you would not have needed to worry about that most likely." Calanthe shifts uncomfortably. "Boys were... not permitted, exactly," she explains. "I never met one until I left."

"But yes, Adir is absolutely correct. My own siblings were... mostly pleasant, I'd say. I got along quite well with my younger sister, Lycaste. She was such a sweet thing, cared a lot for animals - we'd go out and explore in the forest often, trying to see what we could find. My older sister Ianthe was more... aloof, however. I think she saw me as a bit of a pest growing up." There's a soft laugh at the thought.

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"A pest, huh? So that's what Adir's brothers thought of him." Sakura muses. She slips a sly look at Adir out of the corner of her eye.

"What do you mean boys were 'not permitted', though? Like, how does that work?" Quite a baffling statement. If people are having kids, usually half of those are boys.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Adir wants to tease Sakura back about (not unjustly) being called a pest, but the subject of 'no boys' is a much more interesting one. Also... not one he's sure he necessarily would have broached himself. Calanthe looks a bit uncomfortable about it. Was it bad? Like, really bad? Oh dear.

He also wants to ask about the shock of meeting a boy for the first time, but he doesn't wanna rail over Sakura's question. The stag eats a little of his meal and studies Calanthe. He tries to tack on a slightly lighter question that Calanthe can answer at her leisure. "And are they both, uh, still back with your people? Your sisters?"

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Yes, erm - our coven was first established as a refuge for persecuted women, and there were... various magical means put in place to repel outsiders. Some of them were not very inclusive." Adir's assessment only proves more correct - she tries to downplay it, but Calanthe's discomfort on the topic isn't hard to read. "It is not a very pleasant subject for dinner conversation, I'm afraid."

"And I believe they are, yes, though I am not entirely sure about Lycaste. I recall that Ianthe positively thrived there, but Lycaste shared some of my discomforts with the coven. She was a couple years younger than I, so she didn't have the option of leaving when I chose to do so." She takes another sip of her glass before adding, "And returning to find this out is not an option once you've left, either, unfortunately."

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Oh..." Sakura frowns. "I can't believe you can't go back to see your family. That's so sad!" She can hardly imagine such a terrible fate, even considering when her family was just her and Sarget, the thought is still unthinkable.

She turns to Adir. "We have to do everything we can to make sure Calanthe is happy and comfortable. Did you put those shelves up for her yet?" She turns back to Calanthe. "You don't need anything else, right? You know you can always ask."

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

The stag's face fixes with a sympathetic frown. Geez. He knows family troubles very well, in that he can certainly relate, but he doesn't want to try to compare his own tribulations with Calanthe's experiences.

"I've heard of a few clans like that, where I come from," Adir notes. More at the mention of departure being permanent than drastic measures against outsiders, but he'd heard of that too, honestly. "I'm sorry, Calanthe. That's gotta be hard."

Adir quirks his eyebrow at Sakura as she goes into mothering mode. He can't help but to smile. "Yes! I put up the shelves! Calanthe even supervised," Adir laughs. "She's right though, Calanthe. You're our guest as much as you are a helper. Anything you need, you only gotta ask."

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Calanthe titters as Sakura shifts into fretting over her comforts, appreciative of the shift to a much brighter topic even as it brings a light hue to her cheeks. "My dear, please, do not feel like you need to dote on me so much! I can provide for my own comforts, even if you are being incredibly sweet by offering." She smiles, clearly touched. "Besides, I am already quite happy. Your family is wonderful, and I have not felt so delighted in my work in quite a while."

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Sakura's heart flutters a little bit. "I'm happy to hear that." She beams.

"Oh what did you do for work before us? It was still working with kids, right? But what exactly?" She asks curiously. You would have thought this should have come up during her job interview, but the Frescots are anything but professional.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"You two are just adorable, you know that?" Adir observes, his chilly blue eyes drifting from woman to woman. "It's like trying to see who can out-nice the other person."

As far as the rabbit's previous job, Adir just has one comment as he cuts into another bite of his steak. "Nothing involving a gingerbread house I hope."

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Calanthe laughs at Adir's remarks, a warmth in her cheeks. "No gingerbread houses, no," she responds, tittering. "I worked as a biology teacher in Northside for a couple years at Greenleaf Middle School, in fact, after the mayhem of the invasion died down." The two might recognize the name as a private school, rather than one in the city's public schooling system.

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Sakura giggles at Adir's remark. The first one! ...Not that she doesn't find Adir's joke a little funny.

"Wow, that seems interesting! Teaching must be such fulfilling work! I know I'm always amazed by how the kids absorb new information. It'd be so cool to be a direct part of that." Not that Sakura isn't for her own kids, but it's a bit different in her eyes.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Ah. The invasion. I was at a, uh, halloween party right here in town when that went down," Adir says. "Ground zero. Basically had to dive right in. Me, and Cessie, and about a hundred other people..." Too many to remember. The stag shakes his head.

He mostly remembers it as the time he finally started to see Jezebel as a good person. Even ended up saving her life. One hectic night. Some bad sights. A few more things he has to remember that he wishes he could forget.

"It's good the kids around here had someone like you to look up to, Calanthe," Adir says as he eats another bite. He points his fork at Sakura, putting on a serene expression. "You'd probably make a good teacher yourself. You basically are one already. You've nearly got a full class."

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that." Calanthe's brow creases in sympathy. "I was visiting an... acquaintance in Inside at the time, and was able to find a place to stay at the time. It was harrowing enough with such a distance away from the events - I cannot imagine what such an experience must have felt like." She shakes her head.

"It absolutely has been fulfilling though, yes! I would gladly help you try and prepare a few lessons sometime." Calanthe's eyes sparkle. "Frankly, while I enjoyed my time at the school, I have never felt more alive helping to teach your kids."

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Sakura frowns notably. Adir being caught up in the invasion terrified her. Those are thoughts she prefers not to revisit.

But Calanthe immediately brings her mind to more happy places. "Ooh, I would love that. I know they learn lots of stuff in school, but I think it's important to be teaching them whatever we can at home too." Sakura flashes a smile at Adir. "We can gather the whole class in the yard for lessons." She giggles.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"I'm sorry, you two. I didn't mean to put a damper on the mood," Adir looks between them deferentially and rubs the back of his head. He lets Calanthe carry the conversation away.

The stag raises his eyebrows at the mention of how much Calanthe enjoys teaching the kids. "Well, don't tell them that. It'll go right to their little heads. But I know they like having you around, too." He matches Sakura's smile. "School on the grass. Now that sounds like Frescot learning. Hell, maybe I'll sit in. I could probably learn a thing or two."

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"I assure you I'll keep my lips sealed, Adir - how would I ever be able to take a day off if the kids knew they had such leverage against me?" Calanthe's eyes sparkle in amusement as she finishes her glass of wine, then looks at it briefly surprised. My, she wasn't pacing herself very well today. The lovely conversation has clearly been more distracting than she realized.

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Time passes as the three enjoy pleasant conversation. Their plates have been since taken away and a cluster of empty wine bottles sit in the center of the table. Sakura consults a dessert menu studiously. "Hm, do you think I should get the brownie? It's got raspberries and chocolate sauce." Sakura, of course, has only imbibed in chocolatey milk. It'll be some time before she can drink anything.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Adir is leaning on the table slightly more heavily than he means to, his chin propped on his fist as he watches Sakura waffle over what she wants to order. It's easy for Calanthe to see the warmth and love shining through his eyes... as well as something that's a little more purely physical. He keeps it well in check, though, even with his rather inebriated state. "You're so cute, you know that? Like a little kid ordering a treat. Chocolate milk with your dinner. And you wouldn't even share!" He laments.

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Calanthe leans back in her chair as she swirls around the last dregs of her latest glass of wine, looking between Adir and Sakura with an enigmatic mirth in her eyes. Her own face is a little red by now, and it's not hard to tell all the wine she's drunk is having an effect on her - though she's making a remarkable effort not to show it otherwise.

"My my, Adir. You really can't keep your eyesh off her, can you? The size of your family ishh starting to make a lot more sense," the witch puts on a cheeky smirk, even as she fights to keep her words from slurring. In retrospect, perhaps she should not have tried to keep pace with the taller Frescot.

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Excuse me, you had lots of your own drink." Sakura accuses, reaching to give one of the empty bottles a little tilt. She lets go and the glass bottle rattles against its neighbours.

"Calanthe!" Sakura protests, feeling the heat go to her cheeks. Sakura hadn't been totally oblivious to the effect of alcohol on the other two, though she's perhaps fully comprehending it now.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"You're right, you're right. And mine is much more expensive, at that. Damn, who drank all this wine?" Adir blinks at the bottles as if it's his first time seeing them.

Then it's Adir's turn to flush as well. Had he really been staring that much? Maybe. He was allowed! More than anybody, damn it. And nobody calls him out for eyeing his own wife!

"Well, c'mon, Calanthe. Can you blame me?" Adir says before Sakura can protest further, leaning over into the dryad a little. It's unclear if he means he can be blamed for staring or for making such a large family. Maybe both. He tries to put his arm around the dryad, hand finding the side of her belly where it projects through her beautiful dress. He looks at the flowery woman lovingly, voice dropping into soft tones. "Just look at her. Is it such a wonder my eyes get a little lost?"

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Moshtly you, I'm afraid." The rabbit's expression is oddly catlike as she watches Adir's cheeks brighten, and she quirks an eyebrow watching him lean closer towards his wife. It's only as he speaks that Sakura finds those gorgeous pale green eyes affixed upon her.

"Hmm, yes, I chertainly see what you mean," is what Calanthe chooses to respond with, leaning forward and looking the woman up and down she does her best to strike the balance between being respectful and accurate. "You truly are a lucky man."

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Sakura turns to Adir and a nervous giggle escapes her lips. Her gaze is warm and she smiles at his words despite being slightly embarrassed in front of Calanthe.

Then her eyes flit back to the other woman. That's a look.
That is a look.
The dryad's heart hammers in her chest and she feels like her chest is heaving from her breathing. "He is, and not just because I'm pretty." Sakura attempts to laugh it off, but her nerves colour the sound.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"Exactly! I'm lucky. What would you do, in my position?" Adir posits to Calanthe, still lingering near the dryad. His eyes sweep from bunny to tree-daughter. Hmm, how else is he lucky? "She makes such pretty babies, too. Not like I can help wanting more."

[Arkhosia]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"I'mm not shure I would be any different, though I would perhaps be moreeee... discrete," Calanthe admits, nodding and looking once more to Sakura. There's a moment where some vague sense of recognition flashes - oh dear, was she making the dryad uncomfortable somehow? "A-and you're chertainly right, Sakura. I don't think he could handle all those kids without you!"

[Gullara]

[Rabbit for Supper]

Calanthe is being less discrete than she mentions right now, but now Sakura can't help but wonder if the rabbit had ever discretely been looking at her before.

"He couldn't." Sakura giggles again, a little bit more put together this time. "You're lucky I know you're just as keen on taking care of our kids as you are on making new ones." She gives Adir a little poke in the ribs.

[Murkus]

[Rabbit for Supper]

"I do alright. But you're the one who's keenest-- most keen? On the kid thing," Adir points at Sakura. He rubs the side of Sakura's belly and points at Calanthe, saying to the bun, "Don't let her fool you! I've been seduced many times into helping make a new addition to the family. Ah, Sakura, we should take a break. Ah, Sakura, we have no money!" He glances down at the dryad - partly down her dress for a second - and his face is etched with a smirk. "Sound familiar?"

"All I'm saying is," Adir swallows and holds up his hand. "If she ever tells you she's been thinking of having a new baby - orrr if she starts saying things like how she can have as many as she wants, you better watch out. Never mind if you don't have the right equipment. She grew poor Russell out of a pot! I don't know what she's capable of!" He looks at Sakura and points again. "You're scary, lady!"