Completed New Year

[Ricky Maze]

New Year
Spring 1st 515 AV, 14th Bell
Location: The Old Quarter

Winter had passed but it had left behind a chill that still stuck to the air within the Bay, granted its passing had only just begun however many could've expected this to be the case. However spirits felt just a little bit higher than compared to the period of their dilemma where the ice halted all means of sailing and fishing. It had been a hard trial to endure but somehow Zeltiva seemed to endeavor, always did when the going somehow got tough on everyone. The idea sort of made Ricky a little proud of his own blood and hometown, a bigger sort of respect for Zeltiva quickly developed the more he realized just how strong her people really were in times of a crisis. Now of course wasn't the time to mope around and linger on what they had endured, it was the time to act and continue working to make everything better for the city. And he would do his best to contribute to this, one day at a time he would try and help his fellow man. What else could he do other than simply live, he'd pretty much put that thought past him and concerned the well being of his family above all anyways.

No point in dwellin' on it. He reminded himself as he continued the walk towards home, his upper body worn out from the amount of fish he'd hauled today. He had started to feel more at home now that he'd been back to the simplicity of his old life, the days of being a fisherman had been greatly missed even though things were different. Before he never really worked with the other fishermen because he preferred being alone really, now of course he enjoyed the company and welcomed the laughs and jests that came with it. It somehow felt almost like a brotherhood in a way, almost like the Wave Guard did. There were times he wondered about how his peers there were doing, and if the job had been any easier on them since the incidents that transpired all throughout the previous year. The stories that the fisherman told though were enlightening none the less, even if there hadn't been anything supernatural or amazing happening in them, Ricky found the sense of normalcy he'd been wanting in hearing them.

Suppose Oi've 'ad me fair share o' stories as well. Indeed he even shared a couple of his own, the story about how he lost his pinky made a lot of the other men laugh. He could understand why too. One chime you go from nearly getting your ass kicked, to finding a group of unusual people coming to your aid, and then the next a crazed wizard tries to swallow you into the air with his magic. Still even when those kinds of stories made Ricky feel like he'd gone insane, the mirth and fellowship the other fishermen shared made his head feel level again, like the whole world didn't seem out to get him like he thought before. Finally, Oi'm home. A gentle smile curved his lips when he arrived at the building he called home, the wooden oak door gave a heavy creak the moment he opened it to enter. "Honey! Oi'm home!" He always wanted to shout that when he walked through the door, now that he did it felt even more awesome than he imagined.

[Ricky Maze]

"Welcome home! We're upstairs dear!" A feminine voice called out in a sounded muffle through the floor, of course the simple act of hearing her created the biggest grin he could make. Almost with an upbeat pace he'd made his way eagerly into the next room, passed onward into the corridor where the staircase existed, and headed on up into the area where he could enter through the door into his bedroom. Once the door opened and he'd entered Telion had already stood with Martin in her arms, words of his return home chanted in the boy's ear as he bounced excitedly in anticipation.

"There's my boy!" He cheered as he held his hands out to accept the pass of the child from his wife, once he'd finally held Martin in a soft hug he leaned in and gave Telion a short kiss afterwards. "How was de day love?"

"Da!" Martin cooed as he leaned back to look at his father's face, Telion's smirk grew as she gestured a hand at their child, while Ricky's smile drooped for a moment after he realized what Martin just called him. "Da!"

"Da?! Is d'at what Oi am?! Am Oi yer Da?!" The corners of his lips went from ear to ear as he praised the boy, giggles followed from the child as he still looked a little surprised towards his wife. "When did he learn t' say d'at?!"

"Today at the orphanage! He's already learned to call me Ma, but the first word he associated with you was "Da" when I talked to him." She explained as she came close to rest against his arm, she gave their son a sweet sincere look of joy when her fingers trailed through his hair.

"Really?" He changed glances between her and Martin for a moment, until finally he chuckled and then kissed Martin's forehead. "Da it is d'en! Oi'm yer Da!" He cooed with a bit of tease put into it, he thought to head out towards the door and downstairs, but before he managed to move away Telion directed him towards the bench nearby and pointed for him to sit. As he obeyed she'd went around behind him and started to massage his shoulders, her hands and fingers firmly pressed into the muscles as she worked her way up to the neck. "Oh baby." He sighed as he felt what tension had existed there slowly rub away, a little curious as to why she had decided to suddenly give such a pleasant surprise. "Did Oi miss somet'in?"

"Not really. Just helpin' ya relax a bit, besides... I've got a bit more good news, somet'in ye might actually like." She murmured in a low voice as she rested her chin on his head for a tick, Ricky looked up to her as best as he could with a look of intrigue at what she had to say. "I think we've another little one on the way now!" She encouraged with a hopeful smile as she watched to see his reaction, Ricky's grin dropped as he leaned up to turn towards her as far as the bench allowed, while at the same time Martin remained held on his lap in the process.

"Ye serious?!" He prodded almost excitedly while the residual shock remained in his expression, Telion giggled a little and nodded in response to his question. "Ye sure?!" She nodded again with more giggles. "Not pullin' me leg or nothin'?" He tried one last time while a smirk slowly formed in the process.

"Yes Ricky!!" She exclaimed with a laugh to follow, Ricky's excitement could've put a hole in the roof, had he not a child on his lap already that is. Still he'd risen to his feet almost in a manner of a jump, once Martin had been secured in his arms again to allow such a movement. Both the toddler and Telion were in a merry fit as they enjoyed Ricky's own genuine reaction, the father couldn't help but hug his wife close before he finally asked the more important question. "When did ya find out?!"

"I had my suspicions almost towards the end of winter, wanted to be sure before I told you this time." She shared with her head rested on his shoulder. "Before the new year hit I finally knew I was with child again, so I just wanted to wait for a moment like this to surprise you."

"Damn." He sighed happily as he felt a bit of pride swell inside, already he was going to be a father of two! It practically made him tear up just a little bit to think about it, now that the news of her pregnancy had finally sunk into his thick headed skull.

[Ricky Maze]

What with the excitement to pass and things to finally reach a calm, the time for supper seemed to approach soon plus a little bit of a nap, though the only one who would be doing such napping would be their first child. Martin had indeed been rambunctious due to the amount of energy that existed in the house, what with Ricky learning being called the toddlers version of "Dad" for the first time, as well as the word of Telion's own pregnancy. Therefore when Martin's nap time finally came around the boy more or less grew cranky, not ready to give in to the usual pattern of sleep he followed throughout the day.

Ricky more or less just sat next to the boy's cradle while the child rested in his arms, a gentle rocking motion made as he tried to lull his son into sleep. It had been a while since it was his turn to sing the tune, but now that he had the chance he didn't attempt to rush anything. Martin wasn't going to sleep any faster after all, so he definitely intended to enjoy ever tick of watching the boy. Although admittedly Martin more or less attempted to squirm quite a bit, every so often he'd tried to move so he could get to explore more. It gave Ricky plenty of reason to feel his patience tested, yet he wouldn't allow his frustrations to get the better of him at this point now. Martin had to be getting tired at this point, and his rebellion against the nap definitely served contribution as well. All that remained was to wait until he finally gave in and settled down, and allowed his sobs to lessen so that Ricky could at last sing his precious lullaby.

"Come sail on de tides o' weary sailor,
come sail on de gentle waters o' love
Where the shores o' home 're waitin',
where Oi will be waitin' fer you, my sailin' little dove.
Come in and leave yer t'oughts at de door,
come and sit with me at de table.
Leave all but yer dreams and yer love behind,
and tell me yer greatest fable."

His words were near a soft murmur when he sang the melody to Martin, a fade of the vocals carried out while humming still remained. It took a little bit of repetition before Martin finally started to slip into the sound sleep he would always have, and when he finally slept deeply in Ricky's arms the father placed one soft kiss on the boy's forehead. Careful to avoid action that would prove too fast, he rose out of the chair slowly and stood next to the cradle, and then eased Martin down into it while his arms gently slipped out from underneath the boy. With a soft grin the father quietly retreated for the door next, eager to help his wife with dinner later on. The whole time he made his way to the kitchen however, he couldn't stop thinking about how much their son had grown already.