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Jora felt her heart race at the thought. The sea—it was more than just water to her; it was where she felt alive, where the very rhythm of the waves pulsed through her veins. *Lyra* needed to know that. Her daughter, so young, so full of potential, would grow up with a bond to the sea that would shape who she became. “I’m so excited,” Jora said, her voice tight with both anticipation and a bit of nerves. She let her fingers trace the outline of Lyra’s little hand, the weight of the responsibility settling in her chest. *But will she be ready?* She had never imagined teaching her child about the depths of the ocean, the currents, the tides—but now that it was real, the thought of guiding Lyra into this world filled her with a fierce love and a touch of worry. “What if… what if it’s too much for her?” Jora murmured, more to herself than Sage, her mind racing with images of the sea’s unpredictability, its power. “She’s so small... what if she’s afraid of it, or worse—what if it takes her somewhere we can’t reach?” |
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Sage had nodded along with Joras comment, sort of shifting to settle down on his back, thoroughly exhausted by then, but liking the weight of the little girl on his chest, so he didn't want to move her. He just let her lay on him, arms wrapped loosely around her. At Joras next comment though, he sort of shook his head, a small smile playing across his face. "She'll like it," he murmured gently. "She came from the sea. She'll grow up with it. It'll be her friend, like it is for us. Part of her family." The sea was special to them ...all of them. And he knew nothing would ever get in the way of that. It wasn't ever going to change. |
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Jora watched Sage, her smile softening as he spoke. The sea had always been a part of them, woven into their lives like the saltwater breeze that swept across their skin. Lyra would know that connection from the very beginning. The rhythm of the waves would soothe her to sleep, just as it had done for her and Sage. It was in their bones, the tide forever pulling at their hearts. "Yeah," Jora replied, her voice quiet but filled with the same certainty. "It'll be a part of her. Just like it's part of us." She reached over, brushing a strand of hair from Lyra's tiny face, her heart swelling with love for her. She was so small, so fragile, yet already a part of something so vast, so eternal. She knew she'd grow up with the sea as her constant companion, always guiding her, always there. The weight of the world might shift, but the ocean would remain, steady and timeless, just like them. |
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Sage nodded in response to Joras words with a smile. "She'll grow to love it as much as we do," he hummed softly, letting his eyes flutter closed after a moment. He didn't really mean to fall asleep ..he'd just meant to relax a bit. But, his body apparently had other ideas. He'd fallen asleep pretty much as soon as his eyes had closed and stayed shut. He supposed he'd just gotten relaxed and fallen asleep once his body had slowed down a little bit. That was ok....Jora would understand and it's not like they had anything important they'd been talking about. |
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Jora smiled at Sage as he settled into a comfortable silence. His words hung in the air, warm and reassuring. Jora, feeling the soft pull of the quiet around them, let out a soft breath and shifted slightly, her head leaning back against the pillow. She glanced over at Sage, watching him for a moment as his breathing slowed and deepened. She chuckled quietly, watching the way he’d already slipped away into sleep. He always did that—always managed to drift off so easily, so effortlessly. Jora couldn’t help but feel a small sense of envy at that. Her own mind started to wander, lulled by the peaceful stillness. The weight of the day’s events felt like a distant memory, and the warmth of the room wrapped around her like a blanket. She closed her eyes, just for a moment. It was so easy to fall asleep here, beside him, with everything quiet and right. The soft rhythm of Sage’s breathing, the steady pulse of the world beyond, the simple comfort of knowing she was not alone… it was enough. Jora's eyelids fluttered closed. She didn’t even try to stay awake. Instead, she let the sleep find her, following the gentle pull of it like a wave. Soon enough, her breathing deepened, and she was lost to the quiet, right alongside Sage and Lyra. |
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Sage had passed out for a good long while.... probably a couple of hours. He woke when he felt Lyra start shifting around and whimpering, no doubt hungry by then. A quick glance at jora told him she was getting a much needed rest, so he slid out of bed carefully, having enough energy to pad quietly into the kitchen and find a bottle he could use to feed the baby. Jora deserved the rest, and he needed to get out and get some fresh air anyway, so he moved to sit down on a couch like swing chair thing on the front porch of the...house? Building? Wherever they were. Either way, he couldn't keep the smile off his face as the baby grabbed the bottle eagerly, sucking the warm milk down eagerly. It was certainly nice to spend this time either her, feeding her. Helping her. Especially outside, with the breeze in his hair and the sun warm on his skin, the smell of the ocean coming in from the sea a few miles away. (Might be nice to have Selene find them and they talk for a bit? Idk, she could be someone that could help them in the future too if need be.) |
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Selene watched from the doorway, arms folded, still trying to make sense of everything that had happened since Lyra’s arrival. It wasn’t lost on her that Sage, despite everything she’d witnessed, was trying... at least in this moment. She couldn’t ignore the change in his demeanor as he sat there, bottle in hand, with a calm she hadn’t expected. Maybe Jora was right to trust him, but trust was earned, not given freely. "You've got a long way to go, Sage," she said, her voice steady, but not unkind. "I don't forget easily." She could feel the weight of those words as she said them. Maybe she was being too harsh—Jora had forgiven him, after all, and for her sake, Selene knew she had to try. But the memory of that night when she’d found Lyra—Jora screaming in pain and Sage barely able to stand—was still fresh. He had to prove himself, for more than just her; he had to prove he could handle this responsibility. Still, seeing him with Lyra now, she couldn’t deny that something was different. "She looks at you like she knows you," Selene added softly, her gaze fixed on the baby’s tiny hands gripping the bottle. "Maybe you’re not completely hopeless." Her voice softened then, the first hint of a tentative truce. "Just... don’t mess this up." |
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Sage hadn't expected anyone to be there, and he certainly hadn't expected them to talk to him. So, he jumped when Selene spoke up, her presence bringing a short burst of panic through his body before he calmed himself down, though his heart still pounded with adrenaline. He hated the fact that he was so jumpy now...but at least he knew that he wouldn't drop Lyra or anything when he got startled....he'd just hugged her protectively to his chest the moment danger arrived. Well...Selene, but he knew she thought pretty badly of him, and he supposed he was just nervous around women who he didn't know. Who weren't Jora. He listened though processing her words, watching her wearily. Trust was earned...but that went both ways, and he'd been wronged by a lot of women. Selene may have helped Jora, but she didn't like him, and he didn't trust her. At her words though, he just looked back down, focusing on the baby but keenly aware of the woman in the doorway. "I looked for them," he murmered. "I've seen hundreds of ships go down like that...there's never any survivors, unless they take captives," he noted, getting up to set the empty bottle on the table, letting the fact that he'd thought he'd lost both of them sink in a bit. He moved past her to get inside, meeting her gaze briefly. He knew what she'd seen was bad, and with the tattoos and piercings and scars he didn't exactly look like a father figure or loving...whatever he counted as. "When you lose your whole family and are sold off to be a postitute in a shitty tavern with an angry owner, then you can judge me," he noted sharply, clearly defensive about that part. His expression softened slightly when hers did though, and he shook his head slightly. "As long as I have them, I have something to fight for. That's all I need to keep going, even if its one small footstep at a time," he noted quietly. |
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Selene could see the way he softened when he spoke of Jora, a rare vulnerability that slipped through his guard, like a crack in a stone wall. It was clear that the love he had for her—no matter how broken or battered he might be—was something he would protect with his life. She could relate to that kind of devotion, even if she didn’t always agree with the way he went about things. She watched him carefully, letting the silence hang for a moment as she processed the tension in his words. He might not trust her, but there was something deeper she could sense beneath the defensiveness. “I saw how you look at her,” Selene said quietly, her gaze flickering toward where Jora rested. She didn’t need to elaborate—her words were enough. “It’s not hard to see the way you love her. It’s a different kind of strength than what you’ve built around yourself, but it’s just as real.” Selene took a breath, keeping her tone measured but firm. “And I helped bring Lyra into this world because I care about Jora. I always will. But that doesn’t mean I’m here to judge you. It just means… you don’t have to carry everything on your own, Sage.” She stepped closer, just enough to make her presence known, but not to crowd him. “You’re a father now, and that means you’re part of something bigger than just surviving. You’ve got a reason to keep going, but you also have to remember that you’re allowed to lean on others when you need it.” She held his gaze, searching for a flicker of understanding. “You don’t have to be alone in this.” Her voice softened again, the edges of her steel giving way to something gentler. “Jora trusts you. And I trust her. So, maybe… maybe that’s a start.” |
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Sage let his gaze follow Selene's over to Jora, his features softening slightly as he took her in. She looked so peaceful...he envied how she could just slip away, and rest with no worries or nightmares. He hid them well...he'd become quite accustomed to them. He couldn't really remember a time where he hadn't been haunted by his dreams. But, maybe as time went on, that would change. Maybe things would be ok. "I suppose I can't thank you enough for saving them," he murmured softly, shaking his head as he mmoved to sit down, legs getting tired from standing. He was more comfortable around her though, now that she didn't seem so...angry. Harsh. He looked back over at Selene as she spoke up again, a soft sigh escaping his lips, his lip ring drawn into his mouth, the nervous habit being worse now than ever. "As long as we're together, we'll get through whatever life throws our way," he noted. He wasn't alone....he had Jora. And Jora had Selene. Lyra had all three of them. So maybe she was right....maybe things could be different. He did want to prove himself to her...what she'd seen wasn't him. He just hoped she'd be as open as she seemed to be. But hoping wass dangerous...it often just dissapointed you. But for Jora and Lyra, well...he was willing to try. |
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Mostly Sunny with some High Clouds
