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Sage sighed when Mari just grumbled, but he knew her well enough by then to know what she was thinking about. Worrying about. He leaned into her touch when she ran her fingers through his hair, but nodded softly when she mentioned coming right back. "That was my plan," he noted softly. He knew she didn't really want him involved in this ...but they weren't safe without knowing anything about what all was happening out there. He was at a loss of what to do, but fighting was what he was confident in, so if gathering information was their way of fighting back, then that was what he'd do. He'd be careful, and wouldn't get too involved....but his family came first, and Anya would know that.
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Mari looked down at him after a moment, her brows punched together. She really hated all of this. She didn't want to relax. She didn't want to let her guard down encase someone came in. If someone came back to finish off what they'd started. She didn't want to leave the place completely unguarded. She ran her nails softly down the nape of his neck, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, alright. Go on then," she mumbled. She shifted so he could get up, and sort of gave him a look. "Be quick," she murmured, getting up from the bed to go back to their kids.
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Sage nodded, face softening as she spoke. "I'll be quick," he noted softly, squeezing her hand and then rolling out of the bed, tossing his hair up into a quick braid before moving out to the animals. The horses were hungry, and were admittedly sort of crabby, but he fed and watered them before letting them out in their pastures and then heading back to the house and plopping onto the couch. Thankfully, that hadn't been messed up too much. It had been tipped over and had some holes, but nothing they couldn't stitch back together easily enough
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Mari rather quickly made her way back to their kids room, deciding that if she wanted them to sleep at all that night they'd have to get up... but they still looked scared. They were holding onto the covers, curled up tight like they were trying to protect themselves. She sighed and found some games out for them... they didn't have to come downstairs just yet if they didn't feel safe. She set the floor up so it was comfy with snacks and blankets and pillows before waking them up gently and directing them towards the activity she'd set up. She just wanted them to feel safe. Hopefully they did. Once they were calm, she walked downstairs silently, admittedly peaking around the corners just out of pure nerves. When all she saw was Sage, though, she gave a soft sigh before going to settle down on the couch tiredly.
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Sage had lifted his head when he heard them coming downstairs. His first instinct was to tense up, automatically thinking of the worst situation. He calmed down quickly though, knowing it was just his family. He offered the kids a tired smile as they moved to crawl into the couch with him, greeting both them and Mari as they entered the room, shifting so there was room for all of them on the cushions. He was tempted to have the kids come in and sleep with her and Mari tonight, or maybe for a few days. He wasn't sure their bed was big enough, but he weighed the options in his head.
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Mari watched as the kids settled down, the both of them still looking pretty shellshocked. It made sense. She and Sage had managed to make sure they'd been as sheltered as they could have been down here. They'd onlys seen the best of... well, everything, really. The only time things had gone nearly wrong was when Silas had been taken, but that was years ago now. Hell, even Mari had forgotten what it could be like down here now.
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Sage let out a soft sigh once everyone was curled up, and he moved to wrap an arm around Maris shoulders and use his other arm to keep the kids in between them, where they'd curled in. "Why don't you two find a game or something to do, yeah," he hummed after a bit of time. "Well make dinner while you find something then we can eat while we play," he suggested, in an attempt to get the kids to relax a little bit. Have some fun. Take their mind off of being so scared.
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Mari sat in near silence for a little while, her eyes sharp yet seeming so... blank. She didn't know what to think or do or... anything. Nothing like this had happened in years, and she'd forgotten how to handle herself. How to look after everyone. She used to be so good at it. So good at keeping people calm and making them feel safe, now she could barely do that for her own children. She looked up when she'd heard Sages voice, and then watched the kids as they got up. She'd set up an activity for them earlier... and she offered that up to them. It was upstairs in Liz's room, so they should feel safe there. They had snacks and whatever they wanted, too. Her eyes followed them until she couldn't see them anymore, and soon stood up to wander into the kitchen.
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Sage glanced over at Mari when she mentioned she'd set something up for them before hand, and he nodded along in agreement when she suggested that. "We'll be up with dinner in a bit," he promised the kids as they ran upstairs, eager to play the game she'd set out. Sage followed her to the kitchen, knowing she likely wouldn't want to be left alone completely downstairs. Plus, they could work together and get some familiarity back into their lives. It would help him to do something normal, at least.
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Mari wandered into the kitchen, going through the cabinets to try and find... something that might make a decent meal. Most of it had been trashed, and all she could think of was some rather pathetic sandwiches. She looked around for a little while longer and found some potatoes, then some chicken they'd had left over from the night before. Chicken and chips. Yeah, fine, that was the best she could do. She got to work fairly quickly, trying to occupy her mind with... well, anything really. Not that it helped. She moved around Sage fairly quickly, now trying to get this done as fast as she could.
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