All 06.1 - To Granny's House We Go

"So, this is Tsimshian then?" Victor asked as the pair walked onto the street. The weather was milder than it was back in Asanon, being middle of Kislev, as the nearby ocean kept the winter's chill away. The cost of this was the gentle rain falling; Victor held his umbrella aloft, keeping him and his new son dry. The air smelled vaguely of salt, a far cry from the city atmosphere of Arlington. "Where does your grandmother live?"
"Eh, not too far. Up at the north end, on the water, it's nice." The druid surveyed his surroundings with a quiet, rather pleased look on his face. It had been so long since he'd been back, he had been starting to forget the quiet charm of the city. As they traversed the cedar boardwalk streets, its lush and rather prolific greenery and its decidedly moist atmosphere all served to buoy his spirits further. He continued cheerfully, checking a streetsign before turning "It's honestly probably not more than like...five minutes from here?"
"Excellent," Victor said, and the two began to walk in the direction Lucca indicated. Virgil, for his part, was quiet for the moment. It didn't take them long to reach the house they aimed for.
The druid trotted lightly through the lovely garden out front, trailing one hand through the moist foliage as he followed the stone path up to the rather small, but well kept cottage. Reaching the door, he paused suddenly looking uncertain. It wasnt until Victor cleared his throat that he gave his head a shake and knocked on the door.
It was some time before the door swung open to reveal a rather small, elderly lady. She smiled at them kindly, brushing a few loose strands of silvery hair from her face and squinting at them slightly, "Oh, good afternoon gentlemen, how may I..." she trailed off, taking a second look at the younger man.
As she made to speak once more, suprise registering on her face, Lucca smiled, "Hey Granny, long time no see." He gave her a warm hug, and they exchanged pleasantries as she ushered them inside and to the kitchen, bustling about and putting a kettle on to make tea. Victor was momentarily forgotten as they began catching up, with Granny Wakiya expressing pleasant suprise at how much Lucca had grown, how far his travels had taken him and offering her warm congratulations at his official ordainment as a full druid. Lucca in turn talked of how much he'd missed her, and being home, and commented on how well she was looking. Victor noted that the boy's disposition was remarkably congenial, and as such, quite a far cry from the young man he was used to.
Glancing over his shoulder, Lucca seemed to suddenly remember that Victor was there and made his introductions before turning his attention to the reason for their trip, "So, like, while I really wanted to come visit earlier, I couldn't get out here...but then Victor ended up with a problem, and I thought you were probably the best one to help, and so I talked to my boss and..." he waved his hands a little irritably, shaking his head."It's a bit of a long story, I'll explain it later, but anyway, he helped us get out here quick so we could see you and ask for some advice." He turned to Victor, "Do you wanna explain? I think you'd do better..."
"It's...a not particularly believable story," he started.
Granny Wakiya smiled at him warmly, guesturing for him to take a seat at the table as she sat down herself, "That's quite alright, dear. If you know my grandson, then you know that I'm no stranger to unbelieveable things." Pouring herself a cup of tea, she offered him some as well, adding, "I always find tea makes everything a bit easier, don't you?
"Yes, thank you," he replied as he took a cup. Taking a breath and collecting his thoughts, he explained, "Well, I met Lucca in Arlington; we have the same employer. We were sent out into the mountains on a task with another coworker, to take pictures up on one of the peaks. On the way, we found a tanooki, a raccoon fey, who had been cornered by some coyotes. He called for help, so we chased off the coyotes, since it seemed cruel to leave him to get eaten. In gratitude for saving him, he insisted that we draw cards from a magic deck, and, apparently I drew the one that gave me a child. So here we are." He added flatly, "That is a preposterous-sounding story that is not going to get better with time."
The old woman listened to his story intently, a small, uncertain frown creeping across her face as he spoke. As she made to answer, concern clearly evident in her expression, she was interrupted by a whining noise as Virgil began fussing. Wincing, Victor added quickly, "I have no idea what I'm doing and Lucca said you were experienced in these matters, so anything you could tell me about raising a baby, please, I have no idea what I'm doing."
"Oh...Oh poor dear, hush now," she addressed Virgil, before asking Victor if she could see him, reaching out to take the boy in her arms, rocking him to quiet him and cooing, "Well, aren't you just a sweet little thing, look at you."
"Virgil, is his name," Victor added as she took the child.
"If that isnt a lovely name, I don't know what is."
Turning her attention back to Victor, she continued, rather seriously, "That is quite the outlandish story indeed, my dear. But I can certainly can help get you off on the right foot; I've raised a couple little ones myself. I always found it a joy; I'm sure you will too, in time. At any rate, he looks like a lovely, healthy critter, so you can't have been doing too poorly all this time, especially whilst traveling. " She looked down at the child thoughtfully and tickled his cheek, smiling softly down at him. Still addressing Victor, she added, "How long will you be staying for?"
"In all honesty: until your hospitality wears thin, my employer calls, or until I can trust myself not to not endanger a baby, whichever comes first...oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply...I am perfectly fine staying in a hotel..." He rubbed his eyes, "I apologize. I'm babbling. I haven't slept well recently." Meanwhile, Virgil quieted and began looking about with interest.
"Oh no no, there is no need for anything that. You're welcome to stay as long as you like, I'll be my pleasure to have you all here.  And frankly, it'd be hard to teach you much if you were running off to a hotel each night; spirits know thats always the hardest time anyway. No no, you'll be staying here with us. And no need for those apologies either; I know all about how that is. We'll make sure you get some rest while you're here." She smiled at him once more, before momentarily turning her attention back to her grandson, who was in the process of quietly ransacking the kitchen. "Lucca, I believe you'll find the cookies in the top cupboard, to the left. Bring them over, we'll all have some with our tea. Then you and I can see about getting you and your friend settled in, how's that?"
"S'cool by me." Locating the tin of cookies, the druid moved to join them at the table, helping himself to some tea.
----
"So when he's sleeping, always put him on his back, and make sure there aren't a lot of blankets or anything in the crib," the elder explained as they quietly moved into the adjacent room, leaving Virgil to nap. Victor nodded intently, desperately glad for the instructions. They sat down in the living room; Victor and Virgil had been put into Lucca's old room, now set up once again for a baby, while Lucca made due with the couch.
"Thank you again," Victor said for what could possibly be the hundredth time over several hours. He sat down and looked relaxed for a minute before a flit of nervousness went over his face and he looked back towards the other room. "At what point will I stop continually worrying that he's going to smother in his sleep?" he asked.
"Oh, it wont be too long. From my experience that generally comes when they're about...ooh, around his age." she guestured to the young druid sprawled out across the couch, flashing Victor a teasing smile. She continued gently, "You'll always worry, but it does get easier as they get older, and yourself more used to it." He nodded and leaned back again.
She made her way over to the couch and took a seat when Lucca curled his legs up to make room. Turning to the young man, she regarded him seriously, "Now, sweetheart, I wanted to have a word with you." She glanced over at Victor again, added, "I suppose both of you, really, but moreso you, Lucca." The druid shot a quizzical glance, first at his grandmother as she paused to consider her words carefully, then to Victor. The older man sat more upright, looking slightly less confused, with his lack of questioning proportional to his lack of sleep.
The old woman began slowly, "Now, you boys gave me quite a story earlier, and while I'm sure you both mean well by it, even I find it a bit hard to believe. I'm sure you understand." She paused and glanced at each of them in turn once more, gauging their reactions.
"Yes. It's a poor story. I would've made a better one. It wouldn't involve four-foot raccoons in stretch pants," Victor said, adding a quiet giggling noise at the end.
Granny regarded him with an unscrutable, slightly pitying expression for a moment before turning her attention to her grandson once more, "Lucca, sweetheart, I know that you know I wont judge you for whatever you do. I worry, but I don't judge. You don't need to create fantastical tales for me about things like this." The boy remained silent as she spoke, but a marked wariness begain creeping into his expression and he pulled himself up into a sitting position.
"I know how it is, I was young once too. You're at that age; you're probably starting to...experiment. And that's absolutely okay, as long as you're careful. But too, I guess with the blessings you have that sometimes takes different forms, and that's okay too; I know you're usually a boy, but I suppose sometimes it's fun to be a girl too, but that means tha-"
"NO! Granny! No! ....No!" The colour had drained from his face as she spoke, but now came rushing back, his cheeks burning bright pink. "That's not how it is at all! Like...at all! Not even a little! That kid is his! Entirely! Jeeze! I don't have anything to do with it! Like...anything!" He looked over to Victor, a mixture of horror and helplessness clear on his face as his grandmother continued speaking. 
Victor, for his part started laughing. He composed himself long enough to mention, "You're less than half my age; is that worse than the birds?" He coughed as he finished chuckling, "Ahh. Sleep madness. Everything is amusing." Victor turned to the woman and said, "I apologize. He really doesn't have anything to do with it. We're coworkers, and neither of us has any particular friends or family in Arlington, so we help each other out when we can. I don't think I've ever even seen him as a girl for more than a minute, when he was mocking someone."
Lucca's voice had taken on a bit of a shrill note as he retorted, "Yes, actually, it is a lot worse than the fucking birds! And it's not funny!" He closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his temple with a growl when Granny immediately berated him for his language.
Turning to Victor, she regarded him judiciously before replying, "I honestly find that somehow hard to believe, my dear, that you two are but coworkers, not when the first time I see my grandson in over six years is with yourself and a child in tow. Especially considering the sort of precedents he's set in the past. You must understand how it seems from my perspective, don't you?"
A groan escaped the younger man at this, "Granny, please. I haven't set any precedents! You're so wrong it's not even funny! The kid doesn't even look at all like me, how could you think something that?"
"Come now, sweetheart, we all know what you can do. How am I to know what you looked like when you two..." she trailed off with a vague guesture between them, earning a harried growl from Lucca.
"Enough! Enough! I...I'm going for a walk!" he was starting to sound slightly hysterical as he jumped up and headed for the door, something of a hunted look in his eyes. "I'll be back later."
"Oh dear..." the old woman looked rather concerned as she watched him go, "He gets so emotional sometimes..."
"Yes, he can be a bit touchy," Victor said, "Give him a bit, I'll go find him if he's not back before dinnertime." He looked at the woman seriously and said, somewhat gently, "I can see what you're saying, but in all honesty, whatever my relationship with your grandson is, it is not physical in any fashion." He gave an odd smile, "There probably isn't any way to phrase it that some people wouldn't take it oddly. Coworkers? Friends? Teacher-student? Why bother trying to sterilize the description; people can think what they want. We are two people lost and generally alone in a city, and our mutual eccentricities don't offend each other too badly, so we keep each other company. Heh," he grinned, "platonically."
She gave him a kindly, muted smile, and shook her head slightly, with something of a self-deprecating tone, "Oh, I suppose I'm just getting to be a fuddly old coot at this age anyway. That's all I was really trying to get at in the first place; that it doesn't matter much to me what exactly you two are to each other, or what you call it or you do or don't do. You clearly care about each other in some fashion, and that's all that really matters to me; having someone around who cares is important. I'd imagine you especially are going to find the truth in that to become increasingly more evident in times to come." She trailed off, looking thoughtful, before adding, "Ah, I'm just rambling now, don't mind me."
"No no," he said quietly, drifting off into a nap-state while still sitting. "I'm glad..."
----
It was getting close to sunset as Victor ambled through the city. He was feeling markedly better, after having had a decent nap and then being shooed out the door to find Lucca; it was the first he'd been away from the baby since he'd found himself a father 6 days ago, and the air and moderate distance was nice. He walked about in no hurry, trying to keep his mind blank and restore some sort of order to his thoughts, which had been sorely scrambled the past while. Taking in the sights, he kept an eye out for Lucca, idly hoping that he hadn't taken on some sort of other form lest he never find him. The gentle rain persisted, lightly tapping on his umbrella and keeping the streets mostly clear of other pedestrians.
It didn't take him unduly long to find who he was looking for. Sitting at the end of one of the many piers that jutted into the sea, Lucca sat dangling his feet in the water, watching the rain upon the waves seemingly quite unbothered by the fact that he was soaking wet. Scattered about him on the damp wood were his boots, hat, and the sad remains of what appeared to have been a notably large salmon. He shifted slightly when he felt as much as heard the sound of boots on the pier, but otherwise made no move to acknowledge the other man. 
Reaching the end, Victor looked down at Lucca for a minute, then sat down beside him, arranging himself so that he sat on his coat and mostly protected his pants from the wet wood. He held his umbrella such that it covered the both of them, and looked out over the grey waves in silence.
It was a long time before Lucca finally broke the silence, speaking to no-one in particular, "I guess I kinda should feel bad....but I really don't. I mean, like, up here I guess I kinda do," he tapped the side of his own head, "It's not really right to just...eat an animal like that. But the rest of me just feels better." He finished with a shrug, his eyes not leaving the water.
Victor considered that, and said, "It's difficult, I suppose, to resist bodily desire. Thousands of people eat animals everyday, and don't for a moment think it's wrong. Animals eat animals, why shouldn't they? The body craves it, likes the taste, likes the nutrients. But humans don't have to eat animals, it's not necessary. Just a desire. Your mind is upset, because you gave in to a desire you feel was wrong, that you stand against. But you were stressed, and upset, and I suppose you were hungry, and your desire outweighed your mind for a moment. It was a single fish, a small concession in the scheme of your life, compared to all those you will spare over your existence. Don't dwell on it, reaffirm your belief, forgive yourself and move on." He said all this while still looking out over the water, like Lucca.
The druid considered this for a few moments before nodding slightly, "Fair enough...not much other choice, really."
They sat quietly for a little longer, until Victor asked, "Why did that upset you so? It was a ridiculous notion, we both know it, so why let it bother you?"
At this, the younger man clenched his jaw and his stare took on a stony cast. It was a long time before he answered, his tone measured, "It just did. Things like that...bother me. Always do. That time was worse."
"Am I that terribly unattractive?" Victor asked facetiously, grinning slightly but still looking at the water. "Apparently birds feel otherwise."
"It's not about you, not really, anyway." Lucca's retort came right on the heels of Victor's question. He added after a short pause, a slight smile flickering about the corners of his lips, "Bird fucker."
Victor smiled, "Well, in my defense, they were very human-shaped at the time." He stifled a laugh and rubbed his face with his free hand, "And my immediate thought now was, 'which is probably better than can be said for at least some lonely druid out there', and now all I can assume is, were I a druid, that that event would be what I was named for." He shook his head a little and sighed.
This was finally enough to pull Lucca's gaze from the water, the joke earning an incredulous look and a tittering laugh. "You'd be something like 'Fucks Three Birds', and you'd be renowned throughout the lands, no doubt. High class, dude."
He still smiled faintly, but his expression became more serious again as he said, "If you want to talk about why it did bother you, I'll listen."
Lucca's smile faded as Victor continued, leaving in its wake an unscrutable expression. He regarded the other man searchingly for some time, and looked like he might say something a couple times, before suddenly dropping his gaze again. "I...thanks..." he murmured softly, lapsing into silence once more.
"Anytime," he said, unclear as to whether it was meant as a reply or an invitation, but added nothing else. The pair sat quietly in the rain, watching the waves. Much later, Victor muttered softly, "...I wonder if I've seen the ocean before, or if this was my first time...?" As he finished his sentence, he stood up. "We should return. I promised your grandmother I'd bring you back for dinner, and she's probably getting worried. That and we're both going to catch colds, and then I'd have to quarantine myself from Virgil for fear of giving it to him." He held out his hand to help Lucca up. "Apparently I'm going to worry myself into my grave."
The younger man looked up at him for a moment before reaching out to take his hand, allowing Victor to pull him to his feet. Pulling his hat and boots back on, a small smile quirked the corners of his mouth, "Take it easy, old man. You don't gotta worry so much, I've got your back."
----
"Marisol," Victor began, "If it's not too forward, could I ask a question about your grandson?" It was the afternoon, a few days after arriving in Tsimshian. Lucca was out of the house, but the others were still around, Granny working on a quilt while Victor gave Virgil his bottle. He was learning quickly, and was adapting to the skills of parenthood as well as could be reasonably expected, though he still hadn't shaken the feeling that he was doing, or was going to do, something terribly wrong.
"Mmm?' She glanced up only briefly from her stitching, "Oh yes of course, feel free. What would you like to know?"
"He mentioned that you raised him; where are his parents, if you don't mind my asking?"
Her hand paused mid stitch, and she looked up at him once more. "Both long gone, I'm afraid. Both long gone." With a sigh, she pulled the needle through before setting the works down on her lap and leaning back in her chair. "My son was a fisherman. He left with his crew late in the season, the year Lucca was born, and neither they, nor their boat returned. It was a particularily bad year for storms; we lost a lot of good men that year, we did." She considered her words before continuing, "His mother...she was always a delicate sort. I suppose it was a combination of the strain of bearing a child, along with the loss of her husband." She trailed off and shook her head, "Lucca was about the same age as your boy when she left us."
"I am sorry for your loss," he said, offering his condolences. "So, after her passing, you took Lucca as your own?"
She blinked at him, frowning slightly, "Of course, what else could I do? He was a baby, my grandson, and I his only kin; for all intents and purposes he is my own. Even if there was something else I could have done, I wouldn't have." She got a faraway look in her eyes as she stepped back into memory, "It's always been a wonder to me that he's done so well, that boy. We all swore he wouldn't make it through his first night, honestly, but he rallied, and things looked like they'd be fine. But then Eulalia started with her strange talk..." she trailed off with a shake of her head.
"Eulalia...his mother? What sort of strange talk?"
"Mhmmm. It started off normal enough, she was worried about him, Lucca that is, thought something might be wrong. You yourself clearly know how that is, babies bring worry, they're like that. But rather than getting better, she just seemed to get worse and worse..." The old woman shook her head. "Like I said, the strain of it all at once must have been too much for her. Her mind couldn't take it and off she went. Very sad, really. But that's all in the past now."
"Oh..." he said, "That is terrible. Again, I'm sorry." He adjusted Virgil and continued, "He has no other family at all; aunts or uncles, grandparents on the other side? He's never mentioned anyone, other than you." 
She tapped one finger against her lips, thinking for a few moments, "Well now...I believe he would have an aunt, and perhaps his grandfather, on his mother's side, provided they're still around. They're Tinipetu though, always moving with their herds. I myself only met my daughter-in-law's family but once; Lucca never had occasion to, so far as I know. As for my side of the family, Lucca is all I have left, save a few distant cousins."
"Well, he speaks very fondly of you; he cares about you very much. You raised a good boy," he made a thoughtful expression, "...man. He's at that age where he's not quite one or the other, I think. Nearly, though. Has he always had that temper? He's very touchy, sometimes, particularly if I ask about him."
A smile spread across her face as she continued, "Thank you, dear. And I suppose he has always had a bit of fire in him, that boy, yes. Maybe not as much as now, but then as you yourself just said, he's at that age."
"Indeed. You said he hadn't been home in years; I suppose he came to the city after he finished his training. He's never mentioned any other druids, but he must have had a teacher. Do you know anything of them? I've never had occasion to ask him about his training, where I thought I might get an answer. As I said, he tends to get very defensive about himself."
Her expression fell slightly at the mention of other druids, with a hint of distaste, she replied, "Oh, of course he did. He was so set on being a druid that he took up with the first one to come through when he was old enough. The fellow always struck me as a bit of a daffy old coot; called himself 'Copper Moon'. I suppose he was decent enough; he couldn't have been too terrible if Lucca managed to learn enough from him to be ordained. But I really don't know terribly much about him. What I do know though, is that the man was never far from a bottle, and moved at a pace like molasses in January." She shook her head, "If you want to know more about him, you will have to talk to Lucca."
"I was just idly curious, I tend to be," he said. He put down the finished bottle and began the burping process. "Heh, I can't see Lucca doing too well with a slow teacher. He's got too much spirit." He paused for a moment, then continued, "I suppose I have one other question: he hasn't been here since becoming a druid, and yet you know all about his shape-shifting; has he always been able to do that, even before training? I assumed it might be a druid power." 
"Oh yes, I think the first time it happened he was about six. I remember it well, I was making lunch when this adorable little ginger half-elf came running into my house crying and yelling, "Granny, I'm not me! I'm stuck! What's happening?" You'd best believe I was mighty confused." She chuckled to herself, "But we got it all sorted, I told him to remember what he'd done just before he'd shifted, but opposite. So he screwed up his little face, and thought really hard, and wouldn't you know it, but it worked! He turned right back, and I realized that he must have been blessed all along, by the nature spirits you see." Finishing her tale, she smiled proudly and took up her quilting once more. "He's a special boy, he is."
"He certainly is," Victor replied. "He certainly is." He held out Virgil, who had been entertaining himself by yanking on some of Victor's stray hair. "Yes, and so are you."
----
"Thank you again for your hospitality, and all of your guidance," Victor said. The pair had packed up, and were ready to head back to Arlington.
"Oh pssh! You don't need to keep thanking me like that, you're going to make me turn all red. It was my pleasure, dear, truly. If you ever need anything, or just happen to be passing through, you know where to find me, my door is always open, and you are always welcome." There was perhaps a small tinge of sadness to the smile she offered him; the prospects of an empty home once more were not her favorite. "You take care of yourself, you hear? And little Virgil." She reached up to give him a gentle pat on the cheek, "And don't worry so much, you're doing great. You'll be an excellent father; you already are!"
Victor made an odd sort of embarrassed face. "Well, I don't know. I can only try." He nudged Lucca, "I'll be sure to make certain he visits more often...and I'm sure I'll come running the first time Virgil gets a cough and I panic."
"Bugger off! I don't need no old geezer to get me to visit my grandma more often. I'll be doing that on my own, now that I can get here more easily." He turned his attention to his grandmother, "I'll see you later Granny...I mean it, I'll be back a lot more often. I..." he paused, looking a bit sheepish "...missed you...a lot. And thank you for helping this guy out," he guestured towards Victor, "I'm sorry to have dropped all that on you out of the blue like that. But I'm pretty sure he woulda had a heart attack or something without you." Giving her a warm hug, he finished, his tone half playful, half serious "You take care of yourself, kay? I'll be checking in, so you'd best listen!"
The old woman laughed, "Yes yes, I will, Lucca. It's no problem, really. It was wonderful to have you boys around the house; you all really brighten things, you know. It'll be lonely with you all gone...don't wait too long to visit, I'm not so young, you know!"
Turning to Victor, she held her arms out a somewhat teasing smile on her face, "You don't think you're going to get out of here without a hug too, do you?"
"No, I suppose not," he replied with a half grin. He twisted into a half-hug to keep Virgil from getting caught up in it. "Thank you again. We'll visit soon."
With their farewells said, the pair set out towards Narcissus' house, where they would take the Lightning Transit back to Arlington. "She's a nice woman," Victor commented as they left the front path onto the street. "You're very lucky."
Lucca nodded, looking rather proud, "Yeah, my grandma's the best. I told you she could help you out. Feel better now?"
"Yes, I think so. Better than before, at least." They walked quietly for a few more steps. "...'Granny, Granny, I'm not me, I'm stuck!'" Victor said in falsetto, then added, grinning, "Apparently you were adorable as a ginger."
His words were met with a look of suprise, quickly darkened by a scowl that looked perhaps not as genuine as usual. "Hey! Fuck you, old man!" Lucca took a half-assed swing in Victor's direction, which he easily avoided. Shaking his head, he muttered, "Nosey bastard. Mind your own business!"
Victor just chuckled.
Category:Advent of the All