[RP] A Simple 3-Step Plan

[Yara]

As the oldest of her siblings (minus Zipporah because she didn’t live with them) Yara believed it was her job to set an example for her siblings. Whether or not it was a good example was up for debate, but either way she was the ringleader. As fiery as her bright red hair and the progeny of chaos — she was the perfect combination of both Serendipity Vale and Aeton Sanchari.

Being the oldest also meant it was Yara’s responsibility to help parents, and they were tired. Worse than that, Dai was depressed. She had first noticed the sadness creeping in after Eydahl and Eydís were born. The arrival of the youngest twins, Valen and Juniper, did not bring any relief. If anything, it seemed to dampen her mother’s spirit. It took time, but Yara hatched a plan to help her mother. First things first, she needed help. Having a twin gave her a natural ally and coconspirator, thus Nox was the obvious choice.

It was a warm and sunny day in Bravia with the faint whisps of the approaching summer hinted in the sea breeze. After lunch, she and Nox usually played a complicated game of hide and seek combined with tag which involved them darting in and out of the shadows chasing each other. It kept them entertained for a good hour at least while their younger siblings napped. On this day, however, Yara convened with her twin by the edge of the woods.

“We don’t have time for hide-and-seek-shadow-tag today,” she informed her younger twin, “We need to help Dai be less stressed and less sad. Obviously, I’ve already got a plan but I can’t do it alone.” Yara sprung onto her tip-toes as though she were about to take flight and excitedly clasped her hands together in a gesture indicating it was time for them to get to work.

[Serendipity]

Point of View: Nox Vale

Life was often interesting in the Vale-Sanchari house. Being a considerably sized family, their parents had opted not to try to live in a vardo as many relatives did, but instead a "proper" house. It was on the Latchom Kan property outside Paz, right next to the main villa - so they still resided within the Boreens Durri community, in the heart of the Romany Natsia. This meant a few things: 1) the six children got to grow up with many other children of their culture and families, 2) there was always something going on in the large hub that could offer entertainment, 3) if there was nothing going on, they could make things interesting quite easily.

Of course, the last one was really relevant to the oldest set of twins in the home, as their younger siblings enjoyed a much simpler life at ages two and nearing one. At nine years old, the firstborns could get quite restless in the daily grind of life. Chaos was in their nature, much like their father and uncle, or even their grandmother and great aunt. Thankfully, that chaos was usually contained to a small radius, except for occasion, like the time the pair moved all the chickens to the beach to see if they would go swimming. Watching the adults chase after the army of chickens, who were quite overwhelmed from being shadow-ported to an unfamiliar location, was endlessly amusing. They still giggled passing by the coop months later. At least they weren't asked to gather eggs anymore.

So, when their normal schedule sounded like it was going to be interrupted by his sister's boredom, Nox was all for it. To his surprise, it was not her boredom that started the plot, but her genuine love and concern for their hard working mother. Serendipity's state of mind had not gone unnoticed to him either and he had made some effort to help, like extra hugs and resisting trouble (at times), but it sounded like his twin had a proper plan in mind. Curious and interested, his bright eyes glanced around to ensure there were no adults nearby. He was not sure what they were going to do yet, but better safe than sorry and adults meddled too much for his liking.

"Okay, I'm in. Obviously."

There were times he minded that Yara assumed control because she was a meager six minutes older, but it did not bother him today. Not when the plan was to help their poor mother. She was, in his opinion, the best mom ever, even if she was often sad these days. He recalled a much happier time, a time before his siblings joined them. He'd be lying if he said he didn't place some blame on them, even if he didn't understand why having more children would make such a dedicated mother depressed. Surely, for a mother like theirs, having more children was better than fewer children. It made little sense to him, but maybe it was just a girl thing. Girls were confusing; he didn't think he'd ever understand them and that did not bode well for him. After all, he only had one brother... And four sisters.

"What are we doing? How are we helping Dai?"

___________________________________________________
Nox Corentin Elior Vale-Sanchari

🕱 Son of Serendipity & Aeton 🕱 Grandson of Aishe & Akos 🕱 BDR Natsia 🕱 (Aishe Art)

[Yara]

Of course, Nox would agree with her. Even if she was the one calling the shots, how could he say no when the mission in question involved cheering up their mother? He couldn’t and wouldn’t.

“Excellent!” Yara proclaimed in excitement. A wide grin spread across her face showcasing that she had lost a couple of her baby teeth and the adult teeth hadn’t yet grown in. Regardless of how mature she might think she was, she was still only a child filled with excitement and questionable plans.

The flame-haired girl huddled in closer with her brother as she began to explain the very simple 3-step plan. “First thing we gotta do is round up the babies. We will need them for later in the plan. This will also allow Dai time to rest and sleep without them disturbing her. She usually falls asleep when they nap but it never lasts long ‘cause one of them always wakes up.”

She paused to take a sharp breath as she had rambled on without stopping for air. With her lungs no longer screaming in protest she continued, “Second, we need to find an adult to help us. Maybe Bibio Namid can help. I need — I mean, we need someone who can help with the setting up for the final step.”

“We’re going to throw Dai a tea party with aaaaaalllll the kid. In the garden! She loves the garden. And she loves kids. It’ll surely cheer her up! She gets to rest plus spending them with her family. It’s a win-win-win, right?” Yara looked to her twin for approval, agreement, and general excitement. She knew her plan was brilliant but she wanted to know that Nox also agreed with her.

[Serendipity]

Point of View: Nox Vale

Nox looked down onto his twin as they huddled. While he had been a sickly babe and child, and still was quite often, he had somehow managed to surpass her in height. Barely, perhaps just half an inch, but it still counted. He had spent his life as the pale, frail boy and while that hadn't really changed, he was slowly getting stronger each year. He got lucky with the recent growth spurt that had finally put him "above" his sister, but it likely wouldn't be long before she returned the favour. For all the struggle he had with his health, Yara was the opposite - strong and healthy as an ox, the doctors said. Whatever that meant. It was rare for her to even catch a cold, while something so simple could make him bedridden for a week. It was a miracle the young boy had made it to nine. Yet, somehow, despite his continued poor health, he always found the energy to entertain his sister's plots. When he had his good health streaks, their community was in trouble.

The redheaded boy listened intently to as Yara laid out the full plan. As she finished and looked for his support, he gave a hearty nod. It was a solid, thought-through, foolproof plan in his honest opinion. The only thing that was still up in the air was the additional aid they would need to get things together. He thought the idea of their great aunt Mallory was a good one. His first choice would have probably been their father, but Aeton had opened a smithy in town with his twin brother and worked there most days, including today. It was a cool workshop, but they weren't allowed to visit it because it was dangerous or something. While Nox was not one to follow rules often, Uncle Aian had promised when he was a bit older, he'd teach him some ironwork if they listened. The offer was interesting enough to keep him at bay for now, which was why he did not suggest their dad or uncle, who definitely would help if asked... It just meant they would have to go to them and break the rule. It wasn't worth it when they had other options.

"Or we could ask Mamyaki-dey or Baro Puridaia? Cause I think Daki Dey and Puridaia are probably too busy for a tea party..." He paused in consideration. Maybe he was overthinking it. He just wanted the plan to go smoothly with the highest rate of success. Whichever adult they included was an important part to it. For that reason, he decided that Mallory was probably best. "Yes, Bibio Namid is the best choice, I think. She loooooooves parties and is fun. And she's Dai's friend too!

If we wanna get the babies," 'Babies' being the word he used to reference their little siblings, even though they were not really babies anymore. "Before they wake up Dai, we should get movin'. Who do you want - Eydahl and Eydís, or Juniper and Valen?" An eyebrow arched with the question. For step one, they would have to temporarily split up seeing as each set of twins were in separate bedrooms. It would be quicker and easier to divide and conquer. On one hand, the middle pair of twins would be easier to handle because they were walking. On the other hand, they were usually grumpier when they woke up. He was torn in his preference, so he would let his sister pick her poison instead. "We taking 'em straight to the garden? I can watch 'em and you can get Bibio Namid."

Romanes:
Mamyaki-dey: Great Grandmother (Nisha)
Baro Puridaia: Great Grandmother (Maraah)
Daki Dey: Grandmother (Akos)
Puridaia: Grandmother (Aishe)

___________________________________________________
Nox Corentin Elior Vale-Sanchari

🕱 Son of Serendipity & Aeton 🕱 Grandson of Aishe & Akos 🕱 BDR Natsia 🕱 (Aishe Art)

[Yara]

Yara paused similarly to her twin to consider the options. There were many to choose from. Since Nox quickly circled back to her original suggestion, she didn’t put too much thought into their alternative choices. Mallory would be the perfect addition to their plot. “Agreed!” Yara nodded her head enthusiastically.

Her brother then asked which set of twins she wanted to get. Well, this was a part of her totally well-thought-out plan that she had somehow not considered. It gave her pause. Yara felt like she’d be able to handle the littlest slightly better than Nox. Both pairs of siblings had their own potential problem which could blow up the whole plan. “I’ll take the littlest and you take the middlest, I think that’ll work best.”

“Then we take them to the gardens and you can stay with them there. Maybe you can try to work on some decorations while I’m gone,” she suggested helpfully before continuing to lay out the plan, “I’ll get Bibio Namid. I’ll need her help with getting the food and refreshments. That’s obviously a very important step for a tea party. And then we will need to get more guests! Maybe the other kids… Arabeth, Serenity, Dolton, Keirnan, Xerxes, Anraí, Amelia… all of them really.” Yara stopped herself as she realized she could be listing names for ages and that wasn’t going to be helpful.

“Alright, let’s go!” And Yara vanished. Slipping through the shadows was as easy as breathing for the nine-year-old. She had been doing it so long, she didn’t remember a time when she didn’t use this as her preferred means of travel.

Mere seconds later, Yara arrived in the youngest babies’ nursery. Here slept her youngest siblings, Juniper and Valen. Quietly she crept to the two cribs that were side by side against the wall. She hadn’t considered how she would get them out. It was at this point Yara realized her plan was hardly thought out at all. She considered her choices for a moment and then decided it’d be easiest if she moved them one at a time to the floor first and then she could get them to the garden to meet Nox. She grabbed a chair that was already in the room and placed it against the side of the Juniper’s crib. She carefully roused Juni and hoisted her up and out of the crib. Thank the Mages no adult was there to witness this stunt as they might have had a heart attack. She then slid the chair over to the other crib and gathered Valen. He was much more annoyed at being woken. Juniper looked confused and like she was debating whether she should still be sleeping. Valen looked as though he might vocally show his displeasure at any moment.

Yara managed to get a twin in each arm (they were much heavier than they looked) before disappearing again. She wasted no time passing through the shadows as she headed in the direction of the gardens to meet Nox.

[Serendipity]

Point of View: Nox Vale

Nodding along to the ongoing list of names, he wondered when his sister would stop because there were a lot of children in their immediate family. Their grandmothers alone had eleven that were still considered children (to him at least)... Not that their aunts Meira or Asha really spent any time with them. Meira was certainly their least favourite of their father's siblings, but she was not around as much as the others. At least Asha was fun to hang out with when she wanted to spend time with anyone - but that was unsurprising because Asha was like them, so of course she was fun. Fun was just in their nature!

When Yara initiated the plan, he was quick to follow. Shadows swirled up from the ground to swallow him, vanishing him from sight. Instead of going straight to the napping twins, he went to the family's small kitchen. The idea was to present a snack upon waking them up, hoping it would keep them both quiet and content. Their mother always said that snacks make you happy, so he hoped it would combat their grumpiness from being woken. He just needed to find a really good snack... He went to the pantry and rummaged around. Something sweet would be the most enticing, so he went straight to their mother's secret stash of chocolate. It was hidden in the bottom of a wool sack with less assuming potatoes sitting on top. He broke off two large chunks and shoved them in his pocket, least the temperature of his fingers begin to melt the delicacy.

The boy reappeared in a dark bedroom, heavy curtains keeping the sunshine at bay. His silent arrival caused movement from one of the cribs, the sleeping toddler subconsciously registering presence of like-kind. He went to that one first. The stirring continued, but he decided to give Eydahl a gentle poke to bring her further out of sleep. After a moment of poking and tossing, blue eyes fluttered open. Sleepy and confused, she looked up at her big brother with her lips pursed in disdain. He put his finger to his lips with a quiet "shhh", before holding up a piece of chocolate for her to see. Her eyes grew a bit wider, becoming more alert at the sight.

"Chooooocolatttte...." He waved it in front of her as she sat up. "Come out here and you can have it. Then we're having a party and there will be even MORE chocolate!"

The two year old accepted the challenge, which in truth was an easy one. The middle twins were, thus far, proving to be the most powerful of the three sets, their abilities more advanced than Nox and Yara at that age. They were on par with Aian and Aeton, which was probably a bad thing considering at age three, their father and uncle had shadowported them and both of their mothers to the Nether for the first time. Nox and Yara were great at shadow tag, but going to another realm, least of all while bringing more than just themselves... Well, that was an unaccomplished feat thus far.

Shadows overtook the little redhead, who rematerialized in the center of the room. Still sitting, she reached her hands up expectantly, "Cocolatey now."

He held up his end by giving the piece over to his sister before approaching the other crib. Eydís was still sound asleep, sprawled out beneath a light blanket. It looked like she was having a good nap, one that he normally wouldn't wake her from, BUT! Some sacrifices had to be made. He took a slightly different approach with her, holding the chocolate beneath her nose as he tried to coax her back to the land of the living.

"Dissy sissy..." He said softly, waving the chocolate back and forth a little. "Chocolate time... Chocoooolate... Smell the chocolate..."

Be it his voice disturbing the serene silence of the room or the faint smell of chocolate entering her dreams, Eydís began to stir. He continued beckoning her, hearing Eydahl starting to move behind him. In an effort to speed up the process, least Eydahl get restless, Nox pressed the candy to his sister's lips. This act was the final push, eyes opening. Eydís looked at him with a look of betrayal, but then she registered the fact there was chocolate in front of her. She sat up, but he was quick to pull it back before she could get it. Her lips began to tremble, but he reassured her, "Shh, the chocolate is yours! Just come play with us."

He motioned to their sister behind him, indicating what she must to do to get her treat. Eydís understood the assignment, moving through the shadows from the crib to beside her older brother. Her hands raised up with a grabbing motion in demand of her reward. He grinned, giving her the chocolate and turned around to grab Eydahl.

Who was not there anymore.

He looked around in slight panic, trying to locate her. The bedroom door was open. This wasn't good. He grabbed Eydís's hand and practically dragged her across the room and into the hall. At the end of the hall stood the missing child, who was dangerously close to their parents' room. Eyes widening at the sight, he shadowed them to the other end of the hall, appearing between Eydahl and the door she was reaching for. Before any verbal protest could be had, his empty hand grabbed her arm and they were gone.

The garden surrounded them, causing them all to blink a bit rapidly as their eyes adjusted to the bright daylight. He released both sisters, who were still a bit dazed from sleep. Eydahl pouted up at Nox, but Eydís sat back down to finally eat her treat. Maybe he should have grabbed more chocolate to keep them subdued, but...

Mission accomplished!

___________________________________________________
Nox Corentin Elior Vale-Sanchari

🕱 Son of Serendipity & Aeton 🕱 Grandson of Aishe & Akos 🕱 BDR Natsia 🕱 (Aishe Art)

[Yara]

In the short time between the arrival of Yara with the youngest twins and Nox with the middlest twins, things had gone sideways. What had started as a whimper had quickly turned into a full-blown wail from her baby brother.

“Oh no, Valen,” Yara tried to soothe him, “it’s okay! We’re just having a little tea party, and we need your help with it.” She placed Juniper in a soft patch as the pair of babies were too heavy for her to carry alone.

She bounced around with Valen securely held in both her arms. This didn’t stop the crying though so she began to sing him a familiar song.

“Þat mælti mín móðir,
at mér skyldi kaupa
fley ok fagrar árar,
fara á brott með víkingum,
standa upp í stafni,
stýra dýrum knerri,
halda svá til hafnar
hǫggva mann ok annan,
hǫggva mann ok annan.”

“Þél höggr stórt fyr stáli
stafnkvígs á veg jafnan
út með éla meitli
andærr jötunn vandar,
en svalbúinn selju
sverfr eirar vanr þeiri
Gestils ölpt með gustum
gandr of stál fyr brandi.”

Slowly, Valen’s began to quiet as Yara sang. Their mother often sang to them, and this was one of Yara’s personal favorites. Dai had said that this was a song from her own childhood that she had learned long ago when she lived in Zion. Even if she did not have the same pretty voice as Dai, singing it seemed to lull Valen. “See, everything’s gonna be okay,” she reassured him.

As she said this, Nox arrived with their other siblings. “Oh good, you’re here! Thank the Mages. Valen was not happy with me, but we’re all better now.” Yara grinned at her twin brother. The momentary issue had now been resolved and it was now time for the next phase of her plan.

“You stay here with the babies and maybe try to put some decorations up,” she directed Nox as she plopped Valen on the ground next to Juni. “I’m going to go find Bibio Namid!”

Again, the shadows overtook Yara Vale as she began her search for her Aunt Mallory. She initially wasn’t sure where to begin, but soon decided to try her aunt’s vardo first. Yara had never been fond of the Romani traveling houses, which was ironic since she was raised in the culture. It wasn't so bad as long as she didn’t have to travel or live inside one.

She arrived outside of Mallory’s vardo since it was rude to simply appear inside another person’s house (she had learned that the hard way). “Bibio Namid, are you in there?” Yara called out while simultaneously knocking on the door.

Translation of the song “Þat Mælti Mín Móðir” from Old Norse:

► Show Spoiler

My mother told me,
I would buy myself
a vessel with strong oars,
sail afar with the Vikings,
stand upon the prow,
steer the noble ship,
set course out to sea,
strike one man and another,
strike one man and another.

The rasp strikes before the prow
of the vessel on its smooth path
with a chisel of hail,
the wicked enemy of the tree,
and cold-clad [enemy] of the willow
swipes mercilessly
Gestill's swan with wind-gusts
at the ship’s gilded prow.