❂ ✦ Svanjon

[Orpheus Solon]

Babysitter Svanjon

Svanjon was sitting on the porch of his house, sighing a bit as he went about the task that was brushing and braiding the hair of three little girls that in no way wanted to sit still. Despite not wanting to sit still though they had very detailed styles that they somehow wanted him to accomplish. It was something that had him shaking his head just a little bit as he said, "If you don't sit still I'm not going to be able to give you the crown of braids that you want Aria." The warning helped to get the youngling to sit still for a handful of moments before she started to kick her feet in an impatient manner.

"Come on, Aria. I'm almost done." He said as he wrapped the braids just so before he pinned them in place to make them into the best crown that he was able to create. It wasn't a style he'd done before so it was a lot of him winging it but so long as Aria liked it then he wouldn't fret over the fact that it wasn't what he'd like to be able to create.

The moment that she was done the little girl hopped up from her seat, pushing Olyvhia toward Svanjon, "You're turn, Oly!" She chirped, patting her on the back in an excited manner before lifting her hands to pat them against her crown of braids, grinning as she did so. It was a pretty style in her mind so she was happy, something that pleased Svanjon greatly.

Oly looked up at her brother and said, "I want my hair braided and then made into a bun!" She told him. It was a simple enough and had him smiling as he set to work on the style that was far easier then the one that Aria had wanted him to do. Once it was done she was up on her feet and going to stand with her twin. Last by not least was Nathalie, the youngest of the siblings.

The littlest girl sat down in front of him, feet kicking, before she said, "Want pretty hair." An easy enough request he thought to himself as he first combed out her hair before she started to give her twin braided tails. Once the final sister was done he was then able to do his own hair though it was the same style as he always did for himself, that being a simple side braid that was tied off on the end. Once his hair was done he pushed up to his feet, stretched out all over, and handed off the comb and ribbons to the twins, "Here you go, bring these inside if you will." He said before he scooped up Nathalie, "You can stick with me while they put everything away, little one."

As the pair went inside he found himself looking around a bit, his baby sister in his arms. It was still early in the day and he knew that there were still a lot of things that his mother wanted them to get done. She wasn't going to be back for a while and it left him to tackle the list of chores she'd left behind for them all while looking after his sisters, making sure they were fed lunch and possibly dinner, and that meant him not really having a chance to get out on his own. Lifting a hand he scratched it against his cheek, then gave a little sigh. He was responsible for more things then one his age should be responsible for but that was just the way of things. He was used to it by now but that didn't mean that he hadn't stopped looking for ways to slip away so he could do his own thing from time to time.

It would have to wait until tonight, after his mother was home, after the girls were tucked in, after everything was done that he had to get done. Once that time rolled around then he would be able to slip out of the house and just walk around the village on his own, take a breath, and plan his next move. There was so much that he wanted to do, so much he would do... only it had to be later. Something that grated a bit on him since he felt that he was stuck knee deep in clinging mud. Not that he would call his siblings mud per say since it wasn't them as much as the situation itself.

"Your pouting, Svanny." His littlest sister chirped, reaching up to pat his cheeks with her hands, drawing him out of his thoughts. He starred down at her a moment before putting a smile on his face, something that caused the little girl perk up again and she continued to pat him as though that would continue make his mood improve.

Giving a smile he said, "Do we want to go and see about playing in the backyard?" It was fenced in to keep the trio of them running off. As such it would make it a bit easier for him to keep an eye on the lot of them and keep them from getting into too much trouble. After going inside to fetch a pitcher of water, cups, some fruit, and the twins he herded everyone to the backyard so that they could play. It didn't take but a couple moments before the group of them found an alol to chase around. Settling down on the porch he found himself thanking the Gods and Goddesses for sending the beast that would help to distract the girls, making them that much easier to keep an eye on since they were so locked on the creature that was stuck to the side of the tree.

It made the afternoon of play a lot more fun for them and relaxing for Svanjon, giving him a chance to plan for the coming night of fun.

(( Word Count: 997 ))  

[Orpheus Solon]

A Night Out

It was finally quiet within the house that Svanjon shared with his family. It had taken a bit of work to get Nathalie to finally settle down as she continued to talk about how they really needed to find the alol from earlier and make friends with it. It was cute the way that she wanted the colorful beast as a pet but it was going to have to wait for now. Their mother had made it very, very obvious that she didn't want any animals in the house. Not only were they messy but they required a lot of upkeep up to and including the food that they would eat. It wasn't very likely that they would be getting any pets and while he understood he knew that it made the girls upset, causing them to come to him in tears.

There was little he could do about it when their mother said no but he meant to at least go out and try to find them some stuffed alol for the girls. They weren't exactly what the girls wanted but the stuffed animals would be better then nothing. He hoped that some cute, colorful stuffed animals would be enough to distract them from the fact that they couldn't have a real alol.

Shifting careful he slid out of his bed, setting up his blanket and pillows so it looked like he was still in bed, then slipped out the window. He landed easily on his feet in the sand under his window then moved around the house to where the porch was. After looking around to make sure nobody was around he made his way under the porch, dug into the sand under the stairs, and got himself a bit of coin. That coin was tucked into his pocket, he reburied his stash, and then headed off into the village of Baun. He'd see what he could do about finding gifts for the girls. He was sure that they would like it if they woke up with the little critters at their sides... and since their mother would be gone before they woke up then it should be fine. Not as though she'd know exactly when the little plushies showed up that way.

Looking around for a moment, making sure that there was still nobody around, he tried to decide where he wanted to go first. There was so much that one could do at night, all of which the young teen wanted to do. He didn't want to go crazy though since he was sure if that happened that his mother would find out. For the time being he'd look around, see if any shops were still open, and if not he'd just enjoy a walk around. If it was too late to buy anything now he could always just bring the girls shopping in the morning after their mother had gone to work and he was once more in charge.

As he got to where the market of the small village was located he found that most places were closed, but not all of them. He found that he was able to look at some really amazing looking weapons that were still laid out in front of the shop. There was still the sound of banging inside as well that said that things were still being created within. The blacksmith was pretty dedicated to his craft, huh? Something that made him smile just a bit as he set to browsing the wares that were laid out before him.

As he looked over the weapons, his eyes going wide with delight, he found his hands itching a bit. There was a sword here that looked to be somewhat similar to his father's sword. Some details were a bit different of course but it seemed as though the two of them would work well as a pair. He'd seen it before, the way that people fought with dual swords. It was an amazing way of fighting, almost like art, and it was the way that he wanted to fight himself. He felt that having not one, but two swords, would help him as far as looking powerful and intimidating went. If he had two blades strapped to his back then others would know he was serious, huh? The problem being that he wasn't sure what his mother might think of him becoming a warrior, especially one that would be carrying his father's sword.

Once he was old enough to carry a weapon though he supposed that she wouldn't be able to tell him no or demand that be do something more simple like what she did. He didn't think that he could stand being a cook for the rest of his life though. He had bigger, grander dreams, ones that didn't involve him cooking for a living. He knew it was a good job, his mother was dedicated to that job, but he wasn't going to get swept up into that sort of work himself. He knew how to cook, enough to feed himself and his sisters, but that was as far as he would go with it.

Reaching out Svanjon picked up the sword that he had his eye on, giving it a couple of swings, before a smile appeared on his lips. It really was a great sword and he could tell that it was even of a similar weight to his father's sword. It would really go well with the other sword. They wouldn't be twins but they could still work together well he thought himself, giving it a couple more swings, then set it down. He felt that he could afford it... but he'd have to get more money then he had with him presently. He'd only brought enough along for stuffed animals, not swords, but it seemed that everything would have to wait until he went shopping with his sisters tomorrow. Here was to hoping that the stuffed animals would be enough to keep them quiet about him getting himself a sword.

He gave the sword he wanted to add to his collection a final look before he continued onward with his walk around the village. Getting more weapons and doing actual fighting was going to have to wait for a little while longer but at least he was getting more and more of an idea about what path he wanted to take. Fighting with two swords would allow him to use his father's sword but not be exactly like the man.

It was a nice night, a quiet one, the stars were out overhead, and he felt that he could enjoy it to its fullest so long as he kept out of sight of anyone that might bother him. He really didn't want to get into any fights tonight since he was in a rather peaceful mood. If someone started it then sure, he'd fight, not about to back down like a coward. He just didn't feel like starting a fight himself at the moment since he was in a decent mood. Of course the further along he walked the more he found himself thinking about the sword. How much he wanted it, if he should have tried to just take it since nobody had been watching the shop, and if it would still be there tomorrow when he went into town. He could only hope that nobody took it before he was able to return for it. If someone did... well, it was likely that Svanjon's mood for the day would likely be ruined.

Grumbling a bit he glanced over his shoulder, debating again about the odds of being able to steal the sword. It was tempting, to the point that just thinking on it made his hands itch. He was sure that he could do it, slip over, take the sword, and then vanish into the shadows of the night. It was tempting, but he finally decided against it. Not because he was against stealing but because one couldn't really go around wielding a stolen sword later. That would just cause him undo trouble later on that he really, really didn't want to deal with. It just seemed like too much of a pain in the backside even just thinking about it. No, he'd get his weapon in an above the board manner so that he could show off his weapons with pride later.

Shaking his head to clear his racing thoughts he moved to start walking once more. He did a circle around the village, burn off some the energy that he still had, before he started back toward home. He would want to get back so that he had time for enough rest that he'd still be able to do everything that tomorrow had in store for him. His mother would wake him up first, he'd have to get on breakfast, make sure the girls got dressed, likely do their hair, and then they would see about going shopping. If he got it all done in a swift manner then he'd be able to get his sword. That was the plan at least. A short time later the young man headed back toward home, if a bit reluctantly, climbed up into the window, got into bed, and laid there with his arms crossed behind his head. He hadn't been able to get his hands on anything that he'd wanted to get while he was outside but at least he had a plan in mind? It was better then nothing.

"Give me a bit of help on this one great On'os." Svanjon murmured to the God of Time and Fortune before he rolled over onto his side, curled up into a ball, and focused on getting some sleep.

(( Word Count: 1618 ))