Congratulations, it's a boy!

[Northen Light36]

Mat tries not to let his nervousness show when they arrive at Zira's home. He loves his wife greatly, but he's also damn well aware of her temper... and the fact they had both agreed that their family would not be growing any more.

It wasn't that the couple didn't love their four children dearly. Of course they did. But as Acqua had pointed out, even if she stuck to purely mercenary work when Robin and Letha were older, it wasn't the safest job around. And, of course, if Mat was ever caught or found out, he'd likely hang. And neither option would be good for their children. Having more would be purely foolish, they'd agreed.

Sometimes Mat wondered why Echo had chosen to have Bas and Pas. He knew her better then to believe she'd forgotten to take herbs that night.

Mat pulled his mind from that thought train. Echo was too painful a subject still. "Let's go see your family, Aries," he told the boy with a smile, carrying the child into the house and to the room where he'd left his wife and children.

Bas, Pas, Aria, Robin and Letha barely glance over at the door when Mat enters, far more interrested in the story Talon's telling. Acqua however, having lived through the adventure in question, turns to greet her husband only to look surprised at the sight of Aries. "Aries?" she askes, sounding surprised but nothing more. "Why are you here?"

[Kender Bard]

Aries looks at Acqua with wide eyes, and an even wider smile. "Because the Forces love me and now Mat's giving me my own family to have." He hugs Mat tightly. "And this is the best day in my life ever, ever, ever."

[Northen Light36]

Mat returns the little boy's hug and gives Acqua a 'I couldn't say no' look. Acqua for her bit just shakes her head and sighes. "You and I are going to have a talk about what should and shouldn't be a surprise later, Mat," she remarks.

Amaro, watching Mat and Acqua, remarks quietly to Alethia, "At least Talon never brought home anything more then Skip."

Bas and Pas, now interrested in the drama between their parents, start to giggle and sing-song, "Daddy's in trouble again..."

"Nothing new there," Mat remarks, setting Aries down.

"Indeed," Acqua remarks dryly, before smiling at Aries. "Aries, come here sweetie and I'll introduce you to everyone."

[Kender Bard]

Alethia covers her mouth to hide her smile. Though she was concerned about how Acqua's family would feed another mouth, she's also quite in love with the little boy already.

Aries smiled and walked over to Acqua, slipping his hand into hers as he whispered in a voice filled with hope, "Are you my mommy now?"

[Northen Light36]

Acqua's mild irritation melts away at the question. Truth be told, Aries is one of her favourite of the Talen'sul kids and how can she stay angry when cuteness made human is asking her that. "Looks like it," she says with a fond smile, picking him up.

"Another brother?" Bas asks, looking consideringly at Aries. "Well... okay, but you're not allowed to mess up my dollies or anything."

"Now we got more boys then girls," Pas remarks, looking satisfied. Clearly neither of the older children are too unhappy with the new arrival. Acqua smiles at the twins and takes a seat next to Alethia, with Aries on her lap, while Mat breathes a soft sigh of relief that he's not going to be sleeping on the couch tonight.

"Well, Aries," Acqua says. "Let's introduce you, starting with the most important person in the room." She grins and adds, "This is my sister, Alethia. Alethia, this is Aries."

[Kender Bard]

Alethia leaned over and smiled at Aries. "Why hello cutie."

"You're pretty like Mom," Aries notes. Alethia's smile widened.

"I like him," she told her sister.

[Northen Light36]

"So do I," Acqua laughs, hugging Aries again and giving him a light tickle. "Now, the tall, dark and grumpy looking man there is my big brother, Amaro. Don't worry, he only looks like he bites." Acqua leans closer to Aries and pretends to whisper while letting her voice carry clearly. "He's really bad at looking after his money bag if you ever want extra sweets."

"Acqua," Amaro growls. Acqua just replies by sticking her tounge out at her brother and winking at her new son.

"And the one who should be a bard, considering how much of that story he's making up is my other big brother, Talon," Acqua adds.

[Kender Bard]

"Hello," Aries called out softly to the two men.

Talon beamed at Aries. "Oh look, it's the future hero of more adventurous tales."

"After me maybe," Spice scoffed, but flashed the boy a grin. Aries giggled in delight. "I'm glad I'll have someone else to play with. At this rate, we'll have enough people to start a guild!"

[Northen Light36]

Acqua rolls her eyes. "I think we already do, Spice," she remarked, grinning. "That is, if you're willing to count us lowly grown ups."

"I'm Aria!" Aria pipes up, waving at Aries. She points to Cass and annouces, "My mummy!"

[Kender Bard]

"Our names are almost the same," he noted with a wider smile for Aria, taking an immediate liking to her. To everyone, really.

"I wanna be the guild master," Spice said aloud, talking mostly to himself and his father, who reached over to ruffle the boy's hair.

[Northen Light36]

"Uh uh!" Pas tells Spice instantly. "I wanna be guild master! Like Uncle Amaro and Daddy!"

"No me!" Bas cuts in. Pas sticks his tounge out at his sister.

"You're a girl. You can't be guild master!"

"Can too!" Bas argues. "Aunt Cass is, so I can be too. Right Aunt Cass?" The young girl turns a pleading look onto Cass.

"Sure you want to live with us?" Acqua asks Aries in amusement as Aria toddles over reaches up to Aries.

"Like you," she tells him with a smile.

[Darastrix]

Cass laughs and nods. "She's right, Spice," she tells the boy. "I run the bard guild myself. Anarlina's has two co-leaders, though. So maybe Spice can head the Talen'sul branch, and you twins can run the Maelstrom one together, since there will be more people to lead there."

Zack, who's sprawled out on the floor beside the fireplace, grins and sits up, waving at the little boy. Autumn, who's been curled up beneath her father's wing, blinks in the sudden light and looks around. "Well, hi there," he says. "I'm Zack. And this," he adds, pulling Autumn into his lap, "is my daughter, Autumn. We're Acqua's cousins, so it looks like we're gonna be your cousins, too."

"Zack, please don't get so close to the fire," Zira says, entering the room after having a quick word with one of his staff. "I'm always afraid you're going to catch your feathers on fire."

"Da-zi!" Autumn squeals happily.

Zack just grins and passes Autumn to her other parent. "Zira's an unofficial cousin," he tells Aries. "He'll be made official when we get married."

Zira flushes lightly with pleasure at the thought and cuddles Autumn, taking his usual seat near Zack.

[Kender Bard]

"Lotta cousins," Aries notes and smiles at Autumn as well. "Lotta family!"

"All, who I feel, are going to learn to love you," Alethia adds. She gestures to Crentha. "That's my daughter, Crentha." She nods to Loki on her lap. "And this is my new son, Loki."

"I think I'll call us the VeatherMelSand Guild," Spice muses more.

[Northen Light36]

"And this is Robin and Letha, your other new brother and sister," Mat tells Aries, sitting down near the fire and letting the two toddlers sit on his lap.

Pas considers Cass' words for a moment then nods and takes his twin's hand. "We'll share it," he tells Bas.

"Good," Bas agrees then pulls a face at Spice. "Spice! That's a silly name!"

"I don't think it's silly," Mat remarks tactfully. "But it is a mouthful. Maybe you should try something simpler? And you better decide what your guild's going to do."

"We'll go on adventures!" Pas says at once, then adds, "Uncle Talon, tell us a story. Aries hasn't heard any of your stories."

"Lucky boy," Amaro comments. "At least he won't be bored with them." He picks Aira up, tossing her into the air to make the little girl squeal happily. "There's a rule you have to remember about Talon's stories," he tells Aries over the sound of Aria's giggling. "He makes half of every story up. So if you want to know the real story, you need to ask me."

[Kender Bard]

Talon smiled and leaned back and picked another adventure that he hadn't retold in a while and launched into it eagerly while Alethia got up and rocked Loki close. "I'm going to put the baby down since he's asleep already. Acqua would you like to join me?"