This Is Why I'm A Bookworm|Neo'anar, New Anarlina

[Skittlebug]

The girl fusses and complains when the strange lady picks her up, making it difficult to treat her arm. She looks back at Sunray with pleading eyes and scrunches her face up again, preparing to cry. She didn't want the strange lady to hold her, she wanted him.

[Kender Bard]

"Shh," Sunray hastily shushes her. He reaches over and tries to hold her arm still for the healer who shoots him a grateful look. He figures it would be best to keep her occupied so he decides to see if she can at least answer his next question. "What's your name?" he asks her in a light, half sing-song voice.

[Skittlebug]

She quiets easily enough as soon as Sunray gives her attention, promptly ignoring the strange lady for now. She watches him, waiting for him to pick her up instead, and obviously doesn't understand the questions. Beginning to fuss again once the healer is done with her arm, she reaches out to him, "daaaaa."

[Kender Bard]

"No, not da," Sunray protested gently.

The healer gave him a sheepish grin. "Guess she likes you."

Sunray bit his lip and took a step back. "Will you take her to the orphanage? I... Um, need to do something."

The healer blinked and nodded. Once she'd left with the child, Sunray hastened home to sort out his thoughts and wait for Lyra.

[Darastrix]

Lyra returned home a little after sunset, escorted by a member of the bardic guild. She paused on the doorstep to thank her escort and invite him inside for tea, which he declined, and then stepped into the house.

"Sunray," she called, slipping off her summer-weight cloak, "I'm home."

[Kender Bard]

Sunray smiled. He'd been browsing his books and doing a number of the chores about the house to keep himself busy. "Lyra," he greeted, heading out of his study to greet her with an embrace and a kiss. "How was your day?"

[Darastrix]

"Busy," Lyra said, and kissed him. "But uneventful. We've decided to start phasing out the scheduled audition weeks and such and allow them year-round. It should prevent things from getting so hectic at season's end, especially with coinciding holidays. How has your day been?"

[Kender Bard]

Sunray let out a deep sigh at that. He stroked her hair softly and wondered where to start. "I had a very eventful day," he replied. He decided to sit and settled into a comfortable chair. "I went for a walk and spied some smoke coming from a building..."

And so he he unfolded the tale. In truth not a lot had happened but that wasn't how he felt. "I feel so bad for the poor little thing." He'd even included her unusual attachment to him. "Maybe because I looked sort of like him? Maybe?" He didn't think there was a strong resemblance outside of their hair color and roughly their height, but perhaps the man had looked different when alive. "She's at the orphanage now, of course. I pray to Love that she has a next of kin but..." He shrugged. "I have a hunch that she doesn't."

[Darastrix]

"That's a shame," Lyra murmured. "But they'll take good care of her until someone adopts her. It's a good thing you were passing by at the time." She tapped her lips, in thought. "Maybe I could have some of my bards pass the story around if it turns out she has no one. It was a near thing, and if someone hears, they may want to take her in."

[Kender Bard]

"That'd be good," Sunray agreed. He really did want to see the tyke go to a good home. "I, um, was thinking of stopping by tomorrow just to see how she was. Make sure her arm is doing all right and if the healer had anything to add. And to satisfy my curiosity a touch. Would you like to join me?"

[Darastrix]

Lyra shook her head. "It's sweet of you to want to check on her, but I have so much to see to tomorrow." She glanced aside for a moment and toyed with the lace on her sleeves. "But Sunny," she added, "if she thinks you might be her father, isn't it--cruel, I suppose would be the word," she murmured to herself and looked back at Sunray.

"Isn't it cruel to let her see you and think he's still alive? He's gone, and one day a new family will take her in. It seems like it might confuse and upset her when you visit and leave again."

[Kender Bard]

"I hadn't thought of it that way," Sunray murmured looking a touch stricken. "I'd hate to do anything to add to her suffering."

He sighed and leaned back in his seat. At some point throughout this, a question had begun to nag at the corner of his mind. Glancing at Lyra he asked, suddenly, "Purely as a hypothetical question, may I inquire as to how you feel about a family of our own? You're very busy as maestra; I imagine that would be a concerning factor."

[Darastrix]

"It is, a little," Lyra admitted. "I enjoy my work, but it wouldn't be impossible to manage with a small family. I'd like one, maybe two children, but I would not like to be as...blessed as our queen."

[Kender Bard]

Sunray made a face at that. "Oh good Love, neither would I. I mean, I am fond of children; I found that out with Sunlight. And I do like my littlest nieces and nephews. But for myself? One, two at most, as you said. Of course, I don't have the pressures of kingdom or even politics to keep me busy." He kept his tone light and casual, let the implication sit on the air.

It was Sunray's opinion that it should be the woman's choice of if and when children should be brought into the family. She would be the one to have to carry the hardship of motherhood, after all. But there was no harm in hinting at his opinion either. "Shall I make dinner tonight? I'm getting better, you know."

[Darastrix]

Lyra's lips curved into an amused smile. No one had yet found a way for a Fire to undo burning something, though Sunray did, at least, have the ability to put out a fire quickly. And the dear man did try.

"All right," she agreed. If things didn't go as well as he hoped, there were alternatives. "So long as I can keep you company; I've scarcely seen you today." And she could keep an eye on his cooking in the meantime.