Eclipsed (Plot)

[Kender Bard]

"Can I have more if she's just taking one?" Roan asked.

"No," Twilight said firmly. Roan grumbled as he went looking for one of his favorite things. Twilight sighed softly and looked at Sunlight. "You may want to take your paints with you," he suggested. "Whatever it looks like, I imagine it'll be very pretty there. You might become inspired."

[Darastrix]

"I was going to at least bring my sketchbook," Sunlight said with a nod. "Should I bring my sword, too?"

"Is this one thing?" Raven asked his mother hopefully, pointing at the toy chest.

Dusk covered her mouth and tried not to giggle. "Three things that will fit in a small pack, dear."

[Kender Bard]

Twilight considered that. "If you think you'd feel comfortable with it, I wouldn't say no. But not if you'd rather not."

Mist had four toys, two of them in each hand. She glanced between them and whimpered. "I don't know which to take!"

[Darastrix]

Sunlight bit the inside of his cheek while he thought, and then slowly shook his head. "I don't think it'd really make me feel safer." Maybe after another year or two of practice.

"Have you actually be playing with all of them lately?" Dusk asked her daughter, while Raven climbed into the toy chest.

[Kender Bard]

"Yes... But..." Mist sighed and put the teddy bear down. "Promise you'll keep him safe, Daddy!"

"I promise," Twilight told Mist with a small smile. "I'll keep him in my room, even."

Mist beamed and scooped up her three chosen toys.

[Darastrix]

Dusk smiled at the thought of Twilight sleeping with their daughter's bear and peeked into the chest. "How are you coming along, Raven?"

"Can I just stay in here instead?" came the muffled reply.

[Kender Bard]

Twilight walked over to the chest, lifting it up as he bent down to peek in. "Sorry son," he said softly. "But you need to go where it's going to be safe. But at least you'll have a lot of family with you, and I wouldn't be surprised if you met new people to make friends with there."

[Darastrix]

Raven had only intended to get in the chest to find something to take, but then he'd noticed it was nice and small and dark.... Why couldn't he just hide in there? He could have the chest, the room, and Twilight all to himself for once. At his father's words, he let his shoulders slump. There was always a lot of family with him. And he really didn't care about meeting more people.

"Can I have my own room when we get there?"

[Kender Bard]

Twilight wasn't even sure if there was going to be rooms, let alone how many. "No promises," he said. "But remind your mother to ask about it when you get there." He lifted the lid up more. "Come on out."

"Done," Roan said, finally making up his mind. His final choice was his wooden sword, which he swaggered about with.

[Darastrix]

Raven sighed and climbed out, dragging a pair of stuffed toys along with him. One had seen better days. The body had been squeezed out of shape and it was no longer clear whether it was a cat or a dog, but the fur was still soft and that was why he liked it. The other--a toy bat with wings that could be closed around its body--was likewise soft to the touch, though in much better condition.

"I'm done," he murmured.

[Kender Bard]

As the children finished up, Twilight resisted an urge to gather them in one large group and hold onto them without ever letting go. The thought of sending his children, his wife, his family, out alone... Without him... It ground against his nerves. He should be escorting them.

His resolve began to waver just a touch as he looked at Dusk with sad, uncertain eyes. How did he know that, escorts or not, he wasn't sending them to danger? If any of them were hurt... How could he live with that? He took a deep breath and tried to look confident again. "Well children, we'll to the rest of the packing. It'll be a few hours so if you want to go talk to anyone or do anything before you go, do it now."

[Darastrix]

Sunlight left straight away with a murmured "I'm going to see Kleio." Or, if the artist was in his shop, he was going to find a guard to escort him there. Star and Raven, on the other hand, looked a bit lost.

"Or you can go play," Dusk added with a little smile.

[Kender Bard]

"I'm going to tell Elle goodbye!" Mist declared, scampering off to find the royal gardener whom she had grown fond of after the lady made a special flowery place for Mist to play in.

Roan grinned and ran back to the toys he had chosen to leave behind, grabbing several. "C'mon, Raven, let's go play outside!"

[Darastrix]

"Okay!" Raven agreed, happy to go with the new distraction. Star wrinkled her nose a little. It was dirty outside. "I'm going to the kitchens," she declared. Sure, the kitchens could be messy, too, but it was a tasty mess. She could probably get some sort of treat from the cook. Maybe even chocolate.

[Kender Bard]

Once the children had dispersed, Twilight quickly took Dusk into his arms and hugged her tightly, as if his life depended on it. "Are we doing the right thing?" he asked her. "Should I go with you?"