Author: Dusk, Posted: Sun Nov 1, 2020 6:54 AM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

The learning process for feeding Fiori took a little practice, but soon the little girl was getting her fill of the applesauce. Lewis was careful with her, and with Simone’s help soon the bowl was mostly empty and Fiori seemed content. Simone took one of the stuffed animals, a black rabbit, and with some patience, soon Fiori was cuddling it lovingly.

As Dala re entered the room with a smile on her face and paperwork in hand, Lewis stroked Fiori's hair, and smiled. “There we go. It’s official then. This is your new home.” His face had his usual half smile, but on the inside he was feeling ecstatic. “We’ll have to find you a room and get you some clothes.” He was realizing that they didn’t have much for Fiori.

“Oh…I don’t know anything about clothes…” He looked at Simone. “Guess I’ll need help with that too.” The realization was slowly settling in. They had two children now. Everett and Fiori were both theirs. “Dala…” He turned his attention to the girl. “Thank you…for bringing us Fiori.”

Author: Fiori Terrowin, Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:29 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

Fiori took the piece of apple and continued eating while look up at Lewis then watching Simone leaving the room. She continued eating the rest of the apple with Lewis' help. When her mother came back, she crawled towards the open arms and reached up to poke her mother's cheek. A maid entered the room and brought in a bowl of applesauce with a spoon. She sat down on Simone's lap and faced Lewis, opening her mouth to receive food. The applesauce was similar to the apple, only requiring less chewing and much more like a liquid.

After eating, she noticed the black rabbit plush that was being held out to her. Her gaze focused on on Simone's hands, staring at them. She cautiously began to reach up towards the rabbit then flinched and pulled back her hands. Opening her eyes, she realized that Simone hadn't moved. Still gazing at the hands, as if expecting something, she touched the toy. Once she saw that it was alright, she slammed her head into the plush rabbit. There was a big smile on her face as she rubbed her head into the soft dark fur of the plush.

Meanwhile,

Dala just returned, holding an official certificate of adoption. The orphanage was quick to get everything settled, as they had more than enough kids in there. The adoption certificate was more just a way to prove the child had been adopted from an official place, rather than stolen. She entered the castle and went straight to the nursery. Once she opened the door, she saw the happy family with Fiori. A smile formed on Dala's face as she realized she made the right decision. They were going to be great parents and Fiori would be happy here. She walked over to Simone and Lewis then handed them the certificate.

"Everythings settled. You're now the official parents of Fiori." She said.

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:41 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

Simone’s heart was won by the tiny child. Her reaction to the apple was amazing. Just like Lewis she had never had an apple before. Once Fiori called for both of them Simone’s face held an image of shock as she crawled down by her and rubbed her nose against Fiori’s. “We’re right here sweetheart. I promise Fiori we’re not going anywhere.”

It was Simone who helped her sit up just enough to eat the apple. “That’s right… Big and strong.” Gently she stroked Fiori’s hair and smiled down at her.

“Dala went to go turn in the paperwork to the orphanage. I can do it.” She kissed Fiori’s forehead and left them all alone for a few minutes before she came back. “They are going to make some applesauce and get some soft pears. Since the trees have them this time of year it’s easy enough.” Simone sat back down in front of Fiori.

She opened her arms for the little girl, “You can come over here if you want.” After a few minutes, one of the maids brought in a bowl of applesauce and a spoon giving it to Lewis. Simone was handed a towel for Fiori’s face and she put it by her side.

She figured she would let Lewis feed Fiori for now. “Small spoonfuls,” she instructed Lewis and smiled towards him. He would need to learn how to do this eventually. Grabbing the small black rabbit plush from the fair she held it out to Fiori, “Do you want this? It’s very soft.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:23 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

It took Fiori a few tries to eat the apple, but when she did the reaction was almost priceless. The way she lit up when she realized what it was made Lewis’ heart do a quick flip, and her immediate desire for more was evident. However, she wasn’t quite strong enough from her neglect, and she ended up tumbling into Lewis’ lap. At first, Lewis was panicked. Did she hurt herself? Was she okay? Did she hit her head? Was she dying?

But she seemed content. The next words she spoke though, almost made Lewis melt. Fiori was already feeling at home, and even if it just ended up being the two of them, Lewis was more than content with them. They had rescued not one, but two children already, and gifted them a wonderful home.

“Here…” Lewis cut another small, bite sized piece of apple for Fiori, and handed it to her as Simone doted on her. “Eat up. We need to get you big and strong. Isn’t that right?” It was all so much, but Lewis was handling it surprisingly well. “Dala, could you ask one of the maids outside to grab some more soft food?”

Author: Fiori Terrowin, Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:08 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

Fiori felt herself being passed off to Simone once again and watched as Lewis left the room. Her mother put her on the cold floor. She plopped down on her butt, not wanting to have to stand, and reached out to touch the cold flood. Then she leaned over and pressed her face against it with a satisfied look. The cool temperature was familiar and comforting to her. When he came back he was holding a bright red apple. It reminded her of those red balls the other non-orphaned children held. Fiori looked slightly distressed when Lewis cut into the big red toy, until she saw Simone taking a piece and eating it.

The toddler reached out for the piece of the apple and shoved it into her mouth. She held it in her mouth for a while then remembered her parent's instructions to chew. Opening her mouth, she plopped the apple into her hands, then put it back into her mouth as if to start over. Taking care to chew this time, she swallowed the apple. The taste was sweet and full of water. She crawled her way towards Lewis and tried to grab the apple, but she was far too weak to take it. Instead, she opened her mouth and attempted to use her mouth to take the apple.

She missed the apple and just fell onto lewis' lap. Then she stayed there, feeling that she was comfortable. Fiori reached out towards Simone, as if to beckon her to come. The toddler's legs were small and weak, as much as her arms were.

"Ma da" She said as if calling the both of them.

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 4:30 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

Simone could tell that everything was moving fast for poor Lewis. However, they had been gifted not just one child but two now. Thanks to Dala’s quick thinking they had saved this little girl even if her tummy was super empty. They could fix that and they could give her all the love she could ever want and more.

The toddler was adorable in the way that she was interacting with both of them. Simone’s eyes had softened as she put Everett in his crib before taking Fiori from Lewis. They would have to get used to juggling the two of them but luckily they had the house help when they needed it. Suddenly parents to two young children it was going to be a lot on both of them. Simone wasn’t quite too sure when the last time was she had children so close in age.

Once Lewis brought back the apple Simone settled herself onto the floor. She helped Fiori stand up on the ground. “Careful Fiori, the floor is cold,” Simone gave a gentle warning as she kissed the back of the girl’s head. Once he offered up a piece of the apple Simone nodded in approval at how small he made the piece. That would be just good for her. “Make sure to chew okay?”

Simone took a larger piece of the apple and bit into it showing Fiori it was okay, “It’s yummy~” The mother tried to reassure the girl. “Your da has more for you when you are ready,” Simone motioned back to the rest of the apple. “All for your tummy,” Simone lightly poked the girl’s stomach and smiled.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 4:18 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

In an odd twist, Lewis was just as lost as Fiori was at the speed that everything was happening. One moment, it was Everett, and the next, it was Everett and Fiori. Leilah once more popped through a portal, and handed Fiori to Lewis. This time she seemed a lot cleaner, and with a new dress, and Lewis was able to properly hold her, though he had absolutely no idea what to really do with her, or why he was even being the one handed the new girl. However, once Fiori started to get a grasp on what was happening, including her own name, she appeared happier, and somewhat more interactive.

At first, Lewis hadn’t the slightest idea what to make of Fiori, but as she started to poke at him, he was instantly attached. Whatever protection he offered Everett would be equally given to Fiori, and he was for the most part okay with the simplicity of it. As she tried to reach out for Simone, her stomach rumbled, and Lewis looked at her curiously. When she settled on his shirt for attempted food, he couldn’t help but smile briefly.

“Here…” He handed the girl off to Simone. “I’ll be right back.” He popped out of the room, and came back moments later with a bright red apple in his hand. He pulled out his dagger, and cut off a small piece, handing it to Fiori. “Careful now. Small bites, Fiori.”

Author: Fiori Terrowin, Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 7:07 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

She was slightly surprised by the way Lewis knelt down and began talking with her. Dala held the baby like it was a treasure but she could tell that he was nervous. A smile formed on her lips as she carefully returned the baby to the cradle. The baby was adorable, but his dad needed him more. Dala looked up at Lewis, trying to figure out the best words to say to him.

"Everett is adorable." She said, "Thank you for letting me hold him."

Giving him the utmost respect and understanding was the best way she could let him know she would protect the kids. Dala turned her attention to the report Leilah was giving. After hearing the advice, Dala waited for the paperwork to get filled out. Once it was done she looked to the other two. 

"Guess I'll leave you both to it." Dala said, "I'd better get this paperwork to the orphanage right away!"

Meanwhile Fiori was looking rather confused, as she just had a bath and was suddenly in a dress. Everything was moving so fast for her. One moment she was in the orphanage and the next, she was here with all these new faces. The girl was handed off to Lewis, she looked up at him with her ruby eyes then reached up with her hands, began to poke his cheek. A smile appeared on her face as she continued poking his face. Then Simone caught her attention by saying a name. It was foreign to her but somehow she felt it was important to her. Her baby hands reached out for Simone's hair, in an attempt to put it in her mouth. Her stomach growled and she kept reaching for Simone's hair, as though she was trying to eat it.

"Awh" She called out before looking to Lewis.

Fiori grabbed a part of his shirt and began chewing on it, not really understanding that it wasn't food.

Author: Simone, Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 4:56 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

“Oh, good. The last thing I want is a poster of our faces not letting us adopt… Then we gotta burn some places down… Ya know? We at least want people to know we’re responsible…” Enough. Simone chuckled a bit but she was dead serious about burning buildings down. She would do anything to give children homes.

Leilah nodded up at Lewis, “Yes, she is very underweight for her age. With proper love and care, she’ll be a good weight. I’ll be back prompt.”

Simone watched as Dala took Everett and could feel Lewis’s hesitation. Gently she took her husband’s hand and smiled up at him. “We can always trust Dala to protect our little ones.” She was sure that Lewis had made his mind up on the little girl.

The noblewoman was excited to see Lewis get down on a knee to talk to Dala. They looked out the window together and Simone smiled at him. “A flower? Yes, there are lots of flower names… but one that means a lot to us…” She squeezed Lewis’s hand and thought for a moment.

“What about Fiori? It’s a lotus flower,” Simone hadn’t thought long about it but lotuses were a huge part of their past. “It would remind you of the Guide too. I’m sure she would love it.”

Leilah opened her own portal and it had a pink sparkle to it as she came through with the now very clean Fiori, “Here you go~ Can I have a name for her records by the way? I figured you two would adopt her so I started a record for her along with Everett~ She’ll need to eat often to get her weight up so make sure you do it.” Leilah poked Lewis in the chest. “This is important!” She handed Fiori back to Lewis and smiled at Simone. “We can settle up the tab at their next appointment.” Fiori had on a soft purple dress now and her locks were braided and pulled back from a bath.

“That’s fine with me~ See you in a week then,” Simone saw the half-elf off after Lewis gave her the name as she looked at Fiori. “Hello Fiori~” Simone made it a point to tell the girl her name and poke her softly.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 4:43 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

Lewis was unsure of what to do when Simone suddenly handed the new toddler off to him. It was obvious that she was worse for wear, and it almost reminded him of some of the kids they pulled off the streets back in the guild. Most of them survived, but every so often some passed away from the neglect. This one, though, seemed to be on the better end of the spectrum, and would easily survive if given the proper attention.

“She’s lighter than I was expecting,” he told Leilah as she took the girl from him. He looked down to see Dala holding Everett. His absolute first reaction was to punt Dala out of the way and take back Everett, but he pushed that back. Simone trusted the girl with their son, and that meant Lewis should too. But it was definitely hard.

“Dala, this is Everett,” he said, kneeling down. “Just…be….careful…” He was obviously nervous, and trying his best to trust Dala with the child. “As for the girl…” He stood up, and looked out the window. “What…what about a flower, Simone? Is that something we can name kids with?”

Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 4:35 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

"Stolen baby…eh I'm not surprised." Dala admitted, "Security in orphanages generally suck."

The toddler buried her face in Simone's shoulder as she was being held. The tiny child was surprisingly gently, for a toddler. Dala had a big smile on her face as they both were getting along. The truth was, if Dala left the child any longer then there was the strong chance she would have died from neglect. The orphanage she picked the child up from was old, almost abandoned, and overrun. Dala had found the child who was worst off and collected her for Simone and Lewis. It was one of the reasons the ten year old hoped they would accept the little girl.

"Nah. I made a deal with the caretakers." Dala explained, "They're overrun with kids so they agreed that if I brought the papers back in a day, I could just have the kid come directly here. I asked a mage to make a portal to get here and back so I wouldn't have to deal with travel time."

Dala watched as Simone created her own portal and handed the white haired girl off to Lewis. The girl looked up at Lewis and cocked her head to the side slightly, as if curious about this new person. Simone brought a woman who booped the toddler on the nose and she let out something between a squeel and a coo. Meanwhile Dala reached into her backpack and brought out the adoption papers for the two to sign, if they decided they wanted to, and placed it on the table. Dala went over towards the crib and looked at the beautiful baby boy they had.

"He's adorable." Dala commented, "He looks a lot like you guys!"

Dala followed Simone's instructions and held the baby ever so gently, taking care that he was comfortable and secure. His big grey eyes stared up at her and she couldn't help but give him a peck on the forehead for being so cute. One of her major soft spots, little kids. Not including those her age.

"You mean her? No I don't think so." She said.

Author: Simone, Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 4:07 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

Simone smiled at Dala when she came in, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you~ Well actually you might.” She laughed a little bit. It had been a lot of work and a lot of patience. Lewis was great at being a father but he jumped at everything that Everett did. It was cute. “Lady Angela stole a baby from an orphanage in Arri for us. She calls it lifted but apparently she got in a lot of trouble getting him for us.”

The noblewoman was going to take little Everett out to let Dala see when the toddler made her way into the room. Simone’s eyes got wide as she watched the little girl come in. “Adopt?”

Lewis had been so distracted by Everett that he must have missed what Dala had said. “Dala brought us a baby to adopt,” Simone caught Lewis up but she was in shock. Two babies so fast. It was almost like an instant family. Everett was cooing up at them and Simone was quick to pick up the little one chewing on her dress.

“You are just precious,” Simone said softly as she held the little girl in her arms. “Are you sure Dala? I mean… You didn’t steal her did you? Angela stole Everett…” They didn’t need to get banned from every orphanage in Canelux.

“I’m… going to be right back okay?” She put the little girl in Lewis’s arms. “Just… will be a second.” A portal opened and there was some idle chatter. She had opened it to Raile’s shop. Leilah came through and looked at the little girl booping her on the nose.

“Yeah, I’ll discount you for it too Simone since it’s an emergency. Let me see her,” she opened her arms and took the toddler from Lewis before going back. Simone came back through and the portal closed.

“I’m having Leilah do a health checkup and get rid of the lice on her~ Also she has some cute dresses for the girls… Too many.” Simone smiled up at Lewis. “At the very least, we can do this. We did just get Everett so I can understand if it’s too much on Lewis…”

Simone took Everett out of the crib and showed him to Dala. “He’s only a few months old now. Look at him~” He looked just like them. “He’s a Rosenite too. Which is why it was a huge problem Angela took him.”

Showing Dala how to hold him she let Dala take Everett so she could talk to him if she wanted. “Does the little one have a name?”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 3:53 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

Lewis was preoccupied when Dala came in. Little Everett was enjoying himself, babbling on like he was the king of the world. And to Lewis, he might as well have been. Suddenly though, the baby made a weird gurgling sound, and burped. The assassin looked shocked, and immediately turned to Simone.

“He burped. Is that bad? That’s bad right? He’s dying? We need to take him to Lady Angela now!” It took him a moment to notice Simone’s reaction, which was more calm amusement than anything. “He’s…okay then?” Lewis looked back to Everett, and sighed with relief. “Good. Not dying. Not dying is good.” Everett seemed amused by this as well, and babbled on, waving his hands at Lewis. And then he hiccupped.

Simone sighed as Lewis went through the same motions. It was almost a daily routine at this point, but Simone was patient with her husband, and completely okay with his concern. It was all coming from a loving place, and Everett was well taken care of.

It took him a moment to notice that Dala had entered the room. It took him a split second longer to notice the toddler at Simone’s feet. “Huh? Who….are you?”

Author: Dala, Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 3:11 PM, Post Subject: Her Second Chance [P][R?]

For once, the child arrived on the island through a portal instead of the temple. A kindly sorcerer had offered her a free one use only portal trip to and back. The ten year old was holding a smaller toddler in her arms and she made her way to the castle. The butler opened the door and instructed her that Simone and Lewis were up in the nursery. Dala smiled at that fact and made her way to the room, still holding the white haired girl with ruby eyes. She set the toddler down by the door then entered looking for the lucky two. Her eyes widened when she realized the crib was full.

"What!" She exclaimed, "You guys already got one! How'd you do it so fast?!"

Simone couldn't have a baby through birth so they had to adopt the kid. Or maybe magicked him into existence? Either way it looked like they were already set. But then she remembered something, about how Simone was thinking about opening an orphanage. Dala let out a small sigh. There was no guarantee they'd like the kid she brought, no matter how much she looked like them.

"I'd brought a kid you might wanna ado-" Dala was cut off when she realized the toddler had already crawled her way into the room.

The toddler had long white hair and beautiful ruby eyes that sparkled. The little toddler was headed for Simone's pretty dress and grabbed the soft fabric in her little hands. Then she put the fabric in her mouth and started to chew on it, unaware that this wasn't something she was supposed to eat. The little one year old was thin and underweight but seemed to be lively. She wore a grey dull tunic and had a bit of dirt on her, though it looked like she had a bath recently.

"Ack! I was gonna leave her outside the room so we could talk." Dala explained quickly, "I tried to give her a bath before coming here but I couldn't quite get the lice out of her hair."