Xeph grinned sheepishly as he showed up, somewhat late to the unloading party, but at least he was there. He avoided going directly up the ramp and instead walked to the highest part and just jumped up onto it into the back of the truck.
"I'd make you walk the plank but this is a pretty girly plank," he observed. "Didn't anyone tell you a proper plank goes straight out, like so?" He sketched with his hands in the air as if the ramp hadn't been allowed to slope to the ground and instead stuck straight out from the truck.
At Charlie's words Xeph pointed down the trail. "It's about a quarter mile that way to the beer," he said, "and it's guarded by two pretty ferocious beasts."
He helped himself to what appeared to be part of a sectional couch and lifted it without trouble. He paused before heading down the ramp.
"In fact, you guys can go first."
Moving In
Xeph looked at the relatively tiny pile of boxes in the entryway of the sizable log home that was finally complete. He hadn't realized that the two of them collectively had so little stuff. Nikhila wasn't really a one-place-for-long kind of girl, at least she hadn't been before arriving in Nachton, and Xeph put not so much value on having things at all... so most of his furniture had belonged to the Den itself.
He looked at Nikhila. "When's the furniture arriving again?"
Being a Stafford had some advantages. Xeph didn't touch the family money ordinarily, having plenty of his own, but in this case his great grandfather, Gavin, had wanted to send his only grandchild a "present." In the form of a log mansion. It didn't help that Xeph's mother had wholeheartedly supported the idea, and had taken Nikhila on a mini shopping trip with the help of a credit card and computer.
So now they had a few small boxes to unpack and a truckload of furniture coming... well... soon, he hoped. It was a lot of space to fill. The cabin had a basement as well, with more rooms and a guest suite, and there was yet another bedroom and bathroom on the second floor. Over the garage was either a large bunk room or a studio apartment. The garage itself wasn't going to be useful for cars since they didn't plan to park here anyhow. Xeph hadn't decided what to use it for yet. Something. Definitely something.
Xeph
14 years ago
The Pipers
14 years ago
Marko frowned at the Alpha's comment and then snorted. "Is he talking about his fiancee and his mom. That's cold."
There was a general chorus of ooooh's and chuckling as they loaded up and began the walk back down to the house. Charlie was glad they were all comfortable enough to welcome Xeph without hesitation, but the Pipers just seemed to be that way. Charlie had felt the initial sting of being on the edge of being an outsider, but as the years passed, the general feeling was if you were strong enough to be a Piper, your pedigree didn't matter. They had invited Marthinus into the fold without blinking an eye, despite the fact he was descended from vampires. The Nachton Pipers were good men and he was proud of them.
"So how far along is Miss Nikhila now? Should be fairly soon we'll be welcoming another Hammerthynn into the pack, right?" he asked Xeph as they easily lugged the furniture.
There was a general chorus of ooooh's and chuckling as they loaded up and began the walk back down to the house. Charlie was glad they were all comfortable enough to welcome Xeph without hesitation, but the Pipers just seemed to be that way. Charlie had felt the initial sting of being on the edge of being an outsider, but as the years passed, the general feeling was if you were strong enough to be a Piper, your pedigree didn't matter. They had invited Marthinus into the fold without blinking an eye, despite the fact he was descended from vampires. The Nachton Pipers were good men and he was proud of them.
"So how far along is Miss Nikhila now? Should be fairly soon we'll be welcoming another Hammerthynn into the pack, right?" he asked Xeph as they easily lugged the furniture.
Xeph
14 years ago
"Hey," Xeph said in self-defense. "I said 'beasts.'" It could have, in his opinion, come out much differently.
They traveled down the trail toward the house at a good clip. Xeph couldn't really turn his head, the way he had the big sectional piece on his shoulders, but he answered Charlie nonetheless.
"Seven months," he said. "So somewhere mid-January we think. I refuse to look at the ultrasound. We have a bet going on."
He couldn't really shake his head sadly but his voice conveyed his sympathy for Nikhila. "She seems to think it's going to be a girl."
They traveled down the trail toward the house at a good clip. Xeph couldn't really turn his head, the way he had the big sectional piece on his shoulders, but he answered Charlie nonetheless.
"Seven months," he said. "So somewhere mid-January we think. I refuse to look at the ultrasound. We have a bet going on."
He couldn't really shake his head sadly but his voice conveyed his sympathy for Nikhila. "She seems to think it's going to be a girl."
Nikhila
14 years ago
Honestly she wasn't sure why she wanted to get the bedroom done, they only barley used it. Well she's been a bit more tired than usual and laying down was one of the few ways she could honestly get comfortable any more. And usually that meant curling up with Aidan, which she appreciated as much as anything he did for her.
Keeping to her promise not to lift or carry anything she helped Lily find the kitchen boxes and followed along as they were set on the island.
"I should have labeled these better."Â?
She muttered. There was no packing list on the outside she only knew what room to get the boxes to, not what was in them. For as often as she'd moved you'd think Nikhila would be better at this.
Looking up from a box, which turned out to have plates and flat ware in it and smiled.
"Maybe a little. I think maybe I've been too busy to think about things much."Â?
Oddly enough Aidan's proposal might have helped some too. As much as didn't think she'd needed to be married, they were as committed as they were going to get, there was a sense of permanence in that and she found that reassuring.
Keeping to her promise not to lift or carry anything she helped Lily find the kitchen boxes and followed along as they were set on the island.
"I should have labeled these better."Â?
She muttered. There was no packing list on the outside she only knew what room to get the boxes to, not what was in them. For as often as she'd moved you'd think Nikhila would be better at this.
Looking up from a box, which turned out to have plates and flat ware in it and smiled.
"Maybe a little. I think maybe I've been too busy to think about things much."Â?
Oddly enough Aidan's proposal might have helped some too. As much as didn't think she'd needed to be married, they were as committed as they were going to get, there was a sense of permanence in that and she found that reassuring.
Lily
14 years ago
"Why? they're labeled well enough," Lily said. "It'll be like Christmas with every box."
She tossed a smile over her shoulder at Nikhila as she retrieved another kitchen box and brought it in.
"Busy is good," she said to the younger were. "I imagine you're going to have enough of 'busy' in a few months though. I hope you won't mind if Iov and I pup-nap our grandchild for a weekend here and there."
Iov, in particular, had missed out on some of the best (and worst) parts of Aidan's own childhood. Only Lily had had the comfort of knowing who his sire really was. Well, Aidan and Nikhila's baby would have no doubt who its family was and who loved it.
The chorus of voices coming from downstairs told Lily there was more furniture being trekked in, but she stayed where she was in the kitchen with Nikhila. Let the boys have their fun. Aidan should have a reasonable idea of where things needed to go. If it was in the wrong place they'd move it later.
In the meantime, she and Nikhila planned an evening out, even if that evening would be shadowed by a few wolves.
((ooc: Lily and Nikhila out))
She tossed a smile over her shoulder at Nikhila as she retrieved another kitchen box and brought it in.
"Busy is good," she said to the younger were. "I imagine you're going to have enough of 'busy' in a few months though. I hope you won't mind if Iov and I pup-nap our grandchild for a weekend here and there."
Iov, in particular, had missed out on some of the best (and worst) parts of Aidan's own childhood. Only Lily had had the comfort of knowing who his sire really was. Well, Aidan and Nikhila's baby would have no doubt who its family was and who loved it.
The chorus of voices coming from downstairs told Lily there was more furniture being trekked in, but she stayed where she was in the kitchen with Nikhila. Let the boys have their fun. Aidan should have a reasonable idea of where things needed to go. If it was in the wrong place they'd move it later.
In the meantime, she and Nikhila planned an evening out, even if that evening would be shadowed by a few wolves.
((ooc: Lily and Nikhila out))
The Pipers
14 years ago
"A girl? A Hammerthynn girl? Does their genetics even work that way?" Charlie snorted but then shrugged. "You never know, I suppose. Too many Hammerthynn males anyway - look at Marko. He's third generation Hammerthynn and I'm pretty sure he'd eat his young."
"Oh that's not nice," Marko said coming up beside Charlie.
"Look at you, you're a monster. I can see it!" Red said pointing at Marko who pushed Red off the trail, into the bushes.
The rest of trucks were emptied quickly and with much merriment and Charlie was thankful for the normalcy of the day. They rarely got the chance to just be family and he welcomed it.
((Pipers out, pending response))
"Oh that's not nice," Marko said coming up beside Charlie.
"Look at you, you're a monster. I can see it!" Red said pointing at Marko who pushed Red off the trail, into the bushes.
The rest of trucks were emptied quickly and with much merriment and Charlie was thankful for the normalcy of the day. They rarely got the chance to just be family and he welcomed it.
((Pipers out, pending response))
Xeph
14 years ago
Xeph snorted. "I don't know, but I figure we'll keep on testing the theory," he said. "Until Nikhila puts her foot down anyway."
He had a huge house now... what else did you do with it but fill up with tiny little werewolves? "Kindness and truth rarely walk hand in hand," he said with a grin at Marko, just glad he wasn't the one ending up in the bushes.
He wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility however, so he made sure to keep a close eye out for any incoming attacks.
When all was said and done, he and Nikhila sort of had a house and he had correctly assumed the amount of beer a pack of parched Pipers could pound. As he looked around the big house a little later that evening, when Lily and Nikhila had headed out, promising to be back before dark, Xeph had to admit it wasn't bad here in Nachton. With one very small (but large) exception, this was definitely home.
((ooc: Xeph out))
He had a huge house now... what else did you do with it but fill up with tiny little werewolves? "Kindness and truth rarely walk hand in hand," he said with a grin at Marko, just glad he wasn't the one ending up in the bushes.
He wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility however, so he made sure to keep a close eye out for any incoming attacks.
When all was said and done, he and Nikhila sort of had a house and he had correctly assumed the amount of beer a pack of parched Pipers could pound. As he looked around the big house a little later that evening, when Lily and Nikhila had headed out, promising to be back before dark, Xeph had to admit it wasn't bad here in Nachton. With one very small (but large) exception, this was definitely home.
((ooc: Xeph out))