Writing: Original -- Of Moving and Storms

   I haven't a lot of time due to a baby sitting job in forty-five minutes and not even having gotten out of bed yet, but I wanted to post this real fast so as to reassure Trinity that every one is doing quite well. Well, in the original they are. We won't speak of the deviant.

   This scrawl was one that just came out of no where last week and is a short amount of time after Jhidek, Ruusan, and their four children moved from Norsha'ac to Istilanda, the difference being, from grassy hills, to oceans and beaches.

   Please note, also, that Gramma Ti-ti is Tara and Grampa Ar-ar is Nuridarr. Vivian did love her nicknames as a baby and a few have stuck.

  
    It is almost one o'clock in the morning when the first crack of lightning illuimnates the bedroom and it is quickly followed by a boom of thunder, wakening Ruusan almost instantly.
    Disoriented initially, her heart pounds in her chest as she lifts her head from her pillow then lightning flashes again and she realizes, belatedly, that a storm has blown in off the ocean and even now, the rain batters against the glass windows taking up the far wall of the room.
    Rolling over and sitting up, Ruu pulls the comforter around herself, glancing at the empty space on the other side of the bed. A quiet sigh escapes her.
    Sometime in the next twenty-four hours, he'd said when he'd called earlier. This job was turning out to be a bit more unpredictable than expected, stretching to three days, possibly four, but Ruu knows Jay has to make up for his absence while moving her and the kids to Istilanda.
    There are still boxes scattered everywhere because she hasn't been able to find the energy to both unpack and mind her children. Vivian and Ellora's excitement over the new location is complete, but just as often, she has to wipe away tears because, yes, they're going to see Gramma Ti-ti and Auntie Merri and Grampa Ar-ar and Auntie Raina again.
    That is one thing Ruusan hadn't considered entirely when she and Jhidek had decided to move; the relative solitude that she'd be placed in by the new location. Having lived his family for the past five years, not having someone popping in and out throughout the day or meandering over to Auntie Tara's house when the girls had too much energy was a foreign concept.
    But the change is doing her a lot of good at the same time. The fresh start and new setting helps Ruu keep her head clearer, freer of thoughts that threaten to weigh her down.
    A faint smile pulls at her mouth as she looks around she and Jay's new room, the large bay windows looking out over the ocean, the light wood flooring and white-painted walls.
    Overall, the house has five separate bedrooms, four on the second story, one on the first floor, and there is a  small basement that acts as a storm shelter in case of a typhoon. Vivian and Ellora have been installed down the hall in the other room that overlooks the beach and sea, much to their delight, and Connor will be across the hall from them in a couple more months. Ruu has already had to nurse more than one pair of bruised knees due to the slippery hardwood floors, but is finding she likes them much better than the carpet in the apartment on Norsha'ac, if only because they are far easier to clean.
    Sleep having fled for the time being despite her exhaustion earlier that evening, the woman slides out of bed, not bothering with the robe pooled on the floor beside the bed. She goes to the tall windows and pushes the curtains out of the way so she can see out. Wind is whipping at the trees and the ocean rolls and tosses, crashing up on the beach only to subside again.
    Thunder continues to boom as well, and she absently hopes it won't wake the kids as it had her.
    Ruusan watches the effect of the storm, crossing her arms over her stomach. She doubts it will hamper Jhidek's return, but still worries a bit that it will.
    She lingers over the view a few minutes longer, then goes to check on Connor. At seven months, he's just beginning to crawl and Ruu made quick work of installing gates on the stairs so that neither he nor Ellie will take a tumble down them. Leaning over the crib, she smiles softly, brushing her fingers over the baby's cheek.
    As always, the curls are her own, but it's the sandy color that means her genes have finally had some influence. A small triumph, but after both Vivian and Ellora turned out looking much like their respective fathers,
having Connor bear some resemblance to herself made the back-aches worth it.
    Of course, his eyes are still brown.
    Oh well, Ruu muses, tucking the blanket closer around her son and straightening to go check on her daughters. Maybe next round.
    As she pads across the floor to the bedroom door, a small frown pulls at Ruusan's mouth. Not being near Jhidek's family any longer means that, aside from her husband, who is constantly coming and going, she'll be devoid of an extra set of hands to help with the kids while she's pregnant, especially when she nears her due date.
    Considering this problem a few moments later, Ruu decides to bring it up with Jay at some point and tucks the thought away as she goes to her daughters' room.
    The nightlight casts a faint glow over the space, giving it a warm atmosphere that seems to ward off the severity of the storm. On the short table between the two little beds and their slumbering occupants, a small, lavender music player has a soft piano piece on, keeping the thunder at bay.
    Ruusan gently pushes back Ellora's dark curls, feeling her warmth and hearing her little breaths and pulls up the light purple comforter before shifting across the space between Ell's and Vivi's bed to check on her oldest.
    Vivian's leg is hanging over the side of the mattress, so she eases back under the covers and bends down to  kiss the five-year-old's temple.
     I have no idea what I ever did to deserve all this, Lord, she thinks, rising after a couple more moments and going to stand in the doorway.
    She stays there, lost in thought, until a faint clatter from downstairs catches the mother's attention.
    Hope causes her pulse to pick up.
    Jhidek.
    Closing the girls' door behind herself, Ruu makes her way downstairs, the gates opening soundlessly at her behest as she passes through them to reach the main floor.
    The air is cooler on the first floor and she crosses her arms over her chest to ward off the chill that causes goosebumps to break out over her arms. There's another faint noise that draws her attention and guides her through the dark house towards the entry way.
    Ruu wanders to the short hallway that leads to the front door and draws to a halt when she sees Jhidek there, leaning over to pull off his boots.
    He looks up and she smiles.


   There you have it. Right as rain.

   And now, I must dash. Thank you for reading!

   Also, I'm considering doing a short review on BBC's North & South. Would anyone be interested in that?

   Thank you muchas for reading!

   Ad astra per aspera.
   To the stars, through difficulties.