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Jora followed his gaze to the window, imagining the island the way it always lived in her chest—salt on the air, green shadows under the trees, the steady, patient rhythm of the waves. Home. Not because it was untouched or perfect, but because it had held them when nothing else did. “It already teaches them,” she said softly, thumb brushing slow circles over the back of his hand. “Without asking anything in return. That’s the kind of place it is.” Her lips curved faintly. “It won’t demand more than they can give. And if it ever does…” she glanced down at the babies, then back up at him, eyes steady. “They won’t face it alone.” At his sigh, she leaned in a little closer, resting her forehead briefly against his shoulder. There was peace right now—real, fragile, precious peace—and she intended to protect it with everything she had. When he kissed her head and promised, her breath hitched just slightly. She smiled, warm and sure, lifting her face to look at him. “We will,” she echoed quietly. Then, with the barest tease in her voice, she added, “And for the record—you’re Sage. I’m the one who keeps them happy.” Her fingers tightened gently in his, content, grounded. For now, this was enough. |
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Sage was content to just look out the window for a few moments, thinking back to their home as his gaze searched for the ocean just barely visible in the background. Beyond the city walls, miles away, their home was waiting. Patient. Calm. Steady. They'd be back soon, once Jora was back on her feet and the babies were old enough to be moved that far down the ocean. He hummed softly in agreement to her comment when it came, thoughts turning back to the present. "It's the best place to learn about anything," he noted softly. "That's why it's so good to us. And it'll be so good to them." He couldn't wait to bring them home. To introduce them to the island. The ocean. At her tease he just wrinkled his nose in amusement, shaking his head. "Oh I see, I'm just chopped liver then," he joked softly, knowing she valued him, and their kids did too. |
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Jora watched the way his eyes lingered, the way his shoulders softened when he spoke about the island. She could almost feel it too—the pull of the tide, the quiet promise of green and salt and space enough to breathe. Home was waiting. It always did. “It raised us as much as we raised ourselves,” she murmured, voice warm. “Taught us when to push, when to listen. I trust it with them.” Her gaze drifted to the babies, her smile gentling. “They’ll grow strong there. Grounded.” At his joke, she scoffed softly, turning just enough to bump her forehead against his shoulder. “Chopped liver?” she repeated, amused. “Hardly.” She tilted her head to look up at him, eyes bright with affection. “You’re the heart of this family, Sage. I just… keep the wheels from falling off.” Her fingers slid into his again, squeezing once. “They’ll know that. The island will know that too.” |
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Sage had chuckled softly when she mentioned it raising them, nodding along. "It did," he agreed, tilting his head as he thought about it. "Even as old as we were when we arrived ....it still had so much to teach us," he thought out loud. He shook his head in amusement when she called him the heart of the family, leaning into her with a soft sigh. "The wheels would be long gone without you," he agreed, voice laced with amusement. "I think you give me too much credit," he added with a soft laugh. "But I'll take being the heart of the family," he added with a grin. He squeezed her hand when her fingers found his, offering her a small smile. "They will. And the island will know they're part of its family." |
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Jora smiled at his first words, a quiet, knowing curve of her lips as she nodded along. “It did,” she agreed softly. “I think that’s the strange thing about this place… it doesn’t matter how old you are when you arrive. It still finds the cracks you didn’t know were there and fills them in.” Her gaze drifted briefly, thoughtful. “Or forces you to learn how to fill them yourself.” At his protest, she let out a low, warm laugh, leaning into him just a little more. “Don’t try to dodge it,” she teased gently. “You’re the heart whether you like it or not.” Her thumb brushed over the back of his hand. “I might keep things moving, but you’re the reason everyone slows down enough to feel safe.” When he accepted it with that grin, her smile softened, pride shining plainly in her eyes. “Good,” she murmured. “Because we need a good heart.” Her fingers tightened around his hand as he spoke again, and she nodded, emotion swelling quietly in her chest. |
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Sage smiled softly as jora continued speaking about the island, a small nod shaking his head up and down as she spoke. "It shares its secrets to those who will listen," he noted softly. "I think it's a little bit of both," he added with a shrug. "It gave you the means to fill the cracks. Helped you. But it still had to be your own doing to chose to fill them." He laughed softly when she insisted he was the heart of the family, turning to press a soft kiss to her forehead. "I suppose a good hart does tend to good things for someone," he noted with amusement, just settling against her happily. These moments wouldn't last forever. Hardships would come ...to them or their children as they aged. But they would face them head on. And they would overcome them. He was sure of that. |
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Jora listened to him with a quiet, thoughtful expression, her eyes softening as his words settled in. She nodded slowly. “You’re right,” she admitted. “It doesn’t do the work for you. It just… gives you the space to choose who you want to be.” Her thumb traced idle circles against his arm. “I think that’s why it feels so alive. It watches. It waits.” She smiled when he kissed her forehead, a small, breathy laugh leaving her. “You’re proving my point,” she murmured fondly. “A good heart doesn’t even realize how much it’s doing. It just does it.” Jora leaned fully into him then, her shoulder resting against his chest, content to stay there. Her gaze drifted over their children before returning to him. “Hard things will come,” she said quietly, not fearful—just honest. “But they won’t come alone. We’ll meet them together.” Her fingers curled into his, steady and sure. “And so will they. With us behind them.” |
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Sage nodded as she spoke, agreeing with the words he'd mentioned. "It has its own mind, in a way," he agreed. "A personality, one that will be tilted in your favor if you listen. Care for the land properly." He smiled softly, thinking of all the things their home provided for them. Food, water, entertainment. Other things that he hadn't expected but had come to pass. A home. He chuckled when she just said he was proving her point, shaking his head slightly. "Alright, alright," he mused softly. "I'll take being the heart," he mused, squeezing her gently. "As long as we have each other..... everything will work out," he noted softly in agreement. "We'll be fine. All of us. You, me, and all the kids." He paused briefly, smiling. "The island too," he added. |
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Jora smiled at that, the kind that lingered quietly instead of bursting out all at once. “It does,” she agreed softly. “It listens back. Like it knows when you’re treating it with care instead of just taking.” Her gaze drifted for a moment, thoughtful. “I think that’s why it feels like home. Not just land—but something that chose us too.” She laughed under her breath when he finally relented, shaking her head as she leaned into his squeeze. “Good,” she teased gently. “Because you are. Whether you accept the title or not.” At his words, her expression softened even more, something warm and steady settling in her chest. She turned slightly, pressing her forehead against his shoulder. “Yeah,” she murmured. “As long as we have each other.” Her hand tightened around his, grounding, certain. “We’ll keep them safe. We’ll teach them how to listen—to us, to each other, to this place.” A small smile curved her lips. “And the island will keep giving back, just like it always has.” She tilted her head up to look at him. “All of us,” she echoed quietly. |
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Sage had hummed softly as she spoke, nodding along. "I know it's not actually a being that knows what you're doing but.....it certainly seems that way," he mused with a soft chuckle. "I don't even want to know what would happen if we started treating the land badly," he added, shaking his head slightly in amusement. "Yeah," he noted at her next few comments. "It wouldn't be home without it." It really wouldn't. Without the ocean, without the forests surrounding them, without all the beasts among the trees and the critters crawling and the birds in the air....it wouldn't feel truely like home. He chuckled softly as she continued, giving him the label, he just nodded with a grin. "Fine, but wheels doesn't sound as nice as a heart," he mused. He thought for a moment before grinning. "Ah! You're the muscles then, are you," he noted, clearly still just having fun with it all. Their words turned less teasing though after a moment, and he nodded along, agreeing completely. "How long do you want to stay here before trying to head back," he asked after a moment or so. It would be a bit still....but they hadt settled on an actual time or date yet. |
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Overcast and Humid, Clearing Overnight
