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Jora listened to him with a soft, thoughtful smile, nodding slightly as his words settled in. “Yeah,” she murmured. “For now, we belong to it just as much as it belongs to us.” Her gaze drifted briefly toward the walls, the floor beneath them, the quiet steadiness of the island she trusted with her whole heart. “And I think it knows that.” She glanced down at the babies when he spoke again, lips curving as she adjusted her hold. “I think you’re right,” she whispered. “They were calmer near the water… like it already knows them.” Her thumb brushed gently over Kaiya’s back, slow and soothing. “It’s comforting,” she added softly, almost to herself. At the mention of Lyra, Jora let out a quiet, affectionate laugh. “That sounds exactly like her,” she said fondly. “She tries so hard to do everything herself.” Her expression softened. “Thank you for tucking her in. I’m glad she felt comfortable enough to just… stop and rest.” When Sage reached to take one of the babies, she shifted without hesitation, carefully transferring Kaiya into his arms. She leaned into the kiss he pressed to her head, eyes closing for just a second. “Alright,” she whispered. “Let’s do it.” She took care of Caspian while he settled Kaiya, moving slowly, every step deliberate and gentle. Once both babies were tucked away, breathing softly in their beds, Jora slipped her hand into Sage’s and followed him to their room. The moment she lay down, the exhaustion hit her all at once. She curled slightly toward him, one hand resting against his side, a quiet sense of peace settling over her. Home. Surrounded by family. Safe. She fell asleep with that thought warming her chest. |
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Sage had nodded as jora spoke, smiling as she mentioned how calm they were. "They recognize it. Deep down, they know," he noted simply. He had been the same way as a kid....always drawn to the water. Wary of it's power, of course, but drawn to it even then. It didn't take long to put them to bed, or to curl up around each other in their own blankets. He was asleep quickly after that, pulled into a deep rest by their adventures and the fact that they were finally home. Finally in their own bed. Life wasn't quite so crazy anymore. Well....it would still be crazy, but in a different way. He woke late the next morning, a smile forming on his face when he noted they'd had the full night of rest they'd so badly needed. Jora was still resting quietly beside him, the house still full of quiet peace they had before any of the kids woke. When they did wake, it would be chaos...babies screaming, Lyra running around trying to make everyone breakfast. He chuckled softly as he inagined it all. For now, though, it was calm. Quiet. So he moved to wrap his arm tighter around Jora, basking in the peace they had. |
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Jora barely stirred when he shifted closer, her breath slow and even, body still heavy with sleep. When his arm tightened around her, she let out a soft, content sound and instinctively leaned back into his chest, fitting there like she always had. Home had settled into her bones overnight. She woke gradually, not all at once—first to the warmth of him, the steady rise and fall of his breathing, the distant hush of the sea outside. Then to the quiet. Real, unbroken quiet. No ship creaking, no unfamiliar walls. Just theirs. Her eyes opened slowly, lashes fluttering as she stared at the far wall for a moment before turning her head slightly toward him. A small smile curved at the corner of her mouth when she realized he was awake too. “Morning,” she murmured, voice still husky with sleep. She rested her hand over his forearm where it lay across her middle, thumb brushing back and forth in a lazy, absent motion. “I forgot what this kind of quiet feels like,” she admitted softly. “The kind that doesn’t feel like it’s about to end.” Her gaze flicked toward the doorway, where faint light filtered in, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the calm shattered. But she didn’t rush it. Didn’t pull away. She just breathed him in and stayed still. “Let’s steal a few more minutes,” Jora whispered, a hint of amusement beneath the tenderness. “Before the chaos remembers we exist.” |
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Sage had settled in again, smoking softly when Jora started to wake, fingers brushing against his arm. "Hey," he murmured back, his own voice still heavy with sleep as well. "Sleep good," he added, knowing full well they'd both passed out and stayed that way. But it was still nice to ask. When she continued talking, he hummed softly in agreement, musing a quiet "it's been a while since we've been able to do this," in agreement. It was certainly nice to be able to again. To just linger here in their own home, their own bed, knowing everything was alright. He chuckled when she mentioned the kids, calling them chaos, and smiled as he pressed his face into her hair gently. "I'll cuddle with you as long as I can," he mused, voice laced with faint tones of amusement. He'd stay as long as he could. Always. Soon enough though, he heard Lyra in the kitchen, and he rolled over with a soft groan. "There's chaos number one, up and moving," he noted with a fond smile, sliding out of the bed after pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'll go make sure she doesn't burn down the house." |
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Jora let out a soft, breathy laugh when he asked if she’d slept well, her thumb still tracing slow, familiar patterns against his arm. “Like the dead,” she murmured back, eyes half-lidded as she turned her face slightly toward him. “I don’t think I even dreamed. Just…gone.” And honestly? She couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. She relaxed further when he pressed into her hair, that quiet, grounding weight of him settling her all over again. “Mm,” she hummed in agreement, voice warm and sleepy. “I missed this. Waking up and knowing we don’t have to go anywhere.” No ports, no schedules. Just home, and each other. At his promise to cuddle as long as he could, her smile softened into something deeper, something fond and a little aching. “You always say that,” she teased gently, tilting her head back just enough to brush her lips against his jaw. “And you always mean it.” The distant clatter from the kitchen made her snort softly when he groaned. She sighed as he pulled away, already missing the warmth, but didn’t stop him—just watched as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Godspeed,” she murmured dryly. “And thank you for your sacrifice.” She rolled onto her back once he was gone, staring up at the ceiling with a quiet smile still lingering. Chaos was waking up. Life was starting again. And for the first time in a long while, Jora felt ready for it. |
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Sage had chuckled softly when Jora mentioned she'd slept well. "Thought so," he mused with a nod. "I don't think I was any different," he added with a soft sigh, eyes still closed as he spoke to her. As she mentioned just being home he pressed a soft kiss to her head, not speaking right away, just breathing it all in. Home. Her. The night they'd had. "It is awfully nice to wake up slowly, on our own," he hummed after a moment or so. Her comment about always meaning what he said brought a grin to his face, bobbing his head up and down in agreement. "It's nice," he noted. "You're warm and you smell nice," he added, patting her side gently as he shifted to get up, now that Lyra was headed in the kitchen. Her little godspeed comment just pulled a smile and amused he shake from him as he tossed on some warmer clothes, giving her a salute as he reached for the door in a joking manner. "Reporting for duty Captain," hed chirped lightly before slipping out of the room and padding down to the kitchen, where Lyra had already begun to make a mess. He watched her for a moment before sighing fondly and moving to help her with ...whatever she'd decided to do, so at least breakfast turned out well enough to eat. And the kitchen would t become a complete disaster... He didn't feel like doing much today. |
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Jora smiled sleepily at his words, eyes still half-lidded as she listened to him. “I figured,” she murmured back, voice warm and soft. “Hard not to sleep well when everything’s finally quiet.” When he kissed the top of her head, she shifted just a little closer, breathing him in, letting the moment linger. Home really did feel different in the mornings—slower, gentler, like the island itself was letting them rest. “I know,” she agreed quietly. “No rushing. No alarms. Just… us.” Her lips curved into a faint grin at his comment about her being warm, and she huffed a quiet laugh. “That’s because you’re basically a furnace,” she teased, fingers brushing his side before he moved away. She watched him pull on clothes, amused by the little salute, shaking her head fondly. “Be careful in there,” she called softly. “She’s on a mission.” There was no mistaking Lyra’s determined energy when she got it in her head to help. Once he slipped out, Jora stayed put for a moment longer, stretching slowly before carefully easing out of bed. Her first instinct, as always now, was to check on the babies. She padded quietly into their room, peering in to make sure Kaiya and Caspian were still asleep, chests rising and falling steadily. The sight settled something deep in her chest. Satisfied, she moved to pull on a loose sweater, then leaned briefly against the doorway, listening to the faint clatter of Lyra in the kitchen and Sage’s low voice guiding her. A soft smile tugged at her lips. No plans. No danger. Just family, breakfast, and a day that didn’t demand anything from them. After a moment, she headed toward the kitchen too—slowly, unhurried—ready to join them and let the morning unfold however it wanted. |
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Sage had chuckled and nodded in response to her comment about lyras mission, knowing she was right. The little girl had insisted on making pancakes, and had already started throwing flour and salt and a few other things in a bowl. Luckily, he'd gotten there before she could make too much of a mess, finding the recipie Jora normally used and handed it to the girl, making sure she read how much of eat ingredient to put in, and how to help mix it all together correctly. That sort of thing. He let her do it....if she wanted to, that was fine. But he was watching, making sure she was doing things right. And when she had made the batter and it was ready to cook, he took over that part. It was probably a good thing, since Lyra had gotten distracted and had moved on by then. She remained in the kitchen, picking out fruits and possible juices for breakfast, while sage kept an eye on the cooking pancakes and the other one on Lyra. He did notice when Jora came into the kitchen though, humming softly in amusement as Lyra ran for her mother, yelling something about pancakes and fruit and other treats. He chuckled softly, leaning against the counter, spatula in hand. "She's very excited," he mused fondly. |
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Clear with Temps dropping into the Teens
