The words that rasped through Raffe's throat made Nox want to get up and soothe it. Not that he could do anything but he knew Raffe was self conscious about it all where there was no need. But he stayed down with the girls. And the words eased his soul just a little, but only just a little. He gave Raffe a small smile in thanks for not making their problems, a problem with the girls. He needed their trust.
Morgan untangled from his arms wiping her tears from cheeks with the bunny she clutched. "Do you like shoping?" She curled her fingers in Raffe's and skipped towards the stairs.
Nox cleared his throat. "Darling, you need to put clothes on. I am not letting you out of the club with nothing but a t-shirt and a belt on. I know the girls do not have anything in your size underneat that." Which wasn't exactly true, they probably had undergarments that did fit a little one, however not appropriate for a child. Nox stood up and smiled at Raffe. "I have no idea how long it will take them to get ready. Aurora could take a moment or three hours depending on her whim. Her whim often lead to me being late." And these girls favored his sister in too many ways.
Nox offered his hand to Morgan and looked at Makenzie. "Breakfast, shopping, then we visit the church and make sure no one is looking for you, and then we can come back here and we'll start working on teaching you how to hit things properly. I don't want you to break your hand."
Makenzie nodded and stalked off into Nox's room. "Morgs, come one, our clothes are in here."
Nox slipped into his room and grabbed his own change of clothes. "I'll be downstairs getting ready." And he let the girls do their thing. They were old enough to dress themself.
They readied themselves. The girls stumbled down in their now clean dresses their hair a mess and tangle. Nox spent twenty minutes helping the twins brush their hair. Morgan stood still and pressed her bunny to her face as the tangles were tugged out. Makenzie squirmed and squawked and Nox was being as gentle as he could. "We could just cut it all off."
Juls slapped Nox upside his head as she walked by. "You will do no such thing." And pushed Nox to the side and she got to work on untangling the girls hair in earnest.
They walked. The subway was too busy and they really weren't going far.
Nox chose a dinner that served breakfast all day, but also the whole menu all day. He'd been eating her more and more often as of late, he was unable to satisfy the horde's hunger without a kitchen. He ordered the girls pancakes with bacon and a chocolate milkshake. And ordered steak and eggs for himself with two burgers off the bun as well. Nox started to order for Raffe, he knew what he'd eat. Wasn't uncommon for either of them to bring food for the other, but he let the other man order for himself.
Nox was grateful that Morgan had firmly attached herself to Raffe and kept him engaged. He seemed off, and he couldn't help but think he was only making things worse. He tried not to focus on it and focus on the girls.
The girls devoured their food and would likely have an upset stomach later. They'd have to work on it. Makenzie only took Nox's hand when they crossed a road, but she ascounded to the other side of Raffe the first time she did so out of habit. Nox shook his head. At least they were taking to someone at the club.
But Nox didn't see this working if they didn't start to trust him. He doubted his intentions. Guilt played into it. Connection, but he felt more for Makenzie's plight than their home life status. Anyone could take the girls in and care for them, but Makenzie fostered a bit of hatred he knew a lot about. The kind that killed the monsters that killed her family. It wouldn't leave. Nox was alright with being that monster she strove to kill, someone should.
Nox caught himself almost holding hands with Raffe several times as they walked. But he kept his fingers tucked into the loop of his jeans to keep from reaching out, only allowing it free to hold Morgan's hand when she reached for it.
They walked past a few shops and the girls glanced in but nothing seemed to catch their fancy. A frilly pink party dress caught Morgan's eye and she danced and giggled in her orange polkadots. "We'll get the girls to make you something like that. Something better. I think if the four of us walked into that store they'd through us out before we broke something."
Morgan was happy with the answer but she danced ahead of them and stopped cold in front of a toy store. "Can we go in this one?"
Nox grinned. "I don't know. They might throw us out for playing with all the big buttons." He nodded towards the door. "Shalll we test the theory?"
Makenzie joined her sister and they raced into the door and they touched every button in the place with in reach. They giggled and played with stuffed toys. The shop keep watched with a smile on his face. Nox picked out a couple of gifts for the girls, things he thought they'd like. Nox watched Raffe with the girls, they never really talked to each other, but it felt nice having him there even if the silence between them was tight and strained. The girls didn't notice, they didn't know any better.
When Nox finally coaxed them out of the store he handed the girls a gift bag. Morgan tore through the bag and found costuming set. She giggled at all the different costumes available. Sadly it was all princess shit, Nox would have the girls add some other items of less princessy and with more range. Pirates and nurses while the girls would have sexy outfits they had the accessories galore to add to make imaginations run wild. They sure did for the men and women who came to the club.
Makenzie glanced in the bag with open eyes and reached in and pulled out a pair of red boxing gloves on a string. "You really are going to teach me?"
"I said I would. Those will protect your delicate hands and then once we get form we can take the gloves off if you wish. But you have to do as I say when I say it."
She nodded with fevor. "Of course."
Nox took the girls into a clothing shop that catered to kids. There were many young, toddler clothes, but the older ones were all one of a kind. The ladies who made them by hand. Something that no one else has. Nox had met the woman of the shoppe once. He wandered the district and its neighbors in his runs and walks. She took the girls into the back and they came back out spinning and twirling in different outfits. It was a mini fashion show.
Nox couldn't help but glance at Raffe as they waited on the girls to find something they liked. Though much like the toy story he had to encourage them to leave. Not because they wanted everything, but because they had run out of clothing to try on. It was fun watching them have fun.
They'd whiled away the afternoon and it was growing late, but they still needed to go to the church. Nox did not want to be accused of kidnapping or child abuse or whatever some one thought of his intensions.
The girls held hands in front of them and Nox followed behind with a glance at Raffe. The strain would ease with time wouldn't it? It gnawed at him. The horde gnawed at him. The bunny was cutched in Morgan's hand and they swung them back and forth.
The church was run down but appeared to be in various states of repair. Cracks in the foundation bothered him and if he had learned one thing while down in the tunnels it was that he could shore up the cracks easily. If only his love life were so easy. Nox reached through the sludge and into the power and sent weaves of earthinto the foundation and fixed the cracks. He didn't stand by to watch, so they would likely be imperfect. He'd have to fix them proper later, but if the girls were going to be here at all then they needed to be safe.
"You said Zeke would know if anyone was looking for the girls?" Nox asked Raffe.
Morgan untangled from his arms wiping her tears from cheeks with the bunny she clutched. "Do you like shoping?" She curled her fingers in Raffe's and skipped towards the stairs.
Nox cleared his throat. "Darling, you need to put clothes on. I am not letting you out of the club with nothing but a t-shirt and a belt on. I know the girls do not have anything in your size underneat that." Which wasn't exactly true, they probably had undergarments that did fit a little one, however not appropriate for a child. Nox stood up and smiled at Raffe. "I have no idea how long it will take them to get ready. Aurora could take a moment or three hours depending on her whim. Her whim often lead to me being late." And these girls favored his sister in too many ways.
Nox offered his hand to Morgan and looked at Makenzie. "Breakfast, shopping, then we visit the church and make sure no one is looking for you, and then we can come back here and we'll start working on teaching you how to hit things properly. I don't want you to break your hand."
Makenzie nodded and stalked off into Nox's room. "Morgs, come one, our clothes are in here."
Nox slipped into his room and grabbed his own change of clothes. "I'll be downstairs getting ready." And he let the girls do their thing. They were old enough to dress themself.
They readied themselves. The girls stumbled down in their now clean dresses their hair a mess and tangle. Nox spent twenty minutes helping the twins brush their hair. Morgan stood still and pressed her bunny to her face as the tangles were tugged out. Makenzie squirmed and squawked and Nox was being as gentle as he could. "We could just cut it all off."
Juls slapped Nox upside his head as she walked by. "You will do no such thing." And pushed Nox to the side and she got to work on untangling the girls hair in earnest.
They walked. The subway was too busy and they really weren't going far.
Nox chose a dinner that served breakfast all day, but also the whole menu all day. He'd been eating her more and more often as of late, he was unable to satisfy the horde's hunger without a kitchen. He ordered the girls pancakes with bacon and a chocolate milkshake. And ordered steak and eggs for himself with two burgers off the bun as well. Nox started to order for Raffe, he knew what he'd eat. Wasn't uncommon for either of them to bring food for the other, but he let the other man order for himself.
Nox was grateful that Morgan had firmly attached herself to Raffe and kept him engaged. He seemed off, and he couldn't help but think he was only making things worse. He tried not to focus on it and focus on the girls.
The girls devoured their food and would likely have an upset stomach later. They'd have to work on it. Makenzie only took Nox's hand when they crossed a road, but she ascounded to the other side of Raffe the first time she did so out of habit. Nox shook his head. At least they were taking to someone at the club.
But Nox didn't see this working if they didn't start to trust him. He doubted his intentions. Guilt played into it. Connection, but he felt more for Makenzie's plight than their home life status. Anyone could take the girls in and care for them, but Makenzie fostered a bit of hatred he knew a lot about. The kind that killed the monsters that killed her family. It wouldn't leave. Nox was alright with being that monster she strove to kill, someone should.
Nox caught himself almost holding hands with Raffe several times as they walked. But he kept his fingers tucked into the loop of his jeans to keep from reaching out, only allowing it free to hold Morgan's hand when she reached for it.
They walked past a few shops and the girls glanced in but nothing seemed to catch their fancy. A frilly pink party dress caught Morgan's eye and she danced and giggled in her orange polkadots. "We'll get the girls to make you something like that. Something better. I think if the four of us walked into that store they'd through us out before we broke something."
Morgan was happy with the answer but she danced ahead of them and stopped cold in front of a toy store. "Can we go in this one?"
Nox grinned. "I don't know. They might throw us out for playing with all the big buttons." He nodded towards the door. "Shalll we test the theory?"
Makenzie joined her sister and they raced into the door and they touched every button in the place with in reach. They giggled and played with stuffed toys. The shop keep watched with a smile on his face. Nox picked out a couple of gifts for the girls, things he thought they'd like. Nox watched Raffe with the girls, they never really talked to each other, but it felt nice having him there even if the silence between them was tight and strained. The girls didn't notice, they didn't know any better.
When Nox finally coaxed them out of the store he handed the girls a gift bag. Morgan tore through the bag and found costuming set. She giggled at all the different costumes available. Sadly it was all princess shit, Nox would have the girls add some other items of less princessy and with more range. Pirates and nurses while the girls would have sexy outfits they had the accessories galore to add to make imaginations run wild. They sure did for the men and women who came to the club.
Makenzie glanced in the bag with open eyes and reached in and pulled out a pair of red boxing gloves on a string. "You really are going to teach me?"
"I said I would. Those will protect your delicate hands and then once we get form we can take the gloves off if you wish. But you have to do as I say when I say it."
She nodded with fevor. "Of course."
Nox took the girls into a clothing shop that catered to kids. There were many young, toddler clothes, but the older ones were all one of a kind. The ladies who made them by hand. Something that no one else has. Nox had met the woman of the shoppe once. He wandered the district and its neighbors in his runs and walks. She took the girls into the back and they came back out spinning and twirling in different outfits. It was a mini fashion show.
Nox couldn't help but glance at Raffe as they waited on the girls to find something they liked. Though much like the toy story he had to encourage them to leave. Not because they wanted everything, but because they had run out of clothing to try on. It was fun watching them have fun.
They'd whiled away the afternoon and it was growing late, but they still needed to go to the church. Nox did not want to be accused of kidnapping or child abuse or whatever some one thought of his intensions.
The girls held hands in front of them and Nox followed behind with a glance at Raffe. The strain would ease with time wouldn't it? It gnawed at him. The horde gnawed at him. The bunny was cutched in Morgan's hand and they swung them back and forth.
The church was run down but appeared to be in various states of repair. Cracks in the foundation bothered him and if he had learned one thing while down in the tunnels it was that he could shore up the cracks easily. If only his love life were so easy. Nox reached through the sludge and into the power and sent weaves of earthinto the foundation and fixed the cracks. He didn't stand by to watch, so they would likely be imperfect. He'd have to fix them proper later, but if the girls were going to be here at all then they needed to be safe.
"You said Zeke would know if anyone was looking for the girls?" Nox asked Raffe.
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)