Midnight Manor Boarding House, Room 1C, Saturday

[moreofaponchoguy]

Cal was getting better at asking Arden to spend the night when he thought he might not get a good amount of rest on his own, and it seemed like even less of an annoyance to ask after the dance. In return, Arden was getting her fair share of cuddling this morning, but Cal would be happy to relinquish some of his hold once he woke up more, or the covers didn't feel quite so nice and comfortable.

[For the girlfriend and their visitors!]

Comments

[afraid_of_sith]

Cere tugged on Cal's hand. She might be very grown up now, but she still wanted to cuddle with both parents. Just, like, in a far more mature way than Quin did, obviously.

"Wiww I be old enough on my next birthday?" Quin asked. "I wiww be even bigger then."

[moreofaponchoguy]

Well, how could Cal argue with such an invitation? He settled onto the bed, letting Cere plop down in his lap as he slipped an arm around Arden. "Arbiters were--are definitely a Jedi thing," he said. "They're negotiators who are good at making people get along, especially when they don't want to talk and just want to argue. That's why there's no rush to stop being a youngling," he said, ruffling Quin's hair. "You don't have to start training to be part of the Order. You just have to protect those who are smaller and weaker than you."

He wasn't going to point out how few people fit that description at the moment, that just seemed mean, especially when this was his own child. Sort of. Maybe.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Oh," Arden said, warmth flowing through her at the description. "That sounds really nice. Like something I could do that would make me very happy."

She leaned against Cal, resting her head against him. As far as snapshots of the future went, even with all the weird parts she hadn't figured out yet, this was...pretty nice.

[afraid_of_sith]

And from the way the children immediately shifted in their laps, taking advantage of that lean to manage to cuddle with both their parents at the same time, it was a way they sat together as a family quite frequently.

These children did not represent a future where anybody was left touch starved, that was for sure.

"Papa, you're a Jedi Knight," Quin told him, very seriously. "And you go on 'ventures and save wots and wots of peopwe, because the Empire is very bad."

[moreofaponchoguy]

Of course the Empire was still around, this future of theirs couldn't be too perfect. "Saving people makes me happy too," he said. "And we want people to know they're never fighting the Empire alone. But I know what's most important is making sure you both are safe." If there was any version of him that wouldn't put his family first, he didn't want to know about it.

[afraid_of_sith]

Heavy sighs because obviously Papa, they knew that. You said it, like, all the time.

"Master Luke keeps asking you to be on the Council," Cere reported. "But you keep saying no. Cause you keep wanting to protect people and not talking about everything like the Council does."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden was just going to look at Cal and grin. Because that did sound like him.

[moreofaponchoguy]

Cal looked flustered, partly because that did sound exactly like him, and partly because this was more proof that there were other Jedi out there and he might be able to find them (without them trying to kill him).

"I can't let your mama think I'm boring and all talk, or I'll put her to sleep," Cal said. "She deserves someone strong, don't you think?"

[afraid_of_sith]

"Mama awways says she deserves someone who knows how to wuv her and us most of all," Quin pipes up. "Because knowin' how to wuv and how to work for that wuv is the best of aww."

"Wow, future-me sounds very smart," Arden preened.

[moreofaponchoguy]

"Present-you is also very smart," Cal pointed out. "I don't know if I'm a good cook in the future, but I know I'm not right now, so what do you say we all go out and get breakfast so I don't try to make things and ruin them?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Oh, I know present-me is very smart, too," Arden said with a grin. "I got you, didn't I?"

She leaned in to give him a soft kiss (much to the giggling amusement of the kids) and then scooped Quin up in her arms. "Luke's?" she suggested. "Pancakes for everybody!"

[afraid_of_sith]

The kids cheered. "Pancakes!"

No, it wasn't a morning spent kissing and canoodling, as had been originally planned...but it was still a damn good morning by any stretch of the imagination.