Under Darkness [AU]

[Carver Amell]

He smirks. "Finish setting the table," he orders, then saunters back out to the parlor, offering Seli her drink.

[Tethras Clan]

Andy rolls his eyes as Carver leaves the room... though he also smiles faintly.

"Ah, thank you," Seli says from the floor. She's kneeling, slightly bent over, as she gives Hunter a very vigorous belly rub. Hunter is completely lost to the bliss of petting and praise. "Everything alright?"

[Carver Amell]

"Yup! Just giving Andy a hand with the soup," he lies easily. "I see Hunter kept you company."

[Tethras Clan]

"Hunter's a very good boy," Seli agrees, giving the mabari one last flurry of scritches before rising to her feet. The mabari lets out a sad moan, giving them both a pleading look. Seli lightly taps his snout with a single finger. "Now now, no begging. You're better than that, loyal hound."

Turning to Carver, she asks in a relaxed and pleased tone, "anything I can do to help?"

[Carver Amell]

"Nah, he's got it well in hand now," he says, handing her the glass before stepping back a little. "How are the twins?"

[Tethras Clan]

"They're well," Seli says warmly as she retakes her seat. Every time he asks, every time he means it. He'll make a wonderful father some day. Maybe for Feather Leslie, if he ever notices her flirting. "I mentioned them sleeping through the night earlier. They're both also starting to track people consistently, and Gily has started repeating noises when she's feeling alert."

[Carver Amell]

He smiles, a genuine smile. "That's amazing! Do you think she'll be talking soon, or, how long does that usually take?"

[Tethras Clan]

"Well, thirteen months is the average for her to start repeating sounds as words- 'ma' and the like. It'll be a full year before they start using simple words consistently," she says with relish. "Mama and no are the most common, of course, but they'll also repeat whatever you say the most around them. Or try to anyway. What really comes next I'm waiting for- and dreading a little- is that they'll start crawling any day now."

[Carver Amell]

"Crawling!" his eyes light up just a bit. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Mmmh," Seli says, sipping her tea. "Neither of them are elves, but merikos and humans develop at the same rate until seventeen so that doesn't matter for now- either way, they should get to that stage in the next four months or so. Tomas is already sitting up unaided, which is a bit early actually, but Gilly is attempting to stand. Nothing close to a success yet, but... I suspect she's gotten a double dose of my drive," the Cirenite says ruefully.

[Carver Amell]

Carver grins. "If you need a babysitter, let me know. Hunter's very responsible," he teases. 

[Tethras Clan]

Hunter grunts softly, shifting his gaze from Good Mother to Alpha, a look of intense focus in his eyes.

"Thank you," Seli says softly, knowing that despite the joke, the offer is entirely made in earnest. "Actually..." She gives him a thoughtful look. "Would you like to spend the day with us tomorrow? Get some hands-on experience with taking care of little ones? I mean, if you don't already have any, I'm assuming a bit..."

[Carver Amell]

Carver nods. "I would like that." He hesitates, then adds, "I really hope that, whatever they are, the twins come out the same race. It's... challenging to have a sibling that different from you, and a twin should be someone who is always there for you."

[Tethras Clan]

Seli winces a little, nodding slightly. "I... yes, when I realized I was having twins, all I could think about was Wolf and Elm," she confesses softly. "The play about the orc and elf twins?" she asks, realizing Carver might not be familiar with it. "Merikos and human isn't too bad but having a twin that won't be an adult until you're a grandparent..."

[Carver Amell]

Carver nods. "Yeah, I know Wolf and Elm." I've never cried harder at a play. I sent the actress who played Elm a huge bundle of flowers later. She probably laughed at the card but... "Merikos isn't too bad as children, age-wise, but you always know you're different. It's easy to feel left out."