Returning a sack of potatoes

Having arrived at Ariadne's home early in the day, her parents had given them need to head into one of the trade districts. So, while Ariadne finished dressing for the day, Toshiro stood outside with Thessaly in the morning sun, engaging the little girl.

"Where is your nose?" He would say, and of course, Thessaly would point there. Then he would nod approvingly if not with a little feigned skepticism.

"Allllright, Thessy, you think you have it alll figured out. Tell me then, where are your ears!?" Thessaly laughed and pointed to her ears like he was an idiot for not knowing.

Nodding once more, Toshiro tried again, "Where are your eyes?" Again, she pointed in the right place.

"Then what about your mouth?" Then even before she could point somewhere, he tickled her tummy, "Is this where it is? That's where the food goes doesn't it? Doesn't food go in your mouth?"

Thessaly was laughing and squealing. "No no! Yes!" Not knowing which to answer first or correctly.

So while she was laughing, Toshiro slung her over his shoulder to hang her upside down. "Hmmm. Well, we'll have to work on the answer to that one then. Now...what's taking your mommy so long?"

Toshiro was peering back through the door expectantly while Thessaly was squirming and giggling. "Ohh, this heavy sack of potatoes is moving. I should take it back to where we got it. I could return it in exchange for a new one." And of course that sent her into another fit of laughter, denying all accusations of being a potato sack.

Ariadne heard the laughter coming from outside as she double checked that they had everything they needed. Her smile broadened as she opened the door. “Yes, we need to exchange them for ones that have less hair..” She said as she touched the little girl’s hair. “And they aren’t supposed to be so soft and squishy.” She jabbed the little girl lightly on her belly. Coming from behind them, she turned so she could be on the side of Toshiro that the little girl wasn’t slung over. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.

“We better get moving trouble makers.” She said with a mock sternness. It was easy to see they were both very important to her. The streets were busy today, filled with people selling this or that and people heading to jobs or home or wherever their lives were taking them. Ariadne felt completely at home in the bustle of the large hold. She was used to it and so was her daughter despite only being three.

As they headed into the Trade district, she looked at Toshiro for a brief second. This was nice. She kept thinking she would look and he wouldn’t be there but he was. Ari couldn’t really contain how glad she was that they were doing, normal family things together. She was momentarily reminded that they might already be starting a family. The less she thought about that though the better. She wanted to think they had more time to think about things. More time for Toshiro to ease into this whole family thing.

“Its over this way I think.” She said, indicating the shops on the right hand side of the main street. “If you want to, you can wait outside the shop. Up to you though, it gets a little crowded.”

Trouble makers, eh? Well did she have them all figured out. Just like how Thessaly had her mouth and tummy all figured out.

Toshiro followed alongside Ariadne, walking together with her down one of the more popular trade district roads, eventually setting Thessaly down so that she could walk between them, taking her little hand in his.

"I'll wait outside with Thessaly so that we can watch the people." Not to mention three year old little hands would be grabbing at everything once they went through that door. Sooo, Toshiro sat on the step outside with her.

While they were waiting, his eyes skimmed through the crowds idly. Toshiro's eyes were always on the lookout though, it was his job in the end, whether he was on duty or not -like today. And of course, a day when he was not supposed to be working, he would notice something fishy.

A few days prior, Rihan had given the order for a number of men to trail Kazage the Exile. Toshiro knew the Squad members he'd assigned to doing so, and had been checking in with them periodically for any new information; but nothing new had turned up yet on their man in white. Here, in the middle of the trade district though, Toshiro had found him, and was watching him from just a couple of doors down. His activity would seem normal to some, but Toshiro knew what to look for when it came to suspicious activity, and he had found it in this case.

Having been loitering rather nonchalantly in front of a vendor's station, Kazage had picked up a couple of the items displayed before setting them down and moving on. Coming in behind him shortly though, was his trusty sidekick, Shiranui. Toshiro didn't know that though, but the man had arrived in just as suspicious a manner as Kazage had left; so he continued watching. The tall, lanky man with pony tail high on his head and sleeveless shirt conversed with the craftsman for a moment then, picking up the same to items Kazage had looked at earlier, he set them back down before finally turning to leave.

It was all too coincidental in Toshiro's mind. Staring after him, Shiranui crossed directly in front of where he sat with Thessaly. Briefly meeting eyes, as the man passed, it was enough to communicate...that this man had been communicating in secret with the Exile they'd been keeping watch on. Only, no one had noticed it before. No wonder he seemed to agreeable about staying in Telgar River Hold. He had his own way to communicate with the outside world.

Of course, Toshiro was not in uniform and had his hair pulled half back into a bit of a stubby pony tail, so, while he sat there pretending to be a father, if Kazage or Shiranui saw him, there might not be any recognition. As the man in the sleeveless shirt passed them by, continuing on his way, Toshiro turned his attention back to Thessaly as if he hadn't noticed anything. When he glanced back up though, sleeveless shirt man was gone, having disappeared into the crowded street.


Standing up from where he and Thessaly sat, he could barely view the top of the man's head, being given away by the pony tail. If he was going to catch up to him, he'd better hurry!

"Come on, Potatoes. Time to take you back!" Toshiro had grabbed Thessaly up, throwing the door open to the shop and planting her inside. Thinking that he was serious about returning her, Thessaly began to cry. Though he hated that sound, and he almost started to laugh because she took him seriously, his focus was elsewhere; he couldn't stay. Closing the door behind her, Toshiro leaped down the stairs in front of the shop, pushing through the people in his way as he raced after the long-haired man with a pony tail.


The sleeveless shirt man, Shiranui, immediately knew that he was being followed, and Toshiro didn't care. All he needed to do was catch up to him; and he wasn't far behind. As the two charged down the street, shouts rose in protest and a couple of pedestrians were bowled over to the ground. Shiranui toppled a table of wares in his path, which Toshiro navigated with relative ease, continuing the chase more determinedly.

Only a couple of blocks from where they'd started, the man in the sleeveless shirt rounded a corner to make his get away; but around that corner was a Patrol he hadn't expected. Neither one of them did, yet it caught Shiranui more by surprise than it did Toshiro, so Toshiro took hold of the advantage while it was his, and ran the man into the ground. Grabbing hold of him, both men tumbled to the stone that had previously been at their feet, Toshiro quickly rendering him immobile in a joint lock where he straddled him.

Pressing the man's face into the ground, Shiranui's cheek kissed the stone where Toshiro put some of his weight to keep him down. "What is your business with Kazage? Don't give me any sharddin' shit for lies either. I watched you make contact with him."

The patrol having been headed that way, all stood shocked at the sudden appearance of the two, but recognizing the Captain, didn't try to interfere.

At the sound of her daughter’s cry, Ariadne turned around just in time to see Toshiro darting off. There was no time to worry about what he was doing instead she had her daughter to be concerned about. “Thessaly what’s wrong sweetie.” She knelt down and scooped the girl up. The little girl rambled about being taken back. “Oh darling, we were playing. I would never take you back. Never.” She assured the three Turn old whose arms had wrapped tightly around Ariadne’s neck. “Lets pay for this stuff for grandma and then we’ll go see what Toshiro is up to.”

They waited in a small line, where the lady at the counter was quite nice to the little girl, offering her a sweet. Thessaly turned her down. “Lets go find our Captain, hmm.” She said the girl, slipping the small packages into her pocket. Thessaly was calm, but her head was resting on Ariadne’s shoulder. She was a little tiny bit angry that he just stuck the little girl in the store without making sure Ari had her. However she was certain whatever he was doing it was important. A guard was never truly off –duty so if he saw anything that might be suspicious he would have dealt with it.

Whatever it was, it seemed to have caught some attention as people began to hurry in the direction Toshiro chased down Shiranui. She arrived to see Toshiro with the man pinned to the ground. Thessaly did not need to see this, thought Ariadne as she turned back toward the shops. He would come find them later but as she turned around to leave the scene so Toshiro could do his job, Thessaly cried.

“What’s wrong Thessa?” She asked, trying to walk away from the crowd so that she could quiet her daughter. The little girl, “Is Shiro hurt mommee?” Smiling she kissed the little girl’s cheek. “No. Of course not darling. He is helping the other guards with a bad man. Remember I told you he is very strong and very smart. He just wants to protect us all.” She said reassuring the girl. Who meanwhile had stopped crying, “He can’t be my daddy if he gets too hurted.”

“I’m sure he will be fine and he wouldn’t want to give you up ever.” The little girl was growing more relaxed in Ariadne’s arms. “Why don’t we go get one more thing for grandma while we wait?” She said to the little girl. Who giggled again like nothing at been wrong to begin with.

Sleeveless shirt man didn't seem to have much to say, and didn't seem scared of the fact that the Captain had ahold of him now; in face, he seemed more amused by it all, a broad grin spreading across his features as Toshiro smushed one side of his face into the flagstones.

Shiranui didn't deny anything though either, so instead of continuing to make a scene, Toshiro decided it would be best to send him back to the Guard Station for questioning.
Motioning one of the on duty guardsmen, Toshiro took the man's jutte, deftly unraveling the cord wound at its end so that he could tie Shiranui's arms behind his back. Getting up, Toshiro handed him over to the man he'd borrowed the arresting weapon from.

Addressing the leader of the patrol team then, he filled them in on the details of what happened, "Send two of your men to investigate the shop where I found him. I'll stop back by the station later to get updates."

Leaving the patrol team to their work then, Toshiro turned to head back the direction he came. Barely catching a glimpse of Ariadne a few yards from him as the crowds started dispersing again, he hurried to catch up to her. "This sack of potatoes looks a lot like the last one!" Immediately, to ease any tension left in him, he began teasing Thessaly.

Falling into step beside Ariadne then, he apologized, "Sorry for disappearing like that." The man ran a hand back through his hair then, letting fingertips stop where the tie secured his hair; shorter forward layers fell into his face again though, when he brought his hand away. As he did so, a sweeping glance assured him that neither Ari nor Thessaly were hurt in any way.."I guess we still have one more stop?"

Ariadne heard his voice before she saw him and heard her daughter giggling. Ari looked up at Toshiro and smiled, “I understand. You did the right thing under the circumstances.” She said warmly. Things happened and he had taken the girl inside where her mother was. If he left her out there or had taken her with him, it would have been a little traumatic for the girl. “We decided to come find you but she was upset.” Ariadne paused, “She thought you were being hurt.”

She would learn that Toshiro was going to come home no matter what happened. It wasn’t as if Thessaly remembered her father. She’d barely been a Turn old when Evander died. Ariadne had thought this through many times. How being with Toshiro meant waiting and worrying and knowing the danger involved in the job already made it so much harder for her to allow herself to fall for him. No matter what she thought of to stop herself from feeling this way seemed to disappear whenever he was around her and eventually she had to accept she was irrevocably in love with the man.

“Just one more stop.” She smiled, still holding the little girl in her arms. It was nice that she was still small enough to carry though not for much longer. The little girl was getting taller and taller. Ari didn’t like to think that her baby was going to be a child soon. She wasn’t ready for that at all. “I thought we could get my mother something special. Thessaly wanted to thank her for the new quilt for her bed.” She said bed because Thessaly had been moved from her crib to a small toddler sized bed within the past sevenday or so. She was also potty training more easily now at night. Everything seemed to move so fast.

Ari was going to get her mother something at the Quilting shop to help her with new quilts. She liked to make them for the little children in the family. They were smaller so she didn’t have to stay on the same project as long. “Or we could just put a credit on her account at the Quilting shop rather than get her something if we don’t see anything. I’ve never been a good seamstress…” She shrugged.

Toshiro was smiling at Thessaly, "Shiro's not hurt, Thessy. He took the bad guy to jail."

He was listening as Ariadne explained about Thessaly's new bed and quilt. "Well that's nice of Grandma to make you a quilt." He was nodding then at Ariadne's idea of putting a credit to the sewing shop that she could use later. "That sounds like a good idea."

Of course, Toshiro wasn't very good at picking out gifts either; nor was he terribly good at expressing appreciation in general. So Ari's idea sounded great to him! But that was beside the fact.

Toshiro walked alongside Ariadne, making their way to the shop where they could find goods and odds and ends having everything to do with the weavercraft and any kind of sewing. Opening the door for the two lovely ladies he got to spend the day with, Toshiro followed them inside.

Looking about the shop, Toshiro shoved his hands into his pockets, letting Ari go about her shopping. His eyes were all over the place, not sure what to do with half of the things he saw there. What a curious place.

Ariadne was almost as lost in the shop as Toshiro was. She decided to go to the counter but a pretty ribbon caught Thessaly's eye, so they went and picked it out too. "Is that all?" The lady at the counter asked. Ariadne went about getting a credit put on her mother's account. The people in the shop knew her well enough that it wasn't going to be a problem. Ari paid the for the ribbon and the credit then set Thessaly on the counter so she could tie the ribbon in her hair.

Then she set the little girl on the ground and held her hand. "Now, back to the house?" She asked as they exited the shop. Allowing Toshiro to decide what he wanted to do. The food vendors were creating strong aromas that made her want to vomit. "Ewww. Do you smell that?" She said, looking down at Thessa who shook her head. "It smells so strong to me. I might be sick..." She said to Toshiro as her face turned a more ashen color.

Ari hadn't been so nauseous since she had been pregnant last time. She was pretty certain that she was pregnant again but she wasn't ready to tell anyone else just yet. In fact the reason she had taken so long that morning was feeling so nauseated and not being able to vomit. She had had to collect herself. Besides her breasts just seemed heavier to her though there was no notable difference in their size as of yet.

Watching Ariadne and Thessaly pick out the ribbon together, he smiled as they tied it into the little girl's hair. Waiting patiently for them to pay and be done with the gift of credit, Toshiro walked out with them when they were ready, falling into step beside Ariadne again.

The two ladies sniffing at the air left him trying to smell things too. Only, he also didn't smell anything; at least not as strongly as Ariadne seemed to. In fact, most of the things he could smell had to do with food, and they smelled delicious to him. His stomach growled, but looking over at the face that Ariadne seemed to be making over how it disgusted her, made him think twice about suggesting they stay out any longer than they had to. After all, her mother would surely be home preparing to make a wonderful dinner about now. They should just eat there.

"Ariadne, why don't we just go home for today. If you feel like you might be sick, it's probably better to get home and rest anyway." Taking hold of her wrist, he started leading them that way, not giving her a chance to speak out, one way or the other. He'd decided.


Making their way back to her parents house, Toshiro didn't care if he had to carry Ariadne, he wanted to take care of her, and if she wanted to be sick then he'd take care of her being sick. Seeing both she and Thessaly to the front door, Toshiro knocked once and then opened it, letting themselves in.

Ariadne nodded in agreement. Getting home sooner than later would be a good thing. Toshiro and Thessaly helped her power through the nausea. She didn't get sick but she wanted to. When they came into the door of the house, her father took Thessaly to her room as Ari sat down. They could tell instantly that something was wrong with their daughter.

"What is going on?" Her mother said a softer side coming out then.

"I've just be nauseous..."

Her mother gave her a mom look, like she better tell her the whole story and not just what she wanted her to know. "Well you've been more tired than usual lately too."

"The smell of food on the streets was really strong. But not to anyone but me." She said trying not to give her mother more than she had to. She knew Toshiro was there but the conversation went along without his input.

She didn't need to ask if the couple had been together sexually. "You are pregnant. Aren't you?"

Ariadne didn't know what to say to that because she had been trying to keep it to herself. However her mother had let it out and she couldn't deny it. Especially as it would ease everyone's mind as to whether she was ill. She wasn't ill.

Ignoring her mother's reaction to her nod, she looked over at Toshiro. "Toshiro. I didn't want to tell you until I was sure...but I am pregnant." And it was obvious he was the father. It was also obvious that her mother was not thrilled. They were not married, her daughter was living with her and Toshiro was living in one room quarters at the Guard's Barracks. At least he had stepped up lately , spending time with Ariadne and Thessaly but this new development did change things in her mind.

Helping Ariadne to a seat, Toshiro's expression was one of mild concern, but if it was just a flu bug or something, she should come out alright right? He wondered about the possibility of food poisoning then, too.

As Ariadne sat and she visited with her mother a bit over the symptoms, he didn't didn't seem to be paying too much attention to everything going on in the conversation until he was about to take a seat himself. Having pulled a chair out for himself at the table next to Ari, the word 'pregnant' came up and suddenly his hand slipped, tipping the chair, causing him to land only about half way on it, teetering in a precarious position before catching himself.

Looking up at Ariadne's mother, then back to Ari,... then finally back up at her mother, he was gauging just how serious she was. Trying to sit again, the same thing happened again,..so this time he gave up and decided to stand, posting his hand on the back of the chair, leaning there, clearing his throat as if nothing had happened.

Listening to the continuation of their conversation, Ariadne only confirming everything, his face seemed to drain of colour. Oddly perhaps, it was at the same time that something about the news made him smile. So he was fighting that nervous smile and trying not to feel like his legs were about to go weak underneath him.

"Heh. Heh." Posting hands at his hips momentarily, "Real-really? Heh."

The smile crept back over his face, gradually, working across his mouth in an awkward way that was ...well, probably a little funny, because he was obviously so shocked and probably didn't quite know what to feel. Straightening himself then, Toshiro had to ask again, "Really?" But there was no waiting for an answer, because their expressions had already spoken everything.


Annnnnnd, apparently it hit him.

Toshiro was suddenly frantic and shoving the chair back after taking off from where he stood so fast, he bolted out the door, looking as though he forgot something...outside. The door opened, he went through it, and then it slammed closed behind him. Only a few steps away though, he stopped, taking a deep breath, seeming to think twice about where he was going. Toshiro had wanted to go directly to Jungi to ask him to take all his marks and anything worth trading in order to furnish the little house he'd bought in secret for Ariadne. He'd been saving telling her about it for the right time and it was something he'd been mulling over when that time might be; because he had been taking his time considering the depth of their relationship.

But he'd not furnished the house yet. Well, he'd planned on letting Ariadne do that. He didn't really care about furnishing one. But she couldn't do that while she was pregnant could she? So he would get Jungi's help! Jungi would know what to buy for a house! But wait...Jungi didn't have a house. But he would still know what best to put in one! And if he didn't, Toshiro would just try to beat him for it later. That's right, Toshiro owed him a bloody nose! But Jungi was already going to be departing for his next trip south and wouldn't have time now to help out.

So Toshiro was outside with nowhere to go.


Turning back around to face the door, he rushed back inside, just as frantic but this time the door didn't close as hard behind him. Going to Ari's side, he avoided the whole chair situation, going to kneel beside her, taking Ariadne's hand, "It's mine? Ours?" Maybe the wrong questions, but it was obvious he was growing more excited by the second about the whole prospect.

As Toshiro struggled with what was going on, Ariadne could feel her hands begin to wring one another. She was nervous because he was having a strange reaction to the news and because she hadn't wanted to rush him into anything. It was his own fault though, he shouldn't have slept with her if he wasn't willing to accept the consequences which was exactly what her mother was thinking. Even as they nodded to Toshiro's disbelief, she wondered what he would do.

Ari certainly hadn't expected him to walk out. Her mother started to talk about why hold girls didn't sleep with men they were not married to and was Ariadne trying to bring shame down on them and what was she thinking, didn't she care about Thessaly's future prospects. The younger woman seemed to be ignoring her. Nothing her mother said was really resonating with her. She was preoccupied, waiting for Toshiro to come back. "He isn't going to walk through that door again daughter. What are you going to do raise this one on your own? We cannot be your permanent babysitters like we are now." Her mother went on. Ariadne waved her off, "You don't understand Toshiro at all. He was just surprised. I was going to break it to him a little more gently. He'll be back, you'll see."

And he did come back. He was kneeling beside her asking a question most people might be offended by but she understood that he just wanted confirmation. "Yes. The baby is ours. Yours and mine. I wanted to tell you when I was further along but I suppose its just as well. I don't want you to worry. " She said taking his hand in hers and kissing it. If he couldn't tell that being pregnant with his child made her happy, she would have to tell him, "I know we haven't really talked about having children together. And I've never even asked if you have any children running around." She shrugged because that wouldn't bother her.

"I want this though. I don't know how you feel about having children but I've always wanted Thessaly to have several brothers and sisters like I had growing up. I guess I like big families and knowing that there is always someone home to help you even if your parents are busy. "

About the time that Shiro had re-entered the house her mother had gone to the back of the house to be with her father and Thessaly. She was doing the right thing and giving them their privacy.

It didn't matter what anyone said, Toshiro was so happy in that moment. He was so pleased to know that he and Ariadne would be having their own baby. He'd done well in choosing to be with her and this moment made him feel more like a man than any other. He couldn't help but want to embrace her and protect her and love her even more.

So, Toshiro did embrace her, and he kissed her and then held onto her tightly, taking a deep breath to fill his nose with her pleasant scent. Straightening himself then, standing all the way, he wondered where her mother had gone to, hardly having noticed the woman walk off.

"Ariadne. Can you call you father here please? And your mother. I need to speak to both of them and tell them what's happening."


Okay, so maybe those words didn't come out quite like he meant it,...but he wasn't joking around either.

Ariadne called for her parents to come into the room. Toshiro's excitement was rubbing off on her and she was curious to know what he wanted to talk to them all about. She didn't ask though, knowing that he would reveal what he wanted to when her parents were back into the room.

Her parents had taken a minute to come in to the room with them as they had put Thessaly down for a nap. When they did come into the room, they looked a little impatient. Her mother's hands were on her hips as if expecting something big to happen but at the same time doubting it would.



(sorry short!)

Not liking to beat around the bush about things, Toshiro got right to the point, once her parents arrived. He felt awkward about it all, so averted his gaze, seeming rather serious and indignant about it all, with arms folded over his chest as he addressed them, "I was going to wait to tell Ari, but I already bought a place for the two of us to live together. So, now I need to ask you both if you'll agree to letting Ariadne and I marry. After this week she won't need to stay here anymore. She can be with me. I'll care for her and provide everything for her -Thessaly can come, too. That is, if Potatoes wants to."

They were shocked. All of them, not just Ari's parents but Ariadne herself. As the shock wore off, she began to think about how long he must have been considering them marrying and living together. He hadn't actually asked her to marry him but she couldn't think of a reason why he would need to as she had made it perfectly clear that she would never leave him.

Ari was beyond happy and it showed on her face. So before her mother could say anything that might be a little brusque, her father was opening his mouth to speak. He was wearing a smile and while her mother still seemed a bit shocked and unsure, she was not unhappy.

"Welcome to the family." He walked forward to give Toshiro a masculine hug. That was all the permission that he needed to give. Their family was not of the same social status that Toshiro was so in her father's mind he saw nothing wrong with Ariadne marrying someone who could actually provide for her. Her mother was coming around slowly and went to hg Tishiro as soon as Ari's father had let go of him.

"Do you need anything for the house? We might be able to help find furniture if needed." Was her mother's response to it all. While she might have some reservations about him she was actually happy he was going to do the honorable thing here.

Ariadne answered for her daughter, "You know Thessaly adores you. She'll be happy to move with us." And she would still get to see her grandparents regularly.

Toshiro's eyes went a little wide as Ariadne's father came forward to dole out man-hugs. Accepting is awkwardly, Toshiro was glad at least that the man was inviting of him. And as far as Toshiro was concerned, they were perfectly of the same social status. The Captain didn't really see himself ranking any higher than they did. And unless Ariadne had filled them in, they still probably knew little of his personal life, so he expected everyone, including himself, to be asking questions to get to know eachother even better since they would soon be related. Or maybe Ariadne could just do that part for him and he could avoid the story telling; though he wouldn't mind sitting to talk and listen to her dad for a while.

Toshiro's return hug of Ariadne's mother was even more timid, but he did manage a smile. He didn't respond right away to Ari's mother's question, letting them all kind of..get their excitement out before he spoke up again, "I wouldn't like to trouble you. Not to mention, I wouldn't be keeping my word if I had to rely on anyone else to provide the things needed. I know a couple of ..certain people should be able to help us obtain what we need at a good price." They could probably get a couple of pretty nifty wedding gifts out of it all from Jungi and Rihan and the Lady Eolyn. Knowing Rihan's generosity, their gift might end up costing more than the price of the house.

Nodding then, his smirk turned lop-sided and he turned his eyes to Ariadne again, glad to know that she, too, was accepting of the idea that they should be married.