these are strange days ┊ return from nd (O)

[MAXINE.]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 12px; font-family: times new roman; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]max could feel the nausea creeping back up onto her as the began to get closer to flintlock, but it was nerves that took over instead of the possible morning sickness she had been covering up as eating something that upset her stomach. as much as she was glad to finally be going home, part of her wished she could have just stayed away and found some excuse not to face all of the stuff bound to happen.

she had wanted children of her own since she was younger, her maternal instinct was always very strong around anyone who needed it and the idea of her actually being able to extend that onto a baby of her own had always stuck in the back of her mind. if it was something she longed for, why was the possibility of being pregnant so nerve wracking to her now? she wished cass was around so she could open up to him about her doubts, he had always been one of her safe places when it came to her own problems.

the young woman sat on one of the wagons, her blue eyes were focused down on rosie as she avoided everything else. max hummed lightly to her niece as she bounced her leg some while the baby looked around, fully alert after napping most of the way home. "pretty girl," she hummed quietly, pressing a light kiss to rosie's forehead before finally looking up to see the lodge coming into view.

with a deep breath as the wagons came to a halt, max stood up and carefully got off the wagon. she balanced rosie on one hip and began to help the kids off the wagon, a small smile on her face as she watched them grow excited to see their families again. once all of the kids were off, max adjusted her hold on rosie and looked around trying to spot seb or joey in the crowd welcoming back the northstar group.

// they back

[blake k.]

Of course when she heard that the kids were back, she made sure she was quick to get outside. She probably shouldn't be picking them up - or at least not the toddlers - but she knew Tommy would probably want her to. So, instead, when she saw them being loaded off the wagon, she very carefully went onto her knees, sitting back on them for support.

"Come here!" she said, sounding happier than she had in a while whether it was just for the kids or not. Her arms wrapped tightly around the twins, kissing the top of their heads "Did you find mermaids Lottie?" "No""Well, maybe we can go back and find some. Did you two have fun at least" "we colored with auntie and uncle" Blake was glad Henry and Ida kept them company. She kissed their heads again before letting them step back so Tommy could also watch her sign as she spoke "I'll go get the boys, you two go find daddy" she watched them go off to find Eddie, Lottie holding Tommy's hand. She was just glad they were home.

With very little grace, she managed to get back up. She then pinpointed where the boys were and walked over to the NPC who had them, gently but eagerly taking her boys and holding them close to her. God they were so big now, even if it had been a short time since they left they looked so much bigger now. She walked away a bit to be more alone, everything was okay until one of the twins decided to be sweet and put their hand on her cheek. She was pretty sure they meant to hit her, but it wasn't hard enough.

Tears glossed over her eyes, the liquid swelling up in her eyes until it had no choice but to fall down her face. She kissed one boys cheek and then the other, looking at them with such love but the sadness still there. It wouldn't be forever, but she had wanted them back for so long that getting them back now gave her the realization he wouldn't be there to welcome them back either.

"Your daddy loved you both so so much."

[spoiler=TAGS 3/12]
Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise — general
▪ Blake Adrian Kegan | Blake, Blakie | open to nicknames
▪ AFAB | Identifies as Genderfluid | she/they
▪ 23 | Born July 26th | ages real time
▪ combat | member of Flintlock Lodge

Tired of all these cameras flashing, sick of being poised — physical
♦ Health: 100%
— They stand at 5'9" with semi-long wavy ginger hair. She has a rose tattoo and a few scars from past events. She's closer to an athletic build and is on the thinner side. She has an Australian accent as she's originally from Adelaide, Australia.
— minor injuries: n/a
— major injuries: n/a

Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it — important events
— 12/05/40 Lost her best friend, Alfie
— 7/26/40 Celebrated her 23rd birthday
— 5/31/40 Had Keiron and Louis; The "Hell Twins"
— 4/26/40 Thomas and Charlotte turned 2

Already choking on my pride, so there's no use crying about it — personality
— I like to think Blake is a good example of the whole "strong, independent woman" thing even if she doesn't identify as a woman. She has a short temper and what I gently put as homicidal tendencies. She will gladly fight someone, regardless if they're bigger than her or not. However, she's also rather maternal and is more likely to protect a child than anything. Her maternal side has massively shown itself since the twins were born, though that leaves her more violent side to be overlooked or forgotten.
— Maternal, "Strong Independent Woman", Protective
— Violent, Homicidal Tendencies, Short Tempered

I'm headed straight for the castle — relationships
▪ Ryan Kegan x Katherine Kegan
▪ Pansexual | Panromantic | Polyamorous
▪ It's complicated | Crushing on one | Maybe Crushing on no one
    ↳ Involved with Danny Hargrove
▪ Ex-wife of Edmund Moray
    ↳ cheated on her
▪ Mother of six
    ↳ Thomas and Charlotte Moray (2yrs)
    ↳ Louis and Keiron Stirling-Kegan (10m)
    ↳ Currently pregnant, due in April
    ↳ Guardian to Danny's son, Cade (8yrs)

They wanna make me their queen — interaction
— Physically very hard | Mentally intermediate
— Uses compound bow and arrows
— Also skilled in hand to hand combat
— No killing and ask before major injuries or major interactions
— To attack, [member=9567]Noccy[/member] & attack in #B34600
[/spoiler]

[ASPEN B.]

[align=center][div style="width: 400px; text-align: justify; font-size: 11px; font-family: calibri; letter-spacing: .6px; color: #494949;"]while the ride wasn’t bad, the whole ordeal of packing all the children and elders of flintlock up along with all the things they had brought or collected in northstar made it incredibly taxing. from kids forgetting items and breaking into tears after being reminded countless times to check everything; bowie tried his best to remain calm and understanding, but it’s so much of the same things over and over again, aspen did end up a little frustrated.

he rode in the wagon with the older kids and elders, along with his new baby: a year and a half doberman mix pup that he’d stumbled upon. she’s quickly become an integral part of his day; maybe bowie’s finally grown up enough to actually look after something, maybe max has rubbed off on him to some extent. either way, this wiggly little puppy is a light in his life. even the name had a story, after finding the lost pup, he’d asked one of the kiddos for a name, they suggested “ garble, “ a combination of garbage and marble.

aspen hops off the wagon first, encouraging garble to follow suit before helping out the rest of the lodgers. his hand offers help to anyone stepping down, allowing them to put their weight on him. he smiles and nods to them, welcoming them home. garble runs around, tail wagging and tripping up people’s feet. “ [color=#80bfff]hey, come here, “ he calls, looking at her with raised eyebrows and eyes slightly wide until garble bounds back over.

[EDMUND.]

[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 2.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]A crowd grew as they eagerly awaited the return of those from Northstar District. Eddie had waited months for this moment; the grief of his own loneliness would all be worth it all once he saw the faces of those who still got to live another day because of his decisions. Hands clasped together in front of him, it was difficult to tell the way he wrung digits together with anticipation, heart pounding heavily against his chest. As excited as he was to see Henry and Ida, Charlotte and Tommy, and his sweet Maxine, he knew that reuniting with them came with the graveness of having to tell them the news. This would not be the uplifting reunion that he wished it could be.

Taking longer this morning to get ready so that he looked just right, Eddie looked pristine as he awaited their return, swallowing hard as he soon spotted the wagons in the horizon nearing the lodge. Eddie began to step forward once the wagons slowed to a stop, first stepping over to greet Henry and Ida. As the young teenage boy hopped off the back of the wagon, Eddie held his arms out to help Ida down, grunting a quiet, ❝ There we go. ❞ As he lowered her to the ground. He gazed down at his younger half-siblings, ruffling Henry’s hair before he said, ❝ You’re both growing up too fast. ❞ He stalled, nodding slowly as Ida spoke about their time in Northstar District before Eddie crouched and held onto Henry and Ida’s hands.

❝ Now listen, both of you. ❞ He clenched his jaw, the pain of loss igniting all over again before he uttered softly, ❝ Whilst the both of you were in Northstar, Alfie passed away. ❞ Whilst they were young, Eddie wouldn’t beat around the bush. He was never the type to try to hide the severity of bereavement. The children were silent, Henry quickly nodding his head before he mumbled, ❝ Okay. ❞ ❝ He’s buried right beside Nik, and Dad. I can take you to visit him a little later, how does that sound? ❞ The children were quiet, stoic as they quickly nodded before Eddie rose to his feet and gently rested his hand against the back of Ida’s head. ❝ Right, come help me with Charlotte and Tommy. ❞

As he turned around, his lips threatened to curl into a smile as he saw his two children, hand in hand, running over. ❝ God, you’re both- ❞ A huff passed his nostrils, teeth finally baring in a smile as he leaned down and picked both children up as they giggled loudly with joy. ❝ so big. ❞ Giving Lottie a peck on the forehead and then Tommy a kiss on the cheek, Eddie eventually lowered the twins back down to the ground before he crouched in front of them. ❝ Did you have fun at the beach? ❞ He asked, signing the same thing for Tommy before Lottie crinkled her nose up. ❝ Daddy, there were cats… everywhere. ❞ She informed, Eddie huffing before he said, ❝ Is that so? Well… I have a surprise for the both of you. ❞ He said softly before tugging Tommy back into his arms for another hug.

Eyes shifted over towards Henry and Ida who stood nearby before he then said, ❝ You like dogs? ❞ Looking between the three other children, they all spoke over each other with excitement before he rose to his feet, signing to Tommy again whilst he said to the other three, ❝ You four head inside to the kitchen, yeah? Uncle Tom is inside making you all drinks. I’m sure he can introduce you to Chance. ❞ He watched as the four children made their way inside, Eddie watching affectionately before he looked over his shoulder to peer across at the woman he was so in love with.

With a moment of hesitation, Eddie then turned to approach Maxine, scuffing his shoe in the trampled snow as he stopped in front of her. ❝ Max… ❞ He greeted softly, eyes darting across her features fondly before he stepped forwards to hold onto her hand, squeezing it gently. ❝ It’s good to see you. ❞ With a slow nod of the head, he eventually dropped her hand before looking off to the side, searching for the Van Dorens. ❝ Max, there are a few things you need to know. ❞ He said softly, remaining loyal by her side for when she’d hear about her brother’s passing. Eyes searched the crowds of Flintlockers, gaze then landing on Scarlett and Julian as they began to approach.