I don't know how to feel about this-the whole being a baby again thing. It is not that I miss my old body or anything, it is just... weird. They say you can only fully realize the value of something once you have lost it, I guess that is it
It is all…Fuckin Weird
Now that I'm a child again, I should probably dial back on the cursing.
It's been seven months since I was reborn. My "mother", whose name I learned is Cassandra, seems very resilient; she essentially got up and started doing household chores and manual labor the day after I was born.
But now that I've been able to look at her, I am not completely surprised. She is an unusually tall woman with defined muscles all over her body. Seems like the body you would find in some kind of athlete.
I've been able to start crawling. So while she does chores around the house, I have been taking my time to explore my new house more.
Our... "house", if you can even call it that, is more like a small to medium sized cabin made of thick wooden planks. It's a very rustic-looking place
The only room I haven't been able to see is what seems to be my father's study. He's still very much a mystery to me since he often leaves the house for weeks on end, sometimes even months at a time. And when he's home, he spends most of his time in his study, locked away or sleeping.
It is a very quaint home. Still no signs of any sane or modern technology though, which is a bit of a disappointment. The kitchen is heated by a wide fireplace, similar to the one in our living room. Any kind of illumination comes from fireplaces, sets of individually lighted candles, or the two massive windows next to the front door in the main room of the house. I'm surprised mold doesn't seem to be a problem here.
But despite that, I can't complain much, I find the view so amazing. There's a smaller window in my room, so I often find myself staring out when I'm expected to sleep. Out there, there is a beautiful view of lush rolling fields of golden grass and clear skies. It's so serene and peaceful, it's very comforting and strangely familiar to me.
I can't remember a recent time I have felt this way.
But I do remember when I was very young, my family took a trip out to the Caribbean. The sand under my little toes, the sun in the sky and the cool ocean water sweeping from under me. Just being able to float with the ocean's current and fully let my body go, to space out and just relax.
Though it is not the exact same feeling, the beautiful and untainted view gives me a familiar feeling. I am thankful for that. It's peaceful.
But despite that, some kind of interaction is enjoyable from time to time.
There has been a woman visiting my mother recently. I think I recognise her from my birth. The people I have seen are very weird. They are almost like someone you would find in a TLC show about-people who live sequestered away in the unknown of the countryside and live out fantasy lives. But this one before me takes the cake
She is an incredibly tall and slender woman with pale skin and seems to be role playing as an elf. She has a strangely long face and stretched facial features compared to your average person. She often wears a leather breastplate that exposes her midriff, with a cloth skirt with metal braidings intertwined at regular intervals. Whatever she does to get into character, she is very good at it. Similarly to my mother, she seems extremely fit.
They often sit together and talk in that same nonsense language. I've been able to pick up more and more of the language as they talk, learning more and more as the days go by. I guess being a baby has its benefits.
"Ha ha ha ha! Cass! You'll never believe what happened the other day. Go on, guess!"
The woman's laugh almost reverberates in the walls of the cabin, causing ripples in the glasses of alcohol my mother has served these two apparent friends.
After hours of talking, the pair already seem sufficiently drunk. "Julius took Rider out to the lake to fish, and just the funniest thing happened, just guess. C'mon, try!"
"Well Rhea, did Julius fall in?" my mother responds, hiccuping a little
"No! He gave the rod to Rider's cute little hands, and a fish dragged him in!"
Thwak, thwak, thwak!
The woman, apparently named Rhea, slams the table as the two double over from drunken laughter.
"But wait, there's more! When Julius dove in after him, he tripped and kicked over the bucket of fish back into the lake! They had to stay for another three hours! They both smelled of pond water for days!"
The sight of two friends drunkenly laughing together and enjoying their company feels familiar, though maybe a little painful. I guess there are some things in common no matter where you go.
"Y'know, I'm a little worried about my very own bundle of joy," my mother says after finishing up the last of her cup. "I feel like little Jace is lonely or something. I often see him just staring out the window"
"Aren't babies not all there yet until another year? Though my Rider is quite an energetic little fellow," Rhea replies, standing up to reach for the pitcher of alcohol to refill her and mother's drink, "He just needs to grow a little."
"I know. But he also doesn't really cry that much, only really when he's hungry. But I guess that is a good thing, he does share some things with his father, it seems" Mother says looking down at her chest.
I wish I was capable of rolling my eyes.
"Maybe it's time to give him a sibling"
Mother reaches over to where I'm sitting on a cushion next to her and pokes my belly
"Ooh, that's new. I didn't know Siph liked that sort of thing. He's always so serious with his research and everything. It's pretty hard to approach him." Rhea takes a deep sip from her cup, "I never really got how you two became a thing. But even though I say that, I still couldn't help myself. Even though my dear Julius smelled of muck and lake water..." Rhea says with a now reddened face. I can't tell if it is from the alcohol, or from her blushing. "I know! The next time you see him, you should grab him by his collar and just pull him in for a kiss"
The two women giggle like little girls. It's quite the scene to behold
Mother, missing her glass, breaks out into a bubbling giggle. "Depending on the place, he'd either hate it or love it. Maybe I will try it"
"If you really are thinking of adding another one to the family, maybe you should try just pushing him down onto the bed. There's this thing that I did with my tongue recently, Jules loved it. I wrapped it around-"
Before Rhea could finish her thought, the front door opens with a steady creak. My father, Siph, walks through. He's wearing a blue and red, almost lab looking coat, with a beige almost blouse looking shirt underneath along with dark brown pants. He wears round spectacles with piercing blue eyes and sandy hair.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you two," my father says, "you seem to be having a good time. Sorry to disturb you" He gives them a meek smile
With that, Rhea gives a prompting gesture towards my father.
In one fluid action, my mother picks up her glass and finishes it off before getting up. She drunkenly walks over to my father. With a strength that even surprises my father, she forcibly grabs him by the collar and pulls him down into a forceful kiss. My father looks around wildly between me and Rhea, before settling into the kiss.
"Oh, lovely" Rhea whispers
After what feels like an impossibly long minute, mother releases my father's lips, falling into his arms.
Though it may be a little too soon for me to call them my parents and mean it, it's a little uncomfortable to watch.
"Ugh… My Cassandra, what um.. Uh" my father mumbles slightly dumbfounded, seemingly forgetting what he should say in this scenario.
And with that Rhea lets out another bellowing Cackle. "So he really does have a soft side under that mountain of paperwork. I think this is where I will take my leave. Thank you for the drinks Cass"
Rhea hoists herself out of the chair, and begins going towards the door, but stopping at my parents before leaving.
"See you at the festival you two," she says with a wink.
"Uh, ya. See you there Rhea. Do you need me to walk you home?"
"Aw, that's sweet of you," Rhea says with a chuckle. "But I think you have another maiden to take care of," she says, pointing towards my mother who is desperately clinging onto my father
"I am an Arch-Angel after all, just like you. I think I can handle myself. The lord did choose us specifically after all"
And with that she leaves the cabin, closing the door for my stunned and confused father.
After a moment of silence, and a glance towards the baby for some kind of understanding-–my father starts. "Alright Cass, I think it's time for us to call it for the night. Little Jace must be tired, and you're severely drunk. I can put Jace to bed, you go lie down"
My father starts making his way towards where I am seated, but stops halfway. He turns around and sees mother still standing near the door, with a sad little look on her face.
"What is it, darling?" my father says with a puzzled tone
After a slight hiccup, mother gets a sour expression and opens her arms towards him expectingly.
With a sigh, my father obliges and walks over. He gives her a very strong hug. Both share a content smile
I guess he really does have a soft side for my mother. Looking at them like this, Rhea's question of why seems to melt a little.
After releasing the hug, mother obediently starts walking towards their bedroom.
My father walks over to my chair and picks me up. "Oh, it seems Mommy had a good time with her friend. I bet you've heard quite the story," a slight blush creeping into my father's face as he says it. "Well, you get some sleep. There's a little something I want to show you and the rest of the village tomorrow, take you out for once." he continues, with a sense of pride and joy in his voice and a beaming smile on his face.
And with that, my father walks over to my room. He lays me onto my bed, maybe a little bit harder than he meant to, though that does come with inexperience.
It's dark and quiet. Quite the contrast to the drunken stupor from a few minutes ago.
Crash
"Huh! Cass?!"
Maybe a little too quiet.
Well anyways, I am looking forward to this "festival" tomorrow. My new father seemed excited, it even started to creep into his expression. I wonder what we have in store.