Thernyur Village

Hadasha frowned a bit and nodded, "Well those sound like some hard jobs anyway." She smiled as they walked into the village. Small dwarf children ran across before stopping and running back to hug Hadasha. "Hello, Miss Dunadrum! Bye Miss Dunadrum!" They giggled and ran off. Hadasha smiled softly, "Hi and bye!: She giggled and looked back at him. "Hm where was I? Oh... what kind of job would you have liked? I am sure with practice and hard work you can do it." She said softly.

Thuling nodded a bit when she said they sounded like hard jobs. He looked around the village, smiling a bit. This was much more his speed than that big city with all the surface folk. He chuckled as the kids hugged her and then ran off. When she asked what kind of job he would have liked, he blinked, and then shrugged. "I don't know, really. I never had any particular talents. The only thing I'm really good at is being a father, and even then, my childrens' mother won't let me do that," he sighed.

Hadasha frowned a bit more but then smiled, "Well... you do look like you would be a good father. Any fool would snatch you up in a heartbeat. It doesn't matter if you are a locksmith or a man who sells fish, as long as you are a good and honest man. Being good at that is better than being great at making jewelry or armor or snatching people out of money... as my father likes to keep saying about Istrain, but he doesn't get a say so in who Haera loves, so." She smiled. "I believe that if you want your children badly a door will open... so don't give up hope." She said softly and gently patted his arm. She walked up to a small house partially made of stone and unlocked the door before letting him in first and walking in after him. Everything was clean and tidy. "Welcome to my home. If you still feel like you are going to get lost I can meet you on the outside of the village she said softly.

Thuling raised an eyebrow slightly at Hadasha's comment about Istrain snatching people out of money. "I wasn't aware that surface-folk frowned upon merchants and traders. I hope your father doesn't feel the same way about Barynn and Cherono," he said, frowning a bit. He blinked as he looked at her house. For a surface home, it really was quite endearing, though they pretty much all looked the same to him. He thanked her softly and stepped inside, looking around. "You have a lovely home," he said, and it was true, as far as surface homes went.

Hadasha blinked, "No... just buying things from people at a low price and selling the, for a higher price. Is... that not what he does?" She asked with a confused look on her face before smiling a bit. "Why thank you... I cleaned it myself." She said and giggled. "Would you like something to drink? A snack maybe?" She asked softly. Hadasha had never had a man in her house that wasn't family so she was a bit nervous.

Thuling raised an eyebrow at her words. "That's what all merchants do, though. You don't think Barynn pays as much for the metals and gemstones she uses in her work as she charges for the finished product, do you?" he asked. He chuckled a bit when she said she'd cleaned the house herself, nodding when she offered him a drink. "Something to drink would be lovely, thank you," he told her with a smile.

Hadasha blinked once more, "I believe in putting a reasonable price on an item, as Barynn does. I don't think Istrain does horrible work, but my father is my grandfather's son... and he comes from your homeland... so I don't know why he thinks that way and I never questioned it. I believe they have caused enough trouble in their lifetime." She said softly and walked into the kitchen and got him something to drink before giving it to him and inviting him to sit. "So you said you have like.... eight kids, yeah?" She smirked, jokingly. "Can you tell me about them?" She asked softly.

Thuling raised an eyebrow slightly. "Istrain puts reasonable prices on his items, though. He'd never get any business if he was selling his goods for exorbitant amounts of money. The difference between Istrain and someone like Barynn is that she sits in a shop and sells jewelry all day, while Istrain deals in many different types of goods - jewelry, clothing, weaponry, all sorts of things - and he travels instead of sitting in one place," he explained. He took the drink, thanking her softly and sitting down. He blinked at her words. "Well... I'm one of eight children. If you mean my children, though, there are only three," he said.

Hadasha shook her head, "Well... thank you for the information on both." She smiled before blinking. The man was a bit of a dense man. "It... was a joke... but okay. Yes I know all about your family thanks to a few of your sisters. I know you are the oldest, then it is Istrain, Gamaya, Barynn, Cherono, Una, Yora, and the youngest one whose name I sadly do not remember. They don't talk about him very much." She said softly. "I was talking about your children." She said and looked down at her cup of tea before looking up at him. "I know you have three... two girls and a boy. I know your ex is a horrid woman, excuse me for saying so. I know Istrain is very upset about how things are going, Haera tells me she could possibly help. Though I feel like you should have the deciding factor in that, but that is for you and her to talk about. All I want to know is about your sweet children." She said softly.

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Thuling gave the young girl a gentle smile when she said that she wished she could say she knew how it felt, reaching over and patting her hand gently. "You've time yet to find someone, child. You're still young. I want to say that there's probably still a chance for me to find someone...but my children must come first, and I'm fairly certain that if I entered a new relationship, their mother would find some way to use that against me," he sighed. He nodded a bit while Hadasha talked about what Haera might do. "Well... I doubt she'll have much that can help me, but I'll talk to her anyways. Unless she's got an uncle or something like that on the council back home, though, and she can persuade them to finally get involved and force Kanansi to give me my time with the kids, I can't see anything working."

Hadasha wanted to melt when he patted her hand gently. She wanted to get to know him more and she wished that he could have his children since she knew he wouldn't stay with her. "Oh yeah," She giggled, "I am well aware of the time I have to have kids and fall in love. You know... all that jazz." She said and smiled softly at him. "Haera is like Istrain in a way... you wouldn't think they were capable of much, besides... well Istrain getting ladies. I have seen the looks many women give him we are walking around." She said and about swoon. "But he doesn't even pay attention because he is always pining for Haera's attention, which she gives by the way. I honestly do believe she is madly in love with that man." She giggled before frowning a bit. "Have you talked to the council? I mean, honestly, turning a blind eye to this... makes me really upset. At least here we have rules against such things. You might hate the surface, but at least you have people and laws to back you up when it comes to things like this." She said softly. "But I believe wholeheartedly that in the end, you will get your kids. Just don't give up. I will have enough hope for the both of us." She giggled and patted his hand in return.

Thuling smiled when she said that she was aware of the time she had, and he chuckled a bit at her comment about the looks women gave his brother. "Istrain has always had a way with women. He really seems to love Haera, though... I just wish he could bring her home with him," he sighed. When she asked if he'd talked to the council, he blinked. "Of course I've gone to the council. They say that this is a family affair and not their business to get involved in. The children are in no danger, as far as they know, so they see no reason to step in," he said with a sigh. He did have to smile a bit, though, when the girl patted his hand. "I hope that you're right," he said softly. She was a good kid. He could see why Istrain and Haera kept her around so much.

Hadasha shook her head, "Maybe you could talk your parents into moving up here since they are having such a hard time that they would sacrifice their own children's lives for such... petty things." She said softly and got up and rummaged around her bookshelf. "You know that place just seething hatred. Yeah, family is grand... when you can see them or have them not hate you." She said and grabbed her old album and sat next to him and opened up the book to a picture of a pretty sizable family. "You see this picture here? That is my grandfather and his children. He left the cave and came here because of something with the council and so forth. Him and his friend's families moved up here, but he didn't leave the belief down there and so hence when the breakup began. You had my aunt who fell in love with an Elf. My grandfather was so angry at his daughter. Didn't give a toot about how she felt only him and his pride. She was happy and they got married and had kids. One being Haera. But her father kept on persisting that she come home. Leave him and the kids... for what? Would you leave your kids if your parents told you to? I don't think so... so she didn't. It had gotten so bad that my uncle, her husband, had to threaten war on them just so they would leave his family alone. I mean... grown men your age picking on a tiny child... Haera... because she was half dwarf. They did get their butts beat by her best friend, but they had it coming. It took them YEARS to settle this and by that time his grandchildren refused to even think he or us existed. It broke my heart because the only one who acknowledged us was Agis and is nine... such a bright child. I decided that in order to actually see my family I would have to go out and find them. I found Lor, who is a doctor with Una, and then Haera. She... was the one person I was scared of the most because I knew her seething hatred for dwarfs. But she was so sweet to me... and now she is like my favorite person." She giggled. "So you see... I know you are trying... and I hope the council isn't holding your children against you, but they have their lives here. They are about to start families and are extremely happy. As a parent, Thul... please see it from that point." She said softly before going into the kitchen to wash her cup.

Thuling had little choice but to laugh aloud when Hadasha said that he could talk his parents into moving here, shaking his head. "No, never," he said, and raised an eyebrow as she got up and rummaged around on her bookshelf. When she came back he was quiet, listening as she talked about her family history. He sighed a bit as she finished, gazing down at his half-empty drink. He didn't know what it was about these islands that had his family so intent on staying. Home was a good place. It was familiar and comfortable, and they all had plenty of potential for happiness there, so why couldn't they just come home and live their lives there? Especially with the girls being pregnant, and with Istrain and his three-quarter dwarf children. To keep these babies from their grandparents, who Thuling knew would love them even if they were half-human or a quarter-elf. "I just don't see why their lives have to be here. Our parents are offering accommodation for their loved ones. These islands...they're nothing special. There's nothing these islands can offer them that they can't have at home."

Hadasha came back in just in time to hear his words and she frowned. "I am sad that you would see it that way, Thul. I really am. I do pray your children never have to deal with such... distastefulness if they choose to live on the islands or the surface world away from the cave. That is a good fine way to really keep them out of your lives." She said softly and grabbed the book from in front of him and placed it on the shelf. "Your homeland is a sad place. No glowing caves or lakes could cover up the harsh and bitterness of those people. I would never want my cousins down there. They would have to what... go down there to see their father because of what? Some stupid and silly society thing. Your council is a joke. They sit by while their people suffer. These islands that you disrespect so much has so much potential. Come on, Thuling... we should get back to Haera and the. I am pretty sure Istrain is thinking I kidnapped you and somehow talked you into staying in my village." She smiled and walked to the door.

Thuling raised an eyebrow at the girl's words. He wasn't sure how she could speak so harshly of his home city after a mere few visits and after hearing only one family's experience there. "Do... do my siblings not speak fondly of home?" he asked, frowning a bit and standing up to follow her to the door. Bhagh-Nernwahrum had never been unkind to his brothers and sisters. They'd had good, happy lives there. In Barynn's case, it was merely her curiosity that had led her away. Istrain had left plenty of times before because of his work, but it was Barynn that had brought him to the islands and Haera that was keeping him here. The twins... well, he knew that his parents shouldn't have tried to force Unarelle into an arranged marriage, and that arrangement was no longer on the table, so now it was just stubbornness and this Birger man keeping them from coming home. Cherono had been curious, just as Barynn had been, and truthfully, Thuling wasn't sure yet what was keeping him here - and Gamaya... well, he had to admit that her reasons for coming had been fair. She couldn't bear to be in the city when it made her think of her husband the way it did. He could respect that - but, of course, there was still the village, which would be enough of a change of scenery. He just wanted his siblings back.