"Family Meeting."
Camp Willow, Residential Center
Callie, dibbun river otter. Rorgan and Ink, adult sea otters.
The sun has risen high over Camp Willow, and today is a rather happy day for others. More specifically a certain otter whom is walking along through the residential area, heading for the entrance, and holding a small otter dibbun in his arms as tenderly as any mother would. "I think you'll like Ink quite a lot Callie. She reminds me of you in a lot of ways." He chuckles softly. "Both of you are quite beautiful.." The otter looks down at his recently adopted daughter, and grins. "An' she should arrive at the camp soon."
Callie leans her head against Rorgan, wrinkling her nose. "An' we're meetin' her here? I don' 'ave ta call her Mama, do I?" She blinks in the bright light. "I dunno if I wanna meet her." Callie's not feeling very cooperative today apparently.
Rorgan chuckles softly. "I don't want you t' do anythin' you don't want t' do within reason, but aye, I told her t' meet us here. Just trust me, I think you'll like her." He continues to walk along the road in the direction of the entrance, looking for Ink.
Callie twists her head around, joining in this "hunt" for Ink. She is actually rather curious about this Ink person but just doesn't want to admit it. "Ok then... I'll meet her. But I'm not gonna be here friend, k? Do you know much about her? Does she travel a lot like you? Does she live here?" After a quick moment, she turns defensive. "I mean, I'm not her friend, but..."
The otter in question feels like she's running late for an appointment with royalty. She's never actually been here before, and is rather in awe of all of it, having heard many stories. She never exactly got lost, persay, but it certainly wasn't easy finding this clearing. She practically materializes out of the dark shadows under the trees, halting at the sight of Rorgan and Callie.
Almost instantly, Rorgan sights Ink, and he breaks into a smile as bright as though he had seen a glimpse of paradise. "Hey, Callie, look! There she is!" He says excitedly to the dibbun, beginning to trot towards the other otter as fast as he can without making it unomfortable for Callie.
Callie realizes that her father is excited, and remarks dryly, wriggling in his arms, "Hey, put me down and you could run faster, you know! Woah, who're ya talkin'- oh. Oh! That's Ink? Ok. Put me down!" She squirms.
Ink grin is only clouded by the dibbun. She's not great with kids. She breaks into a jog, going to meet them halfway. "Of all places to meet, Rorgan, you picked the one in the middle of the camp that's hardest to get to, huh?" She calls, teasing.
Rorgan finally gives in to Callie's wishes, and sets her down to sprint forward and pick Ink up in one great big hug. "Of course! This place is great, an' I'll show you around later!"
Callie, having gotten her wish, now feels a little left out. Fickle dibbun. She trots over, scuffing the dirt with her footpaws, looking over Ink. She seems rather scary, and Callie stands behind Rorgan timidly, hoping she won't be noticed.
Ink's breath leaves her in a whoosh as she's picked up, and she hugs Rorgan back fiercly. "Goodness, I missed you." She whispers. "I've never been here before, so a tour would be most welcome." She twists her head and gives his cheek a quick kiss, thankful of her dark fur to hide that blush that has started to return.
Rorgan chuckles, stepping aside and gesturing down at Callie. "An' this here is my daughter, Callie. Callie, say hullo!" His excitement really can almost be felt as a physical force by those around him at the moment, and it seems to make his blue eyes shine with happiness, as though there was nothing better that he could do in his life aside from be with the two he cared most about in his life aside from Derrin.
Callie squeaks at the sudden introduction and dives behind Rorgan again, hugging one of his legs, looking around him at Ink. "Hi..." She whispers, eyes wide. She looks up at Rorgan then, still whispering. "I don't need ta say anythin' else, do I, Papa?"
Ink has a problem with happy dibbuns, but scared, hurt, or angry dibbuns? No problem at all. She bends down to Callie's height, crouching two or three feet away. "Hey, Callie. I'm Ink. You already knew that though, didn't you?" She gives a closed mouth smile, not wanting to freak out the otter kit by showing off her filed teeth.
Rorgan laughs softly, sitting right there on the ground next to Callie and the bent down Ink. "It's alright Callie. She's friendly, see?" He grins, giving Ink a kiss on the cheek. "She's not goin' t' hurt you."
Callie relinquishes Rorgan's leg for his paw as he sits down, hugging it to herself and leaning against him. "Hi Ms. Ink..." She says again. "You sure she's friendly?" Callie asks Rorgan. "What if she's not? She's got, like, sharp teeth. They say /vermin/ have teeth like that." She whispers loudly up at him. "And so do /snakes/." She eyes Ink carefully.
Well, clearly Callie already saw the filed teeth. Nothing Ink can do about that. She smiles at the kiss, and shrugs. "You'll just have to trust your father then. He seems like a rather trustworthy fellow to me, though." She winks at him, teasing again. "How'd you even get to adopt this little cold-hearted kit, Rorgan?"
Rorgan shrugs, looking down at Callie happily. "It's really more that she asked me, an' I couldn't say no, not t' say I wanted to in the first place." He chuckles, patting Callie's head softly and affectionately.
Callie humphs, watching them talk. They /seem/ happy... and she's feeling left out again. "Hey, woah! I'm right here." She pouts, getting her head pat. "Do I get a hug?" She asks Ink as she brushes her headfur forward (though there was nothing wrong with it), glaring at Rorgan for the pat, deciding that maybe Ink isn't all that bad. Maybe they /will/ be friends.
"Seems about right. She's a cute little thing." Ink chuckles. "Huh? Oh, uh, sure..." she replies to Callie's request, though she's hesitant. Hugs? From a dibbun? What? She opens her arms slowly. "If you want one, I suppose." She gives Rorgan a weird look, mentally wondering why this kit was just accusing her of being a snake, and now wants a hug.
Rorgan simply returns Ink's look with a knowing smile of his own. "This is completely normal, don't worry" He grips Callie, picking her up and handing her to Ink for their hug, happy to see the two getting along a bit better.
"What, ya don't want one- oh, ok then." Callie waves her paws a bit as she's picked up and handed over to Ink. She hugs Ink, sitting in her lap. "Ya know, it's not normal not t like hugs, but if ya didn't want one, ya coulda said."
Ink just gets more awkward now that she's holding the dibbun. She balances Callie on her lap, moving carefully from a crouch to sitting back on her heels. "Er, yes, I could have said that...Hugs are fine though." She wraps her arms carefully around Callie, almost gingerly, as if she's afraid she'll break the little tyke.
Rorgan can't help but chuckle softly. "Maybe you guys will get along after all!" He says happily, gently gripping one of Ink's paws as she hugs Callie. "I never imagined somethin' like this would happen in my life, but here it is I s'pose."
Callie stops hugging Ink but continues to sit in her lap. "Hush, Papa, we're best friends. Toldja." She flaps a paw at him. "And acourse it happened ta ya, e'rybody gets happy endin's, 'specially ottahs like you." She grins at him and bounces a little.
Ink's still learning the balance of holding a dibbun- too tight and who knows what'll happen, too loose and they'll fal off. Except now Callie is wiggling around, sitting down and bouncing and everthing that isn't helpful. Oh gosh. Ink probably gripping poor Callie a little too tight, or too loose. She can't tell. But she looks up and smiles at Rorgan. "She's right you know. You do deserve it." She squeezes his paw a bit.
Rorgan can't help but let a small bit of red invade his cheeks at the two of them. "Since when did I ever deserve somethin' as amazin' as you two?" He asks, nuzzling the back of Ink's paw softly.
"Since you was a Rorgan, Papa!" Makes total sense to Callie! She wrinkles her nose and looks away when Rorgan nuzzles Ink's paw. "Ewwww, you guys're so grown up! I'm nevah gonna grow up! I'm gonna stay likkle and get hugs all my life!"
Ink feels like she melted inside. She's probably return the affection somehow, except she's only got one paw right now, so she just smiles and squeezes his paw again, laughing at Callie. "And if you've always been a Rorgan, then I suppose the "since when" is since forever. And as long as you'll have us, we'll have you." Oh, that was a little much. Ink blushes, and distracts herself with Callie. "Hush, little one, it couldn't possibly have been that bad. And I suppose we'll have to let you stay little, if that's what you want to do!"
Rorgan grins, patting Callie's head. "I think lettin' you stay little so you can terrorize us till we have grey fur is alright wid me. Plus, whenever you complain, I can always do somethin' like this." He leans forward, kissing Ink on the cheek. "But I'll tell you both that I'm grateful t' have you both, an' I hope I can be good enough fer the both of you."
"EWWW you did it again! Stop it!" Callie squeaks! "And a'course I'll be terrarizin' ya fr evah! That's my job! Ya did'n think I'd be leavin' didja?" She looks indignant at him. "Now stoppit. Cause ya've said yer grateful, like, twenny sixes times, now."
"Twenty sixes?" Ink mouths at Rorgan, holding back a laugh at the math. "You're already good enough, Rorgan." She returns the kiss with one of her own, leaning around Callie to do so, but covering the dibbun's eyes with her paw. "Better now, Callie?"
Rorgan laughs, scooting over to sit next to Ink so that he can put his head against Ink's shoulder. "I appreciate the thought, Ink." He says softly.
TO BE CONTINUED.
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