and the reason is you

The way she pulled her newborns in and held them tightly much reminded Nox of the first time she ever held her three. She remembered looking at her babies like they were the most beautiful creations that she had ever seen and nothing else in the universe could compare. That moment had been a fleeting one, but even now, she still felt the same. Nox felt a flitter of regret as she thought she saw a brief sadness wash over the new mother’s face. It felt necessary if a bit unkind to say such a thing. It certainly was not her place to ruin the special moment. “But they’ll always be yours… no matter how big they become,” Nox added to hopefully ease the hurt a bit. Nox met her eyes then, for the first time or what seemed like it. A sense of calm seemed to settle over them, two strangers finally on the same page. “Nice to meet you, Ballad Pyre.” Pyre. Nox wondered if her last name was simply ironic or if it was intentional, given the brazen color of her coat. That had to be the only reason, for her demeanor was quite the opposite of flammable.

“I’m Nox. Nox Nightingale.” Out of habit, she gave another bow of the head. When the mother spoke again, she found herself surprised. Surprised mostly because she certainly did not expect an invitation back after the introduction they’d had. What mother would want a passably deranged woman near her children? Maybe there was an understanding shared between them, something only another mother could pick up on. Whatever the case, she did feel her spirits lift at the possibility of getting to see the little tikes again. “I may take you up on that offer… but I will make sure to knock next time.” And with a final nod, she made a graceful exit. Father had always said introductions were everything but perhaps in this case, or like most cases, he was wrong.