Mother Like No Other

He could tell his mother was still upset, but as she gave her final answer, he could tell that something had shifted in his mother. Resignation, maybe? He could tell that she didn’t like that answer, but it was as much as she was willing to give at the moment. He allowed her to change the subject, although he wasn’t sure he much liked the new subject. The same lesson, all over again? Still, he nodded and settled back for what was surely to be a longer talk than he’d expected when he’d called for his mother. Cinder was having quite the laugh under her breath as she settled between his front legs again; he could feel her body shaking with suppressed mirth.

He opted to squash her under his chest briefly, drawing a squeak from the cat as she squirmed until his straightened again, eyes on his mother. "Is cuimhin liom roinnt de na sé, Máthair ... Is féidir Baineannaigh a bheith laonna chomh hóg le leath na bliana d'aois, ach is mó chomh luath agus is téann siad beirt..." He trailed off as he wracked his brain for the rest of the information. He could hear his mother’s voice, but all that came back was “Butterfly.” Cinder was trying, and failing miserably, to muffle the laughter coming from her jaws; it sounded rather like she had choked on a hairball and all that was coming out were squeaks.

Regulus ducked his head as he met his mother’s eyes. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t been listening as much as he should have. "Cad ... go raibh an chuid eile de é?" He asked, a sheepish grin on his face as the last three inches of his tail tapped against the stone under his paws. Ho boy… well, he’d had it coming, might as well settle in and listen. And if Cinder didn’t stop wheezing she was going to asphyxiate.