Sun Mote Copse Pennies make dimes and dimes make dollars
Ghost
I still don't get it right sometimes · I just don't get it as wrong
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#1
All Welcome 
First thing did after talking to Wildfire was seek out @Finley.  He assumed she'd be somewhere around where he knew she and Elwood had set up.  Frog?! he called out, knowing it set the tone for the conversation but hey, it was him.  She had to be used to it by now.

If you're around, I could use some advice.  Which is a chance you know doesn't come often. He added with a grin, starting to walk in a wide circle.  He had no idea where the hell they actually stayed, but he was pretty sure it was around here.  He'd actually been dying to talk to his sister about this whole Niamh situation for a while now.
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#2
*barges*

Although Colt was clearly looking for Finley, the sound of his brother-in-law's voice drew Elwood's attention. He was nearby, enlarging a rather small cache tucked under the roots of a tree -- because even though he was retired, he still had a hard time just doing nothing -- and he paused in his digging. Colt continued to speak to his sister, although there wasn't any response from her just yet; likely she was close by, though.

"You're sure you want to ask her for advice?" he said teasingly as he stepped through the dappled sunlight to approach Colt. He gave a good-natured shrug to match his smile, then gestured vaguely over his shoulder with his snout. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere," he added.
Ghost
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It was Elwood who showed up instead, and Colt gave his brother in law a friendly smile in greeting.  He liked the guy quite a bit, despite not spending a ton of time with him.

Sisters aren't always the best for advice, but some things I figure she has to know about. He replied, thinking that they had plenty of experience with what he wanted to know.  Elwood might know too, but asking him seemed a little strange somehow.  This wasn't something guys generally talked about.

A thought did strike him, though, and he looked at Elwood with renewed interest.  Hey El, what's your favorite part? Of... being a dad, that is.  Not subtle at all, but safer than the questions he wanted to ask Finley.
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"Makin' babies with a hot piece of ass like me," Fin said, answering the question her brother had actually asked Elwood as she strode into view with a smirk upon her face. She'd adopted a liesurely pace for wandering her way over to where Colt had called for her and found herself thankful she'd done so. He'd set her up for that one rather well.

"And for the last time, yes I think that guy back in Lone River Canyon was way more into you than he was me and yes you should definitely have gone for it," she added as she settled onto her haunches beside her mate, leaning to plant a kiss sweetly upon his cheek before turning her attention back to Colt.
 
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Elwood related to Colt's off-handed comment more than he would have expected; he was transported back briefly to a time when he was close with his own sister. He never had discovered what had become of her -- but his search for her was what had brought him to Redhawk Caldera in the first place, so while that mystery remained unsolved, he wasn't unhappy with the way things had turned out.

The question that his brother-in-law posed next caused him to pause thoughtfully for a moment. He pursed his lips as he considered it. There were many things that he loved about being a dad, and it was hard to narrow it down. He was probably about to say something sweet about watching them grow up, but he was interrupted by Finley, and he emitted a snort of laughter instead.

"Bingo, you hit the nail on the head," he said, rolling his eyes as Finley sidled up alongside him. He raised his brows at the quip she directed at Colt.
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Colt winced over dramatically as Finley arrived and answered the question for Elwood, giving a semi-playful look of disgust.  Yknow, some questions don't need asking, he joked, then frowned at her.  And hey, was that even a question? Course he was!  Colt was a god damn catch!

Alright, jokes aside... how the hell was he supposed to approach this.  I was actually coming to ask about something else.  Don't laugh, but... Niamh and I were talking about kids the other night, and it got me kinda thinking.  He shifted uncomfortably.  Sooo I asked Wildfire about it.  She better not laugh.  He'd kick her ass if she laughed.  (Not really but hey this was serious business here).
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It hadn't occured to her to wonder what exactly would've prompted her brother to ask a question that made him so vulnerable, but she did manage to put two and two together when he began to explain his reason for seeking her out. To be honest, Finley didn't think much about the spat between Colt and Niamh that had driven the former to attempting to say good bye to her forever again. She could understand being hot-headed and brash in the moment, and she could also understand Colt doing his usual throw his hands up in the arm and declare I'M OUT when that seemed to be the easiest thing to do. Not that she doubted Niamh had hurt him - that had definitely been real. But Colt had never really been the stick-around-and-fight-no-matter-the-pain kind.

Which is why she wasn't all that sure about his pursuit of fatherhood at first. Kids could sure be real assholes sometimes, and they could hurt you a hell of a lot more deeply than even your mate could. But that didn't mean you got to walk away and wash your hands of it. She'd had to learn that once herself. "What did Wiffle say?" Fin asked, wanting to know what their alpha (or queen or... what did she call herself again?) said before she offered her own opinion. Plus, it gave her time to fully form one.
 
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Yep, it makes sense to skip Elwood for a couple of rounds while he's just listening! I'll pop him back in later if it makes sense and if you guys don't mind! :)

The banter between the siblings was playful and easy-going at first, but Colt then shifted the conversation back to a more serious topic. He actually did want to hear Finley's advice on something, and his previous question to Elwood about fatherhood seemed to be a precursor. He shared that he and Niamh were considering children, and had even gone so far as to bring it up to Wildfire.

Elwood's ears pricked with interest, but he essentially faded into the background in order to allow the brother and sister to confer. If his opinion was further requested, he would of course speak up; but as long as Colt didn't mind his presence, he was simply there to listen for the time being.
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#9
sounds good! Jump in anytime <3

Hard to read a response, but every time they called Wildfire 'Wiffle' it distracted him too.  She was honestly okay with that nickname?

Anyway.  Right, what she said.  She said she didn't know us well enough.  With you two havin kids, and her plannin on it, there might not be space.  Yeah, nah, not done there.  It was slightly funny even to him, on some level, what an uncomfortable subject this was to talk about.  She said we could revisit, but hearing no sucked more than I expected.  He said, looking away for a minute.  Laugh it up, Fin, feel free.  Please.  So I figured since you two are in the know, you might have some kind of advice? Or tell me I'm being crazy for even trying.  Always an option too.

Nonchalant humor, but there was an undercurrent of... something... underneath.  Yeah, he was batshit for wanting this.  But he wanted it bad.  Like, really bad.  He'd lost his chance once when Nell died, and again when he and Niamh were done.  Now to lose it again because to fix things, he'd had to come here.  And now Wildfire had hooked up with his nephew (whether he knows that or not tbd)... and Fin decided hey, she would come along.  He wasn't going to be upset by either of those things because both were awesome as fuck in his opinion, but there was that small voice that told him fate might just be shooting him the middle finger one more time on this particular goal.
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Finley, strangely enough, was not even the least it tempted to laugh at her brother. In an odd way, him being a father made a lot of sense to her. He was awesome with her kids, so she could only assume he'd be awesome with his own. He also was not at all prepared to be a dad, which meant he'd be doing all the usual first-time-father pratfalls and panic sessions, which was going to be hilarious for her to get to witness. Finally, she loved the old bastard unconditionally, and she knew she'd be over the moon for any little bastards he had a hand in creating. If he could muster the balls to stick it out through the hard times, then yeah, she could see him becoming papa Colt.

But Wildfire did have some good points. "Well, you are crazy, but not necessarily for this," she reassured him, "I think you'd make a swell dad, assuming you're actually ready for it." Fin paused to give him a shrewd look before deciding to shelf the advice part for now and continuin, "Cause kids can be a massive pain in the ass, you know. They can be downright mean and break your heart over and over again, but there's no breaking up with them. Onve you're a dad, you're a dad. You can't just pack your bags, give them a heartfelt good bye speech and peace out for home when they hurt you."

It was probably too critical of her, but Fin had never hesitated to give her brother exactly what for prior to this, so she wouldn't hold back now. She did at least try to say it gently and without accusation, but she was prepared for him to get snippy with her over it anyway. It was kind of their thing.
 
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Ouch.  What she said was entirely fair, but he definitely didn't like hearing it, and the look he gave was both miffed and a little wounded.  It didn't help that Niamh had pretty much shared the same sentiment.  What the fuck kind of flake did they think he was?

The kind who leaves their kids to grow up without them.  Right.

I know, and I know my track record.  But shit changes, and while I haven't stuck around here when I wasn't wanted, I will if there's something worth sticking for.  Yeah, from that she could probably infer that she hadn't been, but there was a difference between family and kids.  And if he was going to do the dad thing willingly, feet first, then he was going to do it damn well.  No, he did not like her insinuation, at all.  But he'd asked for advice.  Suppose at least she was honest about how she felt.

When theyre old enough they can decide whether or not they get me.  Until then, they'd be stuck.  But I guess if even you aren't sure, I can't fault Wildfire for lookin sideways at it.  He wasn't sure what he'd expected from her - maybe laughter, definitely surprise, but not a lecture.  And not honest to god criticism.  This almost felt worse than with Wildfire.  The hell was wrong with him?
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Fin had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes at his response. He was always so damn morose and so hard on himself. Granted, what she'd said had sounded an awful lot like a put down. But she hadn't meant it that way (for once), and she was quick to try and set that point right.

"I didn't say I wasn't sure," Fin huffed at him, "I just want to make sure that you know the rules here and that you've thought through these things. I think you'd make a kick ass dad. I know our kids love the crap out of you, so obviously your own would like you well enough. You just have to know that sometimes they're little shit heads, but that doesn't mean you get to throw them in a lake and try to run off and bang their best friend." Which had happened once, and Fin wasn't about to let Colt forget that shit.

"As for Wildfire, we can put in a good word with her," she said, looking over at Elwood for his consent to this, "She just doesn't know you all that well. The only impression she has of you is the drama between you and Legs. She just needs a more accurate picture of you. Try doing something supportive for Clover or Eljay in front of her - you'll be good." As for Niamh, Fin wasn't sure how to rectify that situation. Legs was a wildcard as far as she was concerned. She couldn't offer advice for how to reassure Wildfire that Colt's chosen ladyfriend was in it to win it when Fin wasn't convinced of that herself.
 
Ghost
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It was funny how relationship blinders worked.  Because while Finley was doubting the ability to put in a good word for Niamh, Colt hadn't even considered that would be necessary.  She was Niamh.  Of course they'd find her suitable, for motherhood at least.

The first part still had him somewhat sour, though he softened a bit.  He knew she didn't mean it.  But he was tired of a long earned and well deserved reputation, mostly because he was tired of his own guilt over shit he couldn't change.  You aren't the only one who's different, Frog.  Lotta space between then and now.  She didn't know most of it because he'd decided not to have that talk, but life had been pretty clear with him about the worst it could get.  Time would tell, but he figured he could handle this.

Not sure how much more supportive I can be of Eljay.  He was the picture of it in his mind, checking himself more than he'd ever thought would be possible.  But he liked his nephew quite a bit, so he didn't mind at all.  But alright.  I'll give it a shot.  Her name for Niamh brought to mind his conversation with her a while ago, and his mouth did turn up into a smile.  Thanks, Fin.  You're the best.  Sometimes.  This conversation had irked him, yeah, and she'd prodded things that didn't like being prodded.  But she was here and listening and offering to put in a word and at the end of the day, that was a solid sisterly deal.  He could roll with that.
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*bops back in*

The conversation continued between Colt and Finley, and Elwood listened quietly for the majority of it. He didn't have much to add -- Finley pretty much covered all of the bases, and did so in a way that he couldn't, since she was Colt's sister. She was honest, and even offered to put in a good word for him with Wildfire, which was the biggest obstacle; it sounded like he and Niamh were ready to be parents, even though they might have once been too immature. But hadn't Elwood and Finley themselves been immature before parenthood, as well? It could change you in a way nothing else could.

He nodded his head in agreement with what Fin said about Wildfire. Their vouching for Colt would be helpful, but he suspected it would just come down to time. She would need to get to know him, and he could ensure that by sticking around and doing what he was already doing. As Colt thanked Fin with a playful jab, he chuckled and reiterated, "Sometimes." Then, on a more serious note, he added, "We're happy to do whatever we can to help -- but I think Fin's right, Wildfire won't have any problem with it once she knows you a little better."
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Fin heavily considered taking back her promise to put in a good word with Wildfire for him when Colt called her by that hated name. Instead, she just gave him a sharp glare and let it go as he continued. Look how they both had grown. Mama Blackthorn would've been proud.

She looked at Elwood fondly as he spoke, her demeanor softening in a way only he could affect. It also helped that he agreed with her - she did love it when people did that. She subtly smushed herself closer to him and looked back at her brother. "You're welcome, jack ass," Fin said with a grin, "And I'm the best always. It's just you only every once in a while deserve to reap the benefits of my best-ness."
 
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It would have taken a far better wolf than Colt to not feel jealousy at the look Elwood and Finley shared.  And Colt had never argued that he was a great wolf.  His sister and Elwood had found something great together, something that spanned years he had spent tossing aside.  He didn't regret most of it, but occasionally he did regret some.  And now she'd continue to make their parents proud, spreading that family legacy in a pack that was chock full of her family.  Family he didn't exactly feel a part of, especially now.

But he had Niamh, and he loved her, and he wasn't one to admit any of the above to any wolf.  So he just smiled, gave her a teasing Yeah, yeah..., and turned to depart.  I gotta go tell Niamh.  See ya around.  He didn't anticipate that conversation going overly well but at least she'd be able to help him plan next steps.  Well, if she'd been serious about even wanting kids in the first place.

He didn't much like this strange kind of self-consciousness this new goal brought upon him.  Normally he'd have said screw Wildfire and Finley and any of their opinions.  Maybe it was because he just wanted it more than usual.... or maybe it was because the opinions he'd heard echoed a little to closely the ones he held, secretly, of himself.