Chương 80: Day Seventy-Nine

Dear Diary, So apparently my antics over the past couple days screwed Saffron and I over a little more than I'd thought. Nothing we won't recover from. More 'annoying shit' than 'tragedy', really. Apparently the Equinox Break is also the semester break, when people change up what classes they're in, move from one tier to another, that kind of thing. There was a whole 'moving up' thing Sunday evening, and Monday (I really ought to get used to saying 'Moonday', but whatever) we were supposed to pick classes.

So Saffron is now (surprise surprise) officially a Cadet rather than a Freshman Cadet. Prior to spending it helping me fix the Academy, her Independent Study, intended to be 'let the single mom not fall too far behind' wound up being 'watch the wunderkind race ahead of everyone else'. Still kinda blowing my mind that she agreed to marry me. Don't get me started on the whole 'she asked me' thing. Does not compute. Objectively, I know she technically asked me, but subjectively?

No way, I had to have conned her or something. Still, that's just what you'd expect from Loki's Champion, right? Seducing star students and spiriting them away so they don't show up to their own Moving Up Ceremony. Wait, were we getting married just then? No, wait, that would have been technically part of Monday. The dark parts just after sunset, but the Moving Up ceremony happened a few hours before that.

I'm guessing that either attendance isn't mandatory, or duBois figured we'd rather rest than sit through a stupid formal 'yay, you didn't fail!' ceremony. Okay, I feel pretty bad about Saffron missing hers. Anyway, screwed up day / night schedule aside, Marie woke us both knocking on the door with our morning laundry delivery. I think I surprised her when I bounced up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then a hug before she went on her way to do Marie things for the day.

Saffron had the crotch goblin on her lap, nursing, so I hung our fresh laundry up. By the time I'd got everything put away, she'd finished, so she handed her to me while she got up to get dressed. The predictable happened. While I dealt with the shitty side of baby care, Saffron said, "new classes today." Without looking up, because I did not want to get shit all over my hands, I said, "what?" Because I'm the worlds most interesting conversationalist.

"Yesterday while you were out I dealt with getting our new class schedules squared away." I paused, looked up, and asked, "no, I mean what, why are we getting new classes?" She smiled down at me and explained, "I forget that little things might be different. We get a seven day break centered on every Equinox or Solstice. The last day of the break is the day we pick out our new classes." I blinked, then caught Isnomi's hands before she could get them into the contents of her diaper.

I held them over her head while I finished cleaning her up.

"They don't pick them for us?"

"No, although in some cases there are ones that are required. Like," she paused, sighed, then said, "you failed Remedial Standardized Celtic, so you have to take it again."

"Fuck."

"I really don't understand how you even need that course. Your Celtic is... Colorful at times, but always pretty articulate. You speak it like a native, even if you aren't." She shrugged then paused, staring at me, expecting some kind of explanation.

"I grew up speaking English. It's kind of the lingua franca of the world back where I'm from." She paused, puzzling that out, then asked, "wait, you're a Frank?"

"No, I'm Puerto Rican. Dunno if anybody lives in PR right now, but where I'm from it's a mix of Taino natives, Black former slaves, and Spanish overseer types who all interbred until, well," I motioned to myself, but then stopped.

"Shit. I didn't look like this before. Uh, kind of middling brown skin, brown curly hair, brown eyes is the norm, but there's a lot of variation."

"We'll have to sit down with a map at some point, I think. Maybe once you're done fixing everything you've busted up around the place." She took the sting out of her words with an affectionately sweet smile.

"I kept my Independent Study days the same, and we've got PT, CT, World History and Cultures, and Intermediate Heroic Skills together. I figured you'd want a midweek break, so I kept Remedial Celtic on Freydays. I left my Devotional day on Moonday." She'd just finished getting herself just so, and as I tried to fold Isnomi's diaper together she dropped to a knee and went through a whole fancy bow and scrape routine.

"I trust Moonday Devotions are acceptable to my Goddess?" I couldn't help it, I broke down laughing, and she leaned over while I did and did more Mom Diaper Origami to put Isnomi back together.

"Only if you teach me how to do that thing with the diaper." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She smirked at me, then smiled.

"I was going to say it's a secret Mom trick, but I guess you're part of that exclusive club now, aren't you?" Holy shit. I hadn't really come to terms with that yet. Godmother, sure, that's one thing, but... I'm a Mom now. Again with the Does Not Compute.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am." She raised an eyebrow as she hefted Isnomi up and nudged me toward the armoire.

"You guess you are?" I laughed while pulling my clothes on.

"Yeah. I'm still coming to grips with the fact that I'm married, being a Mom hadn't even crossed my mental horizon yet, and then you drop it on me like the world's biggest truth-bomb." I shook my head, trying to rattle the gray matter around enough to get it functioning again.

"I mean, if I think about it, yeah, I'm married, I'm your wife, you're my wife, she's my daughter now, and that means I'm her Mom now, but emotionally? Still not really registering." She stepped up to me as I slid my arms into my jacket, putting an arm around me, holding Isnomi between us.

"You absolutely registered it in every way that matters on the Equinox. You've never balked at changing her diapers. You play with her even more than I do," here she grinned up at me, Isnomi mirroring the expression, "although that may be due to having more compatible mental ages."

"Hey!" She leaned her head against my chest, and I forgot all about my mock outrage.

"We're not the same kind of Mom. But we don't have to be. You love her as much as I do, and really that's all I'd ever ask." I put my arms around them and gently drew them close. We stood there for a while, just enjoying the vibe. Then from down in the cave formed by our bodies, a squeaky little voice said, "ma!" We both pulled back a little bit, and Isnomi giggled at our expressions and said it a couple more times.

"Ma! Ma! Mama!" she squeaked, and we both praised her and repeated the word back, holding her hand and touching first Saffron, then myself.

"I didn't think kids started saying stuff until later. She's such a smart baby? Who's a smart baby? You are! Yes you are!" Okay, I may be getting a little too into cooing at her. Fuck off, she's cute. Saffron played with her hair while I held her hands and babbled more nonsense praise at her.

"She is my daughter after all. I suppose her sire wasn't stupid, either. Bag mature a little quicker as well. From my research, she's maybe a month or two ahead of her peers." I kept playing with her hands and using that 'talking silly to the baby' voice while I asked, "back on the topic of other Mommy's schedule, what do I have today?" Saffron looked at me, clearly having mastered the 'really, Diaz?' look so well I figured it had to show up on her Status screen by now.

"Basic Mana Shaping. It's got quite a bit of book-learning that Remedial doesn't, so be ready to take notes. Also, is that really what you want her to call you?

'Other Mother?'" That brought up creepifying memories, and I shuddered.

"Yeah, no, you're right. Not the thing I want to be called. I'll explain it later, when she's not listening. Bit of fiction, and 'Other Mother' was creepy scary as fuck." She handed me Isnomi, and I held her out in front of me, swooping her around while Saffron did up my buttons and fixed everything until she judged me fit to be seen with her. We left our room and headed first to the Infirmary, where Grandma waited to sit her for the day.

When we left for the Dining Hall, I asked, "when will Grandma be heading home?"

"She won't. I spoke with the Headmaster yesterday, and he agreed to let her stay on as Isnomi's caretaker and to assist Sister Siobhan. At some point we'll want to head over to our old house and collect anything we want to keep, but for now? I just feel safer with her and Isnomi staying at the Academy full time." I gave her a kind of 'you've got a good point' sideways nod.

"Yeah, I figure this place has a couple hundred Heroes-in-training, duBois, and the Maids here around the clock. Can't get much safer than that."

"Not to mention it is a literal fortress. There's a reason there aren't any windows on the ground floor." I blinked, realizing how right she was, and how little it had actually registered until she said it. Every structural part made of stone, set on top of one of the biggest hills around, wide clear areas in every direction around the place. A lot of the little weird bits about the Academy's design became clear when I thought about it being a fortress rather than a school.

We got to breakfast, and Angel, Bill, and the junior ROTCs all joined us at the table. Angel didn't really do more than a polite nod, but she didn't run screaming at least. I pretended not to notice when she low key moved her hand across the table between us, her hand in that 'warding against evil' position I'd seen duBois do when he mentioned Balor of the Mor. I really hoped that she'd get to a point where I could at least apologize to her, but I wasn't exactly Ms. Congeniality.

I'd have to wait for her to be ready. Bill, on the other hand, either had no problem with me, or maybe he hid it better.

"So, how's married life treating you?" Raven, Fred, and Bonnie all looked at me, eyes wide. Bonnie even squealed, "really? Who's the lucky guy? Is it Lyman?" Angel rolled her eyes, smacked her lightly on the back of the head, and turned her to face Saffron. Her eyes got even bigger and she half-whispered, "oh!" I looked at Bill and said, "enjoying it so far. Helps that my wife is hot, and even patienter than she is hot." At that Raven said, "wait, you're serious?

I thought he was teasing you two about shacking up together."

"Really truly serious. As of Sunday evening. Well, I think it was technically Monday night." I shrugged. At that Raven pulled out her sketchbook and started drawing. Bill barked out a laugh and said, "it's official, you're definitely the guy of the relationship." I gave him a look, but he just said, "married less than forty-eight hours, and you've already forgotten when your anniversary is."

I spluttered a little at that, eventually throwing a toasted bread heel at him before getting down to the serious business of breakfast. The rest of the table slacked off on stuffing food into mouth for the rest of breakfast, poking good natured fun at Saffron and I about our sudden yet inevitable wedding, and even Saffron joined in when they did the same about me being the 'guy'. I mean, I know what I am, but I've got nothing against guys, so I'm not going to get all bent out of shape when somebody calls me one.

Raven didn't help at all, even though she didn't say word one during the breakfast-long 'poke fun at Tabitha' session. But the sketch she handed me as we got up to head to class? With Saffron in a beautiful wedding gown and me in a fancy tuxedo looking suit? Yeah, that kinda hit different. I was late to my very first Basic Mana Shaping class. Had to take that back and put it up on the wall in our room so it didn't get messed up. Priorities, amirite?