Despite Odessa's slightly unorthodox way of crying, she quickly proved that she was just like any other baby.
A little fussy, yes, but not unmanageable.
It took some gentle rocking and a small bit of Eris' singing to get the littlest Tathamet to calm down.
Shortly afterwards, she returned to sleep.
The room was quiet after that. The only sound was an occasional rustling of the sheets, or a soft content sigh from one of the lovers.
Lillian would also talk to Odessa for development. Granted she probably couldn't understand anything yet, but she could hear her. That was all that mattered to them right now.
Most would look in on a scene like this and consider it to be boring.
However, to this husband and wives union, there was very little more stimulating.
They had tried just about everything in the long time that they had been married.
They had found little that they enjoyed more than moments like this. Simple quality time and silence went a long, long, way.
Everyone's eyes were either closed, or on the little wonder lying on top of Lillian's chest.
Erica was lying on her side resting quietly with everyone else. She hadn't taken her eyes off the baby for the entire time she had been born.
It was a streak that she would have kept going for a long time, if she didnt feel a familiar hand grab her ass and a pair of lips on her neck.
"Something on your mind?"
Erica blushed until her cheeks were nearly the same color as her hair.
"I am just thinking about the little things yet to come... Birthdays, schooling, driving lessons... All the things that seemed to go by too quickly with Courtney."
Seras rested her head against Erica's as the two of them stared at Odessa together.
"What about her first tantrum?"
"Okay, well I didn't say that I was looking forward to everything."
The girls giggled together as Seras moved closer to the red-haired phoenix.
As they held hands, Seras finally brought up an earlier topic that they had briefly grazed over.
"Is that why you said you wanted another child? Because you feel like you're going to miss certain things?"
"I..."
Erica could see everyone turn to stare at her in the aftermath of that question.
The only one who didn't look up was Lillian. She already knew Seras' thought process since they had discussed it alone beforehand.
"W-Well, I... I know I said that I was fine with stopping after Odessa was born, but I have.. begun to feel a bit... differently since I got the memories of our prior incarnation back." Erica admitted.
Lillian's eyes showed recognition. "Ah... So this was about..."
"Y-Yes." Erica lay on her stomach in dismay.
Her gaze became distant, and her voice full of regret.
"I know that things were said and done, but I... I did not want to turn my back on my son. I went to watch him often before the reset, and... I realized that I failed him.
Renanin was a matriarchal society. Men were seen as simple and easy. So when Caelum was born I didn't do a good job of giving him everything that he might've needed.
But I poured into Jasmine and Claire and gave them everything that they could have wanted. Maybe his acts of rebellion were a direct result of my neglectfulness.
It wasn't until I became entangled with all of you and I saw the way that you treated our sons that I..." Erica's words kind of trailed off as she rubbed her hands over the bedcovers.
"...Is it wrong of me to want to do better now that I know better? For if no other reason than not letting the guilt of walking away from my own flesh and blood consume me?"
The guys were walking in with Nyx and her son as well.
"What is this I'm hearing about you making this WENCH the godmother of my new niece?" Malenia jerked her thumb at Nyx.
The night goddess held up two fingers for victory. Malachi was next to her and chose to mirror her action in solidarity.
"You are the godparents of almost all of our children." Audrina chuckled. "Can't you let just this one go?"
"""No.""" The three responded in union. Continue your saga on мѵʟ
Nyx changed her two finger gesture to a one finger one.
Malachi didn't mirror that one because he didn't know these people well enough to be playing like that.
"Well, I never expected my mature and dignified sister to be such a baby." Abaddon laughed. "We'll let you be godparents to the next child if it helps make you feel better."
"You bet that I... Wait, what?"
Malenia wasn't the only one floored. Everyone knew that Abaddon and Ayaana had planned for this to be their last child.
And admittedly, they were a bit sad. Having a baby around the house is a wonderful thing. (Especially if it's not yours and you get to give it back to the parents when it inevitably begins to be difficult.)
The news that they were going to have another child was surprising, but welcome.
...But one person did have a slight grievance.
Bashenga pushed through the crowd in his baby form with a stern look on his adorably precious face.
"Since you will have not one, but two new infantiles to smother and rub your accursed cheeks against, then I demand that you release me from the confines of this child body!"
Bekka snickered adorably as she rolled onto her stomach.
"I guess since you're going to be a big brother you should actually look the part. Here."
Bekka waived her hand over Bashenga and the spell binding him was immediately broken.
Once he returned to his normal appearance, he stretched his muscles like he was working his way into a tight t-shirt.
"Finally... my dignity is returned to me."
"Yes, yes." Lillian rolled her eyes. "Will you please come over here and say hello to your little sister?"
Bashenga momentarily faltered.
He looked over to the bed where his mother lay on her back with a small child in her arms.
Albeit with one defining difference from everyone else in the room.
"She...is human?"
"Yes, she is. This is Odessa." Lillian smiled. "And she's waiting for at least one of her siblings to acknowledge her."
Bash looked conflicted for a moment before he averted his gaze from the bed.
"...I see her. I don't know what else you want from me, mother."
Bashenga vanished immediately after this exchange.
His father looked disappointed, but not surprised. Lillian just looked like she was thinking about something incredibly hard.
Only when she remembered that she had guests did she put on a smile and sit up.
"Well, that's more or less what I expected... Would the rest of you like to say hello so this little one knows she's not just stuck with her crazy parents?"
This was the only provocation that the men outside the room needed.
One by one, they all peddled their way inside- anxious to see Tehom's newest royal bundle of joy.