[u]Althalus/Mar Collab[/u]

Althalus walked into the room he shared with Mar, rubbing a hand over his face as he contemplated the events of the last six months. To say it had been a wild ride would be severely understating all that had happened. First, he learned through bits and pieces of a conversation through a thick wooden door that he had somehow gotten Mar pregnate within hours of the act. Then, before he could talk to Mar about it, he was immediately ordered to find a new room for a month. Any protests were quelled when the Headmaster himself ordered it. When he tried to sneak back in, he got the nasty surprise of finding out that Mar had Zaad, Khan's pet shadow, attatched to her. A prudent retreat was done. Then, during that one month, he had to play a lovely game of cat and mouse with the demon Tyrael. He lasted the full month too. And then he was forced to 'chat' with the Demonomancy teacher. 
 
Then, when he was finally allowed to return to their room and talk to Mar about it, it turned into an arguement that's still on going. One that was made all the more irritating(even when the demon agreed with him), when Zaad added his own opinions into the fights. Atlhalus thanked all the Gods when he was taken away for good. Still, the arguement didn't stop there. To make matters worse, they had to share a room. Tense was a mild way to describe their situation for the last few months.
 
He settled against the wall and simply watched Mar. She looked almost ready to explode. Casually, he commented, "Almost time for our child to be born, it seems."
 
Mar had been stretching as the warm glow of her belly was doused in bluish light, the mushrooms still kept and casted their dim light around. It was rather pretty to her and a nice light she liked. To farther keep the room hot and just ideal for her temperature during the cold months, the College had created several new vents to fliter heat in and the degree kept high thanks to engraved runes on the wall corners. The floor had dry leaves from the fall which she continually shifted over and over through out the nights and day, her nesting instinct in complete control. It was normal for her kind. A relief to her more then a little while she turned her head towards Althalus, her lips curled up into a striaght expression. 
 
"Yes and when that happens, I'll raise her as a Naga." Mar said bluntly, her words likely ready to lead into another of those arguments again. "And don't start in about you wanting to be present, I rather not hear it again. I will give birth to her then raise and when she turns one hundred and thirty, then you can be a part of her life." 
 
Althalus didn't say anything for a moment, likely preparing himself. Then, he took a small breath and corrected her. "We'll. We'll raise her. Together. From the start. I refuse to only be a corpse when I can be a part of my child's life." He had long given up trying to call the child an 'it' as Mar insisted upon calling it female. It was just far easier for the both of them just to agree on the gender that might or might not be the correct one. They had a fifty percent chance of being right, at least.
 
After he was done speaking, Althalus looked Mar in the eyes, everything from his eyes to his body language speaking of stubborness. He was obviously ready to repeat the cycle that had been going on for six months.
 
Mar glared at him. Her annoyance was plain on her face at his stubborn nature, which he chosen to show recently. While she enjoyed it, having to fight wasn't something she looked forward to and fought the sudden desire to lash at him. Mainly cause she didn't want end up being push out of the College so she merely shifted her tail into a tighter coil underneath herself. Her arms crossed over the scaly surface while she stared at him for a long moment in silence. 
 
Finally her words snapped out. "No, she doesn't need a father as I, myself, didn't. Why would you care?"
 
Her body rised, her torso supported by her arms as she repeated the question with more determination. "Why does it matter? You've done enough as it is or you do think I can't raise her properly?" 
 
Althalus didn't rise from his position, or really move at all. He just kept watching Mar's eyes. When he responded, he responded calmly, but firmly. He wasn't going to budge on this matter. "It matters because she's my child. I will not simply fade into the background, knowing that I brought a child into this world and she doesn't even know I exist. I am not a Naga, whose Males only appear to breed and do little else. I will stay with you and help you raise her. Even though I don't doubt you can raise her properly, I will be there. She is my child, I love her and I will not ignore her."
 
He waited for her snap back, wearily. Not that he let her see that. If he had learned anything over the past six months, it was that he would be better off to pretend he wasn't tired of the same exact route of their conversations each day. Not that it made much of a difference, obviously. 
 
"Why must you fight me?" Mar said, her voice struggled to be even. "I don't understand bipeds and their need to stick around. Do you realize she might not have the same emotional bond to you as you hope? She might even ignore your present despite my influence or yours." 
 
Mar had hoped her points would hit him, though a slight guilt pain seemed to had edged into her heart. It sudden and unexpected, faint as it was, that she blinked a bit before she cased it away. This wasn't the first time she had felt something when it came to these conversations but she didn't want to believe she was growing to care. Becoming a bit human over her stay here. Her attention turned to Althalus while he absorbed her words. 
 
Althalus kept speaking in his calm way, softly even. "I'm not fighting you. I'm simply insisting upon my right to be a part of my child's life. Surely you can understand that. I'm not asking you to leave. I'm just saying that I will not be one of those parents who simply do not care what happens to their children. They leave, forget about them, not caring if they live or die in the years they're apart. I won't. I refuse to. Even if she just views me as that foolish human who claims to be her father that hangs around, I'll be there. To do whatever I must. If I am doomed to have an indifferent child, who likely hates me, so be it. It is my choice, and it is a risk I'm willing to take." And he would not fail her. Not like he had failed his little sister. Like he had failed his mother. Like he had failed his father. 
 
Shaking his head slightly to banish bad memories, Althalus waited. He had thought of what Mar was saying. All the time. Naga weren't emotional creatures. He had never heard Mar talk of her parents, of her friends, of any bonds she would have made and left behind had she been human. There was nothing. What if Mar was right? It would hurt, certainly. And he'd have to retreat into the background. But he wouldn't leave his child's life. He doubted he would be able to.
 
"What if I don't want to deal with the problems that occur?" Mar asked him . 
 
Her eyes narrowed, though in her mind she knew the real reason wasn't as selfish as it appeared. The 'problems' she was pointing out were not merely packaging which she didn't want, but rather his own hardship he was willing to risk. It was going to difficult to interact with a child who didn't care if his presence was there or not. The Naga tried to ignore the fact she actually cared about his feelings by making an excuse it was just to make her life on the College grounds easier. It was bad enough to see human emotions being flung about but have this man, the very father, sitting there and pouting through out the child's young life was pitiful. Despite what he would say otherwise, humans were the most emotional bipeds of all. Those facts couldn't be changed. 
 
Eyes widen and Mar made a soft grunt when the baby kicked her stomach. Instantly her hand shifted to the spot were a bruise had started to form much to her surprise. This was only a few times the baby had punched her yet the mark had a distinct look she chose to ignore, a foot like shape. She inhaled slowly until the child had settled down again before her head turned up to see where Althalus was. 
 
Althalus raised an eyebrow, and began to open his mouth to ask exactly what kind of problems was she speaking about, when her eyes suddenly widened. Slightly alarmed, Althalus's eyes darted to where her hand was, making out what looked like a foot shape in the pale blue light. He chuckled gently, before asking, "Are you alright? The baby appears to be kicking enthusiastically." He gestured to the bruise. Any questions of what problems she was speaking of where forgotten for now. Probably for the best, all things considered. That arguement would have gone nowhere and would likely have ended with one or both of them leaving the room.
 
He hoped at least. Arguing was never an enjoyable experience, especially when you're arguing for your right to be apart of a your child's life. He remained seated, six months having told him by now that Mar would not have appreciated him trying to overly help her. It was a trait he admired, when that very same trait didn't end up with her doing something stupid. Like not accepting help obviously needed. And then trying to kill that help...then again, that may have been the infection.
 
"She's got a strong punch it seems." Mar said in one of her rare, warm tones. She almost seemed to coo as she made mention about the child's strength, her pride seeped through and seemed increased by Althalus's prior chuckling. Her mind hadn't forgotten the argument yet she brushed it to teh side for now. It was odd how the child seemed to have a notion of when they were fighting and how to cease it, this was only the third time such an event had occurred. 
 
"Other then the surprise, I'm alright." She then answered to Althalus. "Merely a well tolerated one and it will heal." 
 
Her body had laid back to prop herself against the hard packed earth which made up the wall. Her eyes seemed to trace the small bump for a moment longer then turned to Althalus, her voice slightly gentle and calmer then during the fight. "Why is that now you chose to show you won't just roll over? Any other time, from what I remember, you never fought this hard. Why now?" 
 
"So it seems." Althalus agreed, smiling slightly at the abrupt change in Mar's demeanor as soon as their child was brought into the equation. It was a preferable side of her to the one he had primarily seen the past six months. Much preferable. Of course, Althalus didn't do anything to give away that he thought that. That would have been simply inviting trouble, and he was happy the way things were now. Calm, more concerned about the child than their own part in it's future. As Mar assured him she was fine, Althalus nodded. "That's good." With silence returning, and Althalus not wanting to bring up any sort of conversation that could return to an arguement, he sought to amuse himself.
 
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the old, bloodstained on one side, coin, and began flipping it through his fingers.
 
For a small moment, that seemed to be enough. Then, Mar asked him why he was showing spine now. A small smirk crossed Althalus's face, his eyes rising from his coin flipping. "Let's review what I've rolled over on, shall we? Don't sneak up on you. Get a rune so you won't be followed by shadow Golems. Don't get annoyingly drunk. Simple things that don't really matter. Things that I can live without. Now, what have I fought you on? The child, obviously. First, though, there was that cut on your arm, and carrying your breakfast back to the room." He chuckled again, despite the fact that she had nearly killed him. The coin kept flipping between his fingers, dully reflecting the blue light.
 
"Those involve people I care about. My child. You." The coin stopped flipping between his fingers, disappearing as they curled around it. He hadn't meant to say that much. Mentally, he cursed. Well..no backing out now. "Especially, you." He added, quietly.
 
"Then you're rather foolish for a human." Mar answered bluntly and in a slightly unempathic tone, her eyes however seemed to betray a difference emotion all together. Guilt. 
 
She sat there, her chest inhaled while her mind drifted on the soothing sound and movement. The earthy smell mingled in and out of her breath, each time filled her with a familar scent. Over the few months she had started to adapt to at least tolerate the humanity surrounding her even after her conflict with Tyrael over revealing her history and the facts she herself had been denying along. It took some time to speak with him but despite their rough times, they still held a deep friendship and one Mar was forever grateful for. 
 
"Why risk getting hurt?" She added to her earlier comment while she sighed at his coin flipping. It was still a habit she found annoyed her more then anything, thankfully she had come to tolerate it. 
 
Althalus noted the guilt, but said nothing, sliding his eyes away from Mar. He didn't want to press and start another arguement. At this point, it wasn't worth it."So I've been told." He replied, a wry smile crossing his face. Despite that, he couldn't help the uncharitable bit of anger that slipped through. That wasn't fair to Mar, and he knew it. Still. Reactions will be reactions. "Which is as amusing as my conscience, given my profession." He chuckled again, gently rubbing his thumb along the coin. He kept it more out of long habit than a reminder any more. But the reminder was always there. Always waiting at the back of his mind. 
 
Some things are not meant to be forgotten.
 
He stared off at somewhere behind Mar, his gaze slightly vacant. Memories. Promises. Blood. He was yanked out of his reverie by Mar's question, blinking once. "Why risk anything? Because I believe I should be there with all of the meager faith I have left. I'm willing to take the risk because I love my child and believe I should be there. I should be more than just a name, casually mentioned. More than just a face she see's at the College. To be apart of my child's life, even if it's just a fraction of it. I will see her grow up as long as I can. And then I'll die." He shrugged. "If that's how it'll be, that's how it will have to be. I am content with that."
 
Mar felt her temper rise a bit at Althalus's angry in his voice when he answered her comment about his foolishness. It seemed to be nothing but a joke to him about getting hurt, her face turned into a frown. She didn't like that notion, though she couldn't say, at first, why she felt the sudden wave of emotion. All that Mar knew was that she had to deal with it as she partly heard the rest of Althalus's conversation. Her jawline tightened at once before she spoke. "Yet, you don't think to let it sink in then?"
 
She hadn't intended to snap but it was too late now. Her eyes seemed to harden and hurt at the same time, against her will to think he didn't care about his own well being. To be so self was not something that set well with her or would be a positive influence around their child, her mind a little bitter at realizing she had already accepted his terms to be in the child's life. Likely that was what caused her next course of action. 
 
"I won't have our child go through the pain from your careless should something happen to you. It is the last thing I want to experience and now, it's likely best I leave. Namely before I decide to knock some sense into you and forget the College rules." 
 
Already she started to push off the wall as she stood upright, finally leaving through the months old doorway and ramp. She hadn't realize Althalus's eyes, shocked and stunned, stared after her but made no move to stop it.