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Mollymauk was feeling a bit funny, in a way he didn’t quite understand. His tummy felt all wibbly and his hands were a little shaky, tail twitching behind him in quick little spasms. It bothered him and he frowned at himself as he got ready in front of the bedroom mirror. As far as he knew he’d not eaten anything dodgy, he slept like a baby these days… he was perfectly content. But as he pondered, a memory from a long while back swam in front of his mind.
A warm summer night some time before Yasha had arrived. He was going to perform his Ice Spinner act for the first time. He remembered the way something in his stomach had bobbed and fluttered.
“Butterflies,” Gustav had said and Molly had looked at him, confused. “That’s what we call it when you feel like that.”
“But, what is it?” Molly had cocked his head to the side, his jewellery jingling. “Am I sick?”
“No, just a little nervous. You’ll be fine,” Gustav had smiled, though for a second he looked a little worried. “Just remember to catch the swords by the handle this time…”
Nervousness. Molly pondered the notion for a moment, checking his reflection in the mirror and giving himself a small smile. It wasn’t something he had much experience with. He usually carried himself with easy confidence, not knowing where he was going or how he was getting there - but trusting himself to find the way eventually. He didn’t have too many cares or worries - and the few he did have, he often shoved them to the back of his mind where they could be poked at later.
But, he supposed as he gently rearranged his purple curls, this was important.
Jester suddenly popped her head round the doorframe, smiling brightly at him in a way that made him purr softly. He beamed back at her through the mirror. She moved into the room, wrapping her arms and tail around him and hugging him from behind. He let out a little squeak as she squeezed him in her strong arms, lifting him off his feet by a couple of millimetres.
“You ready, Molly?” She asked, her accent gently emphasising his name in the way he adored.
“Aye, love,” Mollymauk purred, giving her hand a squeeze. The nerves were still there, but her arms around him helped settle the butterflies - though feeling a little flutter, he added; “Do you think she’ll like me?”
“She’s going to love you!” Jester gave him another breath-taking squeeze, stretching up to kiss him on the cheek. “I promise.”
Marion didn’t quite know what she had imagined when Jester told her she’d met her own handsome prince - but the purple tiefling that now stood before her, smiling a little shyly despite his colourful, ostentatious appearance, was a little bit of a surprise. Then again, she wasn’t sure she could ever have imagined someone that looked like Mollymauk. She’d seen a lot of people in her life, come to know a good few of them quite well, but she’d never seen someone quite as unusual - yet beautiful - as Molly.
And yet, standing there with his arm linked with her daughter’s, he seemed to fit perfectly well.
Jester, herself, was beaming, her blue skin glowing and radiant even in the dim light of her mother’s chambers. Marion’s heart softened at the sight of her joyful face, her pretty round cheeks and brilliant smile. Jester babbled happily as she disentangled herself from her partner, running over to her mother and throwing her arms around her.
“Ah, it’s good to see you too, my little sapphire,” Marion said gently, embracing her daughter and feeling her slightly cooler skin against her own. She glanced at Molly as she straightened, offering him a soft, kind smile and extending a hand. “And I see you have brought along a very pretty amethyst for me to see…”
Mollymauk’s eyes widened and he clumsily moved to take her hand in his, bending down to give it a little polite kiss. “Ah… lovely to meet you, Miss Ruby… Miss Sea? Miss… uh… ”
His cheeks flushed a dark mauve, Jester let out a soft giggle and she chuckled gently. “Marion is fine, thank you. It’s kind of you to meet me in my chambers like this. I’d go out for lunch, but well…”
“It’s okay, mama,” Jester smiled, her voice quieting to a soft, reassuring tone. “We understand.”
“Yeah,” Molly fiddled with his shirt a little, Jester sneakily reaching to give his little hand a squeeze. “When I was new, I felt the same way… kept myself shut up in the circus tent for a bit. I get it.”
“When you were… new?” Marion cocked her head to the side, curiously watching the other tiefling. He was charming, if a little odd, and a number of other questions flooded through her mind. Jester had mentioned something about a circus, she was sure.
“Oh! I woke up in a grave!” Mollymauk declared, beaming happily and flashing his white fangs. Marion blinked at him, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise - and Mollymauk felt those butterflies start to flutter aggressively again.
Why the hell did he say that? On a list of things not to tell your girlfriend’s mother, he felt that had to be at least number five.
“It’s okay,” Jester chirped, laughing a little nervously at her mother’s expression. “He’s not a zombie, mama!”
Marion blinked again, completely unable to come up with a rebuttal to that peculiar statement. That in itself was unusual, given she was normally a master of dealing with other people and their oddities. She chuckled again. “Well… perhaps some wine is in order. Make yourselves comfortable. I feel you have a few interesting stories to tell, Mollymauk.”
Molly had gone to have a look round the port, tactfully excusing himself as he was aware that Jester hadn’t seen Marion in some time. Besides, he was always keen to discover new things and well… the nerves were still wreaking havoc. He didn’t know why he was so bothered as to whether Marion liked him or not. He usually didn’t care at all. But it was important to Jester, so it was important to him. He sighed, feeling like he’d really put his foot in it and headed to the pier, eyeing the seagulls warily.
As much as Jester loved Molly, it was nice to have some time alone with her mother. She curled up in her lap, purring softly as Marion’s hand brushed gently through her blue curls. Her presence was soothing and she sighed happily, tail flicking lazily. After a moment, however, the curiosity filled her and she cracked open an eye.
“So…?” Jester asked, giving Marion an impish little grin.
“So…” Marion answered, her own lips curving up into a smile.
“Do you love him, mama?”
Marion paused for a moment, thinking. “He’s a little strange, I have to admit, but he’s very sweet. Is he always so nervous?”
“No! Never!” Jester sat up straight, looking at her mother earnestly. “He normally doesn’t worry at all! I think he just… wanted you to like him.”
Marion nodded, mulling over it for a moment. Wanting to impress her was, perhaps, a good sign. It showed he cared.
“And you’re happy, my sapphire?” That was the real question, the real concern. She nudged her daughter gently.
“I am, mama,” Jester said, her voice and face soft and sincere - and Marion was struck by how mature she suddenly looked. “I love him. And he loves me.”
“Then, that’s all that matters,” Marion purred softly, giving Jester’s forehead a gentle kiss. They sat in silence for a moment before Jester giggled.
“He really isn’t a zombie, you know?”
“I know, Jester.”
Jester found Molly at the edge of the pier, trying to hide his chips from a particularly hungry albatross, and sat wordlessly next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. His tail shifted to tangle itself up with hers and she smiled, watching the sun on its descent into the ocean.
“Am I now banned from the Lavish Chateau?” Molly said, voice deliberately light - but she could tell he was a bit worried.
“No, she loves you. Like I knew she would,” she nuzzled his arm softly, before reaching to snag one of his chips. She munched it happily. He’d put lots of salt on it, just the way she liked it.
“That’s good to know,” Molly said, sighing in relief, his body becoming much more relaxed. He turned to look at her, carefully feeding her another chip which she ate with relish. He smiled fondly, his red eyes crinkling in the corners. “Love you, Jes.”
“Love you too,” Jester purred, sitting up to give him a long, slightly salty kiss - and the butterflies started to flutter in his tummy again, for an entirely different reason.