ts to getting to picnic spot?

Sure, you wanna start or should I?

The five of them spent about thirty minutes casually riding around, but when Nakia started to get a bit restless, they made for the picnic spot that Alvaro had recommended. Once there, and everyone had dismounted, Rowan worked to take off all the horse's bridles to let them graze.

She knew they wouldn't go anywhere too far.

"Okay!" Rowan clapped her hands together excitedly, "Who is hungry?"

Alvaro had spent most of the time speaking to Neo and Hyll, telling them fairy tales that faeries passed down generation by generation. The stories of the woods and its magic captivated Neo the most, but eventually, they went quiet, and Alvaro was content with just the sounds of the birds and the wilderness filling the comfortable silence.

Words hardly ever captivated little Nakia, who was always so impatient. Originally, just riding the horse had her sated, and when she grew tired of that, Alvaro's stories kept her busy for about five minutes before she grew restless. For everyone else's sakes, she tried her best not to squirm, but when a cub grew antsy, something had to be done. Rowan's noticing of Nakia's mood change startled Alvaro a little bit, she seemed to know exactly what each of her children needed despite the fact that the three were insanely different.

Once they were at the spot, Nakia slid off and ran about the clearing, scurrying up a tree for a bit, surveying the area while her mother and Alvaro ran about, freeing the horses and helping her siblings. Neo helped his mother to the best of his abilities, and stayed near just in case she needed him. At Rowan's words, Nakia practically threw herself out of the tree, hitting the ground with a dull thud as she sprinted over. "Oh me! Me!" Nakia giggled softly, and bounced on the balls of her feet impatiently. Alvaro watched his childr-Neo, Hyll and Nakia with a wide smile.

Rowan let loose a laugh, grabbing the picnic basket from her horse, "Alright then! Don't hurt yourself, sweetheart. There is plenty of food packed." Rowan had also tucked away a worn, but soft, blanket on Neo's horse and grabbed that as well.

"Can you lay this out?" She asked Neo, handing him the blanket, "That would be really helpful."

Once the blanket was spread out, Rowan placed down the basket, gesturing towards it, "You guys go ahead and dig in, alright? And be sure to thank Neo - He's the one who made most of the food."

Hyll's quiet voice was the first to chime in a thank you as she waited for Neo and Nakia to get their food, before grabbing some of the fruit that had been packed away.

Neo immediately nodded, taking the blanket from his mother before rushing off to find the perfect spot. His eyes sparkled with delight, he'd always loved nature. Living with the faeries had definitely only made that love even stronger. Truthfully, Neo couldn't even imagine living with humans again.

He'd yet to figure out if that was a good or bad thing.

Nakia was still happily bouncing around, impatient for some of her brother's good cooking. Alvaro watched them all with one of his knowing smiles.

Nakia quickly thanked Neo, followed by Alvaro too. The boy just blushed softly and quickly shrugged. His food was decent, he was sure he'd be able to get better at cooking soon with the help of the faeries in town, as their food was always delicious.

Nakia grabbed her food first with quick, little hands. Neo came soon after, grabbing his food with a smile as he relaxed to the ambient sounds of the surrounding forest.

Rowan unpacked the rest of the food, and stacked some onto the plates that she had brought. As well, she'd found some ale, and stored it in the basket. Rowan poured herself a glass, and looked at Alvaro questioningly, "Want a glass?"

Rowan had not seen any faeries drinking or relaxing much, but she wouldn't be surprised if that was because of the threat hanging over their heads. It didn't create a party sort mood.

Alvaro had settled down soon after the children, his eyes having scanned the perimeter before sitting down. He believed that this was a safe enough area, but considering he'd considered his own town safe up until Kori had been murdered. Alvaro tried not to think about that though. For now, they were safe, warm, and happy, and that was more than he could've hoped for given their circumstances.

At the question, Alvaro couldn't help but smile. It was common knowledge that faeries loved drinking and partying, and humans often got lulled in by their music and partying. Although it would be safe for Rowan and the children if they ever got caught in one, some humans weren't so lucky. Alvaro's people weren't exactly mean to humans though, and they preferred to just get drunk. Personally, Alvaro didn't quite see the appeal, but perhaps that was the result of his mixed blood. Regardless, he wouldn't refuse a glass or two, his tolerance was pretty high anyways. "That would be nice, thank you." Alvaro gave Rowan a brilliant smile, his mark glowing a soft green.

Rowan poured Alvaro a glass as well, handing it to him with a smirk, "I think... I think this is the first time I've had a picnic since I left my first home. A real, true, picnic, and not just skewering something and then charring it beyond edible while at war."

Rowan took a small sip of her drink, scooting back to lean against the larger rock. Her posture was casual, but her always-moving gaze screamed alert.

Rowan would not be caught unaware.

Alvaro released a soft chuckle before taking a sip from his glass, staring up at the trees while the children ate. Distantly, he could hear Nakia teasing Neo, and talking to her sister, but his focus was more on Rowan. It was never far from his mind that she had once been a renowned soldier, and he could see it simply from her posture. He inwardly wished that, just this once, they could truly relax, and take a moment to breathe.

But with his relatives threatening to bring down everything he loved, Alvaro would never truly relax.

"Well that's a shame, we should have monthly picnics or something, just for a change of scenery. Plus, the more time you spend out in the woods, the more magical an beautiful it gets." Alvaro smiled as he spoke, and his eyes drifted from the trees to Rowan.