Eidan wasn't quite sure how to act. He usually put this sort of thing off; a little drink made things easier and he in no way trusted the alcohol the Faeries brewed. Not so little trust that he abstained totally, of course, but.

He wanted a drink before even considering bringing it up. The shock of it all had nearly floored him as it was and having to talk about it with another human being made his knees weak. But still, he had to find his wife because this all needed talking about and God in Heaven, he didn't want to be the one to put it off.

Besides, having a bit of a heart to heart with Goneril had rather made him feel like a good father and good fathers talked about these sorts of things with their wives, even when their wives weren't likely to like what was being said.

Fortunately, his wife was not far away. Unfortunately, her appearance was preceded by loud, ear-piercing wailing.

"Get off the floor," Alessia ordered, her voice wafting in from the hall.

"EeeeeEEEEEeeeOOOOOWWWWWWwwwWWWWWWWWEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!" came the reply.

'Off. The. Floor. Or I will peel you off."

"Oh, dear," sighed Eidan as he made his way toward the source of the disruption, half a smile on his face as he rounded the corner. "What's all this about?" he half-called with a little half-laugh in his voice.

"OOOOowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee," screeched Portia, whose face was as red as a tomato. She was on the floor with her limbs splayed out in all directions.

She stopped, just long enough to register that her father was there, and then went right on screaming.

Alessia grunted and leaned down, tossing the child over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Portia started thumping on Alessia's back, to little avail. "Portia found out about the hunt this afternoon and she wants to ride a pony," she explained. "Portia, we don't hit."

Eidan leaned around the wailing child and kissed his wife's cheek.

"Ponies, you say?" exclaimed Mr. Jones to Portia, "They keep all kinds of wonderful things here, don't they? But you know, my duck, that they're skittish things and not much for loud noises."

Portia stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry in her father's general direction. "PONY!" she shouted.

"I think the real trouble here is that hunting means going out riding to kill little foxies and deers and rabbits," Alessia replied, giving Eidan a long-suffering look.

Eidan smiled sympathetically back at her.

"Oh, we wouldn't want to send you out there on something nasty like a hunt, would we?" cajoled the man with an easy smile as he reached out to take the girl. "We'll have to find out whose ponies they are and ask very nicely if you can see one of them, won't we?"

Portia slumped against her father. She stopped hitting, but kept on scowling at him.

"I think the first thing we need to do is have a nap," Alessia replied. "And then tomorrow we can ask Auntie Niabheara if we can take a look at the ponies. If we're good today."

"I think that you're a wise woman, indeed, Alessia," agreed Eidan as he made a face at his scowling child.

"This is what we call deferred gratification, my duck," said the man with a smile in a half-joking tone, "And I fear it rarely gets easier but I just know that your new Aunt will adore showing you her ponies. I bet she likes them almost as much as you do!"

"I hate ponies!" Portia informed her father. "And horses! And every kind of equine, ever!" Portia snapped.

"And you are far more jovial than I am," Alessia told Eidan. "It is definitely naptime."