Off-Season Mother's Day [Nelliel, Ninsianna]

"Thank you. I hope that she'll never have to endure loss or have to fight. I wish to protect her and everything that she holds dear so that she doesn't have to."

She sounded idealistic and she knew it was quite a tall hope to have, Alex growing up or going through life didn't phase her a bit but to imagine her being burdened with the feeling of pain that came with losing something you cared about, to fail in a fight and see what you aimed to protect torn into pieces. That was the thing she wished that Alex didn't have to experience the most.

Finally she reached down and took a sip of the tea rather than let it lose any more heat and become cold. It was best enjoyed while warm after all, for those that lingered to long in their thoughts they found themselves dreaming away their life rather than living it.

"She is a strong girl, and I have no doubt that she could handle much of what might trouble her. But I certainly agree, that I would never wish to see her face those difficulties. I would infinitely prefer to see Alex and Inanna both live their days without care."

That certainly did make her think a bit more about the two of them, and of how they interacted with one another. Ninsianna had noted a few subtleties in their friendship that she thought certainly...stood out, as it were. She hardly minded if that was the case, of course, but she did think it might be worth speaking with Nelliel about.

"The two of them certainly are close, aren't they?"

Well it was nice that she and Ninsianna shared the same thought but she guessed it was only natural for parents to want to best for their children. Even if she was not related to Alex by blood she didn't think any less of her, family was something that was in more than just the blood after all. She would go beserk if she someone did to Alex what Nnoitra had done to her brothers.

Then it was shifted over to the two daughters and Nel looked a little surprised, close? Maybe Nelliel looked like she wasn't getting what Ninsianna was saying.

"Right..."

She ventured a little before continuing, did Ninsianna not know?

"They're quite the cute couple, aren't they? It's so cute that little Inanna would always sleep in Alex's bed despite having her own one teehee."

Maybe she didn't know but she had just assumed that in the time they'd been away from her and given her physical growth it just seemed natural for her to assume.

Ah, it certainly seemed as though Nelliel had noticed much the same thing she had. Well, that made this a bit easier, then. The last thing Ninsianna would have liked would be to make an assumption, only to be incorrect, but she felt Nelliel was the sort to have a better grasp on these matters than she.

"They are, yes. The two still share a bed even now, though I suppose that shouldn't be terribly surprising. I admit, as a mother, that I do feel a touch hesitant allowing it, given their...relationship. But I've not quite had the time to speak with them on the matter, and I didn't feel it appropriate to speak with Alex on that matter until I'd discussed it with you, as well."

Ninsianna, after all, hadn't exactly had any childhood of her own to compare this to. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure if Nelliel had, either, but she still seemed to have a far better grasp of what would be normal and appropriate for girls of their age.

"Hmm."

She was a little glad that the girls were out with Alex right now, he would without a doubt not have the same head about it as she did. So for a pause she organised her thoughts and tried to figure out how to say, it was a little hard for her, after all she was old enough that she came from an era where Inanna and Alex were already considered adults in her time as a human.

"I am okay with it. Since Inanna started living with us in Vastime she showed the behaviour quite early, I'm sure it contributed to their closeness a bit but I doubt the gesture is necessarily rooted in romantic affections. If you are hesitant about it I am okay about you discussing it with them, they're not exactly little girls but they are still at that age."

Nelliel took another sip as she thought that they were still a bit young and not yet adults but as a result of being teenagers it might be a headache.

"I wonder though, what makes you hesitant about it?"

Probably the same thing as Alex, if she had to guess but Ninsianna and her danava status did make for some peculiar traits which she thought were quirky!

"Perhaps 'hesitant' is not necessarily the right word, but I suppose I worry for them both. I know that these formative years are important for them both, and I would not wish to see them make any mistakes they might regret."

That was, honestly, her only real concern. Ninsianna didn't especially mind if the two of them were romantically involved, and if they pursued the physical side of such a relationship. It was only natural, really. But what she did mind was the idea that they might rush into such a thing unprepared, and find their friendship in danger because of it.

"I suppose I am simply being protective, but I think that is only natural as a mother."

That made sense though it did make Nelliel's brow furrow just a bit, education was the best that a parent could do for their child. They couldn't control everything and weren't always be there so the best the arrancar could do for Alex was to make sure that she knew as much as she could know to prepare and make good decisions. Mistakes were inevitable but children only learned through trial and error.

"This might be presumptuous but how much time have you spent with Inanna?"

She ventured here, testing the waters based on her own experiences with Ninsianna's daughter. Inanna did demand a lot of attention, that much was obvious, and so Nelliel tried to accomodate it and let her spend time with her. All the things she'd do with Alex but she was not a single parent who was hard at work so it wasn't as troublesome for her to do that.

"While before when she was little I imagine it didn't cross her mind but her growth spurt since I last saw her does make me wonder if you've sat her down and really spoken to her about this new phase of her life that she's entering."

Probably not, Nelliel didn't miss the detail of Inanna wearing what was clearly her mother's clothes go unnoticed which probably meant it was very recent and the recent events have gotten in the way of her addressing them, only since Alex arrived if she had to guess.

Chronologically, Inanna could have stayed that way for hundreds of years and probably remained unchanged. Stagnated in her own growth physically and emotionally but if one changed then the other was certainly to change as well. If Ninsianna had treated her like her little girl for however long she was a child then it wouldn't matter, if she has grown though then Ninsianna would have to change as well to accomodate.

Ninsianna frowned a bit to herself at that question, though she knew it was a perfectly reasonable one to ask. She wasn't upset about the question, but rather the answer. She'd certainly done her very best to make up for the time that she had failed to give prior, but...

"I do my best to take time every day to spend with her. I admit that these past days have been much less kind in that regard, but I've certainly done what I can to be in her life."

But, admittedly, she knew that the question of whether or not she'd properly talked with Inanna was more important than just the matter of spending time with her. And, unfortunately, Ninsianna knew that it was entirely her own fault for not having this conversation already.

"I have yet to talk to her on that, I admit. I've spoken with her about the matter of her nature as a Danava, and what that means, but when it comes to simpler matters... I suppose it's simply evaded me until now."

"Well, in light of your concerns I would encourage you to pursue the discussion if you'd like to do it on your own terms. Alex has already asked me these questions and if you are not the one to tell her I imagine Alex will be who she learns it from."

If the talk would even happen to begin with, Nelliel also had a worry that Alex would might struggle to convey the information to Inanna. She probably wouldn't be speaking from experience if she was sharing that information to the little danava, call it an intuition (and already knowing that Alex had a crush) though she respected her daughter's privacy and wouldn't just share that with Ninsianna.

She took another mouthful of her tea. Nelliel's hand going to push some of the wavy blue-green hair from her face, whaever happened she was hopeful it would work out.

The thought that she realistically ought to have already had this conversation did weigh a bit on Ninsianna, and despite her composure, her ears did fall just the faintest touch as she realized it was one more area in which she'd been too detached as a mother. There was still time to correct, of course, and she would do so, but she still felt rather disappointed in herself for having ever let it reach this point in the first place.

"Yes, you're quite right. I will speak with her about it tonight, then. Assuming nothing pressing comes up."

Not that she imagined it would. Today was her day off, a thought that she wasn't immediately fond of, but she had taken to having a day off since Inanna had returned home. It created a faint bit more humanity, and that was something Ninsianna certainly strived for.