Justus the Uncle and Peacekeepers

—————————————————————

-(<Windhelm/Skagos, Primus Fortufacatus Interior, 277 AC, 6 Days Later>)-

Three days after the big reveal and Justus still couldn't comprehend what was going on; he usually found himself watching over Melina to see if Charlie added some sort of perk to the child. Liam was a little indifferent to the fact that Kelemen had a child, but Melina seemed to grow on him, and he ultimately found a new friend. Dacey Mormont - or Daubeny - was starting to get tired from taking care of Melina - lots of 'pecking' and 'biting,' y'know? - and had to sometimes force Kelemen to act as the caretaker; he didn't refuse. However, like all men, Kelemen would also grow exhausted from caring for Melina and had to find a substitute caretaker to help with the baby - that's where Justus comes in...

-(<Present>)-

"I dunno..." Justus said reluctantly. "I'm not good with children; you know I was taught to destroy them by T-"

"Stop messing around!" Kelemen exclaimed. "I'm getting exhausted by the day and cannot keep up with her crying! Please, Justus!"

"Ugh..."

Justus was not good with children; they often threw their food at him or attacked him with sticks (back in his old world). While weighing his options, Melina was staring right at Justus with big blue eyes; they were as blue as the ocean. She didn't know who he was, but for some reason, she felt compelled to follow and observe him. Melina reached out and tried to grab Justus' hand with her tiny hands but to no avail; Melina started to whine when she realized Justus' was a bit too far for her to reach.

"Oh, Gods! She's gonna cry again! Please, take her!"

Kelemen then quickly places Melina in Justus' arms forcibly before running away; Justus tries to say something, but Kelemen immediately interrupts him. "THANKS, A BUNCH!! YOU'RE A HERO TO ME!!"

"HEY!! HOLD ON-" Justus went after Kelemen, but the door slammed in his face; he had been duped. "What a nerd..."

Justus looked at Melina closely; he noticed that she was grabbing his fingers, was wrapped in a soft cloth, and had blue eyes. Justus didn't know what to do; at first, he tried cogitating the baby for some reason by lifting her up and down, causing her to laugh a little.

"Listen here, Melina." Justus began, looking right at the child. "I don't know what you were blessed with or 'gifted' when you were born; maybe Charlie will tell me in the future, but I just want you to know; tell me once you find out when you're older, capiche?"

"... booba..."

-Pause-

"... Excellent." Justus finished before taking the child on a stroll through the city. "Now, small child, we will bond throughout the afternoon."

—————————————————————

-(<Later in the Afternoon>)-

When people saw Justus Daubeny carrying a baby in his arms, they thought he had finally found a wife. There were a lot of pats on the back and congratulations from the citizens who passed him; it was a little annoying to have to correct them every single time. Eventually, he met up with Liam, dealing with naval repairs from the storm and other administrative duties.

"Hey, Liam." Justus greeted - Liam turned around almost immediately.

"Thank the Old Gods! Finally, you can take over-" Liam stops talking when he sees the baby in Justus' arms. "Goddamn it..."

"I know; I became a babysitter..." Justus complained. "Dealing with naval affairs seems more interesting than 'this.'"

"I bet. Did you talk with her throughout the day?" Liam said while poking the baby's face; she bit his finger when he did it a third time. "Ouch!"

"No? She didn't talk at all, but I think she knows who really owns the island now." Justus admitted. "At least I hope so..."

"Aye, Kelemen has been doing more 'domestic' duties since he came back with the kid: guards, architecture, economy, etc.," Liam explained.

"Ah, I suppose that's my fault; I said sending out too many Lawbringers would be bad."

"How so?" Liam asked.

"I just have a feeling in my gut; Lawbringers are much slower than Wardens, so they aren't able to keep up with too much outside the island other than protecting keeps and such." Justus sighed. "I wish we had more agile forces, y'know?"

-Pause-

"What about women?" Liam suggested. "They are small but quick, plus if you add some muscle, then got yourself, nimble soldiers."

"Hm..." Justus thinks for a moment about this idea. "Not bad, Liam, not bad at all..."

"Really? I didn't expect you to agree so quickly," Liam said, surprised. "Though, I just don't know what we would name them-"

"Peacekeepers," Justus said immediately. "They will be called Peacekeepers."

"Uhm, any particular reason-"

"The Peacekeepers will be vigilant and silent warriors, instruments of death meant to maintain peace or turn the tides of war, without anyone knowing it was their doing." Justus was very quick with his explanation - almost rehearsed.

"W-" Melina was trying to say something now.

"Hm?" Justus interjected. "What would you prefer then?"

"... Wo- Womomger..." Melina babbled.

-Pause-

"... We'll do that later..." Justus whispered to Melina.

"Eh? What did she say? 'Wo... what?" Liam didn't understand what Melina was saying; he didn't know what 'For Honor' was.

"I think she's calling for her mother." Justus lied. "I better go see Dacey so she can care for Melina."

"Alright then, and when you get a chance - help me, alright?" Liam walked away before saying the house motto. "For Honor, eh?"

"Yeah, For Honor." Justus couldn't stop feeling goosebumps whenever he heard that phrase; he was glad he chose that as his house motto. "Now, let's get you to your mother."

"Unco..." Melina spoke once again.

"Wrong, foolish child; its, Uncle." Justus corrected; he felt a little jittery when he said that. "Ahem, remember that."

"... ok..."

'Smart kid, I wonder if she gets it from...' Justus took a moment to think. 'Definitely has to be Dacey, no doubts there; ain't no way she got Kelemen's brain."

—————————————————————

-(<Windhelm/Skagos, Primus Fortufacatus Interior, 277 AC, 3 Days Later>)-

Peacekeepers were a success; they were faster than the Wardens and Lawbringers, capable of feats such as chasing criminals and maintaining order. Most excelled in combat but required specialized training from the 'Mistress' - Dacey Mormont. She took charge of the Peacekeeper faction when she showed off her skills in front of Justus and Kelemen's men (Wardens and Lawbringers); it was slightly embarrassing for them to see her defeat trained soldiers so easily with repeated pricks to their... well, pricks.

"Not gonna lie, I didn't expect her to be so..."

"Combative?" Kelemen finished.

"Talented?" Liam added.

"I... I suppose? I don't know anymore; I think I want to return to bed again..." Justus groaned. "Forcing that naval shit on me sucked ass; you should've told me how bad it was beforehand."

"We didn't have anyone in charge until now; hiring that guy was a good choice." Liam acquiesced. "Having him deal with all of it - with that small group we created to help him - really did allow us to get things done faster."

"Definitely," Justus agreed. "Let's just hope things stay as steady as they are now."

"Aye," Kelemen replied. "By the way, should we send out the Peacekeepers to-"

"To keep the peace?" Spoke up a voice from behind the three - they were standing in an empty hallway, but they didn't expect anyone to have crept up from behind them so quickly.

"SHIT!! Oh... Dacey, it's good to see you, Ahem, so how's your faction doing?" Justus asked, a little stunned at Dacey's appearance out of thin air.

Dacey was wearing 'Capulet' Peacekeeper armor; it had all the color scheme of House Daubeny, but the material for certain aspects of the armor was tinted black - stealth reasons, of course.

"It's doing well, Justus; thank you for asking," Dacey replied. "Training them has been a treat!"

"That's good to hear, and how's your daughter, Melina?"

Suddenly, a woman from nowhere appears behind Liam and scares the shit out of him; she is carrying a child in her arms. "OH SHIT!!"

"Quiet down, man-child; you will wake the baby." Hissed the woman; she was one of Dacey's commanders.

"HUH?! MAN-" Liam was hit with a smack from the back of the head by Kelemen; he made a 'shush' implication with his hand.

"Shhhh!" Kelemen whispered. "Don't wake her!"

"Ugh..." Liam grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Has my daughter slept well, commander?" Dacey questioned.

"She has, and I will keep her nearby you at all times as requested."

"Good, return to the shadows then." With that order, the commander disappears out of sight; The three really need to figure out how that works for them to fight against the 'Faceless men.' "I think I will need to leave you three; I have other assignments to... assign."

"Uh-huh, well, see you." Justus waved as Dacey threw a kiss at Kelemen, who caught it and placed it on his heart. "Oh, gods... the cringe..."

"Shut up; you'll do the same when you're married!" Kelemen remarked.

"Pfft, like that'll ever happen!" Liam quipped.

"The hell does that mean?" Justus growled. "Plenty of women have lined up to court me!"

"Yet, none of them have been courted, and you are still a loner."

"SO ARE YOU!!" Justus retorted.

"Not quite, heh," Liam said with a sly smile. "I met someone a while back, and we have been sending letters since."

-Pause-

"... Son of a bitch is dating a Dayne..."

—————————————————————