A Much Needed Talk

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Timestamp:92nd of Zi'da
Location:Order of Adunih, Rharne

Kura shrugged into her cloak as she looked out the window. "Bloody snow..." she muttered as she pulled on her boots. She was very grateful for her fur-lined dress and cloak, otherwise she'd probably be an icicle after only a short time out in that weather. She looked at her familiars, deciding if she wanted to bring either of them along with her. She decided against bringing Speck, the owl was asleep after her hunting trip the night before. Phelan, however, was awake and looked restless. "Well, come on then." she said. The wolf jumped off the bed and followed at her heels.

"So what are we doing today? Are we back to work finally or do you just have me along for security." Phelan asked as they left Kura's room and exited through the rowdy tavern. The wolf would follow along regardless of her answer, Kura knew that, but the dry tone of his question made her laugh.

"No work today, Phelan. Seems things quieted down a bit, what with the weather bein' so unfriendly lately." she said, which was true. She hadn't had much work in the freezing cold weather, but she was glad for the rest honestly. She had been sleeping better in Rharne than she had in a long time. "That bein' said, I'm not just draggin' you out because I feel I need the extra security. You've been lookin' restless the past few days and besides, wolves need their exercise. Don't want a tubby puppy on our hands, do we?" she said, her tone teasing as she poked fun at her familiar.

Phelan, for his part, just stuck his nose in the air and haughtily ignored her as the made their way to the Order of Adunih, where Kura planned to drop in on Faith and check on her. In the meantime, however, she spent her time looking around at the citizens of Rharne, watching how they dealt with the snow. As such, she wasn't really paying that much attention to her surroundings, but most people gave her a fairly wide berth on account of the large wolf at her side.

[Padraig]

He'd been going stir crazy, cooped up in their room at the Order. He and Faith had resolved to remain secreted away as much as they could. But what sounded logical in theory, resulted in close quarters for longer than either of them had the patience for, at times. They met each other coming and going, and the small things tended to get bigger than they were in reality.

A breath of fresh air, and getting out from under her feet had seemed like a fine idea. And there were errands in need of running, cravings to satisfy. Hers mostly, rather than his. Padraig had forgotten just how cold it was outdoors. And bundled up as he was in coat, hat and gloves, the added chill leading up to the coldest part of winter had been a shock once he'd stepped outside.

It meant he wouldn't stay out from under foot for long, and after picking up a few things to take back with him, he stepped out of a shop and nearly caused a collision of bodies due to his distraction. "Forgive me, I'm...sorry," Padraig exclaimed and then too late, realized that it wasn't another person he'd nearly knocked over, but a wolf.

Not exactly the sort of thing he'd have expected to see strolling the streets of Rharne, but he glanced up and then saw a familiar face. "Kura. I didn't expect to run into you. I was just picking up a few things and headed back to the Order. He's with you?" he added, with something of a smile.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura blinked in surprise as someone came out of a shop and ran into Phelan, though the wolf took it in good stride. Granted, he did overplay his unbalancing, probably hoping for pets or treats, but he otherwise didn't react to the man who had ran into him. Kura, however, did react when she recognized him as Padraig. "Aye, lad. Phelan's a familiar of mine, courtesy of my Velduris blessin'." she said as she took in the shopping. "She got you runnin' errands for her, I suppose. Just wait 'till she starts askin' for strawberries in the middle of Cylus." she said, grinning slightly.

"As luck would have it, however, I was actually on my way to visit the pair of you." she said, her icy eyes looking him over. "How you holdin' up with this new development, lad? I understand it was quite a shock to the both of you, going from how Faith reacted when she found I knew." Kura didn't choose to elaborate on that, if Faith had said more, that was up to her and not Kura to say.

[Padraig]

Fortunately for Padraig, the wolf that he'd run into had an agreeable nature, and took the collision in stride. Considering the ordinary nature of wolves, at least as he'd heard it told of, it could have gone far worse. Still, it took him by surprise.

"Well I have to admit this is a first," he responded, reaching down a tentative hand to scratch the creature behind one ear, and hoping his hand would come back intact. "Not ever trial you see a wolf wandering the streets. He's a beauty." But when Kura mentioned strawberries, he even managed the slightest of smiles, if a tired one, and lifted the sack in one hand. "Pickled beets and salted caramels," he said. The second of which didn't sound half bad. But the first, in his humble opinion, was not food.

But it appeared that Faith's tastes these trials were shifting on a whim, and on pace with the physical changes. "We can walk together then," he suggested, and headed that way. "Actually Faith has been hoping to speak with you about something." As for how he was holding up, he looked tired. The amount of facial hair he tended to wear was a condition always in flux regardless. But he looked as if he'd neglected to shave for several trials now. There were too many other, more important things to contend with.

"I'm doing alright." Of course that wasn't saying much, considering what had happened, and how swiftly it had happened. There was hardly time to adjust to one revelation, before stumbling upon another. "She told me you knew. But even since then...Well, suffice to say the situation is fluid, and we've come to understand more than we did before." Maybe, anyway. It might be wishful thinking, an unsettling notion in itself. But if it was, it was preferable to what they'd been led to believe. Far, far more preferable.

"She's larger, for one thing. Seems to have expanded overnight. And it's difficult, for both of us. I don't know if she told you the child's..." he said more quietly, but then left off. He was fairly sure that Faith had or at least had implied it wasn't his, or maybe left the question unanswered, since he'd later offered to claim the child as his own for other's sake, and it had seemed to be a new consideration. "That too Well, probably better to wait, and let Faith explain," he concluded. Or at least them together, but not out on the streets where others wandered past and around them.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Phelan leaned into Padraig's hand and let the man withdraw his hand unmolested, though he did give it a lick when Padraig stopped scratching him behind the ear. At his words, Kura smiled slightly. "Out here, it isn't. Back home, it's actually pretty common. Wolves and barghests, the odd xiuhcoatl flying in the skies, radgilas carrying supplies. One of the biggest adjustments when I left home was getting used to not seeing all the animals I was familiar with wanderin' around." she said before grinning slightly when Padraig told her what Faith had sent him after. "My da told me once that when my mother was pregnant with me, she had asked for fresh cherries in the middle of Cylus. He apparently went wild trying to find some for her." she said, laughing slightly at the story.

At his offer to walk together, she nodded and started behind him, the black wolf trotting sedately at her heels, looking for all the world like an overly large dog. She listened to Padraig explain the situation since she had last spoken to Faith, then nodded. "Aye, perhaps that's for the best, lettin' her explain. But that wasn't actually what I meant, lad. My understandin' is that this came upon the two of you quite suddenly, and not a way you expected. Faith's lack of understandin' what a family is, plus bein' pregnant, is goin' to be makin' her behave in a very odd way. Between the two, you've got a lot of stress that you weren't expectin'. I'm askin' how close you think you are to a mental break, lad." she said, her tone serious, even at her last question.

Phelan sneezed at her when she finished and she looked back at him for a moment. "Yeah, you've got a lot of tact. Remind me how you got to be an advisor to her Imperial Majesty again?" he asked wryly and Kura raised an eyebrow at him but otherwise didn't answer as she turned her attention back to Padraig with Phelan's amused laughter in her mind.

[Padraig]

"Barghests?" Padraig said, plainly curious when she mentioned what could only be a beast more commonly seen in her own homeland. "I can't say that I've ever seen such a thing." Or for that matter, xiuhcoatl or radgilas either. At least he didn't think so, but wouldn't have known one if he'd stumbled right over it.

Still, he couldn't help grinning just a little when she mentioned her father's search for fresh cherries, of some time long ago. "Did she have him pit them for her?" he asked. The question wasn't entirely in jest, but more an attempt to predict what might be in store for him later. Pickled beets and salted caramels had been a challenge. Fresh fruit in the dead of winter was another entirely.

They were nearing the cathedral by now, and Faith would be waiting for him to return. It would be warmer too inside, and he opened the door to let Kura and her companion go in front of him. "It did," he admitted, and paused at the bottom of the set of stairs that would lead to the room he and Faith shared. To say all this had come on suddenly was an understatement. For both of them.

The question though took him by surprise. A mental break? Padraig frowned thoughtfully. But then he considered it might not be such an unfair question after all. Even if by now, his own nerves had settled with the realization he and Faith had come too just that morning. Still, fair question. "It's better now. But..." He paused there, wondering how to explain. "Some months ago, Faith and I were in the eastern settlements as part of a military contingent."

"I had devised some hand thrown explosives and was asked if I could alter them by making them pressure triggered, and planting them in the ground. It was tricky," he remembered. "But the trickiest part was planting them and setting the triggers without blowing myself up in the process. It was slow going, nerve wracking. A pressure plate set just a quarter inch off or a pin pulled too fast or clumsily? Worth doing. But one wrong move and...boom," Padraig said and in spite of himself, grinned. "It was a little like that."

But better now. Much better though there were different concerns now than there'd been before. But those could wait for Faith, and heading up the stairs, he wrapped on the door before opening up, to let Faith know that he hadn't come back on his own.

[Faith Augustin]

Five trials later....

Five trials ago, Faith had met with Kura and had told the Mortalborn about the pregnancy which, at that time, was completely invisible. She'd also bought some nice frocks which, on reflection, had been a stupid thing to do but a lovely one too. The dusky rose pink one, Faith had even been able to let out to fit her rapidly expanded form. Rapidly expanded was right, of course, because in the space of those five trials, in fact overnight as she and Padraig knew, Faith had gone from zero to at least six months pregnant. Add in to that the fact that Faith was usually a short and very slightly built person and the fact that she had expanded made her look as she had described herself as, 'all bump and bosom'.

It had been, in honesty, an absolutely awful time and she and Padraig had experienced some of the worst moments of their relationship. But here they were, expecting a child and standing together doing it. Faith thought that since Aelig, or 'hairbrush being' as he'd been known for a long while, first came and threw this whole storm at them, she had felt just about every available emotion and she was exhausted. So was Padraig, she knew and he'd gone traipsing out in the cold. He'd said that he wanted to get some air, pick up a few things but she knew what he was actually doing. She hadn't eaten much because she couldn't face it and so he was trying to get her to eat. When he asked her, apparently casually, if she wanted anything she'd almost told him no but then had realised that she really did. It was important for the baby that she ate, it was important for Padraig that he felt like he was achieving something and actually, Faith realised that she was hungry. Actually, genuinely hungry. Well, how unusual.

When Padraig and Kura walked in, Faith was standing with her hands on the small of her back. She smiled when she saw Padraig and the expression widened when she saw Kura. "Kura! Come in. Oh, it's good to see you!" Faith moved over in what could only be described as "the" pregnancy walk, and she hugged Kura, unashamedly delighted to see her. She gave Cally a wave and smile and then moved and kissed Padraig, slipping her hand into his.

Then, she saw the wolf and Faith looked at him in amazement. Delighted, she moved and lowered herself so that she was kneeling in front of the beautiful creature, using a chair to lean on as she did. "Oh look at you. You are just magnificent. I'm Faith, hello." She held out one hand, palm upwards and allowed the wolf to come to her, rather than rush it. She had no fear, none at all and it was evident. Looking up at Kura, Faith smiled. She was tired, she wa exhausted in fact and she was terrified. But in comparison to how she had been just five trials before, the young woman was content and even beginning to think that this was all going to be alright. "I'm so glad to see you. We've been hoping to catch up. Are you alright?" Faith looked at Kura, then Cally. "Both of you?" There was a lot she wanted to tell the mortalborn woman, and something that she wanted to ask, but first things first. "Do you want a cup of tea? I can fix that."

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura grinned when Padraig asked what Barghest was. "A reptilian dog-like creature. We domesticated them and they hunt beside us. A Xiuhcoatl is a great flying serpent, and a Ragdila is a massive tortoise we use as pack animals." she said, her tone cheerful as she spoke. "No, she didn't like having cherries pitted. My mum is the Immortal of The Hunt, you see, so she prefers things gathered from the wild to be left as they were, at least as far as feedin' her is concerned." she said laughing slightly as she remembered the rare occasions when Karem had been ordered to join in a public feast. Karem, wonderful mother though she was, had some terrible table manners.

Kura listened to Padraig explain what living with a pregnant Faith was like, though she grinned and raised an eyebrow when he compared her to his explosives. "Unless you want hard objects thrown at your head, either of them, I'd keep that observation to yourself when you're around her, lad. She might take offense to that one." she said, laughing slightly at the comparison. After that, she fell silent until the arrived at the Order's local chapter and made it to Faith and Padraig's room.

She waved and smiled at Faith when they walked in, as did Cally, but both of them openly grinned as Faith approached Phelan. The wolf, for his part, considered her open hand and inviting posture and words, then walked right past her hand and, using the whole of his very long, very wet tongue, licked her face from chin to temple. "I like her." he said in Kura's mind, his tone cheerful as he set about giving Faith a tongue bath.

"Most of do." she said top the wolf. "That goofball trying to cover you in slobber is Phelan. He's a gift of my mum's Blessing, and my companion." she said cheerfully as she sat down. At the offer to make tea, however, both Kura and Cally shook their heads. "No, lass, you need to rest. If you tell me how, I'll make tea." Kura said, smiling.

Cally, however, gave Kura a wild-eyed look at that and turned back to Faith. "Don't let her. You shouldn't but get Padraig to do it. I've been watching her for the past thirty years and in all that time, she's never really learned how to make a good cup of tea. Or...really do more than basic cooking." she said, giving Kura a slightly miffed look.

[Padraig]

"So your mother spat out the seeds, right at the dinner table?" Padraig asked with no shortage of amusement. "It must have made for some interesting gatherings." As for the Ragdila which Kura described as a giant tortoise, he was intrigued, but also frowned a little. "As a pack animal, does it not make for slow going when you travel?"

All distractions. But the way things had been going the past few trials, they were all welcome ones. As for her warning that he ought not make the connection the connection between trigger happy landmines and his own true love, in front of her, Kura made a good point. He nodded, wisely agreed, but opted not to further mention that perhaps, the need for extra caution was exactly the reason why the analogy was a fairly accurate one.

He'd known that Faith would like the wolf, and he'd rightly anticipated that the creature would also like her. He smiled, putting the sack he'd brought back with him on a nearby table. "I'm sorry for taking so long. The pickled beets I found easily. The caramels were more of a challenge." But as she offered to make tea for them all, Padraig shook his head. "No, you sit."

Of course he couldn't see Callie or hear her warning about letting Kura do it. But nonetheless, she was their guest. "Both you sit and relax. I'll get the tea," he offered. They'd have a lot to talk about, he guessed. And while they did, Padraig would put the kettle on and fix the tea, eventually bringing three cups with small bowls with sugar, slices of lemon or cream, whatever their preference.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith's expression showed her delight at Phelan as he licked her face. "Hello! Oh, you are a handsome fellow!" She reached to scratch behind his ear and could not hide the pleasure she felt at his response. "It's an honour to meet you, Phelan!" She was entirely serious and she spent a good few bits fussing him. However, who made the tea caused her to pull herself back and she smiled. Cally's response to Kura's offer saw Faith smile to the spirit who had attached herself to the mortalborn. "Thank you," she replied to Padraig and she smiled at him. "Oh, you got the caramels too? Thank you so much. I know they're not easy. Nor am I come to that, thank you."

Standing, or more precisely heaving herself up, she shook her head at the three of them and then looked down to Phelan. "I'm pregnant, not ill. It's like no one realises it. Perfectly capable of making a cup of tea." She smiled at the wolf and then gratefully, moved and sat down. "Although, the waddle makes not spilling more difficult, granted." Sitting, she motioned for Kura to do the same and she smiled her thanks to Padraig when he brought the tea.

"Kura, this is very complicated, but I want you to know it. Aelig, it transpires, appeared to us and told us I was pregnant with Tristan's baby. We accepted it, because I take the Moseke's Mist to stop anything like that happening between us and, well, he showed us how pregnant I was. But then he hid me in an illusion again." Faith looked at Padraig and her hand reached for his as she spoke. "Then, two nights ago Padraig and I shared a dream. Aelig tortured Padraig and I was kneeling and holding him, he was unconscious." Her tone was tense, her eyes told the truth of just how deeply affected she was by the realities of the words she spoke. "I prayed to Famula and Vri. Vri appeared and he removed the illusion, when we woke up, it was like this." She gestured to her stomach.

Breathing in, she paused for a brief moment to see if Padraig wanted to add anything, then she continued. "But, Aelig is lies, he is chaos and deceit and we talked about it. If this baby is what Aelig says it it? If it was conceived when he says it was? Since that time, I've been in a fight where I was knocked unconscious and kicked in the stomach multiple times, I've had two ribs broken, been stabbed, been thrown from a horse and knocked unconscious. I've been beaten as a punishment, thrown against a wall by the Strangler, had a fight with a man trying to attack a woman, fought three shadow creatures and..." Glancing at Padraig to make sure it was alright, she added. "And we've both been in a room with a whole bunch of Immortals who were asking us to fight Aelig with them. Moseke stroked my cheek and told me it would be alright, then my brands and the scars on my back from the whip and cane faded. Famula gave me her mark. All this time whilst, according to Aelig, I had a child growing inside me?"

Faith shook her head and her hand in Padraig's squeezed in a gentle gesture. "He peddles lies and it is more likely that this is our baby and he just sped it up a bit than it's some kind of superbaby who can withstand all. So that's what we're doing. We'll never know for sure, I guess, by nature of his lies. But that doesn't matter, because to us it's true. This is our child and we're going to raise it in love." Faith looked at Kura and hope stood clear in her eyes. She glanced at Cally and for all that no one else could see the soul, the expression on Faith's face was easy to read.

Tears stood in her eyes, not an unusual thing these trials in truth. "When I was a child, I imagined freedom. It wasn't allowed and when it was discovered I was punished for it. So I stopped. All my life, I have dreamed of it. Even in the dreams I have had of the thing I wished for most, I never imagined that I could be so in love, I would have told you that I could not love or be loved like I am, yet here I am. It was because I was afraid of it. If I was afraid of that, well I'm terrified of being a mother, I don't know how. I'm scared that I'm going to break our baby. I wondered if you'd help me?" Looking at Kura, large silver eyes regarded the mortalborn most seriously. "If you would. I have a..." she reached and picked up a scroll which she handed to Kura. "We have one the same. One of us writes on ours, it appears on yours. You write on yours, it appears on ours. Would you help us?"

When it came time for her to give birth, Padraig would call her a talker. But in truth? She'd never spoken quite so much in such a short space of time and Faith looked at Kura with a wide-eyed expression which spoke truth to the terror she had described, but there was determination there, too, that this child would be raised the very best they could manage.

Off Topic

1 x echo scroll deducted from Points Bank Ledger. Labelled "Echo Scroll: Kura"here