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Occasionally, Alister could let himself forget that he had caused a spawn inside someone else and instead focus on the finer things in life, like going for walks outside and not being a father. That second one was the most important. After all, he wasn't a father! All thoughts of him being a father were simply silly and clearly he had been having some kind of fever dream when he happened to come across that glass-blowing pregnant woman again.

But that would be thwarted one way or another fairly quickly, whether it be by seeing Kasmai, or seeing babies, or even hearing the raucous laughter from Eknath, who had naturally quickly found out once he confessed his mixed feelings on the matter to Lisandru.

Damn blabbermouth brother. Damn rakshasha, especially.

The thing that most recently interrupted his attempts to forget was a letter from Kasmai, seeming particularly delighted. He also sent wine, which was enough to make Alister a little more amenable to the letter. He would definitely enjoy the wine in the meantime. He needed it. Why did Kasmai need to see him now? It probably just had something to do with the fact he couldn't breathe. At least he didn't have to carry the baby.

After having the courier send back an almost shockingly casual note in comparison,



Alister put off his visit for another few days, finding excuses to not go and deal with it due to his own nerves until Lisandru told him to get over himself and just go. And when Lisandru could tell him to get over himself, Alister knew he was moping too much. It was with near horror that Alister sped off to head down to Koehaira, leaving Lisandru quite happy to be away from his brother's ridiculous stressing.

Alister arrived in Koehaira post haste, taking in the air when he arrived. It was nice and open down here, Alister would admit that. He was pretty sure he preferred the bustle of the City, though, just as a general place to live.

Now to find Kasmai...

Alister, not jumpy like his brother Lisandru, though certainly on edge, couldn't help a small jump when he was suddenly tapped on the shoulder. What? Who was this? She looked kinda like Kasmai -- oh, well, that explained it. This was Kasmai's sister. The woman seemed nice enough, but her emoting was limited, much more than Kasmai's had seemed.

Considering how different he could be from Lisandru and Caine, though, the difference in behaviour did not take him by surprise. It just seemed odd, at best, considering her attitude seemed nice enough, but cut short and stiff, like someone was feeding her a script she was not particularly good at reciting.

"Yes, thank you," replied Alister, falling in step behind her and keeping his mouth shut otherwise. He was clearly recognized--no need to introduce himself.

Though that made him wonder what this little village already knew about him. How much had Kasmai kissed and told?

And then, he was in the house, and Cari was not. Alister offered a confused, "Bye?" and waved in the direction he presumed Kasmai's sister had gone, before shrugging it off. All villages had their strange types, he supposed. "Kasmai?"

It was in short order that he was greeted by a quite happy pregnant --

... Wait.

Alister looked dumbfounded at best, completely missing everything that Kasmai just said to him in her his suddenly much deeper voice. And suddenly much flatter chest. And stomach, for that matter. Everything seemed much more boardlike. Like a board. That one flattened things on. Like flat things.

There were a couple moments that Alister could have basically been drooling in his moments of incomprehensible stupidity.

The fact that the pregnancy was missing was not the main concern for Alister's confused brain at the moment. The first concern was the stunned, confused sound, along with hand motions in the air along Kasmai's body and an in-air circling where his chest should have been if Kasmai was still the woman that Alister knew her him as.

There were no words, but he was clearly expecting some kind of explanation.

Kasmai normally looked like that? Normally?

He had clearly not done what he had done with a man, otherwise there wouldn't be the problem of being a father to concern himself with. That would have been a welcomed difference at this point. But there Kasmai was. Not a she, but a he. A he. It was utterly baffling to Alister, who had to agree that it was some kind of strange magic, because he wasn't sure what other kind of reason there could be.

And Kasmai got used to being a woman? Maybe he could just figure out how to flip a switch and become a woman again. It was less strange for Alister. How did one just ... change their bodies like that?! What kind of magic could do that?

It took another minute of awkward silence before Alister came up with, "Yeah, strange magic alright." Definitely, definitely strange magic. In all his travels, he hadn't ever come across something like this. Until now. In his own life.

What had he gotten himself into?

"Did you, uh, invite me here to show me you're as flat as a board now?" That was an awkward attempt at humour, probably.

Kasmai was saying he had stayed a woman for as long as he had because he was ...

Right. With child. Kasmai looked suspiciously not with child now. Though that was a good thing, he was pretty sure pregnancy didn't work on a genetic man like that--

Thankfully, before Alister attempted to visualize, Kasmai distracted him by getting him to follow. It didn't miss Alister's notice that they were heading towards what was likely a bedroom. His brain could likely figure out what Kasmai was going to show him--it was the baby, right?--but he didn't really want to verbally admit it.

He was a father. That was, at best, terrifying.

That looked like an awfully big baby in that crib...

Alister gulped.

He should have known it was a possibility. He was a triplet, after all! So there were three babies, when his mother gave birth. At least there were only two here? Right? Only two, not three?

The nervous laughter that slipped out of his lips showed that, perhaps, he didn't take this as easily as Kasmai had seemed to.

A surprise! Yeah, that was a way to put it. A surprise.

Perhaps Alister should have known better, considering he did not often hear of situations where there was one baby born to a new mother, but he had been banking on the idea of only one. Having two babies was even more terrifying than one. Two people, depending on him. As a father. He was a double father.

That didn't make any sense--

It made him want to turn tail and run, but he knew he shouldn't. It was perhaps only his own sense of character that was keeping him standing there at that moment, and not turning around and fleeing into the night. It wasn't like Kasmai had much of a chance of finding him in the crowded City...

Warm paternal feelings were perhaps decidedly lacking in Alister, but he offered an attempt at a smile--which failed--when the small, tiny thing that was his baby glanced at him with big, red eyes. Like Kasmai's, Alister noted. Wait-- "They're not named yet?"

s**t, he didn't know what to name a kid.

Kid one and kid two?

He didn't really want to name the kids. He had no idea what he'd even call them. He had no idea he even had kids until a couple minutes ago, really.

If it was not obvious that Alister was a bit overwhelmed at this point, the wider, even more strained smile was probably a hint at that. It was probably not really the reaction Kasmai was hoping for, considering how attached and affectionate he was to the little boys already.

Was he looking for an opinion? Cambrio or Cosme? Sure, call the one kid Cambrio and the other Cosme! What did he care!

What had he gotten himself into? Why hadn't he just agreed to just stay out of it when Kasmai had sort of given him the chance? Then he wouldn't be trying to figure out how he had a woman-not-woman-actually-a-man pregnant with his two sons who had no names and would probably look to him for guidance and goods and generally for him to be responsible for another life besides his own, and Alister was not exactly responsible for his own life sometimes. How could he handle two little pae?

Kasmai was looking for an opinion, not a freak out. "Cosme sounds fine," offered Alister, attempting to keep his voice even.