[Yael] The Next Generation (Kier/Tai/Tac) FIN

[Painted Moose]

Taijana refused to look at anyone or anything as she sat in the open waiting area . This wasn't going to be the first time she'd ever seen a healer for unexplained, likely psychological problems, but it would be the first that physical ailments accompanied them.

At first it had started off with nothing more than a common illness. Certain foods brought waves of nausea so strong that Taijana would often find herself regurgitating. This, in itself, wasn't anything overly stressful for the yaeli. Her anxiety often caused sickness within Taijana, and something minor like that could be worked through. With the arrival of the Dretch she'd often found herself in the throws of panic, and the sickness would come; either in ways previously mentioned or in the form of hyperventilation. Again, nothing too out of the norm for the yaeli huntress, and certainly nothing to warrant widespread panic.

She was a newly married woman, and the last thing she wanted was to frighten her husband. Taijana played off his worries, especially when she started to show signs of fatigue, and when her appetite started to return to her, with gusto!, she thought all had passed.

That is until she felt it.

Something moving underneath the skin of her abdomen. At first her sister asked if she was pregnant, but both had agreed Taijana was simply far too small to be that far along. As a petite woman to begin with surely it would show? So, if not a child, what else would be creeping inside of her?

....Nothing short of a demon could be the cause.

And yet, instead of seeing a priest to remove the contamination, she had agreed to see a healer. Taijana was close to full blown panic in the waiting room. She couldn't bare to look at her stomach, let alone touch it, so she refused to even lay her hands across her lap. Her mind was a whirl; she'd married Kieran, it was official, so why were the Gods angry enough to curse her like this?

What had she done wrong?

Sabra Knight

Cornetified

 

[Sabra Knight]

Cornetified

Painted Moose

Kieran wasn't always the best at catching onto the simple things. Instead the man was often spending his time in his study, pouring over piles and piles of journals that had accumulated through the years. All of his time on the mainland had limited his actual ability to organize his travels in his personal library. There were other things that had distracted him at first when coming back to Yael, but once Taijana and Kieran both fell into a normal routine the man had set himself to the gigantic task of organizing his papers. At first it was enough for him to miss exactly what 'common illness' Taijana could be carrying. While Kieran worried over his wife the man constantly hit a wall as Taijana would simply shrug off his worries and simply allow him to serve her some soup or tea in hopes of calming her upset stomach.

Then when things had calmed and her appetite was back Kieran thought nothing more of it and returned to organizing his books. However, when Taijana ran off with an ashen face to go visit her sister the man found his concern coming back. And if anything it was more worrisome than before because he couldn't see what was wrong with her. When it had been explained he had persuaded her to go to a healer first and so here they were sitting in a waiting room.

While Taijana was radiating near panic Kieran was trying his hardest to soothe her, "At least they have some nice decor - I can't believe those flowers are so vibrant." He attempted before slowly moving his hand to wrap his fingers around Taijana's own, "I wonder if that healer I met here a long time ago still works here...though I doubt he's still in training now."  

[Cornetified]

With a slow day like today, Tacrith was in a rather good mood. He had gotten caught up on some much needed paperwork, and it was a load off of his mind. When he was called to take back another patient, he was able to move without his cane. A little slow, but he felt better than having to use the old tool to walk. He would take these moments when he could.

Walking into the waiting room, he got pointed to the woman sitting down.. and looking like she might faint. Oh, he had seen her before! And had he seen the young man there..? Well, when one stayed in one town for long enough... It was no matter though. They had not come here to exchange pleasantries. "Taijana and Kieran?" he asked after checking the chart. "Come along this way,. and we can discuss your concerns."

The exam room had a long table in the center with a desk for the healers on one side of the room and a bench for anyone accompanying the patient on the other side against the wall. "Taijana, sit yourself on the table here and tell me what brings you here. Kieran, if you have anything to add after she has done, feel free to do so."

Painted Moose

Sabra Knight

 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Cornetified

Taijana nodded vaguely, half registering the room around her. She knew that Kieran was trying to help ground her; it was a technique that usually worked well enough to keep her together during a panic attack. She could focus on the little details, muse on them for a while, and usually snap back to attention.

That was before a demon decided to make her it's host.

She snatched her hand away from his own and moved both appendages closer to her heart, notably keeping her elbows lifted high as to avoid any contact with her torso. Her eyes were wide, near horror stricken at the mere thought of holding her husband's hand. "Kieran, you can't! What if it spreads?" She hissed. Just thinking about possibly contaminating him was enough to sicken her. It was bad enough that she'd invited this evil into their lives, but to harm her husband as well....

Soon enough her attention was taken up by the acting physician...and was surprised to see a young man she knew. Tacrith wasn't close to her by any means, but she had talked to him enough to become acquainted with the man. It made her feel a little calmer going into this. Slowly, she rose and nervously followed him, looking over her shoulder a few times to make sure Kieran was still with her.

She made her way to the examining table and positioned herself atop it, moving to smooth out the edges in her skirt for modesties sake before hesitating. Doing so would mean she'd have to come into contact with it...and she wasn't ready for that. Instead, she placed her hands awkwardly on either side of her, balanced atop the table.

At first, Taijana seemed hesitant to talk about her problems. She looked to Kieran once, before looking back to Tacrith. At first she explained her normal nervous disposition and the fainting...then the recent illnesses, the fatigue, switches in appetite and then...."-I felt it inside of me. I-I-I've tried to tell them I need to see a priest, b-but surely you can see that now..."  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Cornetified

"Taijana..." Kieran's gaze was a mixture of hurt and slight amusement, "Do you honestly think any demon would want to rest in a such a crazy, nonbeliever as me?" He replied with a slight frown, "It's my duty to protect you anyways so I'll take the risk." Still before he could continue both of their names were being called. Ah, the doctor was here. He did seem familiar...a little bit at least. Kieran waved a hand as the young doctor called out their names, "We're here." As they followed along the man made certain to stay beside of Taijana protectively. While she may have been accustomed to doctor's visits it was strange how nervous Kieran felt in such a place.

Nodding to his wife encouragingly Kieran had to resist the urge to squeeze her shoulders in support. Still as she continued the man watched their physician carefully for his reaction. As he stood slightly behind her Kieran pinched the bridge of his nose as Taijana's explanation resulted with the priest, "If you could doctor - please check her out and see why she's feeling strange movements?" He raised his gaze and offered Tacrith a small smile, "It would ease us all if someone with medical expertise could assure my wife that she is not possessed by a devil residing inside of her. If anything we are more concerned why she appears to have no major outward changes despite the 'battle' going on inside of her." Out of all of them the man was certain he knew the truth, but at the same time he wished to let someone else tell Taijana the truth as surely that would ease her mind more. He was more worried about the fact that his wife was so tiny despite possibly being so far along in pregnancy...it was for those problems that he had secretly pressed her to come along. Not that he would tell Taijana that of course because the last thing he wanted was for her to worry more so than she already was.  

[Cornetified]

It was a condition he had heard quite a few times before, but this level of fear facing the situation was new. Thankfully, he had enough experience by now to not smile from his amusement... Instead, his expression kept its usual neutrality as he nodded along.

When Kieran spoke, he couldn't help the corner of his lip twitching this time. The man seemed to have a little more sense.

"Don't you worry, Taijana. I do not believe it is anything to worry over. Lie back on the table and I will examine you more closely." He first pressed around Tai's pelvic area, checking for different pressures and sensations. He looked over Tai's general health as well to make sure it wasn't anything that might endanger the lives affected. "Well, I would venture that you are almost half way to full term," he mused, standing upright again. Wait... "By which I mean, you are almost halfway through completing your pregnancy. You are expecting at least one child, Taijana. That is all that you feel."

He turned to Kieran and gave another nod. "As to her size, many first pregnancies can take a while to start showing, or it could be that she is in need of more nutrition. Everything indicates that mother and baby are both healthy, so altering the diet to account for what the baby needs should help as well."

He paused there to let the information sink in. Hopefully they were open to such an event...

Painted Moose

Sabra Knight

 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Cornetified

She didn't answer her husband out of fear of saying something hurtful. The fact that he was a nonbeliever made it all the more possible for a demon to reside in the man, but she couldn't tell him that. If she were in her right mind Taijana would have dismissed it, but as frightened as she was a thousand scenarios were bouncing around her brain and creating a storm of darkness within her heart. It could have been his fault, it could have been her own, possibly a curse placed upon her by her mother, the Gods could have forsaken them...

Instead of vocalizing it all, she just held her breath and prayed.

"Outward signs?" She turned her upper half atop the table to look at her husband, brows furrowing with the question. Was she...was she going to get worse?! "Wha- Ah, yes, sorry." Turning her attention back to Tacrith, she pulled her legs her, then shifted around into a better position before laying down atop the table. It wasn't her first time having an examination, but it was the first that anyone had touched her pelvis for. She found herself looking away from Tacrith in that moment, her pale, fearful cheeks gaining some measure of color.

Halfway to term....Somewhere in the back of her mind the information was clicking together, but she didn't truly grasp it until the word pregnancy was spoken. Taijana sat herself up slowly, tucking her legs underneath her as demurely as possible as her arms shook. One hand was still braced on the table for stability, while the other fluttered up to her mouth to hide her shocked expression.

"It's not...You mean I...I called my baby a demon?"  

[Sabra Knight]

Cornetified

Painted Moose

"Nutrition..." Kieran murmured the word before nodding his head at the rest of Tacrith's explanation, "I'll make certain to keep an eye on her. Do you have any dietary suggestions?" Oddly enough he was calm for the revelation of the truth, but the man had guessed the truth of it before. It didn't stop him from being any less jittery on his own, but for the sake of his wife Kieran was trying his hardest to stay focused and calm. He would probably go out on another long stroll once she was asleep again but she didn't need to know about that restless pacing or the fact that he had poured over books and books already trying to figure out exactly what it was a child needed.

He doubted after all that his childhood was normal for most. Nor did he imagine Taijana enjoying the idea of him taking their baby out on evening walks through the wilderness, crawling up cliff walls, or chasing after some other beast in Yael. And if she did want such things then...perhaps it would be his turn to faint for once.

In all honesty though he was worried about his wife's reaction to the news. So far so good, however, as she was still conscious. Smiling at her comment Kieran offered a small chuckle, "I suppose you wouldn't be the first to call a child that." He teased lightly, "I'm sure the baby won't hold it against you, Taijana. You were scared and didn't know." He held out a hand to her, "Now that we know it won't spread....may I touch you again?" His gaze was gentle despite his previous teasing, "How do you feel that you know for certain now?" He asked in all seriousness as he moved to support her.  

[Cornetified]

Looking between the pair, Tac couldn't help a small smile. Superstitious, but not stupid. Needing to explain how or why pregnancy happened.. was always a frustrating conversation. This pair understood it.

Turning back to the counter, he pulled over a notebook and began writing. "It won't be anything too complex. Taijana is in great health, so increasing intake on certain items should be enough." He wrote down a list off foods that would best serve the baby's needs.

He held the list out to Kieran, and looked to Taijana with another smile. "Your husband is right. The baby has no idea what any words you're saying mean. ...and it most certainly cannot spread to him."

Painted Moose

Sabra Knight

 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Cornetified

[4/10]

He was chuckling?!

This wasn't the time for that! Taijana could hear the blood rushing through her ears as the world tilted. She was....they were....they were going to be parents and he wasn't panicking at all! At times like these she knew that logically he was trying to be calmer for her sake, but that didn't mean she wanted to shake him any less.

"Kieran, I'm still scared. Terrified..." The news had drained all color from her skin, leaving her paler than ever before. This was...big. "I'm still so small and we're supposed to be halfway! The baby's still moving, but for how much longer and after everything I said-" She reached for his hand and held on tight. It wasn't as if she didn't want to be happy, the news was a complete turn as to what she'd been dreading when they got there, but if she'd already damaged her baby without knowing-

Holding onto her husband, she turned to Tac. "So if I...if I eat better, the baby will be okay?" She was near tears at that point.  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Cornetified

"I'm sorry." Kieran's gaze softened even more as he laced his fingers with Taijana's own and stood right next to her, "It'll be okay, I promise." He squeezed her hand comfortingly, "Like the doctor said we'll just watch your diet and things will be okay."

He gave Tacrith a slightly amused look at the mentioning of the baby spreading to him. If such a thing happened then even Kieran would be inclined to believe in the gods. He nearly chuckled again before turning it into a cough and behaving himself, "Surely as long as you rest and eat well then the baby will be just fine. You've felt it kick after all so that must mean it's pretty strong, right?"  

[Cornetified]

Pursing his lips slightly, Tac sighed and nodded. "Eat better, try to relax yourself and take it easy at home and work. That will put you in the right direction." Normally a bit more blunt about how there were no guarantees in pregnancy... he found himself giving it the more positive view for the sake of the fidgeting woman. "As I said, since this is your first pregnancy, it may not be until later that you truly begin to show. Your symptoms are fairly normal, and you're feeling the baby move. Everything indicates that you're doing well. You are welcome to come back in another month so that we may see what progress you're making."

Painted Moose

Sabra Knight

 

[Painted Moose]

Sabra Knight

Cornetified

"Try to relax...." Taijana murmured. That was a tall order for a woman with a nervous disposition. Even now she was shaking, still panicked over what she believed to be several wrong doings on her own part to a child that had yet to be born. She was already proving to be a bad mom, and her baby hadn't even taken it's first breath...

"I-I...I will try." Tacrith didn't seem worried over it, and he was a healer so Taijana felt herself loosening up just a little more. There was no way for her to completely relax and take things easy; it just wasn't in her. But if she could try, just a little bit, then maybe the baby would be happier.

She looked to Kieran after that and almost bashfully asked, "May we still see a priest? To bless it? And then in a month we can come back and make sure it's doing okay."  

[Sabra Knight]

Painted Moose

Cornetified

Kieran nodded, "It sounds like a plan to me." He definitely would feel more relieved if he could continue to visit the healer with his wife. Despite all of his adventures and his vast array of journals and knowledge the man was still nervous about pregnancy. Who knew what could happen? Not that he would mention anything to Taijana out of fear of disturbing her even more...

Speaking of disturbing - the question about a priest made the man still. Did...did they truly need to go to the Sanctum for this? Still his gaze softened as he studied Taijana. If it would make her feel more at ease with her pregnancy then perhaps one visit wouldn't kill him, "Aye, we can do that." He agreed quietly with a small smile, "As long as you feel that you aren't pushing yourself. Perhaps we will go then in a week to get the child blessed and then come back here in the month as well. That way you have plenty of time to rest."  

[Cornetified]

Tac nodded slowly. Try... Taijana seemed to be one who was always a little nervous over something, so at least trying was encouraging. Hopefully the husband would be able to help with that. After all, if she was relaxed around him enough to result in pregnancy...

He remained carefully silent while the couple spoke. Priests and blessings... Well, if it helped... "It sounds like you two have a plan all ready. Remember Taijana, your body is going through a lot of changes right now. There is always a healer here if you feel the need."

Painted Moose

Sabra Knight