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 Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 7:50 pm
(Backlogged and as such, won't count for Ujana's growth!)
Near the beginning of her relationship with the alkidike Ariya she had ventured quite a bit into Jauhar's sprawling rainforest. Often times she would leave her father's side, forsaking Padma to Uquin's infamous glowers, so that she could chase after an amazon. It hadn't been difficult to traverse the terrain, nor was it a particularly expensive trip; after all, Ujana was a woman capable of fending for herself, and as such, was able to get quite a bit of guard work for passing caravans. A little coin in her pocket, and the chance to spend more time with her lover? It was all too good to be true! The temptation to see Ariya and her daughter, Subira, had been too great to stop her.
It was an addiction so strong that the sudden lack of 'excitement' left Ujana horribly, dreadfully bored.
Naturally she blamed Odhran. The man had wanted a child, and as easy as it had been to go along with his whims, he wasn't the one swelling up bigger and bigger with each passing day. It was all fun and games in the beginning; Ujana could still travel, though the fighting aspect died off, to visit her lady love. As she grew in girth, however, travel had been restricted. And while Ariya tried to visit as often as she could, she couldn't be with Ujana all the time.
And Odhran, spirits bless him, was too wrapped up in studying to pay her much mind. Not that she much cared; even if they were having a child together Ujana didn't live with him, nor did she plan on it, but it would have been nice for him to get his nose out of a book for once.
The young mother-to-be wandered aimlessly these days. She never strayed too far from her family, and yet, Ujana couldn't stay sitting. Despite the swelling that more often than not gave her legs horrendous cramps she still moved. "It's good for the baby," she'd been told, and since the speaker had a swarm of children leeching off her every kindness Ujana assumed it was true.
She walked among the candy-colored grass, and reached out to touch it's sharp, crystallized edges. Subconsciously she moved her stomach away from the prickly bits; as if, without even knowing it, Ujana was shielding her unborn child. At the end of one such plant was a liquid-filled pod that the woman plucked and proceeded to ingest. As simple as it was, it was one of Ujana's favorites and as such, one she craved the most. Some days she would harass Odhran, her father, and even poor Padma into getting some for her.
Today, however, Ujana went out on her own.
Maybe she should bring some back? Ujana knew her father was having a hard time....adjusting to all of this, and maybe a snack might help him? She doubted it, but hell, a girl could try. AT the very least Padma would get a kick out of it, but....really, how many of these could she carry? Holding more than two was a challenge with her growing stomach in the way.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 8:29 pm
As much as Padma adored her sister, she couldn't say that she truly understood her thoughts and actions all too well. Ujana was a storm; she came and went as it pleased her, something that had frustrated Padma to the very core in the first few months they lived together after she came home from Oba. One day, they would be together, sprawled out in a room, reminiscing or telling stories about their lives apart, sharing dreams of going off and building an inn - the next, Ujana would simply be gone, only to sidle back home as if nothing had ever happened. The most frustrating bit was when she acted affronted, or even confused by WHY her family was so upset over it!
Padma... would like to say that she'd gotten used to it, but that would be a bald-faced lie. Her sister was frustrating.
Case-in-point. What kind of huge, pregnant woman waddled out into the wilds, alone? And, if one of the concerned middle-aged village women hadn't caught Padma at the market and told her about it, it was very likely Ujana would have gotten away with it too. Instead, Padma darted full tilt from town, thankful that the very landscape of Tale made it relatively simple to spot figures in the distance.
Clutching her bag close to her, Padma picked her path through the savanna until she finally caught up to the figure, peacefully picking her way through the countryside. "What are you doing?!" she panted, briefly bending over, hands propped against her knees as she fought to catch her breath. From this position, she could see the pods that her sister was holding, and instantly pouted at them, flicking her bright green eyes up to meet Ujana's. "I was getting more -- you didn't have to come out and pick them yourself!"
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2018 9:04 pm
"Eating, duh." Ujana's voice was muffled by all the sweet water in her mouth, and when she tried to swallow the bits of fruit a little of it's sap dribbled down her chin. She dipped her head, wiping it off on the sleeve of her shawl without so much as a care. It wasn't entirely surprising that Padma found her out; after all, it wasn't as if Ujana could hide, and her sister was horribly sharp when she wanted to be.
"You should have woken me up! It was just a nap; I'll have more. I wanted to go with you" Oh, before the pregnancy Ujana couldn't sneak in an afternoon nap to save her life, but now she was free to sleep the day away! Which, admittedly, had it's perks. Missing out on a trip to the market wasn't one of them.
"Why are you so worked up? I didn't even go that far this time." She bit into one of the bulbs. At first it simply bent beneath her teeth until an audible 'snap' led way to a wave of sweet juices on her tongue. Ujana hummed with happiness. This was beyond worth it!
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 5:11 pm
Padma finally straightened up from where she'd been catching her breath, sighing at her sister's antics. "What, you were saying the kicking was keeping you up before... I just wanted you to get some rest."
Shielding her eyes from the sun, Padma turned in a slow circle, suspiciously looking around just to make sure the area was safe. Her sister was unnervingly strong, her body lined with thick muscle, and even swollen with child she was intimidating. But that wouldn't save her against a random beast, if it got the jump on her.
"Uh-uh. Sis, you know what I'm going to say." The shorter twin sighed, deciding that they were safe enough, for the moment. She turned back to Ujana, ducking as she shuffled through her beaded bag. "'You're not in tip top shape right now, you can't just go off on your own when it's dangerous, what would dad feel if you turned up as a patient--' Do I need to keep going?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:46 pm
"You really should work out more, Padma. Just watching you makes my lungs hurt." Seriously, why couldn't her sister participate in at least a few training sessions? Sure, she was in shape; if you considered being a waif a shape. Though she had a hard time picturing Padma as anything other than 'delicate' and thin, like their father. If she gained too much muscle she'd be a challenge, and Ujana proudly held the title of Baddest b***h in the family, thank you very much.
"It's always kicking, though; it's not like I can just stop doing what I want to do because my kid's a jerk." One of her sticky hands slipped down to press against her distended stomach, gliding over the taut skin and all of it's inglorious stretch marks. Gone were the days of her sweet abs; now she looked as if she'd swallowed all of the water in Matori.
As Padma went through her spiel, Ujana mockingly mouthed the words back to her, and rolled her eyes. Honestly, some days she wondered if her twin had any sense of adventure or if she'd taken it all in the womb. Saddling up next to her twin, Ujana slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Look sis, I'm pregnant; not dead. We're only half way through this thing, too! So if I can't get out for a little bit now I'm going to be miserable in a few months." There was merit in Padma's warning, though; the last thing she wanted was to come back to Uquin as a patient in her condition. Pregnant or not, he would string her up by the toes.
"I didn't even plan on coming out here alone. Odhran was supposed to come with me, but he bailed. I just...might not have told him I was still coming, though; he kind of thinks I went back home."
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 6:54 pm
A sharp glower was shot up at her twin as Padma continued shuffling, elbow deep, in her bag, releasing a soft noise of success when she finally found them. Thankfully, the pods hadn't burst open in her run out here! Wrapped in leaves, Padma extended the painstakingly procured treats to her sister with a flourish and playful curtsy. She was nearly knocked off balance though at the heavy, muscular arm that wound around her shoulders, giving her the slightest of shakes.
The girl's face fell, stormy at the mere mention of Ujana's 'beau', if you could call him that. Her sister didn't hold him in the highest regard, it seemed, and Padma could only follow in those feelings- even if the few times she'd met him she hadn't really given him much of a chance. He was probably a decent enough fellow, truly, but he'd forever be the man who knocked up her sister.
Ugh. That still was so weird to think about. Padma wasn't new to pregnancy - it felt like, as peace briefly took hold of their part of the world, her father dealt less with gruesome wounds or complications of injuries, and more with mundane tasks, like colds, broken bones, or babies. Pregnancy was horrifying, and thinking of her sister in this position... if there was ANYTHING that could take down her beast of a sister, after everything, then childbirth was it.
Her father was a wonderful physician, but even then he'd lost mothers to infection or trauma after it. And, somehow, Padma doubted Ujana would really want her father working as a midwife for her. That was a whole realm of icky that neither of them wanted to think about. "I'm not terribly surprised." She said, icily, in regards to Oghren, sniffing indignantly.
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 7:12 pm
Oh, Padma really was irritated, wasn't she? Being so glib, displaying the pods like that...Ujana should have felt guilty, but she didn't. It was all more amusing than anything else, and besides, now she got twice as many treats. While her sister was still adjusting to the contact, Ujana took the carefully wrapped pod and leaned over to kiss her sister's temple. She really was an absolute doll!
Even when she was fussing and grumping because of something Odhran had done; or rather, was failing to do. "Padma, he's not that bad." As far as Ujana was concerned he'd done his business. She wanted a baby; he gave her one, and now it was her turn to do the work. At times she wanted his company, especially when Ariya was gone or her family was busy, but for the most part Ujana didn't give a damn about what he did.
Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.
"I only needed him for one thing, anyway. I'm tough enough to do the rest on my own."
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 7:41 pm
Padma snorted, but a smile broke through her intense expression, relaxing at her sister's embrace and affections. At least, until Ujana continued on, at which point the seamstress exclaimed in disgust, giving her hands a shake as if shaking the foul topic. Why was Ujana so casual in her remarks about - well, 'needing Oghren' to start the baby process?
Disgusting--
That on its own, was one thing. The other was that Ujana's whole ... situation was still strange, both to Padma and to their father. She wanted to respect that Ujana knew what she was doing, with this Alkidike lover, but...
"Do me a favor, my dear sister, and never refer to that business ever again." She sighed, then shifted away from Ujana, dropping her hand to hold on to the one that had previously been wrapped around her shoulders. "... Have you given any more thought as to where you'll go, after it's born?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:00 pm
"Sheesh, what, sex? Or sex with Odhran? It wasn't that great anyway, so it's not like I want to talk about it." Ujana waved her hand, casually dismissing the topic. He certainly hadn't been the most exciting lay of her life, but at the very least he was stable. Odhran hadn't ever expected more of her than she was willing to give, and in return, she'd never asked him for more than he gave. It was a fine line they walked; one that she knew rubbed her family raw on more than a few occasions.
"Jauhar, most likely. I've been talking with a few carpenters and they said that if I had enough coin upfront that I could have a tavern built. Medina's willing to invest in it; after the baby's born, of course." Her Oban caretaker had been all too happy to see Ujana's interest in 'the family' business. The older woman was as sweet as she was portly, and although she would have preferred to have Ujana back in Oba, she knew all to well the pull of being closer to family. Even if Jauhar wasn't exactly Tale...
She gave Padma's had a little tug, moving them further out into the candy grass. "I know you probably want me to stay in Tale, but...I don't know this place just feels weird to me now. I haven't stayed this long in Tale since we were little and the only ones here I really know are you and dad." Strange, how she didn't even include Odhran into that mix. Truthfully, she didn't know her baby daddy all that well, and beyond a few conversations in the inn Ujana wasn't even sure what his interests were, his occupation, or even where he lived. Too late for worries now.
"Sorry, Padma; I'm a pretty shitty twin, huh?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2018 6:46 pm
Urk. There it was. Padma felt green at the mention of it, but thankfully Ujana kept this brief, allowing Padma to change the subject gracefully. It did, however, placate her somewhat to see just how easily she had shrugged the man aside.
It still was strange, to think that her sister had been in Oba for years, becoming a fierce fighter and surviving among past conquerors. The stories she'd told of her time there were filled with adventure, but also a fondness for the Obans who had taken her in. In a way, she was jealous of that outside connection, because beyond Uquin and the few contacts of his that had met her and seen her affinity for magic, she was still woefully only 'Uquin's daughter' and not anyone of unique merit.
She expected to feel sadness when her 'worst fears' were confirmed... but honestly? Honestly, she was relieved, and could completely understand where it is Ujana was coming from. The mature response surprised her, as much as it was likely to surprise her sister.
"No, not at all! I'll always be wary of Jauhar. ...But." Padma admitted, dropping her gaze to the ground between them, wincing. It was where their mother 'died' - where Ujana had gone missing. But also where she and their father had patched up numerous injuries from fights over he years. "It'll be nice to visit, and you're right - Tale is much too small for you." She smiled at this, eyes crinkling in amusement.5/10
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Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2018 8:14 pm
Ujana held her sister close in less of a 'crushing' hug and more of a 'gentle', sympathetic one. She knew it must have been hell for her and their father, thinking she'd been dead for so long, but Ujana couldn't just put her dreams on hold because of that. Padma had lost so much time being attached to their father's hip to placate him, and while Ujana wanted to care for him as much as any daughter could, she wouldn't sacrifice her dreams for him. He had his life; she had hers, and so did Padma.
And maybe...maybe once Padma broke away from him then their father could find some happiness too.
"You'll have to travel for me, alright? If I can't do it myself then you'll just have to do it." She bumped her hip against Padma's bony excuse for one, grinning stupidly from ear to ear. "Dad can move in with me for a while, and you can see the world. I've only been as far as Oba; that still leaves all of Sauti, Zena, and Yael. You could go way farther than I've ever dreamed! You could go wherever you want! Imagine all of those yaeli hotties....all those droopy ears and drab, black crystals..." Even as she said it she was snickering.
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Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 9:45 pm
Wait-- hold on, did Ujana somehow know about that?! And here Padma thought that her dreams of traveling were a well guarded secret. She wondered if, somehow, her sister could see right through her illusion of contentment. Even so... could she really do that? She almost laughed at the way her sister described their father, like he was an old man who had to be in someone's custody, and yet why laugh at it when she'd operated under that same understanding for the past few years?
She'd stayed because he needed someone, right? She shook her head, feeling that familiar itch of nervousness, shifting slightly and drawing a hand through her hair with a shaky laugh. "Me? Traveling? Uja, I've gone to some places with dad, but - well, he took care of everything. Do you think I could really do all that myself?"
No, of course not. Laughed the doubt in her head, shaking away her fervent hopes and desires.
6/10
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2018 8:12 pm
"Paddy, if I can do it then I know you can." Ujana gave her twin a 'come on, really?' sort of look before scoffing it off. "You're the smart one; the sensible one, but that doesn't mean you lack the ability to get out of here. It just means you're going to do it in a way that doesn't leave you black out drunk with a lotus tattoo three inches above your a**."
Obviously she'd never really told her family the particular story of how said tattoo had come about, but it was there, sprawled plain as day across her lower back. These days it was a little wilted, what with the stretching of her body, skin being pulled from all directions, but one day it would rise again.
"You've been with dad so long that you probably picked up on some stuff, right? I would offer to tag along, but-" One hand went to her distended stomach, rubbing gently at the hardened surface. "Even if Ariya and I don't work out, this kid needs me to be around, so I'm going to try to make...something work."
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2018 5:07 pm
"Black out drunk?" Padma spluttered doubtfully, a laugh on her lips. Was that really what had happened? She snickered, stepping from her sister, looking around the savannah around them, as if imagining being someplace completely different - the cushioned sands and sharp candy-colored crystals imagined as snow, ice, or the sands of Oba instead.
What was it like? Ujana really thought she could do it - was it really so far-fetched to imagine?
She was snapped from her thoughts, however, as her sister continued, rolling her eyes fondly. Ujana seemed to dote on her alkidike lover - at least from how she described Ariya. Padma had yet to meet her, personally - though that was more out of Uquin's wariness around them.
"Well - not that I'm not happy to hear you are planning for every possibility, but I think you and Ariya will be great. Moving back to Jauhar can only make things better for you." She smiled sweetly and reached to coil her arm with her sister's, starting to tug her back towards the settlement. "So. A tavern? Tell me all about this plan of yours."
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2018 8:58 pm
Ujana was reluctant to go back. There were certain freedoms she could explore while out in the open, despite her condition, but once the mother to be was back in her family home all of that would go away. Her brows scrunched, mouth opening just enough to form a protest, but ultimately she ceased the act with a tense smile. It was...probably nicer, not to worry Padma anymore than she already had.
So, with one last look at the open savannah, Ujana fell in step with her twin. Or, rather, waddled in step behind her. Ever since her stomach had begun to grow Ujana's balance was quite the same, and she found her confident stride dying out in favor of the pregnant hustle.
"Okay, so Medina owns a tavern in Oba, right? And I helped out all the time so it's just kind of...natural for me. I really miss the mood, you know? It was always something new; one time, when I was...thirteen? Maybe? This guy comes in, completely Oban except for these obnoxiously bright blue eyes and he starts talking about swimming Quhar. I mean, it's just hard to describe it all, you know? All kinds of travelers come to taverns and yeah, there are some assholes that make the night rough, but that's any job." She always felt so proud to come down and help Medina on the heavy nights. Most of the time the older oban hadn't let Ujana anywhere near the bar until she was at least old enough to hold her liquor; not that she didn't sneak in, anyway. It was a rough little place, but it had been hers, never the less, and in all honesty...the urge to go back was stronger with each day.
She wanted that sense of community again. She had her family, even a new one in the making, but Ujana lacked direction. Where was she going? Was she going to be a mother and nothing more? It's what Odhran had in mind, but Ariya was supportive of her goals. She wanted to move? Then they would move. She wanted a tavern? Then let's find a carpenter!
"I'm not smart and I don't have magic, so I'm not much use to you and dad. I'm tough, though, and I've got good taste in ale, so that has to count for something."
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