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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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 Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2021 8:55 am
[1/10]
It felt strange, sometimes, to be back in Belrea now. It had been over a decade since he and Maritza silently began to share a little apartment; over a decade since the drama of their pregnancy, and the early split in their relationship, caring for their children in shifts, back and forth.
Now, his eyes heavy with tiredness from a long day of watching over his patients, Uquin felt a strange sense of ... calm. Serene, comfortable. He worried for Lioe, of course, back home in Tale on his own, but it was nice to have two of his children here.
Now that the children were grown, the stress of money wasn't like it was - and his savings, anyway, had been bolstered over time thanks to Zadia's aid with the plants. He could stay with his partner, until she was scheduled to go back to work, and that felt... nice. He'd missed her, he found.
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Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2021 3:39 pm
It had never been in Maritza's nature to 'settle down'. Her independent, goal driven lifestyle is what lead her to becoming an airship mechanic's apprentice at sixteen and forsaking any kind of stable home life. Even when she started to become intimate with Uquin she still scheduled their time around work and things only ever really slowed down during the pregnancy. She'd been younger, selfish, and resistant to the changes being shoved down her throat.
Now that she'd had a decade to mature Maritza had found peace in her little family. She found that she liked being a mother, which was a concept she'd never really imagined. At first it was overwhelming; between the drama of the fallout, the stress of caring for three infants and trying to figure out life she'd been a mess.
For the first time in a long while she had her family with her. Lioe's absence was felt, but there was security in knowing that he had a support system in Tale. There was something off putting about it all, though. About the thought of her children being old enough to be on their own. She'd grown used to Uquin's offspring being self-sufficient, but for her own progeny...
It was at the end of a long day when Maritza came home to find her partner. Even though she wasn't scheduled to leave for another few weeks there was still work to be done and apprenticeships to tend to. When she saw how tired he looked her eyes softened a bit and Maritza held up a basket, unveiling a warm cobbler. "Care for a bite before the kids come back?"
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 9:18 am
[2/10] Hmph. As if the concept that he was now old enough not only for grandchildren, but for great-grandchildren was lost on him. At times, it startled him to realize that he was the patriarch of a now sprawling family (thanks to Ujana) - for all worth that was, since he was so distant from them. Other than Eurig, he had very little impact on his grandchildrens' lives, and that... was something he found he regretted.
Still.
He looked up as the door opened, expression softening when he saw who it was. And... well. That sounded delightful. He grunted softly as he pushed himself to stand, pushing a hand back through his hair as he padded closer, ducking in to press a kiss to her cheek. "Sounds good. Where'd you get that from?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:15 am
Maritza moved her offering over toward the countertop and had set about gathering the plates when Uquin came close. When he ducked in to kiss her cheek she clucked her tongue. "Don't, I'm filthy." As if he'd really cared about it before. She had full confidence that even if she were doused in oil he would still finding something beneath it all.
"A few of the apprentice mechanics were talking about this little bakery on our way back. It's new so I thought I would stop." She sectioned the cobbler, making sure it was already precut for the teenagers later, and served a few pieces for themselves.
"How was your day?"
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:28 am
3/10
That was something he'd come to terms with long ago. Between Maritza and Isaia, they were always covered in some sort of oil or grease; likewise, Uquin and Zadia were generally covered in soil or other matter anyway. He tutted back with a soft smirk, but gaze no other argument, and instead waited patiently for her to cut the cobbler, taking his offered plate with a grunt of thanks.
Bakeries were such a foreign concept. Everything was, in Belrea... shops specialized in certain types of food... it was a novelty, but one he'd quickly grown fond of. More and more, these days, he felt content to stay in Belrea - save for his desire to see the other side of his family (and Lioe, the poor thing).
"It's good." He said, simply, after his first bite, moving to sit again - but not without pulling a chair close to him for Maritza to take. "Glad you're home. Worried I be asleep when you got back.
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:38 am
Maritza was a little less patient; she was already taking a bite at the counter, and worked on her second as she settled into the seat at his side. The engineer crossed on leg under herself and stretched the other out underneath the table. Her joints ached in ways that they hadn't in her youth, but she knew damn well there would be no slowing down. Not until someone forced her.
"I actually wanted to talk to you about that. About me staying home for a while." Using her fork, Maritza dug around the cobbler for a piece of fruit before plopping it into her mouth. "There's a few things I want to do that I haven't been able to because of my work schedule."
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:01 am
[4/10] Uquin ate primly compared to Maritza, but if he minded her manners he didn't show it. Rather... he'd always adored her bluntness, and how it carried through everything she did. Her manners, her work - she'd never left anything up to guessing, and for someone as socially inept as Uquin it was a blessing, and one of the things he loved about her. Even when it contributed to their separation all that time ago, he couldn't fault her for it, not really.
When she opened her mouth again, he expected her to complain about Isaia's work (he wasn't on her team, but worked enough of the same systems that she'd done so before), or perhaps an inept apprentice... but what she said instead made him choke on his cobbler.
He coughed, thumping his chest, setting the plate down. "Are you ill?" He asked, quickly, scooting forward in his seat to look at her sternly.
But then Maritza continued, and he leaned back... relieved, but also a bit sheepish. "I see." What could compel her to take a break from her work? "Whatever it is, perhaps I could assist you so the break is not overly long?" After all, she was always eager to get back to her work.
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:07 am
"No, I'm not ill." She scoffed, holding her hands out in a 'look at me' motion. Was it really so strange- You know it is. "I understand that it's shocking to hear, but really, even I need a break from time to time."
She'd worked through illnesses before (had powered through more trips than she could count with rags shoved up her nose) and had even managed to pull double shifts with a sprain ankle. Maritza was nothing if not determined, which is why she was dead set on making her current goals a reality.
Even if Uquin didn't know what they were yet.
"That's mainly why I wanted to discuss the terms of my stay with you. There are two key goals I would like to accomplish, and they both involve you." After a pause and another bite she added, "If you're willing."
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:12 am
Uquin raised a single eyebrow in question. Really... ? She'd been working herself to the bone since they met, and even rearing children hadn't slowed that down any. There had been times that Maritza took off some time with the children, back in Tale, but even then she'd poured over her work at the table, sitting Isaia in her lap, where his hungry eyes had watched, fascinated, as she worked.
But then she spokes of 'terms', and he snorted, unable to help himself, taking another bite of his own dessert, more as a distraction than anything else. He was starting to wonder if the dessert truly was random happenstance, or if it was some sort of bribe. "I tend to defer to your judgement these days. If you think it's a good idea, I'm sure I'll have no argument. What are these two goals?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:17 am
Ah, there was that critical eye. She knew his the gears in his mind would be turning around catching her bait, and now it was Maritza's turn to pull him in. There was some nervousness to her; surely that's why her insides felt a little squirmy but hesitation? Not a bit.
"I'm glad to hear that you trust me in this. It makes settling things a lot easier." Maritza stabbed her cobbler once more, sat back in her seat and used it to motion it in his direction. "My first goal is to become your wife. Now, I don't have a ring because they're impractical but I can get one if you'd prefer."
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:26 am
She said it so easily, like it was as simple as saying 'I'll head to the store today and get bread.' It was so... Maritza that it stunned him for a moment. It wasn't as if he was opposed - they'd been, perhaps, common law spouses for years now. But in his mind he'd always referred to her as his lover, his partner, his... well. He wasn't necessarily a romantic, she knew that.
And yet he still felt flustered at the proposal, graceless though it was. And of course, Maritza was fierce, was intelligent and sharp and goal-oriented, and hearing that she viewed that as a worthy goal was... flattering.
"A ring would be rather impractical." He murmured, stunned, just sort of ... looking at her for a long moment. "That is... easily done. I'd enjoy being your husband, very much." Uquin cleared his throat, shifting so he could lightly clasp his fingers together on top of the table. "What in the spirits' names brought this about? I assumed you had no interest in... marriage, else I would have thought to ask you long ago."
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:35 am
"As you know, my mother was never married. I never knew my father and neither did Rivyn." At the time it had been a fact of life; something she'd simply acknowledged and moved on with. No amount of questions was going to get her answers from the woman so Maritza had simply adapted. "Marriage seemed pointless to me until we had the kids. The more time I spent in Tale, the more I was asked about whether or not I was your wife...got to me." Maritza shrugged, as if it were as simple as that.
Still, to hear him say that...it brought a little color to her cheeks. "You would have? You should have said something." Had he been that worried about what she would say? Ah, but...after everything in the past she could see how he would have been. "Over the years I've come to realize that despite how well we know that we care for one another I would very much like solidify it. I've no desire to seek out anyone else and I am glad that you feel the same."
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 12:01 pm
[7/10]
Yes, she'd told him that before. Previously it had been in the context of the children though - that she'd worried her mother's ... inability to be a mother would pass on to Maritza. But Maritza, for all her working tendencies, had ever been a great mother in Uquin's opinion. Even if she and Isaia argued, she cared for them deeply, and they her, and she tended to their aspirations, their curiosity, and stepped out of the way to let them do what it was they wanted.
Considering the role model UQUIN had for a parent, he felt they'd both done a fine job. He felt that he'd been a more balanced parent for the triplets, compared to poor Padma. Ujana... she'd grown up separately, and so he wasn't sure if he'd have been capable of handling such a strong-minded child, when he was young.
Beyond the children though, Uquin felt they were suited to one another. He wasn't so clingy as to demand her presence constantly, but he also was glad to have it when she was home. She was still so young, even with the children grown as they were - hearing that she was content with him felt... good. Even if he'd never had reason to doubt her.
She'd seemed to get past their age difference a long time ago, after all.
"Perhaps I should have. Then again, I'm rather enjoying having you propose to me." He said, with a somewhat mischievous look. "Wooing your future husband, with cobbler and time off. I'm honored." He smirked a bit wider, feeling... silly, of all things.
"So that is one goal. Dare I ask the other?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 12:22 pm
Perhaps if he'd settled with another partner earlier in life he would have been settled down. Maybe with a few more children, maybe a few less, perhaps a couple more grandchildren and a more stable life. Still, Maritza didn't view her influence on him as bad, just...surprising, is all.
She liked to believe that she had learned a fair amount from him and he in turn had grown from her exposure as well. They weren't a romanticized couple, but rather something so much more than that.
"Oh, are you? Perhaps I should have dressed for the occasion. A bit of lace and some boots." From the smirk and the way she raised her brow it was clear that was all she'd intended on wearing.
"Ah, yes, the second goal." For this one Maritza sat down her fork. "I want to stop taking the tea. No more poultices, drinks and contraceptives."
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scarlett arbuckle Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2021 12:32 pm
[8/10]
With no one else in their little home to worry about, Uquin didn't feel guilty in tilting his head back and letting out a laugh, swiping a hand over his face. He didn't comment on it, but the sidelong look and smile made clear his ah... appreciation for the mental image.
But the mood changed a bit, and turned... serious when she set her plate down. Once again, she was straight to her point, with little hemming and hawing as she put forward her desire, in no uncertain terms.
Uquin once again looked at her, surprised, sitting back in his chair a little. They'd only just got their children out of the house (mostly), and... and she wanted--
This was how it should be, two partners discussing children. But for his track record this was strange, and felt... surreal somehow.
"You wish for more children?" He asked, just to be sure he understood correctly. "That... would be a long time away from your career. You're ... alright with that?"
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