Dimitri was still sore after training a bit himself that night they settled in for bed. He was trying to get better with physical defense and knives, and found that he could when he wasn’t volleying attacks on his wife. Even if he knew it was to train, he still fretted about hurting her more than he cared to admit. He was little when it occurred but the physical abuse from contractors on slaves had scarred him from ever wanting to really harm anyone. But he understood self-defense and the defense of others was different than abuse, which was why he took up open opportunities to practice some on his own. It was a good stress relief, especially after work and while his wife was strangely and sporadically ill. It seemed that day after training her bouts of nausea would clear up later in the day, only to reappear in the morning. Dimitri had begged Eir to take a look at her, but he swore up and down the healers at the temples said she was fine. He would look into it only if Nesryn requested his help, as was his own code while dealing with a friend. That left Dimitri to pass worried glances when Nesryn avoided her breakfast or was soon tossing up anything she ate when she caught whiff of dinner or moved to quickly.
Tonight was the first night in ages she slept a bit more soundly, as usually she couldn’t get comfortable. However that changed when she woke up in pain and shook him awake to the sounds of her torment. She sounded so ill he felt his heart drop to his stomach and his eyes widened when she forcefully vomited into the pale she kept near the bed for when her nausea was bad in the mornings. He stumbled carefully out of bed when she curled up and began making a pitiful noise. “Y-Yeah hold on.” He told her with a gentle push of her hair from her face to keep it out of the way of her heaving. He made his way to Eir’s room, knocking a bit frantically. Luna answered a few moment later, half awake and semi clothed.
“Di—what—?” She asked around a yawn and Dimitri gave her a nervous smile.
“Luna I need Eir.” She gave him a puzzled look before sighing.
“Fine...and I just got him to put that book down to sleep...” She muttered the last bit, shutting the door behind her. There was the sound of shuffling, a giggle, and then a bit of confused mumbling before Eir finally emerged, hair a mess and his expression a bit sleep addled. He opened his mouth to protest the hour, but Dimitri shook his head and spoke up first.
“It’s Nes. Pleas, something is really wrong and she can barely get words out before she’s vomiting again.” His fear and upset made Eir’s annoyance ease and turn to empathy and concern.
The pair were to the room almost immediately, Eir tugging on a shirt as to be a bit more decent in front of the ailing woman.
The smell of bile and the sound of her groans made Eir move closer to the bed, ignoring Dimitri who was pale and pacing, biting his thumbnail in an attempt to keep his worry to himself.
“Nesryn, I’m going to do a brief evaluation and then I can give you something to help stop the nausea. I just want to be sure I’m not damaging something else.” He let a glowing hand trace her forehead, a frown coming to him. “Hm no fever...” He traced her arm and found her pulse was a little elevated but nothing major. However, as he grazed closer to her abdomen, he found tension there and her pulse was rapid—how was there a change? Why was it beating so fast with an odd rhythm like there was more than one— He blinked, his eyes widening some. He swallowed and made eye contact with her as though questioning her. Did she know about the child? If she didn’t he needed to do what he could to be sure he helped.
He cleared his throat and pulled his hand away as he checked her pale. “No blood. Only lightly digested contents. Just upset stomach...” Dimitri’s eyes widened at the mention of it just being upset stomach. She was doubled over and miserable and they said this was normal and fine?!
“Eir this is not just upset stomach. Look at her she’s miserable! I don’t know what you healers are thinking but she’s clearly not okay! This has been going on for weeks!” Dimitri couldn’t help the worry was making him snappy, especially as he was currently helping to tie Nesryn’s hair back and holding the pail to help her.
“Dimitri I promise she’s okay. I’ll just give her some ginger and lemon and we can get some water into her system—“
“Then get that for her, Eir. Meanwhile I’m taking her to another healer on the island. Someone has to know what will help her.” He said as he began rousing Nesryn, pale panic still on his face.
“That isn’t necessary. She will be fine with some tea, I swear. This is temporary.” Eir snapped back as he returned from the kitchen after boiling some water for her.

Agnar Skyf-Khodit'
Location: Physically? Arcadia, Celestialan Tower. Mentally? Someplace else.
Accompanying: This bunch

Agnar gave a small smile at the woman, ears turning a bit pink as she used the nickname he’d so adamantly refused to begin with. Now he didn’t seem to mind so much. He listened to her brief but very full summary of her last week or so and nodded. He didn’t stare at her too long and resigned to bashfully rubbing that persistent scuff out of his axe-head as he always grew too shy if she paid him much mind.
His gaze switched to Genevieve and he quickly found that the attention Adair held needed to be directed elsewhere as their leader entered. He supposed he should sit in his proper place now in the same sort of chair Adair and the rest had sat in. He’d simply chose the stool as he was not a fan of the ‘offciality’ and pomp of the allocated seats. But seeing that there was quite a few newcomers he supposed it would serve as a way of introduction. He stood, the stool giving a slight groan at his mass and moved to the seat with his zodiac. It was an intimidating thing, a mass of welded steal with the ram’s head circled in flames but what was more intimidating to those who didn’t know him was his height. At 6’1’’ he felt as though he almost had to duck to avoid the opulent chandelier as he moved himself to sit. He glanced about and set his axe down, leaning it against the chair.
“Are we going to wait for the others before you tell us the agenda? Or can we start already?” It wasn’t rude or accusatory, just straightforward and blunt like he always was.

They came to a stop eventually and Nesryn folded her arms and looked at her husband with a small sigh. It warmed her that he couldn’t even bring himself to try and attack her, but it worried her that his tender nature might mean he would hesitate against a real enemy if it ever came to a fight. He showed promise with knives, but then again he’d seemed to hold back from her. She doubted very much that anyone else on this peaceful island had training like hers, so he was devoid of any sparring partners save her. Her stomach gave a small twinge of guilt as she imagined how beside himself he’d be if he found out that he was not only sparring his wife, but sparring his pregnant wife. Luckily she had decided to keep that under wraps until at least a month. At this point she estimated she was nigh on three weeks. Not late enough to ensure the safety of her child, but not too late that it would be upsetting when she revealed it.

She moved forward to lean up and brush his hair out of his face, “You’ve done well today hearts fire. If only you didn’t try and pull your throws...” she pressed a kiss to his lips gently and her hands did a cheeky little run down the front of his chest as she like to do occasionally. However, she paused her actions and drew back quickly, nausea welling up in her again. All-Mother why!?
She moved off to the edge of their yard to give an uncertain heave, nothing at first. But before a few moments she had quite emptied the contents of her stomach. She took Dimitri’s hand shakily and looked up at him with a gentle look at his worry. It was just morning sickness... but she remained aligned with her original ‘verdict’ from the healer.
“It’s okay, it just needs to pass through my system. It’ll be over soon enough-“

She would remember those words a few weeks later when she found herself in bed and unable to move for fear of making herself feel any more ill than she was. She gave a small whimper and reached to shake Dimitri awake.
“C-could you go get E-“ her request was cut off when she was forced to sit up and pull the bucket from under her bed the heave in. A groan escaped her and tears pricked her eyes.
Surely pregnancy wasn’t meant to be this bad-
She held her stomach and curled up with a whimper.

Damon came forward with a warm smile and nodded to both Vanessa and her friend, noticing the banter between them but not hearing a word of it. He had admired the performance greatly as she had sung well. Though he seemed to notice she didn’t sing as freely as she did out in the open air when no one was watching, this was definitely a performance for paying crowds. He gave a wave and then a small bow.
“That was a fantastic performance. The crowd loved it-“ he paused as he realised that made it sound like he didn’t like it “Oh- I-I liked it too of course. Very nice.”

He showed his palms face up, they were red with rope burn and he gave a sheepish chuckle, “Next time I shall bring my gloves, no?”

He stood there awkwardly a few moments as the women stared at him, “I uh- I should probably head home? I have an early start tomorrow, of course at the...” he remembered that perhaps his occupation wasn’t something he should mention. After all, Vanessa had introduced him as ‘Lord Roux’ which he was not of course. Perhaps it was best to share little of himself.

Rayner Brandt
Location: Prisma's Lair
Accompanying: Prisma Phantasia, Gastelle, Selene Gaspard, Germund Brandt, some kid Rayner hasn’t seen before

Rayner felt heavy on his feet as he made to move toward a horse, only to pause when he was stopped by Gastelle’s arm landing heavily on him. Rayner balked at the idea that Gastelle ‘had him’ as he was a knight and could bloody well take care of himself. But he paused from griping at the man when he felt the arm tighten its hold, as if to hold Rayner close protectively. That sent a warmth through him, one that caused his heart to beat rapidly and his eyes to avert to the ground. Sh*t, he was blushing in front of these people. He could almost feel the red creeping into his neck and up to his cheeks. How could this man be that bold when literally Rayner had screwed thing up with that odd display nights before. That clumsy kiss in the alley was a strange thing that Rayner still didn’t understand and still wanted to...Maybe once they made it back to Alessandria...
Serve spared the pair a roll of her eyes, since it was honestly a shock seeing how Gastelle could get to Rayner. Maybe Gastelle wasn’t fibbing when he once joked about the knight melting the moment Gastelle so much as passed him a glance. She would have to get the Elvi man to teach her that one...”Alrighty boys. If we’re done here I’m ready to get out of the cold. My ass is starting to get numb.” She said before walking past and ruffling Sir D'eltronne‘s hair affectionately. Even if he was young and dumb, he was an impressively strong fighter and she liked his moxie. In a few years he would make one hell of a Knight that she wouldn’t mind helping to train. “You heard him. Let’s move.”
Rayner took up the horse, even if his eyes were falling shut as they rode. He was ready for sleep and ready to be knocked out quickly...

Germund spared Prisma a look that was a bit harsh at first, but softened towards the woman. How could he be rude to pretty face? “I think he will, with some pushing from the others. He’s hardy and will take up the mantle with commitment. You can’t raise that drive in a child and he had it when I pulled him out of that mine.” He gave her a pat on the shoulder, eyes meeting her’s. “You deserve this break Prisma. Your daughter is counting on it. Don’t be like me and miss out because the job became more important...” He gave her a gentle nudge before straightening his belt. “Well if my contract is up here, I’ll expect your college to pay. Friends discount of course...”
~~~~~
It was a good week and a half before they reached Alessandria and Rayner had spent much of his first days back sleeping and eating. He just felt like he couldn’t gain that energy back. On the eve of his third day out of commission he decided to break his streak of hibernation and invited his rescue party out for drinks and cards at his place. He made sure to get the good stuff, the bottles that Alessandrian nobility sought after and his contacts in the higher society types could get him. Of course since Sir D’eltronne was a child, he grabbed a few weaker brews and sweet drinks to protect the boys stomach and brain.
It was toward the end of the night that everyone was particularly hammered, Selene hiccuping occasionally as she loosened the strings on her shirt. She kept saying it was so hot in the room but Rayner forbid her from pulling the top off despite her protesting. She was cleaning Rayner out of his hard earned money on a few choice games of cards. However, her current state hinted she wouldn’t be long for rest. Something she acknowledged as she rose. “Well this lady is going home before I pass out on your floor. Kid, come on let’s get you back to the barracks before someone misses you.” She said, motioning for young Kasper to follow. She had quickly taken him under her wing as a younger sibling as Selene had a few younger brothers who all grew up to be shitty people. Hopefully this one wouldn’t as he had a good head on his shoulders.
Rayner spared Selene a slightly worried look as she stumbled, about to offer his floor when she shot him a wink. That made him pause in confusion before she pulled him in for a hug. “I think you and Mr. hunk of an Elvi need some alone time. Ya know, to talk our feelings or rip each other’s clothes off. I don’t know. But you’re starting to make me crazy with the way you’ve been eyebanging each other all night.” Rayner turned bright red at Selene’s whispered insinuation, even if he did spare Gastelle another glance. Sure, in his drunk mind he had been discretely checking the Elvi man out after not seeing him for a few days. Was it possible he became more attractive in that time apart? But why would he feel this attraction? Why did he see a man that way. He had always looked at men and admired them when they were attractive, but never let his mind go into the idea of putting hands on them...all until stupid Gastelle, the man he now considered a friend and ally, showed his face in this town.
“You’re a troublemaker. You know that?” Rayner muttered back before letting the woman go to collect her things. He began picking up a few glasses and placing them by a washing basin nearby. It would be a problem for the morning...
“So are you too drunk for another round?” Rayner asked, a blond brow raising at Gastelle to see if he was staying or going...