"What do you mean, am I sure I'm pregnant? Of course I'm sure!" Edea tried not to raise her voice at the doctor, but that was a ridiculous question.

The doctor, a man by the name of Armstrong, flipped to another page on the clipboard of paper Edea had filled out when she'd arrived in the hospital, seemingly unfazed by the woman's outburst. But at her side, Ringabel tensed, and grabbed her arm before she could hop off the table.

"I'm certain you know if you are, or aren't," the man tried to clarify. "Women have a knack for knowing. But we need to have it on our record here. We'll have to do a test."

"You're not talking about the rabbit test, are you?" Edea asked, cringing. Agnès would never forgive her! "I've already seen proof - I had some sort of ultrasound done in Ancheim."

Dr. Armstrong looked at her as though she'd grown two heads. "Ultrasound?"

"It was this image, black and white, that showed the inside of .. .this," she tried to explain, gesturing to her stomach. She didn't really know how to explain it, but Ringabel took over, once again posing as Edea's husband and support.

"It's a… a new piece of equipment that can show the inside of the human body," he said haltingly, reminded himself at the last moment that Eisenberg was in the middle of a civil war in part because of Eternia's actions. "I believe it was something they obtained from Eternia, which of course…"

The other man's expression soured immediately. Ringabel thought he'd probably seen plenty of injuries as a result of Eternia's actions. "You're from Ancheim?"

From Eternia, but Ringabel was most certainly not about to share that with him. He slid his arm around Edea's waist. "We stopped in Ancheim so that the Wind Vestal could awaken the Wind Crystal," he said blithely. "As I'm sure you know well, a pregnant woman cannot fight when she's needed most, and well… Ancheim is woefully backwards. Eisenberg was recommended to us, as well your hospital specifically."

That seemed to mollify the doctor enough that he turned back to the paperwork. "Ancheim isn't as good as we are. But without seeing it for myself, and without a test for our records, we can't do this. It's policy."

"… how long will the test take?" Edea asked, resigning herself to it. "A week?"

"That's right, a week." The man turned back to her. "As soon as its on our records, we can take care of you. But the procedure itself - it's a potion - is dangerous enough that we can't risk giving it to a woman who we're not sure is pregnant." He proceeded to launch into an explanation of how it worked - how the strength of it was determined by how far along she was, and her weight. How it would never be fatal, but would cause her to get very sick if they gave her the wrong solution, and while she'd only feel mild discomfort if they got it right, it would take her a few days to recover - and nearly three times that if it was wrong.

That made sense. Edea sighed and leaned against the man who stood beside her. Even though they had managed to get her seen same-day without an appointment, courtesy of Datz's recommendation and pulling a favor with one of the nuses, she'd still have to wait. It was beginning to exhausting.

"Please," she decided. "The sooner we get this started…"

"It'll be finished soon," Dr. Armstrong assured her. "You've come to the right place."

By the time she was finished giving him what he would need for the test, she just wanted to burn off some of her irritation. A little sparring, perhaps. Certainly a trip to one of the restaurants, though there wasn't much they could offer in the way of sweets, given the war. She growled under her breath as she and Ringabel left the hospital.

He laughed, somewhat uneasily. "Just one more week, Edea. Then everything will be -"

"A week is forever!" she snapped. "You try being pregnant for a week." And it wasn't "just" a week. By now, more a week had passed since she'd first told Ringabel she was pregnant, and her decision was becoming harder to face the more time that passed. She knew now that Ringabel truly didn't want her to do this, though he had yet to actually tell *her* that, and given how he was likely attached… she just wanted to finish this. Rip off the bandage so they could begin healing.

Ringabel took a step backwards, seemingly without meaning to. "That would certainly be an interesting experience. But — soon, Edea. Please…"

She fell silent. "Let's find Datz and eat, okay?"

Ringabel wanted to get this done just as much as she did. The longer that she went carrying his baby, the more he was getting used to it. The more he was falling in love with the idea of being a father, holding out hope that Edea might change her mind. Sometimes, he even fantasized that somehow the baby might actually turn out to be a result of the Crystals' interference and be immortal, a blessed child that could be loved and accepted by all. It was ridiculous, he knew, but his heart was betraying him everytime he looked at Edea and his eyes would drift to her stomach. He didn't know if she had yet noticed, but he had felt it that morning - a tiny little firm bump that hadn't been there before.

He hadn't told her either.

Instead, he lead her to the army supply store that Datz had pointed out to him in a world past, and while he didn't have the clearance to enter, they could wait outside.

Edea nibbled on a street vendor's fried sausage while they waited. She was so, so hungry and though she'd tried to eat breakfast, nerves had prevailed over her usually robust appetite. She'd been reckless as of late, going a bit stir-crazy with the inactivity, but now she'd have to be good again, wouldn't she?

"I think we should stay in Hartschild for the week," Ringabel said aloud, tapping his leg.

She looked over at him, eyebrow raised. "For a week? What could we do?"

"There's plenty to do, I'm sure, and I've more than enough pg to support us for much longer than that. I didn't know how much this would cost, so I brought half of our group funds."

She nodded. That was… a lot of money. But she was thankful he'd thought ahead. "But why stay?"

"I'm sure we can think of a story to pass along - waiting on a special order to be completed, for instance. Or perhaps waiting for new stock. Both? In any case, the longer we can stay in Hartschild, the less that Airy will be pressuring us to go to the Fire Temple to awaken the Crystal." He'd been thinking of stories to tell for a while, really.

Edea was silent for a moment. "We could go and awaken it, then return with more than enough time before the week is up." It would be a welcome fight.

He nearly cut her off with his quick reply. "No. I don't…. I don't want you fighting like this." He reached over to pat her tummy, not caring how it looked. "And do you think Agnès would accept that?"

Luckily, Edea smiled rather than smack him. "She'd find it absolutely unacceptable, I'm sure." Her hand covered his and she finished eating with her free hand while he moved closer. No one spared them a glance as they went in and out of the building, and after some time, Datz emerged with a large box.

"You're done already?" he asked, eyes wide.

"There was a bit of a hiccup," Ringabel said, and explained the situation. The test, the waiting, the idea of staying in Hartschild.

"There's an inn near the hospital, mostly for military wives who want to visit their husbands while they've been admitted. The suites are more like apartments - I've been in them once - and they are open to civilians when there's vacancies. Just might be expensive."

Ringabel considered it. "We should… consider that, shouldn't we, Edea?"

The woman beside him nodded. It would make their stay more comfortable, and if they were trying to avoid Airy, finding an inn that she wasn't familiar with was really the first step. She hated the idea of hiding out away from the fairy, but Airy could be ruthless in her quest to awaken the crystals!

"Well, what've you got there?" Ringabel asked the older man as they headed in the right direction.

"Some supplies that the Proprietress asked for," Datz explained. "And a couple of the big blocks of cheese that they sell for Zatz. And I needed some more fabric and thread for sewing."

Ringabel declined to comment on that last bit. "Then nothing for the dungeon and volcano we'll need to cross? Perfect. Would you be willing to relay a message, Datz?"

The message that he had Datz relay, was that Ringabel was intending on commissioning some new items from one of the merchants, but it would take time. At least two weeks, and then he also wanted to splurge and buy enough sunblock to last them months, and of course the store had just sold out of their best stock. It absolutely *had* to be that kind. It would be better if Ringabel and Edea waited for the supplies to come and stay in the city itself, especially to communicate frequently with the merchant who was making the custom order.

"I don't understand," Edea told him as they waited in the lobby of Katz Inn, after Datz dropped them off. "How do you come up with these things? And don't you feel even the slightest bit of shame for lying?"

He grinned at her, waggling his eyebrows. "Who says I'm lying, my dear? Maybe I do have innocent and pure intentions of commissioning one of the fine weapon masters here?" He was proud of himself for thinking it, and fully intended to make good on that! A new sword for Edea would be lovely, and Agnès could perhaps benefit from a pretty staff that looked like the one they'd found broken in the Wind Temple. And for Tiz, a shield of course.

She rolled her eyes. "Very well, you have innocent and pure intentions this once. But don't think I'm not going to hold you to it."

He knew that she would.

As soon as they were checked in fully, Ringabel left Edea behind in the inn so that he could go and fetch them dinner, and a few supplies to make their stay more comfortable - Datz hadn't been lying when he said the inn was more like an apartment, and while Ringabel had never lived in one himself, he knew they'd need the bare necessities if they wanted to be comfortable.

Edea was a little bored, but she waited for him to return, wandering around the suite and feeling like an odd, awkward housewife as she took stock of the supplies in the fridge (it was empty), opened the windows to let in some air, wiped down the dustier surfaces, and made sure the bed was made and ready for them.

She sat on the edge of it and ran her fingers over the edge. There was only one bed - Ringabel had once again fibbed to the receptionist and explained that they were waiting on a custom order for their baby's crib, and would need to be in the city for at least two weeks. She'd smacked his arm for that particular lie, but the man behind the counter hadn't noticed.

She wished Ringabel would just - stop being attached. Was it too much to hope for and wish that he would wake up tomorrow morning with no feelings about her procedure at all? That he'd stop looking at her so sadly in the moments when he apparently thought she wouldn't notice? She sighed, and ran a hand over the top of her stomach, then paused.

A full minute went by before she stood up and went into the bathroom, the door bouncing back at her due to the force she put behind the movements.

She wasn't wearing her Sky Knight uniform, for obvious reasons, and the plain, cotton blouse that she'd chosen was easily pulled up over her belly. Edea stood in front of the mirror, turning around and caressing her stomach with one hand while she placed the other at her back. If she stood at a proper 90 degree angle from the mirror, and leaned back just a little - she could see the hint of a bump in her abdomen, and touching it made the firmness of her skin obvious.

Oh Crystals, she was already beginning to show.

Desperately, she tried to do the math in her head, then counted on her fingers the days and weeks that had passed since conception, but - maths had never been her strong point, and the change between worlds made it difficult to really comprehend how much time had passed. It took her longer than she would like to admit, and a few pieces of paper, to finally figure it out. When she saw the number, she cringed and got into the bed specifically to press her face into her pillow.

And an hour later, when the door to their suite opened and she could hear Ringabel entering with a few bags, she went to greet him, a frown on her face.

"I bought sugar," Ringabel told her first thing when he noticed her expression. "It was expensive, but I thought perhaps we could make brownies for you."

If he thought sweets would appease her, he was - well, he was mostly right, she thought as she went to unpack the sugar and flour. "I'd love brownies," she admitted, her mood vastly improved at the the mere thought of them.

"There's enough for several batches," Ringabel informed her, and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "Maybe some cookies, too. Just ah, let me help you cook."

"I'm not that fragile," she snapped at him, irritated.

"I'm not referring to your condition," he replied. "Simply that you are a bit of a disaster in the kitchen, though I do think you're adorable in an apron and with flour on your nose."

She blushed now. She'd only started a fire the once!

Instead of replying, she turned to help him unpack and put away their supplies… which was mostly food. That made sense - they both had brought changes of clothes, as was usual any time they thought they'd be staying overnight someplace, but hadn't thought about meals. There were also toiletries - toothbrushes and soap, and other small domestic items that made her skin crawl when she realized it was like they living together for a little while.

Living in sin, she thought as she packed the small pantry full.

As they finished emptying out the bags he'd brought, Edea came across a small box that she threw at his head. It bounced off his pompadour and into the sink.

"Condoms? You really bought condoms?"

Ringabel laughed nervously as he fetched the box and tucked it into a pocket. "I wanted to be safe, rather than sorry. We will be here for some time."

Later that night she realized that he was right to be safe, because it was much more convenient to have sex with him when he was firmly wrapped up and couldn't get her dirty. She curled up in his arms and kissed his face, and she moaned her approval as he depleted the tiny box he'd purchased.

She went with him the next day to buy more.

Edea couldn't help but keep her eyes out for the latest fashions, even in a city as utilitarian as Hartschild, and stopped in front of a store catered to women's fashion. Ringabel noticed, and came back for her.

"Would you like to go inside?" he asked politely.

She eyed the red dress in the front window… it did have a very nice looking hem. "Sure," she replied.

"Let's go," he offered, and she tucked her arm into his as he walked her to the door and held it open for her.

The stock inside was woefully small, but that wasn't the fault of the merchant, she thought miserably as she browsed. The red dress in the front window luckily came in her size, but she kept looking even still, chatting with Ringabel about the fabrics used and the cut on certain dresses.

When she started noticing the practical colors making way to more feminine, bright, and rather obnoxious fabrics, she looked up and noticed she'd walked into the maternity section.

The universe seemed intent on reminding her of what she couldn't have.

Ringabel picked at a nearby shirt with some distaste. It was a bright, neon pink, as though whomever had dyed it had never seen a real flower before. "This is hideous," he commented, lip curling.

"Let's buy it," Edea said before her mind could remind her of what a terrible idea that was, and he looked over at her. "I'm pregnant, aren't I? I might as well."

Indulging herself in stupid, stupid impulses, she thought as they decided on a more muted shade of pink, closer to white. They were both quiet as they paid for her items and left.

"I should return this," she said just as soon as they left the store. "I'm so stupid."

"A-at least try it on?" Ringabel suggested. "It's a nice cut, and colour. Perhaps it will look good as a regular shirt for you."

She swallowed hard, but nodded her head, and Ringabel treated her to molasses candy before they went on to their next destination, stopping at another shop to put in a bulk order for sunlotion.

Walking around with the thick blanket of heat that covered the city due to the volcano, and with her body aching because of her baby made her very irritated, very fast, and the couple decided to have lunch in the inn, Ringabel cooking up something quickly for them. She watched him from the attached living area, once again grimacing at how domestic this all was. Just the two of them, the three of them.

"Here you are, my lady," he said, setting down her plate with a flourish. She gave him thanks in the form of a kiss on his cheek, and it lightened the mood enough that they joked and bantered over their meal over his domestic talents and his skill at being a housewife.

"I'm going to stay and take a nap," she told him as she finished up eating, having decided to get seconds. "You can go outside and be as hot as you'd like, but I'm going to stay here, where there's a little bit of cold air." She had no idea how they did it, what terrible magics they used, but both rooms in the suite had big fans that could blow cold air, and she loved it. Other countries needed to use the same technology, in her opinion. Except Eternia, of course.

Ringabel smiled at her. "That is just as well. I do have those items to commission, after all." After last night's activities, he'd gotten out of bed to sketch his ideas out, but he hadn't yet had a chance to stop by a weaponsmith and ask for them. It would be better if it was a surprise, even for Edea.

"Oh, right. Your little lie."

"I'm not lying," he said defensively, pouting. "I never lie! Well… I hardly ever lie. Only when necessary, you know. I'm a good boy."

"Except when it comes to me", she thought a little bitterly, but when his eyebrow shot up, she realized she'd actually said that aloud.

"Edea?"

She bit her lip, and stabbed at the slab of meat on her plate. "You won't tell me if you want this baby."

Ringabel exhaled; she didn't look up at him. "I've told you, my love. I fully support whatever decis-"

"That's not what I'm asking you!" she cried, looking up at him."I need to know if you want this baby!"

"What difference does it make?" he bit back, and she was somewhat alarmed by the tone in his voice, very different than it had been just a moment ago. "You've got to make this decision, Edea. And this is the right one. You cannot have a baby right now, we both know this. My opinion - my wants - do not matter."

"You want me to have this baby, don't you?" she asked him, and he went silent. She chanced to look up at him, and his face was stony as he played with the bits of food on his plate. "You'd like to have a baby. With me."

Ringabel had to swallow before he replied, and his voice was somewhat thick. "I - I've told you, Edea, I - "

"Ringabel. Yes or no. If you try to with answer anything else so help me I will cut off your hair in the middle of the night."

He lifted a hand to his head to cover his hair, but did not speak.

"Ringabel!"

"Yes," he finally said, and she breathed. That was all she'd wanted. Just a stupid yes or no answer from him. And now… things could get better, couldn't they? He continued when she said nothing. "Yes, I would like you to have that baby, give birth to my child, start a family with me… but we can't."

As his voice grew thicker, a little deeper, she reached over to touch his hand. When he looked up at her, their eyes met. "Thank you for being honest with me," she said, as gently as she could muster. That was what she had wanted most. "I… I'm sorry, Ringabel."

And now she felt a bit angry with herself for pushing him like that, because he could only nod at her words, his eyes bright.

She tried to finish eating, the two of them sitting there in silence for a while, but her appetite was gone, vanished somewhere into the ether along with the lies he'd been giving her, and she picked at the remainder of it until deciding that she wanted to take a nap. Standing up, and picking up his discarded plate as well, she said nothing to him until she got into the kitchen.

"You need to go out, don't you?" she asked as she started cleaning up. He'd cooked, she cleaned. It was just polite.

"Yes, I do," he said slowly as he joined her in the small kitchen.

She offered him something of a smile. "Go on, then. I'll wait for you."

Even though she didn't mean to play at 'House' with him - didn't really want to do it, she had grown out of playing House with Alternis at a very young age, in favor of playing knights and dragons - she had to admit there was something peaceful in the way she walked him to the door to hug his waist as he left, letting him kiss the top of her head. Something a little fun in the way she started planning their evening meal, and the way she tidied up around the suite before relaxing in bed.

At least for today, she told herself. If she had to be housewife every day she'd go absolutely mad. She missed fighting and being active, dragging Ringabel around the latest city or village they had stopped in to go shopping. Her baby was just going to make things even more difficult, especially as she gained weight.

But being alone gave her time to think, and she rolled over onto her side so that she could run her fingers over her stomach.

Last night, after eating dinner and most of the brownies Ringabel and she had made together, they'd gone to bed and made love. A lot of love, she thought with a grin, biting down on her lip and reaching for his pillow to hold. He'd wanted to give her some comfort after the day's events, and he'd been so gentle and attentive and had made her laugh, even though he'd spent more time kissing her stomach than he did kissing her.

She was grateful that he still showed his love to her, and though a part of her wondered if he still would after everything was said and done, another part knew that he probably would like to… just as much as he wanted her to keep the baby.

Things were getting complicated. Even though she'd wanted - needed - him to be honest with her, now that she had confirmation on what his true feelings were regarding the situation, she had to handle it carefully. Had to handle him carefully before she broke him again.

It just wasn't possible to have this child, she reminded herself. Not when she was needed to round out their group of fighters. Not when Airy was so suspicious and so close. Not when the future of all Luxendarcs was hanging in the balance. Not when she wouldn't be able to give birth in her own world, with her own parents for support. Not when she wasn't in love with Ringabel.

And yet, she closed her eyes and settled in for a nap, thinking of ways to make it work. Perhaps they could distract Airy while her pregnancy progressed? Make it seem like Agnès was the one preg - no that wouldn't work. Perhaps they could pretend she had come down with a deadly diseases, cooties, and would need to rest until the cooties were removed from her body. Or… she and Ringabel could become international spies, agents of mystery, travelling the world and going undercover to monitor the Duchy and take out those fighting for evil. No one would suspect a pregnant lady as she stabbed them in the back, after all. She liked that idea.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face, and woke up when her need to go the bathroom grew to great… and when she realized that despite the fans, it was far too warm in the suite, and that there was - something burning?

Edea sat up with quickly, her heart pounding, and hurried to the other room - then stopped as she realized that Ringabel had returned, he'd left the window open, and he smelled *terrible*.

"You went to the weaponsmith after all," she said. He smelled like he'd just walked out of an iron furnace!

He was bent over the table, working on something in his hands, and he jumped a little at the sound of her voice. "I told you that I would," he replied somewhat sheepishly, covering whatever his latest project was with a piece of polishing cloth.

She knew that her sense of smell had sharpened in the past few weeks under the influence of hormones, but it was never quite as obvious as now, standing so close to a man that smelled like brimstone and solder and sweat. Edea wrinkled her nose at him. He'd managed to keep his clothes relatively clean, but still… her stomach churned.

"Get in the bath," she threatened. "Or I am going to cast Blizzard on you."

He hastened to stand. "Now, Edea. Surely you remember the last time you cast Blizzard indoors…"

She took a step toward him and he took a step backwards, hands up in a gesture of surrender, though it didn't stop her from grabbing his collar. "And you left the windows open!"

"For some fresh air," he admitted, his hand wrapping around her wrist. "Though it is rather warm, I admit. Did I wake you?"

"Mgrgrgr," she growled. "No, *you* didn't. The baby did." She let go of his collar in favor of moving past him so that she could close the window. He'd probably opened it because he knew he smelled but hadn't wanted to disturb her and take a shower, now that she thought of it. It hadn't quite worked.

"The baby - it's not kicking is it?" he asked, his tone somewhat alarmed.

"What? Of course not, it's far too early for that," she replied, raising an eyebrow as she faced him. As least that's what she thought… she shouldn't be feeling any movement until she was much further along. Not that she really knew anything about pregnancy aside from what her tutors had told her and what little bits seemed to be tribal knowledge. "So go on, into the bath with you!"

Of course, she made him wait just a couple of minutes while she used the bathroom first and as he undressed, keeping the door open so they could talk.

"He let me make a few blows to a sword he was making," Ringabel explained loudly from the bedroom as he folded his clothes up carefully and set them aside. "Very interesting…. I can imagine it would take years of dedicated practice to be any good. I wasn't quite as strong or confident as he."

She listened to him continue on about the detail the smith had been going into on the design in the steel, and how he was making his own handle as well, and the leather to go around the hilt and she found herself smiling as he described how perhaps once everything was said and done, he'd go into that profession. Ringabel, weaponsmith!

"I thought you were going to be a painter," she pointed out as she opened the bathroom door more fully. "And a romance novel writer. And a lover of women worldwide?"

Ringabel stuck his tongue at her. "I can multi-task! Romance by night, hardened steel by day! Oh, I think I've got the title for my first novel now…:"

He had a burn on his arm, she noticed as he swept past her to start the shower, and she followed him into the bathroom, trying not to take notice of anything else, like his pale skin and the scars across the expanse of his well-toned back and - yep, she was not looking at his behind, she decided, glancing into the mirror instead.

"Are you supervising?" he asked over his shoulder, confused and unsure.

"I'll wash your back," she offered, but pointed the burn out to him. "Be careful with that - or would you like me to heal it?"

"I… didn't even notice," he admitted, and she rolled her eyes.

"Wait there."

She joined him in the shower as soon as she was disrobed and though the steam only made the smell of his adventure that more sharper, it eventually faded in favor of the scented soap that she helped to lather over his skin - as soon as she was done healing his arm, at least.

"Thank you," he said quietly, running his hand over the slightly pink skin.

"You needn't thank me for that," she replied, scrubbing her hands over his broad back. The grime came off easily with the help of the soap, leaving behind skin that would be clean and unblemished were it not for the scars that covered it. She traced a few them with her fingers, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"I got that one when I was… younger," he explained, as she touched a particularly nasty looking one in his shoulder. "Stabbed by another boy."

"Ouch," she said, wincing. It looked deep. How could he have survived all the pain and hatred that had been thrown at him? How did he continue to do so still?

"Well, we were fighting. Don't worry, you should have seen him," his tone was light as he spoke about it, but he reached behind and moved her hands away.

It was only when he turned to face her that she realized they were together in the bath. Alone.

It wasn't necessarily the first time they'd bathed together, due to water shortages on Grandship (though they'd at least kept their underthings on then), and it wasn't the first time they'd been nude together, obviously. But there was something different in how close they were, the tender way that his hands ran across her shoulders while hers continued to wipe away the filth on his chest, watching the water collect dirt and make its way down to his stomach, his hips and down his legs, swirling around their feet in tan colored water mixed with bubbles. She wrinkled her nose.

As her eyes made their way back up his form, they stopped at his manhood, and she bit her lip, trying not to smile.

"Really, Ringabel?" she asked, and one of her hands moved to grasp him. He squeaked.

"It just - it just does things on its own!" he protested, but he didn't stop her as she started to work him. "It's possessed, likely."

"Oh, is that what it is?" she laughed, but shifted a little bit on her feet. "A likely story."

It really should have been too early in the day - it wasn't even dark outside - to entertain the idea of sex, but as she abandoned his member in favor of helping him with his hair, and then recruiting his help in washing her own hair, her back, her stomach, the smell of ash was replaced with a clean scent that was all his - all theirs, she realized. And she liked it. She leaned back against him as his hands rubbed suds across her lower stomach. The water underneath them was nearly clear.

"I think I'm beginning to show," she confessed in a quiet tone. He paused.

"I believe, so, yes…you're beautiful."

"Getting fat," she growled. She needed to get this taken care of before it became too late!

"You're pregnant, Edea," he reminded her, and she could feel him laugh slightly. "Beautiful. Practically glowing."

"You're a bit biased, don't you think?" When he fell silent, she continued to clarify. "You always think I'm beautiful! Me, and every other girl in existence. No matter if I'm covered in blood, or dirt, or wearing green pants with a pink shirt."

He shuddered. "You'd never make such a terrible fashion choice, you and I both know that." But he kissed the top of her head. "You are beautiful, no matter the condition you're in, and I do love you," he finished, so softly that she almost didn't hear it.

"You think you'll love me forever, don't you?" she asked, and the question came out more bitter than she would have liked.

Ringabel was quiet for another moment before he pulled away, and turned her to face him. She frowned at him, the lukewarm water - they'd been in too long - hitting the back of her head and running down her face, bringing some of her hair with it. His own hair, long and limp and clinging to his face, nearly obscured his fair features. If he wanted a heart-to-heart talk, this was hardly the ideal location.

"Edea, why wouldn't I love you forever?" he asked, and the instant the words were out of his mouth, he blushed. "Have I not told you that you are the one for me, this whole time? Since the day you came into my life?"

"You loved the Angel in the book, not me," she pointed out. She'd been more than happy to destroy his ideal expectations every day, one action at a time. "And even now, I feel as though you still cling to that image when you think about the woman that you love. You may be kind to me, but I don't think you'd want to love me for the rest of your life."

Her fingers curled over her stomach. She believed that, especially considering what she was going to do.

His hand touched hers.

"True… perhaps I based my initial affection on a woman who was too good to be true," Ringabel admitted. "She was perfect. Beautiful. Kind and loving and so very brave."

"And I'm not?"

He laughed a little nervously. "You're just as beautiful and kind. Very loving, and the bravest woman I know. But I am aware of your naughty side. Your sweet tooth… your loudness. Your recklessness. The way you don't hold your punches, even when sparring with people, and the way that you have a tendency to hog blankets at night, or steal food from other's plates when you don't think they're looking. You also like to pull pranks on people and make others laugh at my expense, such as that time you put swapped out glue for my hair gel."

"Excuse you, that was funny."

"You're an excellent fighter - of course you are, you learned from the best - but your magic skills are a bit lacking. You can be compassionate, but you also have a low level of patience. You have a very dirty mouth when you get angry, and you get angry so very easily," he purred, and she had a feeling they didn't have the same definition of dirty mouth. She was going to give him a dirty mouth if he kept it up.

"So you've made your point," she said, placing her finger on his mouth when he started to lean in. "I'm not perfect, and I'm not the angel in the book."

"No, but that doesn't make you any less deserving of love, Edea." He smiled at her. "Perhaps we should get in bed and talk about this some more, if you would like…? The water is getting cold." As soon as her finger was out of the way, he kissed her forehead.

The water was getting cold, and as soon as they were absolutely sure they were rinsed off, Ringabel helped her out of the bath.

"I wish you'd stop treating me like I'm made of glass," she snapped at him.

"Isn't it natural for a man to want to protect the lady most important to him?" Ringabel smiled at her as he scrubbed at his hair, debating on whether or not to style it again or just leave it down… perhaps so long as he didn't leave the inn, it would be fine.

"You don't see Tiz doing this for Agnès." Usually.

"That's a lie and you know it," Ringabel replied. "Granted, Tiz and Agnès don't take baths together."

"Nor is she pregnant with his child," Edea said, and the two blondes went quiet. Ringabel couldn't quite look at her as she wrapped herself in a robe and left the room, leaving him behind to flirt with the mirror or whatever it was that men did after showers.

The feelings that had been building up in her stomach while they'd been bathing were all but gone, and she decided that instead of waiting for him in bed, she'd try to make dinner for them both.

Ringabel came quickly, as soon as he realized her intentions, and they made dinner together. As they sat at the table and ate in silence, she realized they still had six days ahead of them until the test would be complete. If this was how things were going on just the second day, how on earth was she going to ever survive?

Being alone in an inn suite with Ringabel was boring, but they passed the time with card games and stories, and Ringabel drawing her like one of his Florem girls as a joke. A joke he claimed he was going to have framed and mounted in his room. Just six more days of this, she reminded herself with a groan as he had her sit down for another picture.

"So," she said much later as she settled against him in the bed. There was still a candle lit on his side of the bed, and he had an open book in his hand, but she could tuck herself under his arm and get comfortable enough to sleep. "Is that what you plan to do once you retire? Become a weaponsmith?"

"And a romance novel writer by night," he reminded her.

"Of course. But.. won't you return to Eternia with me?"

HIs hand started to stroke through her hair, an act that was comforting and comfortable… she wriggled closer to him, pressing her face into his clean chest. "I… shall consider it," he replied. "If you will still have me, that is."

It wouldn't be right if Ringabel didn't go back to Eternia. Perhaps it was not the country he had been born in, but it was the country that Alternis had come to adopt. She hoped it was a country that he could be happy in, especially if she were there!

"Don't avoid me," she pleaded. "Please don't avoid me."

There was a moment's pause before he set the book down, and carefully pushed her away from his chest so that he could look into her face. "Why on earth do you think I would avoid you, Edea?"

"Because of this," she said, and gestured between them toward her stomach. He grabbed her hand.

"Edea, please… I understand why you're doing this," he told her, and he looked up into his eyes. They were sad and bright, but she could see the acceptance in them. "I hold nothing against you - it's my fault in the first place."

They'd gone through this before, and that he would bring it up again just made her angry. "I was the one who suggested we sleep together. I told you come in me!"

"And as the older one, I should have known better."

She kicked him and he yelped, curling in slightly to rub his calf. "Stop taking all of this onto yourself," she told him, feeling a bit of satisfaction in the way he grimaced. "This is not your fault."

"It's not yours either then," he gritted out. "No mistakes were made, no regrets, no one's fault. Is that not what you told me?"

She didn't think that was quite what she told him, but his words did make her recall that she'd promised him she wouldn't regret. That she'd told him that she didn't regret sleeping with him that night. A part of her still didn't. And… a part of her wished it had never happened, because now she was pregnant and days away from terminating the life within her.

"… Sleep on the couch," she told him.

"I… what?"

"Please sleep on the couch, or I will," she muttered. She needed some time alone, some time to think! And didn't want to be in his arms tonight. That wasn't what she deserved.

Ringabel sat up slowly. "… I'll go," he said, and she could already see him mentally whipping himself for whatever he'd done to get her in a bad mood.

She was taking that bad mood out on him, and it wasn't fair, but she watched him gather up his pillow and an extra blanket from the closet.

"… Just for tonight," she decided to assure him, and she even got out of bed to follow him into the living room and help him make up the couch so that he could sleep on it.

"I'll be fine here," he said, tucking some of his hair behind his ear. "But will you - "

"Don't worry about me," she replied, crossing her arms. "Now get in so I can tuck you in."

He pouted, but did as she asked, and she smoothed his hair back and kissed his forehead as he settled onto the couch. As tall as he was, his feet hung over the edge, but she tucked his sides in all the same, leaving his hands free enough so that he could read the book he'd brought with him.

"Now sleep," she told him. "And tomorrow… we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied, saluting with a hand. "Sleep well. I am only a room away should you need me in the middle of the night."

She tried not to roll her eyes - he was the one who needed people in the middle of the night, that's what had caused this whole thing - and retreated back into the bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her.

The bed was still warm, but his scent was mostly gone. Still, Edea rolled around in it for a moment, relishing the vast amount of space that was hers, all hers.

As sleepiness began to grip her mind, she settled, curling up on her side and caressing her stomach as she tried to plan out the next few days in her head. She wasn't going to stay in the inn the whole time, she knew that. Perhaps they could go shopping again, this time for armor… ooh, would he let her go to the weaponsmith and hammer at steel too?

She went to sleep remembering how as a child, she had been taken to one of Eternia's weaponsmiths and watched him make her very first sword, how she'd been fascinated by the expert way he pounded at steel, sparks flying, shaping it into something that would fit her small hands.

The dreams that followed involved a different kind of pounding, and Edea woke when the sun hit her eyes through the curtain, groaning and shifting. She could still feel the ghostly sensations between her legs, and wasn't sure if she should be creeped out or turned on. Ghosts, she hated ghosts… and her stomach lurched unpleasantly at the mere thought of it.

Ringabel entered the bathroom as she hunched over the toilet.

"I thought your morning sickness was done," he said carefully as he brushed her hair out of the way.

"No," she admitted, straightening up. "I've been able to control the - the sick itself, but the nausea is still there." And now that she wasn't watching what she was eating and didn't have the Proprietress and her wonderful tea, it was even worse. Edea groaned and leaned back against him.

"I just took a shower last night," she whined. "I don't want another one this morning." But she was sweaty and disgusting.

"A bath, then?" he suggested, rubbing her stomach. "Then we'll eat breakfast and go." She'd been good at hiding her sickness from him, but now that he knew, he needed to prepare, make sure she was comfortable.

"A bath!" Edea declared. "Let's take a bath."

Even if he hadn't quite meant they should take a bath together, he did not turn down her invitation and helped her out of her clothing, careful and gentle in his touches, his fingers massaging her muscles as though to make up for the sickness their baby was forcing on her.

Breakfast would have to be lunch, Ringabel realized somewhat later, as Edea straddled his lap with a smile, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. They weren't leaving the inn anytime soon, it seemed, not that she appeared to care, as lovingly as she kissed him.

Only five more days of this… he'd have to endure.