Activity didn't start in the house until late in the morning. Storm Caller was busy going over the food inventories and making lists of what would need to be collected. Sammy was in the treasury going over how much money they had. Seyren had just finished pleasuring Karla when they finally came down the stairs first. Storm Caller gave Karla the shopping list for the day, and much of it was new furniture.

"Wait!" Kathryne said, as she came down the stairs. "I need these, too!"

"Oh?" Karla asked, as she looked over the recipe ingredients. "Why?"

"Sarine started to have odd cravings last night. Spicy stuff. Cold stuff. Even stuff in-between. I need to see if anyone is selling better cook books and other things to cook with."

"I'll look for you," Karla nodded.

"Unusual cravings!" Seyren mused.

"They think it's the nature of the twins," Kathryne nodded. That made Seyren blink and grin. A moment later, Lloyd and Margaretha came down the stairs to sit at the table. Then it was Cecil and Garrett.

"Love birds yet?" Seyren grinned.

"Not yet," Garrett chuckled. "We're taking it slow."

"Makes sense!" Mitchell said, as he came down the stairs to give Kathryne a kiss on the cheek, as he sat down.

"How is little sis?" Cecil asked.

"She's having cravings," Kathryne giggled. Cecil blinked at this news, and she smiled.

"Coming through!" Keltin said, as he escorted Sarine down the stairs. "She's famished! What do we have?!"

"Ugh," Sarine frowned. Howard set her down carefully. "This chair is cold!"

"I'll fix it," Doppy snorted and placed her in his lap.

"Irritable this morning," Eremes sighed. "Likely the demon twins."

"What was that?!" Sarine growled.

"Nothing, dear," Eremes mused and moved into the kitchen. He whispered to Karla to try to get ahold of some ice cream, and she nodded, as she wrote it down on her list.

"Why is it so hard?" Sarine frowned. Keltin moved to her side to soothe her calmly, and Howard was resting his forehead in his hands.

"I can tell you something that's hard," Doppy snickered and winced when she elbowed him. He did pause at how strongly she was able to jab at him. That was unlike her.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Sarine growled. "This...this pregnancy! Why am I acting like this? I just...I don't know..."

"It's not that bad," Keltin soothed softly. Cecil's eyes were wide open at the shock of how severe her moods were. Even Margaretha was concerned.

"Sarine," Howard said with a small sigh. Then he leaned forward to pull her towards him and kiss her passionately. That silenced her and made her blush. "From now on, every time you start up, I'll just kiss you and make you happy!"

"What?" she blinked, and he kissed her again. Doppy started laughing, but stopped rather quickly at Keltin's look. She sighed and winced.

"Sarine?" Eremes frowned, as he looked at her.

"Oh, boy. Um, take her outside so I can talk to her," Keltin said. "Now!"

"Yes, sir!" Howard grumbled and helped take her outside. On coming back inside, he winced at the onslaught of emotions that tore through him when her wall came down. His hands were in fists, as he struggled to keep from running out to her.

"Wow," Seyren said with genuine concern. "This...is bad."

"Keltin..." Howard gasped, as he fought back the tears. "has to take the brunt of her venting each time. I can't do it."

"Of course, you can't!" Doppy sighed. "At least she feels better afterwards."

"I know," Howard muttered and sat wearily at a table. Eremes could only watch, and he winced when he heard Sarine screaming. Yet, Keltin's soothing tone controlled her again, and the emotional wall was put back up.

"I think she's done," Doppy thought aloud.

"Finally," Howard gasped, as he wiped off the tears. Sarine walked back in shaking, and she went straight to Howard. He crushed her to him and shivered with her.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped, and he hugged her tightly. "I don't mean it!"

"Not your fault," he whispered softly. "It's all right, sweetheart. It's fine."

"What can we do?" Doppy frowned. "This obviously hurts her."

"I got it!" Karla grinned and had Luna fetch something out of her cart. "Eat this Sarine! Trust me! You'll feel so much better!"

"What?" Sarine blinked at the chocolate bar given to her. She never had chocolate like this before. The only time she had it was in the ice cream given to her last night, and she didn't realize what it was. On tasting it, she marveled at it and ate it quickly. Her foul mood quickly dwindled to nothing, as the powerful stuff did its magic.

"Do you have any more of that?!" Keltin demanded.

"I have a few. I'll pick up more when I look for food stuffs," Karla grinned. "Chocolate always works wonders when I get depressed. It's awesome stuff!"

"I have a recipe for Chocolate Mousse Cake with enough ingredients. I'll make a few of them," Kathryne nodded. "Just for her!"

"Mmm!" Sarine sighed and leaned back against Howard blissfully.

"Yeah. We need more chocolate!" Howard chuckled.

"I'll be sure to get more," Karla chuckled.

"Please do?" Eremes smiled. She nodded and added it to the list with the ice cream.

"We should only give it to her when she gets bad like this. Too much of a good thing can be bad after a while," Margaretha nodded.

"Does this mean I'm bad for you?" Lloyd teased. She gave him a look, and he chuckled, as he rubbed his hand over hers.

"So, how far have you two gotten?" Seyren grinned.

"That's not your concern," Margaretha growled at him. Donnie and Coraline came down the stairs and announced that they were going to Comodo to recruit for the arena performances. Storm Caller nodded and wished them luck. Sammy moved over to Sarine to monitor her health, and he frowned.

"What is it?" Howard asked.

"They are developing quickly. She may end up showing by the end of this week," he frowned. "Naght Seiger is a very powerful demon, and I am worried for her health."

At this, Howard got up and carried Sarine with him outside. Turning, he gestured for Sammy to follow. Eremes blinked and Cloaked to follow them, keeping far enough away to avoid detection. Outside at a safe distance from the house, Naght Seiger possessed Howard to an extent. He actually asked Howard if he could find out more, and the Whitesmith agreed. They were slowly working together to keep Sarine calm.

"Explain," Naght said, as Howard's pupils became the dull red pits to show he was listening. "What is going on with my offspring?"

"You know you are a powerful demon," Sammy started slowly to keep from angering him. "The children in Sarine are twins, as I'm sure you know. A girl and a boy. They are developing at such a pace that they could rip her open, if they get too big with accelerated growth. Her body needs to adjust to the changes naturally."

"Is there a way to slow them down?" Naght asked with genuine concern.

"I'm not sure. Even if we could see about slowing down their growth by half, it will help her immensely. I'm sure her body will adjust to them growing as they are now, but it will take a while for her to heal internally. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"Yes, I do. I thought that, with her being Odin's daughter, there would be some way that everything would have worked out," he admitted.

"The children will be a third Demonic, because of you, and human the rest from Howard and Sarine. But, because of your power, they will grow quickly," Sammy nodded.

"What will happen to me?" Sarine frowned.

"You shouldn't be getting mood swings or cravings until your second month. Even the third month! You see how this is making you act now?" Sammy sighed. "It worries me."

"We will be cautious," Naght vowed. Sammy nodded and headed back to the house. Naght turned with her in his arms to look out over the ocean.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I was thinking about what you said," he muttered, as he stood with her, his back straight, and his form fluid. "I think it would be best for me to separate from this body when the time comes. It would be nice to hold you in my own arms."

"Really?" she blinked, as he cradled her to him.

"Of course, I won't want to give you up," he grinned. She smiled and leaned into him more. He let out his own deep, Demonic purr, and she blushed.

"Do all demons purr?" she asked.

"Only when fully content. Something I haven't felt...ever," he mused. "I can see now why everyone loves you as they do."

She blushed softly again, and he kissed her deeply, grunting lightly when her hands came up to massage through his hair. Nuzzling into her now, he slowly relinquished control back to Howard. A sigh escaped him, as he kissed her again under his own control.

"How-How?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he smiled.

"Is it easier now?" she asked.

"Much," he nodded and hugged her tightly. Eremes Uncloaked and walked over to them. She looked over at him and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Eremes asked.

"Better. The chocolate helped," she nodded.

"I'm going to kiss Karla when I see her!" Howard said.

"Not in front of me!" she frowned, and he laughed, as he kissed her. Then she blinked and gasped in shock. Did I feel something move so soon?!

"What?" Eremes asked. She pulled Howard's hand over her belly, and he frowned. Then his mouth dropped at the small kick he was greeted with.

"Moving? Already?!" Howard gaped. Eremes put his hand over her belly and swore. They were growing quickly. Sammy was correct in his diagnosis.

"Sammy is right," Eremes frowned. "By the end of the week, you'll be showing. We need to find a way to slow them down, or you'll be giving birth at the end of the month. That would be too much of a strain on you."

"I don't know what to do," she sighed.

"It's okay. We'll think of something. Until then, we'll keep you happy and healthy," Howard said, as he kissed her forehead. "Should we go back?"

"Yeah," she nodded. Carrying her now, he looked at Eremes with a silent look of worry. Eremes was the same way. When they brought her back into the house, Eremes held up his hands before they could ask questions and told them what happened in verification to Sammy. When he said the twins were moving, Sammy was right at her side with his hands on her belly.

"It's true," Sammy frowned. Then pulled his hand away in surprise. "They kicked my hand! That's a strong kick!"

"What?!" Sarine asked with a grin.

"They did! They can sense me, and they kicked me away! Little buggers!" Sammy grinned and tried again. Already the twins were claiming hearts. He was exceptionally concerned at the fact that they were moving after only one day. That shouldn't have happened. All of the stress she was going through was clearly advancing their growth.

"Can I?" Seyren chuckled and she nodded. As he felt over her belly, he swore at a sharp kick to the palm of his hand. She giggled, and he looked at her with amazement.

"Demonic children," Doppy grinned and placed his hand on her belly. At a kick to his hand, he laughed. "They are already becoming aware. It's actually a bit natural."

"Is it?" Sammy asked.

"Yes. Especially with powerful demons. Children can hear inside the womb and react, if they can. Even in the state they are in now, it's a trait that cannot be ignored. They will know who all of us are when they are born," Doppy nodded.

"Amazing," Howard mused.

"But, it is only one that is really reacting to us," Doppy grinned. "Likely the boy. The girl may be more closely in-tuned with humanity. The boy will be a bit more Demonic. It's a natural trait. Although, I could be wrong."

"Interesting to know," Eremes nodded. Keltin felt her belly next and chuckled at the feel of them. Then Howard blinked, as Naght insisted to feel for himself. When he placed his hand over her belly, the offspring within her instinctively knew him and moved around. He chuckled and let Howard have control back. The others were in shock at it.

"May I?" Ifrit hissed from Eremes, and Sarine blinked at him. Nodding lightly, he felt them and seemed to twitch a grin. A mild heat wave came out from him, but it wasn't overbearing to show he was in a good mood.

"Who are you?" Seyren frowned.

"Ifrit," Eremes hissed, as he turned to face the Lord Knight. Garrett blinked, pressed a kiss to Cecil's cheek, and quickly left to go outside. His Paladin nature would normally make him attack the demons on sight. He didn't want to do that, since they were also his friends.

Howard watched Eremes warily at first before settling back down. An uneasy truce was carefully built between them until Ifrit was gone. Then things started to settle down completely. Doppy chuckled and looked at Sarine. Her jaw was set, and something was clearly bothering her.

"Sarine?" Keltin asked carefully.

"I'm okay!" she said quickly. "It's just a lot for me to take in right now."

"If you say so," Keltin nodded. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"I'm fine," she smiled, and Howard pressed a kiss to her forehead. Eremes was shivering a bit now, since his body heat was gone, and she gestured for him to come close so she could hug him. Normally, this wouldn't bother Howard at all. He was used to this. But, Naght was a different story all together. Jealousy overcame him, and he quickly pulled her away.

"What?!" Eremes frowned.

"Huh?" Sarine blinked.

"I won't let you touch her!" Naght hissed, as he possessed Howard quickly.

"What about our truce?!" Eremes growled.

"To hell with it!" Naght sneered.

"Stop it..." Sarine whimpered and struggled to breathe normally. She was trying to focus on remaining calm. She was failing. "Just...stop it, please..."

"Guys!" Keltin growled, as he tried to help her. Doppy was up next to try to calm down Naght, but it was too late. The fighting mood was there. She felt nauseous again, and Sammy gasped as he ran over to her. Then he paused, as he realized something. The negative energy she was receiving was feeding the children and forcing them to grow. The anger and rage was being absorbed. If panic set in, it would be even worse.

"STOP!" Sammy screamed. "Stop fighting!"

"Why?!" Naght hissed. Sarine winced, as her belly started to show the start of her pregnancy.
Margaretha gasped and moved to help her, but Sammy stopped her.

"Negative emotions," Sammy said carefully. "Look at what they are doing."

Naght looked at her and paused with shock. Doppy was wincing in tune with Sarine's pains from the growth spurts, and he managed to keep others from noticing. It wasn't time for them to know that he could feel her like this. Normal aches and pains were one thing. He could handle that. Pregnancy pains were another. Now that she was the focus point again, she started to feel depressed, and the pain of sudden growth hit her again. There was only one thought running through her mind. I can't do this! She did the only thing she could think of. She activated her Teleport clip and vanished.

She knew that it was going to cause uproar. She knew that it was going to cause a mass search for her. But, she had to get out of the room quickly. Appearing on a beach at the eastern part of the island, it was here that she bent over and vomited. All of the nutrients that she had were now gone. Her health was in danger. Coughing out what was left, she whimpered and placed her hands over her belly. The growing stopped, but now she had to deal with the painful aftermath. She looked almost four months pregnant, and the tears started up in her eyes, as she gasped for air.

"Sarine?!" Garrett said, as he ran to her. He saw her appear in the distance and couldn't believe his eyes. When he saw her vomit, he became concerned and moved over to her.

"Don't...come near..." she warned. "Negative emotions...make them grow..."

"What?" he asked. He looked at her belly now, and his jaw dropped.

"Just...go back the way you came. Please. Before they find you," she whispered.

"Like hell I will!" he growled and got into a defensive stature. She gasped and threw up again. Garrett turned to look at her and frowned. Then he looked up into the sky, as Muninn landed by her and shifted into his warrior form.

"I will keep her safe now. You go back to the house. The last thing we need is an all-out war," Muninn advised calmly. "Go now."

"We'll be getting one shortly," Garrett grumbled, as four figures appeared with the help of their wedding rings. Nodding to Muninn, he quickly moved out of the way and out of sight.

"Sarine!" Keltin said, as he moved to her. Muninn quickly drew up his spear to stop them from getting closer. The spark of Lightning and flicker of Fire stopped them in their tracks.

"Let me talk to her first, please! When I am done, I will let you all speak with her," Muninn said. They paused before nodding. At the size of her belly, they all grimaced with complete understanding of the situation. Muninn looked at Howard, as though warning him of what was to come, and the Whitesmith winced with the knowledge. But he wasn't going to budge. Muninn moved to Sarine's side and carefully soothed her. He removed the negative thoughts that plagued her body, and he helped her regain herself in a rather smooth manner. He simply rubbed his hand over her back in a brotherly way, and he whispered to her of all the good things she had to give. She started to breathe easier, and even the twins settled down. She was calmed to such a point that the twins seemed to revert in growth so that she no longer showed. The crisis of her health was averted for now.

Howard blinked and gasped, as Naght took over to try and intervene, but then Sarine took down her mental wall when she started to break down. He never experienced this wave of emotion before. He only felt her fear and rage when she first fed him the emotions to come forth, and the other time to show she was in danger. Now, she was revealing the pain and hardship of her pregnancy. Since Howard was linked to her so emotionally, Naght felt every bit of what Howard was feeling. It stunned him hard.

"Howard?" Eremes frowned, but Howard shook his head. He didn't want to explain what was going on in his head right now. He wanted Naght to understand what he had to go through.

"Put up your mental shielding. I will make sure that no more fighting happens around you. Keltin has done well, too, hasn't he? Doppy will have to learn to keep his thoughts to himself, should they get out of hand. Everyone is trying for you. I promise to help keep you happy and healthy," Muninn said gently, as he continued to rub her back.

"Okay..." she whispered weakly. Regaining more control of herself, she was able to shield her emotions again. Naght relinquished his hold on Howard. He had to think rather carefully now. He finally saw into her mind in full, and he felt the brunt of her emotions to a point that he truly understood what she was going through. He felt her suffering. Howard sighed and winced at everything, but he was glad the demon finally understood.

"Sarine..." Eremes whispered. Muninn rose up to glare at the four of them.

"She almost lost the children!" he growled. "You need to control your demons. Or does Huginn need to reprimand them for you?"

"No!" Howard growled and sighed. "Naght understands what she is going through now. He is rethinking on various things."

"If Ifrit or Naght tries again, I think Huginn should talk to them," Eremes nodded.

"I'm trying," Doppy frowned.

"I'm doing all I can, too," Keltin sighed. Muninn nodded and carefully helped up his sister. Giving her a potion, he let her rinse out her mouth.

"She threw up everything she had from the stress of her body. I'll give her back to you, but, please. No. More. Fighting. If not for her, then for me. I will attack the lot of you, if this happens again!" he warned. The four men blinked and looked at each other uneasily. They were dealing with her brother now. They knew what he was capable of. Then she whimpered, as the tattoo glowed on the back of her neck, and Huginn emerged.

"Not only him, but me! Do you have any idea how hard this is?! I'm not even in my own physical form, and I already want to kill the lot of you! I'm the one who's going to have to help her go through the labor pains!" Huginn growled.

"I'll be feeling the pain, too," Doppy frowned.

"That may be so, but heed this. She still has a mission to complete. If she dies, then everything is lost! Keep her happy, and no negativity! Every depressed, upset, or angry emotion that filters through her feeds these twins. And when they grow, they grow fast. You saw what was happening, and Muninn may not be able to reverse the growth again. Ifrit and Naght Seiger! I command you both to come forward! I may as well speak to you both now!" Huginn commanded. "So, come out and face me!"

"Huh?!" Naght said, as he was suddenly pulled into Howard's body.

"What?!" Ifrit growled, as Eremes's body flooded with heat.

"The two of you will listen and obey! I am Huginn! I will not separate you now, but I will limit your access! The moment the two of you start to reveal negative emotions, you will both be ejected from the bodies of your hosts! Do you hear me?!" Huginn grounded out.

"Yes," Naght and Ifrit said at the same time.

"If you fight this, then you will kill the one thing you are both striving to protect! Since you both agreed to what I have said, I will allow you both to listen and watch what happens while your hosts are human tomorrow. There may even be times that you can come forth while they are human. Remember! It's the Vessel's birthday. There is to be no fighting or negativity towards anyone or anything. No one can allow the Vessel to die. Father Odin's gift of fertility is something he could easily take away. This body can reject the children. If she rejects even ONE child, she will likely never be able to conceive again! So remember that!" Huginn threatened. That made the strong monsters shudder with rage, but they remained vigil. They knew who they were dealing with now, and they would not allow anything bad to happen from this point forward. When Sarine collapsed, Muninn caught her carefully.

"The two of you, Ifrit and Naght Seiger, remember. She is very fragile no matter how much power she holds. She can still die. She loves you both and her husbands, too. She must be able to share her love equally. If she cannot, then she will end up feeling hurt and betrayed. Remember this, and take it seriously," Muninn warned.

"I understand," Ifrit nodded and relinquished control of Eremes.

"I will try and contain my anger," Naght nodded and released Howard. Once that was done, Muninn let Keltin approach Sarine and cradle her carefully. Nodding now, Muninn became his falcon form again and flew off. When Sarine came to, she shivered and moved to stand away from everyone to look at them all.

"Are you all right?" Howard asked, and she moved to hug him. Then she moved to Eremes to give him back some warmth. Doppy was next, and finally Keltin.

"I feel a bit woozy," she admitted. "I really need to eat something again."

"We'll get you something," Keltin said.

"I can carry her," Doppy said. The others nodded, and he scooped her up easily. "You'll be fine. We'll take care of you and everything you need."

"I know," she nodded.

"And, I think I just thought of the perfect birthday gift," Keltin grinned.

"Oh, dear," she sighed, and the others laughed. She was happy now, but also exhausted. As they talked among each other on the walk back, Doppy glanced at them, and they chuckled, as she had fallen asleep being carried.

"Wow," Howard said.

"We'll get her something to eat," Eremes nodded.

"Everything tires her out so fast now. We need to be much more careful with her," Keltin smiled. "I'm starting to think that this is part of her pregnancy."

"No fighting for her in the arena! If anyone challenges her, I'll take them on," Doppy growled. "I don't want her fighting while she's pregnant."

"Don't you do that, anyways?" Howard grinned.

"I'll always enjoy it!" Doppy smirked. Eremes chuckled and went into the house first to keep the others quiet and to tell them what happened. Garrett was sitting with Cecil again, and he blinked that Huginn put the strong demons to rest for now. Seyren was frowning at the whole thing, but he forced a lighter mood when Doppy brought in Sarine. The ground rule was simple. No negative thoughts around her while she was pregnant. They couldn't risk another episode like this happening again.

"Huh?" Sarine blinked, as she woke with a yawn. Doppy chuckled warmly and sat down with her in his lap to support her. Howard nodded to Eremes to get her something to eat. Keltin was going to work on his gift for her and went into the treasury.

The moment the fruit bowl was placed in front of Sarine, she managed to pick at it a little. Her stomach was still upside down from everything. Howard frowned and took out his axe to run his finger along the edge of it. Showing his bleeding finger to her, she yanked on his hand to put the wound into her mouth.

"Um, wow?" Howard blinked.

"Hmm," Doppy frowned, as he watched her. Margaretha had to turn away for a moment, but she knew it was to help Sarine.

"What is it?" Eremes frowned.

"Howard," Doppy said carefully. "take her upstairs to the bedroom."

"Why?" he frowned. Doppy leaned over and whispered to him. Howard stammered and looked at him with disbelief.

"Trust me," Doppy said with a slow nod. "It's needed."

With his finger still in Sarine's mouth, he moved to carefully lift her up and carry her into the bedroom. Keltin came back from the treasury and frowned when Sarine wasn't there. Doppy gestured to him, and he moved over to the demon. Then Keltin blinked and whistled when Doppy whispered to him.

"What is it?" Eremes frowned. Keltin glanced at the others nervously and whispered to him what needed to be done. Eremes hissed and blinked at Doppy's small grin.

"What?" Seyren asked.

"Can't tell you. It's too...odd," Eremes frowned.

"Oh, come on!" Kathryne said.

"Surely you can tell us?" Margaretha asked. Karla and Lloyd had already left for Prontera. Cecil looked at Garrett with a frown.

"Fine," Doppy growled. "She needs to drink some of his blood as replacement nourishment. Her body is too weak for normal food at the moment."

That made everyone go silent, and he simply grinned.