[Kay's Musings] One night at the rusty Dragon after Runeforge...

[Zen]

One night at the rusty Dragon after Runeforge, during the week that Kailianna was studying potion making with Nellah and after Dothan, Hal and Eldthor had returned from their attempted confrontation with the Lord Mayor in Magnimar, Kay took Eldthor aside.

"El, sweetie..." she whispered, "I hope you don't feel like I'm being selfish with all my plans for leaning potions and making potions that could be delaying our confrontation with Karzoug. In a way... I..." she sighs, "I just feel like we all seriously need a break right now and, while I realize we can't delay too long because of the baby, at the same time... I remember what it was like being in the Halls of Greed in Runeforge..." Kay shudders. "Strange things happened to you in there... and I had that energy drain that just made everything seem so much harder... and then Illian looked into that pool and started acting like a little kid who'd had too much candy..." She smiles and looks into Eldthor's eyes. "The first time we talked about the possibility of having kids was after the Halls of Greed and look at us now... though it appears the event was set in motion before we went into Runeforge... Wait..." Kay's brow furrows and she tilts her head to the side. "Does that mean the pregnancy is going to be longer than normal because I don't think we aged at all in there so... would the baby..."

Eldthor shakes his head and pulls her into a hug. "You're working yourself into a state, Cara."

"Oh..." Kay leans back and looks up at Eldthor, "but the other reason I wanted to talk with you was about Dothan... I saw Oshar trying to be sneaky about going up to her room the other night. I was wondering if you thought we should talk with her and see if she's alright?"

[Tahlvin]

Thor ponders for a few moments.

"If you want to talk to her as a friend, that's fine. But she's not a child, and you're not her parent. Part of growing and maturing is learning to handle both pain and pleasure. Be a friend to her, but give her the space to figure out some of this on her own, or to ask for help on her own. Remember, her and Osha weren't together all that long before we headed off to Runeforge, and handling that is something the two of them need to workout together."

[Zen]

Kay looks down and shakes her head. "You're right... I'm acting like Uncle Illian!" She laughs, leans in, and kisses Eldthor on the cheek. "Thank you, El. I can always depend on your wisdom with things like this. On a happier note... I think we should probably tell everyone about the baby. I don't want them worrying or treating me like I'm more fragile than I usually am, not that I'm not fairly fragile to begin with compared to Dwyn, Hal, and you, but I just don't want to have to talk in code about it or something."

[Tahlvin]

“Yeah, with this group, it’s going to be hard to keep a secret for very long!”

[Zen]

The next evening when everyone is having dinner at the Rusty Dragon Kailianna tells everyone that she has an announcement to make. Once everyone is paying attention, she looks over at Eldthor, then stands and begins.

"I know there has been some speculation about why I was having stomach problems a while back and whether it was only the mummy rot or if it had to do with a more traditional reason why women tend to have upset stomachs... though I'm not sure why they say it happens in the morning personally... El and I just thought we should let everyone know that we are going to be parents sometime in late Neth of next year. It shouldn't impact my ability to fight for quite a while, I don't think."