A Happy Resting Point

Vivian was right to think that it was going to be hard, but the fact that Renard, Kyrie and Dessi were there with her every step of the way helped immensely. Unfortunately for Vivian, she was one of those mothers-to-be whose morning sickness usually resulted in vomiting regardless of whether she was presented with her taboo foods or not. Every time it happened Kyrie had been right there with her, rubbing her back and offering her water, even when Vivian got progressively more upset by her morning sickness. In addition to this her emotions felt all over the place: some mornings she was on the verge of tears because of everything and others she was angry at the world. It would be embarrassing if she was to really ponder it, but she was still too in the thick of it to really think about it that much.

At this point, Vivian was near the end of her pregnancy, being only 1 month out from the actual birth, and while her morning sickness had finally subsided (thankfully) she had other ails that Renard helped her with. Her body was achey and it was rather hard to find a comfortable position with how much the baby had grown. It wanted just as much space as she had, but if she ever laid fully on her back that wasn't really comfortable either. She just couldn't win! There had been many nights where Renard had massaged her body in an attempt to get her more comfortable and he had kissed her tears away and gotten her to laugh instead of cry. The fact that he was so excited for this helped immensely, so to have his hands almost constantly on her body, especially on her stomach, made her think that this discomfort was all worth it. Plus she couldn't deny it... When she felt her baby kick or move it was the most overwhelmingly positive that she had ever felt. She longed to hold their child in her arms, to kiss it and take care of it... It was thoughts like these mixed with her support that kept her going.

Honestly though, Vivian was really ready to be back to normal again. She had at least 1 more month of this before she'd finally be able to recover; she wanted the time of reckoning to be sooner!

In a bit of a mood as she headed down the stairs for dinner, that mood got practically wiped away as she stepped into the slave's dining area. Everyone else was there already and a scrumptious feast befitting of what Mae usually had at her table was laid out for the slaves. Staring at this a bit slack-jawed, all eyes turned to her and Dessi stood up to help usher her in as she spoke.

"Ah and here's the guest of honor! We were starting to think we'd have to go and find you."

Leading Vivian over towards the table, Vivian had closed her mouth now but she was still very surprised as she looked at all the things there.

"What is this all for me?"

Dessi gave a playful smirk in response to Vivian's question.

"Only if you think you can eat it all."

"Don't you test me because I bet I could do it!"

The two women softly chuckled at that but soon Vivian's own expression was sobering up into a less playful smile and a more genuine one.

"Really though, what is this for...?"

It was Kyrie who stepped in now, speaking up as Vivian sat down next to Renard and Dessi took her seat.

"For you two! We know that the baby isn't quite here yet, but we thought that we'd have a bit of a celebration now that you're so close."

Vivian could feel herself tearing up a little with love for her friends, and she blinked furiously to keep the tears from falling.

"Thank you, guys. All of this looks amazing."

Kyrie smiled at her friend, happy to have brightened her day, but it was Dessi that made a comment back to her.

"You're quite welcome. You're going to need all the support you can get for this last stretch and we're all here for you."

Renard, who seemed physically incapable of not touching Vivian at every opportunity he had, wrapped an arm around her to pull her in and kiss her cheek while his hand rested on her stomach. He honestly couldn't say why he was so happy about all of this, but when he let his fingers run over the prominent globe that was Vivian's stomach he couldn't help the flood of excitement and happiness that ensued, especially so when he felt movement. What was growing inside of her was something that he had helped create and it was hard to top that feeling.

"Well I think you should have first pick, my dear, and I will echo Vivian to say thank you, Dessi, for this wonderful feast for us."

"Oh, you all know I love a good excuse to roll up my sleeves and besides, it wasn't just me doing all the cook work, Kyrie helped out too. Once you've tried out everything you'll have to tell us which is your favorite. I'm curious to know how much of Kyrie's suggestions are actually things you'd like."

Kyrie let out a soft sound of protest from across the table at this light teasing from Dessi.

"W-What! Of course Vivian will like them, I thought really hard about this!"

The way that Kyrie was bristling in her own defense was so cute that Vivian couldn't help laughing at the sight.

"I'm sure I'll like it all but I'll also let you guys know which is my favorite. Don't let me down, Kyrie."

Even though Vivian gave her a playful wink, Kyrie felt like the pressure was on now. Tensing up a little bit, this motion was quickly combated when Isaac jostled her a little and spoke softly to her with a chuckle of his own.

"You always take their teasing so seriously! It'll hardly be the end of the world if your foods don't end up being the favorite."

Kyrie pouted at that, because ultimately Isaac was right, and she really shouldn't take the challenge so seriously, but at the same time she couldn't deny that it'd be nice to have knowledge of her friend be validated. As a result, despite Isaac's attempts to shake her from her investment Kyrie still watched with eager eyes as Vivian served herself up bits of everything on the table. As the rest of them went to grab some food themselves, Kyrie kept her eyes on Vivian, trying to gauge what it was that she liked best as she ate.

Isaac eyes were on Kyrie though, rather amused by her determination to win this little contest. If Isaac had to say how he felt about Vivian being pregnant, he would ultimately say that he was rather happy not just because it was something they wanted, but also because it was in part something that enabled Isaac. Having a baby was something that Renard had expressed an interest in time and again, never to the extent of impregnating a woman against her will, but now that he had one that was willing it was likely taking up all of his attention. Renard was finally getting something that he wanted, but at the same time, Isaac would be getting more time with Kyrie. There was no way that Renard was spending as much time with Kyrie now that Vivian was pregnant and this thought heartened him more than he'd like to admit. Though he wasn't really sure why: he had still never once seen Kyrie go out to Renard, even before Vivian got pregnant. Isaac knew that he really shouldn't be thinking about Renard and Kyrie much, and he was certainly a lot better now than he was, but sometimes he just couldn't help it.

In any case, Vivian being pregnant meant that Renard's attention would be on her a lot more, maybe not entirely, but definitely more than before. And then the baby... The baby was going to be something that would keep both Renard and Vivian's attention for years to come and that was a relief as well.

Now that the thought of children had entered Isaac's mind, he couldn't help looking at Kyrie with a bit of longing of his own. They had spoken of children before, but it had always been in a "definitely someday" kind of context. Now that Vivian had broken the seal, so to speak, would Kyrie begin to want children of her own? It would have to wait until Vivian's child had at least grown a bit so that she could get back into a steady work pattern again, but after that... Well... It was a definite possibility.

In addition to that, if he was to start trying for a baby with Kyrie then she would have to cut off interaction with Renard for that time. Both Isaac and Kyrie would want it to be their baby... Not another baby of Renard's, and now that Renard was truly experiencing the joys of having a baby, he'd be perfectly sympathetic to their plight. The thought of this was something that delighted him as much as he was a bit ashamed by that impulse. He knew that Kyrie's relationship with Renard made her happy, he just couldn't help the desire for it to stop though.

As Isaac pondered, his eyes trailed down to Kyrie's stomach: just what would it be like to have her swollen with their baby? A pleasant tingle ran through him in response to that unspoken question and soon he was looking up towards Vivian and Renard again. Vivian was in the middle of laughing as Renard went in for her neck and she was trying to push him off with light protests so that she could eat her food. When Isaac looked at them like this he saw nothing by two lovers perfectly happy with one another and he just... he really just couldn't get it... If he had a relationship as happy and harmonious as Renard relationship with Vivia (which he did), then it would never even occur to him to look elsewhere for fulfillment. He supposed that was the biggest difference between himself and Renard though: Isaac was perfectly happy with what he had, while Renard always felt like there was something more out there, something that he hadn't quite found yet.

Finding himself feeling a little possessive, he placed a hand on Kyrie's leg and gently rubbed it affectionately. This moved her out of her scrutinizing and she looked over at Isaac only to smile at him when she realized it hadn't been done to get her attention: it had just been done out of love. Kyrie leaned in closer to Isaac then, nuzzling up against him before using him as a bit of a brace.

Kyrie too... Even though she was in a perfectly loving and happy relationship, she had also looked outward. Maybe not initially, but she'd been effectively tempted. Telling himself to knock it off with these negative thoughts, Isaac wrapped the arm that had previously been on Kyrie's leg around her waist, resting his cheek gently on her head while she sat against him. She loved him so much, there was no need to ruin that feeling with thoughts of anything else.

In an attempt to keep his mind off the negative, he turned to Renard and Vivian to get more talking started.

"Have you two thought about names at all?"

"Oh we've thought about it plenty, the problem is that we just haven't settled on anything. We haven't found a name that feels right to us."

By the time Vivian responded, she had managed to fend off Renard enough to be able to dig into her plate and she definitely wasn't disappointed by what she'd had so far. The dishes tasted just as good as they looked and she let out an appreciative rumble while her eyes spoke her gratitude to the two women that had prepared it. Kyrie flushed with delight to see such a look of approval and Dessi simply smiled.

"Really? There hasn't even been something that's come close? For either gender?"

Dessi's further prompting caused Vivian to get a bit of a thoughtful look on her face as she popped another forkful of food in her mouth. Instead of waiting for her to finish, Renard just took over answering.

"When we were brainstorming for girl names we drifted towards starting with G a lot, so I feel like our final name would be one that starts with that letter. In terms of for a boy though... There hasn't been much of anything. If we have a boy we might just end up naming him a few days after the fact."

Renard laughed a little at the thought of that and Vivian comfortably settled herself against Renard as she continued to eat.

"Well I hope you figure it out soon. I'd hate for your baby to be referred to as just you when you call it."

"We know, we know! We don't need you nagging us, Dessi!"

The response Renard gave was still full of that playful amusement that was so characteristic of him and now there was a brief pause in the conversation while they all turned to appreciate the food. After a bit of silent appreciation, it was actually Kyrie that ended up breaking the silence with a tentative question of her own.

"Is there a gender you guys would prefer...?"

It was entirely possible that Kyrie was asking a rather silly question because it seemed like the response to give for that question when in polite company would be "I'd be happy with either!" Renard placed such a premium on speaking his mind though that maybe he'd be more vocal than just that, and Vivian also had never been one to hide her opinion. As Kyrie looked between the two of them, it was Renard who ended up speaking first.

"I think personally I'd prefer a girl: considering I grew up as a boy I know how much of a hellion little boys can be. Besides, if you combine both Vivian and I can you even imagine how adorable that little girl would be? Just look at these faces!"

For added emphasis, Renard turned Vivian's face to effectively show her off to the other slaves, and a bit of color rose up to her cheeks while she squirmed out of Renard's grip.

"Oh please, you think a girl will be less of a handful than a boy? You need to spend more time in the nursery if that's the case! As for myself... I honestly don't know if I have that much of a preference. I guess since I haven't already raised a boy from infancy that holds more appeal to me, but I'd be happy with a chance at another girl as well."

Kyrie understood all the implications behind that statement, and she gave her friend an understanding smile.

"Well... I'm sure whatever gender it is it will be very well loved."

"You can definitely count on that!"

Vivian said this with a rather decisive nod, and the rest of dinner was filled with more playful banter. Not so much about babies but there was plenty to be said about the gossip of the world and in their own home.

The King of the Terra Kingdom was starting to open up his castle again though he was encouraging a society more governed on merit than on inherently noble blood. New nobles were springing up from this system, ones that didn't hold so much hatred for either the King or Mae and her daughter. Mae was actually becoming a part of a social group now, likely entirely for her daughter's sake and she had more events at her manor than she used to. Raine was making friends quite easily with the other nobles in the castle, and it's clear that she's turning out to be much more outgoing and gregarious than her mother. There's also talk that the King is trying to improve conditions for slaves, but these changes are much slower to be implemented, and honestly, since the Dandridge house slaves already had it pretty good they weren't paying as much attention to the news as others might. Or if they were it was mostly to brag about how their lady was more progressive than whatever progressive changes the King was making.

It was strange though... These changes only began to start happening after Lord Deveris's death. That may just be a coincidence, but with how Terra politics went, it was doubtful that it was entirely coincidental. Had Gerard somehow been involved in the coup against the royal family of Terra as well? That would forever remain little more than a question to the slave's household, but that didn't mean that Isaac would stop thinking about it.

During this dinner Kyrie ended up being goaded into showing some of her more recent drawings, and once she started talking and showing them to the rest of the table, she went on for a bit with the various things she'd done. A lot of the more recent pictures were of Renard and Vivian, mostly the two of them being so happy together and there were also a lot of the events that Mae would host at the manor. Images of Raine playing and laughing with the other nobles while her mother lingered in the background, or images of Mae talking with some of the other nobles at dinner or in the game room. And then there were some of Mae by herself, looking almost melancholy as she sat in the menagerie. Maybe it was just Kyrie's imagination, but since Lord Deveris's death Mae seemed to be more subdued. She only really saw it in the brief moments of the lady alone in one of her rooms. It... It almost felt to Kyrie like the lady was getting more depressed for some reason but Kyrie couldn't really put her finger on it.

She brought up all these things to the room and they tried pondering it for a bit. Maybe she was sad that Gerard turned out to be a horrible man? Maybe she was sad that Raine was starting to become more distant from her? Maybe she didn't like all the social gatherings? Maybe something had happened to her mystery lover? Plenty of theories were thrown out, but in the end no conclusions were made and they all simply gave it up, wondering if maybe it was all just their imagination anyway.

All in all, the evening was a rather enjoyable one, and only once the group of them had thoroughly picked over the food at the table did they finally begin to wind down. Vivian loudly announced which dish had been her favorite and Kyrie clapped her hands in delight to have it be one of hers; the table shared some more healthy laughter from that. They had stayed together much longer than usual this evening and now that Vivian was full and contented, she was practically falling asleep at the table next to Renard.

"I love you guys. I really do..."

Everyone at the table smiled to hear this, and Renard once again wrapped an arm around Vivian so he could kiss her head.

"All partied out, my dear?"

"No!"

This protest was made with a rather cute pout on her face and Renard had to resist the urge not to just steal her away to the bedroom.

"I have to at least help clean up afterwards!"

"Oh you don't hav--"

"Please! You guys have done so much for me, I want to help out a little as well!"

Dessi and Kyrie looked at each other for a moment before silently deciding to give in to Vivian's request.

"Alright, but nothing strenuous. You can dry the dishes while Kyrie cleans them."

"Well that's what I usually do anyway."

She let out a soft laugh before she lifted herself up with only a little bit of difficulty while the two other women cleared the dishes away. It wasn't long before all three of them were heading into the kitchen, and the two men watched them go, not really moving from their spots. They could go and head to their respective rooms, but found themselves wanting to wait for the ladies so that they could go to their room together.

Leaning against the table, Isaac couldn't help giving Renard an amused look.

"So, Renard... Going to be a father soon, huh?"

The door to the kitchen was open, but really, with the sounds of cleaning and the soft chatter of the women that was coming from it they probably wouldn't be able to register what the two men were saying aside from knowing that they were talking to each other. Knowing this, Renard's voice and expression took on a bit more of a serious note to it.

"I always thought that you would be the first to have children between the two of us. My habits have never really been that conducive to it."

Even though Renard was joking about it to make it seem like not so big of a deal, it was clear by the expression on his face that this was pretty big to him. To think... Renard was a closet family man.

Turning his gaze towards the doorway, Isaac could just see glimpses of the women as they moved about the kitchen.

"Honestly though... How does it feel?"

Renard was silent for a few moments as he also watched the women, but it wasn't too long before he was speaking again.

"It's... It's more exhilarating than I ever would've thought. I know that Vivian seems alright on the surface, but behind closed doors this isn't easy for her. She's willing to go through so much pain and discomfort for the sake of a child with me and that's... Well, it's amazing, really. Each day that goes by she gets more and more beautiful and it brings us closer to a child of our own."

The response that Isaac got from Renard soon caused his own gaze to settle on Kyrie, but this time as he watched her, he was again imagining her pregnant. Inevitably the experience would bring them ever closer to each other, it had certainly done so with Vivian and Renard, and Isaac longed to be a part of every facet of Kyrie's life.

As if reading his mind, Renard couldn't help leaning in conspiratorially.

"So when are you going to get started with Kyrie?"

Isaac gave his friend a playful glare.

"Well whatever plans I had with her have been pretty delayed by what you did to Vivian, don't you think?"

Renard laughed, leaning back in his chair as he continued to admire the women in the next room.

"I suppose that's true! The next child in this household should be yours though, I'm not even sure Vivian would want a second after basically raising two."

"I'd certainly like that... But you can't..."

Here Isaac hesitated a little, unsure of how exactly he wanted to say this, or even whether he wanted to say this at all. After reconciling with Renard about him sleeping with Kyrie, Isaac really hadn't brought the subject again with Renard, it just wasn't at all productive: it would make him feel awful and likely make Renard feel either guilty or awkward.

Renard understood though, he knew exactly what Isaac was concerned about.

"I won't. I wouldn't even dream of it: this feeling is too precious for me to want to detract from your own experience of it. You just let me know the instant you guys decide to start trying and I'll respect that."

Isaac turned away from the kitchen to look at his friend, and the movement from Isaac prompted Renard to follow suit. There was a seriousness in Renard's expression that could not be discounted and Isaac's features moved to a smile. Even though Renard had gone against his wishes and slept with Kyrie, the man was still his friend. Perhaps that's what made the transition into accepting their relationship a little easier, but whatever the case, Isaac was glad for it.

Clapping his friend on the shoulder, the two men shared a smile before turning back to the kitchen, idly chatting to each other as they waited for the women to come back out.