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Post by Greenie on Jan 8, 2010 23:27:18 GMT -5
Vessatha had resigned herself to the inevitable, but it didn't mean she had to like it. How had she allowed herself to get pregnant again? She was so scrupulous about taking her prevention methods after she went at it with Quinn, but she must've gotten more inebriated than she'd thought one night for this to happen. There was a distinct bulge in her midsection that wasn't fat, and was much too round to be a tumor. Was it sad she almost wished it was a tumor? Tumors you didn't have to provide for for eighteen years.. They didn't whine, poop, or bite, and while they were sometimes cancerous, they were usually easily removed. Children were none of those things. She'd taken to wearing a light blouse to cover the bulge, but it was time to admit to Donnie her King was going to be out for the count in a few months giving birth to squalling, obnoxious lifeforms. Donnie was going to think it was hilarious, and it was going to take a lot of restraint not to bite her head off like she wanted to. Must be nice to your Queen, must be nice to your Queen... It was also almost time to say goodbye to her bipedal.. a few more months and her belly would be too distended for her to walk upright comfortably, which was just going to make her even crabbier. Scowling already, Vessa knocked lightly on Donnie's door. "Don? Can I have a minute? I have an unfortunate secret to share." Her tone was audibly pissy already, and she hadn't even gone in yet. Today wasn't adding up to be a good day. |
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 10, 2010 20:06:06 GMT -5
Donnie would have laughed. She would have howled. She would have found it the funniest thing in the world. Except that she was about two months along herself and suddenly it all seemed a lot less hilarious. She'd told Raina and no one else at this point, preferring to see how things progressed before making any sort of announcement or allowances for the condition. The doctor told her that everything seemed healthy up to that point, but it was too early to say in the long run. A lot could happen throughout the course of a pregnancy. At least her family didn't have a history of anything alarming, she was in excellent health herself, and she was built just fine for carrying and bearing children. Hopefully things would be just fine. The nickname made her frown at the door and the tone behind it didn't help. Putting down her pen with a snappish click, she debated getting the door herself before deciding that was stupid. "Yes, Vess, you can have a minute. Come inside. I thrive on your secrets." |
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Post by Greenie on Jan 10, 2010 20:13:05 GMT -5
Gah, cranky women. It was bad enough that she was cranky, and now Donnie had to be cranky? Maybe this conversation was better left for later... .. but no, she was going to be more cranky later, so best to just get it over with.
She opened the door as "nicely" as she possibly could, considering she wanted to slam things and break things and go find some men to swear at, and moved into Donnie's view. The ferret stood there for a moment awkwardly, then sighed and sat down. "I'm going to hate life for approximately the next five months. I'm pregnant again." She pulled the blouse up just high enough to show the bulge, then grimaced and shoved it back down. "I... ugh." She tried to say something to add on to it but nothing came out; that was pretty much the extent of her feelings. She hated being pregnant, she wasn't looking forward to more children, and she really wanted to crab at someone.
Must be nice to your Queen...
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 10, 2010 20:24:05 GMT -5
The way the door opened didn't give Donnie much hope for a pleasant conversation. She tried to hide her grimace and only half succeeded, leaning back in her chair for a more comfortable lean while she wondered what the hell had upset her King so heartily. It couldn't be as bad as-
-oh. Well. Maybe it could. Hiding her utterly bemused stare would be hard at that point, annoyance forgotten in the face of this odd coincidence. She'd been so wrapped up in her own little issue that she'd totally missed... but now that she mentioned it, she certainly was showing a... and really, had the ferret kept her temper in check all this time or had she just brushed off any extra attitude as her own mood getting the best of her?
"Alright. You've got no sympathy from me here. Some empathy, but no sympathy. I, um. I'm not quite as far along as you and I've never done it before."
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Post by Greenie on Jan 10, 2010 20:31:35 GMT -5
Vessatha sat for an uncomfortable minute as Donnie collected herself, then sat and blinked for a few more minutes as she absorbed what her Queen had just shared. She was pregnant.. too?
Well. Damn. The Court was going to hate both of them for a few months, not just her! Hopefully Mia wasn't going to end up popping out another one anytime soon or the whole hierarchy was going to explode.
".... Huh." The ferret managed to get out after a few moments of gaping. "Uh... it's.. not so bad?.." She said, then rolled her eyes. "No, nevermind, it sucks. I hate it. I hope you hate it less than I hate it, because it was the worst experience of my life the first time around, and I'm not expecting anything better this time." Her scowl returned in full-force, but she tried to keep it more under "self-disgust" rather than "outright anger." "Raina?"
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 10, 2010 20:43:40 GMT -5
Well, at least she'd managed to successfully surprise the ferret. Donnie felt some small bit of satisfaction at that. She'd planned on keeping the news private for at least another month, but if she had to tell anyone then she would certainly prefer it be her King. Vessie was a good friend. And in a similar boat. Huh. The Court was going to have a harrowing few months in its future.
"I hope I hate it less than you hate it, because I'd rather not be miserable the whole time. I'm also hoping for a small litter. Hoping really, really hard. Four would be a bit much for me to handle. My family tends to work more in twos and threes, so I'm hopefully not the exception." She crossed her arms uncomfortably. The doctor had told her anywhere from three to four, but that could easily change in the early months of pregnancy. It could be two large ones. She prayed that it wasn't five teeny ones, though the woman said that was highly unlikely based on what she'd felt.
...did Vessie's first pregnancy really warrant that sort of expression? Yeesh. Hopefully this one would be better...? That wasn't the sort of thing she could actually say, though. She crossed her arms and nodded uncomfortably. "Yes. Hopefully. I'm really, really hoping it is. I'd rather not deal with the alternative." Which would be complicated as all hells. "And these are more of the same?"
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Post by Greenie on Jan 10, 2010 20:51:30 GMT -5
Vessa sighed. "I imagine you'll be fine. I seem to have a much bigger distaste for pregnancy and children than most women. The maids, for instance, think it's fantastic and won't leave me alone." She grimaced, already starting to plan how she could keep the girls away from her for the next few months. She hated having her belly rubbed and cooed at. "I'm just going to expect the worst and be pleasantly relieved when it's not. I had four last time so I'll just assume it's five this time." Her scowl deepened again, but she wasn't going to hope for two, then get five.
She shrugged. "You could do four just fine. Don't worry, once the girls figure it out, they'll be all over you with offers to help. They like burping babies, I don't get it." Vess commented, disgusted with the very idea.
The idea that it might not be Raina's made her snerk. "Are there many other options in the running?" She asked as politely as she could, considering they were still talking about pregnancies. "Yeah, they're Quinn's. I'm tempted to lie and tell her it's someone else's, just so she stops being so excited." Vessatha was well aware she was a depressing pessimist, but she was okay with that.
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 15, 2010 10:48:58 GMT -5
"At least there are willing babysitters in the wings," Donnie said with a nod and a thoughtful frown. "I know I won't have a lot of time during the day unless I force it, though I'll make plenty in the evenings. Just so long as I don't have to leave court or a meeting to feed a litter, I think I can manage. The loss of sleep, though... I've heard a lot about the loss of sleep. And I'm not looking forward to that. I'm guessing this is where I'll be taking advantage of the maids more as time goes on?" It ended in a question as she tentatively solicited advice.
And then she grimaced. "Just one. An unlikely one, considering that it was one time when compared to quite a few, but I didn't use contraceptive and I have most times with Raina. Not all, but most. Hopefully it's just idle fretting. I'd really rather not deal with the repercussions. Really." But she would, if it came to that, becase they would be her children and she honestly wanted them.
If they all came out Villa and Yarrow and wolverines then there would be worry. Especially if any... bug-bits showed up. But even a hint of Solandria or bird would be cause for celebration and a sigh of relief. She just hoped... "I really don't know what I'll do if there's a boy," she muttered. "I know there's more chance, breeding with a non-Yarrow. I just don't know if I could love one. Not like I could love a daughter. Men are fine so long as they're sensible and respectful, or stay out of my way, but I really don't think I could handle one of them so close. Forever. And I would be expected to love it the same as any other child by everyone but other Yarrows, especially in society's eyes. Fuck."
The possibility of a boy had kept her up at night, ever since she realized that she was very definitely pregnant. It was a stressful enough thought to make her stomach clench. She didn't hate them, but she didn't love them. And she didn't think she could.
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Post by Greenie on Jan 15, 2010 18:18:33 GMT -5
Vessatha waved a hand dismissively at Donnie's worries. "You'll be fine. Unless you get a spectacularly needy child, you'll be able to leave them with others during the day. Don't forget Raina, as well; you can always send her off to tend to an unruly toddler if you don't feel like it." She grinned, pleased at the very idea. "As for sleep... I chose not to sleep in the same room with them the first time around, and I have no intention of changing that this time either. I've been told I'm much more.. secure.. about my infant's health than other mothers, however." She smiled toothily.
She grimaced at the mention of contraceptives. That's how she'd gotten into her own mess. "It's only takes one forgotten time to create babies. I'll hope for Raina for you, then, if only so we don't have to watch her mope around all dejected-like if they're someone else's." That image, too, was amusing to the ferret, but she didn't elaborate on it - she just pictured it happily.
Vessa sobered instantly at the mention of a boy. She didn't like them, herself, and had not been pleased when three showed up last time - but she didn't have an entire cultural heritage of hating men behind her, and just pretended they were girls until they were ten. She didn't say anything for a while, absently staring at the desk while she pondered the options of what could actually be done.
Finally, she spoke, "You could prevent a boy," She said slowly, then shrugged. "I know it's been done, though I hardly know how to do it myself. If you're that worried, maybe you should send a query back to Yarrow and see if anyone has any idea how. I'm not saying you necessarily should do it - and I highly suggest you not do it to yourself - but if you simply get the information and have it if you want it, you'll feel better."
She snickered abruptly. "As for loving the children, for me, gender has nothing to do with it. I was delighted to have at least one female child, but irony took hold, and she's been the one I've wanted to toss off a cliff the most their entire lives." It pained her that her child could be such an idiot, such a pure and utter moron, and it was very needling that it was the girl that lacked such basic common sense. Even Chiari, for all his Tulgey crap, was smarter than Saethre.
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Post by The Jenn on Jan 17, 2010 18:58:32 GMT -5
Yes, Raina would be a convenient babysitting option as well when she wasn't doing Court-related duties. During the day they would have the same sort of schedule, roughly speaking, but in the evenings she could earn herself a little peace by "letting the children bond" with their father. She would probably have them in her room for the first few weeks, just because she wanted that security. She was sure that the novelty would wear off, though, and a Court nursery would be a very convenient thing. The last thing she wanted was to become an ineffective ruler because of her future children. But she also wanted to be a strong part of their lives. It probably wasn't going to be an easy balance.
"A dejected muffin would be a sad thing, so here's hoping the odds are overwhelmingly in her favor. And in mine." Because if they were Sadie's, fuck. There would be a scandal. No Diamonds, please... please.
Even a boy would be better than that. She curled one hand on her desk, nails scraping lightly across the surface of her writing pad. "I'm not sure if I'm willing to take that sort of measure. I've heard it can be dangerous for the other children in the litter sometimes. Yarrows have a naturally high chance for girls anyway, but mixing with a non-Yarrow reduces that. I might at least ask, though... just to have the information on hand." One of her cousins took up with an Esterberry girl and went that route to ensure herself a litter of girls. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't done it quite right and it aborted the whole litter. She was devastated. That was the last thing the Queen wanted to do to herself, and to these unborn squiggles in her stomach.
Some part of her wished that she'd been able to see Vessatha as a younger woman with her first litter. It was probably utterly hilarious so long as she didn't have to get within range. "My mother was too patient a woman for her own good. I think she had urges to throw my sister off the Cliffs, though, if only she wouldn't have flown back up."
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