[Eskal]

"That means the kid is coming soon, right?" Cormac asked.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"No, Braxton Hicks are false contractions. He's not in labor-"

"Just an incredible amount of pain!" Astien interrupted. Having finally come to a conclusion on how to help Astien, Heceril pulled some herbs out of his bag, and began mashing them up at the kitchenette counter. "Get me some water." He told Cormac."

[Eskal]

Cormac nodded and ran out to get more water and soon returned with it.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Heceril mixed the ground-up herbs with the water, creating a strange elixir. He brought it over to Astien and said "Drink this. It will ease the pain, and you'll have a nice nap." Astien nodded, and gulped down the elixir. A moment later, his cries of pain ceased as he fell asleep. His baby also stopped moving, as his belly was still.

Heceril turned to Cormac. "I have never in all my years as a midwife seen anything like that. That was... That was... So unusual. I'm still not even certain that WAS Braxton Hicks. Has anything this strange happened in his pregnancy this far?"

[Eskal]

"He craves chocolate a lot. And the baby gets really active whenever he's hungry or startled. I've only been with him for a few days so I'm not sure past that."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"Hmmm... Well cravings are normal, and I suppose it isn't strange for a fetus to react to whatever stress its mother may be feeling." Heceril was quiet as he thought some more. "I knew Astien. We worked together years ago. At the time, he was very interested in my knowledge of male pregnancies, but he never mentioned he was capable of it." Heceril looked over at Astien's sleeping form.

[Eskal]

"How can you tell if you're capable of it?"

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"A man who is capable of pregnancy tends to have wider hips, but the sure sign is the male equivalent of a woman's menstruation; that being a black discharge from a man's penis. It only happens about once a month, though. Not like how women bleed for a whole week. Of course, there are plenty of men who become pregnant and were never aware they were capable. But whats odd is he never mentioned it even once. For all the questions and conversations we had, one would think it would have come up."

[Eskal]

Cormac nodded. "That is a bit odd."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Heceril sighed. "Was there any particular reason Astien wanted to find me? Should I assume it was to ask some questions about his pregnancy?"

[Eskal]

"He just mentioned that you're well versed in it. He was looking for books yesterday."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"I suppose that makes sense, then." Heceril dug up a sheet of paper, and a quill and inkwell from among Astien's things. "I'll write some things down for him. If he has any other questions when he wakes up, I'll answer them, but once I know he's fine I have to go, as much as I'd prefer to keep an eye on him."

[Eskal]

Cormac nodded and took out his dagger to clean the blade. He felt somewhat guilty for throwing away it's companion, but Fraea was a nice addition to his arsenal. Now he wouldn't have to worry about losing this dagger.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"Do you know much about archery?" Heceril asked.


Gotta go, sleep time. Kisses!)

[Eskal]

"Not really," Cormac said. "Just got my bow this mornin'. I practiced for a few hours, but that's just about it."

[FweepFwopFwoop]

"I would be happy to show you a few things, then. I have been handling bows since I was old enough to hold one. It will give us something to do while we wait for Astien to wake up." Heceril looked around the carriage, and dug up some apples to use as targets. "Come then."

[Eskal]

Cormac nodded and followed the elf.

[Plutexian Mpregger]

Darol stays with Astien.

[FweepFwopFwoop]

Heceril set up the apples in a makeshift range, placing them at different ranges. He was indeed as good as he had implied himself to be, imparting valuable lessons to the younger man.

It was sunset when they finally heard movement from within the carriage, indicating Astien was finally awake. Upon reentering the carriage and seeing him standing, Heceril guided him back to his bed. "Please, Astien, get back into bed." Astien sighed, but did as told. "Astien, what just happened to you was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was frightening. I believe it would be best if you remained in bed for a few days."

"What? But I have work to do!" Astien cried.
"Be that as it may, your body is very stressed at the moment. You must rest. Let your assistant do your work."

[Eskal]

"That's what I'm here for anyway," Cormac said.