"You're supposed to be taking it easy anyway," Cormac said. "I'll try to get us through as quickly as possible. As for my drake heritage, I really don't plan on telling people about it. A half-drake is a fairly dead give away if they're searching for us." He fidgeted with his boots' buckles. "I was hoping to run into him during my travels... My father... I guess him being dead since my birth explains why I never ran into him."
"Well, if no one else, you have me." Astien said. "I mean, us." He chuckled and patted his belly. "I'm sure your mom and dad are watching you with proud smiles on their faces. And they're bragging to all the other spirits, 'that's our son. Isn't he great?'"
Cormac smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I really want to be a son they can be proud of. I just hope I can do it."
"I can't think of a single thing they couldn't be proud of. They loved you. That's reason enough for them to be proud."
(Okay, off to work for reals this time.)
Cormac nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, Astien. I bet Mum's happy that I'm not wandering around anymore. At least not alone, anyway. It's nice to travel with somebody for a change. I never realized how lonely I was before."
"That's sort of how life works, isn't it? We aren't really sure what we needed until we get it. I didn't realize how much I wanted a friend either."
Cormac smiled. "Are you hungry? I can cook something if you want."
Astien shook his head. "No thank you. I'm not that hungry. Hold still or I'll end up botching this." He kept cutting at Cormac's hair. "There we go. Like it?"
"It's better than what I did. Thanks." Cormac ran his hands through is hair. "I'm not all that hungry either." He pulled out his ocarina and played a light-hearted tune on it after playing a few minutes of practice notes.
Astien sat back on his bed and started rubbing his belly. He was still worried for his little one. He gave his belly a shake, hoping his baby would respond. But he got nothing. He sighed, and gave his swollen womb another good shake.
Cormac looked through his bags and found Heceril's paper on what to do for various situations crumbled at the bottom of one the bags. He smoothed it out against the table's edge and began reading it for anything that could help and or explain Astien's current situation.
From all that Cormac read, nothing seemed particularly odd. It seems the baby was simply sleepy, though it did nothing to ease Astien's worries. "Cormac..." Astien said quietly, "Do you... Do think I'll be a good mother?"
Cormac blinked, confused by the sudden question. "Of course I do," he said.
Astien let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Sometimes you just have to hear it, ya know? I guess I'm just scared right now. Scared for my baby, sacred for us, scared of this place... Just plain scared."
"Me too," Cormac admitted. "I wasn't expecting this when I answered your flyer."
"I bet you really regret finding that flyer, huh? Can't say I'd blame you."
"I have my days. Some times I think you wouldn't be in this mess if I didn't show up," he admitted. "But I'm not going anywhere." He quickly added. "Not anytime soon."
Astien scoffed. "No, I'm sure I'd still be in this mess even if you weren't here. Only difference would be I wouldn't have anyone to talk to. But on the whole... Do you regret it?"
Cormac thought for a moment. "No," he said finally. "I don't."
Astien exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "That's good to hear. I'd hate to think I was responsible for making someone miserable." He thought for a moment. "I should probably shave. You cut your hair, so I should do something too." He took a moment to rub his facial hair. "I'm going to miss it, but I should probably do something to make myself look like just an ordinary pregnant man. Or maybe just like anyone who isn't me." He reached for a razor and unsheathed it.