Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 08:58 PM
"Excuse me . . . 'cuse me . . . excuse me." Spider huffed and drew to a halt, glaring at the sea of poncy red-clad bastards who were either rude or raised to indifference, and who either way showed no intentions on letting her squeeze between them. "Shove o'er, you load!"

Still nothing. Spider tried a different tact: she groaned and doubled over, clutching her stomach, and made a thick retching noise.

The Cecilian moved to spare his uniform, and Spider made it to her bench without further intervention, sitting down with satisfaction.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 09:03 PM
She was joined very shortly by a rather familiar, wiry man who squeezed in beside her, putting his hand to her head as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "You may eat in our cabin, you know," he reminded her. "Are you feeling well? You didn't look it from across the room."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 09:05 PM
"He wouldn't get out of me way!" she said with exaggerated frustration. "And I should say as much to you, sir." She smiled and, under cover of the table, bumped her knee against his. "Come down to show us you're not above the common man today?"

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 09:07 PM
"I came down to look for you," he retorted, and happily looped his foot around her ankle. "Jochy said he found Starling. With Sylvie."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 09:09 PM
Spider threw up her hands. "I only just spoke to her yestereven! She didn't say nothin' about Starling! When was this?"

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 09:14 PM
"Last night, after you spoke to her, I suppose," he answered. "He was apparently a parrot,I think Jochy said. I'm not sure if I misheard, or it was really as ludicrous as all that, but he's there, he's with Sylvie, Jochy could locate him with the mirror, and he's all right. I don't think Sylvie knew when she spoke to you, to be honest. And there's apparently some kind of Puck-related god-knows-what going on on the Red."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 09:22 PM
"Praise be for that much. They're both together, they can watch each other's backs." Spider pressed a knuckle to the bridge of her nose. "Starling used to do this take-off-unannounced shit all the time, but he's got Judes's luck. Somehow he always runs into good company."



Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 09:27 PM
Andre smiled. "From the sound of it, he went to look after her," he said amusedly, before putting a hand on the girl's back. "And Judith as much as said she'll deal with Kuleliti for us, so all's well, I think. I told her to give your love to your father and Uncle; I told her you're perfect, so none of them had better worry. Although I thought we'd get through this without any nervous grandparents floating around, and Ollie's being terrible."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 09:35 PM
The girl's expression hardened. "Good. Good on her. And I hope she gives Moreau merry hell the next time she sees him."

The words came out a little too harshly for so early in the day, but it felt as if a towering thunderhead had passed without striking. She sighed and wrinkled her nose. "I should speak to Da' though," she admitted, hooking her foot around Andre's. "He were much too calm last time. I figger he's had enough time for everything to sink through the semi-porous rock he calls his head. But . . . Sturges?"

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 09:38 PM
"There's no chance this has mellowed him out, then?" Andre asked wistfully, and he flashed the girl a grin. "You should hear him, talking about how he's gotten old, how he wants us to name the baby after him..." He gave her a pained look. "I told him it's your first, what we name it is up to you. And then I told him you're probably having twins, and he's got the responsibility of giving them piggyback rides."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 09:46 PM
Spider cackled, delighted. "Si asked the same thing. It's bad luck to name someone sight unseen, don't you know that? What if we picked a boy's name and it fetches up a girl? She'd go all wrong."

She gazed thoughtfully into her bowl, paddling the spoon about. "He's a sweet old bloke. I like him. He reminds me of Bill Mallory, a bit."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 09:52 PM
Andre laughed. "That's why you pick one of each," he pointed out. "And mostly we name our babies for relatives, anyhow, so it's simpler than that."

He reached for her free arm. "Although I'm not suggesting we have another Alexandre Vincente Romain anytime soon. Ollie's a good man. He is sort of like Bill Mallory for me; he played father for me when I left home; he practically is the twins' grandpapa. OR Sylvie's, anyway, more than my father was."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 10:03 PM
"And if you pick one of each and it turns out just to be one, it ends up two-faced. Why do you insist on cursin' your own offspring this way?" She was grinning, but there was a soberness in her eyes where, not too long ago, she had believed this without hesitation. "Aye, I know. I got to speak with him a bit, but it's hard to get five words in to anyone without one of these ijits popping up at your shoulder. But he sort of got that look of . . . well, you get it." She looked embarrassed.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 10:13 PM
"Oh, I assume my offspring are cursed enough by being related to me, they're bound to not mind a little more heaped on." Andre grinned back, but then looked confused. "Look of what? What look do I get?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 10:17 PM
"Like someone was dangling a sweet o'er your head," she said. She averted her eyes and poked through the gruel as if hoping there was something more interesting to eat underneath it.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 10:21 PM
Both of Andre's eyebrows popped up, and he very casually dangled an arm around Spider's shoulder. "No, I've already got my sweet," he assured her.

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 10:42 PM
"Favouritism," she warned, but slipped one hand down to squeeze him--rather high up--on the inner thigh.

Her hand returned topside as if she had done nothing more than brush crumbs from her skirts. "But aye, got to talk to him a bit. I tried to worm out of him all the tales of your misspent youth--but I think we got through all of those in like the first couple months already. Your misspent youth were a lot shorter'n mine."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 10:48 PM
"Mmm..." Andre's eyes twinkled, and he grinned back at her. "Favoritism, my ass. Everyone knows you're my favorite whether or not I've got my arm around you. I'm not putting my arm around any of the Aquitainean sailors, and I'm definitely not interested in having any of them carry my children."

He shrugged, then, pleasantly. "I thought you were still misspending yours. I can't imagine all this time with me could be anyone's idea of well spent."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 11:04 PM
"The company has been grand; the time itself might've been better spent." She bumped her arm back against him and smiled. "Although if any of these blokes are brave enough to want to carry this package about a couple days, point me to 'em and I'll pass it o'er. It's just about stopped forcin' up everything I ate and now all it does is complain that I don't give it enough."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 11:07 PM
Andre frowned, and slipped his arm down to rub her lower back. "Do we need to feed you more than gruel, then?" he asked her, prodding at her bowl. "I can talk to Ashon about making sure he cooks something extra for you."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 11:18 PM
"It's fine. See?" She made a show of scraping the bottom of the bowl and popping it into her mouth. "Full up. Want the rest of this biscuit?"

She let out a small breath through her nose, then swallowed the last mouthful. "Andre, it's not that . . . I don't want you to worry about this sort of stuff when there's bigger fish afloat. I can go to Ashon as well as you can. It's not a big deal."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 11:34 PM
Andre frowned, then smiled and ruffled her hair. "It lets me take my mind off the bigger fish, cherie. Besides, I'm the Captain. Do you know how badly it would look if random officers could go request larger portions?"

He snuck a kiss to her cheek. "Anyway, I like fussing over you, and I could be much, much, much worse, you know," he said warningly, and gave her tummy a poke. "Are you hungry down there?" he asked her belly playfully. "Is mama feeding you enough? Are you going to come out all round and fat and jolly?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 11:40 PM
Spider submitted dutifully to the treatment, although she cast a slightly pained look about to see if anyone else was watching. "It's actually more--" She moved Andre's hand upward. "--here-ish." Her stomach was just about big enough to cup a hand over, considering that her abdomen had been nearly concave a month earlier. "Do you know about when they start to move? It's been gurgling, but I can't tell if that's it or me."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 20 2008, 11:46 PM
Andre grinned, spanning his fingers out over the bulge. "You've actually got a tummy!" he exclaimed, delighted, although he had actually been aware of this for quite some time. "Hello, baby," he said to it. "Bonjour, mon petit." He glanced up. "A little later. I'm not sure, for you...we could feel the twins moving about half-through, so in a few weeks, maybe?" he asked, and then grinned up at her. "It's talktative, like its papa," he said, looking quite pleased with himself. "It must be trying to tell us something."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 20 2008, 11:57 PM
Spider sniggered helplessly through her embarrassment. "It's tryin' to tell us that the food's terrible, and oh, the wages ain't such great shakes either."

She moved his palm off her stomach and over her heart, then, crew be damned, kissed him in the middle of the forehead.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 12:01 AM
Andre tipped his head up and kissed the end of her chin. "Well, it can find other work, then," he informed her generously, and then looked down at her belly again. "What do you think of that? Would you rather be in Mercer?" he asked it. "Wait till you pop out and you see how bad the food is first hand."

And then looked up at her again, smiling. "Oh, you."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 12:13 AM
"Oh-me what? There's some tall fellow talking to my midsection." Forgetting her previous assertion, she snapped off a bit of biscuit and sucked on it until it was soft enough to chew. "A few weeks. It doesn't seem like it should be that soon. They start movin', that means they're really alive in there, doesn't it? And all they do after that is get bigger?" She sounded on the verge of nervousness.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 12:20 AM
Andre laughed, and wrapped his arms back around the girl. "Oh, sweet thing," he murmured. "Well, one hopes after they tire of getting bigger, they evenutally come out," he answered. "And then we get to count their toes over and over again until they're big enough to get embarrassed by us."

He smiled then. "It's already really alive. It's...I think it's probably moving already, it's just too little for us to tell. That might be the gurgles. It's like having a tiny goldfish that you put in a pond and it gets bigger and bigger. It's still moving, even when it's a little thing, you just don't see the ripples."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 12:31 AM
"Still, it's . . . I thought it would be months and months, at least. Not down 'til the very end." She cupped her stomach, a gesture both protective and a little suspicious. She gave Andre a soft, wry smile. "I just want it to get plenty big. Big enough to have all its little fingernails and eyelashes and all that all finished." She looked, for once, a bit dreamy.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 01:16 AM
And Andre laughed. Loudly, and ran a hand along her shoulders. "Oh, it will. It won't come out 'til all that's done," he assured her, beaming. "We just don't want it to come out with any extras."

He slid closer to her, looking around the room, a thoughtful look on his face before he returned his gaze to her. "Are you sure you want it all to look like me? I've never had a blond baby before. Or a light-eyed one."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 01:21 AM
Spider laughed back. "Look, I know you think I'm gorgeous but this--" and she held out a tuft of her own pale hair "--this ain't normal. Blonde is yellow. This is white. I wouldn't mind a blonde baby either, as long as it were proper blonde and didn't burn."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 01:26 AM
"Gorgeous is never normal," Andre informed her happily. "Laivine was gorgeous, too, and she was all-over dark as ebony. You're all-over white as pearls," he observed affectionately, tugging at a lock of her hair. "Maybe we'll meet in the middle and have a nice, peachy baby with hair the color of new floorboards and eyes like rainwater. And freckles," he added thoughtfully. "And your lips. You have delicious lips."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 01:38 AM
Spider twisted in discomfort. She ran a finger down his cheek. "Your dark curls," she said. "Your big eyes. The baby can look like that. Or any combination it likes, just so long as it's normal and healthy and the Ceallaigh temper decides give this generation a rest."

She rested her hands in her lap. "Si was pleased about it, though," she said a little wistfully.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 01:44 AM
Andre looked interested. "Was she?" he asked. "What did she say?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 01:52 AM
Unconsciously Spider twisted her ring one complete rotation. "Just all sorts of questions about how big I'd gotten yet and if we'd picked out names and . . . does your navel really turn inside-out when you're pregnant?" She gave him a sceptical look.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 01:54 AM
Andre blinked. "What?" he asked. "Who told her that?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 01:56 AM
"That's what she said," Spider protested. "I've ne'er heard of it. I wondered if you had."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 01:58 AM
"Not in my life." Andre looked down at Spider's belly. "But I've never been pregnant. I don't...oh, god, Laivine's was popped-out to begin with, so I can't say if hers did or not." He grimaced. "I don't think they do...is that really..." He shook his head. "Of all the things she could say, that's what she came up with? Congratulations, your navel is going to burst?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 02:03 AM
Spider grinned and rocked back on her seat. "Oh, stop, that's not all she said, she just asked. And I'd ne'er heard of it, either. Maybe she picked it up sailin'; when I first came on the Misery, I thought Tuatha women gave birth to litters, like cats."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 02:09 AM
And Andre laughed out loud. "Is that why you thought your father had a twin?" he asked, looking horribly amused. "If they did, they wouldn't have half the concerns they do about babies and..." He shook his head, then ruffled his hair. "There isn't anything else you're afraid of, is there? Nothing anyone told you that you're not sure if it's true or not?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 02:14 AM
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Other'n the bit about the blinding all-encompassing pain that's supposed to make me scream and beg for death and curse your name?"

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 02:17 AM
He jogged her with his elbow. "Don't you dare," he retorted jovially. "It's as much your fault as it is mine. And besides, I'm the one who's going to wait on you hand and foot when you're too swollen to get out of bed."

Then he shrugged apologetically. "I think the pain bit is true, unfortunately."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 02:23 AM
She shrugged. "On the one hand, I got Maudie, who told me me when I were twelve or so that it's the nearest thing to death you can get without dyin', and on the other I got Judith sayin' that it's like gettin' a really terrible cramp that don't let up--and somewhere in the middle I got a bullet to the leg and an amputation with no time to drug me up before Faucon took the saw to it."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 02:26 AM
Andre winced. "And I've felt neither, and I somehow down a few incidental powder burns are anything like losing a limb. Or childbirth. You were really wake for all that?" he asked, looking a bit awed. "When they cut your leg?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 02:33 AM
The girl rubbed her knee uneasily. "Yes? I thought I'd told you all about that. I mean, it's not like I bit me lip and took it like a solider or nothin', but aye, I were awake. I kept passin' out," she recalled, with a tone verging on nostalgia, "but I'd just wake right up again when he did somethin' else."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 02:38 AM
"You told me how it happened, but I sort of...assumed you were good and out for the cutting-up bit," Andre admitted, stroking her hair. "I don't think-- I have a feeling this won't hurt like that. For one, you'll have time to prepare for it, and for another, you'll have a little peanut version of yourself when it's done with, instead of being down a leg."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 03:01 AM
She reached for the burn scars on his side, then realised that working her way under his jacket before the morning watch was a far cry from squeezing him quick under the table and turned the gesture into fumbling for his hand. "I'm not much worried about it hurting. I wish there were someone here to talk to." Her fingers bore down in frustration. "Another woman. I feel cut off."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 03:08 AM
Andre gave her a sympathetic look, shaking his head, and gave her a little squeeze. "You can use the mirror?" he offered apologetically. "There's...there's Lang...and that Cecilian girl...I--" He gave her an earnest look. "You can put a wig and a dress on me," he offered helpfully. "Do you know anyone, once we get to Mercer? Anyone at all? Or is there someone we can invite to stay with us?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 03:16 AM
"I don't think there's anything shy of a glam we can do to make you pass for a woman," she said fondly. "I think Lang thinks I'm too close to bein' a boy to bother with. And I don't know anyone in Mercer." She shook her head and patted his hand. "I'll do."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 03:18 AM
He bit his lip. "Are you sure?" he asked. "We could go back to the Mallorys if you're prefer it. I know how you feel about the whole..." He shrugged. "But we've been telling everyone we're married, anyhow. We can tell them we had a little private wedding."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 03:31 AM
Her ringed hand closed into a fist with her thumb on the inside, rubbing the hard edge of the band. She put the hand briefly against her lips, watching him. "That's . . . something else Si mentioned," she said. "Getting married."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 03:33 AM
Andre swallowed, and gave Spider an uncomfortable look. "So did Judith, a while back," he admitted. "I don't want you to-- you don't have to feel obliged to talk about it. I know how you feel."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 03:38 AM
"Aye, and I know how you feel." Her hand went back to her lap. "It's important to you."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 03:44 AM
And he reached for her hand, slipping his own into hers. "I'd just like a wedding," he admitted quietly. "I'm more concerned about the baby. People-- tallfolk people like to make things difficult for you if your parents aren't wed. But I don't know how much that's going to be a problem, since everyone thinks we are, as it is."

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 03:51 AM
"And I know how you feel about that, too," she admitted. She took a deep sigh to prepare herself. "I just didn't want you to think that . . . you know, that I'd just pitched the whole idea. I have been thinkin' about this. I don't know if I . . . I mean, I love you." This was the last conversation she had planned on having during breakfast. "I just want to be sure. And I wanted to let you know."

She cleared her throat and, awkwardly, started stacking bowls together.

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 03:56 AM
Andre slid away slightly, trying to give her room to stack her bowls in peace, chewing on his lip. "Do you...Maybe we should, ah."

He glanced around the mess, and started cleaning bowls up, too. "I think maybe we should have the rest of this conversation...somewhere else?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 04:02 AM
Spider nodded, relieved, and took the extra bowls away from him. "A Commandeur of the Empire is not seen doin' the washing-up," she joked lightly. "I didn't mean to start this right here, but--" She nodded again. "It needs discussed."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 04:06 AM
Andre gave her a pained look. "And killing cannibals isn't the washing-up?" he teased back.

He stepped dutifully out of her way, and then nodded. "We can move to the cabin. Now?" he asked. "Or do you need some time to think about it first?"

Posted by: Spider Ceallaigh Jun 21 2008, 04:21 AM
"I do need to report to my station long enough to see if I got any other'n the usual to do," she said. "But after that, I'll find you."

Posted by: Andre Romain Jun 21 2008, 04:24 AM
Andre flashed the girl a smile, then nodded obediently to her, and dropped a kiss onto her cheek. "I'll be waiting," he assured her, giving her hair another fluff before he started up toward the main deck.