Closed Pregnancy Studies with Maya Frostfawn

[Evalynn Frostfawn]

Eva was beginning to feel more comfortable around the woman and enjoyed the explanations she was giving. Her curiosity was being piqued by the things she knew nothing about. So while she laid down and was being examined, she asked questions. “So, you mentioned something about the womb being intact? What does that mean? And what would happen if it wasn't intact?” Eva went from watching the woman's hands to looking up at her expression, the cold touch coming from them not bothering her anymore. She didn’t know what it would mean, but she knew when a face changed because of something bad. So far nothing, so she continued the questions and conversation. “Ow, why are you pressing on my breasts? They are kind of tender, so be gentle please. Ah, and that side is kind of ticklish. What is all this supposed to do?” Eva was trying to hold back a bit of a giggle as the woman pressed her fingers into her sensitive side. So far, other than her breasts, no other pain was imminent on her body. However, if the woman would look closely, a lot of faint bruises would be showing along her legs. They weren't severe, but looked to be a result of just some bumps into chairs and tables. Next, those chilly hands went to her pregnant belly and sat there, fingers sprawled out and waiting. Eva waited too before a lightbulb went off and she smiled. “If you are waiting for the baby to move, it may be difficult. It's a very calm child, only moves when it wants to. Sometimes, I feel like it sits further into my back than my belly.” She paused. “How would we be able to find out the gender of the child? I know I have heard of many ways one could predict gender, but how would we find solid proof?” Word Count: 314

[Maya Frostfawn]

Darn, Maya was rather hoping that Eva wouldn't think to ask that question. It was just something she had heard in passing, when she was younger, still alive, perhaps? The nuit couldn't quite remember and scrambled to think of an answer that would seem plausible. "It means the womb hasn't broken during the pregnancy," Maya began, simply defining the terms listed in the phrase as though she were a bloody dictionary. "Complications could arise if it's broken and those complications tend to vary from mother to mother." Great, she was keeping it vague, but plausible. Now, to add a random symptom that applied to a number of other illnesses she knew about to make herself seem even more legit. Let's see... she was low on time, but she felt the following should work nicely. "Some common complaints when the womb breaks are chest pains," she began, knowing that her answer seemed logical and plausible enough in the depths of her unbeating heart, "and bruising of the abdominal region." Maybe that one was a bit more of a stretch, but she hoped her authority as a "medical professional" would carry her through. She wasn't sure of course, if anything she had said to Eva was true, if it was entirely false, or only part of the picture, but she felt it should pass another line of scrutiny from her patient since it seemed logical and plausible enough. But she could be wrong, it wouldn't have been the first time during the course of her life. Nor did she imagine it would be the last time she was wrong, either. "Sorry," the nuit muttered as she tried to ease the pressure she applied a little bit. "I want to make sure you're not in undue pain. It could be a sign of bruising." She wasn't quite sure that was right, but it would have to do. "Or other problems." A pause as she kept on working, noticed a series of bruises on the woman's legs that didn't look to be too out of sorts, just something you'd acquire by doing everyday activities. But just to be sure. "Did you gain these bruises during your pregnancy?" she'd ask with a gentle gesture before moving on. "I'm surprised," she lied, she felt nothing of the sort, "most women seem to complain that their babies move around too much. You should consider yourself lucky that your unborn child has a calmer demeanor, although it's hard to say if such a nature will follow it into life." A gentle smile as she pulled her hands away from the woman's skin and surveyed her. Maya couldn't say she had heard of a definitive way before, not until the baby actually came out at least. But, like most other people she imagined, she had heard rumors of ways. "I'm not sure--I've heard that if you have certain types of cravings it could indicate the gender of the child. It's said that cravings for sweets indicate that you'll be having a girl." A pause. "I cannot speak to the legitimacy of these claims, however, nor of what some call, 'the bug test.'" A pause. "In all honesty, I think you'll simply have to wait to see what you have, but if you're feeling adventurous, then it may be fun to give some of the tests a try. Just take their results with a grain of salt." A small smile. "Are you hoping for a boy or a girl? Or have a name picked out yet?" Maya would simply let the woman talk, relax, ask questions before seeing if there was anything else she wanted to check. She wouldn't push on the matter of her womb; she didn't even know what she was looking for, if she was being entirely honest. Had she still been human, in touch with her emotions, she might have found that embarassing, as would the thought of getting something wrong. But now, there was nothing. Just a desire to improve for later. And a bunch of questions to which she currently had no answer.

[Evalynn Frostfawn]

Eva listened to the woman talk, trusting her judgment on the situation and not feeling anything else but curiosity. The nuit doctor could even tell Eva a spew of false information and Eva would eat it up without thinking twice. However, the thought that the womb breaking could cause chest pains made her shiver at the thought. Was the pain that bad that it would affect other areas of the body? She cleared her head and sat up when the doctor finished her examination and gave a bit of a nod. “I did get these while pregnant. Get them a lot easier now than I did before, but I assumed it is because there is another body inside me and such.” She smiled, hearing how she was one in a few who has a calm pregnancy, and rubbed her stomach gently. Even if the rumors about finding out the gender were false, she definitely agreed that it did sound fun to try and experiment with some of the safe ideas. Maybe she could get Moritz on the fun, but she wouldn’t know if he would enjoy it. “Its definitely comforting knowing that I can be adventurous without harming my baby.” Eva paused, a thought coming to her mind. “Say, I never got your name. Mine is Evalynn and I wanted to say you’ve been very helpful today.” She smiled warmly and held out her hand. “I hope for your guidance again in the future.” After learning the others name, Eva suggested that they enjoy the tea she had made and some minor snacks. The invitation was offered in hopes that they would grow closer so that Eva would have an understanding about who was helping her with the health of her baby. She was also hoping to have the woman help her deliver, but that was still a ways away. So for now, Evawould try to make a new friend and enjoy the calmness of the moment before she popped. Word Count:330

[Maya Frostfawn]

Maya frowned at the woman's words; they didn't make the most sense to her. "Because you're rounder than before and aren't used to it? And keep bumping into things?" she asked. "Or is it something else? Perhaps something you're lacking in your diet making it easier for you to bruise? Or the skin being stretched so tight that it bruises?" she frowned; she wasn't sure anything she was saying was making sense either. Maya moved away from the pregnant Vantha in order to give her more room in which to move should she require it before responding to the remainder of her comments. She smiled. "Within reason, of course. Don't go doing anything crazy like jumping off of buildings or tumbling down stairs and you should be fine." A pause. "It's lovely to meet you Evalynn and I appreciate your kind words." Had she still been alive, blood might have rushed to her cheeks and they would have turned a lovely shade of red, but she was no longer alive and hadn't been for quite some time. "I'm Maya." She didn't extend her hand or anything. She didn't want Eva to notice that they were still quite cold, that they never warmed up no matter how much time she spent inside or with them buried under a blanket or in a pair of warm gloves. "While I appreciate the offer, I can't say I'm very hungry. Although, I'd be willing to keep you company if you would enjoy mine," Maya responded as she moved toward the table where they had spent some time earlier. "We don't have to keep talking about your health, the pregnancy, or the baby if you don't want to. We could talk about something else. Like home, or something else you might find enjoyable or relaxing." She smiled. At least she had found someone in this vile city who didn't seem ready to kill her, and she wanted to keep it that way. For although she wasn't sure she would ever be able to call Eva a friend, having a small connection, which could help stave off her inevitable demise was something she should cherish in a city such as this. In a city that would never be safe, no matter how much strength and knowledge she gained over time. Word Count: 384

[Evalynn Frostfawn]

“Because I am rounder most likely, which makes me more clumsy. Beforehand, I would just get them while cleaning, now I just feel like I fumble into anything while doing work.” Eva chuckled lightly and tapped her finger when she sat down, watching the other follow suit. “If you are offering a change of topic, I will gladly accept.” Eva poured herself some tea and sipped on it some before finding a question. “Tell me about yourself, what brings you here to Sunberth?” She was exceptionally curious about the woman, but did not want to jump into the super personal questions yet. She was sure that if Eva made it aware that she noticed the constant cold of the ladies hands and the unnaturally pale features, she would probably clam up. Eva certainly would have if someone mentioned her color changing eyes or the flecks of color under her hair. Something about asking those questions to this woman told Eva’s subconscious that it was not the time for it. After hearing the woman's answer, Eva answered with hers as well. “I came here from Syka, following Moritz who was in search of some family. It has been a journey for him, but he has built a life here and I am proud of him. Now it is my turn to step up and start building.” Eva grabbed a snack and waited for the nuits response, nibbling and nodding as they talked. After a bit, she could answer their own question if they had one before moving on to her next question as well. WC: 263

[Maya Frostfawn]

Maya nodded, what the Vantha had said made sense to her. As she made herself comfortable at the table, she listened to Eva think and took a moment to consider the nature of her question and the woman's curiosity before answering. Her curiosity seemed innocent enough, but if Maya wasn't careful with how she responded to such a simple question, she might draw an unwanted degree of curiosity, a number of questions she did not wish to answer. Or, in the worst case scenario, she could reveal her true nature without meaning to, and that was not something she could afford given how vulnerable her kind was in general and how vulnerable she was with her slower than average movements and lack of martial expertise. In any case, she finally replied with, "I suppose I simply needed a change of scenery." A pause. "I have spent a great deal of time surrounded by the same people and things. Moving through life as though it were a routine. And while life does have its redundancies, there should be an element of surprise to one's days, don't you think? Even if it is only a small one." A small smile crossed her lips as she considered. "And Sunberth... well, it's anything but boring, although I imagine most of us wish it weren't quite so dangerous, especially those of us with a baby on the way." Her smile widened, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. I suppose that makes him the father, a part of her had wondered. She couldn't quite recall if either of them had mentioned it to her, not that it was any of her business anyway. She simply had a job to do and was helping out, trying to keep people from wanting to kill her, despite the dangers getting close to others might pose further down the line. "Other than birth your child, what do you intend to do here? To build, as you put it?" Maya asked after another moment, as her eyes danced over the Vantha as she ate. Word Count: 345 Words

[Evalynn Frostfawn]

Eva listened with sincerity and smiled at the womans question. What did she plan to do? Eva put little thought into what she was going to do as the plans she had wasn’t so grand or anything. “I want to make this home a place for my child to feel safe in. I want to make sure this home is still home even when my child grows up and has moved out.” Eva rubbed her finger on her cup and thought some more. “I also want to show that I can take on this dangerous world and have confidence in myself that I won't be killed while doing it.” She didn’t know how she was going to do such things, but the way she said it sounded nice to her. It was like making a promise to the heavens that she was going to change her fate somehow and survive any and all odds. She had to do it somehow, for the sake of her child and Moritz. The two women continued to chatter about minor things until it became late in the afternoon. By that time, Eva had run out of topics and had said her goodbyes to Maya as the two parted ways. WC: 205