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+--- Thread: [G] [P] 743.10.01 | Hello World (/showthread.php?tid=5327)
743.10.01 | Hello World - Rh'us - 01.Oct.22
Rh'us was exhausted. August had been in labor all day, finally giving birth in the middle of the night. And then the bleeding hadn't stopped and he'd found himself quite glad he'd called upon a healer who specialized in birth to help handle it. He'd barely gotten any sleep, managing only the tiniest of naps when he was temporarily removed from the room for making snide remarks about the other healer's sloppy stitching or in the chair next to the bed while August rested.
He had taken another one of those light naps while the baby was being inspected by the other healer and an apprentice midwife; Rh'us was very pointedly not invited to hover for that examination. The level of grogginess he felt when he woke up showed that he'd slept longer than he'd intended. He had a headache, he was tired and grouchy, but once he finished rubbing his eyes and August handed him the baby he suddenly found that none of that mattered anymore.
"Hello Astah," he softly cooed as he smiled down at his daughter. His chest ached, his throat was tight, and he found himself flooded with emotions. He choked back a sob, quickly wiped his eyes with his free hand, and got up to start walking around as his baby squirmed and wiggled her tiny arms with their tiny hands at him. He hadn't expected to feel anything so strongly, but in that moment even while he was too terrified to hold her as closely as he wanted to, Rh'us knew he'd do anything for her. It was overwhelming.
She looks so small! Hispidath's voice was filled with wonder, and though he wanted to see the baby in person he was doing his best to be patient. Rh'us nodded mutely in response to the comment and turned back to August with a sappy smile. "She's beautiful," he said hoarsely. "Gets that from you." He walked back over to his chair to settle back down next to the woman and let out a long sigh. "Sorry. I'm just... here, do you want her back? I worry I might hurt her."
RE: 743.10.01 | Hello World - August - 18.Oct.22
Her labor had been much the same as it had been with her son. Grunts and pushes and pain ripping through but Varanuth had nearly come undone when the bleeding hadn't stopped. Rh'us had been there and had to be removed, August was certain that had been amusing but she couldn't quite remember it. August had been certain she was going to die but she hadn't. Varanuth insisted she wouldn't let her die, they had far more things to do than what they already had, and the small mewls that she could hear coming from her small baby had kept her grounded in the world.
Her hand rubbed gently over the top of the small head buried against her breast, a small bubble of milk peeking through and she grinned. Astah. Perfect and beautiful in every way. She smiled again when Rh'us made a noise and August shifted to move her daughter away from her breast. There was a minimal protest, the girl was full and relaxed as she was handed to her father. It was rather adorable watching that big rough man hold that tiny girl with such care.
You will bring her to me when you're well
Of course my darling
She chuckled, wincing slightly when a stitch tugged, "Of course she does," she told him, "I hope she'll have your eyes though. That'll be stunning." He was just as beautiful with that sappy smile and August had a feeling that small little baby was going to wrap that man as tightly around her fingers as any other. She watched with a soft smile as he moved, sitting back down in the chair next to her bed and settled in with the baby.
She shook her head when he asked is she wanted her back. "You won't hurt her," she told him and reached for the glass of water set on the table next to her, "And I want you to hold her when you want and you can. You're her father Rham, you should get to hold her too."
RE: 743.10.01 | Hello World - Rh'us - 18.Oct.22
You won't hurt her. The words echoed in his head as Rham stared at the little bundle in his arms and her tiny, tiny face. He'd have to make sure so many things were picked up, cleaned, his work... he'd have to take extra care to decontaminate himself after he worked in the lab. Maybe he'd just keep an extra set of clothes there to change into every time he worked on compounding or mixing.
Hispidath was too distracted by the tiny little baby and his rider's emotions to even care about his rider's name. Hopefully he'd get to see her in person soon, and he knew that Varanuth was just as eager. But he could be patient, even as he shifted his weight excitedly.
Rh'us carefully moved the chair closer to the bedside so that he could be as close to August as he could without just climbing up onto the bed with her, and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss. "I don't know how yours is doing, but Hispidath is... quite excited. I'm surprised he hasn't tried sticking his head inside." I am much more dignified than that.The dragon grumped at the both of them before he finally settled down with a sigh and a huff next to the gold.
It was an amusing little tantrum, not that Rh'us would call it that aloud. He just shook his head and turned his attention back to August, watching her as she rested. "I don't mean to sound impatient... but when do you think I'll get to join you in bed again? I'm just trying to decide if I should rearrange and drag a couch in here or not until you've recovered and I can sleep in bed." He'd planned on joking about stopping by to see T'drin under the ruse of seducing him just to fall asleep, but now that he was cradling Astah in his arms he just wanted to stay there for the moment.
He huffed softly and smirked. "Don't think, by the way, that you've managed to somehow tame me by handing me this baby. I'm sure I'll be back to my normal irresistible self eventually. Just right now, I happen to want to be here with you and Astah a bit more."