Mixed Blessing

[Naiya]

15th Spring 516AV
The Riverflower
8th bell of Morning

Naiya hadn't slept well again, she was fighting to get herself moving. She had lingered over breakfast, the porridge made her stomach turn so she had sat with tea and bread.

Worries continued to grow, the day prior she had nearly fainted after a day of easy foraging. Already she felt short of breath again, the humidity pressing against her chest. She could face it no longer, the growing number of problems she faced telling her she must see a doctor. She couldn't afford to be ill, but perhaps admitting that she was would help solve the problem all the sooner.

She stirred the pot of porridge, adding her untouched bowl back to the pot before covering the entirety and pulling it away from the fire. She didn't want it to scorch, and perhaps she would be able to eat some when she returned. If nothing else she would feed it to the goats.

She called to Wildfire, spotting his raised head among their herd at her call. She moved to him, forgoing her yvas. She stopped at the wagon, wondering what might make a suitable gift before she remembered her rabbit, the one she had dropped at the spit fire to have taken care of properly. She lifted the pelt, it was perfect, the dappled brown pattern of the coat perfectly preserved.

She folded the hide gently, then with extra care she swung up into her saddle. She pressed her heels gently into Wildfire's sides, asking him for a gentle walk. He grunted, reaching for a last bite of grass, but she pressed a heel into his left side, pushing him away from the grass with firm pressure that said she wouldn't allow him to decide where they went.

He relented, moving as she asked and she patted him gently on the shoulder. "We don't have time to be silly, I want to go quickly so we can get this over with." She told him, worry tightening her shoulders.

They moved slowly, not just because Naiya was heavy in her seat, but the city was busy and she didn't want to run into anyone, nor did she want to cause a fight between horses, and with so many packed into the streets it would be all too easy. She remained vigilant, watching both Wildfire and the nearby horses for signs of stress, pinned ears, bared teeth, all of it clear signs of discomfort.

They managed to make it though, and Naiya soon dismounted beside the large pavilion that was the Riverflower, her plan clear as Wildfire went to find the best patches of grass.

"Waisana?" She asked, seeking the doctor who had been so helpful to her sister.

[Waisana]

The tent city was still in a haze and while it was proving disruptive for the most part, life went on as normal in the River Flower. There were still sick people, perhaps more of them with this strange weather, and so the healers and doctors were keeping themselves busy even if they didn't have patients to deal with just yet. There was always something that needed to be done and it was bad form to be idle--not that any of them would dream of being in such a state. There were supplies to be checked and restocked, herbs to be prepared, tent calls to make, new patients to organise and various other jobs.

Waisana had been up before Syna, the girl buzzing around the tent with a bright enthusiasm as she went about her business. The youth had busied herself with the patients who had stayed in the tent overnight, ensuring that they were fed and watered and that those who had been confined to bed were cleaned up after. The teen was more than accustomed to dealing with all manner of bodily fluids and so she hardly batted an eyelid as she disposed of her patients' leavings in the appropriate place set aside for such things. As she was cleaning up a young woman with a high fever, an attendant approached her to tell her that someone had asked for her by name. The girl explained that she'd only be a few chimes and signed her thanks as the attendant went off to carry her message. The blonde scrubbed her hands and arms up to the elbow and dried them before she went to see who was looking for her.

"Naiya!" she exclaimed in delight, smiling broadly as she saw the familiar face. Her expression faltered a little as she considered why the woman might be here. She did her best to gauge her body language, to read what might be wrong. She didn't look panicked but there was no reason to assume that Seirei's pregnancy wasn't involved. She was still a little early but Waisana had done a better job this time of assessing her and she was relatively sure that the woman was going to have twins again. Those who had multiple births seemed more likely to have a repeat of the situation and this time she'd been a little wiser. She'd gauged the girl's size and had been able to roughly determine the position of the babies. She'd felt two, she was pretty confident about that although there was always the wild possibility that there might be three in there. Such a thing was not altogether unheard of but it was such a rarity, and a dangerous one at that, that it was highly unlikely. Still, she'd learned not to make assumptions. Twins came earlier so maybe Seirei had gone in to labour and Naiya had been sent to get her. If such a thing had happened though then she would have expected more urgency.

With a critical gaze, she took in the shadowing below the Dawnwhisper's eyes with a frown of disapproval. Naiya's eyes appeared more than a little bloodshot as well and she still looked painfully thin to the doctor's eyes. She understood how difficult food could be to come by sometimes but she was almost certain the hunter was giving up food so that Seirei and the twins could eat better. She looked quite pale but that could have been from exhaustion. Waisana was unsure if she was merely suffering from lack of sleep or if she might be ill herself. Finishing her quick examination based on her initial impressions, the teen got straight to business.

"Are you here for Seirei or you? You look unwell," she observed. Tired. Sleeping. Question.

[Naiya]

Naiya was returned with a message, a few chimes the girl had informed her. Happy to wait, Naiya watched the motion of the healers, moving through the pavilion with the grace of a dance. They seemed so comfortable in their work, it was a reassurance that they managed so well.

Her name caught her attention back to the moment, and she turned to sign her greetings to the woman. The woman appeared concerned, and Naiya was quick to sign a firm reassurance, although embarrassment also took shape in her posture. It was difficult for her to admit to her weakness, but Waisana was a friend, she would help, and then Naiya would be better.

"For myself," apology, "Seirei is as well as can be expected." She tried not to shrink under the woman's practiced eye as she examined her, she was going to explain anyway.

Little sleep, discomfort "I have been... less well than usual." She explained, unsure of where to begin. Nauseous, "Sometimes throwing up.." Hard to breathe.

She glanced around, her eyes falling from one person to the next, seeking an escape that made little sense. "Sometimes dizzy, off balance," Unsure, growing concern "I have been avoiding coming here, but now I am sure something is wrong."

She fumbled, uncomfortable with the situation. "I brought a gift," She said in lieu revealing anything more yet, moving the short way to her mount to find the rabbit pelt. She returned with her offering quickly, graceless in her discomfort.

[Waisana]

The blonde's concern turned to puzzlement as Naiya assured her that her visit had nothing to do with Seirei and then grew embarrassed. Waisana cocked her head to the side, regarding the young woman curiously as she continued to regard her body language and expression. It wasn't for Seirei and probably not for the twins so it must be for Naiya and for some reason that made her feel awkward about the whole situation. The hunter was always focused on everyone else, always ensuring that the needs of others were met with very little concern, if any, for her own. If she was willing to skip meals to make sure others were fed, it was very likely that she'd have no desire to seek medical aid for herself unless she felt there was no other choice. If it was simply an injury from hunting then there would be no need for all this awkwardness. She'd simply have it seen to by any healer or doctor in the River Flower rather than calling on Waisana by name. So this was something she didn't want to deal with it seemed. That was what she gathered from the woman's appearance and her body language but she couldn't be sure. Perhaps it was a womanly problem. Sometimes women got peculiar and disgusting infections in a private area and in such cases she had always found women to be quite embarrassed. They felt that such things were their own fault and they did not want to displease their husbands or deal with the pain of such things.

Her eyebrows rose high at the other's response, the answer not the one she had expected considering the woman's demeanour but the symptoms sounded familiar. It sounded like a womanly ailment that Waisana was all too familiar with from her work, but it could be something else, it was too early to make assumptions. But Naiya didn't want to look her in the eye, couldn't say straight to her face what was wrong with her and the Opal teen suspected that the other had an inkling what the issue with her body might be. The doctor didn't want to voice the possibility, not yet. It couldn't be even hinted at this early until she checked things out and if she breathed the suggestion, it might well send Naiya running. The blonde felt like she was dealing with a skittish animal, but thankfully she was a person and Waisana knew how to deal with people.

The doctor graciously accepted the pelt, running a hand over the soft fur. Beautiful. "I think my sister would love to make something out of this," she explained with a smile. When she said sister, she meant her sister-in-law. It was her brother and his wife that she lived with after all. There would no doubt be a baby soon, which was part of the reason Malon had allowed her to stay with them, for the benefit of their future child. A rabbit pelt would make a wonderful blanket for a newborn child or nice warm clothing. She wasn't going to mention its possible uses in case they prompted Naiya to run off.

Come, she signed, gesturing for the hunter to follow her to an area where she could be examined and questioned in privacy. She would indicate a seat to the young woman before closing the screen to hide them from curious eyes. It was best to come at this from the side rather than approaching the possibility of pregnancy head on. Naiya had lost her husband during the time the pirates came and she might well be in denial that she could have a baby without him. She smiled at the woman and placed a delicate hand on her knee to give it a gentle, reassuring squeeze before withdrawing it.

[color=black]"How long have you felt sick? Has it gotten worse over time?" Tell all. "Leave nothing out." Important.

It might be something else aside from pregnancy but the details would help. She only hoped that Naiya would tell her everything she needed to know and wouldn't leave anything out. There were things that she might believe were trivial but which could be vital for Waisana to know if she were to diagnose her. She didn't want to have to badger the girl for the answers she needed.

[Naiya]

Naiya tossed a fleeting glance at Wildfire, reluctant to face her own sickness. He shifted, turning his back to her, clear in his posture that he thought she was acting like a child. She could read his dismissal in his posture clearly enough, go as good as signed in her direction.

She followed Waisana into the pavilion proper, eyes taking in every detail as she went. They moved slightly away from others, going into parts that seemed to be for patient care, and Naiya was glad for the isolation, more so once the screen had closed.

She was forced to face Waisana, her efforts to pretend she wasn't there failing as the woman touched her knee. She was reassuring, offing her comfort, and Naiya tried her best to let her discomfort fade away.

Beginning was, She paused to think, trying to pinpoint the time when it had begun, "Last season, after the raids." She glanced at the woman with concern clear in her eyes. "You won't tell Seirei, will you? I don't want to upset her." She waited only a moment for reassurance before continuing. "I was... struggling to accept the changes, to accept that Shahar was," gone. Still she couldn't speak the words together, her throat growing tight at just the thought. She moved away from the topic.

"Khida, too, following him in ways I could not. It left me, Seirei, and the children all to care for ourselves." Insufficient, not good enough the signs reflected that it was she who they described. "I slept fitfully, and worked harder than I have ever before. I had to hunt, I had to handle the animals, the pavilion, I was cooking, working, foraging. I was so tired" Great stress "The others helped, but," She faltered in her story, her face crumpling. "I am," responsible, ankal her signs were rough, the words hard. "I began to be sick," grief, stress "I felt often that I could not eat, that I might be sick if I did." Pushed through, "They depend on me, the best hunter," Her hands shook out the word left broken and weak, "but not good at all."

She was caught up in her own story, this wasn't the point, not why she was here. "First it was just the sickness in my stomach, but it grew, worsening, often I would wake up in the night to pee and when I stirred I would grow sick and vomit." She was embarrassed in posture once more, admitting the weakness of her body difficult after she had shouldered the responsibility for her pavilion. "My body aches everywhere, and still I am so tired but I can not sleep between peeing and the discomfort." She rolled her head to loosen the tension that grew in her neck. Taking a deep breath she continued,

"It got a little better, recently, but worse too, because I get dizzy when I mount or dismount sometimes, and my breath is hard to catch. In the heat yesterday I grew so short of breath and so sick to my stomach my vision began to grow dark and I was sure I would faint and fall off my horse."

She looked at the woman, not just a healer, but a friend, and she hoped dearly that she would have an answer. "If I grow ill, who will take care of Seirei and the children? Taerin is a wonderful help, but she is in no position to provide for them all."

"I am, afraid." She finally admitted.

[Waisana]

The doctor had initially been worried that it would be necessary to drag the woman into the pavilion to ensure she was diagnosed and treated, but thankfully, Naiya had followed of her own accord. Albeit, she had clearly been reluctant to do so and her backwards glance at her Strider had made Waisana think she would mount it and bolt rather than face her issues. Perhaps for a fleeting moment, the hunter had come close to doing just that. It was an immense relief to Waisana that she hadn't or she would have been left worrying about a patient who was no longer there.

The woman hadn't fled but she also wasn't comfortable in her surroundings. She took in every detail, darting looks here and there as she tried to come to grips with the situation. Even when they were away from the others and seated, Naiya remained on edge and the wild gleam in her eye reminded the teen of a time she'd seen a rat cornered and driven to distraction by the horses. Waisana's brief comforting touch appeared to be reduce some of her stress but below the surface, it clearly remained. At the mention of Seirei, the Opal girl understood some of her fear and provided the reassurance her patient sought.

I will say nothing, she assured her in Grassland sign before nodding and smiling encouragingly for the woman to continue. Her smile grew sympathetic as the hunter spoke, admitting things that she had probably kept inside her until now. Waisana was amazed by how much the other was willing to share but she made no effort to intervene and steer her towards the history of her symptoms. Sometimes what went on in the head affected the body and while the doctor believed the explanation wasn't as simple as that, she also thought this talking was beneficial to the other. There were some injuries you couldn't see and this was probably the only way that Naiya could heal them. She was shouldering a heavy burden, which showed no sign of being reduced any time soon. In fact, it was going to increase greatly when Seirei gave birth again. Between sleepless nights and the greater need for feeding Seirei, the woman might well crack under the pressure. If she too was with child then she would no doubt fall apart. How could she hunt and provide for a pavilion when she fell victim to the strain that pregnancy brought?

You don't know that she's pregnant. This could be stress and it's better if it is because she can't cope with being with child, she told herself sternly, rather than dwelling on the possible negatives of such a circumstance. A part of her whispered that her patient was pregnant and that she was already falling apart. She did her best to clear her mind, forcing herself to focus on everything Naiya said and signalled.

As the hunter admitted her fear, Waisana's hand extended to her knee once more, making soothing sounds as she did so.

"Do not think of that." We will mount that horse when we come to it. "Now we think only of you. I must find what is wrong." Illness. Heal.

The teen retracted her hand and her expression grew thoughtful as she considered which questions to pose. She could ask the woman if she had gained weight but she looked doubtfully at her apparently flat stomach. Even if she was a season along in a pregnancy it might not show considering how thin and undernourished she was.

"While sick, has your weight changed? Have you been eating more or less? Do some food make you sick?" Moon blood. Normal. Question. "I will help. Any changes, tell me. Good changes or bad changes. Changes not to do with sickness but at the same time." Dizziness. Faintness. Exertion. Question.

Naiya looking at her would see the concern in her expression and in her posture but as she posed her questions, she fidgeted a little, breaking eye contact from time to time. It may be read as anxiety or guilt and in the doctor's mind, she felt awful for keeping her suspicions from the hunter. The idea that Naiya could be carrying a baby was gnawing away in her stomach, urging her to vomit out what was on her mind and shatter any illusions the other had. If she just told her then this examination could go much faster. Waisana could ask for exactly what she needed and she could examine her for the physical signs but telling her outright might upset her to a point where there would be no further cooperation. She had come of her own free will and she could just as easily walk out of here if she was pushed too far too fast. Waisana prided herself on her bedside manner and so she had every intention of continuing her careful, indirect approach to the best of her ability.

[Naiya]

Think only of herself, she told her, a difficult task, but one that would help. She took comfort in the woman't words, still unsure, but growing more sure of the other woman's ability if not her own.

Yes, weight little change. She signed with obvious hesitance, gain some, "Since the feast, we talked, I have been more careful." She stated simply, blindly ignoring the obvious fact that she gained quickly because she was eating more once again. She was sure the healer suspected, or knew outright, but all the same she would not voice the words.

Surprise shaped her as the woman asked about her bloods. She hadn't thought about it in what seemed like ages, with all the stress and things going on. She hadn't had her bloods. No blood. She signed slowly, dizzy, yes, faint, yes.

She was lost a moment as she considered what she had experienced, missing the other woman's obvious discomfort. "Sometimes food makes me sick, sometimes everything makes me sick. Sometimes my breasts are sore," Great concern,.

She met the doctor's eyes, and the woman held them only for a moment, breaking the contact. Naiya's hands plucked at the air, seeking the words she needed. She sat up, more confidant, but still, she sought reassurance from Waisana, which the woman gave but her whole self was not in it.

"What do you think, is it bad? You must tell me, please."

[Waisana]

The doctor bit her lip, nodding along as the woman answered her questions. The weight gain could be explained easily enough. The hunter was obviously willingly eating more, rather than continuing to go without meals for the sake of Seirei and the twins. Had it been long enough to make a difference though or could there be other things making her gain weight? It still wasn't evidence, maybe it could be explained away by the fact Naiya was eating more. It didn't have to be pregnancy, no. Pregnancy would be bad. When she saw her patient's surprise concerning the moon blood, her stomach sank. Clearly she hadn't even thought about her natural flow any time recently and if it was so far out of her mind, it must have been awhile since she'd had it.

Stress can stop it and that might explain a missed cycle. The pirate raids happened and she became the ankal of her pavilion so that was a lot of stress. She probably stopped eating as much then. When women get too thin, their flow stops. It doesn't mean she's pregnant, she assured herself, although some treacherous part of her mind whispering that she was working a little too hard to convince herself that Naiya wasn't pregnant. She was so desperately trying to cling to any other reason that Waisana knew in her heart that it must be true. If one or two things had happened then it might have been a coincidence, but to have so much happen suggested one very likely cause. The weight gain, the absence of her moon blood, the dizziness, the faintness, the sickness, the soreness of her breasts -- she suppressed a wince when she heard the last -- it all pointed one way. Worst still, Naiya questioned her so directly that the doctor could not keep her suspicions at bay any longer.

Not sick, she signed hesitantly. "I cannot cure you... no, I will not. I told Seirei this before. I will not harm. I will not kill." She closed her eyes, shaking her head as if to clear it. She was being cryptic, she knew but it was difficult to voice her thoughts aloud when they might cause so much pain. If her condition was what she suspected it was then it would also cause her a lot of problems. She folded her hands in her lap, looking directly at Naiya with an unwavering gaze, something she'd been unable to do for the last few chimes. Keeping her hands where they were meant that she couldn't sign for the moment and that bought her some time as she regarded the other with grave sympathy, searching her face to see whether she had an inkling of what was coming.

Eventually, she spoke, her words soft and carefully chosen as she tried to approach the situation in a calm manner. Waisana did her best to allow reassurance to seep into her tone and body language as she tried to subtly suggest that the other shouldn't be worried. If she tried to tell her too emphatically that there was nothing to worry about then it might have the opposite effect to the one she intended; she might not be believed and the hunter might panic.

"Naiya," she began softly, simply allowing the woman's name to hang in the air between them for a few moments. She hoped her name would ground her. "I cannot be sure until I examine you, Naiya. It would be..." Intimate. Personal. "You would need to undress and I would have to look closely at certain areas. Naiya, I am not sure. I think you may suspect. You feel it maybe but did not want to consider it." Illness. Better for you. "Do not get upset. If it is what I think then I will help." Not alone.

She allowed that much to sink in, hoping that it would be enough to ease any chance of the woman going into hysterics or something. She hoped that those last assurances would be enough. She pressed on.

Pregnant.

The sign was simple and easy for the other to understand. It was one they had used often in their communications of late. Pregnancy was a frequent topic in the Dawnwhisper pavilion where Seirei was expecting to give birth to what Waisana might be another set of twins, judging from her size. There could be no mistaking the meaning though. She allowed her patient to grasp the concept before she rushed into say her piece before her reaction came. Before she potentially became more difficult in terms of co-operation or became harder to reach.

"It would take a few chimes to tell and if it is true then you would probably be a season, maybe a bit more. You could still hunt for close to two seasons." Twins. Uncommon. "Seirei had a harder time, could not work as long but for you it would be different. You will have help." Not alone. Endrykas. Safe. Food. Livestock.

This time when Waisana reached out to Naiya, she held out both hands and made to clasp one or both of the hunter's hands in her own.

[Naiya]

The doctor bit her lip, her concern clear, making Naiya only more worried. She watched the woman's eyes flash with thoughts, ideas that she held close but did not speak. Her heart raced in her chest, and she found herself feeling short of breath.

Not sick, the woman told her, yet she looked so afraid to voice her thoughts. Her words came with hesitation, the speed of carefully choosing. Will not cure, Naiya's hands echoed the sign with confusion.

Waisana was speaking in half thoughts, riddles, eyes searching for something to look at to give her strength. Concerned inquiry shaped Naiya's body as she waited, wondering what could be wrong with her that was so difficult to put to words.

Finally Waisana met her gaze, holding her eyes for the stillness of chimes as she came to a conclusion, made a decision. Naiya could only wait for her to speak, each tick crawling by, taking the time of a bell.

Her voice was soft, the gentle coaxing of a frightened animal, everything about the woman all but shouted reassurance, a sea of calm to battle Naiya's internal panic. She tried to let the woman's reassurance soothe her, taking a deep breath that only momentarily chased away the tightness in her chest.

Perhaps it was death that lingered at her breast. If she were dying, the woman would help, Drykas who could not survive were killed, but their family was taken in, cared for, perhaps it was for the best. Seirei and the children, Taerin, the livestock, they would be cared for in ways Naiya could not provide for them alone. It must be a sickness of wasting, one that came to slowly steal the life from the Drykas. It wouldn't be the first time such a disease came through the city.

Her name pulled her thoughts from their downward spiral, Waisana was unsure of her ailment, an exam, she said. Intimate, she said, the removal of her clothing was needed. It seemed only to make sense, she would have to see where the infection had begun, to search for signs of what might have caused it.

Waisana would help, she promised, Naiya and her family would not face this sickness alone. That, more than anything reassured her, if her family was safe, if Waisana would make sure they were not sick, that she had not infected them as well. That was good, the healer would help. Quiet fell, lasting a no more than a chime.

Pregnant, the sign shook her hands and tore at her heart wuepa. She was sure now that she couldn't breathe, could barely think. Time, she needed time, the exam.

A wuepa, her own, she had wanted one so badly, not so long ago she had spoken of children with Shahar. A season more or less, they had worked towards the intimacy, had thought longingly of having a child. Now she had one, a child, his child, a joy, but one that was hollow.

How would she support the family? How could she hunt for them? She could barely manage now, could barely keep her family.

How could she raise a child without Shahar?

Fatherless. Her child, without the simple joy of Shahar. Her eyes pricked with tears as Waisana reached across to take both her hands into her own.

Naiya's eyes turned to the healer's, searching for a hint of doubt, hoping beyond hope that she was wrong, that she would not raise Shahar's child without him. "An exam?" She questioned, sorrow and joy fighting for dominance in her posture. "A wuepa?"

Her face crumpled as tears spilled over her cheeks. Wonder took shape on hands that she pulled free to smooth hair back away from her face and dash the dampness from her cheeks. Waisana would help, she'd said, reminding herself.

"Are you sure?" Naiya asked, exam, inquiry, want to do.

[Waisana]

Waisana hadn't want to be so vague, setting the other's imagination running wild. You could almost see the activity going on behind her eyes as she processed the little things that the doctor had initially said. She seemed to pick up on the finer points of what she said as well. It was only an echo of what she'd just been told but Naiya had not focused on the notion that there was no cure but the idea that there was a cure that Waisana refused to provide, something withheld. Whatever ailment the hunter had conjured up in her head, it was clear that pregnancy hadn't occurred to her. It hadn't existed in the realm of possibility apparently. The blonde watched her anxiously, wondering how she would take it. She'd seen women react unpredictably, in ways she wouldn't have imagined fitting with their characters. She didn't know if Naiya would go into hysterics or faint, sob uncontrollably or act as if nothing was happening as she slipped into denial. She remembered Seirei's response when she had first discovered that she was carrying Lian's child--children, as it had turned out although they hadn't known that--but that had been a very different situation. Lian had raped and brutalised the girl and planted his offspring in her by force. If Naiya was pregnant then she carried the child of a man she loved but who had been lost to her, a child that was wanted but not in these tragic circumstances where it wouldn't have a father.

The hunter's eyes met hers as their hands touched and Waisana saw the tears and the deep sorrow, the agony. It was an pain that was incomprehensible. There was also a hope in her gaze, a hope that the doctor's suspicions were wrong. The hope was worse than the pain and the sadness. Pain and sadness could be healed but if she was right about this then that fragile hope would be shattered and if that happened then that was the point she foresaw a breakdown.

The woman's emotions swung back and forth, doing battle with one another as she tried to determine how she ought to feel. She said the word that Waisana had avoided and it was then that Naiya began to cry, pulling her hands free so she could shape words and questions. The Opal teen evaluated her carefully, determining what she could say. She had to remain neutral to avoid setting her off or giving her unnecessary hope.

Believe. Uncertain. "Wuepa, yes. An exam will let me know. If it is a wuepa then I can help you." Don't worry, she explained, reaching out to pat her hand again. It was good that she was being calm and cooperative. This must be very stressful for her after all. Now, it was a matter of checking things out and confirming whether her diagnosis was correct or not. The best course of action was to explain what she was going to do. The other would trust the doctor so there'd be no need to explain anything to her.

Take off clothes. "Sit with your legs apart and I will check." Few chimes, no more, she assured her, rising from her seat. She was in full professional mode now as she offered the other a gentle smile. When the other cooperated, she would move to check her breasts, handling them gently, probing when necessary as she searched for signs that the glands had begun to swell and develop. After checking there, the teen would kneel before her to gently feel around her abdomen, looking for signs of swelling beneath the surface. She was trying to see if the womb had grown, readying itself to accommodate a growing life. Finally, she would allow her fingers to move down to the woman's genitals, checking the colouring of the labia and the vaginal mucous, searching for the changes that would indicate a pregnancy. It was something she'd done countless times before. It was an examination just like this one that had shattered Seirei's world but further down the line from that day, she was happy to have her children. She hoped that Naiya would be able to hold such a view.

When she had checked everything that she needed to, she stood again, signing that the hunters could dress, and cleaned her hands, drying them carefully and slowly to delay the inevitable and give herself a good excuse not to look at the other just yet. When it couldn't be drawn out any longer without making her anxious, Waisana returned to her former seat and folded her hands in her lap. The girl did her best to retain a neutral expression before she nodded simply in response to the girl's query.

"Your body says yes, you have a wuepa. It is hard to say how long. Sometime last season, early winter maybe. Almost a season, I think. You should have it in fall," she told Naiya. Again, she offered the woman her hands, meaning to provide her with silent support.