Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2020 14:27:24 GMT -7
Was it time to panic now? Surely now was the perfect time to panic. Virva blinked endlessly against the panic that she feared would take over if she stopped attempting to deny what was right before her eyes. She took a deep breath, feeling the cold air hit her lungs. She'd fled to her home the moment she'd started to suspect. Winter was late this year and the lake hadn't frozen yet. It so often started around this time of year though. She dipped het feet in the lake over the small wooden pier that stood on the edge of the lake, so close to the little cottage where her parents lived. If she hadn't moved so far away she'd have probably had her own little cottage by now, still regularly visiting her friends in theirs and running around going to sauna. She certainly wouldn't have had the worries that she had now. Then again, there was a lot that she wouldn't have had if she thought clearly for a moment. The cold helped her think and she smiled slightly as she felt the fish nibble on her toes. They didn't fear her as they, like so many other creatures, could sense she meant no harm to nature. She sighed ever so deeply, her hands clenching around the odd muggle object in her hands.
It had been at the suggestion of a coworker of course. She hadn't been very worried but everything had been there. The regular signs. She'd taken sick leave, although she hadn't exactly been upfront with Luke so far on the actual reasons for it. She hadn't wanted him to worry about nothing at first, and then she hadn't been sure what to tell him. By now she wasn't even sure if she should tell him. She knew better, of course she knew better, but it was hard to imagine living away from her family and ...
She stopped the thought and got up, her wet feel leaving a trail towards the cabin where her parent were. They had left her the space, although she was pretty sure they knew. Druid insticts were a lot stronger, but the confirmation had been rather nice. She sighed as she looked at them with a mix between joy and utter despair on her face. "Now what?" She asked them in their native tongue and both walked up and simply hugged her. Her mother then took her face in her hands, a gentle little smile on her face. "Nature has given you a gift Virvatuli. It's up to you if you wish to accept it." It wasn't against the local customs for her to choose not to carry the child but it was highly unusual that a druid would choose any other option. Nature had given a gift and druids were usually keen to accept the gifts nature had to offer. Yet they also saw that there had to be a choice. In her case she knew nobody would judge her. She wasn't in the place people typically were when they started a family. She smiled back her mother. "Otso wasn't planned either, was he?" Her mother laughed gently. "None of you were planned but it doesn't make us love any of of you less. We let nature decide and you five were the gifs we were given." Virva giggled for a moment and then hugged both her parents close.
When she pulled back at her dad she handed him the stick. "Can we send this back to the earth mother?" She asked a bit sceptically and he merely chuckled and winked, putting it in a little woven basket. "I'll take it with the next batch sweetheart." He said and he ruffled her hair. She gave him a half pouting smile, glad they were so supportive. She then widened her eyes and looked at them in a slight panic. "How am I going to tell Luke? He's not like us! What if he wants it gone? What if he runs? What if things get all horrible and I can't go back to work again?" Her dad put a hand on her shoulder and simple and plainly looked at her, saying nothing. She fell silent and nodded, drawing in a very deep breath and holding it until she couldn't hold it any longer before slowly letting it back out again.
Väinö nodded then. "You're always free to come back home of course, although I doubt it will be needed. He seems like a good person, although different from us. I don't think he'll do you wrong, if you don't seek for him to do so. Trust in him as much as you'd trust a fire that you yourself started." Virva nodded, knowing exactly what her father meant. The fire you lit could keep you warm and give you shelter. It could bring you joy and pain. It could destroy if not tended properly. Fire on it's own was dangerous, yes, but never evil. It was what kept the heart and body warm in the cold and should never be vilified lest it grew stronger than those tending it and would destroy them. If she were to blame Luke and get angry with him for what they had created together, things would surely go wrong. He could choose to try and destroy it, that much was certain but if she douzed the flames in time no serious harm would come to her or the child.
She sighed and sat on the sofa, gathering one of the reindeir pelts around her for warmth along with a woven blanket. She was happy to be home again. Her mother sat down beside her just as her brothers burst into the room while arguing. "Pertu! You can't go around treatening the children that you'll fish up Näkki if they misbehave! You used to be terrified of him!" Petri chided his twin in frustration as he walked over to his sister on autopilot, kissing the top of her head. Pertu simply shrugged as he mimmicked the action of his brother. "I wouldn't have considered it if they weren't trying to show off all at once! How am I to teach them anything if they can't be silent?" He asked as the pair disappeared into their small room, still bickering. Virva allowed the noise to fill up the background as she felt her mother disapprove the boys for coming in as they had. It was good to be home.
The door opened again and the other two came in. First little Otso, who squealed when he spied his sister and instantly ran over to hug her, kiss her cheek and cuddle up in her lap. "I missed you sister." He said as he cuddled up. Tyyne chuckled as she walked over and hugged Virva's head, mostly because the rest was difficult to get to. "Good to see you to Virvatuli. What brings you home?" She asked, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Leave it to her sister to pick up on anything of romantic nature. It made sense, Virva supposed, since her sister was a young teen just coming into her own. She smiled. "Gather our idiot brothers and I'll tell." She said calmly as she snuggled her little brother, kissing the top of his head. It was good to be home.
It wasn't long before the entire family was gathered around the hearth, her older brothers playing with the fire to keep their restless hands busy. All her siblings were looking at her expectantly, except for Otso, he was just lying in her lap, eyes open and years intent but otherwise calm. She figured what they might want to hear. That she had decided to come back home and live here, although that wasn't quite it. She smiled at them all, knowing that as long as she wanted this and was happy, none of them would object. She took a deep breath and them beamed at all of them, overjoyed to be able to share the news with them.
"I'm pregnant. I'm going to be a mother." She saw the surprise, mostly on the faces of her brothers but in the shortest of moments they were smiling at least as brightly as she was and rushed to hug her in congratulations, almost squashing Otso in the process. Otso poked them both but he was wiggling on her lap in delight at the news. Tyyne joined the hug, soon followed by her parents. Then the questions started as her siblings all wanted to know all the details.
Nobody asked that day if she was planning to come home as they all respected her agency and figured she would have told them if she was coming home again because of this. Nobody judged her and they had quite the party, taking it all as an easy excuse to go to sauna. Not that anything would have stopped them. Virvatuli was last to go, standing on the threshold of her parental home looking out over the lake as she heard the sounds of the cabins in the woods around them. Before the next day would end everybody that mattered would know, except for one. So she decided to ask her parents to and siblings to task all with silence so that she might tell him first. The father and the one that deserved to know just as much as her family. She wanted to tell him herself.
Her father must have guessed her mind, for he joined her and smiled at her. "These worries are for later Virvatuli, unless you wish to return to your home now. If not, let go for now. We'll keep it quiet and let all know your wishes are for silence until you choose for the news to come. He does deserve to know before the village." Virva nodded mutely and then smiled, laughing softly. "Quite unexpected indeed." Väinö merely shrugged. "We knew from the time you were a baby that your path would spread from here eventually. You were always too free a spirit not to seek to explore. We just want you to be happy. Are you happy?" Virva nodded instantly, not even needing a moment to think. Even if Luke wouldn't join her for this she would love this child with all her heart, no doubt about that. "Then we've done well as parents, I think. All we wanted was for you to be happy." He kissed her forehead gently. "Now come and forget your worries for the night. We have something worth celebrating."
(Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn and @luke because they'll prolly be interested in this??)
