Mmn. It's morning.
[ He's quite sure of that. Not by the light - by the light it could be morning or evening, and with his schedule he's more likely to wake at the latter than at the former. But it can't be evening, because she's still with him. Every morning, when she goes, he feels her leave the bed to go riding or whatever other abominable activity that calls her, and he rolls over sleepily to press his face into the warmth she left behind. But she hadn't gone yet. Morning still.
He cracks open a bleary eye to look at her. Hooks an arm around her waist and rolls so he can pull her on top of him, so he can lay flat on his back with a blessed armful of warm Lakshmi atop him. And he closes his eyes again, sighing contentedly. ]
[ He's quite sure of that. Not by the light - by the light it could be morning or evening, and with his schedule he's more likely to wake at the latter than at the former. But it can't be evening, because she's still with him. Every morning, when she goes, he feels her leave the bed to go riding or whatever other abominable activity that calls her, and he rolls over sleepily to press his face into the warmth she left behind. But she hadn't gone yet. Morning still.
He cracks open a bleary eye to look at her. Hooks an arm around her waist and rolls so he can pull her on top of him, so he can lay flat on his back with a blessed armful of warm Lakshmi atop him. And he closes his eyes again, sighing contentedly. ]
[ He comes awake as though she'd hurled freezing-cold water on him, sitting up abruptly. His eyes fly fully open, and his face is - in a rare moment of vulnerability - quite frightened. His lips part, and he - Byerly Vorrutyer, man of enormous wit - asks the idiotic question: ]
How?
[ And then the only slightly less idiotic: ]
How - do you know?
How?
[ And then the only slightly less idiotic: ]
How - do you know?
[ He lifts his hand to his lips. He is impossibly, utterly awake. God. It - it is idiotic to be so unmoored; he's certainly done his part in procreating enthusiastically enough. But he'd thought she'd have the forethought to keep it from happening... ]
That's...good. That's good.
[ He runs a hand over his face. ]
And you intend to keep it?
That's...good. That's good.
[ He runs a hand over his face. ]
And you intend to keep it?
[ He gives a twitchy little shrug. His face feels pale; his hands feel as though they're trembling. ]
I simply wished to offer you that option.
[ A shaky breath out. ]
We should - arrange for a removal to a uterine replicator, then. Before it grows any larger. I don't want you to risk having a body birth.
I simply wished to offer you that option.
[ A shaky breath out. ]
We should - arrange for a removal to a uterine replicator, then. Before it grows any larger. I don't want you to risk having a body birth.
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