Eiyuu Kishi Den

Glancing up at the tall young man, Natasi seemed drawn from deep thought. "Oh, no, 'fraid not. My feet are good enough for me," she replied. "Though if the rest of you are mounted, perhaps I could double up with someone?" the mercenary added, glancing between Gregory and Jeren.

"My fine lady," Jeren began instantly. "I would be honored if you would join me. Of course, such things are not for the light of heart, but I promise an experience you cannot find elsewhere." The dragon rider took great joy in sharing flight with others. It was a dream most had from time to time and one very few got to fulfill.

"Thanks," Natasi replied with a grin, pleased that the charming knight had been the one to offer. While at first she assumed that he would be on horseback, she suddenly remembered his occupation--Dragon Rider--and her golden eyes lit with glee. "Oh... does that mean we will be riding a dragon?" she asked, trying hard to restrain her excitement at the thought.

Jeren's smile curled just so, a handsome, boyish artifact from when he was but a lad. "Aye, miss," he replied. "Careening through the sky, carving a path through the clouds, and dancing with the eagles. I promise that you've never swam in a sea so wondrous as the sky."

Natasi leaned forward, propping her elbows up on the table, expressing her interest in Jeren. The passion with which he spoke enthralled her, and the mercenary grinned. "That's so beautiful," she replied. For a moment, she had forgotten she was pregnant, and without meaning to her smile fell. I don't know if my stomach can handle it, she thought, disappointed. Quickly though, she tried to bring back that expression of excitement. "I can't wait until we leave now!" she said with a grin again. Pregnant or not, she'd be damned if she were to miss out on riding a wyvern for the first, and perhaps only time, in her life.

"That's the spirit," Jeren said with a smile. "I'll make a kit of you yet." It was the common term for a baby wyvern who rode along on their mother's back. It didn't happen often, as wyverns were not much of parents. But the name grew to mean people who loved to ride along. Usually, these frequent passengers were adolescents who dreamed of being riders, but not always.

"A kit?" Natasi queried, still greatly interested in what he had to say. She tried to ignore her worries over a sensitive stomach, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity after all! Or maybe just first in a lifetime... she thought entertaining vague thoughts of pursuing the handsome dragon knight.

"Aye." Jeren chuckled, forgetting that not everyone grew up where he did. "Its what we call kids who like to ride second-saddle. They line up around the back of the barracks, begging to go up with a patrol or hunting flock. They cling like a baby to his mama the first go of it, so we call 'em kits, like some wyvern babes that bond with their parents."

Jeren grinned that handsome little grin, charming through its genuine nature. "Most kits learn to fly that way. Both kits, wyvern or human, make up the next generation of dragons and riders." Jeren wasn't going to make the offer to teach her to fly, but, if she proved natural, he certainly would. People talented enough to work with dragons were few and far between. Jeren was a rising star in his time and was in line to begin training new riders, help them find a dragon to bond with. It was far too early to tell until she got into the sky, but every person he took up, he had hopes for.

Natasi listened, fascinated by the lesson in Wyverns. She had lived her life so far from Moss that she had never really given much thought to the flying dragon-kin, and sometimes she doubted battlefield tales from the war. Some soldiers had spoken of the Mossian Dragon Riders who had helped King Kashue on Marmo, but she had been fighting in Kanon at that time. She spent much of her career as a mercenary on the east coast or in Flaim, aside from one trip to Raiden over the northern roads out of Flaim, but Moss was the only nation she had yet to see.

Thalia and Amara returned, their search had been fruitful quite early on, though Thalia seemed rather troubled. The weight of Amara's choice seemed to be weighing rather heavily on the girl, as were the opinions of others, and Thalia couldn't help but worry about Amara's mood. She felt a little responsible as well, considering some of the things she had said about Nat. Meeting Azala had been an experience that spoiled some of the priestess's naivety, and knowing that Nat was Azala's son, she feared that the half-elf was just like his father--if not worse.

"Well, we have found a midwife," she announced as she approached the table where Jeren and Natasi sat, Gregory waiting close by. "There will be an apprentice midwife joining us tomorrow morning, then we will set out for Shinning Hill."

"Excellent." Jeren was genuinely happy to have companions again. It had been a while since he had entered into such a pact. It sweetened the deal to be enforcing proper responsibility in a man as well. And, of course, it certainly helped that beautiful women surrounded him at all times, even if his charms were not flawlessly successful.

Jeren rose and pulled out the two remaining chairs. "Please, have a seat, both of you. I'm sure your feet hurt from wandering so far."

Gregory kept his gaze turned away from the group, the conversation didn't exactly interest him, but he kept his ear turned to listen in to the information. His gaze turned suddenly, seeing Thalia and Amara returning from their business. A smile crossed his lips as he looked up at Thalia, happy to see her back.

As Thalia glanced at Gregory, she was suddenly struck with the way he brightened when he saw her. She blushed slightly, and despite Jeren's charm and good looks, it wasn't for him. The Marfa priestess gracefully sat in one of the chairs Jeren had pulled out. "Thank you," she said softly in response to the dragon rider.

Looking toward the female mercenary, who seemed quite happy, Thalia took a moment to consider the needs of their newest addition. "How are you doing, Natasi?" she inquired.

"Just fine, thanks," Natasi replied, with a grin. She was actually quite excited to be off tomorrow, though the mercenary had to suppress her anxieties about hiding her condition. It might be even harder if a midwife joined them, but she could only hope the trip wouldn't take long enough for anyone to know. If Nat was indeed in Shinning Hill, it shouldn't take long to find him after all!

Amara smiled at Jeren and sat after Thalia did. "Thank you Jeren," she said with a hint of exation in her voice. The girl smooth her hair back in place and place her right hand on her stomach. She smiled softly as she looked down at it. "Hmm... I wonder what is in there?" She asked as she rubbed her stomach. "I wonder if it is a girl or boy... Or if he or she has my hair or his hair or maybe it will have his per..." The girl suddenly paused as the tears slowly formed in her eyes.