Duendewood vs. Solari: Memento Vitae

(FS557-06-24, so about two months after the Duendewood elves departed the Temple of Amun...)

Aesa set her plate on the table and lifted her fork, then set it back down. Across from her, Tarric frowned. "Are you ill?" 

She shrugged. "Upset stomach," she said. She reached for the pitcher of water, poured herself a cup, and sipped it. "I'll be fine as long as I eat slowly."

She'd managed three bites of the scrambled goose eggs and Tarric had nearly finished his entire plate when Anica sat down beside her. Anica took the pitcher and poured herself a cup of water, sipped at it, and then looked down at her plate with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. 

Tarric looked from one to the other and said, "Okay, I can see where Aesa might have a bit of an upset stomach from something she ate--" He looked at Aesa. "--though I'd assume you would cure yourself if you were really sick. But--" He looked back to Anica. "--you're a paladin. You shouldn't be able to get sick." 

Anica sat back and sighed. "I'm not sick. I just have an upset stomach."

Aesa said, "What?" She sounded puzzled. 

Before Anica could draw breath to respond, Tarric said, "Wait... Did you...?"

Anica nodded, and ran a hand through her hair. She needed to tie it back, but that could wait. 

Aesa was still frowning, puzzled. When Tarric turned to her and asked, "Both of you?" her expression changed to one of alarm:

"Both of us what?"

Anica looked at Tarric, who drew his head back and made a helpless gesture with his hands. "I should have kept my mouth shut," he said. "It's none of my business."

Aesa flushed, and then went pale. She turned to look at Anica. "So... wait. No. Wait. You and Ruin--" 

"After I tried to kill him, yes." 

"And you think we're both--"

"Showing the first symptoms, yes."

"That can't be right," said Aesa. "It can't be. It was an offering to Amun. Well, the first time was, anyway. Amun wouldn't do that to me." Then she frowned. "Corellon might, though." 

Tarric said, "Look, I'm in no position to criticize. It's not like I was sleeping alone either." 

Aesa said, "You weren't?" but Anica, quicker to make the connection, asked: "Martini?" 

Tarric nodded. "And before that, Geddy." He looked at their expressions. "What? He was charming, and handsome, and it wasn't like I was going to see him again." 

Aesa said, "Wait, so you slept with the bard and then you slept with the assassin?" 

Tarric shrugged. "Mother Mia introduced us, and I was showing her around, and one thing led to another..." He looked around, to make sure nobody was listening in. The Temple wouldn't censure any of them for any of this, but he didn't particularly want them to be part of the gossip, either. "So maybe she's staring at her breakfast with the same expression that you two had earlier," he continued. "Probably not. I don't know. I meant to see them off, but wound up sleeping away half the morning instead."

Anica nodded slowly, then turned to look at Aesa. "I really had no idea you two were..." 

"I didn't either," Aesa replied, thinking back. "And it was all very sudden and intense, and I really didn't give him a chance to object, or explain anything like that, and anyway..." She swallowed. "...we're probably never going to see him again." 

Anica nodded again at that. "Still friends?" 

Aesa smiled, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Still friends. Besides, if you're right, we're going to have siblings. Half-siblings, anyway. So we're going to have to raise them together, when we're not busy helping people or defeating the forces of evil."

Anica laughed, then turned to look at Tarric. "You realize you're going to have to help with this, right?" 

Tarric's eyes widened. "Me? With kids? Teaching them to... do whatever it is you teach kids to do?" He grinned. "Yes, I suppose I could do that... Uncle Tarric. I like the sound of that. 'Teach us how to hit each other with sticks, Uncle Tarric.' 'Tell us about how you defeated all those kobolds, Uncle Tarric.' 'Did you really rescue all those villagers, Uncle Tarric?' Why yes, little whatever-your-names-are, I'd be happy to tell you all about it."

"Oh, no," said Anica, "You just wait until Martini shows back up to hand off your kid. You won't even know what hit you." 

Tarric made a warding gesture, but he didn't stop smiling. "Amun forbid." 

Martini isn't my character, so it'll be totally up to her player to decide whether she might be pregnant or whether she would have taken steps to prevent it. I'm pretty sure she drugged Tarric so he couldn't see her off, and she probably only failed to rob him because he doesn't really own anything that would interest her.